Surrender Prayer

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,

My memory, my understanding

And my entire will,

All I have and call my own.

You have given all to me.

To you, Lord, I return it.

Everything is yours; do with it what you will.

Give me only your love and your grace.

That is enough for me.

Amen.

.

St. Ignatius of Loyola

As Jesus prepares to enter into his Passion, we see the fully human side of him. He knows the Father's will, but His will is hard. Jesus faces excruciating pain, physical and emotional suffering, and spiritual warfare with the devil. His closest friends fall asleep, deny, and betray him. Despite all this, Jesus says, “My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass without my drinking it, your will be done!” (Matthew 26:42) Jesus chooses to take up his cross.

By comparison, our crosses seem minuscule. Yet as we carry them each day, they are heavy and burdensome. You may be facing declining enrollment, small budgets, teacher and sub shortages, or a myriad of other daily concerns. As Catholic educators, you are doing God's work. God's work is beautiful, but it can also be very difficult. Like Jesus, you may feel like there are sacrifices you don't want to make, or shouldn't have to make.

During the Triduum, take some time to focus on surrendering your crosses to God's will. What better place could it be than in His hands?

You are in our prayers every day!

Dear Catholic School Leaders,

Thank you for the work you do each day. We are grateful to you and your teams!

This update contains a lot of information. If you do not have time to read through it now, please save it in your inbox so you can refer back to it next week.

Unfortunately, we are canceling the end-of-the-year Principal/President Lunch and Meeting which was scheduled for April 20. While we will not be meeting as a large group, we would like to encourage each DASA team meet in-person for their May meeting.

The Curia will be closed beginning on Holy Thursday through Easter Monday. Jamie and I will be attending the NCEA Conference next week. We will have limited access to email but will reply as we are able. If you need immediate assistance between 4/11 - 4/14, please contact Debbie Linnane at the Office of Catholic Schools.  Phone: 920-272-8303 Email: [email protected]

Have a Blessed Holy Week and Easter Season!

The Office of Catholic Schools

Please join us in praying for the repose of the soul of

Mary Rose Perrino

Rose Mary was Principal at Catholic Central Elementary School, St. Mary’s in Greenville and St. Nicholas in Freedom. We are grateful for her commitment to Catholic education.

Obituary:

https://www.wichmannfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/rose-mary-perrino

Next editions of the Office of Catholic Schools Newsletter:

Friday, April 21

Friday, May 5

Friday, May 19

Diocese of Green Bay

Superintendent Job Posting

The Diocese of Green Bay is accepting applications for the next Superintendent. We are seeking someone who:

• Is a devout, practicing Catholic who has an in-depth familiarity with the Church’s structure and reflects official Catholic teachings and values in his or her personal and professional life.
• Has a master’s degree from an accredited institution of higher learning in Education, Business or Public Administration with a minimum of five years’ experience in Catholic school administration and three years teaching experience. A valid driver’s license is required.
• Has knowledge of school law/educational law, legal codes, precedents, government regulations (i.e. Title programs).
• Possesses excellent oral, written communications, and organizational skills,
• Has leadership - willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
• Has the ability to make administrative decisions in accordance with federal and state laws, Diocesan regulations, and school system policies and procedures.

PREFERRED:

• Degree/Certificate from Catholic Schools Leadership program desired.
• Bilingual in English/Spanish desired.
• Wisconsin School Administrator’s and/or Superintendent’s license desired.

If interested in this position, please apply at: https://www.gbdioc.org/front-page/careers

School Safety Message from WCRIS

What Your School Can Do Now

This week’s heartbreaking incident in Nashville is a reminder that school safety should always be top-of-mind. The swift response of the school and law enforcement ended the tragedy before more lives were lost, which underscores the importance of seemingly simple measures such as practicing your school safety plan, installing solid-core doors and maintaining a strong relationship with local law enforcement.

Remain vigilant and encourage your community to contact authorities or use the anonymous Speak Up Speak Out tip line to report any suspicious behavior.

To support your students, staff and parents, consult these toolkits and click here for guidance on how to talk to children about violence. It may be helpful to include these resources in your school’s newsletter.

Although the statistic of school shooting occurrences compared to U.S. school buildings is low, senseless violence in schools is an unfortunate reality. If you’re looking for ways to enhance your school’s safety, consider applying for a digital mapping grant from the Wisconsin Department of Justice Office of School Safety.

Further, WCRIS’ proposed Health and Safety grants would help private schools address school hardening, among other health and safety initiatives. Learn more on how you can support the program here.

Our prayers are with the Covenant School community. If you would like to discuss school safety resources or concerns, please contact WCRIS. We’re here to serve.

