Sent Forth

Greetings!

This past Sunday we celebrated World Mission Sunday. The Mass comes from the Latin word, “Missa,” which is related to the word, “missio,” which provides the root for our English word “mission.” I share this because I was reminded on Sunday that the dismissal is what gives the Mass its name. We are sent from Mass.

I have shared this before. I believe the biggest gift our Catholic schools offer our communities is that every day, around 3 o’clock, we dismiss almost 22,000 students who go out into the world to announce the joy of the Gospel by the example of their lives.

Nothing can take the place of being sent forth from the Eucharist. And yet this mission of Catholic education, when lived fully, allows us to form generation upon generation of missionary disciples who go forth from our institutions inspired and shaped by the encounter with the risen Christ.

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Fall Pastor and School Leaders Meeting

Registration is open for our annual meeting of school leaders and pastoral leadership. Our meeting this year will be held at St. Thomas in Tukwila, on Thursday, October 29. We will begin our day with Mass, celebrated by Archbishop Etienne, and cover other sessions that will include information on Fulcrum’s new investment, Side x Side, which seeks to broaden our collective ability to serve all learners, and information on the Washington Student Success Coalition’s work around the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit. The full agenda for the day can be found here.

If you have any questions related to the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, please submit them here: Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Questions.

Please personally extend this invitation to your pastor. In addition to the leadership pairing of the pastor and principal, if you would find it helpful, you may choose to extend the invitation to another member of the parish leadership, such as a parochial vicar, a DOO or PAA, or your School Commission Chair.

If you haven’t already, please take a moment to register here .

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

October 22 - GRACE Fall Update with Justyna King

October 29 - Pastor and School Leaders Annual Meeting - St. Thomas Church, Tukwila (Register here)

November 5 - Multi Year Budgeting Best Practices with John Sullivan

November 12 - Posting jobs on Paycom Training Session & Minimum Wage Updates with Pam Schwartz

Upcoming Events

October 22, 2026

NWEA MAP Analysis Training

St Thomas, Tukwila

October 27, 2026

New Employee Orientation Make Up

November 17, 2026

Curriculum Committee #2

St. Mary on the Lake

November 19, 2026

Executive Principals

St. Thomas, Tukwila

December 2, 2026

OCS Presents #3

Zoom

December 4, 2026

BLC Advent Retreat

Peace and Spirituality Center

View Chancery to Parish Communications (C2P)

MISSION & CATHOLIC IDENTITY

Cultural Humility Training Launch

All Catholics interested in cultivating communities where people of all cultural backgrounds feel seen, valued, empowered and respected and invited to attend this new in-person training program launch on October 21. Keynote speaker Dr. James Knight, CEO and Founder of the national leadership development firm, Lead with Humility, will teach us about how to embrace humility in our interactions with cultural communities in order to strengthen our bonds as brothers and sisters in our shared Catholic mission. Learn more and register here!

NPH Fall Family Day

NPH USA invites families and parish friends to Fall Family Day on Saturday, November 14, from 11:30-1:30pm at Sacred Heart Church in Bellevue. This special gathering will include fellowship, mission highlights, including a speaker from Nicaragua and our own backyard, youth-friendly activities, delicious bites and refreshments, and an opportunity to learn more about how NPH USA supports vulnerable children and families in Latin America and the Caribbean. All are welcome to enjoy a fun, family-friendly day while learning how to get involved through giving, volunteering, and local engagement. Click here to register.

Sacred Heart Devotion Curriculum

Curriculum has been developed to help our schools activate the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in three grade levels: K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. Please share this curriculum with your teachers along with this introductory video. Archbishop Etienne recently published his Pastoral Letter on the Sacred Heart, which provides more context for perpetuating the devotion. You can find his letter, the curriculum and more here.

Christ in the Classroom Toolkit

Please click here for the Christ in the Classroom Local Retreat Toolkit.

