ALWAYS....REACHING HIGHER
From the Superintendent...
Greetings!

Thank you for your participation in last week’s Kickstart. Yesterday I attended the baptism of a friend’s daughter. In sharing in this baptism, as is custom, those gathered were offered the opportunity to renew their own baptismal promises. 

In many ways, the beginning of the school year shares in this sacrament of initiation. We welcome new students, families, faculty, and staff into our communities who will begin their journey with us in Catholic schools. At the same time, those of us returning share in this welcome with the opportunity to renew our own commitment to this ministry as we begin a new year. 

I continue to offer my prayers for each of you in gratitude and in hope for all that this year holds for our schools in western Washington. 

*Please see below for important information regarding onboarding new employees into Paycom. Please share with the appropriate individuals at your local site. 

Faithfully, 
Nicholas 

NICHOLAS FORD |  Superintendent
Office for Catholic Schools | Archdiocese of Seattle

Principal
Morning Meetings
Our half-hour Principal meeting will begin on September 13th. These Zoom meetings will take place every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 11:00 AM.

New principals are invited to join the Zoom meeting every Wednesday morning at 11:00 AM.

A calendar invite and Zoom link has been sent to you. If you did not receive it please contact janeal.grosinger@seatttlearch.org
ACTION ITEMS (click links for more information)
CALENDAR EVENTS
AUGUST
GRACE Kickoff
New Teacher Leaders
August 17, 2022
New Teacher leaders: All are welcome to this training for *new* GRACE teacher leaders; we will cover best practices for PLCs, work that has been done in GRACE in the past few years, and what to prepare for this upcoming year.
GRACE Kickoff
All Teacher Leaders
August 18, 2022
All GRACE teacher leaders are expected to attend this Kickoff Meeting for the 2022-23 school year. We will discuss important upcoming events, themes and goals for this year and discuss expectations for all GRACE teacher leaders and how to support them in the program! Principals are welcome to attend.
Christ in the Classroom Retreat Registration
Our fall Christ in the Classroom retreat is returning to beautiful Seabeck! The retreat is scheduled for September 21-23 and registration is now open. Please register through this link.
2022-2023 MDI Registration 
The Maryknoll Missionary Discipleship Institute (MDI) is a year-long 3-part faith and outreach experience for 7th grade students. MDI provides a framework for students to ENCOUNTER Christ in their lives and the lives of their neighbors on the margins and gain awareness of injustices that they face; reflect on how the Church is responding in love and the DISTURBANCE this creates in our own sense of discipleship; and discern, develop, and carry out a RESPONSE rooted in God's loving mission. If your school has not yet implemented MDI, now is the time to join! Please share this registration link with your 7th grade religion teacher(s) to join our year-long MDI teacher formation program. Note that MDI teachers from last year have already received this registration information.
2022-2023 Catholic Identity Standards
This year's annual progress report (distributed at Kickstart and due March 1, 2023) has two areas of focus in Part Two: Catholic Identity Review. These two areas are "Prayer and Sacraments-Sacramentals" and "Signs, Symbols. and Sacraments". Please utilize the linked resource to help understand these Catholic Identity Standards as you prepare and plan for the year ahead.
Governance & Leadership
Schwartz Newsletter
Important communication from Pam Schwartz, Assistant Superintendent, Personnel & Leadership Development.
Submitting a Requisition: Frontline
Applicant tracking helps you submit a requisition within a few easy steps!
School Vaccination Log
Click the link below to download a copy.
Download HERE
Benefits for Archdiocesan School Employees 2022-23
Open enrollment for benefits begins 9/1/22 - information about Archdiocesan benefits (including a webinar from 8/10/22) can be found following the link. 
Recommend an Aspiring Leader for the 2022-23 Leadership Academy?
A yearlong leadership development program for aspiring principals provided by the Office for Catholic Schools and the Fulcrum Foundation. Contact Kelly Surapaneni, kelly.surapaneni@seattlearch.org with any questions.
Academic Excellence
Early Learning Newsletter - August 15, 2022
Weekly Newsletter will cover resources, professional development, new health department info and more!
GRACE Teacher-Leader Program for 2022-2023
Please sign up your GRACE teacher leaders for the program ASAP! More information on the program can be found at mycatholicschool.org
Accreditation Team Sign-up for 2022-2023 Teams
Consider serving on an accreditation team for our Archdiocese next year. Please sign up on mycatholicschools.org and Janeal Grosinger will reach out to you with more details this summer!
Clock Hour Webinar on Friday, 8/19 at 10am- Newest Updates in pdEnroller and Clock Hours for 2022-23
Join Justyna King for a webinar in how to effectively submit clock hours and for updates from PESB on the newest clock hour requirements (this will be a recorded session)
Operational Vitality
Teacher Certification/Degree Program Assessment for our Catholic university partners
We are partnering with our Catholic universities to help us certify/provide degrees in teaching. Please answer this quick two question survey to help us better assess the need Archdiocesan wide.
2021/2022 Annual School Financial Results
Please share your 2021/2022 School Financial Results with John Sullivan
Your 2022-2023 School Budget
Please send John Sullivan a copy of your 2022/2023 School Budget
INSPIRE was a SUCCESS!
A BIG thank you to all who sent staff to participate in our first annual INSPIRE event. We had over 120 participants and there was great energy & enthusiasm in the room. A follow up email and event survey will be sent out this week. All resources from the event will be posted in next week's Keystone.
Save the Date!
Mark you calendars for the Fulcrum Foundation's Celebration of Light! Friday, January 27th, 2023 at the Sheraton Grand in Seattle
Fulcrum’s New Student Tuition Assistance Program for 2022-23 is now open
Have you thought about incentivizing your school community to support your recruitment needs?
710 Ninth Ave., Seattle, WA 98104