USDA and Hot Lunch Program

Last summer there were some concerns about potential requirements for new posters to be placed in school lunchrooms. We have connected with WCRIS and WILL to confirm that the information sent last year is still correct. Both confirmed there are no new updates. You may continue to participate with the Federal Hot Lunch Program.

Religious private schools are automatically exempt from Title IX if there is a conflict between Title IX and a school’s religious beliefs, according to a clarification released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Friday, August 12.

Schools do not have to preemptively submit a written request for a Title IX exemption in order to claim the exemption.

With the above in mind, the Office of Catholic Schools is advising you to do the following in regard to the Federal Hot Lunch Program:

• Do NOT seek a written religious exemption from the USDA.
• Continue to operate the program as you have done in prior years. Sign the contract, but do not red-line anything in them.
• Do NOT hang the "new" And Justice for All Posters
• If you are a school that uses the public school as a vendor for hot lunch and they ask you to put up the "new" And Justice for All Posters, please politely decline. If the public school district attaches the "new" And Justice for All Poster to a cart, or other item that they bring in, make sure that you hang a Catholic identity statement in a prominent place in the cafeteria (if you need such a statement, please contact the Office of Catholic Schools).

Just a few notes...

Do you have a teacher who would be a great mentor to new teachers?

• Mentor Training Sign up here.

Are you or any of your school teachers attending the National Catholic Education Conference in Texas this April? We would love to connect with our Diocese of Green Bay participants.

• NCEA Conference Attendees click here. (please share with attendees

SAVE THE DATES 

• Sophia Institute
• August 1: Faith & Science
• August 2: Eucharist
• Jason Evert
• August 23: Green Bay (TBD)
• August 24: SMC HS
• Pastor Principal Summit: August 16, 2023

"Sophia Institute for teachers was founded in 2013 to renew and rebuild Catholic culture through serve to Catholic education." Sophia Institute for Teachers

Each summer, the Diocese of Green Bay hosts a 2-day event for Catholic school teachers and parish catechists to attend. This is FREE to all who particpate. We are excited for the line up planned for this year.

• The Catholic Faith and Science
• Tuesday, August 1
• Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help
• Source and Summit: The Most Holy Eucharist
• Wednesday, August 2
• Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help

Seating is limited, so Sign Up NOW!

Eastern Wisconsin Instruction Technology Consortium

NWEA MAP Update

The spring MAP testing window will be open from Monday, April 3 through Friday, April 28. CRF files are due to Becky Krahn by Friday, March 17. For this year only, we are making the spring window optional.

LAST CALL - Register for

Traumatic Event Crisis Intervention Plan (TECIP)

Training Today

Tragic events within the school or parish community, such as an unexpected death, or a catastrophic disaster, have significant potential to inflict pain, turmoil, confusion, and heartache on both students and staff. With this recognition, the primary purpose of this two-day course is to introduce a flexible proactive Traumatic Event Crisis Intervention Plan (TECIP)® that can be readily implemented following exposure, either directly or indirectly, to a traumatic event.

This course will provide participants with knowledge, protocols and materials designed to facilitate (1) competent, thorough, and proactive pre-incident (traumatic event) preparation, (2) subsequent day (after students and staff have returned) deployment of crisis response team members and management of the building response, and (3) familiarity with a variety of intervention strategies and documents specifically designed to strengthen building response following a traumatic event.

There will be a training at the Diocese of Green Bay on April 24 and April 25 from 8-4. Please plan on being in attendance both days. Lunch and training materials will be provided. There is no charge for the training thanks to a grant from the Catholic Foundation. Advance registration is required. To register please go to https://connect.gbdioc.org/s3/TECIP-Training-Registration. For questions, please contact Lori Paul at [email protected] or 920-272-8318.

School Choice Information

NEW TO THE CHOICE PROGRAM(S) WORKING GROUP

We at School Choice Wisconsin understand that being new to the choice program or a new choice administrator can be confusing and daunting at times. To help alleviate some of those issues, we are creating a working group that will be meeting on the third Wednesday of each month via Zoom, March thru July, and will be held from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM on those dates. (These sessions will supplement, but do not take the place of the DPI trainings.)

General format of the sessions:

•  Important upcoming dates and what is expected of the school
•  General updates about what is going on with the choice programs
• Tips and Tricks from experts
•  Informal Q&A time

Why you should register for the working group:

•  Your school is new to the program
• You are a new choice administrator
• Succession planning (Never a bad idea for more people to understand duties and requirements)
• Networking with other choice schools and administrators
• Access to advice/guidance from experts about the program(s)

If you or someone at your school would be interested in this opportunity, click on the dates below to register for the Zoom session.

