Volume 6, Issue 1
August 6, 2007

Message from the Secretary for Education/Superintendent
Welcome to the 2007-2008 school year! I offer a special welcome to those assuming leadership positions for the first time and to those who have made the transition to a leadership position in another school. May the Lord whose Transfiguration we celebrate today, form us into the leaders we want and need to be for the good of our schools and for the benefit of our students as we begin another school year. I look forward to meeting and greeting you on August 15th at the Plenary Gathering, St. Peter Chanel High School. Here is the information you need:

                Agenda

Cuyahoga County Schools with kindergartens may bring their cars
to the dock at the back of the school for kindergarten materials.               
All principals may pick up all other materials from the tables at your convenience.

So once again, welcome back! We are here to work with you to achieve the quality that we know our Catholic schools can possess in both the spiritual and academic formation of students and the development of a faith community among faculty, staff, students and parents.

Welcome, Bill Miller to a New Role!
As of August 1, 2007, we welcome William B. (Bill) Miller as Secretary for Catechetical Services for the Diocese of Cleveland. Bill has worked with us in the Office of Catechetical Services as consultant and most recently as Newman Catholic Campus Minister. We are happy to have Bill in this new role and wish him the very best!

Catholic Schools Week Theme
The theme for this year, 2008, is:  Catholic Schools Light the Way. Marketing kits are available at www.ncea.org.

New Principals and Principals with New Assignments
EASTERN AREA
Our Lady of Peace, Cleveland              William DiBacco
St. Francis of Assisi, Gates Mills                       Adrienne Publicover
St. Jerome, Cleveland                                       Mark Dudek
St. Mary, Painesville                                         Vincent Roessner
St. Robert Bellarmine, Euclid                            Nancy Lynch
St. Stanislaus, Cleveland                                   Deborah Ann Martin

SOUTHERN AREA
Holy Family, Parma                                          Rita Kingsbury
Immaculate Heart of Mary, Cuyahoga Falls       Bob Hardesty
John Paul II Academy, Garfield Heights            Sr. Helene Skrzyniarz, SSJ-TOSF
Our Lady of the Elms Elem., Akron                  Marie Reichart
Seton Catholic School, Hudson             Harry Selner
St. Ambrose, Brunswick                                   Christine Bopp
St. Martin of Tours, Maple Heights                   Jim King
St. Mary, Akron                                               David Csank
           
WESTERN AREA
Academy of St. Bartholomew,
Middleburg Heights                              Elizabeth Palascak
St. Angela Merici, Fairview Park                      Peg Neubauer
St. Patrick, West Park                                      Anne Marie Rajnicek

HIGH SCHOOLS
Walsh Jesuit High School, Cuyahoga Falls         Mark Hassman – Interim

Congratulations, Principals
Barry L. Bentley, Director of the Office of Quality Assurance, Center for School Improvement has written to thank all of you for your exemplary cooperation in providing the data for the NS3  Report once again this year. Congratulations!

GREETINGS FROM THE NORTHERN OHIO CHAPTER OF THE CATHOLIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION!  
As an organization, NOCCLA works to support and enhance the library program in your school.  It hosts (at members' schools) two conferences each year--a fall meeting and a spring workshop.  They ask that you lend your support as principal and encourage your librarian (or library aide) to attend one or both of these meetings and also to become a member of the organization. Annual dues are $10. Please note that the fall newsletter will be coming out in late August for your library staff. It will include detailed registration information about the fall meeting. This year's meeting will take place at Our Lady of the Elms in Akron (high-school campus) on Thursday, September 27, beginning with registration at 3:00 p.m. and ending at 8:00 p.m. The two main speakers will discuss "Web 2.0" and "Techno-Cheating."  The meeting also features inter-librarian sharing of ideas/concerns as well as an opportunity to see new books and other materials from a variety of exhibitors.  A catered dinner concludes the evening. NOCCLA appreciates the support you give to Catholic education and Catholic librarianship. Sincerely, Paul Pojman, NOCCLA President 2007-09, Bedford Historical Society Librarian home phone:  440-232-0527; home e-mail:  < pep216@sbcglobal.net >

School Calendar
Despite continued efforts by some legislators, there has been no change in the method for calculating the school year (i.e., changing the method of calculation from days to hours.) We remind you that you must provide for inevitabilities or calamities by adding extra days to your calendar in case you have to make up days.

