Office of
Catholic Schools
|
|
|
Merciful God, during this time of Lent, help me to open my eyes that I may see the deepest needs of men, women, and children. Move my hands that they may feed the hungry; Touch my heart that I may bring warmth to the despairing; Teach me the generosity that welcomes strangers; Let me share my possessions with people in need offering my abundance to You. Amen
|
|
Next editions of the Office of Catholic Schools Newsletter:
March 19, 2021
|
|
Look for topics in previous editions:
|
|
Archive of Superintendent’s emails:
|
|
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
|
|
Spring Break Travel Plans |
|
Thinking about scheduling some time away? Is there a Spring break destination in your future? Before you travel outside the state of Wisconsin, please review the pre and post travel recommendations provided by the CDC at this link:
Please note the “After You Travel” guidelines are in effect at the Diocese for any travel outside of Wisconsin. The same quarantine guidelines continue to apply even if teachers have received the vaccine.
|
|
St. Mary Catholic School System currently has the following positions available:
- SMCS Superintendent
- Administrative Assistant – High School and St. Margaret Mary Elementary
- Head Football Coach – Middle School
- Bus Driver AM/PM Routes (part-time)
- German Teacher – Middle School (part-time)
|
|
Masking Update and Medical Exemption Reminder |
|
Dear Presidents, Superintendents, and Principals,
As a general reminder Emergency Order #1:Relating to Stopping the Spread of a New Highly Contagious Variant of COVID-19 by Requiring Face Coverings, is still in effect until March 20, 2021. Presently, all of our sixteen counties are at a high level according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services data.
Once the mask mandate is lifted, the Office of Catholic School is requiring the continued use of masks in the Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Green Bay, until such time as the county in which your school resides is at a moderate level as determined by the Case Count (Burden) reported by the Wisconsin Department of Health Service. Once that level has been maintained for 4 consecutive weeks, there will be new directives for the schools and masking.
Until the new directives are issued, please keep in mind the following:
- Post signs on your entry doors noting that "a mask is required to enter."
-
In your current communication like a weekly newsletter, remind parents that "to promote public and employee health, you can't enter many stores without shoes, shirt and a mask. The same is true for "INSERT YOUR SCHOOL NAME."
- Have a supply of disposable masks at the entry doors, so people without a mask can get one. You may have to have a monitor stationed at the entry, offering free masks to visitors, and inviting people who won't take a mask to leave and get one of their own -- if they don't like the ones the school is offering.
- If a student, staff or visitor has a health reason for not wearing a mask, have a plan of accommodation in place, such as:
- having a portable physical clear divider that can be placed at any desk/table for the non-masked person to have a meeting, observe a class or event, etc.;
- having a "drop-off" bin where items can be left at the school by a non-masking person and then delivered within the school by a masked volunteer/staff;
- allowing adults with no mask to volunteer outdoors
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Todd or Lori.
|
|
Upcoming School
Choice Dates
|
|
April 15
- End of the WPCP open application period for the 2021-22 school year, which began on the first weekday in February.
April 23
- Deadline for schools to complete verification of 2021-22 school year student applications from the February open application period via OAS.
Early May
-
WISEdata Spring Demographics Snapshot: All schools must complete 2021-22 Assessment Demographic student data reporting in WISEdata. Correctly report the English Language Proficiency, Race Ethnicity, and student economic status. Please see Becky Krahn if you are unsure about this process.
|
|
CONGRATULATIONS Kohl Award Winners |
|
We congratulate our students, teachers and principal who were awarded the Kohl foundation awards.
Student award recipients received a $10,000 scholarship. Teachers and principals were awarded $6,000 as well as $6000 for their school.
Student Excellence Scholars
Chiara Chier - Lourdes Academy, Oshkosh
Kaela Groppel - St. Mary Catholic High School, Neenah
Student Initiative Scholars
Elizabeth Tovar-Eugenio - Xavier High School, Appleton
Katie Peters - Notre Dame Academy, Green Bay
Teacher Fellows
Michelle Anderson - Holy Cross, Bay Settlement
Lisa Mueller - St. John Bosco, Sturgeon Bay
Jodi Sullivan - Holy Cross, Bay Settlement
Principal Leader
Andrew Mulloy - St. John the Baptist, Howard
|
|
As you begin to post new job opportunities on WECAN, please close any open vacancies you may have forgotten to close. As a reminder, make sure your post directs applicants to apply through WECAN.
