Office of
Catholic Schools
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Prayer to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots
Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exists in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in my life.
You know very well how desperate I am, my pain and how I am bound by these knots.
Mary, Mother to whom God entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of His children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the evil one himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot:
(insert your prayer request here)
I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all, You are my hope.
O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution and with Christ the freedom from my chains. Hear my plea. Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!
Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me. Amen.
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Dates at a Glance (articles below or *in previous edition*):
- May 5 Principal and Pastor day will be rescheduled
Mark Your Calendar
September 24, 2020 - All Schools Mass for grades 3-12 at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help.
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May is traditionally a time to honor Mary in special ways, such as with May Crowning celebrations. This year, we can look to Mary as a model for facing uncertain times. When faced with the news that she would be the Mother of God, Mary had questions but accepted God’s plan for her with complete trust. By Joe Paprocki
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Considerations for Reopening Schools
- While there are many unknowns for reopening schools, the DASA Executive team have started to think about some considerations. We have created a document that will be flexible as the situation evolves over the coming months.
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Thursday Tech Chats
- Sponsored by EWITC and SITA In anticipation of SITA and in an effort to support teachers now, we are hosting Thursday Tech Chats on Thursday evenings at 7:00 pm (link will be posted on Thursday). Click the Thursday Tech Chats for more information about the topic each Thursday.
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Google My Business is a FREE service that is foundational for improving the chances that your school be found on the internet. In this training video, they will walk you through why this is important and how to register your site (10 minute process) on Google My Business.
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PPP Funds not Held Against Choice Schools for Audit
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Many of you reported great concern about how PPP would negatively affect your reserve balance for the Choice Program audit. Typically, any government assistance reduces net eligible education expense, as has been posted on DPI's site in recent weeks as their initial stance:
"If a school receives a loan through the Paycheck Protection Program and the loan is subsequently forgiven, the portion of the loan that was forgiven and that was used for educational programming purposes will be included as offsetting government assistance revenue in the Choice Programs and SNSP Reserve Balance Schedules. Offsetting government assistance revenue decreases the school’s net eligible education expenses."
Late Friday, we received word from DPI that they relented:
"For 2019-20, DPI will publish a waiver that waives the application of PI 48.10(3)(a)2. to the extent the subdivision applies to any funds received under the Paycheck Protection Program. DPI does not have waiver authority for the 2020-2021 school year, so we will begin policy discussions as soon as we are able on amending the applicable administrative rules for the 2020-21 school year."
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We have heard from our schools on how the need for more simplification of the enrollment process as well as the ability to do more forms and schedules through Powerschool. We have been working with Powerschool on implementing their new E-Collect system with the goal to roll it out to our schools over the summer. More information will be coming as we schedule the trainings.
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There have been many requests to change the grade scale or add different coding, etc. In mid stream it is not conducive to make a lot of specific changes. What is in PowerSchool is “Special Codes” that could effectively communicate what you need to parents and students at this time. If you have further questions, please encourage your teachers to contact you or Jane Schueller for conversations regarding the grading process at this time. All help tickets regarding grades are referred to both Becky Krahn and Jane Schueller.
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Upcoming Choice Deadlines
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May 14
-WPCP open application period for the 2020-21 school year ends (began on February 3)
May 29 -
Deadline for schools to complete all verifications of WPCP student applications for the 2020-21 school year via OAS
By the end of May - PSCP
-The DPI processes the May state aid payments to eligible schools based on each school's second Friday in January count report.
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Here is the
letter
from April 12,regarding the issuing of contracts beyond the April 15th date.
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Open Letter to Independent School Leaders from CAPE
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Our current situation with COVID-19 has disrupted our daily normal. As we navigate what the future might hold, we need to remain flexible and thoughtful in our planning as things change rapidly. On April 9, independent, Kennesaw State University, business school, offered an open letter to independent school leaders that you may find interesting and insightful. The letter was sent to CAPE (Council for American Private Education) leaders.
The letter
offers some things to think about in the coming months.
