Volume 6, Issue 11
January 7, 2008

Feast of St. Raymond of Penyafort
Patron Saint of Canonists born in Spain, St. Raymond was a relative of the King of Aragon. From childhood he had a tender love and devotion to the Blessed Mother. He finished his studies at an early age, and became a famous teacher. He then gave up all his honors and entered the Order of the Dominicans. St. Raymond was very humble and very close to God. He did much penance and was so good and kind that he won many sinners to God. With King James of Aragon and St. Peter Nolasco he founded the Order of Our Lady of Ransom. The brave religious of this Order devoted themselves to saving poor Christians captured by the Moors.

Once he went with King James to the Island of Majorca to preach about Jesus . King James was a man of great qualities, but he let himself be ruled by passions. There on the Island, too, he was giving bad example. The Saint commanded him to send the woman away. The King said he would, but he did not keep his promise. So St. Raymond decided to leave the Island. The King declared he would punish any ship captain who brought the Saint back to Barcelona. Putting all his trust in God, Saint Raymond spread his cloak upon the water, tied up one corner of it to a stick for a sail, made the Sign of the Cross, stepped onto the cloak, and sailed along for six hours until he reached Barcelona. This miracle moved the King. He was sorry for what he had done, and he became a true follower of St. Raymond. St. Raymond was one hundred years old at the time of his death.

The Holy Father’s new encyclical, Spe Salvi, On Christian Hope, might use St. Raymond as an example of complete trust in God. Let us pray to St. Raymond for the gift of Hope.

Message from the Secretary for Education/Superintendent
Welcome to the New Year. May the Lord bring many blessings to you, your family and school community! I hope Christmas was a time of grace and at least some relaxation. We look forward with hope and use our Holy Father’s second encyclical to guide us in our quest for a faith-filled hope as we encounter the daily blessings and trials that we can only imagine the year 2008 will bring.

High School Selection Week
Just a reminder! High School Selection Week is January 7th - 11th. Applications are to be distributed to all eighth grade students. If you have any questions, please contact Wayne Uehlein at ext. 2450 or Sandy Williams at ext. 4990.

2008 Diocesan Celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist Helen Shubert Concert Series and the Office of Ministry to African American Catholics presents the Kentucky State University Concert Choir (HBCU) directed by Dr. Carl H. Smith. Join us at the Cathedral on Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 7:30 pm. The concert is open to the public and parking is free.

DTA/CEET Special Grants
All information along with the applications for the 2008-2009 school year will be provided in packets to all principals at the January Principals Meetings. The SCHOOL TUITION ASSISTANCE REQUEST (STAR) FORM will be included in that packet.  The STAR form and your Tuition Scale for 2008-2009 will be due at the OCE on February 15, 2008.  Thanks for planning ahead!
(If you cannot attend, please send a representative to ensure that you receive your packet.) If you cannot attend, please send a representative to ensure that you receive your packet. Thank you!

Celebrate What’s Right With the World VIDEO (repeated from December 10 Bulletin)
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 five 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 (repeated from December 10 Bulletin)
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.

Technology program accepting entries
The Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards Program is accepting entries for its 2008 competition until January 29. The program invites students to imagine what current technology will be like in 20 years. Winners will receive savings bonds worth up to $10,000. Visit www.exploravision.org or call 1-800-EXPLOR9.

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.

YAFF Lenten Series
Young Adult Faith Formation encourages men and women in their 20’s and 30’s to deepen their faith and build friendships within the Catholic Church by offering six weeks of prayer and discussion. Lenten Series begins in February at St. Noel, Willoughby Hills; St. Charles Borromeo, Parma; and St. Joseph, Strongsville. Meetings are held Monday or Tuesday evenings from 6:30 -8:45 pm. All sites offer an optional dinner at 6 pm. Register by January 21. For more information, contact Margaret Vogel, Youth & Young Adult Ministry Office, 216.334.1261 extension 28; mjvogel@clevelandcatholiccharities.org.

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.

Just a Reminder
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 wait until ODE specifically notifies you 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.

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.

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.