New: Bishop Monforton Named Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Detroit
September 28, 2023—Pope Francis has named Steubenville Bishop Jeffrey M. Monforton as the 32nd auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Detroit. He will be welcomed to the Archdiocese of Detroit at a Liturgy of Welcome and Inauguration of Ministry at 2 p.m. Nov. 7, 2023, at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit. Continue reading
Deadline Approaching: 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 the most recent 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: Teacher PLCs
Teacher PLCs will be offered again this year. Teachers may earn 25 SCECHs by attending all six meetings. SCECHs may not be divided up for those who attend less than six meetings. Please share the following dates with your teachers so they may mark their calendars; the meeting links will be shared in School Mail soon.
Please contact Dr. Bluestein with any questions.
- PreK-2
- Dates: October 17, November 30, January 16, February 15, March 12, April 18
- Time: 4:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.
- Grades 3-5
- Dates: October 19, November 16, January 18, February 22, March 21, April 25
- Time: 4:15 p.m.- 5:15 p.m.
- Grades 6-8
- Dates: October 24, November 28, January 23, February 27, March 19, April 23
- Time: 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
New: LETRS Training Opportunity – Please share with teachers K-3
Lexia is a doing a LETRS grant contest this fall in which they will be providing 120 free LETRS licenses to teachers across the country. Teachers in private and Catholic schools are eligible to enter.
Between September 12 and October 22, 2023, teachers can enter by:
- Creating a short, up to one-minute video answering this question: "How will Lexia LETRS transform your teaching to impact student learning?"
- Sharing the video on their public social media profile using the hashtag #LexiaLETRSgrant
New: Michigan March for Life
The 2023 Michigan March for Life will be on November 8 in Lansing. This is an excellent opportunity for advocates of life of all ages and political persuasions from across the state to join with one voice on behalf of the defenseless! This rally and march are suited for all levels of experience and comfort with advocacy. Learn more and register
New: 2023-2024 Catholic High School Guide
Prospective parents and students of the high schools in the Archdiocese of Detroit are invited to use this guide to learn about each Catholic high school's mission, faith development, unique academic offerings, and co-curricular clubs and activities.
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:
- 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.
Next Week: 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
