My Special Gift

Hi Inner Circle Member:

Whew, has another year really gone by? Amazing! I hope that you and your family have had a relaxing Christmas break together and your getting ready to safely bring in the New Year. I had a wonderful time with my wife and kids. To me Christmas is more about the kids and seeing them enjoy the holiday season and as a family to take a break together from our ever busy schedule.

My father, bless his soul, always measured his success at Christmas time -- seeing where he stood financially. Of course he was one of the great generation that went through so much -- the depression, WW II, Cold War, and on and on. However, to me there are other things to measure too.

On a personal level, I had a very special gift that I would like to share with you in today’s eNewsletter.

Enjoy the eNewsletter,

Doug Halladay

President and Founder
Halladay Education Group Inc.
www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

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In This Issue

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1. In The News

2. Help Your Board Improve in 2008

3. My Special Gift This Christmas

4. Products To Invest In

5. Inner Circle Thought of the Week

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1. In The News

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School of Rock will soon be in session in Seattle
Seattle Post Intelligencer - USA
Instead, children will receive private lessons on grittier rock 'n' roll during afternoon sessions, with weekly three-hour group rehearsals and a final...

To read more click on the following:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/pop/345402_schoolrock31.html

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2. Help Your Board Improve in 2008

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Do you want your private school or nonprofit to be more successful in board governance? If so, our full-day governance workshop help your board fine-tune their performance and prime them for the coming year. Please email me at info@halladayeducationgroup.com or call us at 604-868-0002 to find out more about how we can help you with:

If your board is not performing as effectively as you need, or you want to make it better, you are not alone. Discover a way to help your trustees become an exceptional governance unit – quickly, measurably, and easily. The solution is my…

Click on the following link to download our brochure on

http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/File/Board%20Governance%20Workshop%20%26%20Fax%20Back%20Form.pdf

==================================

3. My Special Gift This Christmas

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If you are like most North American families, you are inundated by commercialism at Christmas time. It is pervasive. I even noted an IPOD commercial that was pushing their +$100 IPOD as the perfect stocking stuff. Yikes!!!

It is hard to find the right balance between commercialism and family values -- finding the right gift to share with someone you love and the time to celebrate life.

However, I received the most wonderful gift this Christmas.

In the middle of December a childhood friend of my mother’s passed away. I too had known her all my life and I made sure that I attended her celebration at the facility in which she had spent the last years of her life. You see she had Alzheimer’s.

It was nice to reminisce with her children who I had grown up with and leaf through her albums of black and white family photos (there were even one of me with my 1960s buzz cut and narrow pants).

I thought while I was at her specialized Alzheimer’s facility I would pop up stairs and visit my Uncle. He has had this insidious disease for over a decade, and aside from a moment of lucidness 4 years ago, he neither recognizes anyone, walks, nor speaks. He is locked away in his world.

Well, truth be told, I had not visited him in this facility and felt compelled to visit him with my aunt and sister. He looked in good health but neither spoke a word or seemed to recognize anyone.

This is where my special gift arrived about 4 days later.

His daughter called me in an emotional phone call to share with me that my uncle (her father) had begun to talk to his nurse at his facility about a little boy and to check with Doug Halladay and his father to make sure the boy was safe. Well, somehow my visit may have triggered something and he began talking and remembering things. To say the least, this was a moment of celebration for his children at Christmas. Will it last, maybe not, but to me this event opened my heart and showed what little gifts can bring to people at this time of the year.

I hope you too had a special gift this Christmas, and wishing you and your family the very best in 2008. I know it will be a wonderful year.

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4. Products To Invest In

================================

Do you want effective tools that can help you start and lead your own school? These 2 products can help.

