Office of
Catholic Schools
September 3, 2021
Labor Day

God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the worker. Make a place in our hearts for compassion to the men and women who labor tirelessly for basic necessities. Ensure a place for the men and women who are struggling to find work. Grant us your wisdom to greet and care for those who are unable to work due to illness or circumstances that prevent their participation.

Be with the children who are not able to run and play, but instead must put in a hard day’s work to help their family afford to eat, to live. Be with us all, Christ Jesus, as we go about the busyness of our work. Hold us accountable not only for our actions, but most importantly to each of our neighbors. May we continue to work together to bring about your reign! We ask this in your holy name, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
(USCCB Pontifical Council of Peace and Justice)

Resources
Next editions of the Office of Catholic Schools Newsletter:


September 3 and17, 2021
Look for topics in previous editions:



Archive of Superintendent’s emails:



Calendar Items
(See details in articles below)

September 8 New Teacher Orientation (Virtual)
September 17 WRISA Report How-to Webinar
September 17 Third Friday in September
September 29 St. Andrew Dinner (Vocations)
October 1 WRISA Reports Due
October 7 Deadline for Discipleship Seminar Registration
October 13 Pray the Rosary (see below)
October 21 Discipleship Seminar (Principals, Presidents)
October 24 World Mission Sunday (Resources)
November 3 All Schools Mass
December 3 Deadline for 'Just for Kids' Essay/Art Contest
December 8 Meeting with Bishop
New Items:
Please Welcome Kurt Julian
We welcome Kurt Julian as principal, to St. Mary, Luxemburg and Holy Trinity, Casco. Kurt was a long time principal at Green Bay East High School. We are grateful the Holy Spirit guided him to this ministry. Kurt’s wife is an instructional aide at St. Thomas More in Green Bay. 
What is 'Catholics in Motion'?
As part of an on-going effort by the Re-engagement team at the diocese, a social media campaign on Facebook and Instagram will be launching on September 13th across the entire area. This campaign uses the algorithms developed by social media to find those who are searching for Jesus, faith, trust, hope and other variables. It also searches for those that were once Catholic but no longer identify or who are Christian but may not have been Catholic. It also includes a focus on identifying families with young children and young adults.  

People will be presented with imagery that, when they click on it, will redirect them to a micro-site at www.catholicinmotion.com. Depending on your own searches, you may even see these ads in your personal social media feed. More information will be coming but please feel free to reach out to Justine Lodl or Lori Paul with any questions about this campaign.  
Did you miss the FCC Relaunch Event on August 23?
August 23 was the relaunch of the Foundational Catechetical Certification process. We understand it is a busy time of year and many of you were not able to be present. 

As the times have changed, diocesan personnel found the need to enter into a virtual platform for teachers to access the requirements for FCC. We are excited to work with the Franciscan at Home platform to meet those needs. The requirement for our teachers will be 3 courses a year (approximately 10 hours). These can be accomplished individually, small groups or large groups -- very flexible. Please let us know if you have any questions regarding the implementation of the new process.  
or
From Bishop Ricken:

After careful review by our Diocesan Office of Child & Youth Faith Formation, I am pleased to approve the Catholic Connections Handbook for Middle Schoolers and the Second Edition Church History (supplement), both by St. Mary's Press. These texts are approved for middle school age children, to be used by parishes and Catholic schools in the Diocese of Green Bay. 

Know of my prayerful support for you as you continue to offer God's love and goodness to our students of this diocese. May the Holy Spirit bless and guide your instructional ministry as you use these texts as a means to draw our youth closer to Jesus Christ while discovering their path to missionary discipleship. With gratitude and hope-filled blessings, I remain

Sincerely yours in Christ,

The Most Reverend David L. Ricken, DD, JCL
Bishop of Green Bay
August 27, 2021
Registration for the October 21st Discipleship Seminar is now open. Registration can be found at https://www.gbdioc.org/general/gather-in-joy. The site also contains the agenda, parking information and other pertinent information for the day. 

This event is for school administrators and parish leaders. 

If you are a principal or administrator for a PARISH SCHOOL please register under your appropriate parish (i.e., St. John Nepomucene). You may want to confirm with the parish that they have not registered you or ask them to include you with their registration.

If you are a president, principal or administrator for a SYSTEM SCHOOL please register under your appropriate system (i.e., GRACE). You may want to designate one person to register everyone in your system for the seminar. 

If you need assistance with registering, please contact Carol Fountain at 920-272-8309 or cfountain@gbdioc.org.

Quick Links:
Diocesan Catholic School Rosary Event
The Miracle of the Dancing Sun occurred on October 13, 1917 in Fatima, Portugal. Accounts of the event state that after a period of rain, the dark clouds broke and the Sun appeared as an opaque, spinning disc in the sky. It was said to be significantly duller than normal, and to cast multicolored lights across the landscape, the people, and the surrounding clouds. The Miracle of the Dancing Sun was witnessed by thousands and led to the conversion of many souls.