Educational Technology News:
FREE online courses
We are pleased to announce FREE online courses for K-8 teachers working full time in the Diocese of Cleveland.  The courses, run through PBS TeacherLine and WVIZ, and begin September 6th.  Although these courses generally cost close to $200, teachers can participate in this pilot program for free.  Choose from either “Introduction to the One-Computer Classroom” or “Using Multimedia to Develop Understanding.”  Register early!  More information on this pilot program and registration information is available at:
www.oce-ocs.org/oce/teachers/edtech

For information on all TeacherLine courses, visit: www.wviz.org/teacherline

Atlas Trainings for Curriculum Mapping and Understanding by Design
Atlas Trainings will be held the week of September 10th.  
-System Administrator Training, focusing on resetting passwords, adding teachers and courses, etc., will run from 2:00-3:00 pm.
-Analytical Tools Training, focusing on analyzing assessment data, scope and sequence reports, standards profiling, etc., will run from 3:00- 5:30 pm. You can register online at www.oce-ocs.org/oce/teachers/prof_development 

Curriculum Mapping
Looking for information on Curriculum Mapping topics and locations for 2007-2008?  Want to view a presentation from 2006-2007?  All of this information is available www.oce-ocs.org/oce/teachers/curr_mapping

Chicken Pox Vaccination
Effective with the beginning of the last school year 2006/2007 kindergartners must be vaccinated against chicken pox. The varicella vaccine must have been administered on or after the child’s first birthday. Ohio Department of Health sent a reminder to school administrators in February 2006. RC3313.671(B)(3) also says that “a pupil who has had natural chicken pox, and presents a signed statement from the pupil’s parent, guardian, or physician to that effect, is not required to be immunized against chicken pox.” 

School Safety Plans
HB 422, was signed into law and effective beginning last school year 2006-2007, and requires chartered nonpublic schools to adopt safety plans. It also requires all schools to conduct at least one school safety drill annually. This drill can replace one of the 9 fire drills presently required.  A reminder that the Police Departments of the city in which you are located asked that they be present for the drill. HB 422 increases to $1,000 the fine for failure to conduct the required drill. The law also now requires that the principal ensure that health inspections be conducted by the proper authorities.*

As part of the School Safety Plan, preparation for a pandemic should be at the top of your list. You can access sites for preparation in the event of a pandemic by going to:
http://pandemicflu.gov or http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/pdf/schoolchecklist.pdf and childcare facilities http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/pdf/child care.pdf

Jarod’s Law*
HB 203, signed into law in December, requires county health departments to inspect school buildings and associated grounds (public and chartered nonpublic) at least annually (instead of semi-annually, which was the prior requirement), “to identify conditions dangerous to public health and safety present in or on the building or grounds.” [HB 203 was named for 6-year old Jarod Bennett, who was killed by a falling table in a school cafeteria.] The bill also creates a School and Health Safety Network to coordinate the school inspections, so each local health department isn’t doing its own thing. The Ohio Department of Health must “adopt rules establishing minimum standards and procedures for inspections conducted for purposes of the school health and safety network.” These rules are to be adopted no later than September 2007. The ODH currently is working on the rules and, as yet, has not made them available.

