Each year during Holy Week (typically on Holy Thursday), dioceses around the world celebrate the Chrism Mass. Priests, religious, and lay faithful gather with the bishop of the diocese and he blesses the holy oils that are used throughout the year: oil of the sick, oil of catechumens, and sacred chrism. These are the oils that will be used throughout the diocese in the coming year for baptisms, confirmations, ordinations, anointing of the sick, and dedication of new churches.
The Chrism Mass is also a time for priests to renew their priestly promises in the presence of the bishop and the faithful of the diocese. We pray, on this Holy Thursday, in thanksgiving for the priests who have committed their lives in service to Jesus Christ through the priesthood in the Archdiocese of Detroit.
During his preaching at this morning’s Chrism Mass, Archbishop Vigneron announced that the Archdiocese of Detroit will engage in a Year of Prayer for Priestly Vocations beginning on June 4 (the Vigil of Pentecost) and concluding on May 28, 2023 (the Solemnity of Pentecost). This Year of Prayer will be a time for everyone in the Archdiocese—priests, deacons, religious, and laity—to come to understand and embrace our need to be united in prayer, working toward a culture that fosters and celebrates vocations to the priesthood.
New and Updated Announcements
New Federal Title Programs and EANS II Workshop RSVP by April 15
We have added an informational meeting on April 29, 2022, to discuss and learn more about federal title programs. We apologize for this late notice, but we are receiving several questions/concerns with title programming and felt this would be a helpful resource. The gathering will take place from 9:00-12:00 at Sacred Heart Major Seminary with lunch to follow. Schools that are eligible for EANS II will have an additional session after lunch from 1:00-2:00. The presentation will be delivered by Dr. Susan Abelein and Jeremy Beck from FACTS Education Solutions.
The content of the presentation:
Federal programs overview
Consultation process requirements/tools
Building a plan to use your funds to maximize student outcomes
Reviewing options for third party services
We would ask for either the principal or assistant principal from Archdiocese of Detroit schools to attend if possible. Please RSVP here by April 15, 2022.
Professional Learning Survey: Michigan Equitable Services Collaborative (MESC)
Please complete the 2021-2022 Non-public School Professional Learning Needs Assessment by April 15, 2022. The results of this survey will inform the professional learning plans (including AOD Uniform PD Days) for the 2022-2023 academic year. Continue reading
Updated MNSAA Annual Reports
Your MNSAA Annual Report is due May 20, 2022. Be sure to use the new link to Accreditrac. When you submit your completed report and forms on Accreditrac, please remember to hit the button “submit to the Superintendent”. We will be switching to a 5-year Accreditation cycle. There will be 12 to 13 Accreditation Site visits per year. Finally, if you are a new Principal, or have not done an Accreditation Site visit but would like to, please contact Nancy Kuszczak and you will be given priority. Please email Nancy at nkuszczak@livoniastmichael.org. The 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 site visit list can be found here.
Dr. Bluestein is assembling a committee to review the Social Studies curriculum next year. If you are interested in serving on this committee, or if you have any recommendations for Social Studies teachers to serve, please email Dr. Bluestein at your earliest convenience.
New COVID Quarantine After Travel Reminder
The MDHHS no longer has quarantine recommendations, for vaccinated or unvaccinated persons, related to international or domestic travel. This means everyone returning from travel should still symptom monitor for 10 days upon return but do not need to quarantine unless they are symptomatic. The Catholic Schools website will be updated shortly to reflect this change in our policy.
Mass with Archbishop Vigneron in Celebration of Catholic Schools
The canceled CSW Mass with Archbishop Vigneron has been rescheduled for Wednesday, April 27 at 10:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Each school may bring a maximum of 8 people (including students and adults). Please indicate the number of people who will attend from your school by completing this form by Tuesday, April 19.
In-Person Principal Meeting in May
The May principal meeting will be in-person at Sacred Heart Major Seminary from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (with lunch following). Please RSVP here.
Principal Performance Evaluations
The Principal Performance Evaluation template is available on Box. Please complete your self-reflection and then ask your pastor to complete his portion. Once the evaluations are completed, reviewed, and signed, please email a copy to Erin McNally.
Star Data Meetings
Dr. Bluestein is beginning to schedule appointments with all principals using Star Renaissance for the annual end-of-year meeting to discuss your school’s results and provide comparative data, as well as discuss any PD or curricular needs.
Each appointment will last 30 minutes (via Zoom) and openings are available:
Tuesdays through Fridays, April 26-May 27, 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Please email Dr. Bluestein at bluestein.may@aod.org with a few preferred dates/times and she will respond with a finalized calendar invite.
EOY Testing Window
As a reminder, the EOY Star testing window is April 25-May 20. Please make an effort to complete all testing within the window to ensure a timely receipt of our Custom Parent Reports.
Let MI Kids Learn Petition Gathering Campaign
Petitions for the Student Opportunity Scholarship signature drive should have been delivered to your school. We are asking for your assistance in distributing the petitions to your school families and advocating for this important initiative. We aim to collect over 340,000 signatures so that qualifying families can access funding to meet their children’s educational needs. Continue reading
Recordings Available: March 14 Uniform Professional Development Day
Many thanks to all who attended the PD Day! Please encourage teachers and staff to complete the survey so that we can understand what went well and what can be improved in the future.
Please note (and inform teachers) that the recordings for the March 14 Professional Development Day have been added to the PD site under each session.
Remember to collect your teachers’ information for each AOD PD Day and upload it to the folder Shelley Long shared with you last semester. For details on how to collect this information, see the next school mail item titled “SCECH Process.”
Share this form with teachers to earn SCECHs (or hours toward catechist renewal) for viewing recorded sessions.
Teachers will be responsible to complete the MANS application form at the end of the school year. That will be shared closer to May.
Principals are required to collect all the necessary information for the Uniform PD Day on an Excel sheet. On the Excel sheet, remember to include the following information in the following order:
first name, last name, school name, school city, PIC code, email address, title of session(s) attended and SCECH verification code.
For the star session that offers an additional 2 SCECHs for a completed Unit Plan aligned to the focus skills, please remember to add a column titled “Unit Plan” to distinguish between teachers who only attend the live session and teachers who both attend live and bring a completed unit plan to review.
MANS has already created and shared your school’s unique folder where you will be responsible to upload the completed Excel sheet within two weeks of the Uniform PD Day.
Reminder: Childcare Stabilization Grants
Childcare Stabilization Grant Funds need to be returned to MDE. Laura sent an email to principals with instructions. Please ensure that your business manager is aware of this as well. We will not be able to accept second round funds either.
