Monday Mission Memo
January 21, 2019
Interim Superintendent's Update
School Leaders of the Diocese of Cleveland,
Happy and blessed Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This day, reflecting on our vocation with our schools closed in honor of Dr. King, I invite us to reflect on the closing of his "I Have a Dream" speech delivered at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963.
“When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, ‘Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!’ ”
Dr. King’s dream has made great progress since 1963, but we need not look far for examples of areas in need of further progress. You may know that our own Most Reverend Nelson J. Perez, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, is the chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church.
In this work, he has introduced us to the committee’s resources that you may find useful, including a series on Intercultural Competencies, designed to assist those carrying out trainings in their ministry organizations with resources and a framework to assist all who engage in the evangelizing ministry of the Church, including educators.
As you undertake leadership in growing the cultural competence of all of our schools and ministries, here are a few other resources that may be be helpful for educators taking up this work, including:
Earlier this school year, The Ohio State University announced the release of a valuable resource, the nation’s first free online implicit bias training for K-12 educators that would make for a good individual self-paced learning course or a potential resource for group engagement.
The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio includes numerous resources for schools to utilize with students as well as resources and consultants to engage faculty in ongoing professional learning.
And of course, a number of schools have already engaged with our Diocese of Cleveland Office of Ministry to African-American Catholics. Director Cary Dabney has received a number of requests and is helping as many as possible and directing schools to the offices many resources.
Thanks for all that you do for this unifying ministry in our schools. See below for more announcements and updates. All the best to you in preparation for the start of Catholic Schools Week next week!
Yours in Christ,
Frank O’Linn
School Spotlight - St. Martin de Porres High School
Leadership at St. Martin De Porres High School
The Vision of Rich Clark and Fr. John Foley, SJ and Fr. Robert Welsh, SJ
Future Plans at St. Martin de Porres High School
School Spotlight - St. Raphael School, Bay Village
Ann Miller and Roger Andrachik lead St. Raphael School
Plans for a STREAM Education Lab
Faith-filled students at St. Raphael School
MAP Growth Report for Elementary Schools in Catholic Diocese of Cleveland
Attention all schools who are struggling to get substitute teachers!
One more week to register for the K-12 School Safety Training!
School Leaders and Safety Managers - Don't miss the opportunity to join us on January 30th at Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Cuyahoga Falls for a very informative school safety training day. It would be great to have every school in the Diocese represented at this training to share ideas and best practices for the safety of our students.
- If you are not able to attend, please send a teacher representative from your school.
- There is no cost, nor is there a limit on the number of people from one school that can attend.
- All participants must register through the PD tab on Digital Academy.
Doors open at 8:00 a.m. National communication expert Anthony Huey will begin the day at 8:30 a.m. with a morning session focused on communicating with stakeholders during a crisis. The afternoon session will include information and discussions on safety procedures, state mandates, national statistics, and resources for supporting teachers, school leaders, and safety managers in creating safer schools. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided.