The holidays bring many of us closer. It’s a time to celebrate, unite, and reflect regardless what faith or nationality you are. However, the season isn’t bright for all of us. The season can also force us to face or remember loved ones lost, hard times, and difficult moments. If you find yourself slipping into depression this time of year, here are some techniques that might help you push through the season.

Q: I have to terminate an employee; what is the best way to do that?

Managing your school risk includes keeping on top bullying trends, legal cases, and, of course, your school’s personal incidents. Certainly, as the holidays near, it’s not a topic many of us want to sink into when we’d rather be celebrating the joy that the season brings. But, perhaps a recent court ruling will also shed some hope and light—U.S. District Judge J.P. Stadmueller recently decided in favor of a private school, stating, “our greater attention to bullying must also develop a more refined definition.”

Technology has given us the ability to take our electronic textbooks on the go. As we travel from here to there, so can our studies. And, certainly textbook publishing companies and Apple continue to push the transition from paper to electronic devices for schools and universities. But, we must stop and ask how electronic reading is impacting comprehension.

When it comes to the annual fund campaign, it is essential that Trustees not only set a strong example, but that they lead by example. As donors, their participation level must be 100%. They are viewed as “insiders” by your school’s constituent groups—if they don’t provide enthusiastic support, why should anyone else?

The demands on a Board President are considerable, and the second-in-command can do much more than stand ready to take the reins in the President’s absence. Other than waiting in the wings to assume the President’s position when absent or disabled, what tasks logically fall into the Vice President’s purview?

Your phone rings, and it’s an outraged parent on the other line, demanding to know why they’ve received a request to make a gift to the Annual Fund. “I just paid the tuition bill for this semester!” they say. “How could you ask me to give even more! It’s the holidays, and money’s so tight right now. I don’t know if I can give gifts for my family this year, let alone the school!”

Happy New Year! Okay, it’s a little early to say that, but it would serve you well to start thinking about December 31st now. Conventional wisdom and research show that most charitable giving occurs during the last week of the year, with the most donations occurring on the last two days. (Of course, the tax deadline incentive helps with that philanthropic phenomenon.)

You care about your former students, whether they go on to become chemists, priests, or teachers just like the ones who inspired them in your school. You want them to remember their days in your classrooms fondly, reflecting their accomplishments with pride to their own children. And – if you and your school have done a superb job – perhaps they will wish to enroll their son or daughter in your private-independent school.

As hard as we try to perfect important school forms and paperwork, it’s inevitable that mistakes occur. Acknowledging this basic fact of life can make you more understanding when you notice errors in a student’s application. That said, you should make allowances for blunders made innocently while recognizing and confronting those made purposefully.