Volume 2, No.

8 EVALUATION COMMITTEE
The Teacher Evaluation Committee will meet on March 6th at 7:30 am in the Molloy Center at the rear of St. Philip School in Clifton. Participants are reminded to email Sr. Marisa DeRose at maderose.principal.472@patdioschools.org with their comments on the walk-through observations. RSVP by March 4th to comikolajczyk.diocese@patdioschools.org.

March 2014
The Lenten Retreat for high school presidents and all elementary and secondary principals will take place on March 19th at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison. Continental breakfast will be available at 8:30 am. The program will begin at 9:00 am and conclude by Noon. Fr. Paul Manning, Vicar for Evangelization, will be the retreat master. A STEM meeting for principals of both Cohorts I and II will be held on April 1st from 10:00 am to Noon in the Terrace Room at the Diocesan Center.

LENTEN RETREAT

TERRA NOVA TESTING

Terra Nova Testing will take place during the week of March 10th 14th. Make-up Terra Nova testing is scheduled for the week of March 17th 21st. All schools should have the following three items: their student ID numbers, FAQ about the ID numbers that were given in past years, and a sample copy of the ID number lists generated from PowerSchool. Important dates for Terra Nova can be found on page 1 of the Test Coordinators Manual. Please also be mindful of the Area Coordinators Schools Pickup Sites on pages 23-24.

STEM MEETING

IFG INVOICES

All invoices for the IFG Adult Testing should be submitted to the Catholic Schools Office, attention: Dr. Marianne Conway.

NCEA AWARD

RELIGION CHAIRPERSONS

There will be a meeting of Secondary School Religion Department Chairpersons on Thursday, March 13th, at 1:00 pm, at the Diocesan Center. The third Catechist Workshop for this academic year is scheduled for Tuesday, March 18th at the John Paul II Center, Rooms 101-102. The presenter is Anne Battes, RCL Benziger Associate Publisher. Her topic is Brain, Heart and Faith Formation. Please register by Friday, March 14th with
comikolajczyk.diocese@patdioschools.org.

The National Catholic Educational Association recently informed the Catholic Schools Office that the Diocese of Patersons STEM Program has been unanimously chosen by the NCEA Board of Directors to receive the inaugural 2014 Karen M. Ristau Innovations Award, which will be presented at the NCEA annual convention in Pittsburgh during Easter week.

CATECHIST WORKSHOP

ACE WORKSHOPS

Four Half-Day Workshops by ACE continuing the curriculum alignment process will be held and facilitated by Dr. Tom Doyle of the University of Notre Dame. Each session will take place at the John-Paul II Center in Clifton. Each schools principal and teacher leaders will be required to attend only one halfday session as noted below: March 25 th , from 9:00 to 11:30am . Schools participating: Academy of St. Francis, Blessed Sacrament, Holy Spirit, Immaculate Heart, St. Andrew, St. Brendan, St. Clare, St. Gerard, St. Philip, Assumption, Holy Family, St. Joseph-Mendham, St. Patrick, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Vincent Martyr. March 25 th , from 12:30 to 3:00pm . Schools participating: All Saints, St. Catherine, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Mary Assumption, St. Mary Prep, St. Rose of Lima, Immaculate Conception, OL of Mt. Carmel, Rev Brown, Sacred Heart, St. Cecilia, St. Joseph-Newton, St. Michael, St. Therese. March 26 th , from 9:00 to 11:30am . Schools participating: St. Anthony, St. Virgil, St. Pius, Our Lady of Mercy. March 26 th , from 12:30 to 3:00pm . Schools participating: DePaul Catholic, Morris Catholic, Pope John XXIII.

Schools had until February 26, 2014 to file a Form 470. If a Form 470 was not filed by February 26, 2014 the filing window was missed, and you cannot apply for e-rate this year. Schools that filed a Form 470 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 CLOSES at 11:59 pm 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. NOTE: Item 21 attachments to the FCC Form 471 must be submitted by the close of the filing window. If a school files its Item 21 attachment online, the school must click on the "Submit" button at the bottom of the last page before the window closes. OTHERWISE THE ONLINE ITEM 21 ATTACHMENT WILL NOT BE SUBMITTED. Schools that have filed a Form 470 still have the ability to utilize the e-rate company E-Rate Advantage. If you require additional information on this service please contact Ed Card at
edcard.diocese@patdioschools.org.

E-RATE

SPIRIT OF A HERO SCHOLARSHIP

AMENDED CALENDAR

New Jersey First Lady Mary Pat Christie is making available a new post-secondary education scholarship, the $5,000 Spirit of a Hero Scholarship. The scholarship is open to students graduating from high school with a strong record of service to others. A copy of the application is available at http://newjerseyheroes.org/index/2014Spirit-of-a-Hero-scholarship-ApplicationForm/. The application deadline is March 21st.. Recipients of the scholarship will be notified in May.

A reminder that the amended calendar is due by April 30th. The form to be used by schools to submit an amended calendar can be accessed here. Note that an amended calendar must be submitted by each school whether or not the school missed days. If no days were missed, simply indicate that on the amended calendar form.

NCEA

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. Effective for all teacher hires for the 20142015 school year, any person seeking a teaching position in the Catholic schools of the Diocese of Paterson must file an application with the Catholic Schools Office. The application materials and the directions are available on the Diocesan website. Click here to access them. Names of applicants whose files are complete and the position sought will be listed and e-mailed to principals periodically, and copies of applicant files will be made available to principals upon their request. Principals are also reminded to notify the Catholic Schools Office of openings as they occur so these can be listed on the Diocesan Website. The Diocese will advertise generally in various media about expected teacher openings. Any school that wishes to advertise its own teacher openings is to contact the Catholic Schools Office before doing so. Address any questions to Dr. Marianne Conway.

TEACHER APPLICATION PROCESS

Three scholarships will be awarded to three eighth graders who will be attending one of the following four high schools: DePaul Catholic, Wayne; Morris Catholic, Denville; Pope John XXIII, Sparta; or Mary Help of Christians, North Haledon. The money for these scholarships comes from the funds generated by the former Paterson Diocesan Federation of Home and School Associations. Each scholarship will be in the amount of $1,500. and will be awarded to students who experience financial need, and who exemplify initiative, perseverance, and diligence in working for the betterment of their community. The decision will be based on need, the student essay, and the teacher recommendation. All applications are due at the Diocesan Schools Office on or before April 29, 2014, to the attention of Pat Deleu. Click here for the application letters and application form.

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY