Monday Mission Memo
March 18th, 2019
Superintendent's Update
School Leaders of the Diocese of Cleveland,
Welcome to the first Monday Mission Memo that does not include the word “interim” on my update. Thanks for the kind words and well wishes over the last few days. I look forward to continuing the good work that we have shared for the benefit of our Catholic schools.
And yet, the first official announcement I have to share is an unpleasant one. I wish to make sure that all of our leaders are aware of last Friday afternoon's announcement from the pastor at St. Adalbert in Berea that the Academy of St. Adalbert will close at the end of this school year. St. Adalbert Church and School were founded in 1874 and have a rich history in the region. Most recently the school, the Academy of St. Adalbert, had carved out its niche with an inclusion model and emphasis on personalized education. It was even the backdrop for the February 2017 announcement launching the Better Together initiative for the Diocese of Cleveland. At this time our prayers and support are with the interim principal, George Mitchell, as he leads students, families, faculty and staff in the next steps. This is one of the most important times that our communities can come together to be of assistance in helping students, their families, and professionals in transition.
In other education news, perhaps you have followed the recent national conversation that has ignited around reading instruction. A recent Education Week article challenged some dominant current practices as out of touch with existing research. The authors reignited debate when pointing out that “grouping students by reading level is poorly supported by research, yet pervasive,” or that many “teachers overspend instructional time on ‘skills and strategies’ instruction, an emphasis that offers diminishing returns for student learning.” This article or the numerous responses it spawned is an interesting conversation for us and our faculties.
To me, the dialogue underscores for all of our schools the importance of curriculum, in reading as well as mathematics and other subjects. We talk often about the importance of leadership, but we must lead with appropriate vision - we must know what levers to push. Robert Marzano’s research examined a number of school level factors to find that a “guaranteed and viable curriculum” is the variable most strongly related to student achievement: guaranteed in that all students have the opportunity to learn and viable in that they have time to do so. As we at the OCFE work to support academically excellent Catholic schools, curriculum and instruction will be an area in which we continue to invest effort and focus.
Please read on for more announcements, updates, and opportunities.
Frank
Elementary Principal Meeting
Elementary Principal Meeting
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
St. Barnabas School
9200 Olde Eight Road, Northfield 44067
Principals should enter the campus off of Olde Eight Road and park in the South lot - the one closest to the athletic fields and the bell tower. Follow the walkway past the church and enter the DeCrane Parish Center on the left down the ramp or stairs. Students will be on hand to assist. The agenda and notes for the Principal PLC time are below.
Elementary School Tuition Agreements
Tuition Agreements are essential to the operation of nonpublic schools, though they can be fraught with legal and procedural implications from the ODE to the IRS. This is an area that our team at the OCFE wishes to study in order to improve. To that end, we request that each elementary school please provide a copy of the tuition agreement you use with parents. Please email to John Szarwark at jszarwark@dioceseofcleveland.org or simply bring a hard copy to Wednesday's meeting. Our finance team will compare best practices, identify issues, and, we hope, result in some recommendations to help the entire system.
Better Together Meeting Friday at St. Francis of Assisi School
There is still time to register for the Better Together meeting being held this Friday, March 22 at St. Francis of Assisi school in Gates Mills. If you are planning to attend, please email Dolores Bruno (dbruno@dioceseofcleveland.org) directly before Wednesday, March 20, and she will make sure you are included on the registration roster. Currently, registration through Digital Academy is not available for this event.
For those of you who will be attending on Friday, be sure to submit your questions for the afternoon Panel Q & A session through the Digital Academy discussion forum. Please note that only registered participants are able to submit questions.
School Spotlight - St. Stanislaus School
Debb Martin, Principal of St. Stanislaus School with colleague and neighbor, Sr. Allison Gusdanovic, SND, principal of Cleveland Central Catholic School
Door Decorating Contest for Black History Month
The arts are emphasized at St. Stanislaus School
School Spotlight - Sacred Heart School, Wadsworth
Bill Adams, Principal of Sacred Heart School
Mrs. Bree McNeill, Soil and Water Conservation Teacher of the Year
Mrs. Bree Mc Neill, science teacher at Sacred Heart School, is the 2018 Conservation Teacher of the Year for Medina County. Mrs. McNeill teaches students to be better stewards of the earth by using Project WILD activities, taking field trips to area national parks, and through initiating gardening classes to be taught after school.
Breakfast of Champions Program helps students to be champions of their faith during Lent!
Posture at Mass during the Communion Rite
Happening in all of our parishes this spring will be reminders and/or renewed emphasis on the practice of posture at Mass during the Communion Rite. The announced changes are to take place Divine Mercy Sunday (April 28). For a more thorough explanation, see the Letter to the Faithful that the Bishop's Office provided to pastors for promulgation. These updates will naturally carry over to our school liturgies (high schools or others that have Mass outside of the parish setting, take note).
Podcasts are like Educators' Talk Radio. Here are two interesting podcasts that will get you thinking.
Pope Francis Leadership Institute Applications now available
Upcoming NCEA Webinars
Click the links to register for these free webinars.
Actions Schools Must Take Now to Sustain Enrollment: The Linkage Between Learning Environment, Student Performance and Enrollment - Tuesday, March 19, 2019, 1 PM EDT
Catholic Classical Liberal Arts Education: How the Recovery of the Church's Educational Tradition is Transforming Catholic Schools - Tuesday, March 19, 2019, 4 or 7 PM EDT
PBL with a Christian Worldview - Wednesday, March 20, 2019, 4 PM EDT
Engaging Elementary Students In Their Faith - Thursday, March 21, 2019, 5:00 PM EDT