Volume 6, Issue 10
December 10, 2007

Feast of Our Lady of Loreto, Patron Saint of Aviation
One of the numerous titles of Our Lady is that of Our Lady of Loreto. The Holy House of Loreto, thought to be the place where the Annunciation occurred, around which the Basilica of Our Lady of Loreto was built, was believed to have been transported from Nazareth to Loreto. Stories are told of those who tried to dismantle it and return it to Nazareth. The story goes that they were stricken with illness until the bricks were returned to Loreto. Because of the legend that angels (possibly the Angeli family) brought the house to Loreto, Our Lady of Loreto was named Patron of Aviation. There is, in fact, a chapel in the Basilica devoted to our astronauts. In 1920, Pope Benedict XV approved a special blessing: “O Merciful God, You have consecrated the house of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the Mystery of the Word Incarnate and placed it in the midst of your children. Pour forth your blessing on this vehicle so that those who take an aerial trip in it may happily reach their destination and return safely home under Mary’s protection.” Our Lady of Loreto, pray for us!

Message from the Secretary for Education/Superintendent

If you have access to America magazine, the December 3 rd issue contains an article under Reflection Place entitled: “Coal to Diamond, Frog to Prince ‘God’s dream takes time to emerge’.” The author, Margaret Silf, relates the Christmas story of God becoming one of us that we might become like God, to the story of Paul Potts, the winner of Britain’s Got Talent. Margaret’s daughter called her in one day to watch a video clip on YouTube. There a simple, shy and unassuming man in a crumpled suit and broken front tooth faced the judges to audition for participation in the show. He was as you might expect spectacular. He won the competition weeks later receiving the highest votes, but more importantly, each time performing better than the last. He remained amazed at his success and humbly explained his voice as “his best friend” that kept him going while being bullied as a child. Paul’s story is a microcosm of the Christmas story. As Margaret Silf puts it:

“That extraordinary child (Jesus) is a constant reminder that God’s dream is longing to come to birth in every one of us. God’s dream is always about what we are born to do and who we are born to be, and the power and the Spirit that continues to flow from that child are the way the dream becomes a reality, coal turns into diamonds and frogs become princes––not a fairy story, but a real and grounded invitation to each of us to become who we are, a unique human being fully alive, a shaft of the glory of God that will shine in the darkness and which the darkness cannot overcome.”

What a beautiful thought! You might want to look up the video clips on YouTube for a little inspiration from Paul Potts, and better yet, reread the Christmas Story with it ageless message for each of us. Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year to you and each member of your school community!

Celebrate What’s Right With the World VIDEO
The Office of Catholic Education recently purchased copies of Celebrate What’s Right With the World, the video featuring National Geographic photographer Dewitt Jones.  Principals were treated to this 22 minute-long, inspiring video while attending Sr. Edith Prendergast’s presentation at Sawmill.

There are four DVDs and one VHS video available for schools to loan for a limited time. There is a shipping and handling fee of $10. The video also includes information on a Leader Guide and Workbook. To share this wonderful resource with your faculty, please contact Mary Deccola at 216-696-6525 x1172 or mdeccola@dioceseofcleveland.org and reserve your preferred date. You will receive instructions on returning it in a timely manner so that we can accommodate as many schools on their preferred date as possible. Thank you for your cooperation.

Two Questions From the Principals’ Leadership Conference
In the legal session of the Conference two particular questions were raised. One had to do with overnight field trips and another with specifically the ownership of curriculum maps. Here are two citations from the Handbook for Catholic Schools regarding these issues.
On page 6-22 of the Handbook, under Field Trips it states:

“1. Field trips can enrich classroom learning and open new areas of interest for the student. It is encouraged that schools use the vast resources of the eight counties of the diocese for one-day trips for students. And in #4 it reads:

“4. The Office of Catholic Education does not approve of nor recommend overnight, out-of-town trips, e.g., Washington, DC, for schools. The legal liability and safety concerns far outweigh the educational benefits of such a trip. The OCE advises parishes and schools not to sponsor such tours.”

The above has been and remains the Office of Catholic Education stance on field trips.

With regard to the ownership of curriculum maps , the Personnel Guidelines for Elementary Schools, Appendix 5-12, p. 5-75 and Professional Practices and Guidelines for Diocesan-Owned High Schools, Appendix 5-12a, p. 5-109 state the following under 5. Conflict of Interest and Responsibility:

“e) Any materials, (computer, curriculum, audio-visual, any kind of written materials or instructional methods) which are developed by an employee either during working hours or with facilities, equipment, materials, or students of the school shall be the property of the school. The employee will deliver a written assignment of the same to the school upon request.”

