Due Today: Non-Public Schools Personnel Report
ALL schools are required to submit the NSPR in CEPI (accessed through your MILogin account) by the December 1 deadline.
As a reminder, all school staff should be reported (certified, non-certified, full-time and part-time). For additional information:
Contact cepi@michigan.gov for assistance.
New: Holy Moments Gift to Schools
Dear Principals,
Please read the attached letter and share it with your staff.
New: Financial Guidance Workshop
Based on the feedback we received and significant interest, we have planned a financial guidance workshop, led by Brian Mooney and Deacon Sean Costello, to address the following:
- Setting tuition for the 2023-2024 school year
- Planning salary increases
- General budget guidance
- Proposed changes to the AOD tuition assistance program.
This is optional. Your business manager is invited to attend as well – please forward this email to her/him. There are two different options to attend (each session will be the same – choose one):
- Wednesday, December 7
- Time: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- Location: St. Frances Cabrini Catholic High School – Allen Park, MI
OR
- Friday, December 9
- Time: 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
- Location: Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Parish Hall – Beverly Hills, MI
Please RSVP here if you plan to attend. Lunch will not be provided at either meeting. A follow-up email with additional information will be sent next week.
New: MAC Championship Tickets Offer
The MAC Football Championship will take place this Saturday, December 3. Our friends at Ford Field have generously shared an online link to FREE tickets for anyone interesting in attending. This year’s championship is between the University of Toledo and Ohio University. You may click here for tickets. Please note there is a limit of 8 tickets per purchase.
New: Zekelman Holocaust Center - 2023 Art and Writing Center Competition
Now in its seventh year, The Kappy Family Art & Writing Competition, Co-Sponsored by the Family of Raphael Schwartz, invites any Michigan student in 7th-12th grade to take inspiration from and respond to the theme of “Art as Resistance” in Anne Frank’s diary, Night by Elie Wiesel, and the artwork of Erich Lichtblau-Leskly, currently featured in the visiting special exhibit, To Paint is to Live.
This year, the categories of submission include poetry, fiction prose, 2D art, 3D art, and graphic art. Any student may respond to any source of inspiration, or multiple sources. The deadline for submission is March 24, 2023.
Please click HERE to learn more about the competition as well to access the guidelines, classroom resources, and links for submission.
For any questions, please email competition@holocaustcenter.org.
Teaching Life and Human Dignity Symposium
The University of Notre Dame-McGrath Institute for Church Life is now accepting applications for the 2023 Teaching Life and Human Dignity Symposium. The Symposium will be held on the beautiful campus of the University of Notre Dame, June 25-30. This week-long experience is designed to help pastoral leaders and educators develop a deeper understanding of the Church's teaching on human dignity and how to more effectively promote a consistent ethic of life.
The deadline for applications is December 20, 2022. Accepted applications will be notified by January 18, 2023.
Take a moment to learn more about this incredible opportunity to learn from leading experts, cultivate the professional skills necessary to promote a culture of life, and network with colleagues from across the country. Learn more and apply
Designated School Officials Office Contest Announcement — International Student Programs of the AOD
The DSO office has an exciting opportunity for all fifth (5th) grade students within the Archdiocese of Detroit that we would like to share with you.
Last year, several schools within the AOD participated in the Michigan Chapter of The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)'s The Celebrate America Creative Writing Contest. It was wonderful to receive all the entries from our AOD fifth grade students, and we look forward to another outstanding group of students in this year's contest. Learn more
Department of Catholic Schools 2023 Principal Retreat
Our Annual Catholic Schools Administrator Retreat is scheduled for Thursday, March 23 and Friday, March 24, 2023. For the second year in a row, the retreat will be held at the Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth. Please tentatively RSVP here. We will confirm attendance and release more details closer to the actual dates. Please reach out to Erin McNally with any questions.
Recordings Available: October 17 Uniform Professional Development Day
Please inform teachers that the recordings and resources (including any slide decks) have been uploaded to the professional development website(www.professionaldevelopmentday.org).
Please also remind teachers to follow the SCECH process using the instructions posted at the top of the PD website.
Those who wish to earn SCECHs for viewing the Oct. 17 PD recordings or any archived recordings from previous PD days (found under “archive” at the top right of the PD website), will need to complete this form before submitting their total earned SCECHs in the MANS application form at the end of the school year.
Please contact Dr. Bluestein with any questions.
7th Annual Live It. Show It. Share It. Scholarship Contest
Alliance Catholic Credit Union, in conjunction with their foundation, Alliance Catholic Foundation, is currently running the 7th Annual Live It. Show It. Share It. Scholarship Contest for students who will be attending a Catholic League high school in the 2023-2024 academic year.
They are giving away a total of $20,000 in scholarships. Details about the contest can be found here. The attached flyer contains information on the scholarship program and can be shared with students and families.
Ten (10) students will be awarded scholarships. One will receive a Grand Prize of $6,000, one $4,500, one $2,500 and seven will be awarded $1,000 toward their Catholic high school tuition for the 2023-24 academic year.
This year, students are being asked to create an idea for a podcast designed for high school students about the Catholic faith. The students should name the podcast, write a synopsis of it including why they think it would be successful, and record an intro for it.
In addition to the scholarships, the AOD Communication Department, which produces six podcasts, will select one of the finalists and produce a few episodes of the winning podcast idea. The selected student will be a co-producer and be involved behind the scenes on the development of the podcast.
Students do not need to be members of Alliance Catholic Credit Union to enter the contest.
