Office of
Catholic Schools
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Corpus Christi Prayer
Let us pray
for the willingness to make present in our world the love of Christ shown to us in the Eucharist, Lord Jesus Christ,
we worship you living among us
in the sacrament of your body and blood.
May we offer to our Father in heaven
a solemn pledge of undivided love.
May we offer to our brothers and sisters
a life poured out in loving service of that kingdom where you live with the Father and the Holy Spirit one God for ever and ever. Amen
New Saint Joseph Sunday Missal
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We will continue sending the updates this summer.
June 12 & 26
July 10 & 24
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Dates at a Glance (articles below or *in previous edition*):
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THE NUMBER ONE THING YOU CAN DO FOR RETURNING THIS FALL
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We
highly recommend
that you form a group of staff, parents and school board members and if possible someone from the medical field, to meet on a frequent basis to discuss your back to school communication strategies. Having input from various groups means that nothing is overlooked and that all concerned parties are represented. We also encourage you to designate one staff member as your Covid Leader so that all communication can flow through them. There is an excellent planning tool on the Diocese Reconnect to Inspire website (
https://www.gbdioc.org/front-page/reconnect-to-inspire
) under the School Resources section from Loyola University Greely Center,
Leading with Hope; A Reflective Guide for Catholic Schools in a New Reality
. This document is a three pronged approach to support schools in making the necessary plans for a return to school. It includes a readiness checklist for the team to use to determine what may need to be completed.
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T
he Office of Catholic Schools has created a number of tools that you can use as you go back to school including a grid detailing recommended precautions, a welcome letter, communications plan, letter in case of an outbreak, and much more! Find it all at
www.gbdioc.org/reconnecttoinspire
.
The site also provides information on a wonderful opportunity - RECONNECTING YOUR STAFF AND FAMILIES. Reconnect groups are brief four-week sessions that can be held both digitally and in-person which aim to provide an opportunity to regather as a community, become reacquainted with others, and share one’s personal experience living through the pandemic. Lori Paul is available to help moderate and set up the group within your school. Please contact her for more information.
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One of the best things you can do for your families is give them a video of what to expect when they return. Check out how the Diocese is communicating with its employees at
https://vimeo.com/426945311
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We have the opportunity to learn more about the paid version of SeeSaw Learning Management System. Ninety Five teachers have used SeeSaw in our diocese either the paid or free version over the past couple months. Ellen Teel is our representative and will give an overview of SeeSaw and the difference between the paid and no pay versions. Please join in a meeting
Monday, June 15 at 3:00
(following the Catholic School Meeting)
Join Meeting
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I have been working with our NWEA Representative and she is going to make the MAP Skills product available to any schools that would like it for the first semester. MAP Skills allows for assessing students at more specific skill levels.
Learn more about MAP Skills
Please let
Jane Schueller
know if you would like to know more about this.
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As your school year comes to a close, it is important to personally thank your staff and families for their hard work in this extraordinary year! Please take time to write a personal note to your staff letting them know how much you appreciate them. Also make sure that EVERY FAMILY has been thanked by the principal of the school. These gestures take no time but will have a tremendous impact on your staff and student retention.
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If you have any open positions, please notify
Lori Paul
. We will be working to help increase job placement to obtain a wider pool of candidates for your school. We will also look at the possibility of strategic alliances on positions (spanish, music, etc).
We currently have a teacher with a Spanish education background that is looking for employment. If you are interested, please let
Todd
know.
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WCRIS Reminder on Contact with the Press
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Recently, an article appeared in the Wisconsin State Journal regarding private schools receiving funds under the Payroll Protection Program.
If your school is contacted,
please do not respond to the reporter's inquiries and ask them to please contact Justine Lodl at the Diocese of Green Bay
. But, please do not say "no comment." The most important thing to do is not engage.
In addition, you can always reach out to Sharon Schmeling at WCRIS at 608-287-1224 if you would like more information or you can have the media contact her.
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WRISA SENDING ACCREDITATION TO DPI
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One of the requirements for Choice and SNSP schools is confirmation of accreditation or being in the process of accrediting with WRISA. WRISA will be sending in that information directly to DPI. If you receive a notice, please disregard as it will be taken care of for you.
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What Does My County Look Like?
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Many schools have been wondering how their county looks in terms of COVID cases. We have created a spreadsheet that breaks out the counties, the schools in the county, the positive and negative cases, the number of deaths and the positive infection rate. We will be updating the data weekly and will be including it in the newsletter.
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All Choice schools must adjust the calendar for the covid closures. Becky has added the code needed for this but all choice schools must update the calendar with the new type for publishing attendance. Please see the video for more information or contact Becky for assistance.
Click on the button for the end of year document.
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ESSER Funding
continues to be a challenge. Our state is one of a group of states challenging on what the equitable share should be based, Title I or Title II. The latest CAPE Newsletter describes the discrepancy.
Additionally, Steve Thiele reached out to WCRIS regarding consultation. Her response follows
There are two funding formulas being debated. The one the DPI is currently leaning towards is based on Title I poverty eligibility. That's why the LEA is collecting that info.
“The other formula, being promoted by the US DE guidance document, covers all students.
We are pressuring the DPI to use the DE version. The DPI appears to be straddling the fence, hedging its bets and positioning itself to use either formula. They won't decide until they release the funds to LEAs in July. This is a problem nationwide with SEAs. What happens in other states, with the feds and various lawsuits swirling around the country will help them decide.
As will our advocacy, we hope.
The public district can not get its funds until you sign off. You can check the box that says you were NOT given timely and meaningful consultation. That will get you on record for wanting to participate, but will freeze things up for them. Buying time seems to be the best thing we have at our disposal, at this point.
