august08 - National Catholic Educational Association

Welcome to the September edition of E-News! Whether your school is in full swing, or your educators are still engrossed in summer reading in the sun, the Secondary Schools Department hopes the transition back to school is smooth and looks forward to serving its members in the upcoming school year.

The information supplied in this newsletter aims to inform Catholic high school administrators, faculty, staff, and students on professional development opportunities, curriculum resources, and relevant news stories. Please contact Christiane Connors at cconnors@ncea.org with any newsworthy information about your school community’s development that may benefit your colleagues across the country.

Take full advantage of NCEA's leadership development opportunities and register today for a conference. Click here for a full listing of events and conferences.

4th Annual Instructional Leadership Conference, Chicago, November 20-22, 2008: Can each Catholic school educator say with confidence that EVERY student in the school experiences effective teaching to maximize their learning? This conference invites instructional leaders from K-12 Catholic schools throughout the United States to consider together what they can do in their schools to move every teacher toward greater effectiveness. Participants will bring back to their school communities diverse and specific applications to assist in school-wide improvement. Click here for a conference brochure and registration information.

Deans Conference, San Francisco, February 11-13, 2009: Take this unique opportunity to exchange ideas and learn about innovative ways to address recurrent school challenges. Aspects of student discipline, school policies, school culture, technology and more will be addressed in an interactive instructional format. This conference is for secondary school deans, assistant principals and administrators responsible for student affairs. Click here to register and learn more about this conference.

Annual NCEA Convention, Anaheim, April 14-16, 2009: The Department's convention program is packed full with presentations that will pique any Catholic high school administrator and teacher's professional interests. With many new presenters as well as veteran favorites, start planning now for the NCEA Convention.

Developing an Effective Brand Strategy to Increase Enrollment, October 21 to 23, 2008, Chicago, IL: This conference will benefit high school advancement departments and administrators seeking to develop an effective brand strategy for their school. Engage experienced advancement practitioners and educational leaders and learn how to increase and sustain student enrollment at your school. Contact Sr. Mary Tracy at mtracy@ncea.org for more information.

Education for Justice: Sign up today for The Education for Justice web site, a dynamic resource designed to help educators find print-ready resources which foster greater knowledge of Catholic Social Teaching and demonstrate connections to current social justice issues and world events. More than 2,000 print-ready resources are immediately available for members to choose, click, print, and use. New resources are added every two to three weeks.

The site features downloadable educational materials in the form of lesson plans, units, fact sheets, bulletin inserts, case studies, reflection, prayers, Sunday Mass Readings & reflections, links to related resources, interactive materials, and more--all with an explicit Catholic Social Teaching perspective. These resources are teaching tools designed to promote the essential elements of faith as well as knowledge of the social teachings of the church, greater awareness of world realities, the skills of social analysis, and a commitment to advocacy.

Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States: Explore this new website from the Bishops conference to learn more about the call to faithful citizenship at all stages of life. Informational videos are free to watch and download at http://www.faithfulcitizenship.org/resources/videos

FREE Money Smart curriculum ensures students are financially literate: MONEY SMART represents an alliance between federal, state and local agencies and major financial institutions, bank associations, national non-profit organizations, and community groups. The curriculum is free to NCEA members and covers basic skills and knowledge of handling money for high school age students. The eight-module curriculum includes instructor and participant guides, and materials are aligned with national and state educational standards. The program has proven results in financial education and can be taught as a supplement to material covered in a required course, an after-school elective or a school group or club project. Trained volunteer instructors are also available across the country to instruct the course and work with schools interested in the program. Information about how to order MONEY SMART is available at http://www.fdic.gov/moneysmart. Questions can be emailed to Luke Reynolds at LuReynolds@fdic.gov.

National Financial Literacy Challenge from November 3 to 26, 2008: This complimentary service offered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury allows teachers to choose any day within the three-week competition window for their students to take the 50-minute online Challenge that includes 35 questions on basic personal finance. Students will individually compete for recognition and those scoring in the top 25th percentile and higher may be eligible for additional recognition such as college scholarship funds from a leading corporate foundation. High school teachers can register students for the Literacy Challenge at http://flc.treas.gov/teacherSignUp_future.aspx. Questions can be emailed to the Office of Financial Education at flc@do.treas.gov and include "FLC Questions" in the subject of your email.

