Office of
Catholic Schools
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Prayer for Independence Day
God, source of all freedom,
this day is bright with the memory
of those who declared that life and liberty
are your gift to every human being.
Help us to continue a good work begun long ago.
Make our vision clear and our will strong:
that only in human solidarity will we find liberty,
and justice only in the honor that belongs
to every life on earth.
Turn our hearts toward the family of nations:
to understand the ways of others,
to offer friendship,
and to find safety only in the common good of all.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Next editions of the Office of Catholic Schools Newsletter:
July 16, 2021
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Look for topics in previous editions:
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Archive of Superintendent’s emails:
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August 3-5 SITA
August 9 New Administrator Orientation 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
August 10 New Teacher Orientation (location TBD) 9:00 AM - 11:30 PM
August 11-12 Sophia Institute - Shrine 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
August 17 New Teacher Orientation (location TBD) 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM
August 23 Re-Launch FCC at Green Bay Distillery ALL DAY
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Combatting Burnout and Striving for Spiritual Wellness
Wednesday, July 28 | 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Diocese of Green Bay
1825 Riverside Drive
Green Bay, WI 54301
Need some time to rest in the Lord? To renew your sense of mission? To restore balance in your life? If so, you are invited to a day of refreshment and retreat through the healing presence of the Holy Spirit. This day will provide a space to acknowledge your feelings of ministering during the pandemic and where to go from here. There will be time for Mass, Confession, music, self-guided activities, a healthy lunch, and conversations about mental, physical, and spiritual wellness.
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New Information Technology Director at Diocese |
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Please join us in welcoming Julie Ebben-Matzke as the new IT Director for the Diocese. Julie comes to us with experiences in various IT and IT leadership roles in K12, business, and higher education. She received a bachelor's degree in computer science and a master's degree in information and computer technologies from UW-Stout.
Born, raised, and currently living in Ashwaubenon, Julie is a life-long member of Nativity Parish where her parents were founding members. She and her husband, Dan, will celebrate 30 years of marriage on June 1, and they have two, four-legged friends named Lily and Sydney that make them laugh every day!
Currently entering into her second term as trustee at Nativity, Julie is also co-chair of the car raffle, a member of the Women's Guild, brings Communion to the elderly on Sundays, is a Eucharistic minister of holy Communion, and is a former chair of the Social Concerns Committee.
We welcome Julie as she steps into the role of IT Director and assists in the transition as Dcn. Conrad Kieltyka moves into retirement this summer.
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BACK TO SCHOOL PLANS AT CHURCH |
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Do you have any special things that you do to make back to school special at your parish? Do you bless backpacks? Have the children stand for a special blessing? Please send your ideas to Lori Paul to help with an article for the Compass.
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The team has finished the initial evaluation of the companies that submitted an RFP for a new SIS for our Catholic Schools. At this time, Powerschool, FACTS, Infinite Campus and Rediker are being invited for a formal presentation September 13-15. After that, the team will determine the best path forward.
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New Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) opens June 29th - August 13th |
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The first 45-day window for ECF will open on June 29, 2021 for eligible purchases to be made July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. Keep in mind that this application window will use the E-rate platform but will not follow the same E-rate application procedures you may be familiar with.
The following are eligible services and equipment, if provided to students, staff or library patrons OFF-CAMPUS that otherwise would not have adequate access to internet or a device.
Eligible Items: (100% Covered up to allowable caps)
Equipment - $250 cap on Wi-Fi hotspots
- Wi-Fi hotspots
- Modems (e.g., air cards)
- Routers
- Devices that combine a modem and router
Connected Learning Devices - $400 cap per devices, one device per student, no allowance for breakage or spares
- Connected devices (laptop computers and tablet computers)
Broadband – 1 hotspot per user or 1 fixed connection to the home
- Commercial Broadband Internet
- Installation, activation, fees & taxes
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The U.S. Department of Education recently issued a notice of interpretation on Title IX. “To make clear that the Department interprets Title IX’s prohibition on sex discrimination to encompass discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.” Traditionally, Title IX protects against discrimination based on sex in any educational program or activity. The Department’s recent notice to schools expands Title IX to include discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. |
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ST MARY ALGOMA WINNER OF MILWAUKEE BUCKS CONTEST |
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St. Mary’s is one of the school winners of the Milwaukee Bucks Trees for Three’s contest. This partnership awards schools across Wisconsin with trees for every three-point shot that we made at home during the 2020-21 regular season. During this regular season, the Bucks scored 549 three-pointers and approximately 190 schools across the state were selected. Check out the video from Bango, the Milwaukee Buck mascot!