(A). STRATEGIC PLANNING TOOLKIT (#1 BEST SELLER)

Learn How To Develop Your Own Strategic Plan Like The Pro's With This Easy To Follow, Step-By-Step, All-In-One Strategic Planning Toolkit. Get all the details here:

http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/products/stratgic_planning_toolkit.php

(B). INNER CIRCLE SERIES – DISCOVER FROM THE EXPERTS HOW TO START YOUR OWN SCHOOL (#2 BEST SELLER)

Are you still struggling with starting your own for- or non-profit K-12 School, College, University, or Institute? You're not alone. I share with you how to start a school from the viewpoint of those who have been in the trenches and understand how to put a school together efficiently, and cost effectively. These include:

1. Independent School Formation: The Critical First Steps

2. 9 Secrets To Starting A US Charter School

3. 8 Golden Rules of Starting a Junior School

4. Starting a Successful Private Senior School from the Ground Up

5. 10 Steps To A Winning Strategic Plan

6. The Whole Enchilada - All 5 Webinars at 40% Off

Get all the details here:

http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/products/webinaroverview.php

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5. Inner Circle Thought of the Week

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WHY GOD MADE MOMS - Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions

1. She is the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.

What kind of little girl was your mom?

1. My Mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?

1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

What would it take to make your mom perfect?

1. In the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?

1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

Smile and enjoy the day.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

All the best for 2008,

Douglas Halladay
President and Founder
Halladay Education Group Inc.

www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

P.S. Do not forget to check out our secure Online Store for ways to invest in improving or starting your own school or non-profit. Here is the link:

--> http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/products/products.php

Is Your School Prepared For Disaster?

Hi Inner Circle Member:

It is amazing how quickly a year goes by. Christmas is here in less than 2 weeks. At our house we are in full flow with school concerts and community choir events. Last Sunday both my kids sang in a beautiful community choir with over 300 singers on the Orpheum Stage. Now that gets you in the spirit.

My father always gauged his success every Christmas, looking at his achievement and his family. Of course he grew up in the depression and knew what having no money really meant. For me, I gauge my year by how I have helped others make their dreams come true in starting their own school or having helped schools become better learning environments. It is true that I help leaders operate and govern their schools better, but in reality this is to make the school a better place for young people to learn and to be better people, and a safer place to learn.

Today’s eNewsletter is focused on how you can be better prepared to make your school a safer plan and how to plan for life’s unplanned emergencies.

Enjoy the eNewsletter,

Doug Halladay
President and Founder
Halladay Education Group Inc.

www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

================================

In This Issue

================================

1. In The News

2. Can Your Board Do Better?

3. Is Your School Prepared For Disaster?

4. Products To Invest In

5. Inner Circle Thought of the Week

==================================

1. In The News

==================================

Europe's Most Expensive Boarding Schools

Forbes - NY,USA

Ah, boarding schools. Cold showers, tasteless food and regimental matrons bent on making students' lives a living hell. Not anymore. ...

NGO Works to Improve Muslim Education in Nigeria

Voice of America – USA

"We would want to see skills development within the Almajiri schools. We would want to see boarding facilities developed within the tsangaya schools and ...

How Bad is Education in Hawaii?

Hawaii Reporter - Kailua,HI,USA

Also, those who can afford to send their children to private schools still have to help pay for the miserable public school system as well, even when they ...

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2. Can Your Board Do Better?

==================================

Do you want your private school or nonprofit to be more successful in board governance? If so, our full-day governance workshop help your board fine-tune their performance and prime them for the coming year. Please email me at info@halladayeducationgroup.com or call us at 604-868-0002 to find out more about how we can help you with:

If your board is not performing as effectively as you need, or you want to make it better, you are not alone. Discover a way to help your trustees become an exceptional governance unit – quickly, measurably, and easily. The solution is my…

Click on the following link to download our brochure on

http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/File/Board%20Governance%20Workshop%20%26%20Fax%20Back%20Form.pdf

==================================

3. Is Your School Prepared For Disaster?

==================================

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR A DISASTER?

As a former Head of School, I feel great empathy for schools that have to deal with a crisis. It may involve students being put into hazard on an outdoor education trip, a student seriously harming themselves, an intruder in the school, or a natural disaster putting your students in harms way.

I’ve been Head of a School whose experienced the after shocks of 911, the unexplored perils of SARS, run-away boarding students, and a parent collapsing from a heart attack on campus. These are all very emotional situations that need a calm, responsive, proactive plan to deal with the situation immediately.