We are currently experiencing a very dark time in our world. Just as Our Lady of Fatima asked the children to pray the rosary, we are asking our schools to have our 9500 Catholic school students stop and pray the rosary on October 13th at 9:00 am for the salvation of our world. If you would like to add specific intentions for your school, please feel free to do so.

We recommend having students gather in the church. Please consider inviting parents, grandparents and parishioners to join you at the church. You may even want to live stream it if your parish has the capabilities. If that is not possible because of space, a group of students can lead it over your school sound system.  

We have reached out to the other dioceses in Wisconsin and are happy to say that the Diocese of LaCrosse, Madison, and Superior are also going to be doing this as well. We are working with Relevant Radio to have the rosary done over the air at the same time in solidarity with our schools.  

Our Lady asked the children to pray. This day is to honor her request.
Hours of Instruction Report
Previously, schools had to submit an Hours of Instruction Report. According to the DPI website:

Schools that participated in the Choice program in the 2020-21 school year are not required to submit the Hours of Instruction Report to DPI unless specifically requested. Schools may use the Hours of Instruction Report as a tool to help ensure the school meets the hours of instruction requirements.

According to the checklist:
Before the Last Weekday in September the school will enter total annual hours of instruction by grade in the OAS Third Friday in September Count Report.

You may still want to complete the report to verify that you have the correct instructional hours, but it is no longer mandated to be submitted to DPI.
World Mission Sunday Info
CF Logo
Pope Francis' theme is “We cannot but speak about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). World Mission Sunday is October 24, 2021.

Pope Francis reminds us that, “as Christians, we cannot keep the Lord to ourselves, recall with gratitude all those men and women who by their testimony of life help us to renew our baptismal commitment to be generous and joyful apostles of the Gospel.” 

Every school, parish and family in the world can participate. Every student is a missionary, sharing our love for Christ’s Gospel with one another, supporting the Church most in need.

Great resources can always be found at www.MISSIO.org/resources.
If you have any questions or would like a missionary speaker, please contact Cindy St. Aubin, World Mission Director. 

Two colorful info sheets for your use (both are bi-lingual, Spanish/English):
Upcoming School Choice Dates
September 17, 2021
All schools participating in the Choice Program take the third Friday in September count of Choice students enrolled in their school. Schools use this information to complete the third Friday September Count Report in OAS. WISEdata requires schools to verify that all Choice students are properly flagged in the school’s SIS for the third Friday of September Count Date. For a student to be included in the third Friday of September Count in the SIS, the student must:
  • be enrolled in the school by the count date, and
  • be assigned to a valid grade for his or her school, and
  • have been marked as Present or Absent for Receiving Services.

WISEdata logic will also review inclusion based on parentally placed private (PPP) calculations, whether the school provides the primary educational services, and whether the student's enrollment is active.
WRISA Annual Report Webinar
Sign up for a Webinar hosted by the Office of Catholic Schools on how to complete your WRISA Annual Report HERE. The webinar is Friday, September 17 at 11:00 AM.
MAP New CRF Template
Please be sure to use the new Class Roster Template for your file. The template is on the Home page when you log in.  
Worth Repeating
New Teacher Orientation - Sept 8th
This is a Master Calendar date change
We had thirty new teachers attend both in person and online orientations. If you have teachers who were unable to attend or are hired after August 17, please contact Jane Schueller. There is another virtual session planned for September 8, 2:00-3:30 or we can make other arrangements.  
The Vocation Office is hosting an Andrew Dinner on September 29th for young men who are open to the priesthood. We would like you to personally invite those young men that you think have the qualities that make for a great priest. This is a great event to accompany those young men as they discern God's will. It is also a great way to get your pastor or deacon involved in their lives and invite them to accompany the young men as well. Please see the provided link for more information, a downloadable liability form (for all participants), and online registration.
December 8, 2021 Meeting w/Bishop
December 8, 2021 will be a lunch meeting for all Presidents and Principals with the Bishop at the Norbertine Center for Spirituality. The Center is at 1016 N. Broadway in De Pere. We will have lunch followed by an update from the Bishop. More information to follow but we wanted to make sure you had this on your calendar!
All WRISA Annual Reports are due no later than October 1st, 2021!

The following schools:
Holy Spirit - Darboy, St. John - Little Chute, MBP - New London, and All Saints - Denmark should review the instructions HERE.

System Schools should review the instructions HERE.

All other schools should review the instructions HERE.
COVID-19 Reporting for SY 2021-2022
Laptop
To assist the COVID-19 Monitoring Team at the Curia, we are asking that you report COVID-19 activity to the Office of Catholic Schools each Friday at the end of business using this form: https://forms.gle/nErW6oLTzWNV67929 

The Office of Catholic Schools will be using the information your provide, to update the Office of Catholic Schools COVID-19 Dashboard each Monday at 8:00 A.M. The dashboard can be found at: https://gbdiocschools.org/covid-19-dasboard.

