In this day and age, it can be hard to raise an outdoorsy child. Unlike the children who grew up right before the technology boom, children today tend to steer away from the outdoors in favor of indoor electronic devices. Hike It Baby is dedicated to bringing children back from the electronic age a little
How to Talk to Your Kids About Gun Safety
One in three American homes with children has a firearm in the house, according to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center. Even if you don’t have a gun in your home, chances are your neighbor does. Teaching your children about gun safety is important, regardless of your ideology about guns themselves. “I was totally against having a gun
Help Me Help You: Teaching Your Children to Self-Advocate
We are all unique in one way or another, from our preferences and dislikes to allergies and other medical conditions. As adults, we do not think twice to ask for non-fat milk in our coffee. We learn to speak up when ordering food with any special requests; “no onions, please.” Our children all have characteristics
ACPS Held COVID Vaccine Clinic for 65-and-Older Employees
Today, January 15, Alachua County Public Schools held a COVID vaccine clinic for ACPS employees who were 65 years old or older. More clinics will be held in the future as the ACPS works with UF Health. There were 210 spots available for getting the vaccine, and employees who were eligible were contacted prior to
5 Ways to Talk To Your Child About Bullying
As parents, we send our children into the world hoping that they come back every day with more knowledge and more confidence. In some cases, unfortunately, bullying can get in the way. Bullying can have serious short- and long-term effects, according to PBS Parents. These include anxiety, low self-esteem and the desire to skip school
ACPS Rezoning Update and New Terwilliger Elementary Location
After a special rezoning meeting yesterday, January 13, Alachua County Public School (ACPS) has decided that Terwilliger Elementary School will move into the new Elementary School I, and district-wide ACPS rezoning will hopefully be completed by fall 2022. According to Superintendent Dr. Carlee Simon in an email to families, this is the first step in
ACPS Launches New User-Friendly COVID Dashboard
Alachua County Public Schools has updated their website to have a more user-friendly COVID Dashboard for students, families and the general public. Now it will be easier to get information on COVID-19 cases in local schools. "The new dashboard includes additional information on monthly, weekly, even daily trends in cases going back to the first
ACPS to Announce 2021 Teacher of the Year Tonight!
Tonight, Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) will announce the 2021 Teacher of the Year winner via a virtual celebration. The three teachers have been chosen as Teacher of the Year finalists include elementary school teacher Mackenzie McNickle (first picture below), middle school teacher Amy Beres (second picture below) and high school teacher Nicole Harris (pictured
Can You Homeschool on a Budget?
Homeschooling rates have been on the rise for years. As the pandemic hit, more families found themselves homeschooling, and more families found themselves tight on money. This isn’t a new issue for homeschoolers. Often, homeschooling families are single income families. We also tend to be fairly frugal as a group (unless you’re at a homeschool
ACPS Will Host Open Houses Online This Year Due To COVID-19
Because of COVID-19, Alachua County Public Schools is taking caution by hosting all open houses online this year. This is due to the inability to host large groups. All open house meetings will take place via Zoom online and livestreamed to the ACPS's YouTube channel. The Zoom links to the webinares will be posted closer