Be His Heart in the World

WEDNESDAY WOW!

Weekly Update from the Catholic Schools Office

September 30, 2026

Dear Pastors, Principals and EEC Directors,

Last week, I had the great privilege of attending the beatification of Blessed Fulton Sheen in St. Louis. It was a beautiful and deeply moving celebration of our Catholic faith, a powerful reminder that we are part of something so much greater than ourselves: one holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church, united in Christ.

One of the great joys of the day was seeing students from St. Pius X High School and St. Michael the Archangel High School among those gathered for this historic occasion. What a blessing for our young people to witness the Church in such a profound way! Looking across the thousands of faithful gathered together, alongside religious sisters, seminarians, deacons, priests, bishops, archbishops, and cardinals, was truly awe-inspiring. So many vocations, generations, and walks of life were united by one faith and one mission.

Moments like this renew our sense of purpose in Catholic education. Each day, in our schools, parishes, and early childhood centers, we have the sacred privilege of helping young people encounter Christ and discover how God is calling them to use their lives in service to Him and to one another.

May Blessed Fulton Sheen, who so beautifully and courageously proclaimed the Gospel throughout his life, inspire each of us to be joyful witnesses of Christ and to “Be His Heart in the World.”

Blessings,

Karen

SEPTEMBER - WISDOM

"For the Lord gives wisdom, from his mouth come knowledge and understanding." - Proverbs 2:6

Reflective Goal: Seeking divine guidance to discern priorities amidst early-year busyness. Weighing short-term operational fixes against long-term spiritual and educational growth for the school community.

September 30: Exercise restraint in speech and written communication, especially during high-stress moments. (This is so important – we have this focus for two weeks) Whenever you draft an email or response while feeling frustrated, anxious, or pressed for time, save it as a draft without filling in the "To" field. Force a mandatory 24-hour cooling-off period before reviewing, editing, and sending it.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

News, updates & reminders

CONGRATULATIONS

ST. JOHN LALANDE CATHOLIC SCHOOL!

We are excited to congratulate St. John LaLande Catholic School on being recognized as a Newman Guide School! This recognition reflects the school community’s strong commitment to providing an authentically Catholic education rooted in faith, academic excellence, and the formation of students as disciples of Christ.

Congratulations to Father Sean McCaffery, Susan Martin, and the entire St. John LaLande faculty, staff, students, families, and parish community on this wonderful achievement. We are grateful for the many ways you continue to let your light shine and witness to the mission of Catholic education!

St. John LaLande Newman Guide Press Release

Schools interested in learning more about the Newman Guide recognition process or exploring the possibility of pursuing this designation are encouraged to reach out to the Catholic Schools Office. We would be happy to provide additional information and support as you discern whether this opportunity is a good fit for your school community.

DIOCESAN 2026 PD DAY

SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS LUNCH OPTION

ORDER DUE THIS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2026

Dear Principals and Directors:

We will be ordering boxed sandwich lunches from Grandma's Catering for 2026 PD Day. There will be 3 sandwich options, ham, turkey, or roast beef. A few of each kind will be at each location and it will be first come, first serve for choice of sandwich.

For those who have special dietary needs, such as gluten free or vegetarian, there will be a garden salad option. Employees that do not have special dietary needs will receive one of the boxed sandwich lunches. The salad option is only for those with special dietary needs, not as a choice for all employees.

You will need to speak to each of your employees and see if they have one of these special dietary needs requiring a salad as their lunch instead of a sandwich. For these employees that need a salad due to their dietary needs, please provide the name of the employee and the location they will be attending by completing the form below no later than Friday, October 2, 2026.

2026 PD Day Lunch Request for Special Dietary Needs

DIOCESAN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY

Preparation and Guidelines for Diocesan Professional Development Day

The upcoming Diocesan Professional Development Day for our K–12 teachers and staff will focus on the Diocesan Curriculum Standards.

During last April's Principal and Director Meeting, leadership collaborated to develop targeted discussion questions for each grade level and subject area. To ensure our faculty and staff are fully prepared for these collaborative sessions, please share the following information and discussion prompts with your respective grade-level teams.

