Volume 8, Issue 8
November 16, 2009
Feast of St. Margaret of Scotland
Margaret of Scotland was a truly liberated woman in the sense that she was free to be herself. For her, that meant freedom to love God and serve others. Not Scottish by birth, Margaret was the daughter of Princess Agatha of Hungary and the Anglo-Saxon Prince Edward Atheling. She spent much of her youth in the court of her great-uncle, the English king, Edward the Confessor. Her family fled from William the Conqueror and was shipwrecked off the coast of Scotland. King Malcolm befriended them and was captivated by the beautiful, gracious Margaret. They were married at the castle of Dunfermline in 1070. Malcolm was good-hearted, but rough and uncultured, as was his country. Because of Malcolm’s love for Margaret, she was able to soften his temper, polish his manners and help him become a virtuous king. He left all domestic affairs to her and often consulted her in state matters.
Margaret tried to improve her adopted country by promoting the arts and education. For religious reform, she instigated synods and was present for the discussions which tried to correct religious abuses common among priests and lay people, such as simony, usury and incestuous marriages. With her husband, she founded several churches. Margaret was not only a queen, but also a mother. She and Malcolm had six sons and two daughters. Margaret personally supervised their religious instruction and other studies. Her private life was austere. She had certain times for prayer and reading Scripture. She ate sparingly and slept little in order to have time for devotions. She and Malcolm kept two Lents, one before Easter and one before Christmas. During these times she always rose at midnight for Mass. On the way home she would wash the feet of six poor persons and give them alms. She was always surrounded by beggars in public and never refused them. It is recorded that she never sat down to eat without first feeding nine orphans and 24 adults. In 1093, King William Rufus made a surprise attack on Alnwick castle. King Malcolm and his oldest son, Edward, were killed. Margaret, already on her deathbed, died four days after her husband. (From AmericanCatholic.org)
Message from the Secretary for Education/Superintendent
I hope you enjoyed the time at Sawmill as much as I did. Matthew Kelly and Dr. Todd Whitaker both inspired me with the life lessons each of them presented in their own style. (The piece above on St. Margaret of Scotland will remind you of the seven things Matthew Kelly said we should all do to be the best version of ourselves. St. Margaret did them.) Father Neil Walters energized us at Liturgy. What inspiration the Saint Joseph Academy Cecilia’s Song A Capella and Handbell Choirs gave us all! As usual the stars came out for karaoke, especially the Newbies! I know that some of you had to miss the conference for family emergencies and other good reasons. It is my hope that future conferences will be blest with everyone’s presence. It is a graced time for you to connect in prayer, socially, and professionally. My thanks to all of you who made the conference special by your presence and participation!
On behalf of the Office of Catholic Education,
I offer this prayer for you.
(Closing Prayer given at Sawmill, 2009)
May you find in each day moments when you step back
and see the view from beyond your daily crowded world.
May you love people and use things.
May you grow smarter and healthier as you pursue your goals.
May you find times to visit the classroom of silence.
May you write “Catholic” on your resume and be a reflection of your lived faith.
May you clarify your dreams and be persons of possibility.
May your expectations for yourself be higher than your expectations for others.
May you fast, pray, worship, sacrifice and be sustained by reading the book God wrote.
May you be sustained by the Word, as you become the best version of yourself.
God bless you.
Amen.
I wish for you and your school community a Blessed Thanksgiving
and a grace-filled beginning of the season of Advent.
School Safety Workshop
Registration is now open for the daylong school safety workshop being held in Columbus, Ohio on February 11, 2010. The training is from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. and will be conducted by Dennis Lewis a nationally recognized authority on implementing best practices in school safety. The training will be held at the Holiday Inn and Suites Airport Hotel in Columbus, located at 750 Stelzer Road. Lunch is being provided and each attendee will receive a number of templates and resources including the newest school safety handbook authored by Dennis and co-published with the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). Many of you may be familiar with the presenter through his contributions to Principal Leadership Magazine. Dennis was the co-author of the monthly series, Safety Tips for Principals. With the deteriorating economy, schools are seeing increases in aggressive behavior in adults and students, partially due to the situational poverty some families are experiencing for the first time. School should expect additional security issues related to theft and other property crimes related to the economy. This workshop is an opportunity for those responsible for school safety/security to receive the latest information on strategies and practices for maintaining a safe school climate and protecting students and staff.
Workshop topics include:
Managing Student Threats of Violence
Bullying Prevention
Classroom Safety Audits
Creating User Friendly Emergency Management Plans
Access Control and Visitor Check-in Practices
Planning Security for Field Trips, Extra-curricular Activities, and Other Events
Best Practices for Emergency Drills
The cost is $134.00 for the first attendee and $114.00 for subsequent registrants from the same organization. Group discounts are available for teams of six or more.
To obtain additional information or to register, please contact the event coordinator at 417.880.5895. This event has limited seating due to the interactive nature of the training.
