As we welcome 2024, our efforts should be pointed toward our Principal meeting on January 11th at St. Gregory the Great’s ministry center. The meeting time will provide us with a chance to reconnect and work toward our common goals. We can’t underestimate the value of building community in order to create a more collaborative, trusting environment. Here is a copy of the draft schedule.

Our opening activity will center on the 2024 Diocesan and school scorecards which will be presented and analyzed. Our initial impressions are that teacher and student retention has improved but our focus needs to be on improving academic outcomes as measured by STAR. We’ll have time to dig in and ask questions of the data in order to inform our professional practices. In order to become data-driven professionals, we need to dig into the data.

Dr. Kaitlyn Reichart from the Greeley Center will return (via Zoom) to discuss how to support a joyful classroom. Recall that we can control what we pay attention to (see this article) and thus we all need help in knowing how to pay attention to joyful classrooms this year as we complete our teacher observations.

Then we’ll turn our attention to accreditation. Principals will get a chance to take a survey about accreditation which will prepare them for their school’s surveys to be distributed during Catholic Schools Week. Each school will be challenged to work in small groups to begin their accreditation preparation. We’ll spend an extensive period of time on the MSA timeline so every school leader is prepared.

We’ll also have a chance to meet BISON’s new Executive Director, Clara Moran. And we’ll have time to discuss the upcoming student activities, especially the three activities coming up in the next month (!): the speech tournament, the spelling bee, and the chess tournament. We’ll also discuss Catholic Schools Week, the science fair, the X-STREAM games, and the 8th grade retreat. Finally, we’ll have a chance for an Open Forum to discuss any and all concerns.

Previous blogs can be found here. Want to keep up with the conversations surrounding Catholic education? Set up your own Google Alert, subscribe to this newsletter by clicking "follow," or subscribe to the Catholic School Matters podcast.

Dr. Tim Uhl

• Look for an email in the next couple of days regarding the Jan 20th Speech Tournament and the Feb 3rd Chess Tournament.

• • Chess Sign up HERE Please sign up before January 31. Contact Laurie Wojtaszczyk for more information.
  • Speech Sign up HERE Please sign up before January 10th. Contact Rachel Zeller for more information. We are asking for 2-4 judges per school if possible

• The St. Thomas More Guild announces its 18th annual scholarship for students attending Catholic elementary and high schools during the 2024-25 school year. One $1,200.00 scholarship will be awarded to a student attending a Catholic elementary school, and one $1,600.00 scholarship will be awarded to a student attending a Catholic high school. Here is more information and the application.

• Here is the Catholic Schools Week schedule.

• If you would like a Google Doc for your job posting forms, please use Job Posting Fill-In Form (Parishes Schools) 8-23, make a copy, and add your school logo. Then share the new file with Laurie to notify her of your openings.

• STAR Testing window is Jan. 8-29. PLEASE make sure you are doing all of your testing during this timeframe. Let me know if you have any issues that need to be worked out ASAP.

• We have a new Renaissance CDI Contact: Linda Senechal linda.senechal@renaissance.com *CDI is the system that connects eschool to the STAR platform. Linda can assist with any challenges.

• The Character Virtue for January is Determination. Please use this link to submit your student by Fri. 2/2. You may use this same link for each month.

• It’s time to order your end of year school supplies. Please use this form to let us know what you need.

• The Diocesan Spelling Bee will be held on January 31st at 6pm at Mount St. Mary’s High School. Please register your top 3 spellers HERE after you have held your own school-wide spelling bee. You can find resources and practice spelling words HERE along with some tips for your in-school spelling bees

• Our Lady of Victory, as part of our programming surrounding the Saint John’s Bible and the Basilica’s Centennial, will be offering a Kids Night Under the Dome on Saturday, January 6th at 5:30pm Mass. Kids are encouraged to bring a blanket, wear their pajamas, experience the beauty of the Saint John’s Bible and the Basilica’s Dome at night, join in activities, and see the story of the Magi brought to life. Pizza, snacks, and hot cocoa will be provided, and there is no cost.

Here's the link to the Office Blog

1/5/24 Send Email to Gov. Hochul asking her to Support Catholic Schools

1/12/24 E-Rate Info Deadline for those working with Denton Clark

1/15/24 Deadline to Apply for Free UB Graduate Courses Starting 1/24/24

2/5/24 Last Day to Submit Buffalo Public Schools Textbook Requisitions

2/27/24 HS Scholarships for Academic Excellence (SAE) Nominations Due

3/18/24 Last Day to Submit Erie 1 BOCES Textbook Requisitions (estimated)

3/18/24 Save Mandated Services Claim online for C. Riso Review

3/31/24 NYSED Nonpublic Safety Equipment (NPSE) Claims Due

3/31/24 NYSED Elementary School AIS Claims Due

4/1/24 Online 2021-22 Mandated Services Claim Due to NYSED

Ask Gov. Hochul to Support Catholic Schools - On December 18th an Action Alert went out from the NYS Catholic Conference asking for our school communities to send emails to urge Gov. Hochul to advance in her proposed budget the required increase in funding to both maintain the state’s obligation to fully reimburse our schools and fund the other critically important programs for Catholic schools. Please click this link to send a prewritten email and then forward the link to your school community encouraging them to do the same by 1/5/23. The Governor’s budget proposal will be released early in January so we want to make sure she hears from our Catholic school supporters before then.

