DCS Administrative Bulletin
September, 2016
THE MONTHLY INFORMATION SOURCE FOR THE CATHOLIC SCHOOLS OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN FRANCISCO
Dear Principals, Presidents, Administrators, and Teachers in the Archdiocese of San Francisco,
Please note that you must be logged into the password protected DCS Website in order to view the individual items included in this Administrative Bulletin.
Prayer of St. Teresa of Calcutta
everywhere we go.
Flood our souls with your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly
that our lives may only be a radiance of yours.
Shine through us and be so in us
that every soul we come in contact with
may feel your presence in our soul.
Let them look up and see no longer us, but only Jesus.
Stay with us and then we shall begin to shine as you shine,
so to shine as to be light to others.
The light, O Jesus, will be all from you.
None of it will be ours.
It will be you shining on others through us.
Let us thus praise you in the way you love best
by shining on those around us.
Let us preach you without preaching,
not by words, but by our example;
by the catching force -
the sympathetic influence of what we do,
the evident fullness of the love our hearts bear to you.
Amen.
MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
The school opening this year has brought an abundance of initiatives and projects, beyond Back to School Nights, after school athletics, and the September activities of a new school year. Keeping in mind your already heavy load this time of year, I want to thank you for your patience with ADP, for meeting the challenges of a new assessment system, and gathering of reports and timecards for the HCSO discovery phase. You adapt, move forward, and keep your eye on what every child needs to be successful in your school. You are amazing. I would like to share some initiatives here at the DCS that may be of interest to you.
- The Superintendent’s Search is going forward, with Rev. Steven H. Howell as Chair of the Committee. Fr. John Piderit is facilitating the process with Carney Sandoe & Associates. We are presently collecting data about the Archdiocese for prospective candidates, setting timelines, and inviting members from across the nation to join the Search Committee for screening and interviews. More information will be forth coming as the process unfolds.
- The DCS has also launched an active search for a new President of Archbishop Riordan High School. Board President, Mike Mayer and I will meet with ARHS teachers and staff on September 22 to discuss “ideal” and preferred attributes of a new President. You will find job postings on NCEA, ACE/Notre Dame, and ED Join websites. Click here for the Riordan President Job Posting. For a detailed job description, click here.
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Two schools have added Transitional Kindergartens to their school sites this fall, following a protocol developed by the DCS. Congratulations, Our Lady of Perpetual Help and St. Hillary School. If you are interested, please contact Nina Russo.
Initial reports of STAR implementation have been positive. I enjoy your feedback at how the process is going at your school site. Drop me an email if you are so inclined. Pam is researching how to print labels for STAR results on cum cards. I am also meeting with Admissions Directors in two weeks to discuss how STAR fits into the Admissions process for our students.
The High School Pension Committee welcomes new member Joe Tessone from Marin Catholic High School. The committee has nearly completed an update of our organizational and operational guide, which outlines our responsibilities as trustees for the pension according to best practice, as our current guide from 1988 was somewhat dated. The Committee has sent out RFPs to interested pension administrators to review a variety of proposals that will address the use of technology to better serve our pension participants in timely reporting and provide access to other pension services. Our next meetings will focus on review of these proposals and selection of vendors who best meet the needs of our beneficiaries.
I am very excited about the new teacher catechetical formation programs that are coming our way under the leadership of Pam Lyons and Melanie Morey. More details are in this Bulletin.
DCS CALENDAR OF EVENTS
DCS DUE DATES
Please click on the button below to view the items that are due to the Department of Catholic Schools in the upcoming months.
THINGS TO READ AND WATCH
Click here for a collection of very sort prose pieces and poems by Brian Doyle. They are spectacular in the simplicity and their ability to capture brilliantly the lived faith of real people.
Image, Enrollment and Resources: How to Communicate Key Strategies to Market Catholic Schools - Article from the Summer 2016 edition of Momentum Magazine
Leading School Improvement: A Framework for Action by Joseph Murphy: 14 practitioner-based articles to present a cohesive narrative about the unique and critical role that leadership plays in school improvement.
What Rigor Looks Like in the Classroom
In this animated short, bestselling ASCD author Robyn Jackson explains what a rigorous classroom looks like and why this kind of learning environment prepares students for the real world. Her "Food Network" lens is certainly applicable to teaching, learning, and leading. To watch this short video click here.
