Important Updates

Nonpublic School Safety Funding Opportunities 

Pursuant to Public Act 144 of 2022 and Public Act 93 of 2022, the Michigan Department of Education announces the availability of funding opportunities specific to school safety and student mental health. Michigan nonpublic schools are eligible to participate and must signal their intent to apply. The allowable uses of the funds and guidance on each program are specified in the memos linked below.

MDE has confirmed that churches and/or worship spaces on school grounds are eligible to be included in critical incident mapping and/or safety security assessments.

This funding seeks to reduce the impact of high risk factors on students while improving the health, safety, and wellness of all learners. The application can be found through the Grant Electronic Monitoring System and Michigan Administrative Review System (GEMS MARS). The application process will close at 7:00 am Monday, October 17, 2022. For questions on MEGS, email: Megs@michigan.gov

Click Here to Learn More

Section 97 Guidance

Section 97c Guidance

Section 97d Guidance

EANS II

If your school is eligible to participate in the Economic Assistance for Nonpublic Schools (EANS) that was part of the American Rescue Plan (ARP), you should have received notice from the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) that the application process has opened. In order to be eligible your school had to have reported a low income population of 20.1% or higher in the original EANS I application process. The deadline to apply for these funds is November 15, 2022.

This link will take you to the most recent guidance from the United States Department of Education (USDE).

This document created by MANS shows some of what nonpublic schools successfully applied for in EANS I.

A New IDEA in the Great Lakes State

MANS is pleased to partner with ADAC to offer training and consultations on Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) services in Michigan. IDEA provides federally funded special education services to nonpublic school students with learning differences.

Accessing and leveraging the full equitable share of IDEA-funded services can be – and has historically been – a challenge.

To this challenge, there’s a simple solution: knowledge.

• Knowledge of how IDEA is supposed to work.
• Knowledge of the IDEA student referral process.
• Knowledge of the IDEA child find process.

With this knowledge, private school leaders throughout Michigan can finally and fully unlock for their students and teachers IDEA-funded services. 

Come to one of three FREE trainings with ADAC to learn more. Each training will be offered from 8:30 AM – 2:30 PM. with light refreshments for breakfast along with lunch.

• November 28, 2022: Kalamazoo Regional Education Service Agency – Kalamazoo
• November 29, 2022: Michigan Catholic Conference or Diocese of Lansing (depending on attendance) – Lansing
• November 30, 2022: Sacred Heart Major Seminary – Detroit

Click here to Register Today!

2022 MANS Education Conference and Expo

We are weeks away from the 2022 MANS Conference and Expo. Conference and special event options are filling up fast! Don't miss your chance to connect with your faith-based colleagues from across the state.

The Conference and Expo this year contains so much more than great keynote addresses and sessions. Learn more about all of the extras we have planned for you below.

ArtPraise is a faith-filled student art competition which allows students to showcase their artistic talents in a large venue and compete for prizes for the top three winners. Students participating in the contest will be asked to submit visual art pieces using the following media: photography, drawing, painting and sculpture. Art will be showcased throughout the expo hall and conference attendees will vote for their favorites. Click here for more information.

Educational Excursions: Extend your learning by selecting an off site excursion to one of Lansing's local gems. Lunch and as needed transportation is included. Excursions are filling up fast! A list of excursions may be found here.

Educational Sessions: More than 100 sessions on a diverse selection of topics for all grade bands are scheduled (subject to change) for you. The current list may be found here.

Meet-Ups: There are three Meet-Ups scheduled on both Thursday and Friday based on grade bands. The Meet Ups provide you needed time to share lunch and ideas with your peers from across the state. You can join on one or both days. Be sure you select a lunch when you register. 

• MANS Needs YOU! The 2022 MANS Education Conference & Expo is in need of volunteers. Please share this link with students, staff, and parents to sign up for a volunteer shift on November 2, 3, and/or 4, 2022. Click here for the volunteer sign up form.

• SCECHs have been approved; depending on the sessions you choose (faith-based sessions are not SCECH eligible), you may earn up to 10.25 SCECHs for this event. You will track SCECHs using the mobile app then apply online. There is no charge for MANS member school educators to apply for SCECHs. *The digital form must be submitted by October 15th. Artwork being mailed must arrive by October 28th, and artwork being dropped off at the conference must arrive by 8:00 a.m. on November 3rd.

• Mobile App: Look for the mobile app to be released in mid-October. It will be your conference guide and will include all sessions, SCECH tracking, sponsors and exhibitors, and more!

• Instructions to Modify a Registration: Log in to your existing registration with your email and password here. The system takes you to the registration process for the account as it is – all information entered and selections that were made will show up. This is the proper place to make any changes to the registration; it will update appropriately.

• Parent Flyer: MANS developed this parent flyer that you can personalize and share with the parents at your school to help them understand the importance of educators professional development.

Note: conference communications to registrants will begin next week. 

Share with your faculty! MANS Summer Connect offers virtual professional development that can be accessed through March, 2023. All sessions are centered on education technology for K-12 educators.

