Office of
Catholic Schools
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A Season of Fasting and Feasting...
Fast From judging others; Feast on God’s living in them...
Fast from harsh words; Feast on words that build up others...
Fast from discontentment; Feast on gratitude...
Fast from pessimism; Feast on optimism...
Fast from worry; Feast on God’s care...
Fast from complaining; Feast on appreciation...
Fast from bitterness; Feast on forgiveness…
Fast from discouragement; Feast on hope…
Fast from self-concern; Feast on compassion for others…
Fast from facts that depress; Feast on truth…
Fast from idle gossip; Feast on silence with a purpose ..
Fast from thoughts that weaken; Feast on promises that inspire…
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Next editions of the Office of Catholic Schools Newsletter:
March 5 & 19, 2021
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Look for topics in previous editions:
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Archive of Superintendent’s emails:
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Feb. 24 New Teachers/Methods B Faith Integration 3:30-4:30 (Virtual)
Feb. 25 Library Media Specialists virtual meeting at 4:00 (see below)
March 8 New School Administrators Workshop 9:00 AM Virtual
March 8 Spring System/School Presidents Meeting 10:00 AM-2:00 PM
March 9 PowerSchool User Group 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM virtual
March 10 WCRIS Leadership Conference - Madison
March 11 Spring High School Principals Meeting 10:00 AM-2:00 PM
March 15 Spring MAP CRF due (2 weeks prior to testing)
March 24 New Teachers/Methods B Faith Integration 3:30-4:30 (Virtual)
March 31 Meemic Foundation Grants due
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Upcoming virtual opportunity with Bishop Ricken |
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Open to all - invite a friend
Mark your calendars for Monday, March 8 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. for another virtual evening of reflection with Bishop Ricken. You may remember the "Night of Hope" he did in October, and this event is geared toward Lent.
Take some time to pause for prayer and praise with Bishop Ricken during this Lenten season. Bishop will guide us through music, Scripture, and prayer as we give praise and glory to God who is a God of hope, light, and new life. All are welcome to participate in this virtual event!
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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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WCRIS Virtual Leadership Meeting - March 10 |
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While in-person events are not possible, WCRIS still wants to bring its Principals together and inform you about the state’s current legislative session, COVID-19, and the future of education.
That’s why WCRIS is hosting its first-ever virtual Leadership Meeting on March 10, from 9 am to 11 am. It’s free but attendance is limited. So register today!
You will hear from WCRIS Executive Director and registered lobbyist Sharon Schmeling. She will discuss the 2021-23 state budget, that was released Feb. 16, and what it means for K-12 education.
Even if you are not attending the WCRIS webinar March 10, please complete the survey. The information that you provide will help us when talking to legislators.
Be sure to sign up for the Current Events newsletter at www.wcris.org if you have not already done so.
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EANS Funds Roll-out Begins |
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Gov. Evers applied to the U.S. Department of Education for Wisconsin’s $77.4 million in Emergency Aid to Nonpublic Schools (EANS) on Monday 2/8 and the Department of Public Instruction estimates it will have an application available for our schools via an electronic portal around March 12.
Once a Governor applies, federal law requires the money be sent to the state within 15 days and the Governor must obligate the funds within six months. Systems have to be in place to make this ambitious timeline work.
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What You Can Do Now to Get Ready to Apply for EANS Funds |
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The EANS application will be online through the WiseGrants portal. You will need to set up a WiseGrants account through DPI to apply for the EANS funds and have them routed to the school’s vendors. The DPI has to program its system for that flow of funds. We are pushing the DPI to provide technical assistance and/or webinars to help our principals access the WiseGrants portal.
The goal is to have the online application auto-filled with data from DPI’s records. To make this work, you can:
- Immediately, if you have not already done so, submit your PI-1207 DPI Form for this school year. It will serve as verification that your school is recognized by the state, as required by the EANS law. If you don’t have this done, you will have to certify some other way that your school is recognized by Wisconsin;
- Check your WAMS ID number that you used to file the PI-1207 to make sure it’s valid and that you know/remember the password;
- Check your school’s entry in the DPI School Directory to make sure the contact names, school address, etc. is up-to-date and correct;
- Review your Pandemic response needs that can be covered under the EANS 12 allowable uses (scroll down on this WCRIS web page) and divide the money between the amount already spent that you would like reimbursed, and the amount you would like to spend going forward. It’s likely the online application will have separate entries for those two categories.