RELIGION
EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY
The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy has only two more months until it officially closes on November 20, 2016. The Archdiocese of San Francisco will observe monthly themes based upon the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy and themes of the Year of Mercy. The Corporal Works of Mercy are kind acts by which we help our neighbors with their material and physical needs. The Spiritual Works of Mercy are acts of compassion by which we help our neighbors with their emotional and spiritual needs. For a complete list of Monthly Mercy Themes, please click here.
NOTRE DAME STEP THEOLOGY BASIC CERTIFICATION PILOT PROGRAM
In April it was announced that DCS is putting a pilot group of new teachers together to complete their Basic Religion Certification through the University of Notre Dame’s STEP Theology Online program. This online program would be taken in place of attending the eight three-hour classes that all new teachers currently attend.
For additional information about the STEP program please click here. A Make-Up Orientation for teachers interested in taking the STEP program will be held at the Chancery on October 21, 2016 from 9:00 A.M. to 10:30 A.M. for those teachers who were not able to attend the class in August. Registration is available on CRTIS. Teachers participating in the pilot will have the option of completing the STEP course in January/February, 2017 or June/July, 2017.
In addition to the live workshops being offered in March and April , we will also be offering three virtual workshops through Liturgy Training Press (LTP) that will count toward recertification credit. For a list of Recertification classes being offered next school year, please click here. For more information about the LTP Virtual Workshops please click here. Please note that you must register on CRTIS and through the LTP website to attend these classes.
2016-2017 RESPECT LIFE ESSAY CONTEST
The 2016/2017 Respect Life Essay Contest is coming soon. Essay questions and guidelines will be sent out on October 3, 2016. For more information please click here.
On March 31, 2017 from 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M., the Archdiocese is holding one of three catechetical inservices through the Sophia Institute for Teachers. This first class is on The Beatitudes: Living the Life of Christ. All Religion Coordinators are expected to attend. If your religion coordinator is not available, then another religion teacher from your school should attend. Registration is available on CRTIS. All teachers who attend will receive credit toward three recertification topics of their choice. For more information, please click here.
STUDENT PHOTOS: ST. JOHN VIANNEY RETIRED PRIESTS LUNCHEON
On October 28, 2016 at St. Mary’s Cathedral will be the annual Saint John Vianney Retired Priests Luncheon. Last year we were able to obtain great photos of our Catholic School Students saying Thank you to our retired priests. I am reaching out to all of you this year, to see if we could do this again.
The development office has asked to see, if possible, each school gather a group of students with a “Thank You” sign, take a photo and send it in to Gustavo Torres torresg@sfarch.org or Florian Romero, romerof@sfarch.org by September 30, 2016.
Blessing of the Animals
Saturday, Oct 1, 2016, 11:00 AM
Geary Boulevard Plaza
Archdiocese of San Francisco's Youth Mass
Sunday, Oct 16, 2016, 03:00 PM
Our Lady of Mercy Church, Elmwood Drive, Daly City, CA, United States
ADMINISTRATION
We are now in Phase 2 of our SchoolSpeak Implementation. Phase 2 is the creation and submission of the Standard School Survey. To complete the survey you must make sure that all student and teacher information is entered and current within SchoolSpeak. You must then go to the Admin Page of SchoolSpeak, under the Manage Resources sidebar to select ADSF Census Data Collection. The following sections must be completed:
- Select Students
- School Info. and Advancement
- Government Program Participation
- Class Enrollment
- Exempt Employees
- Non-Exempt Employees
- Submit Data and View Reports
If you run into any problems completing the NCEA Report, please contact the SchoolSpeak help line at 877-773-2513. All reports must be completed and submitted by October 10, 2016.
For a webinar that walks you through the steps of completing the ADSF Census Data Collection Tool, please click here.
