You’ve probably noticed that many of our area schools are advertising open houses and visit days this time of the year. Well, it’s admissions season in the school world! 

That means parents are thinking ahead to next August when summer vacations end and students head back to school. There are many reasons families may be considering a change in schools for the upcoming year. Maybe you have a move planned to a new town or your child is aging out of his/her current school or maybe you feel like you’re looking for something different from your school community. 

Regardless, we want to provide you with some tips, or the ABCs as we like to say in education,  for finding the school community that is right for your family. In this episode of our Carline Conversations podcast, Head of School, Logan Bowlds, is joined by Stratford experts, Lori Palmer and Kathy Larsen, about advice we give to families as they navigate the process of school choice.

Our first piece of advice is this: It’s never too early to start. Go ahead and put some of those open house dates on your calendar and visit them. Stratford’s is Sunday, February 6, from 2-4 PM and we would love to have you join us. You will meet our teachers, coaches, and students, see our classrooms busy with activity, and get a feel for student life at Stratford Academy. 

Hope to see you then! And, if you want to check out our previous Eagle Extra segments, visit the “About Us” tab at stratford.org and select “Eagle Extra.” 

In our May/June 2021 edition of our Eagle Extra series, we are discussing why independent education and private schools are an integral part of our education system. All independent schools are differentiated by four characteristics: philosophy, freedom, relationships, and community. These qualities make up the fabric of the school and its mission to families.

This Carline Conversation episode is led by Stratford Academy Head of School Logan Bowlds as he discusses these different aspects of independent schools with Director of College Counseling Jackie Guy, Math Department Chair Bobby Stecher, and Stratford Interested Parents Incoming President Sara Ballard.

Visit www.stratford.org/aboutus/eagleextra to also read this month's blog and view our weekly segments on this same topic.

Stratford Academy is a 61-year-old private school in Macon, Georgia. 

One year ago, Stratford Academy, along with the rest of the world, announced that we were going to dismiss school 10 days prior to spring break in order to have a few weeks to “flatten the curve” of the increasing number of COVID-19 diagnoses that were impacting many areas of the world. We naively thought that this 20-day period would elapse and life would be back to normal. It wasn’t long before statewide mandates had all of us sheltering in place while we learned and worked remotely through the end of the school year.

Today, most of us probably think that if we never hear or use the words “unprecedented, pivot, virtual, or social distance” again, we would be content. Regardless of our individual claims as intra and extraverts, humankind thrives among closeness and interactions with each other. While there are many aspects of the pandemic that we dislike and have a strong distaste for, there really are some pretty valuable takeaways for all of us.

Episode 1 of Carline Conversations features Stratford Academy Head of School Logan Bowlds discussing with the school's three division heads some of the key lessons we have learned over the last year. Also featured are these Stratford administrators: Theresa Ferrari (Head of Upper School), Jennifer Sweat (Head of Middle School), and Dr. Kelly Causey (Head of Preschool/Lower School).