Our Kids Member Report

Glen Herbert
Editor/Writer, Our Kids Media
April, 2020

“This too shall pass” is a phrase from a Persian adage first voiced more than a millennium ago, and it’s been repeated for lots of good reasons ever since. People prone to see the glass as half empty say it like a sigh, implying “what next?” Those prone to see the glass as half full say it with a bit of sunshine in their voices, implying “we’ll get through this; there are better days ahead.”

They’re both right. It’s a hard time. It’s worth addressing the needs of the moment, and to that end we’ve launched a COVID-19 Resource Centre for Private and Independent Schools. There you’ll find resources around marketing, online teaching, and tax relief.We’ll be adding resources to the hub as we go, so keep an eye out for updates.

To aid in messaging to families, we’re continuing to update the Inside the COVID-19 response of Canada's private schools hub with exclusive coverage about how schools are navigating their remote learning platforms.

But there’s also reason to be hopeful, and therefore it’s worth thinking ahead. Since people are in information harvesting mode, it’s a good time to tweak your marketing efforts to be even more visible than you might have been before, as discussed in this piece from Forbes, now isn’t the time to slow your marketing efforts. To that end, our team is working hard to continue to develop features, including this one: a to-do list within C-panel to provide you with ways to improve your school's profile across our platform. The to-do list features recommended sections tailored to your specific profile, one which is generated dynamically. If it applies to you, you’ll find it on your profile dashboard and within each section of your online profile (at the top of each page).

It may be hard to imagine at the moment, but we will get through this, and we’ll do so with some great stories to tell. Ones that highlight the kinds of things that private and independent schools do best: remain agile and creative, respond to the needs of their primary stakeholders, and deliver outstanding programs.

For more ...

If you haven’t yet renewed your Our Kids school membership for 2021 enrollment, please email us today. We’ll send you the most recent information kit and can schedule a demo call before rates increase on April 30th.

To support the transition to distance learning, and to manage remote platforms as they continue to develop, Microsoft has offered resources, training and how-to guides for IT, educators, staff. For those resources, as well as tips and supports, click here.

Please log into your control panel, ensure your contact information is up to date, submit your print profile (deadline: May 28), and update your online profile where relevant. While these updates to your profiles apply to your information for the 2020-21 school year and beyond, it’s best to get them done as soon as possible.

The user review hub continues to grow, becoming, as far as we know, the largest archive of its kind in Canada. Parents and students use it, though we use it, too, to inform and support editorial content. It provides a unique and personal view onto a unique, personal world. Reviews are submitted by alumni, students, and parents, and you can direct them to the user review page of the hub.