Tips for Boosting the School Web Site as an Effective Communications Tool
Parent/Guardian Involvement: How Much is Too Much or Too Little?
Invest in Your Board with WWW: Webinars, Webcasts, & Wikispaces
Updated Flu Guidance
New Book: A Primer on Education Governance in the Catholic Church
Your School Can Participate in the Read for the Record Campaign
The Health Care Reform Debate
Plan Now to Attend the 2010 NCEA Convention & Expo
Back to School Press Kit and Resource Kit
Prayer to Open the Meeting
by Sister Eve Marie Korzym, Diocese of Gallup, New Mexico
August 15, 2009, feast of the ASSUMPTION OF MARY, THE MOTHER OF GOD
CCC, 966, The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians.
The dogma of the Assumption (Pope Pius XII, 1950) is best understood by the early church's meaning of the word “dogma.” For the early church a dogma was a belief arrived at by consensus. While the church believed in the Assumption for centuries, it was not officially proclaimed a tenet of faith until 1950.
Mary, we come to you and pray: Angelus
Verse: The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
Response: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
All: Hail Mary, full of grace…
V: Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R: Be it done unto me according to thy word.
All: Hail Mary, full of grace…
V: And the Word was made flesh.
R: And dwelt among us.
All: Hail Mary, full of grace…
V: Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts; that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ, thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by his Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of his Resurrection. Through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.
This prayer is usually followed by an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.
Are you interested in writing the Prayer to Open the Meeting for a few months?
If so, please email boards@ncea.org and we will be in touch with you.
Back to School Means...Back to Communicating
by Paul Langhorst, SchoolReach Instant Parent Contact. (For more information, see the banner at the top of this newsletter.)
For students, back to school means “back to learning.” For educators, it’s “back to communicating.” With the start of the new school year comes a plethora of information that must be gathered from and communicated to parents. Introductory letters, calendars, announcements, and health forms are but a few of the communications pieces that travel between home and school this time of year. Unfortunately, the sheer volume of pieces, combined with the typical mail or back-pack delivery methods, means many of these documents will be lost or not received…not a good thing for fostering effective communications.
But the problem doesn’t end after the back-to-school communications blitz. Throughout the year parents must be notified of upcoming events, conferences, days off, and assorted other scheduled happenings. Add to that the things administrators can’t possibly know about until the last minute such as unexpected school closings, bus delays, and new this year – effects of the H1N1 virus. The Centers for Disease Control predicts that upwards of 20-40% of the U.S. population may become infected with the virus over the next two to four years. The unknown at this point is whether the virus will be relatively benign, or if it will mutate into something more severe and dangerous. While educators can’t predict what will happen, they must be prepared to communicate, quickly and thoroughly, with parents. The question is, what’s the most effective way to keep parents informed about important events, planned and unplanned alike?
For long-range events, traditional vehicles such as newsletters, calendars, and Web site postings are still quite effective. Emails and reminder notes sent home with students are still good courses of action for announcements of short-term events. None of these methods will work, however, with communicating news of last-minute changes, unplanned events, weather situations, and emergencies. In these cases, administrators need a quick, 100% reliable way of making sure the message is delivered accurately and immediately. More and more schools are turning to instant parent notification systems such as SchoolReach.
Today’s parent notification systems give school administrators the ability to convey information to parents quickly and from the most reliable source – you. Because of their effectiveness, ease of use, and affordability, these systems are quickly becoming “have to have” tools in schools’ communications arsenals.
In addition to emergency and last-minute communications, many schools have discovered the benefits of using their parent notification systems for targeted communications with specific groups of parents such as band parents, all parents of 8th grade students, or those of various sports teams. Some systems, such as SchoolReach, can even integrate directly with attendance software and lunch card programs to automatically notify parents of a student absence or when a lunch card balance is low. The uses are limited only by your imagination!
The back-to-school time frame signifies new beginnings in so many ways. What better way to start the new year than by fostering effective, reliable communications with parents?
