Move Your Feet

Greetings!

Easter blessings! As I listened to St. Peter’s letter on Sunday, I thought of each of you and the school communities in which you lead and serve, as he wrote: “Although you have not seen him…you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

For many, especially in the difficult moments we encounter in our world today, our schools serve as the nailmarks in Christ’s hands, visible signs of Christ’s hope and resurrection for those who have not yet come to see and believe.

Another visible sign of this hope came in our visit to Minneapolis over the Easter break. Kelly Surapaneni had the opportunity to visit Annunciation Catholic School, representing our schools and the solidarity you’ve exhibited with their community throughout the year. In addition to gifting the visible signs of how you all have moved your feet, we were able to share that we had made a donation of over $3,000 to their Hope and Healing Fund thanks to your participation in our Move Your Feet 5K.

Thank you for all of the many you rejoice and live the Gospel with indescribable and glorious joy.

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Our upcoming Thursday morning meetings will cover several important topics.

This Thursday, April 16, Kevin Benz, the Archdiocese's Chief Technology Officer, will join us to present on our transition to AOS Guardian — including how the transition will work for schools operating within a Google Education ecosystem.

Next Thursday, April 23, we will be joined by representatives from the King County Sexual Assault Network. Chris and Larraine will share observations on trends across our schools related to increased sexualized behavior among children, resources for identifying age-appropriate versus concerning behavior, and strategies for responding to students who may be victims as well as those displaying these behaviors. Please make this meeting a priority to attend.

In the weeks that follow, we will hear updates on diocesan leave and HR policies, and then welcome a representative from Amazon to present a cost-saving opportunity that all schools will be asked to adopt in the coming year.

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Finally, our last Principal Meeting of the year is scheduled for May 14. Archbishop Etienne is scheduled to be with us to celebrate Mass at 9:00am at the Archbishop Brunett Retreat Center. This will be an opportunity to celebrate those who will be leaving their role as principal at the end of the year as well as a chance to close our year together. Please register today!

With gratitude,

NICHOLAS FORD | Superintendent

Office for Catholic Schools | Archdiocese of Seattle

OPERATIONS CALENDAR & MONTHLY TASK LIST

Click here & log into mycatholicschool.org

Principal Weekly Meetings

4/16/2026 - IT/Archdiocese of Seattle Guardian with Kevin Benz

4/23/2026 - KCSARC with Pam Schwartz

4/30/2026 - HR Updates with Pam Schwartz

Upcoming Events

April 15, 2026

Washington State Educator Fair Tacoma

Please contact Kelly if you would like to attend this or other fairs

April 17, 2026

GRACE Spring Workshop

Archbishop Brunett Retreat Center

Click here to register

April 22, 2026

Gonzaga Educator Fair

April 23, 2026

Washington State Educator Fair: Spokane

May 14, 2026

All Principals Meeting

Archbishop Brunett Retreat Center

May 15, 2026

GRACE End of Year Meeting

Online

MISSION & CATHOLIC IDENTITY

Agape Service Project

Middle and high school students can still sign up for the Agape Service Project this summer to serve local farmworker families in Whatcom County and grow in faith and community. Registration closes on May 1. For registration information, please click here or contact Agape coordinator Jennifer Lautenbach at jennifer.lautenbach@seattlearch.org.

ACRE

Have your registered your students for ACRE? The ACRE religion assessment window for all 5th and 8th graders in the Archdiocese of Seattle is now open and closes on April 30, 2026. See registration information and register here!

2026-2027 Care Solace Registration

We are blessed to partner with the Care Solace mental health care navigation service to support the mental health care needs of our students, families, and school staff. The cost of this service for the upcoming 2026-2027 school year will remain at $4 per student and is based upon your current (Spring 2026) enrollment numbers. We invite both new and returning schools to register using this form by April 27.

ASCEND Eucharistic Revival - Student Invitation

We need your help in inviting all middle school and high school students to attend the ASCEND Eucharistic Revival on May 16th at Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue. Please click here for an invitation to share with your students, along with a special welcome video from Bishop Schuster.

Student Presentation Opportunity

Eric Reinhard is a 23 year-old Canadian Catholic recording artist seeking to schedule school performances within the Archdiocese of Seattle in mid-November, 2026. Through a dynamic blend of music and personal storytelling, Eric's live presentations address mental wellbeing from a faith-centered perspective. His events foster a welcoming, inclusive environment where students feel heard, supported, and reassured that they are not alone. Learn more here!

WSCC Catholic Advocacy Bulletin

Click here for the April WSCC Catholic Advocacy Bulletin.

