Weekly Update

September 2, 2022

Important Updates

MANS 2021-2022 Annual Report

The MANS staff is pleased to publish its 2021-22 annual report. The work of the staff is not possible without the support of the MANS Board and the many MANS committees that assist our association as we provide advocacy, professional development and services to all of our members. As we celebrate 50 years of MANS, we want to thank all of our members for their trust, support, and for their work in bringing Christ-centered education to Michigan students.


Click Here for the MANS 2021-2022 Annual Report

152b Mandate Reimbursement Applications are LIVE - Deadline Extended Until September 16, 2022!

In 2016 the Michigan legislature passed, with bipartisan support, an appropriation to reimburse nonpublic schools for complying with state mandates that help ensure the health, safety, and general welfare of school children. The funding has been held up for the past six years in litigation until a recent Court of Claims ruling that allowed nonpublic schools to seek reimbursement for 15 health and safety mandates. Schools that have submitted reimbursement claims in previous years will receive payments!

 

The 2021-22 application, for expenses you incurred doing school safety drills and other functions during the last school year, is now available and you can access it by logging into your MEGS+ account. Applications are due by September 16, 2022. Many of the items can be calculated quite quickly and will potentially result in thousands of dollars for your school. MANS strongly encourages you to apply for these funds. Future year appropriations will depend largely on how much funding is applied for during the current cycle.

 

MANS created a 152b worksheet to help schools determine the correct reimbursement amount to request, which can be found here. This document is for planning purposes only and may not accurately reflect final Michigan Department of Education regulations. Do not submit this with your application - retain for your own records.


Thank you to MANS members Mandy Wildern and Anne Hufnagel for creating this helpful tool that may help you with your application!


For questions regarding specific reimbursement categories and calculations, contact Brian Broderick (MANS) or Paul Stankewitz (Michigan Catholic Conference) by email.


For technical questions, please contact Nonpublicschools@Michigan.gov

MANS Events
2022 MANS Education Conference and Expo - Early Bird Rate Extended!
The Early Bird Registration Deadline has been extended until September 9 at 11:59 p.m. As of September 10 at midnight, the price increases to $250 per person!

The MANS Education Conference and Expo brings together school leaders, teachers, and staff from member schools across the state. Enjoy two days of professional development, sharing with colleagues, and the unique opportunity for fellowship with the Catholic, Lutheran Schools - Missouri Synod, and Christian Schools International communities in Michigan.


Educational Sessions:

The sessions are scheduled (subject to change) and may be found here.


Google Form:

Are you registering your teachers for the MANS Education Conference and Expo? Make it easier by asking them to complete this Google Form prior to you registering them. Your teachers may indicate interest in excursions, box lunches, etc. This is not the actual registration but a tool to help collect information for one person to register the whole staff. 


Instructions on how to use the form are below:

  1. Click here. A web page will pop up asking you to make a copy of the form.
  2. All additional conference opportunities will be listed already. If you would like to edit the form to fit your needs, please do so.
  3. Once you are ready to share with your staff, click the 'Send' button.
  4. A pop-up window will appear. The second option in the "Send Via" option is to share by a link. Copy and share the link with your staff.
  5. Review your your staff's submissions by clicking the "Response" tab.


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.

Click Here to Register!
MANS Summer Connect

Share with your faculty! Earn up to 10.5 SCECHs in your free time and avoid the rush before renewing your certificate in the spring!


MANS Summer Connect offers you virtual professional development that an be accesses wherever the summer takes you. With more than 10+ sessions centered on education technology for K-12 educators, participants will enhance their understanding of effectively integrating technology in the classroom.


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 may be applied for.

Click Here to Register!
State and Federal Updates

Public Service Loan Forgiveness - Limited Waiver

With just two months left to go until the end of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) limited waiver period on October 31st, the White House is calling on employers and others across the country to get the word out. So far, borrowers have obtained more than $10 billion in loan forgiveness through the PSLF. 

 

Teachers and other education personnel who have a federal student loan may be able to benefit from temporary changes made to the PSLF program. The Limited PSLF Waiver is helping borrowers across the nation more easily get their loans forgiven. If educators have not already applied for PSLF, they must submit a PSLF form and/or consolidate their non-Direct federal student loans by October 31 to get the benefit. This relief can make a meaningful difference in the lives of those who work tirelessly every day to educate and care for our nation’s students. 


The U.S. Department of Education has drafted a set of materials for K-12 school administrators and college leaders to share with educators on how to complete the PSLF application. 

Dyslexia Handbook Developed to Improve Literacy Skills

A new resource guide, developed by the Michigan Department of Education and dyslexia experts, will help Michigan educators improve the literacy skills of children and build more successful learners. The Michigan Dyslexia Handbook: A Guide to Accelerating Learner Outcomes in Literacy is designed to help educators develop a shared understanding of best practices to prevent reading difficulties associated with the primary consequences of dyslexia—a word-level reading disability. The handbook also provides assessment practices needed to inform instruction and intervention methods for learners with dyslexia characteristics. 