Curriculum mapping and Understanding by Design are both initiatives of the Office of Catholic Education. The OCE provided instruction in these initiatives and facilitates increasing the skill of teachers in using them as well as online capabilities in creating and maintaining the curriculum maps and UbD unit plans. Their purpose is to improve the flow and continuity of instruction and to help build a learning community among the teachers of the school and the diocese.

The latter “Conflict of Interest and Responsibility” paragraph covers all schools that have adopted the Personnel Practices Code offered in the Handbook for Catholic Schools. If you have adapted this code, but kept that paragraph intact, you, too, are covered.

Catholic Schools Week Tabloid Needs Your Support
The Catholic Universe Bulletin is again designing a tabloid to commemorate Catholic Schools Week. David Sarosy, Advertising Manager of the Universe Bulletin, will be forwarding to you a communication in December requesting you to advertise your school in the Catholic Schools Week tabloid. I would encourage you to participate in this advertising campaign by purchasing an ad in this publication. Our office uses the Catholic Universe Bulletin to provide tabloid copies to interested parents and to the general public who contact us. It is often cited by the media when reporting on Catholic schools in our area and, in general, is used to communicate changes in the school and parish structures.

It is a good way for a school’s name, location and population to be identified and known to the greater Cleveland community. Advertising in this tabloid allows the individual school to highlight its unique mission in the Church and the civic community and promote the many ways the school offers education in the faith. As with other advertising initiatives, your advertisement in the U.B. can promote aspects of your school you would not ordinarily market in a secular publication. When you receive David’s communication, please consider purchasing an advertisement. If you have questions about this, please contact David at 696-6525 Extension 2610.

Improving Student Learning Through Technology Grants Awarded!
Thank you to the over 70 schools who applied for an Improving Student Learning Through Technology grant through the Bruening Foundation. 24 schools were awarded grants totaling more than $70,000!

Congratulations to the following schools who received Improving Student Learning Through Technology grants:
 Beaumont School  
 Cleveland Central Catholic High School  
 Metro Catholic  
 Peaceful Children Montessori  
 Seton Catholic  
  Ss. Peter & Paul  
 St. Anthony School-Lorain  
 St. Brendan  
 St. Edward High School  
 St. Francis of Assisi-Gates Mills  
 St. Helen  
 St. Ignatius of Antioch  
 St. Josaphat  
 St. Martin de Porres High School  
 St. Mary of the Falls  
 St. Mary-Berea  
 St. Michael  
 St. Paul-Akron  
 St. Peter-Lorain  
 St. Peter-No. Ridgeville  
 St. Raphael   
 St. Thomas Aquinas  
 St. Thomas More  
  Trinity High School

Grant awards ranged from $790 - $3200.  Selected grant titles include:
 Building the Future  
 Walking in Jesus's Footsteps  
 Building a "Smart" School  
 Digital Science Experiments  
 Math Time - Let's Go  
 Literacy Centers

Curriculum Mapping Facilitators
Just a reminder that teachers are available to serve as Curriculum Mapping Facilitators for your school. These teachers will come to your school, share information about mapping, and assist your faculty with the mapping process.  Possible topics include Mapping Basics, Building Quality Maps, and more.  For information, and to sign up, click on the Curriculum Mapping Facilitators link at: www.oce-ocs.org/oce/teachers/curr_mapping

Atlas Changes for Curriculum Mapping and Understanding by Design
All school sites have been updated to include Rich Text Editing. This allows teachers to use bullet points, automatic numbering, bold lettering, etc. Please note that the browser Safari does not support this program.  Teachers are encouraged to use Mozilla/Firefox.

Elementary update- The New Math Curriculum has been added to your curriculum mapping sites! Look for it under the title of “Mathematics NEW.”

Secondary update- Based on the discussions and work at the Understanding by Design sessions held with Dr. John Brown in October, Atlas has updated the assessment piece to further match the UbD model. Please know that we are working closely with Atlas on this unprecedented customization to make your Atlas sites as beneficial as possible.

OCTM Awards
The Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics (OCTM) recognizes outstanding mathematics teachers on the elementary and secondary levels.  These are the teachers that exemplify best teaching practices in their classrooms. At the annual conference, the OCTM recognizes one teacher from the elementary schools and one from the secondary schools from each of the 8 state districts.  However, the math teacher must apply.  

