Office of
Catholic Schools
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In this season of Advent and Christmas to come may you be filled with the wonder of Mary, the obedience of Joseph, the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds, the determination of the magi, and the peace of the Christ Child. Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit bless you now and forever. Amen.
Merry Christmas!
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Our diocesan offices will be closed beginning at 12:15 p.m. on Friday, December 21st, 2018, through Tuesday, January 1st, 2019. The offices will re-open on Wednesday, January 2nd, 2019.
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Safety Plans Due For All WCRIS Schools Jan. 1
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State law requires all schools to submit a safety plan by January 1, 2019, to the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of School Safety. This requirement includes schools that submitted a plan with a safety grant application in July 2018.
The school safety plan must include the following information:
An individualized safety plan for each school building and facility that is regularly occupied by pupils. The individualized safety plan shall include any real property related to the school building or facility that is regularly occupied by pupils.
General guidelines specifying procedures for emergency prevention and mitigation preparedness, response and recovery.
Process for reviewing the methods for conducting safety drills required to comply with the plan.
In addition to the school safety plan, schools must submit information about school safety drills and communications with local law enforcement agencies.
You can find more information about what to include
here
or on page 58-59 of the 2018-2019 WCRIS Legal Handbook.
WCRIS member schools received a hard copy of the handbook by US mail in June. The handbook is available online in the
WCRIS member portal
.
To learn how to submit your school safety plan, go
here.
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Free School Threat Assessment Training
The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of School Safety is hosting a School Threat Assessment Conference on March 18-19, 2019, at the Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva.
This is a free event and counts toward the required Threat Assessment Team training for the second round of school safety grants. Only one member of your School Safety Intervention Team (SSIT) needs to attend. Please remember that you must train your SSIT by August 31, 2019. For more information about the SSIT requirements, please refer to page 10 of the
School Safety Grant Guide
.
This event is open to all educators and school-based behavioral health professionals, regardless of whether or not the school received a safety grant.
The hotel offers a limited amount of blocked rooms at $82 a night.
Sign up
here
to reserve a limited seat.
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2019 WCRIS Leadership Conference Registration
- Save the Date!
- Friday, March 8, 2019, at the Ingleside Hotel (formerly the Country Springs), Pewaukee.
- Early-bird rate: $175
- Early-bird Group rate: $155
- Individual rate: $195
- Group rate: $175
- Late/Non-Member: $250
- Early bird ends on January 11, 2019.
- Registrations after February 23 are considered late.
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Budget
As you begin working on your budgeting process, please consider
WCRIS Dues at $4.00 per students for the 2019-2020 SY and 2020-2021 SY.
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Preparing for ACRE in March . . .
Helping Catholic schools and parishes assess how well their religious education programs are forming committed Christian disciples. The NCEA IFG: ACRE edition is based on the Catholic Church’s expectations for an organic, systematic, and comprehensive education in Christian discipleship. Currently, it is the only tool that provides national scores for comparison and processes for tracking religious education program data over time.
What hasn't changed: Bishop Ricken's directive that all Catholic schools and parish Religious Education programs administer the ACRE assessment annually during the month of March.
What has changed: Mostly answer sheets.
Read a
summary
of what's changed and what hasn't.
or
Go directly to the
NCEA
site and read all about it!
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Many schools have requested ideas on how to promote their participation in the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program. Here are some ideas:
Notify all families that your school participates or is going to be participating in the Wisconsin Choice program for the 2019-2020 school year. The letter should be signed by your Pastor and if you do not have one, your Pastoral Leader. A sample is included in the Google Doc drive.
Host an open house to promote your school to potential students and their parents.
Conduct interviews with local newspaper, radio and television shows to discuss how Wisconsin Choice can benefit area families.
Post information, photos, and testimonials about your school on social media, each day during National School Choice Week (January 20-January 26). (Use #schoolchoice in your posts!)
Choice Training Support
On Wednesday, December 19th the School Team will be hosting a Choice Roundtable for all prospective, new and current Choice Administrators and/or Principals to discuss how the Diocese will support the Choice program and provide a framework for understanding the procedures and reporting required by DPI and WISE. The meeting will be at the Diocese from 10:00 -12:00 in Bona Hall Room 239. Please RSVP to Lori Paul if you are planning on attending.
Participating in Choice Matters
Some schools are still deciding if participating in Choice will make a difference. According to the Council for American Private Education that answer is YES! According to data released by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), “Student enrollment in Wisconsin’s three private school parental choice programs showed a one-year increase of about 8.7 percent.” However, the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program, which serves Wisconsin residents who do not live in Milwaukee or Racine, saw a dramatic 57% increase in student enrollment, and now boasts 7,140 students attending 213 private schools, up from 154 schools last year. “Across the three programs, 39,381 students received a voucher to attend one of the 279 participating private schools in the 2018-2019 school year. This is an increase of 3,164 students and 43 schools compared to the prior school year.”
Now do the Math to determine how much money private schools received:
3164 students x $7000 (approximately) in Choice Revenue = $22,148,000 that was received by 213 private schools.
