DIOCESE OF TOLEDO

PRINCIPALS’ BULLETIN

JANUARY 4, 2008

Cyss.org    ~    Calendar    ~    Principals’ Web Page    ~     Forms Due Web Page

FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT…

Welcome to 2008!  January always marks the halfway mark for the school year.  It also means we are approaching Catholic Schools’ Week (“Catholic Schools Light the Way” – January 27 – February 2, 2008).  This is a time to celebrate the wonderful work done in our Catholic schools.  I tell everyone I can, as often as I can, that our schools are needed now more than ever before.  More than ever, we need to nurture and pass on the faith to students who will “transform the world.”  (Our world needs a lot of transforming.)  As the theme of Catholic Schools Week states, our schools do “light the way”! (For more information and resources regarding Catholic Schools Week, go to www.ncea.org/news/CatholicSchoolsWeek.asp

This midpoint of the school year may also be a good time to remind ourselves of the mission, vision, and key goals developed at the Catholic Schools’ Summit in November of 2005:

Mission of Catholic Schools:

Through Christ, we come together as a Catholic community to immerse our students in profound, holy learning that calls them as Disciples of Christ to embrace the Kingdom of God, thereby transforming the world.

Vision for Catholic Schools:

A Catholic school is the preferred choice for all Catholic families and others who embrace our mission.

Key Goals for Catholic Schools:

• Every family that wants a Catholic school education has access to it.
• Students, graduates, and families are active in the faith life of their parish/faith community.
• All schools are viable and healthy.  This will be characterized by quality religious and academic programs, sound finances, and at or near capacity enrollment.
• Innovative and practical ways are in place to collaborate across parish lines and between schools.
• Involvement of all Catholic school stakeholders is vital in planning the future of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Toledo.

· Continuous long-range planning on diocesan, regional, and local levels ensures the future of Catholic schools.

All of the above plus the words of our “Credo” will be the basis for our discussions during the afternoon session of our regional principals’ meetings.

A reminder - sites and times for the regional meetings:

• Tuesday, January 15 at Defiance Catholic School, St. John Campus;
• Wednesday, January 16 at St. Patrick of Heatherdowns, Toledo;
• Thursday, January 17 at Immaculate Conception, Bellevue.

The meetings will begin at 9:00 am (coffee and rolls available at 8:30) and will end by 3:00 pm.  A reminder:  The morning sessions of the three regional meetings will pertain to elementary principals.  The afternoon session will be for both elementary and high school principals.  Presidents/Local Superintendents are also invited to join us in the afternoon.

E-RATE FORM 470 DEADLINE:

This is a final reminder that the Form 470 for filing for reimbursements for school year 2008-09 is January 10.

ANTI-BULLYING POLICY:

According to House Bill 276, public schools in Ohio are required to have an Anti-Bullying Policy in place by December 30, 2007.  While this bill does not apply to non-public schools, our schools certainly should have anti-bullying policies as part of the discipline code in their handbooks.   For assistance in developing an anti-bullying policy or for sample policies, contact Frank DiLallo at CYSS.

Some of our schools have asked about a requirement to send something to ODE.  Be aware that our schools are NOT required to send in anything regarding this policy to the state. 

OCEA – 2009:

The next Ohio Catholic Education Association Convention will be held on October 8 and 9, 2009 in Cincinnati.  The Catholic Conference of Ohio asked us to notify schools in advance in order to accommodate long-range planning.  As you set your calendars and make plans for professional development opportunities for the next couple of years, keep OCEA in mind.

The CCO depends upon this convention as a primary source of income to run their office.  We certainly need the services of the CCO!  They are our direct connection with the Ohio legislature and they lobby effectively on behalf of Catholic schools.  Most states do not have ASP and ACR programs, or even state-mandated bussing for Catholic school children.  Without the OCEA income, it would be difficult to keep that office running effectively.

The OCEA will again be in Cincinnati because past records indicate that the Cincinnati site continues to make much more of a profit than Columbus.  Cleveland and Toledo do not have convention centers large enough for the necessary crowd of Catholic educators.

Schools are encouraged to begin making plans now with their parent/booster organizations to find funding for the 2009 convention.

SCANTRON AND NETREKKER TEACHER IN-SERVICE:

All schools have been asked to hold in-service training for their teachers by mid-January on how to read and begin using the student data generated from the Math and Reading tests from October. Also schools were given a preview of an online search engine called NetTrekker that partners with Scantron to support targeted instruction for students. NetTrekker is a subscription based product and Shari Beier has secured a trial window during which teachers can go in the website and explore.  (See the article below.)

