DCS Administrative Bulletin
October, 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 TO ST. JOHN PAUL II
May you bless families, bless each family! You warned of Satan’s assault against this precious and indispensable divine spark that God lit on earth. St. John Paul, with your prayer, may you protect the family and every life that blossoms from the family.
Pray for the whole world, which is still marked by tensions, wars and injustice. You tackled war by invoking dialogue and planting the seeds of love: pray for us so that we may be tireless sowers of peace.
O St. John Paul, from heaven’s window, where we see you next to Mary, send God’s blessing down upon us all.
Amen.
IN MEMORIAM
You are asked to pray for friends and families of those who recently died:
June Riener, mother of Vince Riener, principal of All Souls School
MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
The school year is racing along as students are near completing their first quarter and teachers are preparing for report cards and conferences. With STAR results, I anticipate that elementary schools will have more vibrant and standards based performance data to share with parents. Here are some updates in this month's Administrative Bulletin worth noting:
- In the Alliance of Mission District Catholic Schools section read more about an exciting Maker Space project that is being spearheaded by principals, Alliance Administrator, Gustavo Torres, and Board Members from Sacred Heart, Bill Krueger and Janet Shapiro.
- In the Legislative Updates section, more information is provided on the Federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) that was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama in December 2015. As the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), this law continues programs such as Title I for services to the disadvantaged, Title II for professional development, and Title III for English learners. Additionally, ESSA has a new title that combines and expands programs previously authorized under ESEA’s last authorization—the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The new Title IV provides support for a well-rounded education, safe and violence-free schools, technology education, and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers.
My guess is that many of our public school partners are not fully aware of these changes. I think it might be helpful for our Archdiocese to meet to discuss all the changes. Let me know if you are interested. Click here to access a very comprehensive toolkit that explains all the ramifications of the new legislation.
- I would like to share with you an email announcement that some of our schools have received concerning establishment of a new grade 6-8 program at St. Ignasius. Our congratulations to the SI community and this powerful gift to underserved children in San Francisco. To read the complete email, please click here.
I close with gratitude for all that you do. I know it is a lot to carry…continue the journey with grace and the balance of home, family and our confidence in God.
Nina Russo
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
Henri de Lubac and the Mystical Body of Christ - Article by Joseph Wagner from the Church Life Journal on the link between Eucharist and social concern.
George Lombardi: Mission to India
The Moth and the World Science Festival Present a look at a young doctor who is whisked halfway across the globe to care for an ailing international religious icon. To watch this moving and entertaining video click here.
Cultivating Curiosity in K-12 Classrooms: How to Promote and Sustain Deep Learning
Curiosity comes from within—we just have to know how to unleash it.
We learn by engaging and exploring, asking questions and testing out answers. Yet our classrooms are not always places where such curiosity is encouraged and supported. Cultivating Curiosity in K–12 Classrooms describes how teachers can create a structured, student-centered environment that allows for openness and surprise, where inquiry guides authentic learning.
RELIGION
EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY
The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy officially closes on November 20, 2016. Thank you to all who celebrated this special year!
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.
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
Students in Grades 1-8 are to write an original essay, no longer than one page, discussing the reflections & questions provided. Essays may be hand-written or typed. For grades 1-2, drawings may be included. High School students' essays should be no longer than two pages and should be typed if possible.
Essays will be judged on the student’s ability to articulate his or her understanding of the issues, the message of the Catholic Church in relation to those issues, his or her own personal commitment to implementing the Church’s message, and creativity.
Each school, religious education class or youth group is to choose the three best essays in each class. To avoid disqualification, please submit only three essays per class to:
Archdiocese of San Francisco, Respect Life Program
Office of Human Life & Dignity
One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109
Essays should be postmarked by Monday, December 5, 2016.
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.
FACULTY AND 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.
EDUCATOR INCENTIVE GRANTS
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
AUDIOMETRIC HEARING SCREEN SERVICES
The San Francisco Department of Public Health – Office of Childhood Hearing continues to support the health & well-being of our students of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, by offering low cost ($2.00 per student) Audiometric Hearing Screen services. Last school year, the SFDPH was able to screen 1849 private school students (K -10th grade). 30 students were identified with hearing abnormalities that were not previously identified.