This will begin on Friday, August 27, 2021 and continue throughout the remainder of the school year. If you start later than the week of August 22, 2021 just begin your submission on the first Friday of the school year.
DPI COVID Update
The Department of Public Instruction’s (DPI) COVID-19 Infection Control and Mitigation Measures for Wisconsin Schools 2021/2022 is now posted on DPI’s COVID-19 School Health Services webpage under Guidance.

The Department of Health Services (DHS) has posted new outbreak guidance at this link. There is also a link to this guidance available on DPI’s COVID-19 School Health Services webpage.

In addition, on Thursday, August 5 there was a COVID-19 Webinar for Local Public Health and School Stakeholders, presented by the Department of Health Services and the Department of Public Instruction. The recording of this webinar can be found on the DHS COVID-19 Schools page under “Webinars for Local Public Health and School Stakeholders.”
Updated 2021-22 COVID-19 Safety Guidelines
Based on the recent updates from DPI and the CDC, we have updated the guidelines for our schools. The document was previously sent out to all principals and can also be found at this Guidelines link.

Areas that have been updated are highlighted in RED. Please contact Lori Paul with any questions.
TEC: Teens Encounter Christ
Any teen 16 ½ or older is invited to join TEC's first retreat of 2021, on October 28-31*, for a weekend of faith, fellowship, and fun at St Joseph Catholic Church in Green Bay.
Other weekends scheduled are in January 2022 and March 2022.

TEC allows attendees to draw closer to God through Eucharistic adoration, mass, and the sacrament of reconciliation, all while growing in community with each other. There’s also ample time for great discussion, awesome activities, and plenty of good food. (Give God one weekend and let Him speak to your heart!)

Registration is $60, with scholarships available. Registration due by October 10, 2021
Please note: all religious Education staff/campus ministers and those working in youth ministry are encouraged to attend and are able to do so free of charge. 

Please email Bruce McEwing at tecgreenbay@gmail.com for application and information.
*Retreat begins on Friday at 9am and runs through 5pm Sunday.
E-rate through Diocesan Advocates
The Diocesan Office of Catholic Schools is contracted with Diocesan Advocates to assist eligible schools and libraries to obtain e-rate funds on telecommunications/internet services, etc. If interested in applying for these funds through Diocesan Advocates please email Debbie Linnane, dlinnane@gbdioc.org for further information.
Accreditation Teams
During the 2021-2022 school year we have several schools and the St. Mary Catholic School System having a site visit. 
 
Each school will have a core team for the visit. If you or a teacher would like to be part of a team to understand and be part of the process, please fill out the form or contact Jane Schueller for further information. 
Teacher Changes and MAP
If you have had any staffing changes, please let your MAP administrator know in order to mark them as inactive. System schools have a designated administrator. Non-system schools, please contact Jane Schueller.
Powerschool Enrollment
Please make sure that you have updated Powerschool with your enrollments for the 2021-2022 school year. We are starting to pull data and want to make sure that we are looking at the correct information.
Just for Kids Art & Essay Contest
Yes, that's a Christmas Tree in Our September Newsletter!
In partnership with World Mission Services, The Compass presents its annual Christmas essay/art contest once again this year. The top three artwork winners from each age group, K-8, will be chosen by a diocesan panel. 

This winning artwork will also be sent to the Missionary Childhood Association National Christmas Artwork Contest. Twenty-four national winners will be selected by MCA and this winning art will appear as e-greeting Christmas cards at www.missio.org/resources and will have their art displayed at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C., during the 2021 Advent and Christmas seasons. 

Additionally, two grand prize winners’ art will also be featured on the official Christmas cards for the National Director of the Pontifical Mission Society in the United States. Please see HERE for more information.
Traumatic Event Crisis Intervention Workshop
CESA 6 is offering a crisis response training November 1 and 2. This is the model that Xavier uses as part of our membership in a local consortium of schools that help each other respond to situations like a death of a student/parent/teacher. Here is a link to that training. The cost is $295 per participant. This is a great opportunity to build a network of people to help one another. 

This course will provide participants with knowledge, protocols and materials designed to facilitate

  • competent, thorough and proactive pre-incident (traumatic event) preparation,
  • subsequent day (after students and staff have returned to school) deployment of crisis response team members and management of the building response, and
  • familiarity with a variety of intervention strategies and documents specifically designed to strengthen building response following a traumatic event.
Save the Date: All Schools Mass
The Diocesan Celebrate Catholic Schools Mass will be held November 3. The tentative location is Assumption Blessed Mary Virgin Parish in Pulaski. Details will be outlined at a later date. 
Curriculum Corner
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. 
NWEA MAP Resources
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.  
More . . .
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

Questions? Contact us at education@gbdioc.org or (920) 272-8273.
Diocese of Green Bay
The Compass