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UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION |
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As staff turn-over happens when one school year ends and another begins, schools should update the Department of Justice Office of School Safety with your new contact information.
Updating your information now will help you meet the annual January 1 deadline to submit your school material to the DOJ as required by 2017 Act 143.
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Federal Tax Credits Now Available |
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Families will automatically receive monthly payments starting in July under the new federal Child Tax Credit Program, if they filed taxes. If they did not file, they can apply for the credit.
This monthly government subsidy could help parents cover their child’s private school tuition. If your school does not have a monthly payment plan, you may want to establish one so your families can easily pay tuition with this new income source before families are tempted to use the payments on something else.
Households that make less than $150,000 can claim a per-child tax credit of $3,000 for children 6-17 years old or $3,600 for children under 6.
The tax credit will end in December 2021, however, there are legislative efforts in Congress to extend it.
See the IRS webpage here for more information and answers to frequently asked questions.
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On Line Retreat Opportunity |
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As we enter more deeply into these summer months, we hope you are able to find the time to rest and retreat. To provide an opportunity to “come away and rest a while” (Mk 6:31) the monks at Holy Resurrection Monastery are hosting an Online Spiritual Accompaniment Retreat on Saturday, July 24 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. All are welcome!
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SCHOOL CHOICE EANS WEBINAR |
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On Wednesday, June 23rd, SCWA hosted a seminar discussing how EANS funding will impact your Choice Audit. If you were not able to attend the live event, you can watch the recorded seminar here. DPI has also posted a COVID Funding bulletin here.
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The allowable expenses document on the DPI website has recently been updated.
Expense examples that have been added or updated are highlighted in yellow.
As noted in the prior 5/28/21 program update, when considering different situations, CESA will focus on whether an expense results in a capital improvement and whether the requested expense addresses the impact of COVID-19.
In addition to some new expense examples, CESA have added the following columns (also highlighted in yellow) into the spreadsheet:
- Supply or equipment
- Label required (Y/N)
The first category - supply or equipment - will be the first indication to you for how items will be handled at the end of the program period (9/30/2023). Here’s what you should know about that:
Equipment that is worth more than $5,000 as of 9/30/2023 will be handled in one of two ways:
- If there is an applicable allowable use under a different federal law, the title may be transferred appropriately and the use case updated.
- If there is not an applicable allowable use under a different federal law, CESA 6 will collect the item from your school.
Equipment that is worth $5,000 or less as of 9/30/2023 will be handled in one of two ways:
- If there is an applicable allowable use under a different federal law, the title may be transferred appropriately and the use case updated.
- If there is not an applicable allowable use under a different federal law, CESA 6 may allow schools to retain the equipment.
Unused supplies totaling more than $5,000 as of 9/30/2023 will be handled in one of two ways:
- If there is an applicable allowable use under a different federal law, the title may be transferred appropriately and the use case updated.
- If there is not an applicable allowable use under a different federal law, CESA 6 will collect the item from your school.
Used supplies will be handled in the following ways:
- CESA 6 may allow your school to keep the supplies.
- If there is an applicable use-case under a different federal law, it is possible to transfer the title accordingly (likely to your LEA).
Regarding inventory of items, CESA 6 will require inventory and status of all items purchased with EANS funds - regardless of whether your school may keep the property or not - throughout and at the end of the program period.
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Reminder: CESA 6 is the EANS program manager |
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Since final allocations were released on May 28th, and now that the direct service and reimbursement processes are open, CESA 6 is the primary contact for questions regarding EANS program administration, including questions about reimbursements and access to direct services. As a reminder, though, contact the CESA in which your school resides first when considering services and supports for your school.
We encourage EANS Program schools to bookmark the CESA 6 EANS webpage, as this will be an important starting point for all reimbursements and to access direct services from your CESA.
