Category: School

School fundraisers have become more important over the last few years as federal, state and district funding of basic education and school activities has been reduced. Consequently, more schools and groups are holding multiple fundraisers and in some cases competing for dollars.

As a parent and former educator I am concerned about the impact of the increased pressure to raise funds on the culture and atmosphere of the school. Fundraising is a billion dollar industry which holds little regard to the health of the student, family or community. One must ask the question, what are we teaching our children and families through our current fundraising practices? Currently, my neighborhood school is raising funds by selling cookie dough and promoting McDonald’s coupons. Not that I do not like cookie dough or the occasional Big Mac, but at one point does the overall health of the student outweigh the needs for funds.

One of the growing trends over the last few years has been Green or Eco Friendly Fundraising solutions. These programs sell green products such as reusable water bottles, reusable bags, and fair trade products. This is a step in right direction as the products send an educational message to the home and promote positive actions like recycling, waste reduction and the use of reusable products. In some cases these fundraisers are connected to the school curriculum.

Another type of fundraiser which has become popular again is the walk-a-thon, and now in some cases dance-a-thon. These are great activities which promote personal health and increased awareness for the bodies need to exercise. Communities often like this type of fundraiser as well as most people really do not want a tub of cookie dough or overpriced wrapping paper.

It will take time to change the culture of the school fundraiser, but the shift is happening around the country. The next time you are able to influence how a group raises money, consider the true impact of the fundraiser on the entire community.

The Country Day School movement was one of the leading progressive educational initiatives of the 19th Century. A description like that might make it sound like an antique, a thing of the past, but thats hardly the case. Actually, the country day school model is very much alive and well, thriving at various campuses across the country. And it has a number of proponents who are held in high regard in educational circlesAlexander Harvey IV being only one of several examples.

Indeed, as a proponent of the country day school model, Alexander Harvey IV is tireless and passionate. His entire career as a school administrator has been in the service of country day schoolsand if you dont believe that, simply take a peak at his resume. Youll see that he started out as the middle school director of Charlotte Country Day School, then spent three years as the headmaster of Denvers Graland Country Day School. After that he was named headmaster of Alexandria Country Day School in Virginiaand he ended up spending ten years there.

But what is the country day school model, and why is Alexander Harvey IV such a firm advocate for it? The basic idea behind the country day school is to replicate all the benefits of a college preparatory boarding schoolbut also to allow kids to go home and see their parents and siblings at the end of the day. The notion is to combine academic rigor with a vibrant home lifeand also to emphasize character development, athletic and artistic growth, and camaraderie with other students.

Theyre called country day schools because, back in the day, they were established in the countrywhat wed call the suburbs todayin order to avoid the perils of big-city pollution, crime, and disease. Today, these schools can be found all over the countryliterally. Alexander Harvey IVs country day school career has taken him to North Carolina, Colorado, and Virginia, but you can find these institutes all over the place.

Less common are country day school enthusiasts as vocal and passionate as Alexander Harvey IVbut then, his work on behalf of this educational model is enough for several men, it seems sometimes. His career as a school administrator in a country day school setting is simply peerless; as long as the movement has advocates with his level of conviction, one suspects it will continue to grow and to thrive.

Anyone thinking of purchasing School Playground Equipment for their School or other educational institute must consider several factors before making a decision. Such as, which age group are you aiming at? How can you ensure that you supply the correct school play equipment for the ages concerned that will keep them excited yet safe at the same time? Which materials are best utilized?

Lets start by breaking the play equipment range down into three age groups. Toddlers through to infant school, ages 1-6. Junior School ages 7-11 and lastly teens. Trying to accomodate for all these age groups in one place, although do-able, will more than likely be unsuccessful. Particulary nowadays when many young children wont approach a play area surrounded by teens for fear of reprisal. Consider one or two of the age groups and aim at these, or seperate the play areas so smaller children will feel more at ease at playtime.

Now everyone knows that little kids have big imaginations. Incorporating playground graphics into their outdoor play environment is a hugely successful way of encouraging imaginative play and keeping small children active. Creative development is one of the six areas of learning for the outdoor curriculum. The use of imaginative play equipment such as wooden ships, trains and castles mean that those little minds can travel anywhere that their imaginations can carry them within the safety of the school playground. Also incorporating something that rocks such as a horse or swings will prove popular as small children gain comfort in all things that rock.

Moving onto slightly older children at junior school. At this age adventurous play is imperetive for developing confidence and co-ordination. Climbing frames and adventure trails are perfect for developing these skills. There are low-level and high-level adventure trails available. The high-level trails obviously require a degree of climbing skill and co-ordination so are recommended for the older children but the low-level trails are great for developing these balancing skills at this age. Climbing frames are great if you are limited for space and wish to incorporate several challenges into the playground. Most activity frames will come with scrambler nets, horizontal ladders and rope walks. You will notice these are mostly built to go round in a circle (or a square) this is to encourage social interaction with other children.

Lastly we look at the older age range of children using school playground equipment. Using a clever mixture of high-level adventure trails and play sport equipment you can ensure that even the toughest teen cant resist joining in at playtime. High-level adventure trails will encourage them to show off their climbing skills to their peers and motivate their thoughts at the same time as helping to build strong muscles.
Outdoor sports is something that divides teens opinions. I remember going from heading the schools netball team to victory, to hiding out in the school toilets with my friends for fear of having to be involved in any physical activity at school. However nowadays there is so much permanent outdoor sport equipment it would be hard to resist a 4-way ball shooter! This not only enhances hand to eye co-ordination but encourages co-operative play in a fun environment working as individual or part of a team.

School playground equipment can be tailor-made for your specific needs. Never compromise on low priced materials such as plastics. Always ensure that the best quality parts and materials are used. Think of the safety of your children when choosing playground equipment for your school and ensure that the manufacturer has upheld all standard necessities as far as safety goes. Choose a play equipment provider that also provides equipment for local authorities and you cant go far wrong.

This post modern era has increased the competition between every other country to progress more and to become the most powerful country of the world. And for this the most important factor is the quality of education provided by each country. India has achieved a lot in these past sixty years after its independence, as per the data published by the Indian census in 2011 the literacy rate of India has gone up to the point of 74.04%.Our country has many world renowned and prestigious schools and colleges and Ahmadabad is one of the largest cities of the country which has come up with some of the best educational schools,colleges,industries and job opportunities.

Ahmedabad which was the former capital of Gujarat has a sound literacy rate of 79.3% with male literacy rate as 87.2% and female literacy rate as 70.7%. We can easily find a number of good educational institutes in Ahmedabad.One can enroll for English medium school; Gujrati medium school, boarding school, International school, CBSE and ICSE School, school for physically challenged kids, nursery and even kindergartens are available. As it is a metropolitan city so the good transport facility and better infrastructure of the city gives it a positive advantage and attracts many students from other cities, states and even countries.

Ahmedabad is a very cultured and harmonious city, the people of this city are not at all ignorant about the importance and need of education in todays world. Here most of the schools come under the Municipal Corporation or they are run privately by trusts, entities and corporations. A large number of schools are mostly affiliated with the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board. Others are affiliated with CBSE (Central Board for Secondary Education), ICSE (Indian Certificate of secondary Education) and others by International Baccalaureate, National Institute of Open School. All the schools and other educational institutes of the city are within easy reach of students from their respective residential locations.

All the schools in the city have different education teaching strategies with one single motive of imparting good and quality education to the future of this country. Apart from this schools are satisfactorily equipped by other facilities and amenities to help a child to grow, learn and enjoy the environment to the fullest. These schools have best type of infrastructure including transport facilities with proper playgrounds and well equipped computer and other science laboratories. Proper drinking water is suitably provided throughout the day in the schools with hygiene maintained school canteens to serve healthy and nutritious snacks and other meals to students. For a proper growth of a child it not only needs education related mental growth but also cultural, sports, and dance activities related physical and psychological growth. So besides studies and exams schools must cater to these other facilities which one can find in schools of Ahmedabad.

Some of the best schools of Ahmedabad are listed below:

1. A One School

2. Adarsh Balmandir and Prathmik Shala

3. Adarsh High School-Kuber Nagar

4. Amrut Primary and High School

5. Aroma School

6. Gracious English School

Some other famous International schools of Ahmedabad are:

1. Ahmedabad International School

2. Olive Green International School

3. DAV International School

4. Divine Life International School

Some renowned boys school of Ahmedabad are as under:

1. Hirmani School

2. FD High School

3. Doon Blossom Academy

4. SGVP International school

Some boarding schools of Ahemdabad are as follows:

1. Anand Niketan School

2. Gandhinagar International Public School

3. Calorx School

4. JG International School

5. Doon Cambridge School

All these schools of Ahmedabad are fully equipped and best facilitated for education and for the total grooming purpose of students.

Having separation between boys and girls in the past has always been a way many private schools run their classrooms. Motivation for this might be for religious or moral reasons, or just because they dont want boys and girls being distracted by the opposite sex in the same classroom. Recently, public schools have been separating the boys and girls, and for entirely different reasons. The public schools are separating the sexes due to different learning needs depending on the gender. Apparently girls and boys learn differently. The public schools are not going as far as to completely separate the sexes by putting them on different campuses, but they are all intermixed on one campus but separated in the classrooms.

Some give the reason for separation in part to the fact that boys and girls distract each other when in the classroom setting and they may not pay much attention to the lesson plan when the opposite sex is in the room. They say by separating the genders, they are removing the distraction and helping test scores go up because students can focus more on the schoolwork and lessons.

Girls have the reputation that Math, Science and Technology is not the best subject for them. The schools are hoping that by separating the boys and girls, they can adjust the lesson plans for the girls to be geared towards the female brain and how to teach the girls effectively. In result the girls will do better on their tests and have better understanding of the subjects.

They are calling this separation of the genders in classrooms, Dual Academy. One school that has adopted this new Dual Academy way of teaching is Imagine Southeast Public Charter School, in Virginia. This single sex education really is showing improvement in the schools that have taken on this dual academy teaching style. Teachers that were critical of this new way were astounded on how much more focused the students were. They said the students were not only focused but they participated more, because of lack of shyness since the opposite gender was not present. Also, the teacher noticed that students took more pride in their work, they were proud of getting good grades and loved that they didnt have to feel embarrassed in front of the opposite gender when presenting in class or asking questions.

When we think of separating boys and girls we normally think of three things; private schools, religious reasons or old fashioned morals. Now that we are seeing a trend in public schools starting to separate boys and girls we wonder if that is good for our childrens character to only be around one sex. In real life us adults arent segregated anymore. We have to work on a daily basis with the opposite sex and by going to school with the opposite sex, we learn to resist distractions in the classrooms and learn to work with the opposite sex on projects or present projects in front of them. By us segregating genders to boost test scores, is this really helping our youth become diverse and help them feel confident around the opposite genders one day? For more information please visit Virginia School Report and Public School Rankings