DIOCESE OF TOLEDO

PRINCIPALS’ BULLETIN

JANUARY 11, 2008

Attachment Sample school letter to legislators

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

FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT…

As you know Catholic Schools Week is scheduled for January 27-February 2.  Below is a press release issued by the NCEA.  Use it if you wish as part of parent letter, parish bulletin article, etc.

Washington, D.C.

Catholic Schools Week, the annual celebration of Catholic schools and their contribution to their communities and the nation, is set for Jan. 27 through Feb. 2, 2008. For more than three decades, the nation’s Catholic schools have spent the last week of January recalling what makes Catholic education special.

            The 2008 theme is “Catholic Schools Light the Way,” which highlights the mission of Catholic schools to provide a faith-based education that supports the whole child academically and spiritually and prepares students for future success.

            “As a result of the excellent, multifaceted education they are receiving today, our students will ‘light the way’ to a brighter future through their leadership in our communities, government, businesses and families,” said Dr. Karen M. Ristau, president of the National Catholic Educational Association. 

            Across the country, schools will observe the week with special Masses, community service projects, academic and artistic showcases, and athletic and family events. Many schools will hold open houses so that community members can learn more about the value of Catholic education.

            On National Appreciation Day for Catholic Schools on Jan. 30, delegations of students, faculty and parents will visit Washington, D.C., and many state capitals to promote awareness among government leaders of the contributions of Catholic education. Nearly 2.4 million students attend the nation’s 7,800 elementary, middle and secondary Catholic schools.

            “With their emphasis on academic excellence and moral values, Catholic schools enjoy high satisfaction among students and parents and high achievement rates, including high school graduation rates of more than 99 percent,” said Marie Powell, executive director of Catholic Education at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. “This is a message we want to share with our nation’s leaders.”

As you prepare for that week, I ask you to consider sending a letter to your legislators, both Ohio and national.  Enclosed is a sample letter that you, teachers, students, and parents could use to send to both Ohio and U.S. senators and representatives.  Feel free to change it to fit your needs.  As part of the letter, you may want to invite legislators to visit your school.  You can find addresses of both U.S. and Ohio senators and representatives online at www.ohiocathconf.org.  Click on “Legislative Updates”.  The information is given in several ways: by address, by Senate or House district, by diocese, even by parish.

I have also asked Bishop Blair to send a letter to our pastors next Wednesday urging them to speak in support of our Catholic schools during the masses on the week-end of January 26-27.  He sent a letter last year and I’m sure he will agree to do so again.

REGIONAL MEETING REMINDER:

We look forward to seeing each of you at Regional Meetings this next week!

Coffee and Donuts     8:30 - 9:00 a.m.

Welcome & Prayer                9:00 a.m

Lunch                                    Noon

Closing Prayer                       3:00 p.m.          

Kathy Bolen has sent the following information for those principals attending the regional meeting at Immaculate Conception School in Bellevue:

School address is 304 E. Main St. (Rt. 20), and parking is available on the playground area behind the school.  Entrance to the church parish hall (church basement) is located at the rear of the building (adjacent to the parking lot). An elevator is available if needed.

ENTRY YEAR PROGRAM:

Assessors for teachers in the Entry Year Program are meeting with Area Coordinators during the month of January to receive their assignments.  Your Entry Year teachers will be contacted at home by their assessor to set up the assessment date.  CYSS has scheduled two meetings during January for Entry Year teachers:  Thursday, January 24, 2008, at 4:00 PM at Fremont, St. Joseph Elementary; and Thursday, January 31, 2008, at 4:00 PM at the Catholic Center in Toledo.  These are informational meetings conducted by an Entry Year Assessor and/or Area Coordinator, and are not mandatory.  Entry Year teachers need only attend one meeting, as the same information will be discussed at both meetings.  Registration is required.  Please contact Vicki Fitts at the CYSS office (vfitts@cyss.org or 419-244-6711, ext. 630).

LICENSE RENEWALS:

Reports and license applications will be distributed at the end of the month to schools regarding teacher licensure renewals.  Any license that expires June 30, 2008, may be renewed now if the requirements are completed.  Do not send license renewals directly to the Dept. of Education.  All approved applications with the license fee, payable to “Treasurer, State of Ohio,” (note that checks are no longer payable to Ohio TEC), and any outstanding CEU fees, payable to “Diocese of Toledo,” are to be sent to Vicki Fitts for processing.  BCI and FBI background reports are required to be on file electronically with the Dept. of Education before any license is renewed.

TEACHER APPLICANT/SUBSTITUTE TEACHER LIST:

The list of teacher applicants and substitute teachers has been updated and is available on the CYSS private webpage.  Please destroy any previous lists you may have and utilize this list only.  You will notice that the dates of each teacher’s Protecting Youth Workshop and BCI reports are now available on that page.

