Monday Mission Memo
Nov. 19, 2018
Interim Superintendent's Update
School Leaders of the Diocese of Cleveland,
In this season of thanks, we at the OCFE are grateful to you for your leadership and for the time we were able to spend together last week. There were so many rich discussions and opportunities to learn from one another. I write with a couple of items to follow up from me and our Diocesan School Leadership Team.
Accountability to Academic Results:
First, one of the future directions we discussed was a movement toward transparency of results. To follow up, I first wish to ensure everyone knows where to find the academic performance information that is already published as required by state law:
Voucher Students
State test results are reported by building level for all students in the EdChoice or Cleveland Scholarship programs for all grade levels. Searchable reports for every school in these voucher programs can be found here:
http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Other-Resources/Scholarships/Test-Scores-for-Voucher-Students
Secondary Schools
The Ohio Department of Higher Education collects and reports data on students attending Ohio’s university system (2-year and 4-year), including students who enroll in remedial classes in English or Math. They typically lag a year or two behind - See the HS class of 2016 report at
https://www.ohiohighered.org/data-reports/college-readiness
These state-aggregated sources are in addition to the other local requirements we have seen recently, including publishing college readiness scores as a condition of one of the graduation pathways for high school, and requiring all non-public schools to publish their enrollments and background check policies on their websites. The point I emphasized on Wednesday is that transparency can be a healthy driver of learning for our schools; we should continue taking steps to do it on our own terms.
The Courage to Lead:
Second, Dr. Ron Valenti’s keynote address highlighted the book The Courage to Teach, by Parker Palmer. As Dr. Valenti mentioned, Palmer founded the Center for Courage and Renewal in Seattle. Did you know we have a branch here in Cleveland? Facilitator Tony Vento, a member of St. Patrick’s parish in Ohio City, has been offering a local Courage to Teach retreat twice annually (fall and summer).
We would like to gauge interest in a retreat based on the same principles, for principals, “The Courage to Lead.” Given the busy lives of leaders, I’m asking you to take a moment to answer a few brief questions regarding interest and format - would it interest you, and if so, what time of year and what format. The link is here: https://goo.gl/forms/qsVlxR2D5QsRMVIf2 For videos on the “Courage to Teach,” approach see this page.
Your Feedback:
Finally, in addition to the session feedback participants submitted to Catapult, our team has prepared a few follow up questions to inform our efforts to plan for next year. We would appreciate it if you could find a few minutes to complete this survey, also linked below.
Thank you, and may you and yours enjoy a blessed Thanskgiving this week!
Yours in Christ,
Frank
Note of thanks from John Szarwark
It is with sincere thanks and appreciation to all principals and staff of the OCFE for the gracious recognition given to me during the Principal’s Leadership Conference. I hope that in a small way I have been of service to you. Truly, you have helped me “Live my life as a Vocation” that I will not soon forget. Blessings and prayers. John Szarwark
School Spotlight — Holy Name High School, Parma Heights
Girls Volleyball Wins Division II State Championship
The Holy Name High School Volleyball Team won the 2018 Division II State Championship on Saturday, November 10, securing the first volleyball state title in school history, and Holy Name’s first state title in any sport since the girls soccer program won a title in 2006.
Before winning the state title, the Lady Namers took down Bishop Fenwick 3-1 in the state semifinals on Friday afternoon (25-17, 14-25, 25-17, 25-18). They then beat Bishop Hartley 3-2 (25-22, 25-16, 18-25, 16-25, 15-6) on Saturday to take the championship trophy back to Parma Heights.
Holy Name finished the season 26-3.
Holy Name is Built on a Foundation of Faith
Since 1914, Holy Name has been building a faith community that not only ignites the fire of God’s love within our students, but also brings that same Light to the world. Built on the foundation of Eucharist, Holy Name is a ministry true to the Mission of the Church: We gather around the table of the Lord, we invoke the Name of His Mother, Mary, and we rely on the intercession of the Saints.
Once a month, the entire school community gathers to celebrate the Eucharist as one family. Campus Ministry members play an active role in the Mass, serving as acolytes, readers, gift bearers, and Eucharistic Ministers.
Prepare for College, Prepare for Life
Strong academics have always been at the heart of the Holy Name experience. The academic life at Holy Name seeks to produce a well-rounded individual with a strong background for the rigors of higher education and a strong character for the rigors of life.
Students at Holy Name are encouraged on a daily basis to strive for excellence in all they pursue.
A rigorous program of studies, together with the support and encouragement designed to promote the fulfillment of the individual student’s potential, forms the basis of the academic life at Holy Name High School.
School Spotlight - Seton Catholic School
Karen Alestock, Principal, and Annie Deemer, Assistant Principal of Seton Catholic School
Creativity and confidence are built at Seton Catholic!
School Seton Shirts show pride!
Principal Leadership Conference Survey for FUTURE Planning
As one Principal Leadership conference ends, we need to move on to planning the next. If you attended this year's event or not, we need you to take the survey below to ensure we are planning an event that is valuable for you. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey. There are two sections to the survey. Section one is to be filled out if you attended last week's conference at Kalahari to evaluate that event. Section two is for ALL principals to participate in to help us plan for future events. Click here to complete the survey: https://goo.gl/forms/qYtA5UbVUTJ29I302
Principal Leadership Conference Video 2018
Let's hear it for our new principals for "Stayin' Alive!"
Research-Based Intervention #4 - Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets (www.readingrockets.org) is a national multimedia literacy initiative that offers information and resources to help young children read. It provides a wide variety of research-based strategies to assist those who educate young children in reading. The website includes easily accessible and user friendly tools such as videos of suggested lesson strategies, step-by-step lesson plans for key areas of reading intervention, downloadable templates, links to related websites and tools, tips for differentiation, and suggested books to accompany lessons. Click on the "For Teachers" tab to access a wealth of additional information such as resources for writing and teaching literacy within STEM as well as information for teaching exceptional learners and ELL students.