You can stipulate it was not meaningful consultation because it does not conform to the US DE guidance.
You are one of the first schools in line to try this. Let me know how it goes so we can assist, and share what you experienced with other principals on the ground.”
Sherry
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June 30
- Schools must notify the parent of any applications that have been determined ineligible through the application verification process of each WPCP applicant via mail or email. The email should state why the application is ineligible and that they will not be included in the random drawing, Ineligible WPCP applications will have a status of Parent No Show, Ineligible per DOR, or Ineligible in Both Semesters in OAS.
- Schools must prepare their annual budget for the 2020-21 school year by June 30. The budget does not have to be submitted to DPI. This requirement does not apply to new 2020-21 schools that provided a budget to the DPI by May 1, 2020. However, new schools that did provide a surety bond must still have the budget completed and and on file at the school.
- This date marks the end of the 2019-20 fiscal year. Schools that participated in the Choice program in the 2019-20 school year must submit the 2019-20 financial audit to the DPI by October 15, 2020. Please let Lori Paul know if you have not heard when your financial audit will be.
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Dear School Choice Administrators,
There are many questions coming in from you regarding the status of the fall semester and reopening. Do you need to follow the same procedures as the public schools? Is DPI going to provide guidance? How do you know what is a legal mandate versus a suggestion?
SCW will host Zoom calls next week to discuss the legal structure for reopening. Please sign up for one option below (100 max/session):
1) Monday, June 15, 9:30 AM
Must register in advance for this meeting:
OR
2) Tuesday, June 16, 1:00 PM
Must register in advance for this meeting:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
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Bishop Ricken's Video for Graduates
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Bishop Ricken made a video for our graduates. Please share!
Download capabilities have been turned on for the video. In addition, closed captioning with both English and Spanish subtitles is available.
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SITA - Summer Instructional Technology Academy, is on -- Virtually - August 4-6.
The East Wisconsin Instructional Technology Consortium (EWITC) has announced that the SITA 2020 schedule is now open for registration! This year’s conference will be done virtually with pre recorded sessions ahead of time and live Q&A the day of. Highlights include sessions on Creating your own Virtual Reality, Google Applications, Technology within content areas, and so much more.
Attendance is FREE for Diocesan schools staff!
Don’t delay,
REGISTER HERE
today! This year will feature Ann Anzalone on August 5 with sessions on how ones brain responds to technology and trauma.
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For the financial audit schedule click here
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One of the common issues some of the schools had last year was having signed employment agreements on hand before the first payroll for employees (both teachers and summer seasonal programs). Given the difficulty meeting face to face, one of our schools asked if employees could sign the agreements by typing their name and e-mailing it back to the school.
This is not acceptable to DPI
.
Staff must physically sign the document in one of three ways:
- In-Person on or before the first day of employment.
- Signing the agreement, scanning, and e-mailing it back to the school on or before the first day of employment.
- Using a third party signature verification company, such as DocuSign and having it done on or before the first day of employment.
A typed signature will result in a finding in the audit.
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Paycheck Protection Program-Choice/SNSP Reserve Balance Impacts
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The Department of Public Instruction has waived the 2019-20 requirement to include the forgiven portion of the Paycheck Protection Program loan that was used for educational programming purposes as offsetting government assistance revenue in the Choice Programs and SNSP Reserve Balance Schedules. The department does not have waiver authority for the 2020-21 school year, so the department 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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WRISA Accreditation Updates
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The following Schools must submit their completed Action Plans by
June 1st
in the WCSA-WRISA Portal.
- Lourdes Academy, Oshkosh
- St. Anthony School, Oconto Falls
- St. Mary School, Luxemburg
- St. Nicholas School, Freedom
The WRISA Board will be reviewing the
full visiting team report
before
June 11,
and the full Board will meet at the end of June to determine the official Accreditation Status.
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Accreditation Basics Webinar
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You are invited to attend an Accreditation Basics Webinar
When: Jun 15, 2020 09:30 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
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Accreditation Webinar: Self-Study
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You are invited to attend an Accreditation Self-Study Webinar.
When: Jun 16, 2020 09:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
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Accreditation Webinar: Team Visit/Action Plan
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You are invited to attend an Accreditation Team Visit/Action Plan Webinar.
When: Jun 16, 2020 01:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
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Elementary and Secondary Schools Education Relief funding (ESSER)
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It sounds like we may be ahead of the game thanks to WCRIS in keeping us informed about this Federal funding. That being said, many of you have reached out to your LEA and they don’t know anything about it. After a meeting with WCRIS, it sounds like DPI is still getting their “ducks in a row” so have not done much with information to the LEAs. The recommendation is to let your LEA know that when the state releases the funds, you want to take part in the program. As far as the GEER Fund, which is a discretionary fund for the Governor to use as he wishes, only if that money goes to your LEA will you get an equitable share.
Michelle Doyle Education Consulting Services
offered some webinars regarding the ESSER funding. She shared the recording, slide deck and a consultation checklist. Here is her email,
Over the next few weeks, I will continue to provide new resources on the CARES Act and the ongoing services your students should continue to receive under existing ESSA and IDEA programs. I hope you will find them helpful.
Good luck to you during CARES consultation. Stay safe and healthy!
All the best,
Michelle Doyle
Michelle Doyle Educational Consulting, LLC
michelle.doyle.ESSA@gmail.com
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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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Just a reminder that if you participated in the SNSP Program for 2019-2020 and the cost for your student exceeded the $12,500 reimbursement cost, you can submit an actual cost statement for the student to receive an increase of up to 150% of the cost for the student for the 2020-2021 school year. Please note that only 90% of the additional 150% would be paid for the student.
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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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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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