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

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

We recently caught up with Megan Murphy, the Executive Director of the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools after she visited the Oak Knoll School campus earlier this fall. Here, she talks about issues facing girls’ schools, her hope for empowering girls’ voices and girls' school misconceptions.

Topics: education, all-girls, high school, students, independent catholic school summit nj, private school, middle school, building confidence

Admissions season is upon us for eighth-grade students looking to choose your future high school home. It is natural to be excited (and maybe a little nervous!!) when venturing off to meet new people, explore new spaces and learn new concepts. Here at Oak Knoll, we’ve gathered a few tips and tricks to prepare for your upcoming visit day!

Topics: high school, admissions, tips

If you’re an educator or have been near an educational institution over the last few years, you’ve most likely heard the phrase ‘Growth Mindset.’ It seems to be the new buzz word as of late. But what exactly does it mean? And why is it so important? And if you don’t have one, how do you get one?

Topics: elementary, high school, learners, middle school, success skills, growth mindset

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

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

Whether in-season or out-of-season, it’s important athletes take care of themselves during the winter months. The cold weather impacts your body by tightening muscles, causing dehydration and, for some, triggering asthma. As the extreme temperatures settle in, use our guide to athletic health care to help athletes prepare their bodies for the cold winter months.

Topics: high school, athletics, middle school, health

Winter break is the perfect time to snuggle up with a good book for fun or continue reinforcing classroom concepts. The librarians at Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child developed a list of top winter reads that are appropriate for students in grades K-12. Whether it’s snowing outside or you’re just trying to decompress, the list of our top winter reads are both fun and educational.

Topics: education, high school, elementary school, reading, middle school