Grants Available To Schools For Educational Materials

The Mark Schonwetter Holocaust Education Foundation is providing grants to teachers for grades 4-12, as well as universities and colleges, to teach their students, in an age-appropriate way, about the Holocaust. Grant amounts are capped at $1,000.

 

Learn more at Grants | Donate to the Mark Schonwetter Holocaust Education Found (mshefoundation.org) where there are links to resources as well as the link to the grant portal.

U.S. Presidential Scholars Program Announcement

The Michigan Council for History Education (MCHE) is once again partnering with the Hearst Foundation to help select two student delegates for the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP). Any junior or senior in high school who holds an elected position at their school is encouraged to apply no later than October 7 at 8:00p.m. The application can be found here. Qualified applicants will be sent instructions for a timed essay on either October 8 or October 10. After essays and applications are scored, the highest scoring applicants will be asked to interview on either November 5 or November 7. 


See the full contest and details here.

Records Retention and Disposal Schedules

Records retention and disposal schedules are legal documents that define how long records are kept and provide the authorization to destroy records when they are no longer needed. The General Schedule for Public Schools was last updated in 2010. The State of Michigan Records Management Services (RMS) is seeking input about updates and revisions that are needed to this schedule. If you would like to participate in the review of the current schedule, send your suggestions and questions directly to RMS by September 16, 2022, to be considered. 


Free training about records management issues is available online. In addition to retention schedules, this training covers topics like email management, scanning/digital imaging, best practices for organizing filing systems, and more. Please visit the Records Management Services’ website for more information.

In-Demand Occupations

Please share with your high school leaders and students the most recent analysis of in-demand occupations in your region and in the state. This information is submitted in accordance with Section 1278 of Public Act 451 of 1976, as amended by Public Act 242 of 2018. The most recent analysis of in-demand occupations is contained in four (4) recent publications from the Department of Technology, Management & Budget, Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives.


See the publications here

Additional Professional Development Opportunity

Logos Workshop
This Logos Workshop will be offered in four sessions on September 19 & 20, October 18 and November 15, all from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Join your colleagues for this workshop for instructors of pre-readers and pre-writers in East Lansing, Michigan.


Non-public School Partner Update
Students reading below grade level? Beyond Basics delivers data-driven literacy solutions—90% of students in the program achieve grade-level movement in an average of six weeks.


Meemic Wants to Celebrate Your Staff!
Teacher Appreciation Week is just a few weeks away, and the Meemic Foundation is eager to help you CELEBRATE your teachers and staff! They also want to ensure you and your staff are looped into the monthly grant opportunities available through our Meemic Foundation, a nonprofit started in 1992 by Meemic.

Did you know that our local Meemic Agents are also Meemic Foundation Advocates? Simply give them a call today. They can help you plan a celebration for your staff, as well as drop-in now for an in-school visit to share valuable information about Meemic and our Foundation.

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. 
Welcome Friendzy as a MANS Business Partner!
Friendzy provides low burden turn-key SEL for students K-8th grade. The Friendzy program teaches SEL skills one time a week for 20-40 minutes using low-burden, turn-key social-emotional learning tools and resources including:
  • A “Return to School SEL Plan”
  • SEL Curriculum for K-8th grade with digital supplements
  • Workbooks for all students
  • Year-Long PD and Continuing Education
  • Family and Community Resources 

Invest Your EANS Funds Wisely! Catapult Learning Can Help!

Have EANS funds to spend? Invest them in research-based solutions and services that are proven to reduce learning loss, support your students and families, and assist your school leaders and teachers. Catapult Learning offers programs such as:

 

  • Reading & Math Intervention
  • Accelerated Learning
  • High-Dosage Tutoring
  • Coaching & Professional Development
  • STEM & Robotics Enrichment
  • Life Skills & Mindfulness
  • Family Counseling & Services
  • Summer Learning
  • And more!

 

Best of all, our programs can be customized to fit the unique needs of your school.

Click here to learn more about EANS funding and how Catapult Learning can help you invest in your students.

Implement Free School-Wide SEL Programming
With support from the state of Michigan, the most comprehensive mental health and prevention education program and social emotional learning (SEL) programming is now available to schools and districts at no cost! This highly customizable, scaffolded curriculum contains more than 1,000 lessons that address real issues that K-12 students encounter every day. Administrators can utilize free data reporting to see the real-time effectiveness of the SEL and mental health lessons.

This Newsletter Is Brought To You By:
[517.372.9315]  [mans@m-a-n-s.org]  [www.m-a-n-s.org]
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