It's almost time for students to head home for the holidays. Most schools will close their dorms and send boarders home this coming Saturday. If your child has invited an international student to spend the Christmas break with you, then take a few minutes to review my Travel Tips for Students with your children before they get on the plane.

The economy has brought about major changes for the airlines. Not only are air fares expensive with few bargains available at peak travel times, but the baggage allowances have changed. All sorts of restrictions apply. The security screening can take an hour or more at some busy airports. Make sure that your teen understands where things can go wrong and how to cope when they do go wrong.

If I sound like a worrier, I am guilty as charged. One of my children was flying the short hop on a small commuter plane from Providence, Rhode Island to Martha's Vineyard. The tiny plane was struck by lightning and had to make an emergency landing. This was in the days before cellphones and flight tracking. So, when the airline called to say that our daughter was in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and that she was safe, we were astonished to say the least. On another occasion one of my sons was making the supposedly routine flight from Miami to Raleigh. That 2 hour flight turned into a 12 hour ordeal because of a freak spring snowstorm. You have similar stories. Share them with your child.

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I have read about how difficult it is to get an infant into certain preschools in New York City and other major metropolitan areas. But, honestly, I tended to discount it as so much hype. Not any more. Last week I received an email from a parent who asked me to vet the draft of her Parent's Statement. It was in support of her 18 month old child's application to preschool. The letter read like the sort of thing I might have written when my own daughter was applying to Harvard. But this wasn't for admissions to Harvard. This was for admissions to a Manhattan preschool.

I have two reactions to this situation: first of all, make sure that the school is really worth all the effort to get in. Secondly, early childhood education is being recognized at last for the incredibly important foundation laying time in a child's life it really is.

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This week's spotlight takes us to Olney Friends School in Barnesville, Ohio. OFS is a small boarding school located 90 miles west of Pittsburgh. A very low student to teacher ratio (4:1) coupled with the intimate size of this residential school virtually guarantees your child the high degree of personal attention he deserves. Underlying the school's program is its Quaker philosophy of tolerance and non-violence.

Read Olney Friends' profile. If you went to Olney, tell us about your experiences and what you thought of the school. Please post your response here.

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There are less than 2 months until many private school applications are due. Since the end of December is a busy time filled with holiday festivities, try to do a draft of your application in the next week or so. Whether you do the admissions application by hand or complete it online, you should always try to make a first draft. Save it online or photocopy the application pages and make a first draft by hand. Save it in your folder.

In early January, you can review the data, tweak your answers on the Parent Questionnaire and other sections which require a short answer response. Finally, prepare a fair copy and mail it to the school. If you are doing the application online, review each page carefully, then click Submit to send the completed application electronically.

Tip: if you have any questions about the application process, contact the school admissions office. The staff will be happy to help you.

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