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We want to spotlight your National School Choice Week celebration!
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We can help you draw positive attention to your organization and community.
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Schools currently in the program will automatically continue the 2019 WECAN program. You will be receiving an invoice soon. The fee has increased 50% from 2018. Per WECAN, "Significant time and money have been invested into the the system redesign." If you wish to discontinue WECAN, please notify
[email protected]
.
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2000 Book Give-Away
Action needed by December 21
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The Ahrens Education group is giving away 2000 books to the schools that get the most teachers to share their contact information by December 21. We are logged in as a diocese (district). Please register for Diocese of Green Bay and put your school name.
Teachers register
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NCEA Convention - April 23-25
Please take a look at the
preliminary conference materials
. You may want to pay special attention to the mini-conference on Early Childhood. We have gathered prices for a day trip. The bus would need to leave by around 4:15 AM. If we fill a 36 passenger bus, the cost would be approximately $60 per person. The day we would go is Wednesday, April 24. An interest form will be sent out in the January update.
Early Bird registration
for NCEA is now. You can use Title Funds for this event.
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Sophia Institute - Save the Date
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The Sophia Institute will once again sponsor faith formation for our teachers. The topic will be Theology of the Body. We hope that all religion teachers, especially 6-12 grade teachers and those who teach aspects of human biology would have foundational knowledge of ToB. Sophia Institute has set aside
June 11
and
October 3
for this important formation. The October 3 date is part of our Catechists training day.
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We have set aside the afternoon of January 10 from 1:00-3:30 at the Diocesan office to meet with music and band teachers. The meeting is to discuss standards and benchmarks, share best practices and best resources. Please
fill out the form
in order that we know how to plan. If you are part of a system, please check with your administrator as they may want to send one person to represent the system.
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The Consultation Process: A Review
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Register for this FREE Webinar!
The Consultation Process:
Getting a Handle on Funding
presented by Michelle Doyle
Wednesday, December 19, 2018, at 4:00 PM EST
The consultation process is explained in two places in ESSA: for Title I specifically, and for all other programs providing equitable services in Title VII. One aspect of consultation that significantly impacts whether or not private school students are being offered equitable services is funding.
This webinar will look at funding for Titles I, IIA, III, and IVA, and how the funding topics can be discussed during the consultation process. Tools will be offered to assist participants in obtaining accurate and useful funding information about available funds and how best to use those funds to serve eligible students. This information can assist private school leaders in meaningful participation in consultation with the public school district.
Join Us for the Complete 2018-19 Webinar Series
All webinars will be held at 4:00 PM EST.
Registration information will be emailed to you two weeks prior to webinar date.
·
January 29, 2019
(new date)
:
New ESSA Guidance, Part 1
·
February 12, 2019:
New ESSA Guidance, Part 2
·
March 12, 2019:
The Consultation Process: Developing & Using a Needs Assessment Effectively
·
April 9, 2019
:
The Consultation Process: Effective Use of ESSA Strategies & Safeguards to Ensure Equitable Participation
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Wisconsin has great resources for all teachers. Pass along to teachers to check out them out.
BadgerLink
online resource library for Wisconsin residents
WIMediaLab
Sign up for their newsletter to get information about content. Use your library card to access.
WISELearn
- Get access to lesson plans (you integrate the faith) and professional development resources.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR - SITA Dates 2019 - This year the Summer Instructional Technology Academy will be July 30, 31 and August 1 at St. Norbert College.
Messy Parenting is a great podcast to share with families. The podcast has wonderful ideas that equip parents to be the primary educators of their children. All done in a convenient 21st century medium. Areas of focus include, Strengthening Marriage, Transforming Parenting, Developing Family Culture.
MARKETING MATERIALS
Please remember that if you are interested in having any of the new marketing folders or Open House invitations to please let Lori Paul know by Wednesday, December 19th. The cost per personalized folder is $.47! That means you can order 100 beautiful folders for $47.00! These make great handouts for Catholic Schools Week and new families!!!
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Good News in Our Catholic Schools
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One of our Roncalli High School students shared her video about gratitude. Take some time to enjoy and contemplate all the blessings God gives.
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Congratulations to Principal Scott Vanderloop at St. Nicholas in Freedom on the birth of his daughter Briar Hope! That makes 3 daughters in the Vanderloop house! We will be keeping Scott in our thoughts when they all become teenagers!
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Congratulations - Chilton Area Catholic School is the receipient of a $1000 from the Innovative Educator Grant offered through Wisconsin Public Service Foundation. They will use the funds for their Destination Imagination teams.
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Congratulation -
Holy Cross Catholic School, Green Bay, has received a $3,000 grant from the Green Bay Packers Foundation for the Holy Cross Going Green program. The Green Bay Packers Foundation and the annual grants are part of the Green Bay Packers Give Back program.
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Thank you from St. John Food Pantry for sharing at our Catholic Schools Mass in October (
attached PDF
)
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Office of Catholic Schools
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