Leading with Faith

9/27/24 NCEA Form Due via Online Google Sheet based on 9/13/24 Counts

10/2/24 BEDS Enrollment Anchor Date – Count All Staff & Students

10/17/24 NYSED Elementary School AIS Claims Due

10/17/24 Government Services Update for Board Chairs, Chaplains, Pastors, & Principals

10/20/24 Deadline to Register for Albany RISE Conference to get Free Hotel Room

10/21/24 NCEA Updates/Corrections Due to our Office via Google Sheet

10/26/24 Last day to register to vote in NYS – Encourage all Families to Vote!

11/1/24 Title I Letters Sent to Each Public School District w/Poverty Students

11/15/24 BEDS Report Due to NYSED via Business Portal IRS-Data Exchange

12/1/24 Fire Safety Inspection Must be Completed; Report Due 12/9/2024

BEDS Day is Oct. 2nd – Complete Google Sheet before you submit to NYSED Online: Later today, Laurie Wojtaszczyk will send school principals information and a link to your school-specific BEDS Google Sheet to help you prepare for the NYS BEDS report based on student and staff attendance from Wednesday, 10/2/2024. The actual online BEDS report is not due to NYSED until November 15th using the Business Portal (via “IRS Data Exchange” under “My Applications”, not “BEDS/IMF”). I would encourage you to use the Google Sheet we created and the associated instructions to help you organize your information prior to the online submission to NYSED using their Business Portal. My instructions include some tricks I have learned over the years to avoid data entry issues. I would be glad to assist you with any questions you might have while you are working on your BEDS report.

NCEA Report – Please Return Any Requested Changes as Soon as Possible: Thank you to everyone for taking the time needed to prepare and submit the NCEA reports. Now that they are completed on your online Google Sheet, Laurie and I will be reviewing the documents to look for any confusing or missing information. If we notice anything on your report we’ll send you an email and request any needed clarification. Please try to respond to these requests in a timely manner as we have a quickly approaching deadline for the Diocesan Summary report.

Title I for 2025-26 - Please send Free/Reduced Lunch Lists to Public School Districts: If you have any students who qualify for free or reduced lunch (or would be based on their family income if you had a free/reduced lunch program), please be sure to send a list of these students to the each of the public school districts in which they live for the purpose of identifying those who qualify for 2025-2026 Title I funding. The number of qualified students on these lists who live in the Title I attendance areas will help determine your 2025-2026 Title I allocation from each district. Feel free to use this template when writing to the school districts.

I recommend you send these letters out to each affected school district by November 1st. If you are familiar with the school district, address this letter to the correct person or use the contact information in this Excel spreadsheet; if you are unsure you can always send it to the superintendent. Either way, you should follow up a week or so after you send it to make sure someone at the district received it. Be sure you keep copies of these letters for future reference.

Hardware, Software, and Library Materials – Order through School District of Location: If you have not already done so for this school year, please make arrangements to order hardware, software, and library materials through the Public School District in which your school is located using the state funds available for such items to be loaned to you.

Fire Safety Inspection Due by December 1; Fire Safety Report Due by Dec. 9: If your Fire Safety Inspection has not yet been completed, you must arrange to complete one prior to December 1st and, for most schools, the inspection report must be filed with the Commissioner via the Business Portal prior to December 9th. This year the Fire Safety Reports for all schools with more than 24 students not located in the city of Buffalo must be submitted via the NYSED Business Portal. Information on the process and the required Non-Public forms can be found on the bottom of this webpage. Several schools had trouble locating the online report so here is the best way to get to your report (from Directions on Accessing the Nonpublic School Annual Fire Safety Report (nysed.gov):

1. Log into the NYSED Business Portal at https://portal.nysed.gov/

2. Under “My Applications”, choose “Facilities Planning-Fire Safety”.

3. Once you select “SEDREF Buildings” your school will appear.

4. Select “Enter Report” to input the data from your completed Fire Safety inspection.

Stand Together Against Bullying: October is National Bullying Prevention Month: Student Enrichment

Every October, schools and communities come together to raise awareness about bullying and promote a more inclusive environment. This year, mark your calendar for Unity Day, celebrated on the third Wednesday of October. Wear orange to show your support for bullying prevention and create a world where everyone feels safe and respected.

Unity Day - Wednesday, October 16, 2024

October is National Bullying Prevention Month

Throughout October, schools take action to educate students and staff about bullying. This includes:

• Understanding the Difference: Workshops like the one offered by Buffalo Public Schools and Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention help educators distinguish between common conflicts and bullying behavior. This allows for targeted intervention to prevent bullying before it starts.

• Creating a Safe Space: Schools develop clear procedures for identifying, addressing, and preventing bullying. These procedures, including the Diocesan School Procedures outlined below, ensure a safe and supportive learning environment for all students.

