Office of
Catholic Schools
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A Prayer for Peace and Healing
May I be at peace.
May my heart remain open.
May I be healed.
May I be a source of healing to others.
May I dwell in the Breath of God.
~St. Teresa of Avila
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Next editions of the Office of Catholic Schools Newsletter:
January 22, 2021
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Look for topics in previous editions:
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Archive of Superintendent’s emails:
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Jan. 11 New School Administrators Workshop 9:00 AM-1:00 PM (virtual)
Jan. 11 Qtrly Payroll report due to Safe Environment for Background Checks
Jan. 12 PowerSchool User Group (8:30 AM - 10:30 AM)
Jan.15 2021-2022 School Budgets Due This was from last year! (Not due)
Jan. 20 New Teachers/Methods B Faith Integration 3:30-4:30 (Virtual)
Jan. 22 Winter MAP Testing Window Closes
Jan. 23 Business Manager Meeting - ALL SCHOOLS only (CLA Training) -Saturday This was from last year.
Jan. 31 Catholic Schools Week (January 31-February 6)
Many Gifts - One Nation Event as Part of Catholic Schools Week
Feb. 3 All School Mass at Cathedral with Bishop
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Catholic Schools Week will occur Sunday, January 31 - Saturday, February 6, 2021, and will have a new theme through the year 2024: "Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service.” Below are the CSW daily themes from the NCEA. Click on the links below for ideas to celebrate each day. The NCEA has also included great tips to navigate COVID-19 on each of the daily themes.
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RCL Benziger Resources for CSW |
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Catholic Schools Week celebrates the contribution that Catholic education provides to our children, to our Church, to our communities, and to our nation. Use our free downloadable Catholic Resources to help you celebrate Catholic Schools Week. |
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All School Mass Registration |
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Update:
Lori has had a few questions on safety for the All School Mass.
- Each School will have their own pew with an empty pew both in front and in back. There is space to distance within the pew.
- If your school does not want to send a principal-teacher-student, an alternative is to send a family to represent your school. Many families would be honored to represent your school at a mass with the Bishop.
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The Mass will be livestreamed and you can watch it at www.gbdioc.org/allschoolmass. The goal would be to have all students watching it at 10:00 on February 3rd.
We know how much Bishop likes seeing the kids so we hope that your school can find an alternative to be able to have a physical presence at the Cathedral while watching it remotely. Please let Lori know if you have any other questions.
Please sign up for the Mass by January 15, 2021, if you haven't already. The sign up form can be found at
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Bible in a Year Podcast - Fr. Mike Schmitz |
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Fr. Mike’s podcasts are one of the most followed Catholic podcasts for young people. He has collaborated with Ascension Press to produce a Bible in a Year Podcast. This is a great tool for your middle and high school teachers to utilize to help students gain a better understanding of the Bible. Each podcast is between 15-30 minutes long. Search Fr. Mike Schmitz on your favorite podcast app or https://bibleinayear.fireside.fm
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There is still have room to join for those new or wanting a refresher on using PowerSchool more efficiently .
New Admin Training: January 12th, 1-3 PM
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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. |
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Lent Invitation and Links |
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Catholic Relief Services offers some great virtual events, prayers and reflections (English and Spanish), even a downloadable virtual Rice bowl to make at home. |
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Sample Tuition Increase Letter |
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During the Financial Planning Webinar, we said that there would be a letter you could use as a template to inform your families of any tuition increases for the next school year. Please click here to download a WORD template.
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The Archdiocese of Milwaukee put together a wonderful document on Open House Tips during a pandemic and said that we could share it with our schools. |
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Congressional COVID Relief Bill |
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What's in it for Private K-12 Schools?
The $900 billion legislation easily passed in the House — 359 to 53 — before breezing through the Senate shortly before midnight in a 92-6 vote Monday, Dec. 21.
President Trump is expected to sign the bill in the coming days.
It contains $86 billion for colleges and schools.
Our advocates at the Council for American Private Education in D.C. provided a summary of the 5,593-page bill.
According to the agreement reached by Congress, here’s how CAPE says the COVID relief bill treats private K-12 school children:
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Very important: schools that apply for the new round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds made available by this bill will not be eligible for the GEER set-aside for private schools. In other words, private schools can either take PPP or they can take their share of the $2.75 billion private school set-aside. They can’t take both. However, schools that participated in the first round of CARES Act PPP are still eligible for the second GEER/$2.75 billion private school set-aside. It’s only participation in this new round of PPP that disqualifies them.
