Due Tomorrow: NCEA Databank Reporting
All schools will be required to complete and submit to the AOD the NCEA Databank Report. All schools will use the FACTS DART system to submit their report, whether they use the FACTS SIS or not. Emails with instructions and a link to submit your school’s form were sent on Friday, September 16. Many of the emails went to spam folders – please check your spam folder (and your spam quarantine folder) for the email.
Data submitted are to be as of September 16, 2022. The completed form must be submitted to the AOD by end of day, Friday , October 7, 2022. If you have questions, please contact Laura Knaus (knaus.laura@aod.org).
New: October 17 Uniform Professional Development Day
The overview of sessions that will be offered Oct. 17 was shared with all principals in an email from Dr. Bluestein last week. In case you missed it, it is linked here.
Also, the PD website (www.professionaldevelopmentday.org) has been updated to reflect all the content, registration links, and details. Please share the PD site with faculty and staff so they may register in advance, and remind teachers to be attentive to the SCECH process (linked at the top of the PD site) to ensure they are able to earn SCECHs at the end of the school year.
If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Bluestein.
New: Important SCECH Record-Keeping
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
New Info: Payments for Tuition Assistance Awards
Thank you to all the schools that have sent in their Tuition Assistance Calculation and Request forms. If you have not submitted your form for your school, please complete the Tuition Assistance and Calculation Request Form and email it to tas@aod.org ASAP. Archdiocesan Tuition Assistance awards will be available for payment later this Fall.
Please ensure this form is signed by the principal and returned with a copy of your school’s FACTS Tuition Assistance award report and any family award letters for students that have transferred to your school that do not appear on your FACTS report. If you have any questions, please contact tas@aod.org.
Location Change: November All-Principal Meeting
Our next In-Person All Principal Meeting scheduled for Thursday, November 10 from 9am to 12pm, will be moved to St. Edith’s Social Hall. The Hall is located at 15089 Newburgh Rd. Livonia, MI 48154. More details will be sent out soon.
New: School Safety 5-Minute Drill for October
October 9-15 is Fire Prevention Week and is the focus of this month's five-minute school safety drill. Below are some suggested activities and links for additional ideas. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact someone in the Athletics and Student Services office.
- Fire drill with a blocked exit: This will prepare staff and students to be aware of their secondary evacuation route.
- Fire drill during lunch/recess period: While this is a part of every school day, you may not have conducted a fire drill during this time. This type of drill will prepare staff and students on where and how they should evacuate.
- Use a fire extinguisher: Ask local fire department to demonstrate to staff how to use a fire extinguisher.
- Fire safety checklist: Review the document with your staff. Discussion may lead to discovery of items you were not aware of.
- Online resource: The following link can provide you and your staff with activities and additional resources to be used with the students on the topic of fire safety.
Updated: Invite Fr. Craig to Celebrate Mass on Vocations – Open to All Schools
The Office of Priestly Vocations would like you to consider signing-up to have Fr. Craig Giera, Director of Priestly Vocations, celebrate Mass at your school and lead a question & answer after with your school students. Fr. Craig will preach on vocations; all vocations will be touched on. Please review the available days for Fr. Craig to come to your school and sign up here: Vocation Masses and Q & A with Students.
If you would like to sign-up, please do so as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Office of Priestly Vocations 313-868-7043 or email vocations@aod.org.
MANS Conference Social Hour at Lansing Brewing Company
The Department of Catholic schools will be hosting a social hour after the first full day of the November MANS Conference. The Social hour will be held at the Lansing Brewing Company on Thursday, November 3, at 4pm. Please RSVP here if you would like to attend.
New: A New IDEA in the Great Lakes State
MANS is pleased to partner with ADAC to offer training and consultations on Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) services in Michigan. IDEA provides federally funded special education services to nonpublic school students with learning differences. You are invited to attend one of three FREE trainings with ADAC on November 28, 29, or 30. Learn more and register.
New: School Safety and Mental Health Funding Information
Pursuant to Public Act 144 of 2022 and Public Act 93 of 2022, the Michigan Department of Education announces the availability of funding opportunities specific to school safety and student mental health. Michigan nonpublic schools are eligible to participate and must signal their intent to apply. The allowable uses of the funds and guidance on each program are specified in the memos linked below.
MDE has confirmed that churches and/or worship spaces on school grounds are eligible to be included in critical incident mapping and/or safety security assessments.
This funding seeks to reduce the impact of high-risk factors on students while improving the health, safety, and wellness of all learners. The application can be found through the Grant Electronic Monitoring System and Michigan Administrative Review System (GEMS MARS). The application process will close at 7:00 am Monday, October 17, 2022. For questions on MEGS, email: Megs@michigan.gov
Seventh and Eighth Grade Directory Request
We are requesting that our Catholic elementary schools send their current seventh and eighth grade directory information directly to the Department of Catholic Schools.
- Please complete the fields in this spreadsheet and return by Friday, October 14.
- Catholic elementary schools that are part of a unified K-12 environment will not have their directory shared.