As a further follow-up to training you received at your school, Teacher in-services will be held on January 15 at Defiance Catholic School, St. John Campus; January 16 at St. Pat’s of Heatherdowns, Holy Family Center; and January 17 at Bellevue, Immaculate Conception from 3:45 – 5:30 pm. The purpose of these in-services will be to share information about NetTrekker; allow teachers to ask more specific questions about the Scantron data; and most importantly provide teachers time to share what they are doing with the data they are able to access with this test.  Because this in-service is meant to be a “next steps” in-service it is very important that anyone who wishes to attend is familiar with the Scantron Performance Series website; has a basic understanding of the student data; and has looked at the “Student Learning Objectives” for individual students and their class.  Registration is first come first serve and is now on-line at: http://www.cyss.org/onlineforms/scantronteachersjan08.html

NETTREKKER INTEREST SURVEY REMINDER:

As discussed at the November Scantron trainings, Nettrekker is an online tool that supports differentiated instruction. Please submit your online survey, if you have not done so already, at:  http://www.cyss.org/onlineforms/nettrekker.html

Once we have received all of the "interest surveys" we will contact you with a "Nettrekker order form" indicating the per student fee.  Schools’ trial access for preview of Nettrekker, can be found at: http://school.nettrekker.com (logins: toledodiocese / schools)   Questions, contact Shari Beier at CYSS.

WEB 2.0 AND ADMINISTRATORS:

At the Tech Conference last June, Susan Brooks-Young, presented Web 2.0 tools for education.  Susan has also developed a web resource for administrators.  Check it out!     http://sjbrooks-young.com/index.html

SCHOOL TUBE!

You’ve heard of YouTube, schools now have an academic video site called “School Tube!”  In addition to being a place where students and teachers can upload videos, there are also lesson plans and other resources available. The site also has a partnership with the Student Television Network (STN).  Check it out!  http://www.schooltube.com/

BACKGROUND REPORT FEES:

The Catholic Center received word on December 27, 2007, that the Bureau of Criminal Identification has raised the rate for an Ohio criminal background report.  Effective immediately, the rates at the Catholic Center in Toledo are $25 for an Ohio (BCI) report, and $25 for a federal (FBI) report.  The Catholic Center is open for electronic fingerprinting from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, lunch hour included.  We require a driver’s license or photo ID, and the fee, cash or check, payable to “Diocese of Toledo.”  No appointment is necessary, however, please inform your employees or volunteers that the fee is due when they are fingerprinted.  If your school would like to pay the fees, send a list of people involved, with a check, to Vicki Fitts at the CYSS office.  Due to staffing cuts, we are unable to bill schools or parishes for fingerprinting.

If you are outside of the Toledo area, and need to locate an agency near you for fingerprinting, you may access the Webcheck Community Listing website at

http://www.ag.state.oh.us/business/fingerprint/data/index.asp?q=Lucas&p=1

The local agency should be contacted for pricing information, hours of operation, etc. 

Because of House Bill 190, which was signed recently, any teacher who will be renewing a teaching license or obtaining a new license will be required to have both the BCI and FBI reports completed, regardless of residency. 

LPDC MEETING:

The Diocesan Professional Development Committee will meet again Thursday, February 7, 2008, 1:00 PM, at the Catholic Center.  Any CEU or license applications must be received by the CYSS office no later than noon, Wednesday, February 6, 2008.

SCHOOLS’ INFORMATION PACKET ORDER FORM:

We have finalized the cost for the Schools’ Information Packets. (These are the folders that we shared with you at the October Principals’ Meeting at Sawmill Creek.)  You can either print an order form and mail/fax it to the Communications Office or order online using the link in this article.  As mentioned in an earlier Bulletin, the deadline for placing an order so that you will have materials for Catholic Schools’ Week is today, Friday, January 4.  There will be another window in late January for ordering additional packets if you will need more for Open Houses in March.  If you have any questions, call Colleen Buckman in the Communications Department at 419-244-6711, ext. 149.  To order online: http://www.toledodiocese.org/content/section/19/203

POSITION OPENING: ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, CATHOLIC CONFERENCE OF OHIO:

The Catholic Conference of Ohio seeks qualified applicants for the position of Associate Director, Department on Education. The associate director represents the interests of Catholic school students, families and educators before the General Assembly and agencies of state government.  The associate director also facilitates cooperative activities of Ohio’s diocesan offices of Catholic schools, religious education, youth and young adult ministry, and campus ministry.   Applicants should have administrative experience in Catholic education.  The position is located at the CCO offices in Columbus and will begin no later than July 1, 2008.  If interested, submit letter of interest, resume, three references, and salary history by February 15 to:  Carolyn Jurkowitz, Catholic Conference of Ohio, 9 East Long St., # 201, Columbus, Ohio, 43215, or e-mail to cjurkowitz@ohiocathconf.org 

MISSING WRITING COMPETENCY TEST:

We are searching for missing a Writing Competency Test (62-04-50).  If you find it please contact Jim Smith at Mansfield, St. Peter.

WHY SONGS ARE STUCK IN YOUR HEAD:

If you've ever gotten a song stuck in your head, you know how annoying it can be. Researchers at Dartmouth University can't stop the aggravation, but they do have a good idea what parts of the brain keep replaying the music.

Using brain imaging techniques and a good CD collection, they found that the auditory cortex, the same part of the brain that passes information from the ears to the brain, also holds onto musical memories.

The researchers said the findings extend previous work on auditory imagery and visual memory, which show that sensory- specific memories are stored in the brain regions that first experienced those events.

"It's fascinating that although the ear isn't actually hearing the song, the brain is perceptually hearing it," said co-author William Kelley, assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences.

The Cincinnati Post

Lee Bowman Scripps Howard News Service