Volume 8, Issue 3
August 31, 2009

St. Raymond

Raymond was born in Spain. He joined the Mercedarians under St. Peter Nolasco at Barcelona. He succeeded Peter as chief ransomer and went to Algeria to ransom slaves. He remained as hostage for several slaves when his money ran out and was sentenced to be impaled when the governor learned that he had converted several Mohammedans. He escaped the death sentence because of the ransom he would bring, but was forced to run the gauntlet. He was then tortured for continuing his evangelizing activities but was ransomed eight months later by Peter Nolasco. On his return to Barcelona in 1239, he was appointed Cardinal by Pope Gregory IX, but died at Cardona a short distance from Barcelona the next year while on the way to Rome. He was canonized in 1657. (Taken from Catholic Online)

 

Message from the Secretary for Education/Superintendent

Now that the opening of school meetings are completed and most schools have begun to settle in, my prayer for you is that the Holy Spirit is there with you to meet the daily challenges big and small. Please take the time to review the Plenary materials if you have not. The rules have changed for entry year teachers, so please make sure you read up on the Resident Educator Transition Program and help your new teachers with their obligations this year. The Table of Contents for the Plenary packet included the deadline dates for several items two of which have already passed. Time flies!

 

Despite our challenges, and they are many, I hope you still feel the excitement of a new year with its promise of another chance to make things better than they have ever been. As the leader you are the symbol of hope for your staff. In your encounters with staff members, no matter how insignificant you may consider those encounters, you set the tone for the way they will meet their students and the happenings of the day. Be a blessing to all you meet each day.

 

Finally, we pray for the repose of the soul of Senator Edward Kennedy who championed the poor. May God look kindly on him and may he rest in peace.

 

Message from Missy Hokanson regarding the Ohio Resident Educator Transition Program
You have received a communications regarding the program that replaces Praxis 3.  Basic information was given at the Plenary.   A fax was sent out on August 25th, along with a mailing that gives directions for mentor teachers.   Mentors will need new training for this program regardless of whether they went through Pathwise training.  They will need to register through STARS for the training that will be conducted by ODE in the fall.  Mentors and beginning teachers will also need to register for our first meeting by going to the following link:  http://oce-ocs.org/oce/register/.  The meetings are conducted regionally so they should only register for one session.  

Reminder for Teacher Information Sheets
We useInformation Sheets to update the database.  Teachers, administrators, and educational aides should review these sheets. If you have a teacher who is no longer employed, please mark on top of the sheet “No longer employed.”  Contracts and Teacher Information Sheets can be turned in at the September 16th Principal Meeting.


Reminder for LPDC representatives and chairpersons:
Please register for the fall in-service by going to the following link: http://oce-ocs.org/oce/register/

Continuing Learning Should the H1N1 Flu Affect Your School

The U.S. Department of Education has provided this week some detailed suggestions about continuing student learning during both the seasonal and H1N1 flu seasons. The USCCB wants to make sure all of you are aware of these so that you can assist your school to plan how learning will continue for individual students who may be home for an extended period of time or for whole school communities if you should close your school.  Since some individual teachers can also be expected to become ill, planning ahead will facilitate their ability to continue instruction.
 
The new recommendations for continuing learning can be found at http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/pandemic/index.html
under Continuity of learning during school dismissals.  There are both detailed recommendations and a Q&A for school leaders and teachers.
 
Recommendations range from preparing take-home assignments in advance to using the Internet and conference calls to give homework assignments, conduct classes, and communicate with students, parents, and other teachers.
 
We hope you will find these resources helpful as you continue planning for health-related emergencies that may occur during this school year.
 

Point of Clarification re: OCEA

The Ohio Catholic Educational Association Convention is gearing up and promises to be one of the best ever. We hope to see many of you at the Duke Energy Center in Cincinnati, October 8-9, 2009. All is proceeding as planned. We are very pleased with the keynote speaker at this year’s program, Dr. Mike Carotta. We strongly encourage you to attend to support both the Catholic Conference and the Cleveland Catholic educators who are presenting this year.

There is ANOTHER convention called the "OCEA." It's the Ohio Christian Education Association's convention, and it has a Web site: ocea.org. This OCEA has been postponed -- which its Web site announces – in headlines.

 

Catechetical Sunday

The theme for this year's Catechetical Sunday (September 20th) is Catechesis and the Proclamation of the Word. In an effort to encourage everyone's participation, many of the materials that had previously only been available for sale, are now obtainable at no cost. You can download many of the resources free of charge at Catechetical Sunday 2009 Web site. Currently they are only available in English but a Spanish version is coming soon.