There are two ways to nominate a teacher. The district office or principal can nominate a teacher by contacting the Northeast District Chair, Louisa Matthias at louisa@matthias.org. Ms. Matthias will then contact the teacher and ask the teacher to apply. The second method is for the principal to encourage the teacher to apply, and the teacher can apply directly by completing an application, either in hard copy or online at www.ohioctm.org. All applications must be in by February 1, 2008.

If you are interested in an application for one of your teachers, contact your area superintendent.

Protecting God’s Children Reminders
The implementation of the policy Protecting God’s Children requires that all staff be trained in the identification and referral of any child who is suspected of having been abused.  As you know, the Virtus training and BCI check fulfills this mandate.  However, the policy also stipulates that abuse prevention training be included in our curriculum and programming for students pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.
To insure that staff remains vigilant in protecting children, we recommend the following actions:
Ø    Complete BCI checks on all staff and volunteers.
Ø    Insure all staff compliance with Virtus training requirements.
Ø    Publish in your faculty and staff handbooks the school’s guidelines for making referrals.
Ø    Publish in your student handbooks a procedure for students to follow to alert an adult about abuse.
Ø    Commemorate the month of April as Child Abuse Prevention month with parent, teacher and student activities.
Ø    Insure staff teaches safety training in the Health curriculum.

April:  National Child Abuse Prevention Month
In keeping with the Called to Protect God’s Children policy, we encourage you to celebrate the month of April as the national Child Abuse Prevention month.  This would be a good time to review with students ways to keep themselves safe, both during school days and over the summer months.  A PTO meeting on this topic might also be a good idea. There are a myriad of activities that schools can do.  Here are some sites to access resources and materials:
Blue wristbands to wear during the month of April and packets of resource materials for the national commemoration can be downloaded from: http://www/preventchildabuse.org
Other resources can be found at the following websites:
The Child Abuse Network   http://child-abuse.com
National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect   http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/topics/prevention/index.cfm
Stop It Now! The Campaign to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse http://www.stopitnow.com
Sexual Abuse Statistics http://www.prevent-abuse-now.com/stats.htm
Child Help USA    http://www.childhelpusa.org/virginia/prevention.htm

Safe Environment Compliance Form
Please keep track of all offerings you provide your parents and students on the topic of child safety and abuse prevention.  These dates and programs will need to be documented on the annual Safe Environment Compliance Form due at the OCE by May 30, 2008 for the annual program audit.

Alert re: Google Reverse Telephone Book
You may want to alert parents about the following:
Google has implemented a new feature that enables you to type a telephone number into the search bar and hit enter, and you will be given the person’s name and address. If you then hit Map, you will get a map to the person’s house. It is a nationwide reverse telephone book.

If a child gives out his/her phone number, someone can now look it up to find out where he/she lives. The safety issues are obvious, and alarming.

Note that you can have your phone number removed or blocked.

In order to test whether your phone number is mapped, go to Google, http://www.google.com, type your phone number in the search bar and hit enter. If you want to BLOCK Google from divulging your private information, simply click on your telephone number and then click on the Removal Form. Removal takes 48 hours.

Missing Children Clearinghouse
The web site of the Attorney General of the State of Ohio, Marc Dann, now contains the Missing Children Clearinghouse 2006 Annual Report, the Ohio Missing Children Clearinghouse Brochure and the quarterly publication for law enforcement, known as the Bulletin. The web site is: www.mcc.ag.state.oh.us.

The Ohio Missing Children Clearinghouse offers publications and information regarding child safety. If you would like additional information on keeping our children safe or have any further questions please call the Ohio Missing Children Clearinghouse at 1.800.325.5604.

Notes from Carolyn Jurkowitz, Catholic Conference of Ohio,
re: FBI Checks
Preliminary information on HB 190: The bill covers many topics. Not all of them are included here. Because the bill carried an emergency clause, it is effective immediately upon filing, following the Governor's signature. The Governor has signed the bill. All general provisions of the law are applicable to all parties (public and nonpublic) as spelled out in the legislation.

This means that:

1. Criminal records checks must be done for all employees and job applicants (not just those whose job duties entail the care, custody, or control of children);
   
2. Employers must request checks of both BCII records and FBI records, regardless of how long an employee has resided in Ohio. As in prior law, the employer must request an FBI check if the individual is not an Ohio resident;
   
3. Checks, including FBI checks, must be repeated every 5 years;
   
4. An employer is expressly prohibited from hiring or continuing to employ any person whose criminal records check reveals a conviction of or a plea of guilty to any crime that disqualifies an individual from employment with a school, unless the person met the State Board's rehabilitation standards.

