November is a month of thanks and we are thankful for our non-public schools, educators, staff, students, and families! 

Thank you to everyone who hosted Veteran’s Day programs last week! We enjoyed seeing photos on your social media accounts highlighting your students’ appreciation for the sacrifice of our veterans. We also learned that six INPEA member schools were recognized as 2024 Indiana Purple Star Schools. These schools earned this honor for their significant display of commitment to service members, veterans, and students and families connected to our nation’s military. Congratulations to Central Christian Academy and Scecina Memorial High School in Indianapolis, Corpus Christi School in Evansville, Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi Catholic School in Greenwood, St. Louis de Montfort Catholic School in Fishers, and St. Thomas More School in Munster. 

Earlier this week, we celebrated National Education Support Professionals (ESP) Day. ESPs include paraprofessionals, bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers, and office staff. We know that our non-public schools could not function without these incredible people so we thank them for their work! 

We hope you all will enjoy the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday with your loved ones! We are thankful for all you do for Hoosier students! 

The INPEA Team

John, Chris, Andrea, and Beatrice

2024-2025 INPEA Data Survey

Member schools received an email last week with instructions on completing the 2024-2025 INPEA Data Survey. We ask that all schools complete the survey by December 18, 2024. Information provided will only be externally shared in aggregate. School-specific information may be used internally by INPEA to appropriately target support and may be shared with jurisdictional leadership upon request to streamline their own data collection. Each year, we use this data to demonstrate the impact of our non-public schools to the legislature. We appreciate your time in completing this important task! Reach out to Chris Brunson if you have any questions. 

Indiana General Assembly Page Program

As a part of our 50th Anniversary celebration, January 27, 2025 is INPEA Day at the Indiana Statehouse. To enhance our day of celebration, we encourage schools to identify students in grades 6-12 for the Senate and House Page Program. Each chamber has 15 student pages each day throughout the legislative session and spots fill quickly so students will need to apply when the application opens on December 1. Students will apply to page for their home district's state senator or representative so they should visit the appropriate website to apply. For more information on the Page Program, visit the links below.  

House Democrats: https://indianahousedemocrats.org/student-opportunities/page-program 

House Republicans: https://www.indianahouserepublicans.com/pageprogram

Senate Democrats: https://indianasenatedemocrats.org/opportunities/pages/ 

Senate Republicans: https://www.indianasenaterepublicans.com/page-program

Let’s have a great turnout to celebrate INPEA’s 50th Anniversary and lay the groundwork for our push for Universal Choice in the 2025 Session!

Across the Finish Line Legislative Engagement

Earlier this week, legislators gathered at the Statehouse for Organization Day for the 2025 legislative session. This means we have officially entered the legislative season!  

Although we know that the next few weeks are a hectic time for our schools, we hope that many of you will consider hosting legislators in your buildings. Thank you to all of the schools that have hosted legislators already! If you need additional information or assistance, please reach out to us and check out the resources available in our ATFL toolkit, linked below. 

Legislative Liaison Corner 

This information can be copied and pasted into your school communications

Across the Finish Line for Universal Choice!

The Indiana Non-Public Education Association (INPEA) is proud to be the voice of Hoosier non-public schools at the Statehouse! With the 2025 legislative session just a few weeks away, INPEA is focused on the goal of getting universal vouchers for all Hoosier families. To accomplish this, INPEA needs non-pub families to be dialed in throughout the legislative session. Follow INPEA on Twitter or Facebook and subscribe to their newsletters to stay informed about what’s happening at the Statehouse. 

INPEA needs YOU to help get universal choice across the finish line! Right now, INPEA is collecting family stories about the impact of school choice and the need for universal vouchers for all Hoosier families. If you would like to share your family’s story, visit https://bit.ly/ATFLParentStory. 

Save the Date for INPEC 2025!

It’s not too early to mark your calendars for INPEC 2025! Planning has already begun to put together an excellent program. As you plan your school calendars, consider building in September 18 & 19 as professional development days. When you begin your consultation meetings for Title funding, remember INPEC is an allowable Title II expense. The evening of September 18th, INPEA will be culminating our 50th Anniversary celebration with a Gala at the Indiana Roof Ballroom. We hope to see you there as well!  We have lots of reasons to celebrate! More info on the Gala to follow.