 

We Are Called Catechetical Conference

The annual We Are Called Catechetical Conference will be held on Saturday, October 24, 2009 at Regina High School in South Euclid from 8am to 1pm. This year the focus of the conference is on current, updated and useful information and resources to assist parish catechists and day school teachers, grades kindergarten through grade 8 in their ministry with children. Visit the We Are Called Web pages for more information.

 

Correction to Date of Advent Workshop

The flyer you received at Plenary for the Advent Workshop has an incorrect date. The workshop scheduled for St. Richard should be November 14 not November 7 as listed. The revised flyer is posted on the Web site: www.oce-ocs.org/ocs

 

New Youth Helping Catholic Charities Program!
Materials pertaining to the newly re-vamped Youth Helping Catholic Charities Program were distributed at the August 14th Plenary meeting.  If you are in need of additional materials, please visitwww.clevelandcatholiccharities.orgfor details.  Schools are asked to reply via the postcard included in the packet to indicate if they will be participating in the program for the 2009-2010 school year.  Contact Celeste Cappotto (ccappotto@cdcf.orgor 216.696.6525 ext. 1049) for further details.

 

January Thaw

The twelfth annual “January Thaw: Fire Up” Conference is scheduled for Saturday, January 23, 2010, at Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron. This catechetical conference is sponsored by the Southern Area Catechetical Leaders of the Diocese of Cleveland in association with the Diocesan Office of Catechetical Services. Dr. Michael Carotta, author and nationally renowned speaker will keynote. The conference offers over 20 sessions for Parish and School Catechetical Leaders, Youth Ministers, Catechists, Teachers, RCIA Teams, and interested adult Catholics, plus a 2-session retreat option.

 

A brochure with registration information will be included in the December Memorandum and online at www.oce-ocs.org/ocs. Please note that registration is limited and will be processed on a first-come first-served basis.

 

For additional information, call the Southern Area Office of Catechetical Services at 330.773.7621 or contact pflaherty@dioceseofcleveland.org.

 

Cleveland Clinic expressions™ for High School Students

Another school year is almost upon us, which can only mean one thing – the return of Cleveland Clinic eXpressions™: the award-winning line of FREE educational programs that utilizes creative expression and peer-to-peer learning to engage high school students in the world of scientific research!
 
Teacher enrollment is currently underway for the Art and Language programs. Simply visit www.clevelandclinic.org/eXpressionsART or www.clevelandclinic.org/eXpressionsLANGUAGE and click on the Teacher Registration tab. Registration deadline is September 11 .
 
To find out if your school had a student participate in a 2009 Cleveland Clinic internship, simply click on the 2009 Interns tab. Interns are listed alphabetically by school. All of the interns attended an eXpressions™ workshop over the summer and should be expecting their schools’ art and language arts teachers to be contacting them to schedule in-class research presentations.
 
If your school does not have a 2009 intern (and, therefore, does not have someone at your school who can deliver a research presentation to your class), the 2009 season of mRi™: myRESEARCH illuminated will provide online access to 5 intern research projects. This award-winning, student-produced series spotlights 5 research interns and their summer projects. This season’s research topics include: Sleep Apnea and Treatment Equipment; Premature Infants and Respiratory Distress Syndrome; Oncology Outcomes of Laparoscopic Liver Surgery; Blood Transfusions: The Patient Experience; and the Roll of AICD in Alzheimer’s Disease. The 2009 season, which you’ll be able to access at www.clevelandclinic.org/mRi, will be posted by September 1.
 
This year’s submission deadline for Art and Language is November 11. For a full list of submission guidelines, visit: http://survey.ccf.org/survey/TakeSurvey.asp?PageNumber=1&SurveyID=7408646K565612.

 

Diocesan Tuition Assistance (DTA)

The DTA process has two deadlines:  March 1 and June 1.  If you are requesting a family to complete and submit a PSAS application at this time, please be sure to tell them it is only for consideration of Local Tuition Assistance (LTA).  The 2009-2010 DTA process is closed.  If you do not have an LTA program, or if your funds are depleted, then do not have the family complete and submit the PSAS at this time. The 2010-2011 DTA process will open at the end of January 2010.  Questions:  Call Judy Nakasian at ext. 3250 or Jan Ravas at ext. 2830.

