Office of Catholic Schools

June 26, 2020

We will continue sending the updates this summer. June 26 July 10 & 24

Dates at a Glance (articles below or *in previous edition*): Index of Past Topics

Office Hours

Our office hours through the end of August are Monday through Thursday from 8:00 - 4:30. We will be closed on Friday. Jane Schueller and Lisa Gruber are furloughed July 6-August 14 and will not have access to email. Please contact Todd Blahnik, Lori Paul or Dean Gerondale if you need assistance during this time.

Return to School Communication

On June 19, 2020, all principals received a letter from Bishop Ricken to send to their families letting them know that we will be opening our doors for the 2020-2021 school year. Next week, a press release will be sent out on July 2, 2020 to all local media outlets with the same message. In mid-July we will begin filming a series of videos on what our schools will look like and will follow this up with some live on-air opportunities with the local television stations. Please make sure to communicate NOW to your families and communities. It is critical to your success this fall.

Bishop's letter to families

Powerschool

The rollover for Powerschool data is July 1, 2020. Please make sure to have all your information for the 2019-2020 school year entered before the rollover.   If you are changing your start date from September to August for 2020, please let Becky know as well.

School Choice - DPI Webinar Update

June 15th and June 16th, School Choice and DPI held a joint webinar to discuss the upcoming school year. Here are the main points from that meeting: DPI is putting out guidance based on the best information they have as of June 22, 2020. Schools can choose how to use the information provided by DPI. Decisions on how to operate are up to the private school in order to mitigate risk. Schools should have plans in place for both in-person and remote learning. Public Schools are being required to have this as part of a statute in place but it is different for private schools. The third Friday count in September remains as is. This is a statute and has not been changed. All Audit deadlines remain as is at this time. This is a statute and has not been changed. Title services must still be provided to private schools by the public school. Even if the public school is closed and the private school remains open.  Starting July 1, 2020 schools may resume operations without any restrictions for closure. Schools should decide what they will do.

Accreditation Reporting

If you are accredited by WRISA, they will take care of reporting your status to DPI as part of the Choice Requirements due August 1. If you are not accredited by WRISA, please contact your accrediting agency to verify that they will submit it to DPI.

Free Student Leadership Opportunity for Middle and High School

If you are looking for a leadership formation program for your student council, a class, or other group, this leadership program is donor-funded so free to educators  Brochure Lead4Change Student Leadership Program is the leading, fastest growing, privately funded leadership program for middle and high school students. And it is FREE to educators! •  More than 7000 registered educators participating •  Active schools in all 50 states and DC •  More than a million students have completed the lessons since 2012 Lead4Change Student Leadership Program is fully funded by a family grant and blends leadership lessons with community service. The program is aligned with education standards: •  Social Emotional Learning – CASEL and ASCA Standards •  Project Based Learning – Buck Institute PBL Gold Standard •  Literacy – ILA and NCTE Standards •  21st Century Skills •  Character Education – Character.org Principles •  Gifted Education – NAGC Standards Here is an overview on where we fit: •  A FREE student leadership program that leads students to a service-learning project while working on college readiness. •  Open to students grades 6-12, led by a teacher or adviser. •  Each teacher receives a Welcome Kit, which includes the leadership book, Taking People with You, by our funder, David Novak. •  Teachers will guide student teams through lesson plans (12, 10 or 6-lesson track) where they understand and apply their leadership skills. •  Students can enter their projects for a chance to win generous grants of up to $10,000 for their charity of choice. I invite you to register today at lead4change.org/register to gain access to all of our resources. After you register, a copy of the book, Taking People with You will be mailed to you as our gift. (Registering does not commit you to doing the program.) Please let me know how I can help! I work with school systems across the country on launching our program, assisting with curriculum alignment, and getting students excited about our national challenge. I would love for your schools to be part of this program! I attached a distance learning flyer you can share. Best wishes to you as you prepare for the new school year! Liz Moscatelli Program Consultant Foundation for Impact on Literacy and Learning 612.850.2800 liz@lead4change.org www.lead4change.org

THE NUMBER ONE THING YOU CAN DO FOR RETURNING THIS FALL

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.

ReConnect to Inspire

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.

With Sympathy

Michelle Vosters If you would like to send a sympathy card to the Vosters Family, please send it to: Vic Vosters 3730 Edgewood Drive Appleton, WI 54913

MAP Skills

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.

LOOKING TO HIRE?

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.

WCRIS Reminder on Contact with the Press

Recently, an article appeared in the Wisconsin State Journal regarding private schools receiving funds under the Payroll Protection Program. https://journaltimes.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/wisconsin-private-schools-weigh-whether-to-accept-federal-pandemic-relief-money/article_3482fafe-c242-5869-9035-f2069271bbae.html 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.

What Does My County Look Like?

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.

updated COVID by County

WISE DATA UPDATES

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.     https://register.gotowebinar.com/recording/1700186232208755463    Click on the button for the end of year document.

EOY

ESSER Funding

Please continue to monitor the WCRIS Website and Current Events for updates on ESSER Funding. Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Education, spoke Thursday about a hearing on the Rules which has to be out for 30 days. WCRIS is monitoring this action.

SITA

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.

Coronavirus Resources

The Office of Catholic Schools has provided a resource page on our Google Site for the sharing of Coronavirus Resources:

Visit our website

List of Upcoming Webinars Haven't Had Enough Yet? There's More! 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.

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 Questions? Contact us at education@gbdioc.org or (920) 272-8273. www.gbdioc.org/catholicschools

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