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May 7
is the National Day of Prayer. Established in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln, it is a day of great significance and importance. This year’s theme is “Pray God’s Glory Across the Earth.” What a fantastic theme as the entire Earth deals with the impact of the coronavirus. We need to come together with other Christians, seek God’s face and ask Him to heal our land (2 Chron 7:14).
Please mark your calendars now and plan on making this day a special, committed day. Fox 11,
www.fox11online.com/NDP
, will be providing resources you will need so you and your school families will be able to fully participate in this momentous day.
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In February, Human Resources put together a webinar to explain the changes in benefits. Click on the link to view:
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Addressing Significant Tuition Balances
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There was a request for help in dealing with parents who may have a significant balance of tuition. Here is a sample from Lori Paul that you can use.
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Parish Life Line - Mondays and Wednesdays - 9:30
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Over the past couple weeks the Parish Life and Evangelization Mission Team has been holding Parish Life Line meetings on Monday and Wednesday at 9:30 in spiritual accompaniment for each other and their parish families. This is an opportunity for us to slow down, reach out, and mobilize the world for Jesus Christ. At a time when many people are fearful and anxious, we also live with the hope and joy of the Resurrection in our hearts. We want you, our valued parish/school leaders, to know that you are supported and cared for. We know how hard you are working to make a difference in people’s lives in sharing the Gospel. Every Monday and Wednesday at 9:30 AM, the Parish Life & Evangelization Mission Team will be offering virtual check-ins.
Please feel free to pass this along to your teachers.
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Discover how to run live-stream virtual school tours during the COVID-19 crisis
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This webinar ran in early April of 2020 to over 250 Schools in the USA. It was a huge success and will provide you a step-by-step plan on how you can keep your school tours going. We cover streaming services, best practices, the signup process and tools you can use today.
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Check out the NCEA website for updated webinars.
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From the Office of Safe Environment:
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It is once again time for the
Annual Safe Environment Survey for all parishes and schools
. Your designated LoSEC will receive the Annual Safe Environment Survey link
April 17, 2020
. I am asking you to please ensure your LoSEC gathers the proper data and completes the
Survey online by Friday, May 15, 2020
. We are asking that you, as School Principal/Administrator, sign the Survey acknowledging that you have reviewed the information provided and the data is accurate to the best of your knowledge. This year we are also requiring each school to send in an accompanying spreadsheet that lists the names of the employees and volunteers reflected in the survey data. Please contact me with any questions.
Deacon Dan Wagnitz
Safe Environment Coordinator
920-272-8171
For complete letter from Dcn. Dan:
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Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, in-person Virtus Training has been suspended. Over the past year an online version has been piloted. Therefore, a decision has been made to implement the
online option effective April 1, 2020
. Find the full explanation
here
.
Details with how to access will be forthcoming.
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Schools/Business Managers:
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Dean Gerondale is requesting four items from you
each week, on Friday
. Please send this information directly to
Dean Gerondale.
This is critical to understanding the potential issues.
1) Current cash balance savings and checking
2) Cash received by school and parish that week
3) Checks sent out (Separate payroll)
4) If you have a line of credit the remaining open balance available
Please pass this on to your business manager.
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Frontline is doing its best to help schools during this crisis with some specific product enhancements. We are also offering free access to COVID-19 tracking & reporting functionality within Frontline Student Health Management through July 31, 2020.
We believe this will be of great value as it enables schools to track suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases, report trends, and send alerts to key officials. The solution will be of key importance as schools return to normal operations and need to closely monitor the health of their students and staff. There are more details here -
COVID-19 Support Resources Page.
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The Office of Catholic Schools has provided a resource page on our Google Site for the sharing of Coronavirus Resources:
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Sophia Institute This Summer
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Haven't Had Enough Yet?
There's More!
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NCEA webinars cover trending and need-to-know topics relevant to your career in Catholic education. All participants will receive the recorded webinar and presentation files for reference and inclusion among other professional learning resources.
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And more . . .
Click on icon below to read the latest issue of
Catholic School Matters
Newsletter from NCEA and Dr. Tim Uhl.
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Office of Catholic Schools
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