Volume 6, Issue 17
March 31, 2008
Blessings during the Easter Season!
From the Papal Easter Greeting
Our Holy Father captures the conditions of the world, especially in his last two paragraphs we share with you here:
“How often relations between individuals, between groups and between peoples are marked not by love but by selfishness, injustice, hatred and violence! These are the scourges of humanity, open and festering in every corner of the planet, although they are often ignored and sometimes deliberately concealed; wounds that torture the souls and bodies of countless of our brothers and sisters. They are waiting to be tended and healed by the glorious wounds of our Risen Lord (cf. 1 Pet 2:24-25) and by the solidarity of people who, following in his footsteps, perform deed of charity in his name, make an active commitment to justice, and spread luminous signs of hope in areas bloodied by conflict and wherever the dignity of the human person continues to be scorned and trampled. It is hoped that these are precisely the places where gestures of moderation and forgiveness will increase!
“Dear brothers and sisters! Let us allow the light that streams from this solemn day to enlighten us; let us open ourselves in sincere trust to the risen Christ, so that his victory over evil and death may also triumph in each one of us, in our families, in our cities and in our nations. Let it shine forth in every part of the world. In particular, how can we fail to remember African regions, such as Darfur and Somalia, the tormented Middle East, especially the Holy Land, Iraq, Lebanon, and finally Tibet, all of whom I encourage to seek solutions that will safeguard peace and the common good! Let us invoke the fullness of his Paschal gifts, through the intercession of Mary who, after sharing the sufferings of the passion and crucifixion of her innocent Son, also experienced the inexpressible joy of his resurrection. Sharing in the glory of Christ, may she be the one to protect us and guide us along the path of fraternal solidarity and peace. These are my Easter greetings, which I address…to men and women of every nation and continent united with us... Happy Easter!”
Message from the Secretariat for Education/Superintendent
In paging through the March 24 th issue of America magazine I noticed an ad for an essay contest. The title of the contest is A Case for God Essay Contest. It reads: “As part of America magazine’s centennial celebration, the editors are pleased to announce the America Essay Contest, open to writers of all ages and occupations. At a time when atheism and religious belief have become prominent issues of discussion and debate in both our nation and our church, the editors have chosen as the general theme: “A Case for God.” Wouldn’t it be interesting to propose a challenge to both our teachers and students to write such an essay! Whether or not they enter the contest it might be an enlightening way of finding out the impact of our educational system upon our students.
For purposes of the contest, “The winning essay will approach that topic with creativity, precise argumentation and literary flair. Essays should be written with a general audience in mind, but can be from any perspective, including personal, professional, academic, apologetic or devotional.” The winning entry will receive $3,000 and will be published in the magazine during the centennial year. The submission must be an original, unpublished work of no more than 2,500 words and must be received by June 16, 2008. The winner will be announced in October 2008.
Send submissions by email to writingcontest@americamagazine.org, or by postal mail to America Writing Contest, 106 West 56 th Street, New York, NY 10019. More details are available at www.americamagazine.org/contest.cfm.
1. Bishop Pilla Scholarship for Excellence
The Grants Committee of the Catholic Education Endowment Trust’s Advisory Board will be reviewing applications for this scholarship in early April. Notification letters will go only to the selected recipients. Those not selected will be considered for other Diocesan Tuition Assistance, and those notification letters will be mailed in May. If you have any questions, please call Jan Ravas at ext. 2830.
2. Spring Workshop for Librarians
TheNorthern Ohio Chapter of the Catholic Library Associationinvites librarians and social studies teachers to a Spring Workshop on Thursday, April 24, 2008 at:
The Western Reserve Historical Society
Registration: 12:30 – 1:00Workshop: 1:00 until 4:00
Children and young adult librarians will give talks on the latest historical fiction and non-fiction books for library collections and social studies classes. The Western Reserve Historical Society staff will preview their offerings. There will also be an opportunity to share with colleagues and tour the museum that houses a nationally renowned collection of antique automobiles. Join the Northern Ohio Chapter of the CLA for an historical afternoon. For more information or to register contact bkelly@magnificaths.org
3. RxPERT™ Cleveland Clinic Pharmacy Help Line for Schools – Please pass on to your school nurse.
The Office of Civic Education Initiatives and Cleveland Clinic Pharmacy offer a prescription drug information program that may be of great benefitto you and the students you serve: RxPert™, Cleveland Clinic Pharmacy Help Line for Schools, now in its second year. RxPert™ is offered at no cost as part of Cleveland Clinic’s ongoing support of regional education.