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2021-2022 SCHOOL CHOICE DATES |
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June 30 2021, closes the 2020-21 school year. We made it, and what a year we have had!!
July 1 is the start of the 2021-22 school year. Each year, the Choice team prepares a document, referred to as the Important Dates Document. It highlights the essential Private School Choice Programs (PSCP) dates and provides brief descriptions explaining the requirements for private schools that participate in the PSCP. The deadlines are listed chronologically from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. Additionally, the Important Dates Document includes links to assist schools in locating pertinent information regarding the deadlines and requirements. You will find the document on the Private School Choice Programs: Information for Schools webpage
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NCEA Annual Conference
NCEA 2022 - Save the Date!
NCEA 2022 will have both virtual and in-person components. If you attend in-person, we will be at the Hilton Riverside in New Orleans! The dates will be April 19 - 21. Stay tuned for more information!
NCEA Catholic Leadership Summit - Save the Date!
Join us this year for a month-long hybrid event. The Virtual Pass (online) is available to all Catholic school leaders, including principals. You will have the opportunity to access live virtual sessions starting October 4. The In-Person Pass will be open to all diocesan or system leaders. Attendees will be able to experience live events in one of three cities: St. Louis (October 10 - 11), Philadelphia (October 17 - 18) or Salt Lake City (October 24 - 25). More information coming soon!
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Parish Life Line Zoom Meetings |
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Please join us as you're able and invite anyone else who might like to be a part of the conversation. For additional information or questions, email disciplesontheway@gbdioc.org
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Upcoming sessions:
- Wednesday, July 21 at 9:30 a.m.
- "Change and the Communication Model" with Melissa Borowicz from The Utech Group
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How to participate:
You can also visit www.zoom.us/join and use this login information: Meeting ID - 953 114 988
Password - 916480
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Let’s start showing everyone in the Diocese why Catholic Schools Rock!!
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SNSP Special Needs Scholarship Program |
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As we see the need in our schools, and mission, to educate All God’s Children in faith and discipleship, we need to include those with special needs, the Wisconsin Special Needs Scholarship Program can assist in offsetting the cost to provide services and resources.
As of last year, 99% of our schools are participating in the school choice program. This program has given a financial boost to many of our schools. Now it is time to turn our attention to the Special Needs Scholarship Program. Several of our schools currently participate in the program and receive funds to support reading assistance, math assistance and other needs. We are asking all schools to please complete the 2022-2023 Program Interest Form located at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdR5iDuKZdasHDVAPvtswZD_MZdyx71ie6PV9m4p1jw9bXJwA/viewform.
More information will be coming to help you be able to offer this to your students that have specific educational needs.
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SITA - Summer Instructional Technology Academy
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Register now
The Eastern Wisconsin Instructional Technology Consortium (EWITC) has announced that the SITA 2021 schedule is now open for registration! This year’s conference will be done in person at St. Norbert’s. Highlights include keynote sessions by Tammy Gibbons on student engagement, PLC’s, and coaching conversations. Additional sessions on topics like formative assessment, Google Earth, video editing, and so much more. Attendance is FREE for ____ staff! Don’t delay, REGISTER HERE today! Please fill out the SURVEYregarding attendance preference.
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DigiCOPY Large Format Printing |
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Providing dynamic solutions for large format projects from design and setup to production and delivery.
Our management team brings over 150 years of combined print experience to help meet your print needs. Each of our seven store locations have large format capabilities, printing on premium matte paper, heavyweight paper, vinyl, window cling, polypropylene, adhesive vinyl and adhesive wall vinyl (Fathead material).
In addition, our store locations in Eau Claire and Milwaukee feature flatbed printing, serving our customers across Wisconsin and the Midwest. The flatbed printers feature printing direct to substrates/media: foam core, acrylic, styrene, coroplast, vinyl, wood and aluminum. The print is UV cured providing durable, long-term, outdoor use - perfect for point of purchase displays and outdoor signage.
DigiCOPY is also a valuable asset to Architectural, Construction, and Engineering professionals, providing useful tools that can invigorate your ACE business and help it thrive. Our experienced staff ensures that your project gets done right and on time.