CEET Emergency Fund  

The Emergency Fund (EF) is available any time during the school year for families who encounter a crisis that makes it very difficult for them to make tuition payments.  A crisis is defined as any one of these, but not limited to:  extended job loss, terminal illness, disability, desertion of the family by either spouse, death or serious illness of the principal wage-earner, and loss of home especially if coupled with unemployment. The EF is not intended as a replacement or substitute for the PSAS/DTA process.  If a family missed the DTA deadlines, that is not a reason to apply for the EF.  If you have questions or need an EF application for one of your families, call Jan Ravas at ext. 2830.  

 

Ohio Value-Added Conference Scheduled September 23
Harnessing the Power of Data to Accelerate Student Progress is the theme for a one-day conference sponsored by Battelle for Kids on September 23. The conference will provide educators information on how to use value-added information to explore new educational frontiers for school improvement by focusing on the use of data. Ohio practitioners and national experts will share strategies and resources available to improve teaching and accelerate student progress.

For more details and registration information, click here < http://www.battelleforkids.org/Professional_Development/Conferences/Ohio_Value_Added_Conference.html> or call 614.481.3141.
 
Resources Available for Celebrating Constitution Day on September 17
Each year, schools across the country help students understand the importance of the U.S. Constitution by observing Constitution Day on September 17. All educational institutions that receive federal funding are required to plan an education program each year to celebrate the September 17, 1787, signing of the U. S. Constitution.
 
A number of resources are available to help you plan Constitution Day activities, including:

  • The National Constitution Center < http://www.constitutioncenter.org/>, an independent, non-partisan, and non-profit organization dedicated to increasing public understanding of, and appreciation for, the Constitution, its history, and its contemporary relevance;
  • Constitution Day, Inc. < http://www.constitutionday.com/>, whose mission is to perpetuate the Constitution to each succeeding generation;
  • The National Archives and Records Administration < http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/constitution-day/>, which celebrates Constitution Day by presenting activities, lesson plans and information pertaining to the Constitution;
  • The U.S. Department of Education’s Web site Federal Resources for Educational Excellence < http://www.free.ed.gov/subjects.cfm?subject_id=19>, which contains information from more than 30 federal agencies on federally supported teaching and learning resources available to teachers; and
  • The Library of Congress < http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/bdsds/bdsdhome.html>, which preserves valuable federal records including documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789.

Note: You also may find this document online at http://education.ohio.gov by searching keywords: EdConnection.

CURRICULUM WORKSHOPS!

Don’t miss the opportunity to attend the mapping professional development sessions planned in September. Please refer to the list below for dates, locations and times and register online at: http://www.oce-ocs.org/oce/register/

 

Principals - Curriculum Mapping with Margaret Searle

Thursday, September 10, 2009 8:00a.m.–2:00p.m. St. Michael’s Woodside

  • Learn time management tips to make your job easier!
  • Learn how to motivate your teachers to be their best.
  • Learn how to make curriculum mapping successful in your school:
    • Review purpose of mapping & quality maps
    • Align activities to assessments
    • Share techniques for finding time to map
    • Lead your staff in a read through
    • Practice a read through

ATLAS - System Administrator Training

Thursday, September 17, 2009 3:00p.m.–4:00p.m. at Corporate College East

System Administrator training is for those who have basic knowledge of the Atlas program but want to know how to change names, reset passwords, add courses, and more. Every school is required to have at least one person per school trained as a system administrator. If your school has had a change in faculty and you need a new system administrator, this is the session for you. If you have previously been trained, you do not need to attend again.

 

ATLAS - Analytical Tools Training

Thursday, September 17, 2009 4:00p.m.–7:00p.m. at Corporate College East

This training will focus on using the analytical tools offered on Atlas. Analytical tools include scope and sequence reports, standards profiling, and analyzing assessment data. Recommended for administrators, department chairs, and curriculum leaders.

 

Curriculum Mapping – New Teachers

Friday, September 18, 2009 8:00a.m.–2:30p.m. at Corporate College East

For teachers or administrators new to mapping, or for those looking for a refresher on the basics!

  • Aimed at orienting new teachers to mapping
  • Learn the basics of the Atlas software
  • Teachers must bring materials to develop a unit (lesson plans, curriculum, etc.)

Curriculum Mapping for Teachers with Margaret Searle

Thursday, September 24, 2009 8:00a.m.–2:30p.m. – East at Normandy Party Center

Friday, September 25, 2009 8:00a.m.–2:30p.m. –West and South at St. Michael’s Woodside

Review with Margaret Searle the importance and purpose of curriculum mapping:

  • Review what makes a quality map
  • Discuss different types of assessments
  • Align skills with quality assessments
  • Learn the importance of communicating with your colleagues