Diocesan School Procedures For Catholic Elementary Regional & Parish Schools

• Anti-bullying

• Discipline Code

Not Everything is Bullying:

It's important to recognize the difference between bullying and other social interactions. Here's a quick guide:

Bullying is unwanted aggressive behavior that involves a power imbalance, is repeated or likely to be repeated, and can cause harm. It can take various forms, including physical, verbal, social, or electronic (cyberbullying). Bullying can affect anyone, regardless of gender, age, or nationality, but it often peaks in middle school. Studies show that a significant number of children and adolescents experience bullying, with negative consequences for both victims and perpetrators.

Unkind behaviors:

• Being Rude: Unintentional actions or words that hurt someone.

• Teasing: Playful banter between friends where both parties laugh.

• Conflict: Disagreements or misunderstandings that can be resolved.

• Being Mean: Intentionally hurting someone (once or twice).

Strategies for Addressing Unkind Behavior:

• Separation: When necessary, separate students involved in conflict.

• Safe Peer Support: Encourage students to seek help from trusted peers.

• Student Input: Talk to students who are being targeted and ask what would help them feel safe.

• Parental Involvement: Keep parents informed of any issues and work together to address them.

Cyberbullying is a Serious Issue:

Cyberbullying can have devastating consequences. Here are some common forms:

• Denigration: Publicly putting someone down online.

• Identity Theft/Impersonation: Pretending to be someone else to cause harm.

• Online Harassment & Threats: Sending intimidating or threatening messages.

• Flaming & Trolling: Posting inflammatory or offensive content online to provoke others.

• Photo Shopping/Tagging/Untagging: Sharing or altering photos without someone's permission.

• Outing & Trickery (Doxing): Sharing personal information online to embarrass or endanger someone.

Let's work together to prevent bullying!

Schools can equip students with essential digital citizenship skills through programs like Common Sense Media, Common Sense Education, Be Internet Awesome, and others. By promoting respect and positive online behavior, we can create a safer learning environment for everyone.

Remember, you are not alone!

If you or someone you know is being bullied, reach out for help. Report bullying to a trusted adult or use resources like StopBullying.gov. Together, we can create a world free from bullying.

Weekly Virtual Principal Meetings

Meeting Details:

• Day and Time: Wednesdays, 10:00 AM - 10:45 AM

• Platform: Microsoft Teams (link sent by Laurie)

Next Meeting: Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Topics: Safety Plans, Emergency drills update, Bullying and Digital Citizenship

The Diocesan Math competition has a date change - it will now be held one week later on November 22nd, still at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. I apologize for this change, but the previous date had a conflict in my schedule I could not adjust.

Here are some details about the Math competition:

For both Elementary and Middle School competitions

• Each team should consist of 4-6 students.

• You may enter 2 teams at each level. Each level needs their own coach/parent supervisor.

• Every student participates in each round of the competition.

• The SPRINT ROUND will be conducted at school a week or two before the competition. Scan and email the answer sheet to lwojtaszczyk@buffalodiocese.org The testing pages will be emailed to registered schools on Wednesday, October 31st. They must be completed in class, scanned and emailed back to me by 3pm on November 13th. Our department will do all of the scoring of those pages - just test, scan them and email them back.

• The top 4 scores are used to calculate the team score

• Answers must be fully simplified and, where appropriate, given in the format asked for in the question. Units of measurement are not required and should be omitted.

• Elementary students should arrive at 9am. Competition will begin at 9.30 am with results at 11am.

• Middle school students should arrive at 11 am. Competition will begin at 11.30 am and results at 1pm.

• There will be space available for teams to wait if they travel to the competition together.

I wrote last week about communication, and in my meetings with principals it’s become apparent that one of the most important (of the many!) and timely communications is the issuance of each school’s Parent/Student Handbook! This handbook relates your school’s policies and procedures for day to day operations and establishes your authority for follow-through. Many schools post the handbook in an easily accessible location on the school website, and/or provide hand-held copies to each family. One suggestion for updating your handbook is to highlight any annual changes in a different text color for an easy read. Your parents need to sign an annual acknowledgement of receipt and adherence to the policies and procedures contained therein. Some schools send out separate acknowledgement forms. Others attach the statement of acknowledgement and adherence to their new and re-enrollment forms so that the parents’ signatures are easily collected and accessible in the event of a disagreement over policies/procedures. It also makes it more difficult for a parent to refuse to sign. And what happens if a parent does refuse to sign? It’s time for a meeting, or at very least a call, to query the nature of the reluctance, to explain the reason for the policy, and to emphasize that when parents and administration are on the same page, appropriate actions and accountability are assured.

Wishing a blessed week to all our readers!

Bowling – Just a reminder that no students can be added to your bowling roster after Oct. 1st.

Virtue/Character of the Month - nominees for the month of September are due by October 11.

Awards for the Month of September will be mailed out to each school.

Save The Date:

Catholic Schools Day with the BPO will take place on Tuesday, February 11, 2025.

This year’s theme is the Erie Canal. Click the link to hear songs and a narrative of the curriculum stories for Grades 1-4 Curriculum

Please be aware that there is a slight ticket price increase of $1.00 this year.

Registrations for the BPO will be inserted as an attachment in the Leading with Faith newsletter towards the end of October.

Next Principals Meeting – Tuesday, October 29, 2024, at the Catholic Center – Formation Center on 1st Floor.