RxPert™ is a help line staffed by Cleveland Clinic pharmacists. Its purpose is to assist school nurses and other school staff members who dispense medications. Participation in RxPert™ can assist non-licensed personnel in the administration of medications and may decrease medication errors. RxPert™ pharmacists are on call all day to:
- Verify drug dosage
- Consult on drug administration (timing, special handling)
- Discuss drug warnings and side effects
- Answer questions about drug and food interactions
- Assist with identifying unlabeled or mislabeled drugs
- Recommend how to store drugs.
(RxPert™ cannot change or prescribe drug therapy or offer medical advice.)
To enroll your school in RxPert™, visit www.ClevelandClinic.org/CivicEducation, print and complete an agreement form and mail to the specified address.
If you warrant any amendments, please indicate so on one copy of the agreement. Once your agreement has been approved, you will bedesignated a partner school and you can begin accessing Cleveland Clinic pharmacy expertise. The Office of Civic Education Initiatives and Cleveland Clinic Pharmacy are pleased to support school nurses, who do so much for the health of the students of our community.
4. Toyota International High School Teacher Program
– Galapagos Islands Study Tour
The 2008 Toyota International Teacher Program to the Galapagos Islands will take place November 22-December 6, 2008. This includes travel time, two-night pre-departure orientation, and 12 nights in Ecuador. Direct costs of participation (transportation, lodging, meals and all program activities) will be paid by Toyota. While on the Galapagos Islands, program participants will have the unique opportunity to work in groups with Galapagueño teachers on the design of interdisciplinary environmental lessons. These lessons will be shared with the education community.
The Galapagos Islands, a designated World Heritage site, are located 1000 kilometers off the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. This isolated island chain is home to some of the world’s most unique animals and ecosystems. With a population of over 28,000 people living on 3% of the land, and host to more than 60,000 visitors per year, the islands are at the forefront of the study of environmental sustainability, stewardship and the delicate balance of humans and nature.
After an oil spill in 2001, World Wildlife Fund, in partnership with Toyota, developed the Galapagos Energy Blueprint. This blueprint aims to transform all energy systems to sustainable, renewable energy sources and clean technologies. Toyota has also funded renewable energy workshops for teachers in the Galapagos and is proud to offer American educators an opportunity to study this remarkable ecosystem.
Past participants have been able to integrate this experience into their classrooms in a variety of ways. Thirty secondary school teachers of all subjects and teacher-librarians will be selected to participate this year. Teachers from all 50 states and the District of Columbia are encouraged to apply.
Go to: http://www.iie.org/programs/toyota/galapagos/galapagos_main_w_links.html and click on the application and other information titles. The paper portion and online portion of the application are due to IIE no later than May 9, 2008. All applicants will be notified of their status by the middle of June. Please allow time for delivery.
5. “Catholic Past” Workshop at JCU-Middle and High School Teachers
John Carroll University Institute of Humanities and Institute of Catholic Studies is jointly sponsoring the “Catholic Past” Workshop for middle and high school teachers this summer, July 7-11. The purpose of the Workshop is to bring teachers and college faculty together to examine topics of Catholic history that are often misunderstood and misinterpreted. There are two major features of the workshop.
1) This study of the past is not to encourage a “return” to any past. Topics will be discussed with historical honesty and fidelity to cultural contexts, without other agenda or unscholarly emphasis on low or high points, and with proper emphasis on continuities and adaptations of past traditions to modern times.
2) The Workshop’s format is based on the premise that teachers at all levels––middle, high school, and university––are colleagues. Following presentations by university scholars, discussions will emphasize the equality of all participants and the common mission we share––to understand and teach the Catholic past with accuracy and integrity. Catholic schoolteachers’ cost is $350 (without graduate credits) that will include continental breakfast, lunch, and readings. For more information contact: W.F. Ryan, 216.397.4780 or humanities@jcu.edu
Sessions: Monday-Friday, 9:30 am and 1:30 pm
Coffee & rolls daily at 8:30 am, lunch 12:00-1:30 pm.
