Volume 6, Issue 4
September 17, 2007

Feast of St. Robert Bellarmine
St. Robert Bellarmine is a fitting saint to honor today. A devoted mother may have served as his role model in spirituality. A Jesuit, he was an outstanding scholar and devoted servant of God who defended the Holy See. In the field of church-state relations, he took a position based on principles now regarded as fundamentally democratic – authority originates with God, but is vested in people, who entrusted it to fit rulers. St. Robert was the spiritual father of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, helped St. Francis de Sales and opposed severe action in the case of Galileo. He was a prolific, controversial writer and a saint! He died in 1621. (Adapted from Catholic Online, Saint of the Day)

Happy feast day to the community of St. Robert Bellarmine School!

Message from the Secretary for Education/Superintendent
Today is the day mandated by law for schools receiving federal funds to hold an educational program for their students on the United States Constitution. I am sure you have seen the ideas in Chalk Talk from the Curriculum Department. It is a wonderful opportunity to focus on the God-centeredness of our Founding Fathers. Our coinage and paper money state “In God We Trust.” Recent objection to the phrase “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance notwithstanding, the United States of America is a country in which we are free to worship and express our belief in God without fear of reprisal. The Internet provides excellent free resources including grade-level lesson plans to learn more about the U.S. Constitution.

I am repeating information about the OCEA below. Please seriously consider attendance at the convention and include all or a representative group of your staff. 

OCEA Convention, October 11-12
Don’t forget to register your staff members for the OCEA and to join us at the convention. Go to www.ohiocathconf.org for all of the details for registration, program and hotels.
Deadlines:
(a) REGISTRATION online, for $100, closes September 28.  After that, registration is ONLY at the Convention and is $150.
(b) HOTEL registration on line, September 18.
Presenters:
Educators making presentations do NOT register for the Convention. The OCEA office registers them automatically, and their registration is paid by OCEA (for a maximum of 3 persons making a single presentation).  Presenters MUST follow directions at OCEA website for AV, handouts, parking, etc.  OCEA cannot honor requests made after posted deadlines.
Program:
The entire OCEA program is online. For additional newsprint copies, principals may call or e-mail Carolyn Jurkowitz at the Ohio Catholic Conference.

Don’t Forget to Register for the Fine Arts Conference
When:        Friday, September 21, 2007 – 9:00 am-1:30 pm 
Where:       Marriott Downtown, Floor 2, off Public Square
This Conference is a unique opportunity for all music and art teachers, especially
classroom teachers responsible for teaching art. If all teachers teach their own music and art, send a representative few to bring back the information and experience. Choose from Visual Art Sessions or Music Sessions or both. The keynote, “Changing Places: Building Communities Through the Arts” will be presented by Mary A. Sheridan, Ph.D., Pickerington Local Schools.

Breakfast is served from                                                      8:00 – 9:00 am.
Welcome and Opening Prayer takes place promptly at   9:00 am.
The Keynote begins at                                                          9:15 am.
There is a break from                                                           10:00 am – 10:30 am.
Session One begins at                                                         10:30 am.
There is a break at                                                                11:45 am.
Session Two begins at                                                         12:15 pm.
The Conference concludes at 1:30 pm at the end of Session Two.

Parking is available at Memorial Plaza Garage. Enter off St. Clair Avenue just east of the Marriott Hotel. Look for the parking sign. It is underground parking. Take a ticket as you enter. Locate the elevators and take an elevator to the hotel lobby. You may then take an elevator or escalator to the second floor for the Conference. You will receive a voucher for parking when you register.

An Invitation to All to Pray, Fast, and Act for Peace
It is not too late to join the Seminary Vocation Office and members of the Catholic Community in “40 Days of Prayer, Fasting and Actions for Peace,” an initiative formed by our Diocesan Social Action Office in light of Pope Benedict’s call for world peace. Beginning on the Feast of St. Louis of France (August 25, 2007) and ending on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi (October 4, 2007), everyone has an opportunity to spend seven minutes a day in prayer, reflection and actions for peace. As these 40 days continue, for more information please contact:

Come and See Overnight Retreat – High School Men
Borromeo Seminary is sponsoring an overnight retreat for young men who are juniors or seniors in high school on October 6-7, 2007, 9:00 am Saturday through 1:00 pm Sunday. Borromeo is located at 28700 Euclid Avenue, Wickliffe, OH in the Center for Pastoral Leadership. Young men who are searching and have questions can hear what others experienced as they made the decision to come to Borromeo. Contact Father Michael K. Gurnick at 440.943.7660 or email Father at mgurnick@dioceseofcleveland.org.