SEPTEMBER ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL MEETINGS
As a reminder, there are two upcoming meetings for elementary principals in September. The first is on Friday, September 16 from 9:00 a.m.-12:30p.m.and is the first of this school year to discuss the topic of ELA Roll-out, Year 2. Please plan to bring a VP or other curriculum staff member with you if possible. The second one is on Tuesday, September 27 from 9:00-12:00 and is the first Principal Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting and attendance is required for all elementary principals. A draft agenda will be sent to the schools this week for comments and suggestions. If there is a last-minute emergency, please contact Bret Allen. Both of these September meetings are hosted by Jeff Burgos, Principal at Our Lady of Mercy School in Daly City. Thanks for your continued generosity and hospitality, Jeff!
ADMINISTRATIVE AND INSURANCE FEES 2016-2017
Invoices for the annual Administrative and Insurance Fees payable to the Department of Catholic Schools, was mailed to each school site on August 29, 2016. Please remember that the payment for these fees should be returned by September 30th and must be accompanied with the (sent) statement of fees showing your current enrollment.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL PROFESSIONAL GOALS
Elementary principals please remember that your Professional foals are due to Bret Allen by September 30. One goal is for the principal to choose, the other has been generated by DCS for all elementary principals. Please e-mail a copy to Bret Allen and place a copy in your school DropBox. For a copy of the goals forms click here. Thank you!
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS
Professional Development Plans were due to your School DropBox on September 15th. You can access a suggested template by clicking here, however you may use whatever format you find most helpful.
ASBESTOS NOTIFICATION LETTERS
Included in your Back to School Envelope which was distributed at Opening Administrator’s Conference or mailed to your school site, was a memo from Steve Kalpakoff, Associate Director – Building & Construction Department, regarding the yearly Asbestos Notifications. AHERA requires that written notification be given yearly to school staff, parents, maintenance staff and occasional & contract workers about the existence and location of asbestos in our schools. The law also requires that the Building Department at the Real Property Support Corporation have signed copies of these four communications annually on file. If you have any questions or need additional forms, please call Debbie Ramos at 415 292-0800 #4
Signed notification letters must be returned by September 30, 2016 to:
Archdiocese of San Francisco Real Property Support Corporation
Building & Construction Office
1301 Post Street, Suite 102 San Francisco, CA 94109
Attention: Debbie Ramos
FACULTY & STAFF
FUTURE LEADERS PROGRAM
The Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Future Leaders Program plans to identify the next generation of Catholic School leaders in our Elementary and High Schools. The program will consist of three after school sessions during the 2016/2017 school year, held at the Chancery, which will introduce future leaders to local and national leaders in Catholic education.
The Archdiocese of San Francisco is pleased to offer a program that provides partial tuition reimbursement grants for elementary and secondary school teachers and administrators.
The Archdiocese can provide grants of up to $1,950 to educators who are enrolled in credential programs, including BTSA programs, and $2,100-$2,250 for those teachers and administrators enrolled in postgraduate degree programs at accredited colleges or universities. Professional growth in the areas of school administration, Religion, Mathematics, Science, and effective use of technology in classroom instruction, are priorities for the Department of Catholic Schools. Preference will be given to grant applicants for study in these areas, and to those closest to completing their degree.
To access required forms, please click here. For more information, please contact Gustavo Torres at (415) 614-5546 or torresg@sfarch.org
STUDENTS
TB TEST REQUIREMENT FOR STUDENTS
TB screening is required for first entry both to Preschool and K-12 schools in the Archdiocese. A signature by the child's health provider attesting to "no risk factors for TB" is sufficient for school entry for low risk children.
ARCHDIOCESAN CHORAL FESTIVAL
The 29 Annual Archdiocesan Choral Festival is happening once again at Archbishop Riordan High School on March 10, 2017. A registration form and informational flyer can be found by clicking here. The deadline to register is October 28, 2016.
For further information, please contact Christopher Tietze at orgelchris@yahoo.com.
The DCS has revamped the High School Admission/Application documents and Public/Private Calendar for ease of use and completion. They are now available in fillable PDF. Please click here to access the 2016-17 documents from our website: Calendar; Clergy Confidential Recommendation; and Transcript Request Form. The updated Parochial Recommendation Form will be available following the review of the High School Admissions Directors meeting on September 20. The Independent Schools Recommendation Forms will be supplied to you directly by those Directors and/or online.
In addition, Pastors were directly supplied with the new Clergy Confidential Recommendation Form.
