What a Pope Invites Us to Be

Greetings!

Last week's public letter from local faith leaders in support of Pope Leo XIV's leadership, which was co-signed by Archbishop Etienne and Father Lazzeroni, reflects on how religion is being invoked in our public life right now, for better and for worse. It calls us toward the moral clarity this moment demands.

As Catholic school leaders, this moment highlights the importance of our work as we form young people of conscience. If you haven't read it yet, I'd encourage you to take a few minutes with the full letter (which can be found here).

* * * * *

Our upcoming Thursday morning meetings will cover important topics.

Following up on last Thursday's meeting related to AOS Guardian, if interested in exploring a contract with Kelly Create, in partnership with other schools, please send an email of interest to Sarah Rutherford (rutherford@icrsweb.org). Depending on interest, we may ask for a presentation to hear directly from this provider.

This Thursday, April 23, we will be joined by representatives of King County Sexual Assault Network. Chris and Larraine will share more on what trends they are observing across all schools related to an increased observation of sexualized behavior by children, resources for what is and is not age-appropriate, and ideas for how to address these behaviors with students who may be a victim and those who may be displaying these behaviors. Please make this a priority to attend.

The following weeks we will have updates on our diocesan leave and HR policies and then we have a representative from Amazon with us to share more about an opportunity for our schools to save money and that all schools will be asked to adopt as we move into next year.

* * * * *

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. 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

4/23/2026 - KCSARC with Pam Schwartz

4/30/2026 - HR Updates with Pam Schwartz

5/7/2026 - Amazon Prime Diocese with John Sullivan

5/14/2026 - All Principal Meeting at the Archbishop Brunett Retreat Center

Upcoming Events

April 21, 2026

UW Bothell Recruitment Fair

April 22, 2026

Gonzaga Educator Fair

April 23, 2026

Washington State Educator Fair: Spokane

April 27, 2026

WCEA Mid-Cycle Accreditation Progress Presentations

Large Isaac Orr, AOS

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. Learn more here!

GOVERNANCE & LEADERSHIP

Personnel & Policy Notes for the Week of 04/20/26

Updates this week: NEW Archdiocese policy on AI Platforms/Protocols; Re-sharing memo on new IT Policy; Reminder - 4/30 HARD Deadline, Federal Programs Application - Check all boxes!

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 - Upcoming Deadline!

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

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Early Learning Weekly Newsletter

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

GRACE Spring Workshop Resources

Find all resources to the GRACE Spring meeting (and all meetings from this last school year) in our shared folder.

Register for the WCEA's PD on 4/22 from 3-4:30PM

WCEA online PD Presents: Taking Care of Yourself so You Can Take Care of Others on 4/22 from 3:00-4:30PM. Click here to register!

Accreditation Member Registration 2026

Accreditation Team Registration for 2026-27 is now open. Please sign up if you are interested in joining an accreditation team as a delegate for 2026-27.

OPERATIONAL VITALITY

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.

Resumes from Recruitment Events - Updated 4.16.2026

Lots of resumes added! More to come this week from the WSPA in Spokane and Gonzaga Education Fairs. Bookmark this page!

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.

News & Resources

Puget Sound Council of Math Teachers

The Puget Sound Council of Math Teachers would like to invite you to our spring dinner meeting on Monday, May 11 at 5:00PM at St. Madeleine Sophie in Bellevue.

Enjoy dinner and a talk by Dr. Nancy Hertzog, UW Education Professor, on Gifted Education: Pedagogy of Growth and Challenge.

For more information, email Angela Ensminger at aensminger@stmadsophie.org.

First Communion Clothing Available

If you have families seeking clothing for their child's First Communion (dresses, suits, veils, and shoes), please contact Amy Hall (hall.amy@fulcrumfoundation.org). Fulcrum has a contact who has collected hundreds of like-new items for distribution to anyone in need.

Subscribe to the Keystone