Volume 2, No.

6 REPORT CARD MEETING

There will be a meeting of the Third Grade Report Card Committee on January 7th, at 1:00 pm in the Terrace Room at the Diocesan Center. Please review the prototype of the 3rd grade report card handed out at the last meeting. Confirm attendance by January 6th, to comikolajczyk.diocese@patdioschools.org.

January 2014 COOP

All schools have received their COOP reports for review. High school notifications will be sent on January 16th, and elementary schools may share the home reports with parents at that time. Please note that there will be only one COOP webinar which will take place on January 8th, at 1:30pm and will be for both the high schools and 8th grade teachers. There will NOT be a separate webinar for high schools on January 6th.

EVALUATION COMMITTEE MEETING

There will be a meeting of the Teacher Evaluation Committee on Wednesday, January 8th, at 10:00am in the main conference room at the Diocesan Center. Participants are asked to review pertinent materials before the meeting.

JANUARY PRINCIPALS MEETING

All elementary and secondary principals as well as teacher leaders (1 or 2 per school) will meet on Friday, January 10, 2014, at the Carnevale Center, St. Marys, 25 Pompton Ave., Pompton Lakes, NJ 07422. Refreshments will be available at 8:30am. The program, including lunch, will run from 9:00am to 3:00pm, and be on "The Benefits of Backward Design." The presenter is Dr. Michelle Lia of Loyola University of Chicago. Each principal is asked to RSVP the number attending by January 7th to comikolajczyk.diocese@patdioschools.org.

A STEM meeting of Cohorts I and II will be held on Tuesday, January 14th, from 1:00 3:30 pm, at the Diocesan Center. Confirm attendance by January 13th, to
comikolajczyk.diocese@patdioschools.org.

STEM MEETING

CATECHIST WORKSHOP

The second Catechist Certification Workshop will be held on Thursday, January, 23rd , from 3:30 5:30 PM at the John Paul II Center in Clifton. The presenter will be Sister Donna Ciangio, OP. The topic is FORMING Disciples in the Catholic School Community. Principals are asked to register participants with comikolajczyk.diocese@patdioschools.org.

TERRA NOVA TESTING

All schools should have received their testing materials. Address any questions to the CTBs Evaluation Consultant, Russ Dusewicz, at 856-627-6877 or at russ_dusewicz@ctb.com. Information about reporting special populations will be in the February BULLETIN Note that February 24th is the last day to order additional testing materials.

CHANGES TO FINGERPRINTING

Effective December 9, 2013, MorphoTrak is now MorphoTrust and school employee fingerprinting costs have been reduced. Please use the new form at the NJ Department of Education. Also click on the following link to read the letter issued by the NJ Department of Education Criminal History Review Unit MorphoTrust Name Change, New Fee Processing Vendor NICUSA, Revised MorphoTrust Universal Form and Fee Reduction.

PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY

The 2014 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will take place from January 18-25 under the banner of the theme: " Has Christ Divided Us? " ( cf. 1Corinthians 1:13 ). Resources for the 2014 WPCU are available for your use.

The theme for the National Catholic Schools Week 2014 is Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge, and Service. The annual observance for 2014 is from January 26th to February 1st. The theme encompasses several concepts that are at the heart of a Catholic education. First, schools are communitiessmall families in their own right, but also members of the larger community of home, church, city and nation. Faith, knowledge and service are three measures by which any Catholic school can and should be judged.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK

NCEA

E-RATE

The 2014 -2015 E-Rate Application Filing window dates have been established. All schools should have already filed a Form 470 for the 2014-2015 funding year. If you have not filed a Form 470 as of yet, please complete this form now. Schools have until February 26, 2014 to file a Form 470. After posting Form 470 schools must wait the mandatory minimum 28-day waiting period before filing a Form 471. The Application Filing window for Form 471 and Item 21 Attachments OPENS as of 12 noon on Thursday, January 9, 2014 and CLOSES at 11:59pm on Wednesday, March 26, 2014. Both forms must be filed before the application window closes. Remember that all the required forms can be filed online or by using paper forms. If a school chooses to submit the paper forms, allow extra time to accommodate mailing delays. File E-Rate forms online at:
http://www.sl.universalservice.org/menu.asp.

The Annual Convention of the National Catholic Educational Association will be held in Pittsburgh, PA, from April 22-24, 2014. Registration and Housing for NCEA 2014 are now open: http://www.ncea.org/convention

STUDENT FILM FESTIVAL

The White House is sponsoring the first-ever Student Film Festival. Students from grade K through 12 are invited to write/produce/direct a film addressing one of the following topics: 1. How you currently use technology in your classroom or school. 2. The role technology will play in education in the future. All entries must be three minutes or less in length, must have a parent/guardian or teacher sponsor, and must be submitted by January 29, 2014. For more information, click on
http://www.whitehouse.gov/filmfestival.

Principals are reminded that each school should order its own ACRE test booklets and answer sheets this year. Information can be found on the NCEA website, www.ncea.org or call (800) 711-6232.

ACRE TESTING

Effective with the beginning of the 2014-15 school year, all new teachers in the elementary schools of the Diocese of Paterson who teach religion and all new elementary school principals shall fulfill the requirements for catechetical certification within three years of initial employment. Click here for the details. Note that secondary school teachers of religion or theology are to have the minimum credential of a minor in theology or religious education from a regionally accredited Catholic University and are also subject to the Catechetical Updating Requirement described. To provide for teachers in the current Diocesan Certification Program, it will be continued for those currently enrolled until the end of the 2014-2015 school year.

CATECHETICAL CERTIFICATION

Rebeca Ruiz-Ulloa, AIA, Diocesan Architect, will present seminars about the basics for the following: ROOFS, MASONRY, HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, BOILERS &F URNACES, SIDEWALKS, EXTERIOR STAIRS, EXTERIOR RAMPS, PARKING LOTS, STAINED GLASS WINDOWS, BASEMENT MOISTURE, CODE REGULATIONS, CODE VIOLATIONS. These seminars are for Pastors, Parish Administrators, Parochial Vicars, Agency Heads, School Administrators, Maintenance Personnel, Buildings & Grounds Committees. Each of the seminars will take place from 2:00pm to 3:00pm and will be held on the following dates and at the following locations: January 14th: St. Mary, Dover, Birmingham Hall (Church basement); January 28th: JP II Center, Clifton, Conf. Rooms 101-102; and th St. Jude, February 4 : Hamburg, New Parish Center. Please confirm your attendance & include which date you will be attending. Email Sandy at
sgiannetti@patersondiocese.org

DIOCESAN FACILITIES SEMINAR