Leading with Faith
September 10, 2025
by Joleen Dimitroff
What a joy it has been to begin this new school year together! During the first week of school, Bishop Mike and I had the privilege of visiting several of our schools, including St. Christopher’s, St. Peter & Paul in Williamsville, Canisius High School, St. Peter & Paul in Hamburg—where Bishop Mike celebrated Mass—Nativity of Our Lord, St. Mary’s Elementary, St. John the Baptist in Alden and Mount St. Mary’s High School. At each stop, we were deeply impressed by the dedication of our principals, teachers, and staff in preparing for a strong start to the year. Our classrooms are bright, welcoming, and filled with engaging opportunities for learning. Our Catholic identity is ever present throughout our schools.
Many of our educators dedicated part of their summer to professional development, and their commitment to continual growth is already evident in the vibrancy of our schools. We also recognize the importance of ensuring the safety of our students and staff. With great gratitude, we thank The Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo for granting tuition assistance to cover the increase in tuition connected with enhanced security measures. Their support allows us to provide peace of mind for families while keeping Catholic education accessible.
As we look ahead, we are excited to continue moving forward as a galvanized professional learning community. We remain committed to the process of gaining Middle States Accreditation, with all the enhancements and opportunities for growth that come with it. Together, rooted in faith and strengthened by community, we are poised for a blessed and successful school year.
by Stephanie Genco Gasiecki
Welcome Back to School!
I’m both excited and grateful to introduce myself here as the new Assistant Superintendent for Academics and Data. It’s an honor to support our schools in this capacity, and I look forward to collaborating with you all to ensure a successful and joyful year for our students.
Welcome, Senior Principals!
Please join me in welcoming our Senior Principals for the 2025–2026 school year! Their leadership and support across our schools are deeply appreciated. Your Senior Principals are: Denise Cronyn, Tristan D'Angelo, Ryan Kloetzer, Glenn Olejniczak, Lynn Ortiz, and Mary Szlosek.
Summer Work Gratitude
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who dedicated time and energy over the summer to our key initiatives:
Science and Social Studies Curriculum Development
STAR Assessment Planning
Middle States Accreditation
STREAM
Your commitment and collaboration have been truly inspiring. Over the next two weeks, I’ll be reaching out with updates and next steps for each of these groups. Stay tuned!
STAR Testing Reminder
The STAR testing window is open until September 26. Please refer to the Best Practices Guide for guidance, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you need support.
Just a quick reminder: STAR is more than just a test—it’s a reflective tool that helps us understand student learning, guide instruction, and support growth. Let’s make the most of it!
NCEA Anchor Day & Data Reporting
This Friday, September 12 is Anchor Day for NCEA data reporting, with all data due by September 29. You should receive your school’s Google Sheet from me by the end of today (Wednesday, September 10). For detailed instructions, please refer to Chris Riso’s Government Services section.
Looking Ahead: Diocesan Convocation – October 10
We’re getting excited for the Diocesan Convocation on October 10 at St. Mary’s High School! This will be a day of inspiration and connection for all of us.
Principals, please register your schools at this link.
Thank you for all that you do to support our students and schools. I’m excited to work alongside you this year!
by Chris Riso
9/2/25 Teachers are approved to be alone with students via VIRTUS/Safe Environment
9/10/25 2023 Concussion Management Training & Protocols have been Implemented
9/11/25 PDF/Copy of each Signed “Written Affirmation” form sent to C. Riso
9/12/25 NCEA Anchor Date – Complete Forms by 9/29/25
TBA NYSED Nonpublic Safety Equipment (NPSE) Claims Due
TBA NYSED Elementary School AIS Claims Due
11/1/25 2024-25 School (and Parish) Annual Reports Due to the Audit Department
Happy New (School) Year! I hope you had a great first week of school. The students in your care are lucky to have such dedicated professionals leading them to understand the wonders of the world around them and the unseen presence of the Lord!
NCEA Anchor Date 9/12/25: It is NCEA data collection time again. Friday, 9/12/2025 is the anchor date for the NCEA report; this means that you should print out all necessary student reports on that date to help you prepare your Google Sheet (enrollment counts, race, Catholicity, parish membership, etc.). Thank you in advance for completing your report online by the 9/29/2025 deadline using the school-specific Google Sheet shared with you. You can find my introductory letter here and the NCEA Form Instructions here. If you do not receive your NCEA Google Sheet from Stephanie Genco-Gasiecki by the end of the day on Wednesday, please email her at sgenco-gasiecki@buffalodiocese.org.
Fire Drill Requirements: While the warm weather is still with us, I wanted to remind you of the NYS fire drill requirements. NYS Educational Law requires emergency evacuation drills to include the following:
1. The statute requires twelve drills be conducted each school year, four of which must be lock-down drills, the remaining eight are required to be evacuation drills.
Eight of the required twelve drills must be completed before December 31st.
Based on this law, it is recommended that all Diocese of Buffalo Catholic schools conduct six Evacuation (Fire) Drills and two Lock-Down Drills prior to December 31 of each school year. Once the first eight drills are completed as recommended, two Fire Drills and two Lock-down Drills will remain to be conducted from January 1 through June 14th. See the attached letter for more information and a sample tracking form.
