New: Archbishop’s Catechetical Day 2023 Follow Up
Thank you for your participation in this year’s Archbishop’s Catechetical Day! Please see the links to follow-up resources, recordings, and survey.
New: Constitution Day Certification- Due this Friday, September 22, 2023
Public School Law 108-447 requires all educational institutions receiving federal funds to hold an educational program about the United States Constitution Submit this certification through your MILogin - Login (michigan.gov) on or before SEPTEMBER 22, 2023.
Note: A reminder what you actually do to meet this requirement is pretty wide open, e.g. mention it over a loudspeaker, put in article within your school newsletter, or an assembly - it’s up to your school.
New: Student Accident Report Made Easier
Accident Reports need to be emailed to mccloss@mvsc.com. Also, forms are now static or fillable. All forms can be found at www.chsl.com.
New: Professional Development for Campus Ministers and Any Who Do Faith Ministry in a School Setting
Invite members of your staff who are engaged in faith ministry (campus ministers, DREs, etc.) to participate in networking and professional development opportunities. The next two are as follows:
- September 25 Zoom from 9:00 AM - 9:30 AM -- Topics covered will include a variety of upcoming events (including the November 8 March for Life in Lansing), plans for this year, and a few unique opportunities. No registration is required. Here is the Zoom link: https://aod.zoom.us/j/91635695865
- October 16 in-person professional development from 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM -- This theme for this gathering, which is at SHMS, is "Differentiating Faith Engagement Opportunities" and will feature three speakers who will present unique and innovative ideas for us to consider. Registration is free but required since food will be provided.
New: Integrating Faith In All Classrooms
In response to feedback from teachers and principals who are interested in training related to how to integrate faith in meaningful ways in the classroom, the AOD is offering two opportunities for formation in this area. The Fides et Ratio training program spans approximately two months with the vast majority of the work being done asynchronously and/or remotely. The program is focused on helping teachers develop their own resources that meaningfully engage faith and reason in a classroom setting and includes a stipend for participating teachers. The two opportunities are grade-level specific:
- High school teachers: October 9-December 8
- Elementary school teachers: February 12-April 19
See the handout from last week's principal meeting for more details or reach out to John Brahier (brahier.john@aod.org) to directly communicate about this opportunity.
Ideally, schools will encourage 2-3 teachers to participate: consider who on your staff might be interested in this and sign up by September 29 by clicking here.
New: Invite Fr. Craig Giera for a School Mass
Fr. Craig Giera, Director of Priestly Vocations for the Archdiocese of Detroit, will be visiting schools in the AOD this year to say Mass and speak to students on vocations. Even though he is the Director of Priestly Vocations, he will speak on all vocations.
If you would like to invite Fr. Craig to come to your school to celebrate Mass and lead a Q & A after Mass with the students, please use this link to sign-up, AOD Schools: School Mass and Q & A (signupgenius.com).
Teacher PLCs
Principals - We would like to offer teacher PLCs again this year with the opportunity for teachers to earn 25 SCECHs. We are currently looking for teacher-leaders to serve as facilitators, specifically in the following grade-level bands:
Stipends will be provided. Please email Dr. Bluestein with your recommendations by 9/21.
Payments for Tuition Assistance Awards
Archdiocesan Tuition Assistance awards will be available for payment later this Fall. To request payment of your students’ awards, please complete the Tuition Assistance Calculation and Check Request form and return it no later than Friday, October 13 to tas@aod.org.
This form must be signed by the principal and returned with a copy of your school’s FACTS Tuition Assistance award report. If you have any questions, please contact tas@aod.org.
Spiritual Direction for Principals
Spiritual direction and/or accompaniment is available to all principals this year at no cost to you. Let us know if you are interested by Friday, September 22 by clicking here.
Stepping into his Mercy with the Sisters of Life
Join us for a morning of training with the Sisters of Life and learn how you can be an instrument of God’s Mercy for those hurting after an abortion. Administrators: Consider encouraging any counseling staff members (counselors, social workers, Campus Ministers, etc.) to attend. More information, including a schedule and the registration form, can be found here.
Come, Encounter Christ for Youth and Families
Sunday, October 22, 2023--Join us at Christ, Our Light! Parish in Troy from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm for an evening filled with dynamic preaching, powerful praise & worship music, opportunities for reconciliation, and adoration of our Lord, Jesus! This evening is for high school youth, middle school youth, and their families! See the flyer here.
Star Assessment – New Link for Roster Upload
If you have not yet uploaded your Star roster to the Renaissance link that was previously provided, you will need to use this new link as the previous link has expired. Please let Dr. Bluestein know when you submit your roster to the new link.
2023-2024 MANS Membership Dues
Welcome to the 2023-24 academic year. For over 50 years, MANS has been connecting and strengthening Michigan's faith-based, non-public schools through exceptional training, resources, and advocacy so they can be student-centered and mission-driven. Please click here to complete and submit payment for your school’s 2023-2024 MANS dues. Please complete and remit payment no later than Friday, December 1, 2023. For questions contact Shelley Long, Administrative Assistant, at 517-372-0012 or slong@m-a-n-s.org.
From Monsignor Bugarin: Protecting God's Children Recertification Deadline Extended | Virtus Platform Webinar Video
As the Episcopal Vicar leading the Office of Child and Youth Protection, I am writing today regarding two essential items for those of us in the Archdiocese of Detroit who oversee/manage our mandatory Safe Environment programs in our offices, parishes, schools, and Catholic agencies. Our shared goal: to protect – especially – children and vulnerable adults from sexual abuse.
- The deadline for existing employees and volunteers to complete a Protecting God's Children recertification workshop has been extended until November 1, 2023.
- A recording is now available of the August 16, 2023 webinar to assist local Virtus coordinators and anyone with access to the Virtus platform to help them better understand all that the platform offers us in the area of training and data management.
Click here to learn more about these two items.
MANS Accreditation Services for AOD Schools
Nancy Kuszczak will be leading and coordinating MANS Accreditation activities for AOD schools. Her email address is Kuszczak.Nancy@aod.org. Please contact Nancy for any questions or requests for assistance related to the MANS Accreditation process.
Study Day: Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions
This national event will take place in Cincinnati on Wednesday, October 11, 2023. The meeting’s theme is titled, “Sign and Pledge of Communion: Masses with Children.” The theme recognizes the baptismal dignity of all the Church’s members. The committee has developed an impressive program of plenary sessions and workshops which address various facets of this topic. Additional information and registration can be found here.
FACTS SIS Teacher Training – Recording Available
Please share the below FACTS SIS Training recording with your teachers. Please note this video requires registration to view. You can access the PowerPoint presentation here.
Link: FACTS + Archdiocese of Detroit Teacher Training
Passcode: Facts2023!
FACT SIS Onsite Training August 2023
Thank you to all who attended the FACTS SIS Training. You can access the training presentation here.
Roster Information for Renaissance
Similar to last year, schools utilizing the FACTS SIS will not need to create a manual .csv file for the Star Renaissance roster. Instead, simply follow last year’s steps from FACTS (selecting the current school year), then skip to section “B” in the steps provided by Renaissance to upload your roster to the Renaissance site.
Schools that are not currently using the FACTS SIS will need to follow all the instructions in the Star Self-Service Import document, using the provided .csv template.
If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Bluestein.
2023-2024 Calendar for Administrators
Please see the revised 2023-2024 AODCS Calendar for Administrators here.
Star Renaissance
- Testing Windows
- BOY 8/28 - 10/6
- MOY 1/15 - 2/9
- EOY 4/22 - 5/17
