From Deacon Costello: As the New School Year Begins, May God Bless Our Catholic Schools
To my dear brothers and sisters in Christ and to all who value Catholic education,
Thank you for all you do for our Catholic schools here in the Archdiocese of Detroit, and I wish you a joyous start to this upcoming school year. As we begin another year, it is good to reflect on why this investment is so important for our Church. Our schools serve the mission of the Church because they provide an opportunity for the evangelization and the formation of every child enrolled. Continue reading
New: Update from Vic Michaels - Return to School Taskforce – link document
Please see guidance from the Return to School Task Force for the 2022-23 school year. You can reference the entire document here. We will continue to be in contact with local Health Departments and update the document if anything changes.
New: Religion Assessment Information: Rosters, Training, & FAQs Rosters
Next week, principals will receive an email with details on how and where to upload the class rosters.
- Each school will receive a link to their own SFTP site where they will upload their csv file.
- Schools using FACTS will be able to use the same Renaissance csv within FACTS.
- Schools not currently using FACTS will complete the manual csv.
- You do not need to create usernames or passwords. This will be done for you.
- All rosters should be uploaded to the SFTP site by Monday, September 12.
- All usernames and passwords will be delivered to you on your unique SFTP site the week of Sept. 26.
- Testing window is Oct. 3 – Oct. 21
- Grade 8 students will test once more in the spring: April 24,2022- May 12, 2022
Training
Principal Training: September 1 from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Teacher Training (choose only one session): September 1 from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. OR September 8 from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Training will be offered for principals and teachers on the following content:
- Principal Functionality
- Teacher Functionality
- Student Functionality
- Data Reports
FAQs
For more information about the Religion Assessment and how it is to be administered, please read the FAQs.
If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Bluestein.
New: FACTS Upcoming PD for Principals & Teachers
FACTS will provide PD on the SIS and/or Grading for principals and teachers in August and September. Principals and teachers need only attend one session. All sessions will be recorded and uploaded to Hub Help for those who are unable to attend the live virtual training.
Principals (and administrative staff): Aug. 25 or Aug. 26; 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Teachers: August. 30, 31, Sept. 13, 14 (choose only one session); 4:00 p.m. -5:30 p.m.
Webinar links and content details: Teacher Training Schedule | Administrator Training Schedule
Deadline Approaching: MANS 152b Application Due August 31
n 2016 the Michigan legislature passed, with bipartisan support, an appropriation to reimburse nonpublic schools for complying with state mandates that help ensure the health, safety, and general welfare of school children. The funding has been held up for the past six years in litigation until a recent Court of Claims ruling that allowed nonpublic schools to seek reimbursement for 15 health and safety mandates. Schools that have submitted reimbursement claims in previous years will receive payments!
The 2021-22 application, for expenses you incurred doing school safety drills and other functions during the last school year, is now available and you can access it by logging into your MEGS+ account. Applications are due by August 31. Many of the items can be calculated quite quickly and will potentially result in thousands of dollars for your school. As we won the court battle, you will receive payment in a timely fashion.
MANS created a 152b worksheet to help schools determine the correct reimbursement amount to request, which can be found here. This document is for planning purposes only and may not accurately reflect final Michigan Department of Education regulations. Do not submit this with your application - retain for your own records.
Having trouble finding the 152b application in your MEGS+ account? Click here for detailed instructions on how to find the application.
For questions regarding specific reimbursement categories and calculations, contact Brian Broderick (MANS) or Paul Stankewitz (Michigan Catholic Conference) by email.
For technical questions, please contact nonpublicschools@michigan.gov.
Reminder: School Safety Plans
We are finishing up the collection of all School Safety Plans. If you have not sent yours in, please email a copy of your school’s safety plan to Erin McNally (mcnally.erin@aod.org) by Wednesday, August 31.
New: Principal Institute with Jodee Blanco
All principals are invited and strongly encouraged to attend When Parents Bully the School: Rebuilding Relationships and the Trajectory Back to Normalcy, led by New York Times bestselling author, Jodee Blanco. Please read the description below to understand the value of this half-day training and complete the RSVP by Sept. 1.