The updated 11/12/2020 “Nonpublic Fire Safety Report”, “Non-Public School Fire Safety Manual”, and related info can be found at: https://www.nysed.gov/nonpublic-schools/religious-and-independent-school-fire-reports. Click here for my thoughts on the new 2024 public school requirements on trauma-informed drills and parent notification.
Fire Prevention Instruction for Students: This is a reminder that arson and fire prevention instruction is to be provided to students in accordance with Section 808 of the Education Law. This law requires every school in New York State to provide a minimum of 45 minutes of instruction in arson and fire prevention for each month that school is in session.
Identification of a variety of conditions in the home, school, and community that may lead to fires.
Procedures to follow in the event of fire in the home, school and the community.
Preventative measures that may reduce the risk of fire and arson
As of 2005, injury prevention and life safety education must also be provided for students.
Instruction may be provided as a special subject, or integrated within content areas of the curriculum. Go to https://www.p12.nysed.gov/facplan/HealthSafety/child_safety.html for resources.
Training Resource for Mandated School Safety Plan Training for Staff: Project SAVE recommends that all staff receive annual training on the emergency response plan and that the school safety training include components on violence prevention and mental health. To assist with this, the Office of Student Support Services has developed a training resource to supplement existing district training on school violence prevention. This recorded slide deck provides an overview of student mental health, violence prevention, and prompts to guide your school through an overview of your District-Wide School Safety Plan and Building-Level Emergency Response Plan. The training includes several opportunities for administrators and/or safety team members to lead participants through discussions and review of district and school protocols and safety plans. Additional information and a link to the recorded training module are available on the Student Support Services SAVE web page, under News. Questions should be directed to 518-486-6090 or SafetyPlans@nysed.gov.
Flu Posting Requirement: On August 25, 2025 you received a memo from NYS about New York State Public Health Law Section 613 that requires schools to post flu educational material in plain view in their facilities. You should post the memo and the “Parents Fight Flu” poster in your school facility where it can be easily seen by parents/guardians. Information about this requirement, the recommended poster, and additional resources can be found at Flu (Influenza) Information for Child-Care Providers and Schools (ny.gov).
Annual Asbestos Notice (AHERA): The federal Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) requires all public and nonpublic elementary and secondary schools to ensure that all school employees and building occupants, or their legal guardians, are informed at least once each school year about all asbestos inspections, response actions, and post-response action activities, including triennial reinspection and visual surveillance activities that are either planned or in progress. See this website for more information on this requirement.
by Nancy DiBerardino
Certificates of Insurance
When requesting a certificate of insurance the following information is required in order for the insurance company to issue your school the certificate. Name and address of organization that is requesting you to provide them with a COI, dates of the event, times (beginning and ending). If the COI is for a sporting event they will need a list of all schools participating in the sport. For general insurance matters, including COI, please email: dobis@buffalodiocese.org or call 716-847-8394.
8th Grade Mass Registration Form https://forms.gle/tyBaLxF49jpPpeSg8
Elementary Bowling
It’s that wonderful time of year again to register your students for bowling. There are just a few changes from last year. For this Fall the league fee has increased a dollar fifty per student to $37.50 for the season. I am asking each school to collect the league fees from your student bowlers. I will then invoice the schools after the season has begun. The allies have requested that each school submit an official roster. I will provide the roster to each school participating once you start registering your students.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSclUlvAmU28YcxQh8JZch57dC5klfUscMpZJvyMVN2ZgcUvEA/viewform
FREE Paper
If there are any schools in need of paper for your copiers, please continue reading. As we continue to consolidate departments our former print room is loaded with paper of different sizes, many colors to choose from and card stock all looking for a new home. If you are interested in getting your hands on some of this paper send me an email. I will forward your request to the person who will be handling the distribution of the paper and making the arrangement for the paper pick-ups.
Mystery Science and PNW BOCES SS/ELA Curriculum
This is just a friendly reminder that the fees for both of these programs are due. Please kindly submit as soon as possible.
by Mike Baumann
Welcome back everyone to the 2025-2026 school year. I know I’ve had the chance to meet many of you, but I want to take just a moment to introduce myself. While my title is Human Resource Manager, I am first and foremost an educator at heart. Prior to signing on with the Diocese, I had a thirty-five year career in public education. I started out in 1989 as a high school counselor in the West Seneca schools. After a brief stint as assistant principal, I spent eight years as a high school principal, eight years as an assistant superintendent for human resources and personnel, and the last eight years as the superintendent of the Newfane district. In addition to my duties here, I also serve as Chief Operating Officer for Cardinal O’Hara High School, my alma mater. My wife, Angela, and I have two beautiful daughters- one who recently graduated from the SUNY School of Environmental Science and Forestry, and one who is a sophomore at Pitt.
Much of my role over the next few months, as we transition into a diocesan school district model, will be behind the scenes as we look to bring some consistency and standardization to our practices and processes in all things related to human resources and personnel. However, I am also available to work with our school leadership on any matters related to HR and personnel. Hiring and firing, employment agreements, contacts, employee discipline issues, documentation, benefits and job restructuring are all areas where I’ve already assisted in some schools, and I am happy to do so for you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.
I can be reached at my office in the Catholic Center at 716-847-5573, or my cell, 716-583-3497.
9/8-9/26 - STAR Fall Testing Window
9/12 - NCEA Anchor Date
10/10 - Diocesan Convocation
10/23 - Principal's Meeting