Fall Bay Area Catholic Jr. High School Quiz Bowl
Saturday, Oct 22, 2016, 09:00 AM
Archbishop Riordan High School, Phelan Avenue, San Francisco, CA, United States
CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
Please note that the window for the Renaissance STAR Baseline Test ends on Tuesday, September 27. All students in grades 2 - 8 must have completed the STAR Reading and STAR Math assessments by this date.
RENAISSANCE STAR TRAINING
On September 28, 29 & 30, 2016 we will be hosting Renaissance STAR training on Using STAR to Inform Instruction. At this point the classes being held on Thursday, September 29 at St. Anne School and Friday, September 30 at Our Lady of Mercy are full, however space is still available for the class on September 28. If you have not yet registered for one of these classes, please contact Pam Lyons by Monday, September 26.
For a complete list of scheduled STAR training sessions and testing windows for the 2016/2017 school year, please click here.
COMMON CORE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
We are now in year two of our Archdiocesan roll-out of the the English Language Arts Common Core. The second Principal Professional Development day will be held on Tuesday, November 15 from 9:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. at Our Lady of Mercy in Daly City.
For more details on our ELA Professional Development for the 2016/2017 school year, click here.
FINANCE
Each year, schools must submit both an 1) Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year just concluding, and 2) an Operating Budget for the school year just beginning, to the Archdiocese according to the Parish and School Financial Policy Manual (Tab C, Items E3 and F3). The completed Annual School Financial Report including Operating Budget is due to the Finance Department of the Archdiocese at annualreport@sfarch.org on September 30th. Please contact Rodney Yee at 614-5513 if questions.
FINANCIAL AID ENROLLMENT VERIFICATION
Please confirm student enrollment in the TADS system for financial aid prior to September 15, 2016.
- Log into TADS
- Click Financial Aid tab
- Click Awards tab
- You should be able to click on the AWARDS – and the link should indicate the number of students you have to verify. Click on that and Verify Away!
Please call TADS if you cannot find these pages
Parental Support Line: Hours Mon-Fri 8am to 8pm (central) Phone: 612.548.3320
Toll Free: 800.477.8237
Website: www.mytads.com
ACCREDITATION
WCEA/WASC
For those elementary schools going through WCEA/WASC accreditation dates this school year, you have previously scheduled October meetings to discuss your progress on the Self-Study documents. These dates, times and locations will be confirmed with you in the next week by Bret Allen, WCEA Elementary Commissioner.
SAFETY
All schools in the Archdiocese of San Francisco will be required to complete the 5 safety forms located here. These forms may be completed electronically. All five forms are due to Pam Lyons by September 30, 2016. Once we have a complete set of forms from each school, we will ask you to review them each year and make any changes, rather than having to complete the forms every year.
SAFE ENVIRONMENT PROJECT
The announcement letter from Archbishop Cordileone from last year, is being reprinted for you as there are no changes to the safety programs of the Archdiocese. Schools should comply with the requirements of the programs listed in the letter as they working with students throughout the course of the year. Click here to read the Archbishop's letter.
STANDARD RESPONSE PROTOCOL AND BIG 5 TRAINING DATES
This is a reminder that all schools, both elementary and secondary, are expected to attend one of the upcoming emergency protocol trainings for your county. (Some secondary schools have attended a training last spring so you are not obligated to attend; but you always welcome to come for a refresher.) As we get nearer to the training dates Bret Allen will contact you for a list of your attendees. The people who should attend are elementary and secondary principals (or their designees), school safety employees, facilities managers, or specific members of your school communities that have responsibility for maintaining school security and safety. At least one representative from each school must be present for the training.
For San Francisco and Marin county schools: The Standard Response Protocol (SRP) is the authorized emergency/safety protocol for the schools in your county. The SRP training will be held:
LOCATION: The Chancery, First Floor Conference Room, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco
DATE: Thursday, October 13, 2016
TIME: 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
For San Mateo county schools, the BIG 5 is the authorized emergency/safety protocol for the schools in your county. The BIG 5 training will be held:
LOCATION: Our Lady of Mercy School/Church Hall, Daly City
DATE: Thursday, October 20, 2016
TIME: 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN
If you are interested in staring a Transitional Kindergarten program at your schools, please contact Nina Russo.