N.B.: An agreement with ODE leadership (including the Director of the Center) was made that because Catholic educators holding a permanent or non-tax certificate are required to complete BCI checks by December 31, 2007, these educators will NOT have to complete the additional FBI checks by December 31. In fact, because the checks must be "current," and "current" means not older than one year, these educators should NOT get FBI checks now. PLEASE ask them to wait until ODE specifically notifies you and/or them to get them. However, the law does not permit ODE to let these educators forgo the FBI checks for another five (5) years. ODE has agreed to place our permanent and non-tax teachers “at the end of the list" for the scheduled implementation.

So educators on permanent and non-tax certificates should anticipate getting FBI checks sometime after January 1, but within the next 5 years. Eventually, ODE will synchronize their BCI/FBI requirements so that educators get both at the same time.

Catholic Charities Coloring Contest
Entries for the Annual Youth Helping Catholic Charities Coloring Contest are due no later than Friday, December 21st. All entries can be mailed to Celeste Cappotto, 1404 East 9th Street, 8th Floor, Cleveland, OH 44114. Additional information can be found on the Youth Helping website: http://www.clevelandcatholiccharities.org/youthhelping07.htm . Good luck!

CEET Emergency Fund Grant Recipients
For any of your students who received emergency tuition assistance in the 2006-2007 school year or even in this first semester of 2007-2008, please be sure the families submit a PSAS application by the March 1, 2008 deadline for consideration of 2008-2009 Diocesan Tuition Assistance (DTA).  There have been instances in the past where a family received emergency tuition assistance, did not submit a PSAS application for the next school year, and came back again in the new year seeking the Emergency Fund a second time. CEET's Emergency Fund is intended as a one-time-only assistance when a family encounters a crisis. Of course, if your school chooses not to participate in the DTA process, the PSAS application a family submits will be used solely for your LTA (Local Tuition Assistance) and not DTA. Please call Jan Ravas at Ext. 2830 if you have questions.

Returned DTA Grants
If you have not yet reviewed your Final School Report for 2007-2008 DTA grants which included your lump-sum check, please be sure to do so promptly. Any funds for students no longer enrolled, should be returned to Jan Ravas, with your check made payable to Diocesan Tuition Assistance, and include the names of the students. On the other hand, if you have a student enrolled who claims to have received DTA, but he/she is not on your list, contact Jan Ravas at ext. 2830. Once the information is verified, she will request a check for that grant and send it to you.

Catechetical Leader Certification
Some principals have been inquiring about obtaining certification as catechetical leader. While we are looking into facilitating this process for you, we suggest that you send a copy of your Catholic college or Catholic university transcripts (xeroxed copy is acceptable) to Elaine Pekarek, Administrative Assistant, Office of Catechetical Services, 1404 East 9 th Street, Cleveland, OH 44114. Elaine will ask one of the Catechetical Consultants to review your transcript to see if you already qualify for catechetical leader certification or if you have credits that can be applied to clc. This will also give us a clearer picture of your needs as you seek this certification.

January Thaw
The tenth annual “January Thaw:  Fire Up” Conference is scheduled for Saturday, January 19, 2008, at Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron.  This catechetical conference is sponsored by the Southern Area Catechetical Leaders of the Diocese of Cleveland in association with the Diocesan Office of Catechetical Services. The conference offers 30 sessions for Parish and School Catechetical Leaders, Youth Ministers, Catechists, Teachers and RCIA Candidates and Catechumens, plus a 3-session retreat option. A brochure with registration information will be included in the December Memorandum or online in November at www.oce-ocs.org/ocs. Please note that registration is limited and will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. For additional information, call the Southern Area Office of Catechetical Services at 800-869-6525 X 1029 or contact pflaherty@dioceseofcleveland.org.

New Media Resources Web Page and Media Blog
In an effort to increase one's awareness of his/her faith and favorite media offerings, the Office of Catechetical Services has launched a Catechetical Media Blog on its web site. The blog is written by Jeff Stutzman and contains thoughts, reflections and resource suggestions for classroom, small groups or one's own personal faith formation. The blog is available on the home page by clicking on the logo in the left-hand column. The address is http://www.oce-ocs.org/ocs/media_blog .

Jewish-Christian Journey to France
Anne L. Lukas, Executive Director of the Ursuline College Accelerated Program is inviting high school students, college students and especially educators to join her on a Jewish-Christian Holocaust Journey to France in July 2008 or a Jewish-Christian Holocaust Journey to Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland and Israel in July 2009.

