Friday, March 30, 2012

The Best Way to Get a Permanent School Fund


It's vital for educational institutions to use a permanent school fund. It is through extra-curricular pursuits like theater, football, and glee club that students can expand their horizon. With no secure funding program, on the other hand, schools cannot afford to teach students for games or take them to play a part in renowned academic competitive events. Board members turn to closing creative departments caused by school funding issues.
If you are a concerned parent, you may cease this from taking place. Persuade other parents in the community to sign up in preserving resources flowing. There are many ways to evading school funding issues and generating revenue.
Listed below are some good tips that might be handy:
-Market something Good and Useful
Selling goods, whether or not they are food or attire, remains to be the most common and efficient way of increasing school funds. One well-liked idea amongst mothers is a bake sale. Both students and parents work together to create cupcakes, cookies or any other light pastries. Profits should go to the school. Others consider having garage sales. They offer used but functional items which may be of use with other people.
One way of exercising artistic and business skills is actually by selling artwork or hand-made trinkets like earrings, bracelets and necklaces. It's also possible to sell home-made crafts including candles, soap, and perfume. Nonetheless, try and get help from a specialist in making them. You can also learn some useful do-it-yourself articles on the net.
Study your target market first. This is to make sure you know which items are much more profitable. You must generate more profit in comparison to the money you have invested.
-Offer Services that are in-demand
Another way of having permanent school fund aside from fundraising is by offering services. By way of example, talk to students the possibility of having a car wash. This is common with students.
You may also offer other solutions for instance house cleaning, lawn mowing, and baby-sitting tasks for a particular cost. Another special gimmick is having an auction. These are generally typical for college fundraising activities. This requires fraternity and sorority houses auctioning off their members for a friendly date with the highest bidder.
-Concerts and also other Performances
One enjoyable way to raise school funds is actually by setting up a show. It may be a talent show, a musical or even a play. This allows students to show off their talents and offer great entertainment. School funding issues will not be a problem since you can generate finances through ticket sales. You can even host a telethon where donors can call in their pledges while enjoying a variety show.
Make certain everyone knows about your event. Seek information and come up with inventive ways of advertising. You can also put posters and ask local papers, radio programs, and TV stations to mention your event. You can even find sites providing distinctive solutions to have a permanent school fund. Try posting a classified ad and make use of social network sites.
Without investors and donations, tuition will grow which causes several departments to dissolve. Stop this by doing your part to keep extra-curricular activities alive. Think of interesting fundraising events you may hold that could guarantee a good outcome.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7010504

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Training to Be a Counsellor - Get a Job That Adds Value To Other Lives


Are you looking for a job that helps you make a substantial difference to the lives of others? If you do not wish to do any job just in order to earn a living then you ought to think of getting training to be a counsellor. There is so much stress in people's lives these days that it is no surprise that they are unable to cope with the pressure. This results in a variety of mental and physical problems that can only be cured with the help of counselling.

Training to be a counsellor is not as difficult a process as some people would believe. Many reputed institutions offer courses that enable you to be a counsellor in a reasonably short period. As a matter of fact, the mushrooming demand for counseling and help has been matched by a corresponding increase in the numbers of the places offering these courses.

There will be no shortage of people you could help once you finish training to be a counsellor. You need to specialize in one of the many fields that counselling is generally available in. You could then offer counselling to abused children, battered women or people suffering from depression, just to give a few examples.

Human beings have always been in need of counselling because they tend to find it difficult to deal with troubles on their own. There was a time when this service was offered by a priest or a trusted community elder. In fact, priests still have an advantage over other people when it comes to offering counselling because spirituality tends to help people overcome many emotional problems. If you are training to be a counsellor then you ought to consider an educational program that does not discount spirituality whilst offering you instruction in the latest techniques of helping people deal with their fears and pain in a structured manner.

You do not have to give up on your dream of being a counsellor simply because you do not have formal qualifications. You could just get your training to be a counsellor from a course that is designed for people like you. In addition, you could also select a course that permits you to gain exemption based upon any prior learning that you might have done. Once the course is done you will be able to bring about a lot of change in the lives of people who need your assistance.

If you get training to be a counsellor you will be able to help people who have emotional or psychological problems. Select a really good course that gives you the skills you need to build a good career out of counselling.



Wednesday, March 14, 2012

5 Reasons Why Using iPads for High School Is a Good Idea


Many high schools around the country have completely embraced technology. As more and more school districts seriously evaluate how they use technology to aid in education, they realize that iPads for high school is an idea that has a lot of merit. Many schools have computer labs equipped with desktop computers and specialized teachers ready to provide students with the instruction that they need. Here is why school districts and high schools should strongly consider adding iPads to their technology budget.

1. Cuts down on books and paper

High schools are responsible for providing textbooks to students. It can become pretty expensive for a school to continuously supply students with textbooks year after year. Using iPads would greatly cut down on that expense. In addition, using an iPad would allow students to learn from the most up to date information. They don't need to worry about students learning from 20-year-old text books.

Students and teachers also won't need to worry so much about paper. By using an iPad, teachers will be able to give their photocopiers a break and save on buying reams of paper.