• To register for Wednesday, April 19, 2023, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM click here
• To register for Wednesday, May 17, 2023, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM click here
• To register for Wednesday, June 21, 2023, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM click here
• To register for Wednesday, July 19, 2023, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM click here

Dates to Remember:

March7-April 20, 2023

• Choice schools administer the ACT with writing for grade 11:
• Paper and pencil format: March 7, March 21, and April 11.
• Online format: March 7 - April 20. 

March 20-April 28, 2023

FORWARD Exam Window: Choice schools are required to administer the following standardized tests:

• Wisconsin Forward Exam for English Language Arts and Mathematics for grades 3-8
•  Wisconsin Forward Exam for Science for grades 4 and 8.
• Wisconsin Forward Exam for Social Studies for grades 4, 8, and 10.

PreACT Secure: Choice schools are required to administer the PreACT Secure for grades 9 and 10. 

Dear WPCP Choice Administrators, Designees, and Interested Parties,

This is a reminder that the open application period for parents to apply to the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program (WPCP) for the 2023-24 school year ends Thursday, April 20, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. 

If your school also participates in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) or the Racine Parental Choice Program (RPCP), please note that the end date for the April open application period for the MPCP and RPCP is also Thursday, April 20, 2023 at 11:59 p.m.

Each year, all students that would like to participate in the Choice program must apply using the Online Parent Application, available on the https://dpi.wi.gov/choice webpage.

• All students includes both new students and students that participated in the Choice program in the prior year.
• Parents must also provide the school(s) to which they apply proof of student eligibility including residency documentation and income documentation (if applicable). This documentation must be received by the school prior to the close of the application period in which the application is submitted via the Online Parent Application.

As a reminder, schools may check if their continuing students have applied for the Choice program for the school for the 2023-24 school year and follow up with families of continuing students that have not applied.

• Schools may view student application information for both current and prior school year(s) via the “Export to Excel” function in the Online Application System (OAS).
• Schools may compare 2022-23 and 2023-24 school year application information to determine if students that participated in the Choice program in the 2022-23 school year have applied for the 2023-24 school year.
• See the question “How can schools see in OAS if a student participated in the Choice program in the prior school year?” on pages 18-19 of the Student Eligibility and the Application Grade or Prior Year Requirement Bulletin, available on the Choice Programs: School Application Processing webpage, for additional information.
• Schools may assist parents during the application process, but schools may not submit applications on behalf of parents in the Online Parent Application. Schools may answer questions and have computers available for parents to use.

For additional Application Processing Resources, go to the Choice Programs: School Application Processing page to see the following:

• Application Process Bulletin
• Residency Documentation Bulletin
• Income Documentation Bulletin
• Application Verification and Corrections FAQ
• Student Eligibility and the Application Grade or Prior Year Requirement Bulletin

Thank you,

Private School Choice Programs for

Milwaukee (MPCP), Racine (RPCP), and Statewide (WPCP)

Department of Public Instruction (DPI)

Web site: https://dpi.wi.gov/parental-education-options/choice-programs/oas

Email: [email protected]

Toll-free Phone Number: 888-245-2732, ext. 3 

School Choice Training

The Choice Team will again be offering virtual training sessions geared towards new schools to the Choice Program for the 2022-23 school year. As we did last year, we would like to extend this opportunity to existing schools in the Choice Program who are interested in a refresher related to program requirements (see topics below). New Choice Administrators and Designees may find these training sessions particularly helpful. The dates and topics covered can be found below. The trainings will be offered via Microsoft Teams; the link to each training can be found below as well. Please note these trainings are not mandatory but encouraged.  

All times are 3:30 - 4:30 on the dates listed below:

• April 12: Summer School, Application Verifications, Choice Administrator Changes, School Information Update Forms, Designee/Admin Trainings - Click here to join the meeting

PSCP Reminder

If a school would like to end the 2022-23 school year earlier than the last day reported in the September Count Report in OAS, the school must complete the School Information Update form on the School Submitted Reports and Forms webpage notifying DPI of the request. The school must then receive prior approval from the DPI to end the last day of school earlier than what was reported on the September Count Report. Prior approval is not required if the school ends the school year on a later date than the last day identified in the September Count Report or if the school changes instructional hours on previously scheduled school days. However, schools should ensure that they still meet the hours of instruction requirements after any schedule changes are incorporated.

At any time during the school year, schools may make revisions or changes to their hours of instructions and schedule that do not impact their ability to meet program requirements and/or does not change the last day of school. These types of changes do not need to be reported to the DPI. 

NCEA Newsletter Link

Click on icon below to read the latest issue of Catholic School Matters Newsletter from NCEA and Dr. Tim Uhl. (updated link)

Office of Catholic Schools

Questions? Contact us at [email protected] or (920) 272-8273.

www.gbdioc.org/catholicschools