BP’S A+ FOR ENERGY GRANT (LUCAS and WOOD COUNTIES ONLY)

Schools in Lucas and Wood Counties should be receiving information from BP about their “A+ For Energy Grant.”  Last year six teachers from Catholic elementary and high schools in Lucas County received grants between $5,000 and $10,000 for research projects in the field of energy conservation.  You can check BP’s website for further information at: http://www.bp.com/productlanding.do?categoryId=9020145&contentId=7036506

You may want to contact one of last year’s winners listed below to find out more about the application process and some tips about the program. 

Mary Posadny, Regina Coeli – Cool Fuel Road Trip Project

Chris Nelms, Lial – Solar Energy in NW Ohio

Sue Grod, All Saints – Energizing Students Towards Alternative Energies

Kathleen Wilkens, Central Catholic – Energizing Students Towards Alternative Energies

Andrea Taylor, Notre Dame Academy - Ethanol as a Thematic Unit in Chemistry

Jacqueline Kane, St. Ursula Academy – Wind Energy

N.W. Ohio Center of Excellence IN SCIENCE and Mathematics Education ~ BGSU:

NWO/COSMOS Inquiry Series for K-12 Mathematics and Science Teachers!

The next presentation “Attacking the Hands-on, Minds-on Gap” will be Thursday, January 17 (5:00-8:00) at Owens Community College.  This professional development includes various presenters and grade level break-out groups.  The session is free, including dinner.

Special session has been added for K-4 Mathematics:

· “I like working with Numbers”

· Presented by visiting Professor, Rosemary Irons, Queensland University, Australia Author of Growing with Mathematics and the new Mathematics for Young Minds

· Session Description:  Learning about numbers is natural for children as they work with resources, draw pictures and recognize symbols within a mathematically rich environment. This inquiry series session supports each child’s interests and will provide appropriate learning experiences for the conceptual understanding of number.  Developing strong conceptual understanding of numbers as counting, quantity, label, ordinal and relative position will be the focus.

Future sessions will include:

· February 21: From Hands-On to Minds-On: Questions Matter

· March 13: Assessing Inquiry

· April 19: NOW/COSMOS Summer

For more information and/or registration, go to http://cosmos.bgsu.edu/inquiryseries/inquireSeriesReg.htm

PRINCIPALS - REINFORCE BEST PRACTICE:

As principal you make a dramatic difference in the lives of learners in your building.  Consider this:  forced silence impairs learners.  Many learners are asked to remain in their seat and to remain quiet during their lessons.  But research by Della Valle et al. says that may not be a good idea.  Among adolescents, 50% of the learners need “extensive mobility while learning.”  Encourage your teachers to build movement into their lessons, or at least schedule a “stand up and stretch” break at least every 20 minutes.  Simple activities get circulation going and support learners and learning.

CHANGINGNESS: RESPONDING TO THE ONLY CONSTANT:

The humanist psychologist, Carl Rogers, introducing a deep concept in an effort to describe the new world of  education, stated, “As we enter a new era in which the only constant is change, the goal of education is no longer direct teaching but the facilitation of change and learning.”

In fact, Rogers claims, the only man who is educated is the man who has learned how to adapt and change.  This man has realized that no knowledge is secure, and that only the process of seeking knowledge gives a basis for security. “Changingness,” a reliance on process rather than static knowledge, is the only thing that makes any sense as a goal for education in the modern world.   (Rogers & Freiberg, p. 152)

Significant research indicates that this goal of promoting change and learning depends on the personal relationship between the learner and the facilitator of the learning. Trust and feelings of connectedness are important factors in creating a positive and safe learning environment and promoting student achievement (Bryk & Schneider, 2002; Hoy & Tschannen-Moran, 2003; McNeely, Nonnemaker, & Blum, 2002).

NATIONAL CURRICULUM REPORTS:

“Best Practice”:  The phrase comes from the fields of medicine and law and describes serious, thoughtful, informed, responsible, state-of-the-art work in a field.  A practitioner who follows best practice standards is aware of current research and consistently offers clients the full benefits of the latest knowledge, technology and procedures.

There is a high level of agreement in the educational field about best practice for schools.  They are:         Student-centered                      Active

                        Experiential                             Democratic

                        Collaborative                           Challenging

From a presentation by Gini Shinabuluro, Ed.D, Institute for Catholic Educational Leadership, University of San Francisco

PIANO/ORGAN DONATION:

A donor in Toledo has a piano/organ.  He is willing to donate it to one of our schools or parishes.  If interested, contact Terrie Albert at the Diocesan Chancery Office (419-244-6711).  She will provide details.

Please note:  There will be no Principals’ Bulletin next week since we will be meeting with all of our principals on Tuesday through Thursday.