Parent/Student Information Night at Borromeo Seminary
High school age young men (grades 9-12) and their parents are invited to an evening of   information and insight about Borromeo Seminary on October 30, 2007 from 7:00 – 8:30 pm at the Center for Pastoral Leadership. For more information or to register call 440.943.7631, the Seminary Vocation Office.

FYI: Web Site on Ohio’s Statewide Testing
This web site, http://portal.success.ode.state.oh.us.info serves as a starting point for tools that can help in understanding Ohio’s statewide assessments for the Ohio Achievement Tests (OAT) and for the Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT). You may want to check it out!

2007-2008 Youth Helping Catholic Charities Program
By now we hope you have received your packet for the 2007-2008 Youth Helping Catholic Charities Program.  As you have noticed, Diocesan schools have been divided by region to promote volunteer activities with our two beneficiaries: The Home Services Program of Summit County and 8th Street Family Center in Lorain.  We look forward to another great year; last year over 40 schools raised $12,300, and this year promises to be even more successful!  Please contact Celeste Cappotto at 216.696.6525 ext. 1049 or ccappotto@dioceseofcleveland.org if you have any questions, need another packet or are in need of more information.

Higher Education Act 
HR 2669, the college cost-reduction bill contains teacher loan forgiveness provisions for K-12 educators. The House version includes all private school teachers but the Senate limits benefits to public school teachers. The CAPE action center (http://capwiz.com/cape/home/) can be activated to remind Senators to include private school teachers in the bill before they pass it.

NCLB Title Programs
The campaign to Keep 2-4-5 Alive is in need of support. The education appropriations bills have not completed final passage in congress. The House version retains current funding levels for Title II-D (Education Technology) and Title IV-A (Safe and Drug Free Schools) but cuts $46 million from Title V-A (Innovative Programs).  The Senate bill, yet to reach a floor vote, would eliminate Title V-A while funding the others at the House levels. The CAPE legislative action center (http://capwiz.com/cape/home/) provides an easy e-mail message template that can be adapted to contact legislators to emphasize the importance of these programs for Catholic school students.

Prayer Service for Opening School Events
A prayer service is available on the NCEA Web site suitable for use by educators in dioceses, schools and parishes to kickoff autumn programs, entitled “Live as Children of Light.” It ties in with the central theme of Catholic Schools Week, “Catholic Schools Light the Way.” The prayer service is in Word and can be adapted to suit your needs. A bookmark accompanies the prayer service. Go to our back-to-school press kit page, http://www.ncea.org/news/pressrelease/article.asp?article_id=116 and scroll down to find the prayer service and the bookmark in color and black and white.

Student Video Contest
Mark your calendars for the 2008 eTech Ohio Educational Technology Conference, February 4-6 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center! WVIZ/PBS will again partner with eTech Ohio in the fifth annual Student Video Contest, which recognizes outstanding student achievement in the production of video production technologies while meeting Ohio state academic content standards and other instructional objectives. Submissions will be accepted from any current public or private school student or group of students in grades 6-12. Visit www.wviz.org/vidcontest for information. All submissions must be received at WVIZ/PBS by Wednesday, November 14, 2007. Winners will be honored at the Conference on Wednesday, February 6, at 9:00 am.

Paralyzed Veterans of America Fourth Annual National Veterans Day Poster and Essay Contest, Grades 1-8
This contest aims to involve schoolchildren in the activities of Veterans Day, November 11, by encouraging kids to creatively express their gratitude for the more than 26 million American veterans. The theme of this year’s contest, Veterans Day: Honoring our Nation’s Heroes, will also provide teachers and parents the occasion to educate children of the history and sacrifices made by America’s veterans.

This year’s competition is open to students in grades 1-8. The poster contest is open to students in grades 1-4, which will be separated into two categories for judging: 1st-2nd grade and 3rd-4th grade. The essay contest is open to students in grades 5-8 and will be separated into two categories for judging: 5th-6th grade and 7th-8th grade. Volunteers from PVA, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Education Association, local educators and graphic designers will sit on the 2007-judging panel. Ten finalists from each grade category will be awarded a certificate of merit and commemorative T-shirt. A winning student from each category will receive a plaque and a $100 educational gift certificate. The grand prize, presented to one student from the poster contest and one student from the essay contest, will receive an award plaque and an all-expense paid trip for the student with a parent or guardian to Washington, DC, for Veterans Day 2007 National Ceremonies. Selected entries will be displayed at PVA National Headquarters, as well as PVA’s web site and monthly magazine PN. Entries must be post marked by October 12, 2007. Go to www.thankyouveterans.org to download the contest guidelines. If you have any questions, please contact postercontest@pva.org or call (800) 424-8200 ext. 654.

