Office of
Catholic Schools
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During this special month of Mary and the Rosary we pray with Mary for the many needs of our families, community, country and world. We look to Mary to provide counsel and advice, just as she did with the apostles. Mother Mary, pray for us.
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known, that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee I come, before the I stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy, hear and answer me. Amen
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During the Parish Life Line on May 5, Fr. Edward Looney did a beautiful presentation on the Mysteries of the Rosary. Video Archive
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Next editions of the Office of Catholic Schools Newsletter:
May 21, 2021
June 4, 2021
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Look for topics in previous editions:
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Archive of Superintendent’s emails:
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May 11 PowerSchool User Group 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
May 19 New Teachers/Methods B Faith Integration 3:30-4:30 (Virtual)
May 31 Memorial Day (HOLIDAY) Diocesan offices closed
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Teacher Appreciation Week |
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We would like to send our love and appreciation for all our teachers and administrators. We thank you for your dedication and for spreading the word of God each day in all that you teach.
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Does your school participate in Battle of the Books? There are a few schools across the diocese that would be interested in setting up Battle of the Books for next year. If you are interested in starting, continuing or adding teams for a Catholic Schools Battle of the Books, please email Jane Schueller
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Catholic Social Teaching resource |
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Over the past weeks people have inquired about resources for Catholic Social Teachings. RCL Benzinger had a webinar last week. Their website contains resources you may find helpful.-www.rclbenziger.com/catholicresources
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The DASA Executive Committee met on May 5. Considering many of the groups may not meet again, the unofficial notes are attached
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Pentecost Sunday May 23, 2021marks the end of the Easter Season, 10 days after Jesus ascended into Heaven. On this day we remember that God kept His promise and He sent the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Five great resources for this celebration of the birthday of the Church and the Church's mission to share with your family and students;
• Pentecost Word Search: for grades 4-5, in English
• Pentecost Word Scramble: for grades 6-8, in English
• Pentecost Kite Activity: in English
• Pentecost Word Jumble: in English
• Pentecost Crossword: for grades 2-3, in English
Thanks for your assistance. Blessings,
Cindy St. Aubin
World Mission Director
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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT ON
BISHOP-ELECT FELTON ORDINATION & INSTALLATION
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Please be advised that the ordination and installation of Bishop-elect Daniel Felton will take place on Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 11:00 am. We are happy to share this link to the livestream from the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in Duluth, MN. This link is housed on the Diocese of Green Bay website and will be active when the livestream from the Cathedral in Duluth begins: https://www.gbdioc.org/duluthordination.
If for any reason you are having trouble with the link above, please log in to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary YouTube channel at the link below:
Notes of congratulation can be sent to Bishop-elect Felton at the following address:
Bishop Daniel Felton
Diocese of Duluth
2830 East Fourth Street
Duluth, MN 55812
Your continued prayers for Bishop-elect Felton and the faithful of the Diocese of Duluth are welcome, as are those for the Diocese of Green Bay, as we both undertake this transition in leadership.
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Reminder: Safe Environment Reports Due |
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Dear Presidents, Superintendents, & Principals,
As a reminder, in accordance with the Bishops policy and safe environment regulations we wanted to make sure you don’t forget to submit your school’s/system’s background check report. Because of your efforts and diligence we have moved from a quarterly review process to a semi-annual process with the 1st quarter and third quarter reporting. As such, you need to submit a copy to safe environment (Deb Knaus) of all employees paid from October 1,2020 through March 30th, 2021. We DO NOT need to see the compensation, but the report generated needs to come from your payroll system.
Please submit this no later than May 12th. In this review we have decided to include all employees rather than trying to segregate who or who does not interact with children to avoid confusion.
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EANS Webinar - Utilization of Funds |
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On April 20th there was a webinar on the utilization of funds under the EANS program. You can view the entire presentation at
The major take away from the presentation is that you can get reimbursed for the SERVICE portion of windows, HVAC systems, touchless bathroom faucets and touchless drinking fountains. The cost of the materials is the responsibility of the school as it is a capital expense. This can be significant savings if you have been looking at upgrading your windows, HVAC, faucets or drinking fountains.