Date: Friday, Sept. 9
Time: 9:00-12:00 or 12:30-3:30 (choose one)
Location: Sacred Heart Major Seminary
Learn more | RSVP
Reminder: School Safety Five Minute Drill
As discussed at last week’s Principals meeting, our office recommends that each school spend five minutes each month with faculty and staff on safety issues. The suggested area of focus for August is training, particularly in-depth training (which will take longer than five minutes). The following are suggested areas:
- CPR training for all staff (this should include cafeteria, maintenance, and front office staff)
- Reviewing all safety plans with staff
- AED training for all staff
- First Aid training
New: Archdiocese of Detroit Hires Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Michael Schoenle (SHANE-lee) has been hired to serve as Chief Financial Officer effective Aug. 30. In this role, Michael will work with Brian Mooney, Chief Operating Officer, and the Archdiocesan Finance Council to ensure good stewardship of the financial resources entrusted to us. Continue reading
Reminder: Roster Information for Renaissance
Schools utilizing the FACTS SIS will not need to create a manual .csv file for the Star Renaissance roster as in years past. Instead, simply follow the steps from FACTS, then skip to section “B” in the steps provided by Star to upload your roster to Renaissance.
Schools that are not currently using the FACTS SIS will need to follow all the instructions in the Star Self-Service Import document.
Reminder: Teacher PLCs
Dr. Bluestein will facilitate Teacher PLCs this year beginning in September. Six meetings are scheduled for the year and 25 SCECHs will be available for those who attend all six meetings. These meetings will not be recorded and full attendance at each meeting is necessary to earn SCECHs.
Please see the schedule below and share with teachers; the zoom link will be shared soon. All meetings will run from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
PK-2 (Tuesdays): September 27, October 25, November 15, January 17, February 21, March 28
Grades 3-5 (Wednesdays): September 28, October 26, November 16, January 18, February 22, March 29
Grades 6-8 (Thursdays): September 29, October 27, November 17, January 19, February 23, March 30
New: Cathedral Choir Academy of Detroit
The Cathedral Choir Academy of Detroit is a comprehensive choral music program serving both urban and suburban youth of all faiths, grades 3–12. Committed to artistry in performance, the program offers three levels of instruction, a Descant Choir, the Cathedral Children’s Choir, and the High School Schola Cantorum. Under the direction of Susan Lindquist, the Cathedral Choir Academy of Detroit embraces the mission of the New Evangelization and is committed to providing an experience in which our youth encounter Christ through sacred music, grow in faith and musical excellence, and witness to the Word Incarnate. Rehearsals take place at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, 9844 Woodward Ave, Detroit, on Tuesdays, from 4:30 – 7:00 p.m. CCA choristers sing monthly at the cathedral, often performing master works with the Cathedral Chorale, and have performed at the Basilica of Ste. Anne de Detroit, the Henry Ford, Comerica Park, Little Caesar’s Arena, and the Sacred Heart Major Seminary.
New Event: Together in Holiness Conference
The AOD is co-hosting a marriage conference—Together in Holiness—on Saturday October 15 at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Plymouth. The conference is for married (and engaged) couples seeking to enrich their marriage and family life.
Please see the bulletin graphics and sample community announcements to let your parent community know of this marriage conference opportunity in support of building strong and holy marriages and family life.
Amanda Abi-Samra, Conference Coordinator, is available to assist with any questions or promotional materials. She can be reached at amanda@forfamilyandlife.org or 832-779-1070.
Reminder: 2022-2023 AOD Uniform PD Framework
Please see this letter from Dr. May Bluestein regarding the 2022-2023 AOD Uniform Professional Development Days. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Bluestein.
Reminder: Detroit Lions Exclusive Ticket Offer
Our friends with the Detroit Lions are again offering special savings for Catholic School teachers, administrators, faculty, and staff as the Lions open the season at home vs The Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday September 11 at 1:00pm. Each ticket will include a Detroit Lions Journal.
Click here to access the offer and please feel free to share this offer with your staff. They will be able to purchase the discounted tickets directly from the link.
Reminder: 2022-2023 Administrator Calendar
Please see the Department of Catholic Schools Administrator Calendar for the 2022-2023 school year.
Reminder: Upcoming MANS PD Opportunity
School Safety
If your school needs financial assistance to enhance safety and security measures at your school, please contact the Department of Catholic Schools. As a reminder, each school should work with local law enforcement officers to ensure that adequate safety plans are in place.
Newton Applicant Tracking System Job Posting and Closing Instructions
The Applicant Tracking System job posting, and approval process instructions can be found here. Please know that is the responsibility of the school to either remove the job or to reach out to Roberta Robson, (robsonmcglone.roberta@aod.org), or Erin Taft, (taft.erin@aod.org) to request removal of the position. Unfortunately, Paycor Recruiting does not offer the option of putting an end date on the job posting so unless HR is made aware that the job has been filled and should be removed, the job will remain posted. Please see these instructions for how to close your open position in the ATS.
Federal Programs and EANS Presentations from FACTS Education Solutions
Please see resources from Dr. Susan Abelein and Jeremy Beck of FACTS Education Solutions presentations below:
Jeremy Beck’s Presentation:
Dr. Abelein’s Presentations:
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.