Contact us today to learn more about mailing services and how DigiCOPY can improve your communication to customers and prospects.
25% off your large format project through September 1, 2021 when you mention this message.
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Word on Fire: The Future of Catholic Schools |
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According to a recent Wall Street Journal @WSJ headline, “Catholic Schools Are Losing Students at Record Rates, and Hundreds Are Closing.” What explains this decline? And what can we do about it?
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March 2022 WCRIS Leadership Conference |
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WCRIS is excited to announce the return of the WCRIS Leadership Conference on Friday, March 4, 2022.
Join us for a celebratory, in-person event in Waukesha County. You’ll get to reconnect with your professional colleagues over a hot meal (with real silverware and cloth napkins, no less)! We’ll drill into learning loss, and examine the future of K-12 education given what we learned from the Pandemic, shifting cultural values, declining student populations, and a new state superintendent. It will be an energy-charged event with insights to guide you forward. Mark your calendar. You won’t want to miss it!
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VIRTUAL LEARNING POST-PANDEMIC |
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Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, WILL, on behalf of School Choice Wisconsin Action, successfully litigated a case against DPI that permitted private schools participating in the choice programs to use virtual learning towards the state-mandated pupil instructional hours. Due to the timing of the COVID-19 pandemic, the related DPI guidance on this decision and impact on choice schools may be unclear.
The following are recommendations for any choice schools that are considering maintaining their virtual or hybrid learning option:
- In January 2020, the court determined since the state requirement for a minimum number of hours of “direct pupil instruction” applied to both public and private schools in the choice programs, that DPI couldn’t prevent private schools from using virtual learning towards their required hours of instruction.
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DPI released guidance in August 2020 about how choice schools could count student attendance who were learning virtually. It is our understanding that this guidance continues to be valid (regardless of the pandemic).
- For schools considering or planning to maintain their virtual learning options, we recommend reviewing your handbook’s policies and procedures and updating them to account for both students learning in person and virtually. This includes policies related to:
- Student attendance (for instance, add a field to your SIS to distinguish between in person and virtual attendance)
- Student behavior and discipline processes
- Enrollment processes
- Policies relating to “switching” between virtual and in person
- Academic requirements, including coursework, participation in extracurricular activities, etc.
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DPI has several resources on their website regarding the creation of a virtual learning program. We recommend reviewing their terminology, such as synchronous or asynchronous learning and resources on planning consideration for virtual learning time.
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Continue to monitor your WCRIS email Current Events for the latest updates on EANS and other programs.
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Please remember to close your vacancies as you hire new faculty/staff. This is important if you leave the date as "Until filled". Contact Lisa Gruber if you have questions or need help.
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Remember your WRISA annual reports will be due in the Office of Catholic Schools by October 1, 2021. Summer is a good time to update your staff qualifications (including the number of professional development hours), your goals (including progress made), waivers and exceptions. If you complete these parts early you won't have much to do in the first month of school for this report!
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Traumatic Event Crisis Intervention Workshop |
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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.
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Article: The Remedy for Canceling and Division
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In the midst of media coverage on “woke”, “cancel culture”, and “critical race theory” the Cardinal Newman Society published a very reflective article referencing our Catholic worldview of truth, beauty and goodness. I believe it is worth keeping for future discussions with staff as well as a way to look at curriculum resources that reflect Catholic worldview.
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We have several teachers who have individual subscriptions to SeeSaw as well as some schools where the whole staff is using it. SeeSaw is a great tool for in classroom learning as well as when students are out. I met with our rep, Ellen Teel last week and she went over the usage. You will find in the slide deck some resources including a professional development opportunity to learn about using SeeSaw when students are doing center work and general classroom help. EANS funds will pay for a SeeSaw subscription and it can be extended for three years. SlideDeck Link.
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Elementary School Teachers |
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The Computer Science Talent Ecosystem Youth, in partnership with CESA 7, is paying the $500 registration cost through grants from Microsoft, The Nelson Family Foundation, The American Family Foundation, and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. Hence, making it FREE to the attendees. The trainings are being held at the NWTC Campus. The specific room number will be sent to the participants a week prior to the training.