The goals of the Journey to France – Monday, July 28 to Wednesday, August 6, 2008 – are to:

1. Learn about the third largest Jewish population (600,000) in the world.
2. Financially support the now-fragile Jewish community of the world vial Jewish hotels, restaurants, museums and organizations.
3. Develop insight regarding the role of Christian and Islamic anti-Semitism as it relates to the Holocaust.
4. Analyze the acts of Christian and Jewish French resistance and rescue.
5. Understand the significance of the Holocaust connection to Israel as a Homeland for Jews.
6. Become an eyewitness to the destruction and renaissance of Jewish life in France.

College credit (3 credits) is available at Ursuline College. Post-secondary option may apply for college credit for high school students.

Financial aid may be available – a partial subsidy of $500 for participants; total journey and college course scholarship for two students.

For complete information, syllabus, and requirements for credit, contact Anne Lukas, Alukas@ursuline.edu.

Recycling Fundraiser
If you are looking for a great way to raise dollars for your school, the EcoPhones Recycling Fundraiser pays up to $300 per item. There is nothing to buy, and nothing to sell. Simply ask parents, neighbors, co-workers and local businesses to donate and recycle their used consumer electronics:

• Cell Phones
• Ink Jet Printer Cartridges
• DVD Movies & 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)

Earn cash for every item guaranteed. EcoPhones also pays for damaged, non-working and non-listed models.

According to the Consumer Electronics Association the average U.S. household owns 25 consumer electronics devices. With more than 2 billion DVDs, 30 million digital cameras and 41 million MP3 players sold each year in the U.S. plus the more than 150 million used cell phones stockpiled in U.S. households the EcoPhones Recycling Fundraiser is much easier and more profitable than you may think. In addition, EcoPhones provides FREE customizable marketing materials and free shipping from anywhere in the U.S. including Alaska. Join the more than 22,000 schools, clubs, and churches just like yours that have raised much-needed funds for their organizations.

For more information, you may register online at http://www.cellphone-inkjet-dvd-recycling-fundraiser.org or call 1.888 Eco-phones/ 1.888.326.7466. 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.

From the Global Issues Resource Center
The GIRC and Library, OCCE, Cuyahoga Community College and the Ohio Resource Network, www.ebasedprevention.org present the Northeast Ohio Youth Services Directory 2007 at 50% savings. This 146 page, easy-to-read directory, is a great tool for educators, social workers, counselors, parents, clergy, and other youth serving personnel who want to locate programming on special topics including, but not limited to:

• Bullying Prevention
• Career Exploration
• Civil Rights
• Communication Skills
• Community Service
• Computer Skills
• Conflict Resolution
• Dating
• Diversity
• Domestic Violence
• Drug Prevention
• Employment
• Environmental Education
• Mental Health
• Trauma
• Truancy
• Tutoring
• …And Much More

You can now purchase a directory for just $6.00 plus $1.50 for shipping per directory. If you have any questions call Global Issues Resource Center at 216.987.2224 or email Marcelle Eades at marcelle.eades@tri-c.edu. If you would like to list your organization in the directory, visit the web site at www.ebasedprevention.org.

FREE One-day Seminar from the Bill of Rights Institute – Social Studies Teachers 9-12

High school principals, please forward this announcement to your teachers.

The Bill of Rights Institute invites social studies teachers, 9-12 to apply for a FREE one-day seminar entitled The Expansion of Expression. The seminar will be held on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at The Western Reserve Historical Society-Norton Gallery in Cleveland, Ohio from 7:30 am – 2:30 pm. Complimentary breakfast and lunch will be provided at the seminar.

Social studies teachers will get an opportunity to study Schenck v. United States (1919), Texas v. Johnson (1989), and Reno v. ACLU (1997) and be provided with the academic content and practical applications to explain the significance of these cases to their students.

Teachers will receive a complimentary copy of the curriculum, Supreme Court DBQs: Exploring the Cases that Changed History that includes scaffolding questions to guide students of all levels through the questions and documents ranging from Blackstone’s Commentaries to modern political cartoons, along with a password to access online resources. Participants will also receive a professional development certificate.

The Bill of Rights Institute is grateful for the generous support of the Nord Family Foundation that enables it to offer this valuable educational program free of charge to teachers.

Registrations must be completed online by January 8, 2008. To apply, please visit: http://www.BillofRightsInstitute.org/ApplyOnline. For more information, contact Marianne Scott, Education Programs Coordinator, at events@BillofRightsInstitute.org or call 1.800.838.7870, ext. 10.

This seminar meets the Ohio’s Academic Content Standards in Government by giving educators the tools to help their students: “analyze the evolution of the Constitution through post-Reconstruction amendments and Supreme Court decisions” and “explain how the U.S. Constitution has evolved, including its philosophical foundations, amendments, and court interpretations.”