Tips for Boosting the School Web Site as an Effective Communications Tool
by Regina Haney, Ed.D.
Most likely you concur with Erma Bombeck, American humorist, who said, “It seems rather incongruous that in a society of supersensitive communication, we often suffer from a shortage of listeners.” So how do we as administrators and board members get those who visit our Web sites to “listen” to our messages so that the site is an effective and efficient communication tool?
Why is this important? Good Web site communication is needed for marketing to increase enrollment, parent and community involvement, financial support, and as a means of being accountable to the stakeholders.
Here are a half-dozen tips for boosting your school Web site:
Make use of social media (responsibly, of course). You probably notice that some universities and newspapers have Facebook pages and Twitter sites or some other online social media that engage people in conversation or the exchange of ideas. Remember that many of our technology-savvy parents who are looking for a school use these media. The use of these media continues to grow, so start experimenting to keep updated and relevant.
The NCEA Department Board and Councils recently created a Wikispace where webinar participants can choose to continue their discussion after a webinar ends in order to share questions or ideas as they begin to implement learnings from the course. This illustrates one way to make use of social media.
Tell Stories. When someone interjects a story into a presentation or sermon, our ears perk up. Folks love stories! Create ways for students, parents, and board members to tell their stories about how great their school is. Have a rich collection of alumni tell their stories about how they have contributed to church and society. How do they live the school's mission? Use pictures with captions rather than plain text. Make it a quick and "wow" read. Use stories to get folks to listen to the great things about your school.
Keep it fresh. The start of the new school year is a great time to spruce up your Web page. Remove or update outdated information such as deadlines, registration information, calendars, board member roster, faculty listings, etc.
Survey your stakeholders. Using online surveys such as Survey Monkey, check out what people think about your school so you can boast about it or the appropriate persons can improve it. One school in the south surveys its parents annually. Analysis of the Parent Opinion Surveys provides data that identifies areas that have improved and those that need to be addressed, for instance, upgrading the facilities and technology capabilities.
Use new tools in new ways. Remember that a Web site is meant to serve as an interactive channel of communication and not an archive of past information. In addition to keeping it fresh and current, make it interactive. For example, include short surveys to get stakeholder's thinking on an issue, or propose ideas about marketing or recruitment incentives. The Archdiocese of Hartford Office of Catholic Schools is a great example of an interactive site (www.catholicschoolshartford.org/index.html). Through an action alert about a possible reduction of state funding for transportation and nursing services provided to private and religious schools, they have a "Take Action" button that will enable viewers to send an instant message to their congress persons about the proposed reduction. In addition, periodically during the school year, the superintendent conducts short surveys to get stakeholders’ opinions about an issue.
Invite the whole community to keep the Web site relevant and current. Involve the faculty, advancement director, board members, and others to plan the content, navigation, branding, etc. Great communication requires great collaboration and cooperation among a wide variety of stakeholders.
These tips have the potential to provide a glut of listeners who will be your future customers, donors, and/or your greatest ombudsmen.
(These tips are adapted from Ten Tips for Boosting eCommunication by Nora Carr in eSchoolNews, August 3, 2009.)
Parent/Guardian Involvement: How Much is Too Much or Too Little?
by Regina Haney, Ed.D.
The teaching of the Catholic Church states that parents/guardians are the primary educators of their children: "They are the first and decisive educators" (Declaration on Christian Education, Gravissimum Educationis, 1965). The church goes on to say that parents must support to the best of their ability the school they choose for their children and cooperate with it (1965).
The parents of the approximately 2.2 million students enrolled in our 7,248 Catholic schools (McDonald & Schultz, 2009, pp. 7, 12) have entrusted their children to our schools. The administrators, faculty, staff, and board members need parental support and involvement more than ever given the economy and fragile state of Catholic schools. Strong parental involvement is needed to ensure the ongoing viability and sustainability of our Catholic schools. Some administrators and board members have voiced a concern about too much parent involvement, while others complained about lack of parental interest.
