30 Local Students Achieve National Merit Finalist Status

By Amanda Roland | February 18, 2020 | Blog , Your Schools
Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) announced that 30 students from local high schools are finalists in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship program.  This program is extremely prestigious and indicates great academic excellence. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation recently informed the finalists of their status, and the finalists have a chance to be awarded thousands of

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ACPS is Offering a Second Round of Free Flu Shots

By Amanda Roland | February 17, 2020 | Blog , Health
Alachua County Public Schools announced there will be an optional second round of flu shots offered in Alachua County schools due to the severity of this year’s flu virus.  The vaccination will be offered as a flu shot only. “As always, the shots are FREE, safe and will be administered at school during the school

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Help Your Tween Navigate Dating

By Jackie Smith | February 14, 2020 | Conception 2 College , Tweens
Valentine’s Day is an exciting time of year for tweens to interact with peers by delivering kind messages in cards, celebrating at parties and sharing their favorite sweets. But unlike the comfortably predictable annual arrival of Valentine’s Day festivities, anticipating when your child is ready to start dating can be hard to pin down. While

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Everything You and Your Family Should Know About The Coronavirus

By Anastasia Sims | February 11, 2020 | Blog , Health
  While the Flu is still making its rounds around Gainesville and Alachua County, another illness has made national headlines. The coronavirus has quickly become one of the most talked about viruses in recent history, and with a good reason. According to Business Insider, the coronavirus has killed more people in the past 6 weeks

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Choosing Your Grandparent Name

By Taryn Tacher | February 10, 2020 | Home Life , infant , Life
It is said that bringing a child into the world is the greatest moment of your life — a moment so overwhelmingly emotional that only one other milestone can top it: welcoming your first grandchild. Witnessing your baby, who you birthed, raised, loved and let flourish, follow in your footsteps by becoming a parent is

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Have Some Fun Without The Television!

By Dana Kamp | January 28, 2020 | Happy Home , Health , Home Life
So you gave in and allowed Santa to bring the Xbox 360 this year. You put off having a game system as long as you could, but when you realized the games are as much fun for parents as they are for kiddos, you softened. The fact that you play the games standing up and

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Make Everyday Moments Teachable Moments

By Bobbi Bloom | January 24, 2020 | Conception 2 College , Teens
It is certainly true that many sensitive topics in life (the birds and the bees, drugs, divorce or natural disasters) cause even the most comfortable parents to be a little uneasy. While those conversations may not be a piece of cake to discuss, it is always better if the truth comes from you rather than

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Try These At-Home Listening Activities

By Rebecca Vitkus | January 22, 2020 | Conception 2 College , Early Years
While listening skills are practiced every day in preschool and kindergarten classrooms, it is up to parents to continue building those listening skills at home. Former kindergarten teacher Ilene Vitkus shared some of her classroom tactics to make at-home listening activities both fun and beneficial. Draw This! Bring out the crayons and paper and instruct

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Winter Wear In Florida!

By Giggle Magazine | January 21, 2020 | Guides
Living in the Sunshine State has it’s advantages. Sun, surf and sand all year long. Golf on Thanksgiving, swimming on Christmas...what could be better? We are so lucky to live in paradise...but, even paradise welcomes “Jack Frost” now and then in the Florida winter. As the holiday season approaches, so do the ever illusive cold

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Is a Homeschool Co-op Right for Your Family?

By Crystal Ladwig, Ph. D. | January 20, 2020 | Homeschool , Learn
Socialization is widely considered to be a concern for families as they start home schooling. Alachua County and the surrounding areas are blessed to have an incredible level of support for home schooling, one that many other districts in Florida do not share. Without a doubt, the best source of socialization and support comes from

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