In our brand new podcast, Academically Speaking, Laura Perillo — Oak Knoll's Marketing Content Strategist in the Office of Marketing and Communications — sat down with new Lower School Guidance Counselor Melissa Nelson on re-entry anxiety in children as they return to campus this fall under COVID-19 restrictions.
Topics: elementary school, parenting, separation anxiety, tips, mental health, Coronavirus, COVID-19
As we continue to weather the storm of the novel COVID-19 virus weaving its way throughout the world, millions of children everywhere are hunkered down at home, at their computers, attending their “virtual school day” – as they navigate this new reality.
Topics: technology, high school, elementary school, parenting, middle school
With all of the news and social media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, children may be confused and frightened by what they see and hear. Imaginations run wild on the playground and parents may feel that the topic should remain off-limits to avoid sparking fear in their child more than necessary. But according to The Child Mind Institute, children are actually more fearful when they are kept in the dark.
Topics: high school, elementary school, parenting, middle school, health, tips, mental health
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
Developing empathy in children is imperative to ensure we are promoting good, responsible citizenry. Studies show that children start to show genuine empathy - understanding how other people feel - around 2 years of age. To help foster values of charitable giving, families must find ways to teach kids about giving back and make it FUN.
Topics: elementary school, community service, thanksgiving
Parents get ready; it’s almost time for your child to go back-to-school! For many, this can be a stressful time. Transitions at any age are an adjustment and the earlier you can start preparing your child for the change in routine, environment, workload, friends, etc., the less stress there is for everyone.
Topics: elementary school, parenting, separation anxiety, kindergarten ready
As parents and educators, we seek to put our teen’s behaviors, emotions and difficulties into mutually exclusive categories that we can readily understand and, by extension, start the processing of fixing. This assuages our own anxieties about being ineffective in our children’s lives and, replaces that inner parental angst with controllable variables in the form of actionable items and measurable gains. If your teen comes home expressing that nothing in math class is making sense, parents may act in the straightforward response of contacting the teacher or enlisting the help of a tutor, should one not already exist. This is an “easy one” as parenting goes, in that the direction is clear and there is a reasonable expectation that this intervention will fix or at least mitigate the problem.
Topics: high school, elementary school, parenting, middle school, wellness, building confidence, mental health
There are proven benefits of small classroom sizes - from increased achievement to higher graduation rates. The way students learn and perform are significantly impacted by a small classroom environment - specifically those with fewer than 20 children. Students are more likely to receive individualized attention, which enhances learning opportunities, improves behavior, builds a community and produces overall better results, from test scores to grades.
Topics: teaching, classroom, elementary school, tips, success skills
Do you like challenges? More specifically, do you like geographic challenges?
Then I think you would be interested in learning about #MysterySkype. Why the hashtag? #MysterySkype is a Twitter hashtag that teachers have been using to set up connections between their classes. The challenge is for students to guess the location of the other class by asking yes or no geographic questions. There are also spin-offs to #MysterySkype such as #MysteryAnimal and #MysteryNumber. Anything can become a mystery — how about a #MysteryElement from the periodic table?Topics: technology, high school, elementary school, middle school
When searching for the right school for your child, there are so many options out there that the idea of undergoing the application process at more than one private school can become an overwhelming proposition. But it really doesn’t have to be that hard. Follow our tips for applying to private school to help you navigate the decision-making process with ease.
Topics: elementary school, admissions, tips