If you would like your position to be posted on the Diocesan website, please send all information to Lisa Gruber.
|
|
Check your Current Events Newsletter for information about EANS and allocations
Q: When can EANS funding be accessed by private schools?
- Look for an email on February 25th from DPI with information on EANS (Emergency Aid to Nonpublic Schools). This second round of stimulus funding approved by Congress in December has $77million in EANS funds earmarked for WI private schools.
-
The application for schools should be available March 12th.
Q: Who is eligible for how much?
- Any private school listed in the WI Private School Directory is eligible to apply.
-
Private schools will be allocated a minimum of $480 for every student. High poverty schools can receive double that amount!
- DPI already calculated your school’s percentage of low-income students based on 2019-20 enrollment data so it will be pre-filled on the EANS application.
- DPI’s announcement will guide you to your initial allocation.
- Schools who receive PPP loans after Dec 27, 2020 cannot utilize EANS.
Q: How can the funds be used and accessed?
- EANS funds can be used for similar COVID-related purposes as ESSER.
- One huge difference – Eligible, pandemic-related expenses dating back to March 13, 2020 can be reimbursed with EANS, assuming you submit proof of paid invoices.
- DPI will use their WISEgrants portal to administer the funds. (EANS will not flow through local districts.)
- A WAMS ID number is used to access WISEgrants.
- Schools will establish a budget in WISEgrants for how to use your allocation. Budgets can be amended at any time.
- Once DPI approves your request/documentation, payment will be remitted in a couple of weeks.
- DPI expects to utilize CESAs to facilitate current purchases & services.
Q: How will EANS affect your Choice audit?
- Any expense reimbursed by EANS will be deducted from your Choice Eligible Education Expenses (i.e. treated as off-setting revenue in your audit).
- DPI will adjust your Choice reserve balance as of June 30, 2020 if you request reimbursement for expenses from last fiscal year. Details TBD.
Q: Are there other considerations?
- Accepting EANS does not make your school a “recipient of Federal financial assistance”.
- The state has six months to obligate EANS funds, meaning schools will need to decide how to spend their EANS budget by August.
- If your school would qualify for another PPP loan, consider the pros/cons carefully. Remember, you cannot do both this time around.
Q: What can schools do now?
-
Have your WAMS ID ready so you’re able to access the WISEgrants system, as directed. (It can take a couple of weeks for DPI to process a request for a WAMS ID.)
-
Review the list of eligible expenses for EANS (see page 10 of US Dept of Ed FAQ) and start planning your budget.
|
|
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:
-
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
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
|
|
Curriculum review and connections: |
|
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.
|
|
Upcoming virtual opportunity with Bishop Ricken |
|
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!
|
|
2021-22 Contract Information |
|
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.
|
|
WCRIS Virtual Leadership Meeting - March 10 |
|
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.
|
|
Lent Invitation and Links |
|
Catholic Relief Services offers some great virtual events, prayers and reflections (English and Spanish), even a downloadable virtual Rice bowl to make at home. |
|
Upcoming Virtual Conferences for Catholic educators |
|
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
|
|
Wisconsin Education Recruitment Fair |
|
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
|
|
Parish Life Line:
Wednesday Mornings @ 9:30; via Zoom
- March 17: Recognizing Thin Places & St. Patrick's Day w/Julianne Stanz
- March 31: Re-engagement of Parishioners w/Peter Murphy
|
|
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.
|
|
Center for Resilient Schools |
|
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
|
|
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. |
|
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.
|
|
Office of Catholic Schools Weekly COVID-19 Data Report |
|
Here is the link to the report.
|
|
NCEA Newlsetter Link
Click on icon below to read the latest issue of Catholic School Matters Newsletter from NCEA and Dr. Tim Uhl.
|
|
Office of Catholic Schools
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