Teachers will learn how to bring Computer Science principles into their classroom and begin to implement them this next school year. Did I mention it was FREE????
If you have any questions at all, please feel FREE to contact me!
Jeff
Jeffrey P. Dickert, Agency Administrator
Cooperative Educational Service Agency # 7
595 Baeten Rd.
Green Bay, WI 54304
920-617-5612
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Currently, we are in the process of evaluating several vendors for a possible change in our Student Information System (SIS). However, some schools have already chosen to use another provider. Please note that we will not give administrative access to PowerSchool to an outside source and that Becky is not available to support other platforms besides PowerSchool. If you have any questions, please contact Lori Paul. |
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EANS program management now shifts more directly to CESA 6 |
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Now that allocations have been released and the direct service and reimbursement processes are open, you will likely hear more from CESA 6 and less from DPI regarding the EANS program. In particular, questions pertaining to direct services, or past or future reimbursements, should go to CESA 6.
CESA 6 did send an email earlier this week to let schools know that the email you received indicating that Anne Kirk was sending you a document via PandaDoc is a legitimate request to gather ACH and W-9 information so that CESA 6 may process reimbursement requests in a timely manner. The email was sent to the point of contact identified in your school’s EANS application. The request may be forwarded if you need someone else in your school to provide the required information.
As a reminder, CESA 6 has hosted a number of helpful webinars to provide information about the EANS program. If you haven’t been able to participate, recordings are available. You can also access the presentation slides if it would be easier for you just to scan through those.
We encourage EANS Program schools to bookmark the CESA 6 EANS webpage, as this will be an important starting point for all reimbursements and to access direct services from your CESA.
We hope this information is helpful. If you have any questions, please email EANS@cesa6.org.
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For schools that are going to be new to Superkids and any of our schools that are already using this resource, there will be PD training August 17 and 18 at St. Nicholas School in Freedom. The schedule is as follows:
August 17: 8:30-11:30 Kindergarten
12:30-3:30 First Grade
August 18 8:30-11:30 Second Grade
12:30-2:00 Administrators
Virtual Phonemic Awareness (K-2)
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On Monday, August 23, 2021 there will be a Diocesan wide administrator in-service. The topic of this in-service will be the re-launch of our Foundational Catechetical Certification (FCC) program.
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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.
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There will be a Discipleship Seminar for all parish staff, school principals and system presidents on Thursday, October 21, 2021 at the new Resch Complex.
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Wednesday, August 11, 2021
9am-3pm
No Fee (incl. breakfast, lunch)
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Thursday, August 12, 2021
9am-3pm
No Fee (incl. breakfast & lunch)
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At These Workshops:
- Inspirational presentations by two dynamic presenters
- Teacher-written and tested supplemental resources
- Catered breakfast, lunch and opportunities for collaboration, prayer and reflection
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Offer from Newsela
Newsela is launching a new program. In order to help alleviate some of the stress of this crazy year, we’re offering “Bridge Pilots” through the end of the school year.
A “Bridge Pilot” will give a district full access to Newsela ELA, Social Studies, Science, and SEL along with asynchronous PD sessions through June 30th. This is an opportunity for your teachers and curriculum team to dive into Newsela resources to see if it will be a good fit going forward into the 21-22 school year. You'll need to activate the offer this month (March) so that we can be up and running coming back from Spring Break.
Mark Gallo wants to make sure that you’ll have the best experience possible with this Bridge Pilot and have built in two guardrails:
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District Form - Mark put together a few questions around your district (school) goals and what you would be looking for from Newsela. This will help frame our…
- Solution Map/Path to Partnership meeting - We’ll schedule a short meeting to discuss rollout and make sure your teachers have everything they need to be successful with Newsela. We’ll also create a basic timeline with check in calls throughout the course of the year
Go to Next Vista for Learning https://www.nextvista.org for great ideas. See student videos demonstrating their learning and webinars. Developed by a Catholic school educator.
As part of the CARES Act, the DPI is offering free access to webinars, resources and networking for teachers to learn how they can support their students in a virtual classroom.
You can learn more about the program and what resources are available here.
CARES Act free professional learning through DPI and CESA 7
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Curriculum review and connections: |
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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.
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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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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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