IDOE Updates

TitleCon 2025 Call for Proposals

Title Con 2025 will be held on April 16 and 17, 2025 in Plainfield. Title Con 2025 will bring together hundreds of Indiana educators and school personnel from across the state to learn and build stronger federal programs for student growth and achievement. Title Con seeks dynamic presentations on topics related to Title grants and federal funding that align with the theme of “Learning From Yesterday, Planning for Tomorrow.” Proposals in the following areas are of particular interest: 

• Ensuring more students learn to read
• Increasing access to high-quality STEM instruction
• Maximizing the four years of high school
• Strengthening the teacher pipeline
• Leveraging AI to enhance instruction

Please review the call for proposal form for more information. All submissions are due by Friday, December 13. 

Early Childhood Education Teacher Registered Apprenticeship

Learn more about Indiana’s Early Childhood Education Registered Apprenticeship program. The Indiana Learning Lab has several workshops available that provide a program overview, highlight success stories from high school educators, discuss funding opportunities, and more. For more information, visit https://inlearninglab.com/. Learn more about the program at https://bit.ly/ECEdApprenticeship. 

Transition to Kindergarten Summit

Attention early childhood educators! Register today for the virtual Transition to Kindergarten Summit on Wednesday, December 6 from 12:30-2pm. Registration is required at https://bit.ly/Transition2KG. For more information, contact the Office of Kindergarten Readiness at kreadiness@doe.in.gov. 

Literacy Resources from The Reading League

Check out these resources from The Reading League:

Disciplinary Literacy: https://keystoliteracy.com/blog/disciplinary-literacy-2/ 

Adolescent Literacy: https://www.thereadingleague.org/compass/adolescent-literacy/ 

The Decoding Threshold: https://www.ets.org/research/the-decoding-threshold-measuring-the-roots-of-older-students-reading-diffulties-new-evidence.html 

Fluency Instruction in Middle and High School: https://www.shanahanonliteracy.com/blog/do-middle-and-high-school-students-need-fluency-instruction-and-what-counts-as-instruction 

Keys to Literacy (IDOE): https://keystoliteracy.com/idoe-literacy-endorsement-pd/ 

Early Learning Newsletter

In December, INPEA will launch a quarterly newsletter geared towards all things early learning. If you have staff we should include in our distribution, please reach out to Andrea Anderson at aanderson@inpea.org by November 25. 

2023-2024 INPEA Annual Report

Now Available!

Check out the 2023-2024 INPEA annual report! We are so proud to serve non-public schools across the state and this report highlights some of our work over the past year. 

Spring Classes Begin January 13, 2025!

Looking to enhance your students’ high school experience? Encourage them to sign up for Dual Enrollment courses at Ivy Tech in 2025! Dual enrollment students register and take classes at their local Ivy Tech as any student would and receive all the same benefits like advising, student support, student life, and academic resources. Plus, they can choose from in-person, online, and a variety of other class format options, allowing them to create the schedule that best fits their other academic commitments.

By taking classes at Ivy Tech, students can get a head start on certifications for their future career, or prepare for the transition to college by earning the Indiana College Core before graduation.

Ready to get started? Reach out to your local high school programs contact and get ready for classes starting January 13, 2025! 

Friendzy is excited to introduce Launch Well, a new program designed to empower both teachers and students with essential skills that create lasting, positive change. Launch Well is built to support Indiana educators in nurturing students’ hearts and minds, equipping them with the skills to love and serve others well. 

What Does Launch Well Include?

• Professional Development & Coaching – Comprehensive training and ongoing support to ensure seamless integration.
• Assessments for Teachers and Students – Evaluate growth in key social-emotional skills and celebrate each step of their journey. 
• Daily Reinforcement Tools – Practical, faith-inspired resources to weave whole-child learning into daily life, from the classroom to home.
• Three Full Units of Friendzy Content – Biblically grounded lessons that nurture empathy, resilience, and love for others.

With Friendzy’s curriculum, schools have seen remarkable improvements in student empathy. In one study, 39% of students initially below average in social perspective-taking achieved average scores within a single school year. 

Ready to see the impact of Launch Well in your school? Learn more or contact Lead Partnership Specialist, Whitney Stovall at Whitney@friendzy.co to get on your way to launching well!

Contact: Michallene Thacker-Mann

Contact: Mike Rivard

Contact: Joy Roberts

Contact: Katie Lash

Contact: Dr. Ken Britt

Contact: Rob Pizzauro

Contact: Cathy Tooley

Agudath Israel of America

Archdiocese of Indianapolis

Association of Christian Schools International

Christian Schools International

Diocese of Evansville

Diocese of Fort Wayne- South Bend

Diocese of Gary

Diocese of Lafayette

Indiana Association of Independent Schools

Indiana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Lutheran Church Missouri Synod - Indiana District

The Lutheran School Partnership