Mandated Services Online Portal Now Open: The online system is now open for 2022-2023 Mandated Services claims! To open a new 2022-2023 claim, go to the Mandated Services application on the NYSED Business Portal (http://portal.nysed.gov/) and, next to “Create:”, click on the button marked “2023-New”. When you hover over “2023” once the screen reloads, the new claim should be on the screen and marked as “OPEN”. Before you begin entering your claim online, please wait until I share some advice with Principals and Business Managers via email in early January - this email will contain important advice for Mandate 1 and all Mandates with exam or graduation counts. Also, make sure you have official payroll and benefits reports to support the salaries and benefits you will claim for each staff member.

I also recommend you use the personalized Excel spreadsheet I have created for your school (email me to request this); once you clean up this information you can use the resulting information on the second tab (“22-23 MSA Claim”) to help you fill out your “Form 2” Word document. Once “Form 2” is complete, you have everything you need to enter your claim online.

NYS Literacy Statewide Conference: An Overview of the NYSED Literacy Briefs, January 10, 2024, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm, Erie 1 BOCES Education Campus, 355 Harlem Road, West Seneca, NY 14224.

1. This event is a hybrid webinar with in-person discussion and presentations. There are two seats available to each district, school, charter school and non-public school. Attendees should be curriculum and instruction leaders and/or leaders of literacy. This day-long event will:

1. Provide New York State administrators and literacy leaders with an opportunity to strengthen knowledge of evidence-based literacy practices in PK-12 education.

2. Include the release of a new series of seven literacy briefs that focus on the science of reading from NYSED.

3. Feature a keynote address from Dr. Nonie K. Lesaux, Roy Edward Larsen Professor of Education and Human Development at the Harvard Graduate School of Education based on their Linguistically Diverse Learners work.

2. The cost is relatively low ($25 / person) and covers lunch and materials/handouts.

3. To Register, click here: Frontline Education (mylearningplan.com)

4. For more information, email Mary Jo Casilio at mcasilio@e1b.org

Planning for Regents Examinations in Earth and Space Sciences and Life Sciences: Biology Investigations: The Regents Examinations in Earth and Space Sciences and Life Sciences: Biology will be administered for the first time in June 2025.

o The purpose of this memorandum is to confirm the inclusion of Investigations as part of the strategy for high school science assessment and to provide schools and districts with a list of materials to aid in budgeting and planning.

o Additional details about the Investigations for the Regents Examinations in Earth and Space Sciences and Life Sciences: Biology will be forthcoming and all documentation for the Investigations, including translated editions, will be available in spring 2024 so that science educators may review it prior to the 2024-25 school year.

o Questions can be directed to the Office of State Assessment at emscassessinfo@nysed.gov.

Library Materials Aid Now Includes Digital Materials: A newly enacted statute (Chapter 571 of 2023) has amended the definition of “Library Materials” for the purpose of NYS Library Materials Aid. The new definition of Library Materials includes digital materials, such as e-books and subscription-based periodicals. The FAQ on Library Materials Aid has been updated to reflect this expanded definition.

Free Online Equitable Services Institute for Building Leaders Jan. 16-18: Michelle Doyle and Catapult Learning are offering a series of free 90 minute virtual workshops on equitable services at 2:00 pm each day. The 1/16 session will focus on the new requirements for Title IIa professional development program design, followed by an overview of the process for timely and meaningful consultation for all Title programs. The 1/17 session will focus on Title I and the 1/18 session will focus on IDEA (Special Education). Click here to register for one or more free sessions. Recordings of prior sessions can be found here.

Previous posts from Mr. Riso

This season's Catholic School Matters podcast season is on hiatus until February. Previous episodes:

• "Top 10 Lessons Learned as a Catholic High School President."
  
• Lauren May and Ron Matus from Step Up For Students
  
• Kelby Woodard
• In the fifth and final installment of the Leadership Series
  
• The fourth podcast
  
• The third podcast
  
• The second in the series includes a conversation with Greg Richmond
  
• The first podcast includes a conversation with Dr. Daniel McMahon
• John Kennedy of St. Joseph High School
  
• Fr. Jack Podsiadlo, SJ
  
• David Palmieri

Here is a link to the podcast on Apple Podcasts.

A weekly newsletter of resources to spur enrollment and excellence in our Catholic schools.

Email: catholicschoolmatters@gmail.com
Website: www.wnycatholicschools.org
Location: Buffalo, NY, USA
Phone: 716-847-5520
Twitter: @WNYCatholicEd

1. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI (2017) by David Grann.
   

2. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir (2022) by Matthew Perry.

3. Living Your Strengths, Catholic Edition: Discover Your God-Given Talents and Inspire Your Community (2003) by Albert L Wiseman, Donald Clifton, Curt Liesveld, et al

4. Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America (2023) by Michael Harriot

5. Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America (2023) by Heather Cox Richardson

Click this link for a full list of my professional reading

December 5, 2023 "Accreditation Progress"

November 28, 2023 "Tuition Recommendations"

November 14, 2023 "Progress Report"

November 7, 2023 "Building Leadership"

October 31, 2023 "Positive Classrooms"

For previous newsletters, click this link

A few years ago I set out to write a book which would explore the challenges of Catholic school leadership. My premise that there are no easy answers and that we have to learn from our (and other's) mistakes in order to form a mindset appropriate for orchestrating conflict proved prescient as we all faced completely new and unexpected challenges in 2020. The book,Orchestrating Conflict: Case Studies in Catholic Leadership is now available on Amazon or on the Barnes & Noble site in print or e-book formats. The book explores issues in Catholic school leadership and the tensions between building community and following Church policies and introduces deliberate practice as a method for leadership formation. Most recently, I have completed a new book proposal so book #2 is underway!