And your school needs this too! You need to put together your response plan, so that your students and staff are safe, your community is informed, and your institution can move forward. You need to be prepared for every kind of situation, and have a sequential, logical system in place to move forward.

These crisis situations can catapult students and staff (and parents) to the emotional edge, but you have to have a contingency plan for every event. Schools and non-profits are not immune to disasters.

Here are five tips to get you started toward handling any crisis effectively.

1. Start Now

Most schools will need a disaster to force them to put together a crisis plan. For many schools, the unneeded deaths of the senior students at Alberta’s Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School on a winter outdoor education trip was a wake up call for Canadian private schools. Instead, look at all the scenarios of disasters that could occur to members of your community, within and outside the school, and then begin to put together a flowchart of response steps. Take a look at other schools to find out what they are doing, or what impacted them. Or even better, assign a member of your staff to lead the project.

2. Be Adaptive

When I was the Head of a girls boarding school (yes me), many situations arose where a response plan needed to be put into place. To say the least, even though every situation was different, many of the crisis response steps were similar. It could be a fire in the residence, an intruder on campus, a world-wide catastrophe, or students who decide to run away. You need to prepare for as many as you can imagine, and have a structured system of response. If you can imagine it, it will eventually happen.

3. Develop A Crisis/Communication Plan

You need to take the time to develop a contingency plan for every theme for crisis: physical disasters (earthquake), human (suicide, death), structural (fire), off campus (field trips, overnighters), and on and on. You will also need to develop a risk management program to deal with loss of life, property, and insurance issues. Additionally, your plan needs to include a communications plan, which will involve identifying a spokesperson, developing press releases, setting up a media hotline, and finding a place where you can have a press conference. Within this plan, you will need to set up a flowchart of who to call (staff, Chair, lawyer, local officials, doctor, etc.).

4. Be Prepared to Talk

At every crisis, your community needs to hear from you. Even if it is to say that you have nothing say at this point. You need to fill that void, or someone else will. For legal reasons you may be apprehensive to say too much, but you need to plan to say what you can. Also, remember that first impressions are important, and you are dealing with human emotions, so you need to show that you are concerned, and that you care. Above all else, tell the truth. Misinformation will come back to bite you. Do not put off talking to the media, they will fill the vacuum, and it is far better to provide helpful information. I am not a media expert, but those I have heard talk in this field claim that you need to prepare your key message(s) and return to them over and over. Media want sound bites

5. Provide Media Training

Do not wait until a disaster happens. It never hurts to have training in working with media. You should make it a part of your board and administrative team training. You may have a member in your community who works in public relations or the media who can prepare you for the onslaught of media when a disaster strikes. Even as a process, it will be helpful to you as a communicator.

If you want me to come in to do an assessment of your Crisis Management system and present recommendations call me at 1-604-868-0002 or email me at info@halladayeducationgroup.com

================================

4. Products To Invest In

================================

Do you want effective tools that can help you start and lead your own school? These 2 products can help.

(A). STRATEGIC PLANNING TOOLKIT (#1 BEST SELLER)

Learn How To Develop Your Own Strategic Plan Like The Pro's With This Easy To Follow, Step-By-Step, All-In-One Strategic Planning Toolkit. Get all the details here:

http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/products/stratgic_planning_toolkit.php

(B). INNER CIRCLE SERIES – DISCOVER FROM THE EXPERTS HOW TO START YOUR OWN SCHOOL (#2 BEST SELLER)

Are you still struggling with starting your own for- or non-profit K-12 School, College, University, or Institute? You're not alone. I share with you how to start a school from the viewpoint of those who have been in the trenches and understand how to put a school together efficiently, and cost effectively. These include:

1. Independent School Formation: The Critical First Steps

2. 9 Secrets To Starting A US Charter School

3. 8 Golden Rules of Starting a Junior School

4. Starting a Successful Private Senior School from the Ground Up

5. 10 Steps To A Winning Strategic Plan

6. The Whole Enchilada - All 5 Webinars at 40% Off

Get all the details here:

http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/products/webinaroverview.php

================================

5. Inner Circle Thought of the Week

================================

Groaners

1) King Ozymandias of Assyria was running low on cash after years of war with the Hittites. His last great possession was the Star of the Euphrates, the most valuable diamond in the ancient world. Desperate, he went to Croesus, the pawnbroker, to ask for a loan. Croesus said, "I'll give you 100,000 dinars for it."