Potential Careers: Civil Engineering
Teachers in grade and middle school may want to consider opening students’ minds to a potential career as a civil engineering. Civil engineering is the oldest engineering discipline after military engineering. It has several subdivisions, including:
• Environmental engineering; • Geotechnical engineering; • Structural engineering; • Transportation engineering; • Water resources engineering; • Materials engineering; • Coastal engineering; • Surveying; • Urban planning; and, • Construction engineering. Civil engineering began between 4000 and 2000 B.C. in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia when people began constructing permanent dwellings and cities, with a need for a permanent infrastructure, which involved houses, civic buildings, and tombs. Civil engineers (called “architects” or “master builders”) constructed or were involved in erecting the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: • Great Pyramid of Giza • Hanging Gardens of Babylon • Statue of Zeus at Olympia • Temple of Artemis at Ephesus • Mausoleum at Halicarnassus • Colossus of Rhodes • Lighthouse at Alexandria.
Another ancient civil engineering feat was the Parthenon at Athens (447-438 B.C.).

Civil engineers must major in civil engineering; this includes courses in mathematics, physics, project management and courses in one of the subdivisions mentioned above. In addition, certification by a professional body is necessary.
Professional Societies
• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), at: http://www.asce.org/asce.cfm.
• Chi Epsilon (Civil Engineering Honor Society), at: http://www.chi-epsilon.org.
Resources
• “Those Amazing Engineers,” ACME Engineering Company, Inc. Available at: http://www.asce.org/files/pdf/thoseamazing.pdf.
• “Thinking of a Career in Civil Engineering?” ASCE, available at: http://www.asce.org/kids/whatis.cfm.
• Engineering the City: How Infrastructure Works, by Matthys Levy and Richard Panchyk (Chicago Review Press, 2000)
• An Illustrated History of Civil Engineering, by Neil Upton (Heinemann, 1975)
• Ancient Construction: From Tents to Towers, by Michael Woods and Mary B. Woods (Runestone Press, 2000)

Rules for Implementing HB203 (Jarod’s Law), Signed into Law in 2005
Rules were approved by JCARR (Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review) on
Monday, September 10. The Ohio Department of Health is expected to file the rules on September 17 so that they will become effective on September 27. HB203 requires that these rules be in place by September 2007.

The rules impact public and chartered nonpublic schools equally. The law requires county boards of health to inspect school buildings at least annually “to identify conditions dangerous to public health and safety present in or on the building or grounds.” The law also creates a School and Health and Safety Network to coordinate the school inspections statewide.

The local board of health is responsible for conducting the inspections and sending a written report to the school building administrator within 30 days. The building administrator is responsible for developing and implementing a PLAN for abatement of unsatisfactory health conditions identified in the report of the inspection. Unless the school administrator is granted an extension, the PLAN is to be submitted to the local board of health within 60 days of receipt of the inspection report.
The school administrator shall provide written notification to the local board of health when abatement, as outlined in the plan, has been completed. Once abatement is completed, as outlined in the plan, the local board of health issues a supplemental report.

There are no enforcement provisions in the law or the rules.

3701-54-02: (A)"The purpose of the school inspection rules is to provide minimum standards and procedures for inspection of schools to identify conditions within the school building and grounds that may be injurious to the safety or health of building occupants. The rules shall establish a consistent application of inspection standards and procedures throughout the state.
(B) The scope of the rules for school inspections shall include inspection of all areas of school buildings and associated grounds. The inspection shall include a review of documentation that the school has inspected for dangerous products and conditions including recalled products identified by the board of health using the list supplied by the director [of the Ohio Department of Health]."

The Ohio Department of Health may schedule regional in-service sessions on the new rules. Final rules will be posted on the Ohio Department of Health's web site at the end of September.

Religion Books Available
Saint Paschal Baylon School has 12 “Christ is Our Life” kindergarten student edition books available. They are free to any school. If you are interested or have any questions, please contact Carol Flaisig, Assistant Principal at 440.442.6766.

OCS Web Site Updated with New Courses
This is a reminder to principals to have your teachers check the Office of Catechetical Services web site www.oce-ocs.org/ocs periodically for updates in Certification Courses. With many schools due for validation, you may need to have your teachers certified as soon as possible.

IMPORTANT!!!
If you have received an invoice for the Catechetical Conference, there may be a discrepancy in the Total Course Fee (at the top of the invoice) and the Total Due on the bottom (the part to be returned with your check.) This was brought to our attention today and we have made changes to the file. Please pay the Total Course Fee. If you have any questions, please contact Elaine Pekarek in the Office of Catechetical Services at epekarek@dioceseofcleveland.org or by phone at ext. 3260. We apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced.

 
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