In addition, desk shields purchased after April 1, 2021 DO NOT QUALIFY for reimbursement as the CDC has stated they are not necessary. If you purchased prior to and want to be reimbursed, you can submit that expense.
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Direct Service Support
Register for the May 11, 2021 webinar at 2:30 PM
Reimbursements - Process for Claiming Prior and Future
Register for the May 25, 2021 webinar at 2:00 PM
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School Choice Wisconsin to Hold EANS Follow Up Webinar |
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Join us for an EANS roundtable follow up discussion on May 12th from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. CST.
Find out how other school leaders are planning to utilize EANS funding and share your ideas and questions!
You can register for the event here.
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Updated CDC Guidelines for those Vaccinated |
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On April 27, 2021, the CDC updated its guidelines for those that have been vaccinated. Fully vaccinated people can now:
- Visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
- Visit with unvaccinated people (including children) from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
- Participate in outdoor activities and recreation without a mask, except in certain crowded settings and venues
- Resume domestic travel and refrain from testing before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel
- Refrain from testing before leaving the United States for international travel (unless required by the destination) and refrain from self-quarantine after arriving back in the United States
- Refrain from testing following a known exposure, if asymptomatic, with some exceptions for specific settings
- Refrain from quarantine following a known exposure if asymptomatic (staff that are fully vaccinated may continue to come to work if they have had close contact with someone who has tested positive).
- Refrain from routine screening testing if asymptomatic and feasible.
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Relevant Radio Opportunity |
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The Cathedral currently has an opportunity for high school music and/or choir students to be showcased during the Sunday 9:00 Mass. The Mass is live streamed on Relevant Radio’s Facebook page. If you have a student who is interested in participating, please have the teacher or parents contact Regina Reale at 920-785-8553. |
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Bishop Ricken has recorded two end of year videos for you to use in your school. These can be shared with your staff, or on social media or played at your graduation ceremony. The links can be found at: |
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Parish Life Line:
Wednesday Mornings @ 9:30; via Zoom
May 12: no meeting
May 19: "The Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help" w/Don Warden, Chief Operations Officer
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Wednesday, August 11, 2021
9am-3pm
No Fee (incl. breakfast, lunch)
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Thursday, August 12, 2021
9am-3pm
No Fee (incl. breakfast & lunch)
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At These Workshops:
- Inspirational presentations by two dynamic presenters
- Teacher-written and tested supplemental resources
- Catered breakfast, lunch and opportunities for collaboration, prayer and reflection
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Retiring Teachers and Administrators |
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Please fill out the form if you have teachers (and principals) who are retiring. The form requires home address and number of years of service to our schools.
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On behalf of the Office of Catholic Schools we will be providing funds for your school to use to purchase treats for your team. If your school has 100 students or less we will reimburse you up to $50. If your school has 101 students or more, we will reimburse you up to $100. All you need to do is purchase the treats and send the invoice or receipt showing the item and amount to Lori Paul. All reimbursements must be submitted by May 7th in order to make sure we process them before the end of the year. |
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All principals will be required to attend a Diocese wide event at the KI Center on Wednesday, October 13, 2021. The event will run all day. Please make appropriate arrangements for support and coverage at your school. Further information will be provided.
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Social Distancing Closes to 3 Feet |
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The CDC has updated their social distancing guidelines for schools by reducing the long-standing 6 feet to 3 feet. This change comes after scientists have found the damage of remote, isolated learning outweighs the potential risk of COVID exposure, paving the way for school re-opening. You’ll now need less space to house your students. Masks are still required. |
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IMPORTANT BUSING INFORMATION |
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Annually, by May 15, each private school must notify each school board in its attendance area of the name, grade level, and address of each private school student eligible to receive transportation benefits from the district, and who is planning on attending the private school for the ensuing school year.
A public school board can extend the May 15 deadline. However, do not rely on this possibility.
If you have students whose enrollment you are unsure of before the May 15 deadline, but know they will be eligible for busing and need it if they attend your school, include them on your list.
To ensure that students who enroll after the May 15 deadline receive transportation, you should add the following information after the last name on the list: Any student who applies for admission on or after May 15, 2021.
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Ahrens Educational Resources |
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Ahrens Educational Resources is a CESA partner and has created the following documents with curricular materials in which you may be interested especially in the area of literacy. If you are working on updating or adding to a “book room” there are several resources available. Resources Resources Overview
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Curriculum Resources
Health and Theology of the Body
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At this time of the year, we have requests and conversations about talk to children about their bodies. The Diocese of Green Bay www.gbresources.org has compiled some great resources to use with your parents and students in which the focus is on how God created us. Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions or need anything additional. The vendor www.ruahwoods.org has some great resources for Theology of the Body across the grade levels.
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Green Bay Youth Conference
Registration, Promo Materials NOW AVAILABLE!
June 5, 2021 | Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help
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Registration Deadline: May 17, 2021. After May 17th, registrations will be limited. Please email mcabey@gbdioc.org or ckowalski@gbdioc.org for any questions! Payments are due one week prior to the event.
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Office of Safe Environment Survey |
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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 16, 2021. I am asking you to please ensure your LoSEC gathers the proper data and completes the survey online by Friday, May 14, 2021. 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. As in the past, 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.
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Offer from Newsela
Newsela is launching a new program. In order to help alleviate some of the stress of this crazy year, we’re offering “Bridge Pilots” through the end of the school year.
A “Bridge Pilot” will give a district full access to Newsela ELA, Social Studies, Science, and SEL along with asynchronous PD sessions through June 30th. This is an opportunity for your teachers and curriculum team to dive into Newsela resources to see if it will be a good fit going forward into the 21-22 school year. You'll need to activate the offer this month (March) so that we can be up and running coming back from Spring Break.
Mark Gallo wants to make sure that you’ll have the best experience possible with this Bridge Pilot and have built in two guardrails:
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District Form - Mark put together a few questions around your district (school) goals and what you would be looking for from Newsela. This will help frame our…
- Solution Map/Path to Partnership meeting - We’ll schedule a short meeting to discuss rollout and make sure your teachers have everything they need to be successful with Newsela. We’ll also create a basic timeline with check in calls throughout the course of the year
Go to Next Vista for Learning https://www.nextvista.org for great ideas. See student videos demonstrating their learning and webinars. Developed by a Catholic school educator.
As part of the CARES Act, the DPI is offering free access to webinars, resources and networking for teachers to learn how they can support their students in a virtual classroom.
You can learn more about the program and what resources are available here.
CARES Act free professional learning through DPI and CESA 7
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Curriculum review and connections: |
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Please fill out the form in order that as schools/systems are looking at reviewing curriculum resources, they might be able to collaborate with other schools/systems. You could also use this resource to connect with other schools using different resources at which you might be looking.
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2021-22 Contract Information |
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On the teacher contract this year the main change is on line item 14 the additional sentence, “Administration will determine how instruction will be taught, whether virtually or in person, due to illness, school closure, snow days or any other type of emergency that may require the school to close.”
When looking at the total informational packet, you will see that the Diocesan Code of Personal and Ethical Conduct for Employees is taken from the Parish/School Employee Handbook of August 2019.
Contract forms, directions, and information are found on the diocesan school Google site ( http://bit.ly/3bftdSp), under "Governance and Leadership" then “Administrators” heading.
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Please pass this link for MAP Resources to your teachers. There is a lot of information available to them for using the data to drive instruction and do goal setting with students.
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Office of Catholic Schools Weekly COVID-19 Data Report |
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Here is the link to the report.
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NCEA Newlsetter Link
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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