Schedule:
July 7 Christians & Heretics: Paul to Augustine
July 8 Medieval Views on Muslims & Jews
July 9 Women & the Church: Not Merely ‘others’
Evening: St. Andrew’s Benedictine Abbey
July 10 Papists or Real Americans? 1800-2008
July 11 Roundtable: “Teaching the Catholic Past”
6. World Day of Prayer for Vocations – Sunday, April 13, 2008
4:00 pm – Holy Hour with Benediction, Prayer, Song, Listen to Vocation Stories
5:00 pm – Young people offer witness talks about how they are inspired by adults who live out a Christian vocation.
5:30 pm – Sunday Mass at the Cathedral
All are invited! Free Parking
Any questions? Contact Sr. Lenore Thomas, IHM, lthomas@dioceseofcleveland.org, 800.869.6525 extension 3460 or Fr. Michael K. Gurnick, mgurnick@dioceseofcleveland.org, 800.869.6525 extension 3410.
7. Theology on Tap – Tuesday, April 15
“Christology in the Mystics” -Coming to Know, Love, and Serve Christ through John the Evangelist, Teresa of Avila, and Ignatius of Loyola will be the feature presentation by Father Michael Denk, Parochial Vicar, St. Barnabas Church. The presentation is at the Center for Pastoral Leadership, 28700 Euclid Avenue, Wickliffe, OH 44092 at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $3.00.
Please R.S.V.P. to Celeste Cappotto at 216.696.6525 ext. 1049.
Theology on Tap is co-sponsored by the Youth and Young Adults Office and The Associate Board of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland Foundation.
8. Free U.S. Department of Education Publications
The U.S. Department of Education’s web site has undergone an extensive redesign. It combines bold colors, strong lines and a greater amount of “white space” to give it an eye-catching, modern look. The shopping process has been improved. Please visit the web site at: http://edpubs.ed.gov to see for yourself. If you have any problems or questions, please feel free to call 877.4ED.PUBS. Assistance is available from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. Or, you may send an email to edpubs@edpubs.ed.gov.
9. National Motto Advocates
The National Motto Advocates, an outreach of the International Solidarity and Human Rights Institute, ISHRI, has distributed over 39,000 posters touching about 40% of Ohio students. They are promoting display of posters of the national and state mottoes in all schools in Ohio, but they need your help. Schools in Cuyahoga County should have received posters and a lesson plan grades 3-12 that a donor has funded. If you are interested, and have not received posters, please contact Charles Menk at wetrustingod@sbcglobal.net or call him at 740.283.4568. The web site for this project is: http://www.nationalmotto.homestead.com/index.html
You will receive the lesson plan and sample of the poster at the April Principal Meeting.
10. COSI’s Girls Explore…Archaeology! Program
This program is a chance for girls in grades 6-8 who like science, math, history and solving problems to discover that archaeology can be an exciting career for women. It is a day of hands-on activities and interactive sessions led by women from a variety of archaeological disciplines. The featured speaker will be Dr. Melinda Zeder, Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s Archaeobiology Program.
Where: COSI in Columbus, OH
When: Saturday, April 19, 2008 - 8:30 am to 3:15 pm
Cost: $15.00 that includes lunch, a souvenir T-shirt, take-home materials and admission to COSI’s exhibits after the program.
There is also a special concurrent session that day just for parents, mentors, and teachers on encouraging middle-school girls to stay involved with math, science, and technology! This special session includes an informal discussion of how we shortchange girls’ learning experiences, a chance to observe informal learning in action, and more. For information, or to register, please visit www.cosi.org/educators/mentoring/.