- Please send your completed spreadsheet to Erin McNally at mcnally.erin@aod.org.
- Please also include enrollment numbers by your seventh and eighth grade classes by gender.
Catholic High School Guide
The 2022-2023 Catholic High School Guide is now available. You can access the guide here. Principals, please be sure to share this guide with your student’s families.
Star Custom Parent Reports
Please be sure to complete all Star testing by the close of the testing window, Oct. 7. The Custom Parent Reports are scheduled to be pulled Oct. 11, and may take 5-7 business days to be sent to us.
If you are in need of a testing extension due to extenuating circumstances, please contact Dr. Bluestein as soon as possible. Please note that requesting an extension may result in your school not receiving the custom parent reports as they can only be pulled once and we cannot delay others who have completed testing within the designated window.
AOD Teacher PLCs
Dr. May Bluestein bluestein.may@aod.org 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 and zoom link below; All meetings will run from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
PK-2 (Tuesdays): October 25, November 15, January 17, February 21, March 28
Grades 3-5 (Wednesdays): October 26, November 16, January 18, February 22, March 29
Grades 6-8 (Thursdays): October 27, November 17, January 19, February 23, March 30
Zoom Link for all PLCs: https://aod.zoom.us/j/5391463958
Archbishop’s Catechetical Day Certificate of Completion
Thank you for your support and attendance of the Archbishop’s Catechetical Day!
A fillable pdf was sent to all principals to print for teachers who attended (or who may later watch the recording, once available). If a verification of attendance is needed, you may contact Dr. Bluestein for that verification, as virtual attendance was recorded. Please keep the Certificate of Completion in the teachers’ files to keep a record of their formation hours.
Also, the recording will be available and posted to the website next week. Please complete the survey (linked here and on the website, too), and remind staff to do the same.
Principal PLC Survey
If you attended the Principal PLC last Thursday, September 15, please complete this brief survey. We would like to understand how we can best serve your needs through these PLCs. Your sincere feedback is valued and will help us craft future PLCs accordingly.
Religion Assessment Information: Rosters, Training, & FAQs Rosters
f you have not yet submitted your csv for the Religion Assessment, please do so as soon as possible. Student and teacher usernames and passwords are currently being set up and delivered to each school’s unique SFTP site. Also, fake student logins will be provided to each Grade 1 and Grade 2 teacher for the sake of reading the test aloud to all Grade 1 and 2 students.
- Each school has received a link to their own SFTP site where they needed to upload their csv file.
- Usernames and passwords will be created for you.
- 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
Next week, the following links will need to be accessed on the Flourish website under the support tab.
The Administrator webinar was re-created so everyone can review it at their own time. It is also located in Flourish under the support tab.
Zoom Recording | Passcode: &1PJLm!2.
The Teacher webinar is available here | Passcode: Zp7#LD!m
Recordings Available: Principal Institute w/Jodee Blanco — When Parents Bully the School-Rebuilding Relationships & the Trajectory Back to Normalcy
Many thanks to those who were able to attend the training w/Jodee Blanco. The follow-up toolkit is now available.
If you are interested in adopting Jodee Blanco's SEL/Anti-Bullying curriculum, INJJA (It's Not Just Joking Around), please contact Dr. Bluestein as soon as possible. The more schools who are interested, the lower the cost will be per school. Jodee is also helpful and flexible in working with LEAs for title funding.
If you were unable to attend live, the recording is now available (passcode: T?Kx!jy2). In addition, we ask you to share your feedback by completing this brief survey, so we may learn how best to serve you and your PD needs in the future.
Accreditation Site Team Members Needed
If you would like to serve on a site team this year, please complete the Google form. Also, please share the link to form to any teachers who may like to serve on a team as well. Team members can receive 25 SCECHs after the completion of the visit. Principal chairs will create their site teams from these lists. They will contact you or the teachers as they are assembling teams.
Please contact Nancy Kuszczak at nkuszczak@livoniastmichael.org if you have any questions.
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.
MANS Conference – November 2 to 4, 2022
The Michigan Association of Non-public Schools (MANS) is celebrating 50 years of service to Michigan’s nonpublic schools culminating with the MANS Education Conference and Expo in Lansing, Michigan. Please click here to visit the conference website and register to attend!
BOY Star Testing Guidelines
The BOY testing window has opened and will close October 7.
Star Testing Guidelines (Reminders): Which Star assessment(s) do my students need to take?
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.
Recordings Available: FACTS PD for Principals & Teachers
The Administrator training is titled “Administrative Refresher Training Video” and the Teacher training is titled “Gradebook and Report Card Training Video”. Both will be found under the “Detroit Administrative Training” link on the main page.
Those videos are live in HubHelp now! Staff can navigate to HubHelp and search for “Archdiocese of Detroit” to navigate to those trainings, or follow this link and enter their username and password:
Catechist Certification Requirement
Please see the attached document which provides details, exceptions, and modifications for the Catechist Certification Requirement.