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Employee Retention Credit |
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CLA has released information regarding the changes to the Employee Retention Credit. See attached for an overview. The credit is available for both 2020 and 2021 with different qualifications and credit amounts for each year.
In previous legislation, the 2020 ERC could not be claimed if an entity received a PPP Loan. Retroactive to March 27, 2020, most recent legislation now allows employers who receive or previously received a PPP loan to claim the ERC. Therefore, employers that were previously ineligible, can now go back and claim the 2020 ERC. It’s important to note that the same wages cannot be used to apply for PPP loan forgiveness, other tax credits, most types of federal or state funding, and the ERC.
There are two ways to qualify, if you were subject to a government shutdown OR sustained a certain percentage loss of revenue. Based on our review of enrollments during the fall I’m not sure if any of the schools would have sustained enough revenue loss to qualify for the credit (some might). However, they would qualify because they were subject to a government shutdown. Please note they would only be eligible during the time period of the government shutdown.
There are still parts of this legislation that need further guidance, such as how to retroactively claim these credits and the interplay with already forgiven PPP loans. Hopefully the IRS will release some more information soon. The biggest things to keep in mind is the conflict with applying payroll costs for PPP loan forgiveness and the ERC.
Contact your auditors for more information or for help in obtaining this credit.
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The National Catholic Educational Association conducts Catholic education research as well as providing private education resources for a range of audiences. Information contained within these pages include Catholic school data. NCEA published selected results from NCEA's annual survey of Catholic elementary and secondary schools, including enrollment patterns, regional geographic trends, types and locations of schools, student and staffing demographic characteristics, and student participation in selected education programs.
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Fundraising with Our Sunday Visitor |
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On February 12th OSV and Divine Savior Catholic School did a presentation on how OSV helped Divine Savior go from an annual campaign that generated around $10,000 to raising over $30,000 this year by using OSV. If you’d like to learn how to take your campaign to the next level, please check out the recording from the meeting! Please contact Lori with any questions or assistance.
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Lent Invitation and Links |
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Catholic Relief Services offers some great virtual events, prayers and reflections (English and Spanish), even a downloadable virtual Rice bowl to make at home. |
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NEW:
Newsela - For those who were not able to attend the presentation on Newsela last week.
Here is the link to the presentation. We have a great testimonial from one of the teachers using the paid version and a teacher who was on the presentation was going to go right away to ask to sign up for it she was so impressed with how it could save her time.
Feel free to send to your schools!
From Previous Newsletter:
Lenten Resources
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
Library Media Specialists
The DLMA will meet virtually for a “check in” and conversation on Thursday, February 25 at 4:00.
Jane Schueller is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting
Topic: DLMA
Time: Feb 25, 2021 04:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 872 1397 6919
Passcode: 1234
One tap mobile
+13126266799,,87213976919#,,,,*1234# US (Chicago)
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Upcoming Virtual Conferences for Catholic educators |
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Forefront21 - March 4-6. Forefront 2021 is a virtual event created specifically for Catholic education with a focus on innovation and sustainability in an unpredictable future. For more information visit www.bit.ly/forefront21
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Wisconsin Education Recruitment Fair |
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The annual Wisconsin Education Recruitment Fair (WERF) is scheduled for Tuesday, March 23, 2021 from 3:00pm-7:00pm. Due to the current health crisis in the US, WERF will only be virtual in 2021 using the Handshake platform. This platform offers video one-on-one sessions and group sessions with students and alumni.
WERF will provide you with an opportunity to speak with teacher and administrator candidates from Wisconsin’s 33 public and private universities.
School system registration is now open and is accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.
To register & reserve your virtual space at WERF, click HERE. If your school district is not yet on the Handshake platform, your organization will need to register.
Registration request fees are $100 per school district, which includes the participation of 20+ representatives (offering 1:1 sessions) and the ability to offer up to 12 group sessions.