GOVERNANCE & LEADERSHIP

Personnel & Policy Notes for the Week of 04/13/26

Updates this week: Important April deadlines; New employee orientation; Paycom memo; Records retention information

Click here to read more.

University BLC Program Applications

Apply Now! Deadlines are approaching for our University partners opportunities. See the list with areas for teachers, leaders, pastors and more. PACE and CSTC included. Click here!

Fulcrum Ed. Leadership Grant is Open

Deadline is April 28th for the Fulcrum Educational Leadership Grant. The portal is open for those applying to one of our 9 Catholic university partners in Educational Leadership and/or principal certification.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Early Learning Weekly Newsletter

Important Resources and Reminders for Early Learning Programs. Click here to learn more.

GRACE Spring Workshop 4-17-2026

Register for the Spring GRACE workshop! Our last in person workshop will take place on April 17th at the Archbishop Brunett Retreat Center in Federal Way. Principals are welcome to join!

OPERATIONAL VITALITY

2026 2027 Archdiocesan Budget Letter

The 2026 2027 Archdiocesan Budget Letter was shared with Parishes. Click here to read.

Resumes from Recruitment Events

Here is a link to the resumes in our recruitment folder from our events for the 2025-2026 school year. Updated 3/16/2026.

CSTC Teacher Request Form

Placements have started! Fill out the form to request a Seattle University CSTC teacher for the 2026-27 school year. Contact Chris Smith, smithc31@seattleu.edu with questions.

PACE Teacher Request Form

Placements have started! Fill out the form to request a University of Portland PACE teacher for the 2026-27 school year. Contact Ryan Darmody, darmody@up.edu with questions.

Want to Save Big?

Amazon has offered a new purchasing program to save your school costs. Please email John Sullivan if you are interested! (sullivanj@seattlearch.org)

7th Grade Awards

Pins and Ribbons will be available at the May 14th All Principals Meeting. If you'd like to order ahead, please use the link. Contact Synthiea (synthiea.kaldi@seattlearch.org) if you have any questions.

Fulcrum

New Student Tuition Assistance Grant Program for 2026-27 - Now Open!

We are now accepting New Student Tuition Assistance Program grant requests for the 2026-2027 school year. This program is open to all schools that participate in the Fulcrum Foundation Tuition Assistance Grant Program, commonly known as TAP.

This program is different than TAP in that families do not apply for the program on their own. Schools administer this program at the local level and determine whether a family qualifies using a form provided by Fulcrum. Students can be awarded a tuition assistance grant of $1,000 through this program if they meet the following criteria:

Student is new to the school and not a transfer from another Catholic school in the Archdiocese of Seattle.
Student will be in grade K-8 for the 2026-2027 school year.
Student was not awarded a Fulcrum TAP grant for 2026-2027.

After a school has determined that a family qualifies, they will submit the form to Fulcrum via email. Grants in the amount of $1,000 each are then approved by Fulcrum on a first-come, first-served basis until a school has met its max number of grants (3) or program funding has been exhausted for the year ($74,000 total). We will accept grant requests from schools through September 30, 2026.

Please contact Josh Jinkens, Fulcrum’s Programs Coordinator, at josh.jinkens@fulcrumfoundation.org, for the grant request form, and/or any questions.

Educator Excellence Award

School Leaders-

It was fun to see many of you last week. As mentioned, I am sharing a sample message to consider including in your parent newsletters and/or social media pages. We appreciate your assistance encouraging nominations from your school community. I have also attached a graphic you are welcome to use.

Thank you so much! Please reach out with any questions.

Nominate a Teacher for the Fulcrum St. John Baptist de la Salle Educator Excellence Award!

We’re excited to invite our school community to recognize the extraordinary teachers who make a lasting impact on our students and school culture. The Fulcrum Foundation’s annual St. John Baptist de la Salle Educator Excellence Award honors outstanding educators in our archdiocese who demonstrate:

unwavering commitment to Catholic mission and identity,
inspiring leadership and presence within their school community,
a deep dedication to academic excellence, and
a willingness to go above and beyond to strengthen their school’s future.

This is a wonderful opportunity to shine a spotlight on those who daily live out our mission with faith, skill, and heart. Awardees are celebrated both at the archdiocesan level and within their own school communities. Nominations for the 2026/27 St. John Baptist de la Salle Award are open now through April 15, 2026. Please submit your nomination today and help honor the teachers who inspire and transform our students each day.

Teacher Excellence Award: Nominations Welcome! - Fulcrum Foundation

News & Resources

No News!

No news this week! Please contact Ellie Bailey (eleanor.bailey@seattlearch.org) if you have anything you'd like to be posted in this section.

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