Sessions include:

• Creative Writing with Google Slides - Allison Thompson
• Special Education Teaching Toolbox - John Sowash
• 22 Tech Tools to Bring to Your Classroom in 2022 - Jeff Dungan
• Challenging Assessment with Google Forms - John Sowash

Registration for Summer Connect gives you access to these content experts through March 2023. Participate when you can or watch a session multiple times. Registration is $125.00 and includes access to the virtual platform through March 2023. SCECHs are available.

SCECH

Calculating SCECHs

If you are not sure how to determine how many SCECHs your PD is eligible for, here are some guidelines:

1. The PD must be secular to be SCECH eligible per MDE rules.
2. Time spent on welcome, networking and breaks are not SCECH eligible times.
3. One hour of content = 1 SCECH.
4. SCECH eligible PD must be geared towards school improvement, teacher improvement and/or student learning.

For questions, contact Shelley Long.

Faith-Based Child Care

According to a 2020 survey by the Bipartisan Policy Center, faith-based child care remains a preferred option for many families. But the scope and nature of faith-based child care has received little recent study. To address this gap, the Center for Public Justice examined the child care landscape in Michigan. 

Join the Center for Public Justice on Tuesday, October 4, at 11:00 a.m. to hear key findings from the Michigan case study and discuss the role of faith-based child care within America's child care ecosystem. 

Click here to register for the webinar.

Federal School Choice Legislation Gaining Momentum on Capitol Hill and Across the Nation

Federal legislation entitled the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) would expand K-12 education freedom and opportunity for as many as two million or more children throughout the nation. It would do so through the incentive of a federal tax credit for individuals and businesses to fund scholarship awards for students to cover various expenses related to K-12 public and private education, including tuition and other supplemental supports. Available credits would amount to $10 billion on an annual basis. 

Click Here to Learn More

National Blue Ribbon Schools

On Tuesday, September 27, the U.S. Department of Education released the 2023 National Blue Ribbon Schools application and materials for the new award cohort.

All of the materials a school needs to apply, as well as a comprehensive list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), for the 2023 National Blue Ribbon School award can be found on CAPE's website under the Blue Ribbon Schools Banner.

Additional information can be found on the Department of Education's website.

Note: the pre-registration portal will open the first week of October and will be available on CAPE's website. An email will be sent to school administrators when the portal opens.

Michigan K-12 Behavioral Threat Assessment & Management

(Mi-BTAM) Basic Training

The Michigan State Police Office of School Safety (MSP/OSS) is hosting Mi-BTAM training free of charge for school-based threat assessment teams in K-12 public, charter, and private schools in Michigan. Mi-BTAM training is a fact-based, systematic process designed to identify, assess, and manage potentially dangerous or violent situations. 

School districts are encouraged to register their entire threat assessment team with a cap of up to seven members. 

Click Here to see the List of 2022-2023 Training Dates.

Michigan Department of Education Accepting Nominations for

2023-2024 Michigan Teacher of the Year

Teacher recognition is an important component of teacher retention and studies show that increased retention results in higher student achievement. The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is opening the nomination process for 2023-24 Michigan Teacher of the Year (MTOY), an annual program that recognizes outstanding teachers in our state. Each year, 10 Regional Teachers of the Year (RTOYs) are selected through a competitive application process, with one of the RTOYs named Michigan Teacher of the Year.

Please make nominations using the online form, which is available until Monday, October 24, 2022, at 11:59 p.m.  

Click here for Memo #087-22

Professional Learning Opportunity

VAI's K-12 New Teacher Network - Free

Teachers are among a school’s most precious and valuable resources — so let's set them up for success! Introducing VAI's K-12 New Teacher Network, an innovative PD program that brings new teachers together in a supportive network with individualized guidance so they can thrive in their new roles. Free for the 2022-2023 school year. Give your new teachers a network of other educators who, like them, are braving this career for the first time. 

Click Here to Learn More 

Meemic PopIn2Win Monthly Grant

September 2022 PopIn2Win Award: $50 Teachers Pay Teachers e-gift card.

You love the classroom funding assistance you get from grants...but hate all those darn questions you have to complete to apply for funding. And you just don't have the time it takes to complete some of these grant applications. It sounds like you want a grant that's not a grant!

Click here for more information and to nominate yourself!

You can find your local Meemic Agent’s contact information at Meemic.com/Agent or send an inquiry email to Appreciation@Meemic.com with your school’s contact information. 

Invest Your EANS Funds Wisely! Catapult Learning Can Help!

EANS II Office Hours with Catapult Learning

Join us Tuesday, October 11^th at 3:30pm (ET), to ask questions or gather information about how Catapult Learning can assist with your EANS II application and the programs we offer that are eligible for EANS II funding. Michallene Thacker-Mann, Regional Director, and Khaliah Williams, Director of School Partnerships with Catapult Learning, will be available just for you—to answer questions and help you with your EANS II strategy.

Join Zoom Meeting

Password: 355336

We also look forward to seeing you in a few weeks at the MANS 2022 Education Conference and Expo. Stop by to see us at booth 228 and learn about our High Dosage Tutoring program. Also at the conference, join us for our session on The Science of Reading. We’ll be sharing how making the shift to instruction based in the Science of Reading can close the gap between research and equitable practices for all learners.