This Sunday we begin the holiest week of the year for us as Catholic Christians, with Palm Sunday. We hear about Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem knowing that at the end of the week, he would die on the cross for our redemption.
On Palm Sunday, the liturgy begins with the proclamation of the Gospel where Jesus instructs two of his disciples to untie a donkey because ““The Master has need of it.”
Bishop Barron’s excellent homily on this short gospel passage is a beautiful reflection on God’s delight in allowing us to cooperate in His work on earth. “Every baptized person should say ‘the Master has need of me’….the gifts we have are for the sake of Christ so He can use them for His salvific purpose.” Listen to the homily and take some time reflecting on the gifts that the Lord has given you and is working through you to bring His saving message to those around you.
New 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.
New 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.
New 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.
New 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.
New 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.
Update 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.
Reminder: FREE Federal Programs Webinars
Catapult Learning is hosting a virtual training program that will raise the comfort level of the school leader in navigating the ins and outs of federal education programs for their students and teachers. Continue reading
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
