If your kids have an internet connection, they are likely using TikTok. It's a free, engaging, short-form video-sharing app geared toward teenagers that allows users to express themselves with filters, music and other features. Users can watch and record videos of themselves lip-syncing to music as well as create short, shareable videos so they can interact with friends through likes, comments, songs and livestream.
Topics: technology, high school, middle school, internet safety
Playing a sport in college is a very personal choice that can change the entire shape of your college experience. Only a very small percentage of high school student-athletes will earn the opportunity to move on to collegiate athletics. In fact, according to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), out of nearly 8 million students playing high school sports across the country each year, only about 6 percent compete at NCAA universities.
If you do find yourself aspiring to become a college athlete, there are several tips to help you decide if the race is right for you.
Topics: high school, athletics, middle school, college counseling
5 Ways to Help Your Child Fall in Love with Reading
Many children are reluctant readers. They're uninspired by the content, struggle with vocabulary or are simply more interested in other things. It's possible your child has trouble putting down a book, but so many parents pull their hair out trying to figure out how to motivate their child to read.
So, how do you ensure your child soars in reading without making it seem like another mundane to-do-task? By getting your child to fall in love with reading.
Topics: elementary school, learners, reading
The Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 during Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, February 2, 2020. But it's not all about hot wings, cheese platters and face painting. There are at least three crucial life lessons that can be learned by paying attention to the events on and off the field that should be shared with students and beyond.
Topics: parenting, athletics, student advice
If you’re like us, you can barely go an hour without receiving an email or seeing a social media post related to the COVID-19 infection, a new strain of coronavirus that is responsible for a “deadly outbreak” in China that has spread across the globe. Images of people wearing masks in New York City, news about travel restrictions to CDC Warning Level 3 areas and school and other business closures have likely flooded your digital inbox. But what do you need to know? Are you at risk?
Topics: health
“Is my child ready for kindergarten?” is one of the top questions I receive from parents as an elementary school teacher. And while there are many factors that go into determining whether a child is academically, physically, socially and emotionally prepared to start school, we at Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child have maintained that there are really five main pillars used to prepare a child for the next step: social skills, reading, language, motor skills and number concepts.
Topics: lower school, admissions, kindergarten ready, kindergarten
Eating healthy doesn't need to be hard or, worse, taste bad. It also doesn't need to be part of some self-imposed stressful attempt to force New Year's Resolutions that we ultimately never achieve. It should be part of a positive, overall healthy lifestyle for #livingyourbestlife.
As part of health and wellness education at Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child, seventh- and eighth-grade students learned about healthy eating and the health of the planet. Throughout the fall, students were tasked with creating healthy recipes that they would then share with the school community. Below is just a sampling of some of the recipes created. Have your own healthy recipe to share? Leave it for us below in the comments!
Interested in more healthy recipes from Oak Knoll? Follow #healthyrecipesOKS on Twitter.
Topics: middle school, health, wellness
The year 2019 brought us so many blog topics — from the disturbing Momo Challenge that ended up being a hoax to the College Admissions Scandal and so much more. The blog team at Oak Knoll looked back at the top posts that resonated with our loyal readers to bring you this roundup of the top 10 blog posts of 2019.
Topics: technology, admissions, parenting, middle school, health, college counseling, building confidence, fundraising
In today’s world, children are inundated and, often, overwhelmed with smart devices such as iPads, smartphones and even 'Alexa.' By encouraging students to learn how to program code on these devices, we are really teaching children how to be in control, rather than letting the devices control them.
Topics: technology, education, computer science
Entering pre-kindergarten for one child may be a completely different experience for another. Some children begin preschool as a 4-year old, while other children may enter at the pre-kindergarten 3 level. With these different levels of maturity and age, the ‘readiness’ factor comes into play. Follow our guide below to understand what you should know before your child enters pre-K.
Topics: parenting, separation anxiety, pre-kindergarten, pre-K