Good morning, Kristin,

At a funeral Mass on Friday, the priest offered a meaningful definition of sacrament during his homily. He shared three truths about God: God is real, God is hidden, and God likes to be found. He explained that whenever we find God, we experience a sacrament.

This resonated with me and reminded me of the sacramental life in our schools. God is loves to be found daily in our classrooms, hallways, cafeterias, and playgrounds. We are truly blessed with an abundance of sacrament.

*  *  *  *  *

On Thursday, during our Pastor and Principal Meeting, we will dedicate the morning to workshopping HR scenarios we encounter, ensuring our policies are aligned with our processes. We will also review the ministerial covenant and its application in our schools. In preparation, you may find it helpful to revisit the guidance published two years ago, available here.

With gratitude, 

NICHOLAS FORD | Superintendent

Office for Catholic Schools | Archdiocese of Seattle

Annual Fulcrum School Endowment Meeting

Fulcrum provides an annual information session for School's with or interested in Endowments - November 19 @ 3pm - Save the date !

School Partnership Grant (SPG) Program

The SPG Program application will open October 23, 2024, and the deadline to submit applications for consideration will be November 15, 2024.

Schools may apply for a grant through this program if they:

• Are a Catholic school in the Archdiocese of Seattle

AND

• Are not a high school that is in the Norcliffe Foundation Service area

The SPG grant may cover:

1. Up to 75% of the total project cost, at a maximum grant of $10,000

Or

1. Up to 100% of the remaining funding needed to complete a project, at a maximum grant of $10,000, so long as the minimum of 75% of the total funding has already been secured.

Each eligible school may receive funding in either FY25 or FY26. No schools will receive funding in both years.

Note for Pierce County Elementary Schools: Fulcrum’s current agreement with the Snyder Foundation ends in FY26, and is restricted for elementary schools in Pierce County and for capital projects. To fulfill our agreement with the Snyder Foundation, a separate application for Snyder funding will be available to Catholic elementary schools in Pierce County on the same timeline as the SPG Program. Detailed information will be emailed to you directly in the next week or so. 

Fulcrum Impact Day

We are excited to introduce a new initiative we are launching this fall on Monday, October 28 and Tuesday, October 29: Fulcrum’s Impact Day(s). 

Over the course of these two days, a Fulcrum staff member, board member, or ambassador will visit each of your schools to personally present a summary of Fulcrum’s support provided to your individual school along with an oversized ‘faux’ check showcasing the amount of tuition assistance Fulcrum donors are providing families this year. The check will be delivered to the principal by the Fulcrum rep, we will take a couple photos for social media posts, and we hope you will hang the ‘check’ in your school for the fall. Our hope is to showcase our support locally at each school and make the impact more relevant within your community. 

All arrangements will be made by our staff team, and we will provide you with the name/s of the persons visiting your school, the date, and the approximate time of their arrival. The visit should take approximately 10-15 minutes as we do not intend to disrupt your busy school day. 

More details will follow in the Keystone and via email. Thank you for noting these dates on your calendar. If you have any questions, please contact Amy Hall at hall.amy@fulcrumfoundation.org or 206.226.5679.