If you have questions, please contact Career Services at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay at 920-465-2163 or peacockl@uwgb.edu
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Parish Life Line: February Topics
Wednesday Mornings @ 9:30; via Zoom
Tentative topics for February are:
- February 24: Sr. Anne Marie Lom, OSF, "The Art of Spiritual Companioning"
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WRISA Executive Director Search |
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The Wisconsin Religious and Independent Schools Accreditation (WRISA) is a statewide accrediting association, organized as a non-stock/not-for-profit corporation, which accredits religious and independent schools across the state of Wisconsin. The Board of Directors is currently seeking an Executive Director with administration experience and who has an understanding of and experience with K-12 school accreditation. The Executive Director is the face of WRISA, works closely with the WRISA Board of Directors, and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the organization, ensuring that it is operating efficiently and effectively. The Board of Directors places a high priority on the Executive Director being aligned with the Vision, Mission and Core Values of WRISA and must be evidenced through consistent communication, transparency, and collaboration. The Board of Directors is searching for an Executive Director who is committed to supporting the strategic objectives and leading the WRISA organization into the future through positive leadership. |
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Take this opportunity to register for the FREE virtual 6th Annual 2021 WISEdata Conference! This is a great way to understand what information is being required by DPI in regards to Choice students.
Where should you go to get the most up-to-date information regarding the conference? Right on the 2021 WISEdata Conference web page. Want to see what sessions are being offered prior to completing the registration process? Review the Agenda at a Glance to review the date, time, titles, presenter information, and a comprehensive description of each session.
For the Department of Public Instruction’s Customer Services team’s first time hosting a virtual conference, we will use Microsoft Teams to host sessions throughout the conference. Each session has set capacity limits. If you do not see a session that was of interest to you in the agenda as a selection option during registration, that is because the capacity limit has been reached. How can you avoid this? REGISTER early to ensure you are present and have the opportunity to interact with our presenters and support staff to get the information and clarifications you seek. We will also post all slide decks and recordings on our conference webpage.
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Camp Tekakwitha is accepting applications for Summer Camp |
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Registration for Camp Tekakwitha is accepting registrations for Summer Camp. Please encourage your families to go to the Camp Tekakwitha website to register. camptekakwitha.org
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Center for Resilient Schools |
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The Wisconsin Center for Resilient Schools is a new statewide coaching center designed to help school and/or district teams bring comprehensive school-based mental health and trauma sensitive, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) to full scale implementation. This free resource is available to schools and districts in Wisconsin including private, charter, tribal and state schools.
If you have a school or district team working on comprehensive and systemic school-based mental health and/or SEL this center can help you to:
- Strengthen and align systems that support comprehensive school-based mental health and trauma sensitive social and emotional learning in order to promote academic success of each student
- Engage with data, resources and tools to create a sustainable plan to reach your desired outcomes
- Develop strategies for stakeholder engagement
- Explicitly position and communicate about trauma sensitive SEL as a lever for equity
Beginning on January 20, 2021, schools and district teams that are interested in coaching services can complete the service request form found here.
Check out the full press release here.
Please note that this center provides coaching for teams who are ready to fully implement School-Based Mental Health (SBMH) and trauma sensitive SEL. This is not a training opportunity. If you are just beginning to consider school-based mental health, social and emotional learning or trauma-sensitive schools, please see the resources from the Department of Public Instruction using the hyperlinks provided.
Thanks,
Chanell Crawford
Director, Parental Education Options
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Phone: 608-266-5880
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8th Grade Diploma Ordering |
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If you need diplomas for your 8th grade students, you will need to order them from the Digicopy Portal. To access the portal and to order:
Enter your username and password - your username is your email and, if you have never used the Digicopy Portal, your password is 1234 and you will be prompted to change it. If you have difficulty logging in, please contact Sheryl Biersteker at biersteker@dcopy.net to have your password reset.
Click on the Blue Square labeled DIPLOMAS. Follow the directions while choosing the options you want.
If you chose the option to have the student name pre-printed on the diploma, you will be required to download and complete the diploma spreadsheet template.
When you check out you will be required to pay. If you do not have a school credit card, please contact DigiCopy to make payment arrangements.
Instructions are also included on the web page and all customer support information for DigiCopy is also included at the bottom of the web page.
If you have any questions or need assistance with ordering, please contact DigiCopy at greenbay@dcopy.net or 920-857-2208.
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Due to the uncertainty, disruptions and additional procedures and adjustments required by the current COVID pandemic we are waiving the ACRE requirement for 2021 for all parish religious education programs and all Catholic Schools. |
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Sample Tuition Increase Letter |
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During the Financial Planning Webinar, we said that there would be a letter you could use as a template to inform your families of any tuition increases for the next school year. Please click here to download a WORD template.
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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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