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WI DHS at home COVID Testing link |
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The State of Wisconsin and Vault Medical Services have teamed up to offer a new COVID-19 testing option for everyone who lives in Wisconsin, with or without symptoms, at no cost. This new service allows people to collect their own saliva samples for testing in their home. The capacity is expected to expand over time.
Click on the button for more information:
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Customer Relationship Management System (CRM) |
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The Diocese is currently working to develop an internal CRM system that will allow for us to communicate more effectively with our schools and parishes while providing real time data. Part of the process includes identifying school board members and associating them, not only with their parish, but with the school board they serve on. Recently, we requested a list of school board members. Please return to Lisa Gruber by January 15th so that we can continue to maintain current data. If you have questions, please contact Lori Paul.
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Second Friday in January (January 8) - PSCP - COUNT DATE |
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All schools participating in the Choice Program take the Second Friday in January count of Choice students enrolled in their school. Schools must also determine who remains on the MPCP and RPCP waiting list as of the Second Friday in January. Schools use this information to complete the third Friday September Count Report in OAS. |
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Rural Life DRAWING OR ESSAY CONTEST |
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For students in Grades 1-8, create a picture or write an essay (200 words or less) on the topic: How do farmers and rural communities support their neighbors during a pandemic?
Include your name, address, grade and school/parish on the back of your 8.5 x 11 in. drawing or essay.
One entry per person. Please submit your drawing or essay by Feb. 12, 2021.
Send all entries to:
Peter Weiss
Catholic Charities & Living Justice Mission Team
1825 Riverside Dr.
P.O. Box 23825
Green Bay, WI 54305-3825
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Each of our regional DASA Groups meet monthly. Here are the regions and when they meet:
DASA Central – first Monday of the month at 1:30
DASA Southeast – first Thursday of the month at 1:30
DASA North & Northeast– Second Monday of the month at 1:30
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Purchasing What You Need, Needing What You Purchase |
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If you were not able to attend the conference this past week, here are some of the highlights from this session.
Communicate with the Diocesan Office of Catholic Schools when reviewing curriculum in order to collaborate with other schools and for support as needed.
Work with your DASA region to make purchases and professional development opportunities together if feasible.
Volume pricing is a benefit.
Determine your needs based on data. If the data reveals a change is needed evaluate whether it is the materials or the pedagogy/methodology being used. Perhaps the change needs to be in how one is teaching not what is being used. More professional development may be needed.
Research online content, investigating what other schools are using then evaluate what you are using to determine its effectiveness.
Determine if the materials being used can assist the teacher in faith integration and Catholic identity.
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DPI Releases Choice Income Limits for 2021-2022 |
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For the 2021-22 school year, the family income of a student new to a choice program must be at or below the amount listed at the DPI site. All students must apply each year at dpi.wi.gov/choice. If a student is continuing in any of the choice programs or was on the choice waiting list for the same Choice program in the prior year, he or she does not need to meet the income limits.
Family income includes the income of the student’s parent(s)/legal guardian(s) that reside in the same household as the student applicant. If the student’s parents/legal guardians that reside in the same household are married, their income is reduced by $7,000 when determining income eligibility for the program (i.e. married family income minus $7,000).
For example, if a family of four with parents that are married has an income of $60,000, subtract $7,000 from their income and compare that amount ($53,000) to the income limit for a family of four in the appropriate table. Family size includes parents/legal guardians and their children by birth, marriage or adoption that reside in the same household as the student applicant.
At this time, the voucher amount for the 2021-2022 year has not been set as it has to be done by the legislature. School Choice Wisconsin does not believe that the amount will change significantly over the current rate due to a tight budget season. Schools should budget $4150 per 4K student, $8300 per K-8 student and $8946 for high school students.
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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.
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Beginning Tuesday, November 10, the Office of Catholic Schools is inviting teachers to join fellow educators in open conversation to support one another, share ideas and have a place to just “hang out “ with each other. We know schedules are tight, we are offering two different times for convenience.
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Check out the new Diocese of Green Bay Vocations website.
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Office of Catholic Schools Weekly COVID-19 Data Report |
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Here is the link to the report.
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NCEA Newlsetter Link
Click on icon below to read the latest issue of Catholic School Matters Newsletter from NCEA and Dr. Tim Uhl.
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Office of Catholic Schools
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