Operation Rice Bowl brings social awareness and responsibility home: For over 33 years, Operation Rice Bowl has brought national attention to issues of human dignity, the international food crisis, and the community shattering affect of poverty. Operation Rice Bowl provides a tangible means for Americans to connect in solidarity with international brothers and sisters struggling to survive. Preparations for Operation Rice Bowl 2009 are underway. More information on how your school might get involved is available at http://orb.crs.org/.

Participate in the first video conference for school leaders in Australia: While you might not be a school leader in Austrailia, you are welcome to participate in the conference titled "Leading Successful Schools: Sharing the Wisdom." Participants from countries as far apart and diverse as Botswana, Canada and India have already registered. The program features seven days of discussions on school leadership with each topic supported by a video presentation from an education leader, papers and a 24-hour only message board to discuss the materials and related ideas. "Leading Successful Schools: Sharing the Wisdom" will be online from 18 to 31 August. Anyone interested in educational leadership can register online, and participate for no cost, by visiting the conference website, from 12.01am Northern Territory (Australia) time, on Monday 18 August, at: http://www.cybertext.net.au/antsel_2008/

Outside Australia, please contact Debra Brydon: Int. + 61 3 9888 1884.
Within Australia: (03) 9888 1884 or mobile 0413009988.
Email: brydon@cybertext.net.au

University of Dayton Online Adult Religious Education and Certification Classes:
The University of Dayton now offers convenient, flexible and challenging adult religious education and certification classes via the internet, anytime and anywhere. Online courses run throughout the year for approximately four weeks per session. Course topics include Catechesis, Catholic Doctrine, Church History, Communication, Ecclesiology, Liturgy, Sacraments and Prayer, Marianist Studies, Scripture and Social Justice. Learn more about the program and enroll in a class at http://vlc.udayton.edu/.

Cleveland Catholic high school opens state-of-the-art pre-engineering center: Cleveland Catholic high school, St. Edwards, is leading the way in instructional technology with its state-of-the art pre-engineering building. Donors helped to fund this $3.4 million, 13,000-square-foot engineering technology center complete with a robotics lab, two computer labs, a pre-engineering lab, a seminar room and classrooms. All rooms have Smartboards, interactive electronic white boards and a total of 90 new computers. About a third of students at the all-boys school follow the pre-engineering curriculum, and 90% of those that do continue studying engineering in college. Related article at: http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/121749307553150.xml&coll=2

The Student and Youth Travel Association (SYTA) has all the travel info: If anyone in your school community is planning a student trip of any sort, this must-see website will have all the information your group coordinator will need, plus need scholarship and travel assistance programs. http://www.syta.org/index.asp.

SchoolTube.com launches safe video and picture sharing site: SchoolTube.com is a safe video sharing website for K-12 students that features a cutting edge video player, user friendly features and safe picture sharing. The site features media from every facet of student life, uploaded by students and teachers. SchoolTube.com offers free registration and unlimited uploading of classroom related or "just for fun" media. The platform allows students to upload to a holding area that keeps the video or image inactive. Once a registered teacher approves the material, it becomes available to view on the site. This process is what makes SchoolTube unique. Check it out at www.SchoolTube.com.

National Young Adult Ministry Forum, December 3-4, Cleveland, OH: The NCYAMA Forum will focus on "Connecting, Marketing, and Evangelizing Young Adults," a topic that many Young Adult Ministry leaders have asked us to speak on over the years. Registration is online. Participants may register for the Forum alone or together with their NCCYM registration. There will also be a Young Adult Ministry track during NCCYM this year. For more information visit: www.ncyama.org or www.nfcym.org.

The Action Center to End World Hunger is now open in New York City: Mercy Corps’ Action Center to End World Hunger is an interactive spaces that teaches about global poverty and hunger and provides opportunities for visitors to take action for a better world. To book your field trip and collect more information about 9 to 12 education programs, email education@nyc.mercycorps.org.

Send in a photo from a school-related activity this summer for a chance to appear in NCEA's NOTES newsletter! Include a brief paragraph about the purpose of the trip and the individuals in the picture. Email all submissions to nceasec@ncea.org by Friday, September 26, 2008.

Sr. Mary Frances Taymans, SND, Executive Director
Mr. Gary Meyerl, Assistant Executive Director
Ms. Christiane Connors, Director of Special Projects
Mr. Michael Conroy, Administrative Assistant
Mrs. Kelley Endreola, Administrative Assistant