Playground Safety (According to the National Program for Playground Safety)
Do you have supervision rules posted for your playground?
Is your playground equipment free of splinters?
Do you have appropriate areas for different age groups and signage identifying these areas?
Does your play area have the appropriate depth of 9 inches of loose-fill materials to improve the safety of children who fall?  Surfaces to avoid are concrete, asphalt, grass, blacktop, dirt or rocks. The surface materials should consist of wood chips, mulch, sand, pea gravel or mats made of safety-tested rubber.
Have you checked equipment to ensure S-hooks are entirely closed and that no bolts are protruding that could catch on children’s clothing?
These are some simple things that can be done to improve playground safety. For more information go to www.playgroundsafety.org It has safety tips and a lesson plan for kids among other helpful information.

Celebrate the International Day of Peace, September 21
The United Nations established the International Day of Peace in 1981 to be celebrated on September 21st each year. The observance is to be a day of strengthening the ideals of peace and alleviating tensions and causes of conflict. The International Day of Peace provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date. Annual celebrations of Peace Day highlight the Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World, 2001-2010. For more information go to www.un.org/events/peaceday or www.InternationalDayOfPeace.org. You can click on the links: Declaration on the Right to Peace, Declaration on a Culture of Peace, and CyberSchoolBus. You will also find ideas for participating in your school. One idea we can all participate in is the minute of silence and prayer at 12 noon on September 21. Perhaps your school will want to make it a daily habit!

Religion Certification Applications
Principals, please remind teachers and catechists to use only the most recent application forms when applying for religion certificates. Mail is no longer forwarded from the Superior Avenue address to our East Ninth Street address. If the application is sent to the Superior Avenue address it will not reach us. Please mail all applications to 1404 East Ninth Street, Cleveland, OH 44114. Using the current form found at http://www.oce-ocs.org/ocs/certification/applications.shtml will ensure that you have the correct address.
Please use the current certification application. The fee is $5.00.            `

Water for Life Project
The Water for Life Project is a collaborative initiative among the Diocesan Social Action Office, the Diocesan Council on Global Solidarity, St. Joseph Christian Life Center, the Apostles of Jesus and various diocesan parishes in order to help provide clean water to students, teachers and community people in the villages of Narumu and Usari in Tanzania. If your school is looking for a very special project in 2007-2008, please consider Water for Life. The sponsors of this project have already collected $32,008 in donations, approximately 45% of their $70,000 goal. Providing pure water, something we take for granted each day, is a noble cause. The longer term goal of the project is  to work at becoming a bridge of solidarity between us and the students and parishioners in the Diocese of Moshi, Tanzania within which the Narumu-Usari schools are located.

Summit County Catholic Schools and the GAR Foundation
Catholic elementary and high school principals should have received information about a planning meeting with the GAR Foundation for their Educator Initiative Grants.  The meeting is scheduled for Saturday, September 29, 2007 from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm at Akron-Summit County Public Library.  Keynote speakers are Alan November and Dr. Beth Stroble.  Come and learn how to maximize your “gifts” as an educator with creative cutting edge ideas from national and local experts and learn about ways to fund them!

Want national recognition for your school?  
Today's Catholic Teacher proudly presents the Catholic Schools for Tomorrow Award. This award honors Catholic schools that have led the way by implementing exemplary innovative programs to improve the teaching and learning of their students, faculty, and staff.
Awards are offered in five categories:

• Innovative projects in promoting Catholic identity
• Innovative projects in curriculum and instruction
• Innovative projects facilitated by technology
• Innovative projects in staff development
• Innovative projects in total community involvement (including fundraising)

Winning schools are featured in a special section in the March issue of Today's Catholic Teacher and honored at an awards presentation banquet during the NCEA Convention.
For the application form, Google “Today’s Catholic Teacher” and click on the downloadable form.

Congratulations to St. Vincent-St. Mary High School for being one of the 2007 winners!

October Events
October 6, 2007  Crooked Halo  - The Galleria at Erieview   7:00 pm – Midnight
Beneficiary – Rose-Mary Center, a facility that assists and empowers individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities to achieve lives of increasing abilities and personal fulfillment.