Fulcrum Side x Side Foundation Grant

The Side x Side Foundation Grant Program provides up to $10,000 to help Catholic schools strengthen inclusive practices. Funding supports practical school-based initiatives, including professional development, assistive technology, and student support services, to enhance belonging and success for learners with diverse needs. Click here for the Fulcrum Foundation's grant application page and scroll down to the Side x Side section to apply by November 13.

Gonzaga University Workshops

Gonzaga University's Center for Lifelong Learning and School of Education invite educators to participate in three interactive online workshops designed to strengthen inclusive practices and support diverse student learning, behavioral, and social-emotional needs. These workshops are offered at no cost to our educators through our university partnership with Gonzaga and the generosity of the Fulcrum Foundation. Please share this flier with your educators, which includes the registration links.

GOVERNANCE & LEADERSHIP

Personnel & Policy Notes for the Week of 10/19/26

Important information from the Private School Advisory Council meeting; Information about federal programs from the state; new state minimum wage and salary threshold. Click here to read more.

Leadership Academy Registration

The Office for Catholic Schools offers a year-long BLC cohort for aspiring administrators with a mixture of in-person and virtual meetings. Framed in the 4 domains of the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools (NSBECS). For questions, please contact Kelly Surapaneni at kelly.surapaneni@seattlearch.org. There is still time to join! Click here to learn more.

University Partner Programs

University Partner Programs in all of the 4 Domains. Many of the programs applications are open! Click here.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Early Learning Weekly Newsletter

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

NWEA MAP Analyst FREE Training

NWEA is coming back to the Archdiocese of Seattle for continued in-person trainings on reports and how to use data from each season of MAP testing. Click here for more information.

Teacher Induction Toolkit

Induction toolkit for onboarding new teachers. Organized by month and applicable to both elementary and high school.

Academic Decathlon Information

Please click here for the Academic Junior High Decathlon flier. Contact Shauna Richards with any questions (scogan@sjsissaquah.org).

GRACE Mid-Fall Online Meeting 11/10

Join us online from 1:30-3:30pm on Tuesday, 11/10 for a follow up meeting to our Fall Workshop. We will be welcoming Cara Shores back online!

Curriculum Committee Meeting #2 on 11/17

Our three curriculum committees are invited to join us for meeting #2 of our groups of our groups: counselors, AI committee and Content Time/Policy Committee. Click here!

Catholic Schools of Excellence

Applications are now open to any school in our Archdiocese who would like to apply for one of six categories - Due 12/01 to schoolsofexcellence@seattlearch.org. For more information on these categories and eligibility, click here!

OPERATIONAL VITALITY

School Monthly Financial Statements

Please respond to John Sullivan on the three linked requests regarding School financial reports.

Adding Substitutes?

Use this link to request someone be added or moved to the sub-pool. AND have them apply on PayCom to the Substitute Teacher on-call position. Thanks!

Growth Studio: Is Your Team Connected Yet?

Your School is already a Growth Studio Member, but have you invited your team to join? It takes just 5 minutes to get your team set up!

Getting your team connected ensures they can take full advantage of everything Growth Studio has to offer, including monthly professional learning sessions, practical resources, on-demand trainings, and a growing community of Catholic school leaders.

Two New Resources Just Released!

The Enrollment Event Playbook: Packed with creative ideas to help your school go beyond the traditional open house and turn events throughout the year into enrollment opportunities.
Enrollment Event Planning Sheet: An easy-to-use, customizable Canva template to help your team plan and organize admissions events with intention.

Both resources are available now in the Growth Studio Member Hub!

Need help getting your team started? Watch this quick 3-minute video for step-by-step instructions. You'll be up and running in just a few minutes!

One More Important Reminder: Be sure to check your spam or junk folder for Growth Studio emails and add Growth Studio to your safe senders list. This will help ensure you don't miss monthly learning opportunities, new resources, and important updates!

The work is too important to do alone. Get your team connected and let's grow together!

Visit Growth Studio

Fulcrum

News & Resources

OCS Presents - Classroom Management - Recording

Responding to Behaviors without Escalation Recording from Northshore Learning. Click here to view!

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