Greetings!
As we gear into this new school year, it’s good to remember that what we do is critically important and is appreciated. And whether you are a faith-based or secular school, it’s good to know that God appreciates the important role that you and your teachers play in the lives of forming young people.
With that in mind, I’d like to share one of my favorite writings “And God Says Thanks!”
And God Says Thanks!
I have entrusted you with the care of my children.
They are special to me.
They are my gift to you and to the world.
Although they may disagree, they are young and inexperienced.
They are also curious and full of energy, sometimes too much energy.
They are ready to learn, but sometimes unwilling to let you or their classmates
know that.
They are searching and you are here to guide them … I’m glad of that.
I hope they are as much a source of joy to you as they are to me.
You, too, are a source of joy to me.
You know and have experienced more of life --
the discipline and sacrifice involved in accepting the responsibility
for helping young people to learn and grow.
Not everyone is willing to do that.
Thank you.
Life is not always easy.
Educating children and teenagers is certainly not easy; I know that.
There is so much to contend with --
discouragement,
apathy,
misunderstandings.
No one knows and appreciates your efforts as much as I do.
Thank you.
Young people ask so much of you --
your time and energy,
your patience and even more of your patience!
They ask you to grow with them,
change with them,
encourage them,
discipline them.
Sometimes it seems like more than you can handle, but you haven’t given up.
Thank you.
Please, let me assure you, I believe in you.
I depend on you.
I love you.
Thank you!
###
Sincerely,
John
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INPAC 2022 is four weeks away! Have you registered yet? Take a look at the INPAC program - you will want to bring a team with you if you can so you don't miss any of these sessions! For example, can you pick just one session to go to on Thursday, September 22 at 2:45 p.m.?
Here’s the slate:
- Attracting and Growing Talent: Navigating the Teacher Pipeline
- Creating a Culture of Excellence
- The Latest in Early Childhood Education
- Rethinking the Fiscal Paradigm in Light of Choice
Or what about Friday, September 23 at 2:15 p.m.?
- Five Things Every New(er) Principal Needs to Know
- Finding Serenity in School Leadership
- Get SMART: What Every School Leader Should Know About Enrollment and Marketing
- Addressing Learning Loss
Can you pick just one from each session to attend????? And these are just two examples! Regardless of the role you play at your school or the length of your tenure, INPAC will have something for you!
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Meet Garrett Wilson, the New State Ombudsman
"I am the new Equitable Services Ombudsman for the State of Indiana. The purpose of my role is to train, network, and advocate on the behalf of non-public schools for the funding for their students. Non-public students are entitled to their federal funding, and I am in your corner to support them the best way I can. For any questions pertaining to federal Title grant funding, please reach out to me. A little about me: I am a previous administrator–serving as the Lead Teacher at the Lafayette Excel Center the past five years. I am a doctoral student at Indiana University, expecting to graduate in May 2023 with a degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. I live in Lafayette with a 20-month old and another kid on the way next month. When I am not busy with diapers, I enjoy spending time playing board games with friends and time with family. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn."
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Grant Calendar and Office Hours
For a comprehensive list of grants pertaining to non-public schools, please check out this Grant Calendar.
Garrett Wilson has recurring office hours to handle federal grant questions every Thursday from 2:00-2:30 p.m. You can join his office hours here.
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Welcome, New Board Members!
We're happy to welcome two new members to our INPEA Board of Directors: Chaya Tabor, Agudath Israel of America Jurisdiction Representative, and Paul Williams, ACSI Jurisdiction Representative. Mrs. Tabor is the General Studies Principal at South Bend Hebrew Day School. Mr. Williams is the Head of Schools for Traders Point Christian Schools in Whitestown. We are grateful to have them join our INPEA board this year and look forward to working with them!
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Mrs. Chaya Tabor
Jurisdiction Representative -
Agudath Israel of America
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Paul Williams
Jurisdiction Representative - Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI)
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USDA Discrimination Language Update
If your school participates in the Federal Hot Lunch Program, you are probably aware that late last spring the USDA released new discrimination language in their application and posting materials. Since the language added sexual orientation and gender identity to their discrimination policy, it raised concerns with many faith based non-public schools (and some public schools as well). There was a lack of clarity in terms of how broad or narrow the language applied. This would be considered a Title IX issue which has a religious exemption as a part of the law, but again it was unclear whether religious entities could simply claim the exemption or if they had to apply for it. USDOE does not require entities to apply for the exemption, but initially the USDA was requiring it. A Christian school in Florida filed a lawsuit and 22 State Attorneys General wrote the Biden administration voicing their concerns.
Earlier this month, we received notice that the USDA changed their position on requiring entities to apply for the exemption. The clarification can be found on their website. An unresolved issue deals with what materials (e.g. family application) schools claiming the religious exemption should use. We are awaiting further guidance from the Indiana Department of Education, but until that time, some schools have opted to remove the SOGI language from the parent application and direct verification forms and are utilizing old posters which did not include the new language.