October 11-12, 2007          OCEA Convention and Exhibit, Cincinnati, OH, Thursday and Friday

October 27, 2007                We Are Called! – Center for Pastoral Leadership, Wickliffe 8:30 am – 1 pm
Three sessions of practical and hands-on techniques for catechists - Workshops available for Kindergarten through Grade 8               

Recycling Fundraiser
The EcoPhones Recycling Fundraiser pays up to $300 per item for the following:

• Cell Phones
• Ink Jet Printer Cartridges
• DVD Movies and Videogames
• Portable DVD Players
• Laptop Computers
• MP3 Players
• X-Boxes, Sony Playstations, Wii
• Digital Cameras & Digital Video Cameras (DVRs)
• Digital Picture Frames
• Portable Navigation & GPS Devices (Garmin, Magellan, Tom-Tom)

They pay for damaged, non-working and non-listed models. An average U.S. household owns 25 consumer electronic devices. Ecophones provides free customized marketing materials and free shipping from anywhere in the U.S. For more information, you may register online at http://www.cell-phone-inkjet-dvd-recycling-fundraiser.org or call (888) Eco-Phones/  (888) 326-7466. You will receive a free welcome kit packet with color posters, a guide to running a successful recycling fundraiser, price lists, pre-paid shipping labels, and everything else you’ll need to get started. The contact person is Jennifer Parra, 2636 Walnut Hill Lane, Suite 215, Dallas, TX 75229.

Nominate your Teachers for 2008 Ohio Teacher of the Year
You may submit up to three applications for Pre-kindergarten through Grade 12 teachers. Each person nominated must be a classroom teacher who is engaged in the direct teaching of students and plans to continue in an active teaching role. He/she must be an outstanding teacher who has demonstrated exceptional dedication and leadership to classroom, school, and community activities. School personnel whose major responsibilities are administration, curriculum or supervision are ineligible.

Teacher of the Year applicants will receive a certificate from the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The Ohio School Boards Association will also recognize applicants.

Each Teacher of the Year nominee should:

• Inspire students of diverse backgrounds and abilities to learn;
• Have the respect of students, parents and colleagues;
• Play an active role in the community as well as in the school;
• Be poised and articulate, with excellent communication skills;
• Be able to provide presentations and workshops to diverse audiences in his/her area of expertise;
• Possess a state and national perspective of how current educational issues and practices impact teaching and learning;
• Use technology as a tool for learning, communication and collaboration; and
• Possess the energy to withstand a busy schedule as he/she serves as a spokesperson for Ohio teachers.

For complete information on this process and an official application form go to the Ohio Department of Education web site www.ode.state.oh.us and in the search box, type in 2008 Ohio Teacher of the Year. You may also contact Leona Skunza-Keith for more information at Leona.Skunza-Keith@ode.state.oh.us. The deadline for applications is September 28, 2007.

Bulletin Board Paper Holder/Cutter for Sale
St. Dominic School has a circular paper holder/cutter for bulletin board paper that is worth about $1,000 new, but is on sale for $200 to anyone who is interested. Please contact Kathleen Cherney, Principal at St Dominic School, 3455 Norwood Road, Shaker Heights, Ohio 44122, 216-561-4400.

Crooked Halo News
Tickets for the 12th Annual Crooked Halo Benefit are now on sale! To purchase your tickets, go to: www.cdcf.org/crookedhalo and click "Purchase Tickets Here.” 
Crooked Halo will be held on Saturday, October 6th from 7:00 p.m. to Midnight at the Galleria at Erieview.

Go Out To Eat On August 6th, Today! And Support Crooked Halo! 
The First Annual Crooked Halo Day at Johnny Mangos will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Monday, August 6th.  20% of all purchases made that day will be donated to the Associate Board in Honor of Rose-Mary Center, the beneficiary of this year's Crooked Halo event!!! You MUST present the official Johnny Mangos/Crooked Halo flyer upon placing/picking up your order.  Flyers are available to download at www.cdcf.org/ab .

Thank you in advance for your support of this wonderful event!!