This is the March 2007 edition of ENews. This newsletter is a regular update of information designed to support the ministry of the Catholic high school, a service provided for you by the Secondary Schools Department of the National Catholic Educational Association. This newsletter highlights programs and events focusing on and supporting administrators, educators and students. We hope you find this information helpful.

For your convenience, this ENews is arranged under the following headings:

NCEA News and Professional Development Opportunities
Resources for your School/Professional Development
Curriculum Resources
Secondary Schools Department Staff

Please visit us on the Web at /departments/secondary/

If you wish to read a hard copy of ENews, please click "Print this page" at the bottom of this Web page.

NCEA NEWS and PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

ATTENTION RELIGION TEACHERS, CAMPUS MINISTERS
AND SERVICE DIRECTORS 

WISDOM & WITNESS, University of Notre Dame, Indiana, June 28-July 1, 2007
We hope your school will be represented at NCEA's biennial conference for religion teachers, campus ministers and service directors. Participants will experience four days of learning, renewal, prayer and conversation with colleagues from across the country. Please visit /departments/secondary/wiswit.asp for more information and for registration information. (Register before April 15 or as a school team of two or more and save!)

FRONTIERS OF JUSTICE is a joint program of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the National Catholic Educational Association. This year a group of American educators will experience first-hand CRS' work in education, counter-trafficking and development in the United Nations administered province of Kosovo in southeastern Europe. Participants will also work with a Kosovar teacher on a global solidarity partnership project that will link their students over a school year.

Congratulations to this year's participants:

Ellen Brickwedde, Our Lady of Victory Academy, Dobbs Ferry, NY
Rebecca Clark, Bishop Blanchet High School, Seattle, WA
Stephanie Festa, Mission College Preparatory Catholic High School, San Luis Obispo, CA
Matthew Gaudet, Notre Dame Academy, Hingham, MA
Julie Hagerty, Mount Notre Dame High School, Cincinnati, OH
David Marsocci, Bishop Hendricken High School, Warwick, RI

NCEA NATIONAL CONVENTION, Baltimore, April 10-13, 2007
Convention registration and hotel reservations are available online. Check here for more information: /events/ConventionExposition.asp. Join 12,000+ colleagues from across the country at the convention!

If you will be in Baltimore, be sure to attend the Secondary Schools Convocation on Wednesday, April 11. Distinguished educators from across the country will be recognized along with the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas who are celebrating their 175 th anniversary.

Congratulations to this year's Department award winners:

Kristine Brynildsen-Smith , Archbishop Murphy High School, Everett, WA
David Smolik , Sacred Heart Catholic High School, Halletsville, TX
Constance Fourre , Benilde-St. Margaret School, St. Louis Park, MN
Charles "Buck" Offutt , DeMatha High School, Hyattsville, MD
Cathy Brouillette , St. Michael High School, Baton Rouge, LA

And congratulations to the winner of the 2007 Michael J. Guerra Leadership Award 

Br. Kevin Strong, FSC , Cardinal Gibbons High School, Baltimore, MD  

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The following links and programs are for your consideration. Inclusion on this list does not constitute an endorsement of any particular program or resource.

RESOURCES FOR YOUR SCHOOL/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

FREE SAT AND ACT PREPARATION RESOURCE
eKnowledge LLC announced that it will continue the donation of its $200 SAT and ACT Test Preparation programs to all Catholic high school students for a second year. Last year, eKnowledge and a group of NFL Players donated more than $10 Million worth of their $200.00 SAT and ACT Test Preparation programs to every Catholic high school student nationwide. Click here for more information about these interactive video CD/DVD programs and information on how to request one of the donated programs.

Because of the rise of eBay and other re-selling venues, eKnowledge & VSG have agreed to not allow bulk shipments of these programs to schools or areas. They ask that any parent or individual student that desires the program, to simply request it online or by phone. The student only need pay shipping and handling ($9.95).  This link takes users directly to the Web page with the donation code already encoded.  Please distribute this information to your students and parents as you see fit.

EMERGENCY AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT
The Emergency Response and Crisis Management Technical Assistance Center (http://www.ercm.org/) is a service of the federal Department of Education to assist schools with emergency planning. Visit the site to help update your existing plan, or prepare a new plan.

TAX BENEFIT FOR TEACHERS
In December 2006, Congress approved an extension of the tax deduction benefit for expenses incurred by teachers in public or private elementary and secondary schools. Eligible educators may be able to deduct up to $250 for their non-reimbursed expenses for books, supplies, computer equipment (including related software and services) and supplementary materials that are used in classrooms. Information from the IRS about the educator expenses deduction is available at www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=107557,00.htmlclicking.

SUMMER STUDY IN IRELAND
A course designed to study the Irish Education System, and concurrently to study the history, literature, and culture of Ireland, is available for US teachers at the National University of Ireland, Galway. Along with meeting their Irish contemporaries, the participants conducted their own research in areas which represent their professional interests such as curriculum, assessment, special and vocational education, and school administration.

The summer 2007 program is scheduled from July 5 –July 28, 2007 and the enrollment deadline is April 1, 2007. Six graduate credits will be awarded for successful completion of the program of study. For additional information, click here.

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CURRICULUM RESOURCES

CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICE EDUCATION RESOURCES
CRS Education: Going Global with Youth (http://education.crs.org/) is a gateway to lesson plans, simulation activities, prayer services, stories, web links and opportunities that looks at global issues through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching. Use this resource to invite young people to see the world with new eyes and to challenge them to respond to our faith call to global solidarity.

FEDERAL RESOURCES FOR EDUCATION EXCELLENCE (FREE)
The Federal Resources for Education Excellence Web site (http://free.ed.gov) contains hundreds of teaching and learning resources for educators arranged by subject area and subgroups within each category for easy searching.

HOLOCAUST EDUCATION
In 1939, Nicholas Winton personally saved the lives of 669 children. Most of them were Jewish, from Czechoslovakia, which was soon to be occupied by the Nazis.

He brought them to Britain and kept it a secret for nearly 50 years. In 2002 Queen Elizabeth II conferred knighthood on Winton, now 97 years old.

Czech filmmaker Matej Minác made a documentary film of Winton's life "Nicholas Winton – The Power of Good" which won the International Emmy Award in 2002. The Gelman Educational Foundation has licensed a DVD of this film for use in educational settings. The DVD and an accompanying Study Guide are available from the foundation. (The Study Guide is also included as a PDF file on the DVD.) To request a copy of the DVD or send an email to the Gelman Educational Foundation click here. Visit this Web site for more information: http://www.powerofgood.net/.

MORAL THEOLOGY RESOURCE
Brother Malcolm Melcher, a retired high school teacher with 40 years of classroomexperience has prepared an online Bank of Moral Theology Questions. The bank is based on 30 years of drill work, quizzes, tests and examinations in a variety of different religion classrooms. He does not want this stockpile to retire with him, so he's made the questions available to teachers (for free). Click the link for more details.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
The National Environmental Education and Training Foundation is sponsoring National Environmental Education Week April 15-22, 2007. For more information and for curricular resources click here: http://www.eeweek.org/.