A question we’re frequently asked by parents who inquire about sending their children to St. Barnabas School is “can she attend even though we're not Episcopal?” And the answer to that is a resounding yes. We have students in our classrooms whose families practice a variety of different faith traditions and attend many different churches around our community. 

Most parents want the same general things from their children’s school experience. You want them to be successful academically and socially, and that requires one simple thing: engagement. That’s right, if your child slinks back and avoids participating in the classroom or in relationships it will be much harder for them to succeed in either. Of course, this is easier said than done for some students. Some people are innately shier or naturally struggle with certain subjects. However, by encouraging engagement we can ensure they don’t slip through the cracks.

You’d expect any school to focus a lot of their energy and resources on traditional education. After all, that’s the exact reason that you send your children there each day. But what you may not notice is that not as many schools are spending their energy and resources to build robust physical education programs. And while expanding the mind is central to our mission at St. Barnabas School, we also take very seriously our responsibility to help children grow strong and healthy physical bodies.

When you send your children off to school, you do so with the expectation that the school has the resources to support your child’s education, regardless of how strong a student they are. Some students need extra resources to ensure that they are challenged enough in their classes, while others need more support to be able to master the content taught at their grade level. Wherever your child lands on this spectrum, it’s reasonable to assume they will be afforded the necessary tools to succeed in their education.

Once you’ve done your research and decided to enroll your children in private school rather than the public school alternative, there are some decisions you’ll need to weigh about which school is the right fit for your family.

So, you’re about to send your child off to kindergarten. We understand this is a huge moment for you, and the first big step in their formal education. You’ve already decided that private school is the right option for your family, and you’ve probably already selected a school, but how do you know what to look for in a kindergarten teacher?

As the tides of our American education system begin to change there has been a lot of public debate over the effectiveness of charter schools. You may be wondering, “what exactly are charter schools?” And you’re not alone. While charter schools have been around since the 1970s they have only been recently popularized and made available to local families. Since then we have fielded questions and as to the difference between a charter school and a private school.

No parent wants to watch their children struggle, especially not in school. And for some, the academic rigor of private school takes some getting used to. But regardless of why your child is struggling in private school, there are many ways that you can support them and encourage them toward success.

Over the last few years the State of Florida has seen a lot of conflict between teachers and school boards regarding pay, hours worked, and classroom size. For these reasons and others, there are more and more teachers who want to work in a private school. Private schools have many well-researched benefits for students, but the benefits for teachers are part of the fabric that makes the public school community so desirable.

Hopefully, by this point, every one of us has learned important lessons on how to effectively deal with interpersonal conflict. Those lessons we have learned allow us in turn to teach them to our children. Learning to navigate interpersonal conflict is critical, and children will develop the skills to do it in stages as they grow up and develop stronger language and social skills.