Kindergarten - 2nd grades Preparation Information

3rd - 5th grades Preparation Information

6th - 8th grades Preparation Information

9th -12th grades Preparation Information

Kindergarten -12th grades Specials Preparation Information

Please see the updated PD Day Principal/Director Assignment Schedule HERE.

Please click the PD Schedule for the Day below that gives important information for you to relay to your faculty and staff in preparation for the day.

Diocesan PD Day Schedule & Information

BEGINNING TEACHER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

All new teachers should be enrolled in the Beginning Teacher Assistance Program (B-TAP) through DESE. This is needed to obtain their professional certification!

Click the link below for more information.

B-TAP

LUMEN ACCREDITATION TASK #1

Dear Principals and Directors,

Thank you to everyone who has begun working on Lumen Accreditation Task #1. I understand how demanding this season is and how tight the timelines can feel. Your time and effort are greatly appreciated.

Because our overall progress feeds into the Diocesan Accreditation report, our final target is to have all three core tasks—the NSBECS Self-Reflection, Surveys, and Discernment—completed across all schools by the end of March 2027.

Please note that October 10th is a benchmark, not a hard cutoff. If you cannot fully complete the first three standards by October 10th, that is completely fine. The goal is to make steady progress over the next six months so that everything is finalized by late March, allowing the Diocesan Team time to compile our collective report.

Regarding Artifacts & Evidence Uploads:

Yes, evidence uploads are required.
You do not need to start from scratch. You are encouraged to reuse documentation from your previous MNSAA accreditation visit. For example, if you uploaded your Mission Statement to your Google Folder for Standard 1 during the last cycle, you can upload that same file directly into Lumen.
Gathering and uploading this evidence now will save your team significant time when preparing for your upcoming site visit.
If you need me to re-share your previous accreditation folder, please let me know and I will be happy to assist.

As a reminder, this process is designed to be collaborative—please do not hesitate to delegate tasks to your school leadership team or committee members.

Thank you again for your dedication and leadership. If you need support along the way, please reach out to Karen Hopson.

BIST ADMINISTRATOR NETWORKING

BIST is offering virtual sessions on components of BIST that can assist your staff, students and families.

Click the link below for information and registration.

BIST Administrator Networking

FEDERAL FUNDING FRIDAYS

Catapult Learning is offering Federal Funding Fridays, a free virtual series designed specifically for religious school leaders. With just four sessions, each aligned with the federal funding calendar, these sessions will help school leaders better understand and navigate available federal programs and funding opportunities.

All sessions are free and held via Zoom, making it easy to participate from wherever you are!

Click below to learn more, explore the topics covered, and register for these valuable sessions.

Federal Funding Fridays - Catapult Learning

NONPUBLIC REGISTRATION OPENS OCTOBER 1, 2026

The nonpublic registration portal will open on October 1, 2026. To minimize errors and provide training, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will host two webinars on Thursday, October 1, and highly encourages your participation.

For more information and steps for the Nonpublic Registration Form, please click below.

Nonpublic Registration Form and Instructions

The Nonpublic Registration Form must be submitted no later than Monday, November 30, 2026 by 11:59 p.m.

Please contact Rebecka if you have any questions.

VIRTUS MONTHLY BULLETINS UPDATE

Fr. Ken Riley shared an update last week regarding the Virtus safe environment program and the monthly Virtus bulletins. Please click the link below for the email from Fr. Riley for further important information.

Virtus Program and Monthly Bulletins Email from Fr. Riley

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH RESOURCES

Is your school ready to celebrate? The NCEA Sueños & Success Hispanic Heritage Month Marketing Kit was designed especially for Catholic school communities. It offers meaningful and easy-to-use resources that educators can incorporate into classroom lessons, prayer, school activities, newsletters, and social media throughout the month. Inside the kit, you’ll find posters, social media graphics, prayers, faith-based reflections, classroom activities, Marian devotions, printable resources, an English-Spanish glossary, a music playlist, and more. Join Catholic schools across the country as we honor the faith, traditions, stories and dreams that enrich our communities. Click on the link for more information!

Hispanic Heritage Month Resources