2. Keeps teachers motivated and encouraged

The iPad allows teachers new and creative ways to engage students. Teachers can use the iPad's mirroring capabilities to display notes and other content in front of the class on a projector. The teacher can then save those notes and easily send them to all of the students.

There are also various methods of communication that allow for student/teacher interaction. When students are able to interact with teachers on a greater level, it helps develop their interest and passion for learning.

3. Extends learning outside the classroom

Thanks to the iPad, a classroom without walls is now a real possibility. Students have the ability to continue their learning outside of the classroom. The iPad's audio and video capabilities allow students to listen to lessons outside of the classroom. Students can engage educational content without the presence of a teacher.

4. Language development

High school is when many students begin to learn a foreign language. (Granted, this trend has changed slightly over the last few years.) While learning a new language is essential for being accepted to college, it can be a tough task for many students to grasp. The iPad is a great tool for language development. Language development applications can help students increase their ability to speak, read and write in a foreign language.

5. Reference

With an iPad in hand, students have the ability to quickly access any information they need. Students can easily look up terms and definitions in English and language arts courses. They can also look up formulas for math and science courses.

Using an iPad in high schools gives both teachers and students tons of freedom and opportunities. Students can be engaged and educated in ways that we have never seen before.


Thursday, March 8, 2012

The Lead-Acid Battery - Its Care and Feeding for Long Life


G. Plante' began his study of electric polarization in 1859. As a result of his experiments, he devised a battery consisting of two sheets of lead rolled into the form of a spiral. The lead sheets were separated by strips of rubber and this assembly was immersed in dilute sulfuric acid. He studied the charge and discharge of this simple cell and described how to materially increase the capacity by a process called formation which is the multistep creation of a layer of sponge lead on the surface of the negative plates and a layer of lead dioxide on the positive plates. These layers are the chemically active portions of the cell. This process is different from that used for developing the pasted plate cells, but "formation" is commonly used when referring to them as well. Formation of pasted plates means the reduction or oxidation of the lead oxides or other materials that have been applied to the grids.

Plante' would charge his cell and then discharge it, or alternatively, allow it to rest. During this time local action transformed the dioxide covering on the positive plate into lead sulfate. Periodically he would reverse the polarity applied to the cell and would repeat this process to increase the capacity of the cell. As Plante' had no generator until 1873 it took many primary batteries for the formation of the plates. The oxidation of 1 kilogram of lead (Pb) to lead dioxide (PbO2) requires 514 ampere hours of current. The difference between Plante' plates and modern ones is that the material is electrochemically formed from the lead of the plate itself in a Plante' cell and modern plates have their materials applied to them.

A typical lead-acid cell consists of:

A lead anode (negative plate)
A lead dioxide cathode (positive plate)
Grid structure plates made of various alloys
An electrolyte (sulfuric acid)
Microporous rubber separators between the plates
A container that is impervious to the electrolyte
The electrical capacity of the cell is proportional to the surface area of the plates, primarily the number of positive plates. In normal construction the outside plates are negative so they are the number of positive plates plus 1. Present types of lead-acid batteries are lead-antimony, lead-calcium and gelled electrolyte. Typical energy densities are 12 watt-hours per pound and 1 watt-hour per cubic inch. High capacity, long life batteries may be 25% larger than this. The capacity is expressed in ampere-hours since the cell voltage is known. The state of charge, the discharge current, the temperature of the battery and the cutoff or end voltage determines the capacity. Your battery should have sufficient ampere-hour capacity to carry momentary loads plus continuous or basic loads for a specified length of time before reaching its final or cutoff voltage, commonly referenced at 1.75 volts per cell.

Ampere hour capacities are typically specified at 20 hour rate for gelled electrolyte. Deep discharge utility cells are at 8 hour rate.

Due to electrochemical differences between cells it is not recommended practice to connect cells in parallel. If you need more capacity use a cell with more or larger plates rather than connecting two cells in parallel.

On daily or frequent charges it is common practice to charge slightly short of a fully charged condition. A complete charge must be made every 1 to 3 months (except gel cells). This complete charge is commonly referred to as an "equalizing charge" and is intended to be sufficient to equalize any minor differences among the cells. It should be continued until each cell of the battery reaches maximum voltage and specific gravity.

The commonest battery is the automotive starting battery. It is not designed for deep discharge and will quickly fail if placed in deep discharge service. It is constructed of many thin plates of lead sponge which provides a large surface area for chemical reaction enabling it to provide large currents while maintaining voltage level. This design is for short duration high currents followed by immediate recharge.

In deep discharge service the thin spongy plates will disintegrate from the chemical changes produced by charge and discharge. At 50% discharge they will often reach full failure by 200 cycles. In automotive service these batteries last 3 to 5 years. In deep discharge service they cost more than the expensive deep discharge cells due to their early failure.

The true deep discharge cell is designed for long life. They are large and heavy. The plates are more than 4 times thicker than standard batteries and the compartments are large with abundant electrolyte. They are rarely assembled into batteries of over 3 cells and are often individual cells because of their weight.