"But I paid a million dinars for it," the King protested. "Don't you know who I am? I am the king!"

Croesus replied, "When you wish to pawn a Star, makes no difference who you are."

2) Evidence has been found that William Tell and his family were avid bowlers. However, all the Swiss league records were unfortunately destroyed in a fire, so we'll never know for whom the Tells bowled.

3) A man rushed into a busy doctor's office and shouted, "Doctor! I think I'm shrinking!!" The doctor calmly responded, "Now, settle down. You'll just have to be a little patient."

4) A thief broke into the local police station and stole all the toilets and urinals, leaving no clues. A spokesperson was quoted as saying, "We have absolutely nothing to go on."

Smile and enjoy the day.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

To your success,

Douglas Halladay
President and Founder

Halladay Education Group Inc.
4316 Arthur Drive, Ladner, BC, Canada, V4K 2W8
P: 604.868.0002 / F: 868.472.8737 / Email: info@halladayeducationgroup.com

www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

P.S. Do not forget to check out our secure Online Store for ways to invest in improving or starting your own school or non-profit. Here is the link:

--> http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/products/products.php

How Do You Improve Your School's Community Profile?

Hi Inner Circle Member:

Ah, the fall weather. We had huge wind storm last week that knocked out power and shorted the power line to our house. The good news is that we replaced the faulty power line. The bad news is that every leaf in the neighborhood seemed to have been blown into my yard!

Today is a big day for our local football team, the BC Lions. I am off to a friend’s house to watch the game and cheer on our team.

The team has been in and out of popularity for the last few decades due to bad leadership and performance. They seemed to lack focus and did not stay connected to their community. Then, 4 years ago the team rehired Bob Ackles, who refocused the team on and off the field. They have now been in the playoffs every year and won the final championship last year.

My question today is whether your school is truly focused on its mission and does that connect with your community in the form of more mission-specific students?

Enjoy the eNewsletter,

Doug Halladay
President and Founder

Halladay Education Group Inc.
www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

================================

In This Issue

================================

1. In The News

2. Can Your Board Do Better?

3. How Do Improve Our Community Profile?

4. Products To Invest In

5. Inner Circle Thought of the Week

==================================

1. In The News

==================================

Death Nail: Will Charter Schools Destroy Inner-City Catholic Schools?
Town Hall - Washington,DC,USA
asks the provocative question: Will charter schools finish off inner city Catholic private schools? Preliminary evidence suggests that charter schools are ...

To read more click on the following:

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/default.aspx

Foreign students contribute a lot to US economy
International Herald Tribune - France
"These are foreign people buying an American product, and the Department of Commerce says international education is our fifth-largest service export, ...

To read more click on the following:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/11/11/america/students.php

A British solution for California public schools?
UC Davis - Davis,CA,USA
... senior consultant, Cambridge Education, UK • Scott Hill, Undersecretary for Education for California • Alan Bersin, former Secretary of Education for ...

To read more click on the following:

http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8429

==================================

2. Can Your Board Do Better?

==================================

Do you want your private school or nonprofit to be more successful in board governance? If so, our full-day governance workshop help your board fine-tune their performance and prime them for the coming year. Please email me at info@halladayeducationgroup.com or call us at 604-868-0002 to find out more about how we can help you with:

If your board is not performing as effectively as you need, or you want to make it better, you are not alone. Discover a way to help your trustees become an exceptional governance unit – quickly, measurably, and easily. The solution is my…

Click on the following link to download our brochure on

http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/File/Board%20Governance%20Workshop%20%26%20Fax%20Back%20Form.pdf

==================================

3. How Do We Improve Our Community Profile?

==================================

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:

Our problem is getting people to understand what we are [school]. They make assumptions about cost or legitimacy of our curriculum without bothering to check us out. I guess we're not terribly good at marketing!