If you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. We will keep you abreast of further developments.
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Professional Development: Improving Math Performance
Marian University's Center for Vibrant Schools will be hosting a virtual training on “How to Teach Mathematics to Struggling Learners on August 30 and September 6 from 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. ET. The presenters will be Dr. David Allsopp and Dr. Sarah van Ingen from the University of South Florida. Dr. Allsopp is a professor in the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Learning's Exceptional Student Education program. Dr. van Ingen is an assistant professor of mathematics education and co-directs the innovative and nationally recognized Urban Teacher Residency Partnership Program.
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Sight Words, High-Frequency Words, Oh My!
At the beginning of the year, many teachers send home word lists for students to learn. Research available from the Science of Reading provides steps for teaching these words most effectively. Below, I provide a summary of this research with a link to a handout teachers can send home for families to help students learn these words by memory.
What is the difference between sight words and high-frequency words?
Sight words are words that students can read immediately when they see them. The goal of reading instruction is to make all words sight words so readers can focus their work on comprehending rather than decoding.
High-frequency words are words that show up often in language. They can be decodable, like the word “up,” or irregularly spelled, like the word “was.” When high-frequency words become sight words, readers are able to read more text with more accuracy on their road to becoming fluent readers.
How should high-frequency words be taught based on the Science of Reading?
A common practice for having students learn high-frequency words so they become sight words is to have students memorize by drilling flashcards. However, words are not actually learned by memorizing whole words like this. Students need to connect the sounds in the word to how it is spelled by engaging in phonemic analysis. From current Science of Reading research, we know this is true even for irregularly spelled words, which are actually stored in memory like words with regular spelling patterns.
For words to become sight words, students need to hear, say, read, and spell the words correctly – each of these really matters for committing the word to memory!
Here are steps teachers can follow to effectively teach high-frequency words:
- Teacher says the word out loud so the student can hear it.
- Student reads the word in isolation.
- Student reads the word in context to see how it is used in a sentence. Teacher and student think of more sentences that use the word in context.
- Student uses fingers to tap out the sounds in the word to hear each phoneme, or sound, in the word.
- Teacher prompts student to notice how the sounds connect with the letters in the word. This should include noticing which sounds are spelled in an expected spelling pattern or in an irregular pattern.
- Student writes the word.
These steps should be followed up with many opportunities for the student to hear, say, read, and spell the word so it becomes a memorized sight word.
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IDOE and Lilly Endowment Literacy Grant
Earlier this month IDOE and the Lilly Endowment Inc. announced the state’s largest -ever financial investment in literacy development for Hoosier students. This investment of up to $111 million will support early literacy development using proven teaching strategies aligned with the Science of Reading.
The state will:
- Support the deployment of instructional coaches to schools throughout Indiana;
- Offer stipends to teachers who participate in professional development focused on the Science of Reading;
- Provide targeted support for students who need the most help in improving their reading skills; and
- Create a literacy center focused on Science of Reading strategies.
These efforts will support the state’s goal of having 95% of Indiana’s students pass IREAD-3 by 2027. In 2022, only 40.7 percent of Indiana third graders and 41.1 percent of Indiana fourth graders passed the English/Language Arts portion of ILEARN.
More information about this historic partnership can be found here.
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IDOE Tutoring Grant
In January 2022, the Indiana General Assembly passed and Governor Eric J. Holcomb signed House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1251 to create a microgrant program, Indiana Learns, to support academic recovery for students following the COVID-19 pandemic.
To qualify for a grant, students must meet all of the following criteria:
- Legally reside in Indiana,
- Be enrolled at a traditional public, charter or accredited non-public school,
- Qualify for Federal Free or Reduced Lunch, and
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Have scored Below Proficiency in both math and English/language arts on ILEARN as a third or fourth grader in 2022.
Note: Approaching proficiency will not qualify.
Qualifying families could have access to up to $1,000 that they can spend with vetted, high-quality vendors on in-person or virtual math and reading enrichment. Funds can be used on approved virtual and in-person tutoring. Examples of qualifying expenses include: private tutoring, small group tutoring or academic-focused camps held during school breaks.
Families can register for a grant by clicking here. Families can manage their account and find participating learning partners. The list should be available by Oct. 1.
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Update Your Contact Information!
With the new school year comes new changes in administration. Please let us know if you have new leadership at your school so we can update our records and keep you in the loop! Please send an email to Andrea Anderson with new contact information for school leaders. It is important that we have accurate information by September when we send out dues invoices and member surveys.
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Thank You to Our Business Partners! |
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Would you like to be come an INPEA Business Partner or know a business that would be a good fit? Check out our website here or contact John Elcesser at jelcesser@inpea.org for more information!
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Mission
The Indiana Non-Public Education Association serves as an advocate,
promotes engagement, and strives for the advancement of non-public schools.
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(317) 236-7329
1400 N. Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
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