Monday Mission Memo
May 6, 2019
Superintendent's Update
Monday of the Third Week of Easter
School Leaders of the Diocese of Cleveland,
Greetings to you this fine spring day! As the elementary principals heard me reference last week, we at the OCFE (soon to be OCE, Office of Catholic Education) have been collaborating on our culture and norms. A powerful driver of culture is having a common language, common purpose, and common goals. To that end, the School Leadership Team has developed a working draft of four Root Beliefs that underpin our approach to everything we do. I hope to share this process with you transparently to inform how we serve you and model one approach to defining and strengthening culture.These are “draft” in that they are subject to be refined/revised as we live and work with them, but we make reference to and draw direction from them currently as we continue to develop as a team. These root beliefs are:
Every person is a gift from God.
Leadership matters.
Excellence happens on purpose.
Collaboration is a force multiplier.
I offer this brief reflection today on the first of these - that every person is a gift from God. In leadership, my experience with this has been that it is easy to acknowledge with my head, yet much more difficult to embrace with my heart. For example, as a recent high school leader (of teenage boys, no less) I found myself at this time of year -- among prom, exams, awards season, and plenty of last hurrahs for the graduating class -- encountering more than a few situations in which “gift” was not the first word I might choose. Similarly, we all have encountered those members of our community, perhaps an employee, parent, boss, board member, etc. whose perspectives were not aligned with our leadership.
And yet, somehow, we know those people. We are connected to those people. In whatever way they are a part of our schools, they are a part of us and the mission we seek to accomplish. Speaking of the nascent Church which was growing to include both Jew and Gentiles, St. Paul said, “For he is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh,” (Ephesians 2:14).
It is in the gift of such people that we see a reflection - one person’s perspective. It may or may not be reflective of others’ (which is a matter of leadership -- see root belief #2), but it is an opportunity for us to acknowledge, address, and perhaps minister in attempting to uphold the mission of our schools. These final weeks and days have a tendency to bring more of these situations, or perhaps just with more intensity. May we treat them and the people with whom we experience the situations as a gift and respond in kind with the grace of our ministry.
Please read on for a few reminders and some opportunities for professional growth. All the best to you for a beautiful first full week of May.
Yours in Our Lady,
Frank
Please RSVP to the Group V and Group VI Accreditation Meeting scheduled for this Friday, May 10.
School Spotlight - St. Mary Byzantine, Parma
Rita Basella and Fr. Marek Visnovsky lead St. Mary Byzantine School
Rita Basella is the principal of St. Mary Byzantine School. Fr. Marek Visnovsky is the pastor. He was born and raised in Slovakia. He was formed and studied in the Greek-Catholic Seminary and at the University of Presov, Slovakia, where he graduated after studying philosophy and theology. These two work very well together helping students celebrate the Byzantine Catholic faith traditions.
A Comparison of Byzantine Catholic and Roman Catholic faith traditions
Byzantine Catholic
1. The Priest faces East, along with the people.
2.The Sign of the Cross is performed many times.
3.The hymns during liturgies are sung a capella, no instruments used.
4.Icons are the worshipping symbols.
5.Bishops, along with the Pope, guarantee the Unity of the Church.
Roman Catholic:
1.The Priest faces people across the altar.
2.The Sign of the Cross is performed sparingly.
3.Music instruments are used during liturgies.
4.Statues are the worshipping symbols.
5.The Pope is the head of the Church.
We are all Catholic!
Creativity and Project-Based Learning at St. Mary's Byzantine
School Spotlight - St. Peter School, Lorain
Recent excitement at St. Peter's School!
Becky Brown leads St. Peter with a smile!
Marian Shrine and Sr. Patricia Vovk Memorial Garden at St. Peter's
Teacher Appreciation Week May 6-10, 2019
Funded Opportunity for Travel and Learning about Chinese Language and Culture Education
The College Board is pleased to announce the 2019 Chinese Bridge Delegation— a weeklong program in China to help educators start or strengthen their institution's Chinese programs and partnerships. The Chinese Bridge Delegation focuses on school visits, cultural activities, and interactive workshops with the aim of helping education decision-makers start or expand their Chinese language and culture programs.
The delegation will provide K-12 leaders with the opportunity to:
•Visit local K–12 schools and universities, meet with educators, and observe classes.
•Establish meaningful partnerships with local schools and network with colleagues.
•Learn about resources that will help them build and support Chinese language and culture programs.
•Experience the rich traditional culture set against stunning modern development.
Crisis Communication Webinar - Presented by PSI
This fast-paced webinar by Crisis Management Specialist Stephanie York from Hennes Communications in Cleveland and Akron will focus on a highly-strategic approach to communicating during a wide variety of situations, offering methods for establishing and maintaining "control of the message," enabling you to move your message forward or mount a defense against a sudden press onslaught, or a social media attack. Social media is now the place where a school's reputation built up over years of good work can be shattered in an instant.
In today's world of instant information, reputational threats can have an immediate and deadly effect on the ability of a school to recover, rebuild, and reposition themselves after a crisis. And because reporters won't wait long for you to return that call before posting the story online where virtually everyone is a "journalist" armed with a camera and able to reach thousands of people with one simple Facebook message, tweet, or Instagram photo, managing communications (online and off) amidst a crisis is a necessary skill set for all leaders in the education field.
Please join us for this FREE Webinar!
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
3:00 PM EDT
More About Our Presenter...
Click for More Info!