For more information click here.
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 Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Academic Decathlon is scheduled to be held on Saturday, March 4, 2017, at St. Pius School, Redwood City.
At this time, the Study Guide information from edtestcreators has been posted to the Academic Decathlon wiki. The Archdiocese of San Francisco is not participating in the writing section.
This year, all questions regarding the decathlon materials must be made through the archdiocesan coordinator (Gustavo Torres) and directed to edtestcreators@gmail.com. Responses applying to the group will be posted on the wiki.
Available this year will be a Coaches Handbook (no charge) within the EdTestCreators store. It will be available with the Study Guide
If you are interested in participating this year in the Academic Decathlon please click here for more information. This should be returned by December 2, 2016. If you have never participated and would like more information, or if you have any questions, feel free to contact Archdiocesan Coordinator Gustavo Torres at 415-614-5546, torresg@sfarch.org or St. Pius, Principal (Coach) Rita Carroll at 650-368-8327, rcarroll@stpiusschool.org.
HIGH SCHOOL ADMISSIONS CALENDAR & APPLICATION DOCUMENTS
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.
ALLIANCE OF MISSION DISTRICT CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
In the next two weeks you will receive the Archdiocesan averages from the Baseline STAR tests in Reading and Math.
We have received several calls asking for information on how to "freeze" a support teacher in Renaissance so they will not disappear each evening when Renaissance syncs with SchoolSpeak. For instructions on how to do this, 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.
SAFETY
BIG 5 TRAINING
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.) 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 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.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
ESSA
As the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), this law continues programs such as Title I for services to the disadvantaged, Title II for professional development, and Title III for English learners. Additionally, ESSA has a new title that combines and expands programs previously authorized under ESEA’s last authorization—the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The new Title IV provides support for a well-rounded education, safe and violence-free schools, technology education, and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers.
The good news is that your allocations for the title funds should increase between 20 to 30% since the public school districts will no longer take funding off the top before dividing the funding dollars to private schools. Here is an example that I am making up to explain the new process. Under NCLB if a school district/LEA was give 100k for Title II, they were directed to give a portion to private schools based on the number of private school students. However, under NCLB, the LEA was given permission to take set asides, as much as 30% for such things as class size reduction. Therefore, in my example, the LEA would use 70K as the total amount to be divided between public and private students. This will no longer be the case with the new legislation, so your annual allocations will now increase significantly for all the Title programs. Also, there will be an ombudsman in Sacramento representing private school administrators to ensure the new law and previous inequalities are heard by a neutral third party. My guess is that many of our public school partners are not fully aware of these changes. I think it might be helpful for our Archdiocese would meet to discuss all the changes. Let me know if you are interested. Click here to access a very comprehensive toolkit that explains all the ramifications of the new legislation.
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama in December 2015. As the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), this law continues programs such as Title I for services to the disadvantaged, Title II for professional development, and Title III for English learners. Additionally, ESSA has a new title that combines and expands programs previously authorized under ESEA’s last authorization—the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The new Title IV provides support for a well-rounded education, safe and violence-free schools, technology education, and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers. Specifically, these titles are: · Title I: Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged · Title II: Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High Quality Teachers, Principals or Other School Leaders · Title III: Language Instruction for English Learners and Immigrant Students · Title IV: 21st Century Schools These programs provide for the equitable participation of private school students. Title XIII of ESSA contains uniform provisions that detail how equitable services are provided to private school students, and Title I has its own equitable services provisions. More clearly stated, your allocations for the title funds should increase between 20 to 30% since the public school districts will no longer take funding off the top before dividing the funding dollars to private schools. Here is an example that I am making up to explain the new process. Under NCLB if a school district/LEA was give 100k for Title II, they were directed to give a portion to private schools based on the number of private school students. However, under NCLB, the LEA was given permission to take set asides, as much as 30% for such things as class size reduction. Therefore, in my example, the LEA would use 70K as the total amount to be divided between public and private students. This will no longer be the case with the new legislation, so your annual allocations will now increase significantly for all the Title programs. Also, there will be an ombudsman in Sacramento representing private school administrators to ensure the new law and previous inequalities are heard by a neutral third party.