Universe Bulletin Tabloid for Catholic Schools Week
This school year Catholic Schools Week is scheduled for January 31- February 6, 2010. The week’s theme is Catholic Schools: Dividends for Life. As in the past, the Catholic Universe Bulletin is designing a tabloid for the week. David Sarosy, Advertising Manager of the Universe Bulletin, will be sending you a communication requesting that you advertise your school in the CSW Tabloid. I encourage you to participate in the UB advertising campaign by purchasing an ad.
When you receive David’s communication, please consider purchasing an advertisement. If you have questions, contact David at 216.696.6525 or 800.869.6525 extension 2610. Thank you for your continued cooperation in making this tabloid an annual success.
Catechist Certification
When submitting an application for Basic, Advanced, or Master Certification or Renewal, please allow 4-6 weeks for processing. Thank you!
John Carroll University Spring Graduate Courses Offered By the Department of Religious Studies
Consider taking one of the four evening Religious Studies graduate courses being offered at John Carroll University this spring. Remember that your 33% teacher development scholarship applies to these classes.
Introduction to Systematic Theology (RL 430),
Monday 6:30 – 9:15pm,
Professor Joan M. Nuth
Historical Jesus (RL 506),
Wednesday 6:30 – 9:15pm,
Professor Sheila E. McGinn
Justice in Love, Sex, and Violence (RL 569),
Thursday 6:30 – 9:15pm,
Professor Thomas Schubeck, S.J.
Classics in Spirituality: C.S. Lewis and Thomas Merton (RL 573)
Tuesday 6:30 – 9:15pm,
Professor Doris Donnelly
Register online at http://www.jcu.edu/graduate.
For further information, please call the Department of Religious Studies at 216.397.4708 or email religion@jcu.edu.
Attention All Principals – HighSchoolApplicationPackets
High school application packets for this year have been mailed to all schools. These documents including the timeline, application and schedule have the most recent updates. Please use this version when making the necessary copies for your eighth grade students. If needed, additional copies can be found on our Web site at http://oce-ocs.org/oceunder Administrators – Elementary and Secondary Downloadable Documents. Please feel free to contact Wayne Uehlein at ext. 2450 or Sandy Williams at ext. 4990 if we can assist you in any way in this process.
Stop The Hate: Youth Speak Out!
The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage is offering its Stop The Hate: Youth Speak Out! Scholarship Contest again this year. It should be particularly appealing to anyone who is a parent of 11th and 12th graders because there are three scholarship prizes (up to $50,000, $25,000 and $15,000 over four years at an Ohio college or university)! The contest is open to students from any school (including home-schooled) in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Summit counties. Students can submit their 500-word essays on line. For more information including deadlines, contest rules and entry form please visit http://www.mmjh.org.
Women and Spirit Display Coming to the Maltz Museum
Here is some truly GOOD NEWS to share! It is now official that the “Women and Spirit” display is coming to the Cleveland Diocese and will be housed at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage. The dates are from May 9, 2010 to August 28, 2010. This will give many opportunities for the people of this area to share the blessings and contributions of religious women throughout the history of the United States, but also, very specifically, the role of our communities in the Cleveland, Ohio area, in the past, and especially now in the present.
H1N1
There is a correction relative to the information in the October Bulletin on H1N1. The County Board of Health believes there is not enough scientific evidence to support the suggestions that were given about using a salt rinse. We are encouraged to follow the suggestions given by the CDC as the main ways to keep from getting sick with the flu at school and at home: 1) Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands often with soap and water especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective. 2) Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder, not into your hands. 3) Stay home if you or your child is sick for at least 24 hours after there is no longer a fever or sign of a fever (without the use of fever-reducing medicine). 4) Get your family vaccinated for seasonal flu and 2009 H1N1 flu when vaccines are available.
Action Alerts/Bulletin Inserts Regarding Budget Cuts to Catholic School Students
The Catholic Conference of Ohio grants permission and strongly encourages duplication and distribution of the following:
Bulletin/Handout Inserts
Action Alert on School Cuts for General Parish/Community Publication(two pages) Color Alert for general publication http://www.ohiocathconf.org/I/ED/edactionalert1009/cgeneralschoolactalertbudget1009.pdf
Black & white Alert for general publication http://www.ohiocathconf.org/I/ED/edactionalert1009/bwgeneralschoolactalertbudget1009.pdf
Action Alert on School Cuts for Distribution to Catholic School Parents (two pages) Color Alert for Catholic school distribution http://www.ohiocathconf.org/I/ED/edactionalert1009/cparentactalertbudget1009.pdf
Black & white Alert for Catholic school distribution
http://www.ohiocathconf.org/I/ED/edactionalert1009/bwparentactalertbudget1009.pdf
This Distribution to Catholic School Parents Alert includes a signature page that we ask parents to sign and either return to their Catholic school or send directly to their elected officials. Alerts returned to their school will be given to the Catholic Conference of Ohio for distribution to the appropriate elected officials.
Links to ODE Web Site for State Scholarship Programs
These links to the Ohio Department of Education Web site are excellent sources of information about two “voucher” programs that affect a large number of students in Cleveland non-public schools and in non-public schools throughout the State of Ohio.