We are challenged by the Congregation for Catholic Education to not forget that “the constant aim of the school therefore, should be contact and dialogue with pupils’ families…in order to clarify with their indispensible collaboration that personalized approach which is needed for an educational project to be efficacious” (Congregation for Catholic Education, 1998, pp. 20-21). For our Catholic schools at this time in their history to be viable, effective parental/guardian involvement is crucial! Parents/guardians need to be involved through various forms of communication, invitations to participate in school functions, providing input and/or making decisions in various formal structures, and serving on the school board or council to share in the leadership of the school! How much is too much or too little for your particular situation?
Read the Point Counterpoint chart and compare the two approaches to determine where your board is currently. From the strategies listed on the chart as well as others, which are you comfortable implementing to achieve greater parent/guardian involvement in the life of the school? Which initiatives will provide concrete support for parents and present collaborative efforts to enhance the educational enterprise? Write your plan and, as the NIKI ad says, “Just do it!”
Point
Counterpoint
The administration, staff, and board see as their duty to do the following:
The administration, staff and board limit parent involvement by doing the following:
1. It is a duty of the school to provide parents with information. It is also the duty of the school to seek information about the children that will help it do its work.
1. The school offers basic communication about school life and the progress of their child, but does not see communication as a “duty.”
2. There must be a consistency of values between home and school.
2. Enrollment is a struggle so consistency of values between home and school play no or a small role in recruitment.
3. Through appropriate involvement parents gain a better understanding of curriculum and of current education thinking and increased understanding of the school/educational enterprise.
3. Curriculum is totally off limits for parents. Teachers are the professional educators.
4. Parents are encouraged to participate in parent meetings and other appropriate meetings that may influence decisions.
4. There is little openness to parent input into significant decisions and no organized way for this.
5. Parents are afforded many opportunities throughout the year to better understand the school, and to add insights into decisions/recommendations.
5. Opportunities to become knowledgeable about the school are minimal, as are opportunities to contribute insights to decision making.
6. The school provides resources and/or activities so the adult continues to grow in his or her faith.
6. The school does not see adult growth as part of the school’s ministry.
7. Parents are able to respectfully ask questions freely on any matters of concern.
7. The school has a monitored process for parents to pose questions and concerns.
8. Parents are needed to preserve a political presence (textbook funds from the state, tax credit, etc.)
8. The school does not value parents’ involvement in political action issues.
9. Social level participation in the life of the school offers parents an ever-expanding network of friendship and support.
9. Emphasis is placed on fund raisers versus social level events. This limits numbers and involvement of parents who would attend.
10. Current parents compose a significant and specific percent of board membership.
10. Current parents are not allowed to serve on the board, but they may serve on committees of the board.
11. Parents have access to the school policies since they are posted on the school’s Web site.
11. Parents have limited upon-request access to policies (and no access to personnel policies).
Sources:
Abbott, W. M. (Ed.). (1966). The documents of Vatican II. New York: Guild Press.
(Declaration on Christian Education, Gravissimum Educationis, 1965)
Congregation for Catholic Education. (1998). The Catholic school on the threshold of the third millennium. Boston: Pauline Books and Media.
McDonald, D., & Schultz, M. (2009). United States Catholic elementary and secondary schools 2008-2009. Washington, DC: National Catholic Educational Association.
Sydney Archdiocesan Catholic School Board. (1989). Parental participation in Sydney Catholic schools. Leichhart: Sydney Archdiocesan Catholic School Board.
Invest in Your Board with WWW: Webinars, Webcasts, & Wikispaces
Webinars
Board members, principals, presidents, superintendents, other administrators, pastors, committee members, and anyone who works with a Catholic education board can benefit from participating in these 3-week webinar courses from the comfort of your own computer.
Come away with a plan of action.
Go online any time of day or night during the course.
Read assignments, answer questions, learn from one another.
Interact personally with the professional trainer.
Dialogue and share ideas with classmates.
Receive 1.5 CEUs upon completion.
Class members may choose to continue the discussion with one another after the webinar concludes through a special Wikispace created for that purpose.