11. One Classroom: The Digital Resource Library Project
WVIZ/PBS ideastream® is providing the professional development for The Digital Resource Library, which is funded by The Cleveland Clinic and provided by OneCommunity. This online tool will enable educators to perform a simultaneous search on educational learning materials throughout multiple online databases and be given the results in a single view. Educators will be given the ability to search, share and manage all of their school’s digital subscriptions (including United Streaming), along with access to content from other educational institutions in Northeast Ohio and beyond. WVIZ/PBS ideastream® will provide training for the OneClassroom project to teachers at 1,500 public and private school buildings across 18 counties. To learn more about the features and benefits of this resource and how your building can be part of this project, visit www.onecommunity.org.
12. Tabor Fund Grant Awards
Applications for Tabor Fund Grant Awards are not available for the 2008a cycle. Awards are intended to provide an opportunity for ministers (administrators/teachers) to refresh and/or re-energize their spirituality, faith, mind and/or physical well being, as part of fostering personal development and improving their ministry. Awards will be made in the following categories: Education and Formation, Sabbaticals and Retreats.
Eligibility for this award program includes any bona fide employee (paid or volunteer), deacons and religious who work in any recognized ministry within the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland; this includes parishes, religious orders, recognized ministries and offices of the Diocese. While priests cannot receive individual awards, they may participate in Education and Formation initiatives.
Tabor Event Calendar (TEC) awards are also available. These awards allow bona fide ministers to access programs at local retreat centers throughout the year. Applications can be obtained at the web site noted in the following paragraph.
The application deadline for the Tabor Fund Grant Awards Program is May 9.You may access the application and guidelines for both Tabor Fund Grant Awards and TEC Grants by visiting www.cdcf.org under the menu option: Grant Programs. If you have any questions, please contact Laren Gannon at 216.696.6525, ext. 4200 or lgannon@dioceseofcleveland.org.
13. Vatican Splendors Exhibit
Experience 2,000 years of Vatican art and history, Michelangelo items and works by Bernini, Giotto, and others. Vatican Splendors from Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums and Swiss Guard features approximately 200 works of art and historically significant objects, many of which have never left the Vatican. The exhibition is organized into four thematic sections that illustrate the evolution of the Church and its papacy beginning with Saint Peter through the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI, with special emphasis on the founding 500 years ago of the Renaissance (current) Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Papal Swiss Guard and the Vatican Museums. The objects are presented in galleries and recreated environments that enhance the visitor's understanding of their historical and artistic significance.
Exhibition designers want visitors to feel transported to the Vatican, from the underground catacombs where the remains of Saint Peter were discovered to the magnificent papal chambers found above ground. From the sights and sounds of the grand Basilica to a touchable cast of John Paul II’s hand, the exhibition is a multi-sensory experience.
The Vatican Splendors exhibition will be on display at the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland, Ohio beginning May 31, 2008 until Labor Day 2008. Check the WRHS website for announcements on availability of advance purchase tickets.
http://www.wrhs.org is the website, an excellent way to prepare for a visit to the exhibits! For advance group discount information and reservations, contact sales@TicketsForGroups.com or call 800-840-1157. The Western Reserve Historical Society is located at 10825 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH 44106. http://www.vaticansplendors.com/about/(Tour of the Planned Exhibit)
http://www.vaticansplendors.com/en/cms/?67 (Teacher Guide in pdf and word form)
14. Cleveland Indians 2008 WKYC Weather Education Days
Calling all Science Teachers!
Enhance your curriculum with a field trip to the ultimate classroom - Progressive Field!May 15 - 12:05 p.m. - Indians vs. A's orMay 28 - 12:05 p.m. - Indians vs. White Sox. Pre-game presentation begins at 10 a.m.
WEATHER EDUCATION DAY INCLUDES:
- A pre-game presentation hosted by the Channel 3 WKYC Weather Team and experts from the National Weather Service featuring an appearance by a Cleveland Indians Player.
- A complimentary educational workbook for all students and teachers
- Incredible lunch options including an all-you-can-eat picnic for just $8.95 for kids 14 and under ($15.95 for adults). (Brown bag lunches are permitted in the ballpark.)
- A Major League baseball game! Students can see first-hand how weather impacts the game
- 50% off tickets for groups of 25 or more. Prices range from $5 - $12
- Two FREE tickets for groups of 25 or more and four FREE tickets for groups of 100 or more.
Call Dominic Polito with the Cleveland Indians @ 216-420-4518or dpolito@indians.com to purchase tickets.