Whether you’re a stay at home parent or a career mom on the go, sending your child off to school for the first time is liberating and yet still a huge responsibility. If you’re going to send your child to school, you’d hope that they’re learning something while they’re there. While some parents send their children to school without concern, others worry about the impact it has on their kids. 

One of the most common questions we field about private education is how much it costs and whether or not it will be affordable. We understand that all families can afford to make different financial commitments, which is why we offer scholarships to students with demonstrated need. But even with scholarships, some families find they still need to save up to make private school work for them. 

There are as many parenting methods in the world as there are parents. But there is one style of parenting in particular that resonates with the parents of many of our students. Positive parenting is a method that begins with the belief that all children are ultimately good. It teaches parents that children want to do the right thing and simply need guidance to help them make the best choices. The goal is to establish trust, build self-esteem, and correct children without breaking them down.

Sending your first child off to school is exciting and terrifying all at the same time. You may feel pressure to have your child fully prepared for school and to keep up with the other children his or her age. And while you can certainly prepare your children for some aspects of kindergarten, there are some things you’ll need to let go of in order to maintain your sanity.

No matter how many children you have, sending them off to their first day of kindergarten is a big deal! It’s the first day of many years to come in the education system. Once you’ve been through the system for a while it probably seems crystal clear, but with child number one you’re left with a lot of questions. 

We’ve all heard of the phrase “mom guilt,” but the phenomenon is not just affecting women. Parent guilt is running rampant in this information age because now, more than ever before in human history we can see how other people are raising their families. Social media has the power to connect us with people all over the world, and unfortunately, we tend to use it as a tool for comparison. 

The beginning of a new semester of school is the perfect opportunity for parents to help their children set new goals and intentions for the rest of the year. This is an especially valuable opportunity for students who have fallen behind their peers or behind their capabilities so far in the academic year. Unlike the beginning of a new year which comes on the heels of a long summer vacation, the beginning of the second semester comes after only a short break. This helps many students to maintain academic focus.

At St. Barnabas School we have the pleasure of educating children from kindergarten through eighth grade. And while it's always sad to see our students age out and move on to high school, we do so with pride knowing that we have prepared them to be excellent students and community members in their next school. 

Most students begin the school year with us at St. Barnabas School, but that is not the case for our entire student body. Some students join us mid-year, others still trickle in throughout the year. Anytime a student transfers into a new school during the middle of a school year, it can be a hard transition both academically and socially.