$45 for members of the Department of Boards and Councils, $110 for a team of 3.
$80 for non-members, $200 for a team of 3.
Sign up 3 people from another school and you or someone you designate can take an upcoming course FREE.
1. Board's Purpose and Sense of Mission:
On Being Entrusted with the Mission
After this class you will understand the unique identity of a CATHOLIC school and how a board functions within it. You will be better able to help your board formulate recommendations or decisions that ensure that all aspects of the school's life are shaped around the school's purpose and mission.
4. Goal Setting and Strategic Planning
You will come out of this class with steps to help your board create or revise your goals and strategic plan. You will become adept at communicating the important leadership of the board in strategic planning for the school and an outline for action. You will learn the types of questions that can be used for analysis. You will understand what a vision is and how to motivate the board to create one, and then apply it to all areas of school life.
You will become better able to articulate your vision about maturity in the Catholic faith and identify commonalities that are important in setting direction for the school. You will be able to help the board to understand and implement a mature Catholic vision in its leadership of all aspects of the school.
3. How Catholic School Board Leadership Promotes Fiscal Growth & Stability
After this webinar, you will be better able to understand and carry out the board's responsibility for overseeing the financial health of the school, including the steps needed to shape and monitor the budget, the role of the finance committee, audits, investments, fundraising, and development.
Oct. 7, 2009
Oct. 18 - Nov. 8, 2009
5. Marketing Our School
You will come away with the ability to create marketing objectives and strategies and translate them into measurable action plans. In the process you will learn how to understand and articulate the board's role in situation analysis and be able to identify the school's strengths, competitors, and target markets, and develop a marketing budget.
7. Recruitment, Selection, and Orientation of Board Members
Through a strong, targeted, recruitment program, you will create a board with the skills, leadership ability, and contacts to make a difference in the school. Through a well-planned orientation program, you will be able to prepare those members to implement the mission and make informed decisions from the moment they arrive.
Jan. 4, 2010
Jan. 10-31, 2010
Webcasts: One-hour-long seminars
A new series of short duration (1-hour) seminars on various topics will be held throughout the academic year. The 2009 topics are listed below.
Each interactive webcast will be broadcast live to your computer through the Internet. You will be able to interract with the presenters by typing questions on your computer.
The first two are intended to help the board and administration set up and conduct an effective Development and Advancement program if your school does not have the resources for a professional Development or Advancement office.
Cost: $20, member of the Department of Boards and Councils; $35, non-member.
So What Do You Do When You Don't Have a Development Office?
(The Role of the Board and Administration in Catholic Development and Advancement)
PART 1: What is development and how to set up the process using the Development Committee of the board as the core team supported by subcommittees.
Friday, October 23, 2009
1:00 pm (EDT)
So What Do You Do When You Don't Have a Development Office?
(The Role of the Board and Administration in Catholic Development and Advancement)
PART 2:
A: Introduction of and Planning for the Annual Fund, Capital Fund, and Evaluation of Success
B: Administrators and Board Members Tell their Development Success Stories
Updated Flu Guidance
from Ed Review, the U.S. Department of Education’s Aug. 7, 2009, newsletter
The Obama Administration continues to send a strong message to the nation that now is the time to start planning and preparing for the fall flu season and the ongoing HIN1 flu outbreak. The bottom line: under certain conditions, schools may need to close. In those cases, communities will need to have a strategy in place to ensure there is no break in the learning process.
A team at the Department has been working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Departments of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security to prepare thoughtful guidance for schools. The guidance for K-12 schools was released today. The guidance for colleges and universities will be released later this month. In addition, the CDC will be issuing a version of the school guidance for early learning and pre-kindergarten shortly. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.flu.gov/. (Note: The Department will provide schools with as much operational flexibility as possible to deal with an outbreak of the flu virus. If the outbreak is severe, it will waive legal requirements in those areas where it has the authority to do so [e.g., the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the Higher Education Act (HEA), the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), etc.]. If it does not have legal authority within a particular area [e.g., the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA)], and schools need flexibility, it will promptly seek legislative authority from Congress.)