School administrators, parents and other interested individuals will find information about the application period and the steps to take to apply. Information regarding student eligibilityfor either program, and lists of non-public schools where applicants can apply for admission are also posted.
Please note that both the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program and the Ohio EdChoice Scholarship Program are state-run programs based in the Ohio Department of Education. The vouchers/scholarships are not funded by the Diocese of Cleveland.
Regarding Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program
- CSTP payments are issued to the non-public schools in three increments annually: 40%, 40% and 20%. Reconciliation occurs at the end of the school year.
Regarding the Ohio EdChoice Scholarship
- EdChoice payments are issued to the non-public schools in three increments annually: 40%, 40% and 20%. Reconciliation occurs at the end of the school year.
Winter Safety Awareness Week is November 16 to 22
Governor Strickland has proclaimed November 16 to 22 as Winter Safety Awareness Week in Ohio and is encouraging schools, businesses and families to get ready for weather emergencies. The Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness offers related resources including a school planning checklist, definitions of weather terms, and health and safety tips. More information is available at http://weathersafety.ohio.gov.
Statewide Technology Conference Offers Sessions for P-20 Educators Teachers, faculty, librarians, instructional designers, administrators, students and technicians can learn more about integrating technology into the classroom at the 2010 Ohio Educational Technology Conference Feb. 1-3, 2010, in Columbus. The conference, organized by eTech Ohio, will offer more than 450 sessions and displays to help participants encourage collaboration and learning through technology. The conference is suitable for educators from preschools, elementary and secondary schools, career centers, colleges, universities and adult education programs. The early-bird registration deadline is December 2 and final registration deadline is January 13. Visit http://www.etech.ohio.gov/conference for complete details and registration information.
Applications for International Teacher Program to Costa Rica due January 6
Full-time classroom teachers and librarians for grades 6-12 are eligible to apply for the 2010 Toyota International Teacher Program to Costa Rica. The Institute offers the program for International Education, Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. and the University of California at Santa Barbara. The two-week professional development program, scheduled for June 18 to July 3, 2010, advances environmental stewardship and global connectedness in U.S. schools and communities. The deadline for submitting the online application is January 6, 2010. For more information, click here
http://www.toyota4education.com/pmwiki.php?n=Main.WelcomeToTheToyotaInternationalTeacherProgramWiki?from=Main.HomePage. Please direct questions to MarDestinee Pérez with the Toyota International Teacher Program at (toll-free) 877.832.2457, or toyotateach@iie.org.
Young Writers Contest Deadline is January 15
The Ohioana Library Association is accepting submissions for the annual Robert Fox Award for Young Writers. The contest is open to Ohio students in grades 9-12. A total of six awards will be presented – three for prose and three for poetry. The deadline for entries is January 15. Awards will be presented during the Ohioana Book Festival on May 8, 2010. The awards were established in 2007, and honor writer Robert Fox (1943-2003), who served as the Ohio Arts Council’s first poet-in-the-schools before becoming the Council’s literary coordinator. The Ohioana Library Association is dedicated to fostering, nurturing, recognizing and promoting Ohio writers, musicians and artists, and promoting and preserving the literary legacy of Ohio. For more information and a contest entry, click here
http://www.ohioana.org/awards/rfoxaward.asp.
College Fair Planned for Hispanic Students November 12
A college fair for Hispanic students and their parents will be held November 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Cuyahoga Community College’s Metro Campus auditorium in Cleveland. Admission is free. The fair will feature a motivational speaker, a financial aid workshop and representatives of Ohio colleges and universities. The U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute, Esperanza, the Hispanic Roundtable Community Programs and the ODE Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program are co-sponsors of the event. To register and obtain parking passes, please call 216.987.5359.
Pro Orantibus Day
Next Saturday, November 21, 2009, Catholics throughout the world are encouraged to honor the cloistered and monastic life on Pro Orantibus Day (“For Those Who Pray”). It is a day of thanksgiving, solidarity and support for contemplative religious who spend their lives in total dedication to God in union with Jesus and interceding for the salvation of all.
Presently, we have three diocesan Cloistered Communities: Carmel of the Holy Family, OCD; Poor Clare Colettines, PCC; Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, PCPA.
If possible, perhaps students could send cards of appreciation to each community with an offer of prayers for them.
These are their addresses:
Carmel of the Holy Family
3176 Fairmount Boulevard
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
Poor Clare Colettines
3501 Rocky River Drive
Cleveland, OH 44111
Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration
4108 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44103
The Year for Priests Continues
Please continue to pray for priests, especially pastors who bear the responsibilities of both pastoral and administrative duties.
Let us pray:
In this Year for Priests, O God, we ask Your blessing on those You have called to priestly ministry. May they, above all, be faithful and passionate followers of Your beloved Son, Jesus.
May they be compassionate, as Jesus was, toward all who seek spiritual comfort and forgiveness. May they open wide their hearts to all in need of Your merciful embrace.
May they be teachers, as Jesus was,
Steeped in Your Word and teaching, on fire with it,
And breaking it open for all who are hungry for Your holy and transforming Word.
St. John Vianney, beloved priest of God, pray for us and for all your brother priests.
AMEN.