ANSWER:

Marketing is a critical element to increasing the quantity and quality of the students you attract to your school.

Many people think that it is cheesy to put time/energy/resources into marketing and branding your school (rather than the classroom), but they are badly misled.

To get better students (who match the mission of your school), you need to improve the quality of your programs, let your community know your successes, and clearly communicate the unique strengths/benefits of your school to the parents/students. Special note: too many school talk about their features, but should really talk about their benefits.

But first, schools need to take the time to clearly define what their school’s mission, vision, values, and philosophy are about. This removes the blurry lines and forces the school to understand what kind of student they serve, how they do it, and then evaluate if they are doing what they say they are doing, or have they lost their alignment with what their institution is really about (where they are investing their resources).

Then the school needs to put together performance-based marketing strategies to determine how/what to spend their money effectively on attracting new students/parents and keeping their current students/parents (note: it is cheaper to keep your current students than it is to get new ones -- think building positive relationships).

A good example is a school that I was involved with had a rotating door for school leadership. Every new leader arrived and decided that they were going to increase/stabilize enrolment by focusing on a new education market (while not losing the current ones). Though the school's mission did not initially change, their programming, staffing, resources, and facilities changed to each new market that they served. In the end, they were so thinly spread, that they did not serve any of their market segments well. This in turn affected the quality of education and quality/quantity of the students they enrolled.

All this from not clearly defining and sticking to their mission/vision/values/philosophy.

In summary, you need to re/determine the purpose of your school (who, what, how), your vision of where your school will be in the next 5 years, what values drive all of your school’s decisions, and what your educational philosophy is truly about.

Then you can determine the measurable strategies (message, media) to get your communities’ attention about the strengths of your school.

If you want me to come in to do an institutional assessment of your marketing/admissions systems and present recommendations, call me at 1-604-868-0002 or email me at info@halladayeducationgroup.com

================================

4. Products To Invest In

================================

Do you want effective tools that can help you start and lead your own school? These 2 products can help.

(A). STRATEGIC PLANNING TOOLKIT (#1 BEST SELLER)

Learn How To Develop Your Own Strategic Plan Like The Pro's With This Easy To Follow, Step-By-Step, All-In-One Strategic Planning Toolkit. Get all the details here:

http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/products/stratgic_planning_toolkit.php

(B). INNER CIRCLE SERIES – DISCOVER FROM THE EXPERTS HOW TO START YOUR OWN SCHOOL (#2 BEST SELLER)

Are you still struggling with starting your own for- or non-profit K-12 School, College, University, or Institute? You're not alone. I share with you how to start a school from the viewpoint of those who have been in the trenches and understand how to put a school together efficiently, and cost effectively. These include:

1. Independent School Formation: The Critical First Steps

2. 9 Secrets To Starting A US Charter School

3. 8 Golden Rules of Starting a Junior School

4. Starting a Successful Private Senior School from the Ground Up

5. 10 Steps To A Winning Strategic Plan

6. The Whole Enchilada - All 5 Webinars at 40% Off

Get all the details here:

http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/products/webinaroverview.php

================================

5. Inner Circle Thought of the Week

================================

You're An EXTREME Redneck (Hillbilly) When.....

1. The Blue Book value of your truck goes up and down depending on how much gas is in it.

2. You wonder how service stations keep their rest-rooms so clean.

3. Someone in your family died right after saying, 'Hey, guys, watch this.'

4. You have to go outside to get something from the fridge.

Smile and enjoy the day.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

To your success,

Douglas Halladay
President and Founder

Halladay Education Group Inc.
4316 Arthur Drive, Ladner, BC, Canada, V4K 2W8
P: 604.868.0002 / F: 868.472.8737 / Email: info@halladayeducationgroup.com

www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

P.S. Do not forget to check out our secure Online Store for ways to invest in improving or starting your own school or non-profit. Here is the link:

--> http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/products/products.php

info@halladayeducationgroup.com