A Primer on Education Governance in the Catholic Church
As the preface notes, this book "provides a clear statement concerning education governance within the Catholic Church on the elementary and secondary levels. The book’s scope includes both Catholic schools and parish religious education programs and it provides guidance consistent with Catholic tradition and the Code of Canon Law. It is written “primarily as a guide to those who are responsible for…immediate administrative responsibilities including diocesan office and religious congregation personnel, presidents/principals and heads of schools, and directors of religious education.” It will be useful for board members, pastors and arch/bishops as well.
This is a rewrite of a book originally published in 1987. Even if the original book is on your shelf, you will want to have this improved and updated edition, which incorporates more recent insights and includes new models generated in response to shifts in demographics and finances. It devotes chapters to specific types of governance: the single parish, regional/ interparish, diocesan and private school. Each chapter presents organizational charts of various models and includes reflections on the types of governance. These are useful because they offer practical suggestions—and a warning or two—concerning implementation. A useful glossary of terms completes the book. Table of Contents
Order from NCEA Member Services Center (Suite 100, 1077 30th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007) or from the Online Store. BDS-25-1424; $15 members; $23 non-members.
Your School Can Participate in the Read for the Record Campaign
October 8, 2009
Consider planning a program to participate in this year’s Read for the Record Campaign. Teachers, students, parents…all can advocate for literacy by joining together with people across the country in reading the same book on the same day to preschool children in your community.
Why not capitalize on the publicity? In addition to raising awareness of the importance of instilling an interest in reading at a young age, your school may benefit from the national media coverage of this event.
Visit www.readfortherecord.org for complete information, including toolkits and media materials. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle will be this year’s book.
The Health Care Reform Debate
It’s very easy to tear things down, to kill an opportunity for honest exchange, to destroy a fragile alliance, to shut out the truth by telling dramatic lies for the cameras, and then repeating them day in and day out. Even if people don’t believe your lies, they’ll be confused enough to give up the cause. It’s very easy to blast your way into the headlines and become the de facto winner of any argument, just by sheer firepower. The man who killed a handful of women at the gym discovered this. His sick rant was publicized all over the nation, thanks to his murderous rampage. Had he merely tried to argue his points, standing up in a discussion and reasonably making his case, he’d be a nothing. Now that he claimed the lives of other human beings in a fit of violence, he’s a national figure.
The tea-party town hall protesters have learned this lesson well. They’ve discovered that there is no need to put forth good arguments for their points, or to meaningfully debate their ideas at the congressional town hall meetings set up for just that purpose. Why should they engage in dialogue, when they can go on a rampage, yell and scream, intimidate and threaten until they get their way. Such activity guarantees the presence of TV cameras. News organizations will report these activities as “passion” for a cause, and not as the lunacy that it really represents.
Those who cause mayhem have learned a valuable truth. It’s very easy to destroy someone else’s effort, to denigrate the fragile progress of those sitting at the table trying to work out a common goal. They have learned that all you have to do is shout and swear, wave guns and flags, threaten and rant, and they can get their way. Not by converting anyone to their cause, but simply by making politics so unpleasant that most people just go home and give up.
For example, when disrupters shouted "They want to take away your control over your health care," I thought, "Wait a minute. Who makes decisions now?" My employer decides what plan I will have and what my coverage will be. My HMO decides what doctors can treat me, what procedures will be covered and for how much, and what medications my doctor can prescribe—all with a profit motive. In effect, my doctor works for the insurance company engaged by my office. A reasonable question might be to seek a truthful answer about who will make decisions under each proposed plan, and what will their motives will be.
Our goal here is not to support any particular proposal or any particular side. Our goal is to remember that our Catholic values teach us to engage in conversation that treats everyone with respect, discerns the truth, and strives for the greatest justice in difficult situations, and not to let conversation be shut down by the loudest and most hostile. And as school board members and administrators, we need to understand the facts because we may need to make reasoned decisions about what health care plans we offer.