The deadline for entries is Sunday, December 4, 2022. Finalists will be notified in early January.
Religion Assessment Refund & Apology from Kendall Hunt
Please see the following brief summary and letter of apology from Chad Chandlee, President & COO of Kendall Hunt:
The letter recaps what happened with the eAssessment as well as how we are refunding the money. We are sorry that this engagement has not been a good experience for anyone. We are striving to make sure something like this never happens again. Thank you for the opportunity this year and sorry that our error pointing to 2018’s test wasn’t discovered sooner or that it happened at all.
Discount toward Catechist Certification for Schools & Parishes
Upon collaboration with Sacred Heart Major Seminary regarding Catechist Certification using the program “On Fire for the Faith,” the Seminary has offered to extend a unique discount to schools and parishes. Schools and parishes will be able to register an unlimited amount of staff to complete the program this year at a bulk discount with the following options:
- $300 per school for unlimited # of teachers
- $300 per parish for unlimited # of catechists
OR
- $500 for parish & school combo (catechists/teachers)
If you wish to take advantage of this discount, please contact Mrs. Melissa Pordon at pordon.melissa@shms.edu or 313-868-7031. She will be happy to answer any questions and provide you with a unique school and/or parish code to apply the discount.
The Fulfillment of All Desire with Dr. Ralph Martin | November 27 through December 24.
The Sacred Heart Major Seminary is offering a FREE online course designed for the Lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Detroit. In this short online course, Dr. Ralph Martin, Director of Programs in the New Evangelization, shows how achieving holiness is not only possible, but something each and every one of us is called to. He will present the stages of spiritual growth as lived out by some of the great spiritual masters of the Church: St. Teresa of Ávila, St. John of the Cross, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, and St. Francis De Sales. Reflecting on their examples, the course will cover practical tips and advice for advancing in our journey to God. The curriculum is based on Dr. Martin’s book The Fulfillment of All Desire: A Guidebook for the Journey to God Based on the Wisdom of the Saints Learn more about this free online course and register here.
Fr. Gabriel Richard Art Contest
The Fr. Gabriel Richard Guild at the Basilica of Ste. Anne de Detroit is very excited to announce its first art contest for Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Detroit. Students are invited to submit artistic renderings of Fr. Richard depicting his image, an event from his life, or a general aspect of his life.
The winning students in each age group will each receive a $1,000 cash prize. The winning students' schools will also receive a $1,000 cash prize. Prizes are courtesy of contest sponsor Concorde Financial. Artwork will be displayed at the Annual Exhibit on Fr. Gabriel Richard at the Basilic of Ste. Anne de Detroit in September 2023.
The deadline for submissions is April 1, 2023. Winners will be announced by May 31, 2023. More details and complete rules are on the flyer.
Important SCECH Record-Keeping for Principals
Please recall that Shelley Long with MANS sent each principal an email with the link to the Google Folder created for each school. Please review the important information to ensure your teachers earn SCECHs, especially in regard to the AOD Professional Development Days.
- Google folders (on the spreadsheets) contain links to 10-minute webinar on how to track SCECHs properly, the updated SCECH handbook, & written instructions on how to complete both tabs of the spreadsheet.
- Spreadsheets include AOD earned PD columns; final amount will tally correctly & educators only have to apply one time with MANS.
- Principals must collect & upload to the folder a SEPARATE excel sheet on the details of the AOD UNIFORM Professional Development Days including the following in exact order:
- first name, last name, school name, school city, email address, session title & # of SCECHs session is worth, SCECH verification code for (each session attended).
- Shelley will check in with each school via email mid-year to see if they have questions, concerns, etc.
- Teachers will use online SCECH application shared in May to apply for SCECHs
- All SCECHs processed through MANS are FREE
Protect Young Eyes: Curriculum & Parent App Access
As indicated in August, based on the need for online safety and digital citizenship, the AOD purchased the Protect Young Eyes Curriculum and Parent App for all schools in the AOD (including the order schools).
Click here for the PYE curriculum or the link can also be found under the Educator’s Tab in Virtus. Also note that Chris McKenna provided a walk-through of the PYE curriculum at the Oct. 17 PD Day, showing how it can be used alongside the Virtus Safe Environments lessons (that recording will be posted to the PD site). Information to share with parents and details on how to access the Parent App was sent to principals via email before Thanksgiving.
If you have any questions, please contract Dr. Bluestein.
Virtus: Empowering God’s Children (Replacing past Safe Environments curricula)
As indicated previously, our Safe Environments program for schools is now going to be hosted by the Virtus online platform titled Empowering God’s Children; school are required to teach 2 lessons per year.
Virtus has provided detailed information on how you may access the materials using the Educators Tab, and how you may also provide access for your teachers. They’ve also provided a short 10-minute recording that you may view and share with teachers once you have given them access to the Educators Tab. The recording contains information regarding the lessons, how to navigate the site to access resources (including resources for parents), and how to report when training has been completed.
Please see the attachment and read the instructions from Virtus carefully.
MANS Membership Dues 2022-2023
It is that time of year to collect the annual MANS membership dues. We have decided that it is time to end the paper forms and are asking everyone to fill out this Google form with their information, print it out, and mail it along with their dues payments. The deadline is December 1, 2022.
Teacher Evaluations Requirement 2022-2023
Please note that this year (like last), DCS is requiring two formal, written evaluations of all teachers. The PowerPoint presentation provides more information and links. The last slide includes the link to all items on Box.
Catechist Certification Requirement
Please see the attached document which provides details, exceptions, and modifications for the Catechist Certification Requirement.