Here are some sources of information that might help you stay current on the real issues and sort out fact from fiction in the current debate. We do not endorse any particular position or article.
Cover the Uninsured is an organization that has regularly provided us with reliable information for many years and has been advocating for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP): www.covertheuninsured.org.
www.HealthReform.org provides timely, nonpartisan information the need for reform and issues regarding our health care system.
Plan Now to Attend the 2010 NCEA Convention & Expo
April 6-8, 2010
The 2010 NCEA Convention & Expo in Minneapolis, Minnesota, will have a lot to offer board members, administrators, and superintendents. All who are involved in the governance of Catholic schools and religious education programs will find professional development sessions that help you do business better in any number of areas. Networking also provides valuable information and contacts to follow up later.
Garrison Keillor will be a keynote speaker you won't want to miss. Convention participants will be able to hear this radio and film celebrity present his unique view on Wednesday for no additional charge.
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Jodee Blanco, renown authority on school bullying—from the comprehensive policy, administrative, and personal viewpoints—will be one of many presenters providing Professional Development Sessions.
Marketing and Enrollment will be the theme of a whole stand of sessions in the Boards and Administration strand.
This year's convention will be improved and streamlined. In response to your suggestions last year, break out sessions will not be scheduled at the same time as keynotes and liturgies.
Registration for NCEA members is only $120 for the full convention and $80 for a single day, if preregistered before March 1, 2010. That's a great deal for a 3-day professional development event. Details and registration forms will be posted under the 2010 Convention menu as they become available, but start making your plans now. Title II funds may be available for some registrants.
Video clips from the 2009 Convention & Expo in Anaheim are now available on SchoolTube to give you some idea of what to expect at a convention. Click on http://www.schooltube.com/categories/418/NCEA-2009
Back to School Press Kit and Resource Kit
This resource kit can help you market your school and prepare for the start of school. It contains press releases, snaps and statistics, quotations from top officials, prayers, fun items, and other items. Click here to access the Back to School Press Kit and Resource Kit.
Notice to Readers
This newsletter is a benefit of your membership on a board or council that is a member of the NCEA Department of Boards and Councils.
Please do not forward this newsletter to anyone who is not a member of the boards department.
Administrators: please send all board member additions, deletions, or address changes as soon as they occur to services@ncea.org. Keeping our database current will keep your dues at the lowest rate. Thank you.
You are invited to send us contributions to this newsletter or ideas for things you would like to see included.
National Catholic Educational Association
But the problem doesn’t end after the back-to-school communications blitz. Throughout the year parents must be notified of upcoming events, conferences, days off, and assorted other scheduled happenings. Add to that the things administrators can’t possibly know about until the last minute such as unexpected school closings, bus delays, and new this year – effects of the H1N1 virus. The Centers for Disease Control predicts that upwards of 20-40% of the U.S. population may become infected with the virus over the next two to four years. The unknown at this point is whether the virus will be relatively benign, or if it will mutate into something more severe and dangerous. While educators can’t predict what will happen, they must be prepared to communicate, quickly and thoroughly, with parents. The question is, what’s the most effective way to keep parents informed about important events, planned and unplanned alike?
A team at the Department has been working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Departments of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security to prepare thoughtful guidance for schools. The guidance for K-12 schools was released today. The guidance for colleges and universities will be released later this month. In addition, the CDC will be issuing a version of the school guidance for early learning and pre-kindergarten shortly. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO 
Consider planning a program to participate in this year’s Read for the Record Campaign. Teachers, students, parents…all can advocate for literacy by joining together with people across the country in reading the same book on the same day to preschool children in your community.
The 2010 NCEA Convention & Expo in Minneapolis, Minnesota, will have a lot to offer board members, administrators, and superintendents. All who are involved in the governance of Catholic schools and religious education programs will find professional development sessions that help you do business better in any number of areas. Networking also provides valuable information and contacts to follow up later.
