October 21, 2011

► Catholic Values Shine on the Big Screen

► Mid-Atlantic Catholic Schools Attain Blue Ribbon Honors 

► Segura Initiative Supports Latino Enrollment in Richmond

► Office Depot Partnership Helps Schools Secure Best Prices

► New Video Builds Support for Virginia Tax Credit
 
 

Upcoming Events

Discover new ways to strengthen your Catholic school at these upcoming events:

March 8-10, 2012
Mid-Atlantic Congress for Pastoral Leadership
Baltimore, MD

April 11-12, 2012
National Catholic Educational Association Convention and Expo
Boston, MA

April 20, 2012
Digital Learning for 21st Century Catholic and Private Schools
Linthicum, MD

 
The Mid-Atlantic Catholic Schools Consortium represents more than 300 schools in the Archdioceses of Baltimore and Washington and the Dioceses of Arlington, Richmond, Wheeling-Charleston, and Wilmington. 

To make Catholic Schools the schools of choice for Catholic children and families, and all who may desire an education rooted in the Catholic Tradition and Gospel values.
 

Mid-Atlantic Catholic Schools Consortium
10 Francis Street
Annapolis, MD 21401
Phone: 301-908-7812
Fax: 410-269-1790
midatlanticcsc@gmail.com

This update from the Mid-Atlantic Catholic Schools Consortium includes helpful news and resources for Catholic school teachers, administrators, and advocates. 
 
If you have questions or news items that you would like to share with your fellow Catholic school educators, please contact us at midatlanticcsc@gmail.com.  

Catholic Values Shine on the Big Screen

 Do you want  to inspire your students to dream big? Encourage them to see The Mighty Macs, a new film based on the incredible true story of the 1971-72 Immaculata College team that became the original Cinderella story in women's basketball. Despite the challenges they faced as a tiny, all-women’s Catholic college, the team came together through faith, honesty, teamwork, perseverance and trust. The film, which has been endorsed by college basketball coaches and Catholic bishops, opens today, October 21.
 
Two of the Consortium’s (arch)dioceses have partnered with local theaters to support The Mighty Macs while also spreading the good news about Catholic education in their region. The Archdiocese of Baltimore will run a promotional video for its Catholic schools prior to showings of The Mighty Macs in seven Baltimore-area theaters. The Diocese of Arlington has partnered with Cinema Arts Theater in Fairfax, VA, to offer a special deal to Catholic school students attending The Mighty Macs. Students receive a discounted price of $5.00 per ticket at the 4 p.m. showing on October 28 or a price of $8.50 for movie admission, popcorn and a drink. The Diocese will display a special banner and open house information during this movie showing. 
 

Mid-Atlantic Catholic Schools Attain Blue Ribbon Honors
 
The Consortium congratulates the Catholic schools selected as 2011 National Blue Ribbon Schools. The Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools that are either academically superior or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement. Forty-nine private schools were among the 314 awardees this year, including the following nine schools from the (arch)dioceses of the Mid-Atlantic Catholic Schools Consortium.

Archdiocese of Washington
Mary of Nazareth Catholic School, Darnestown, MD
St Bartholomew School, Bethesda, MD
St Jane de Chantal School, Bethesda, MD
St Mary's School, Rockville, MD 
 
Diocese of Arlington
St Ann School, Arlington, VA
St Thomas Aquinas Regional School, Woodbridge, VA
 
Diocese of Richmond
Our Lady of Lourdes School, Richmond, VA 
St Matthew's School, Virginia Beach, VA
Star of the Sea Catholic School, Virginia Beach, VA
 
To learn more about the Blue Ribbon Schools Program, visit the website of the U.S. Department of Education. 
 

 Segura Initiative Supports Latino Enrollment in Richmond
 
The Diocese of Richmond recently launched a new website to promote its Segura Initiative, which seeks to increase enrollment of Latino students in the diocese’s Catholic schools. The goals of the Segura Initiative are to increase tuition assistance for Latino families who have demonstrated financial need and to provide professional development programs to help its Catholic school educators ensure a nurturing and effective bi-lingual environment for all students.
 
The new website also features a new video with Spanish subtitles that highlights the goals of the Segura Initiative. The Diocese hopes that the video and website will help them reach out to Latino families who might benefit from tuition assistance and to potential sponsors of the program. Sponsors have the opportunity to make online donations through the new website. The Consortium is proud to be a sponsor of the Segura Initiative.

Office Depot Partnership Helps Catholic Schools Secure Best Prices
 
Has your school enrolled in the Consortium’s purchasing program with Office Depot? If not, you could be missing out on the best prices on essentials such as paper, printer ink, office furniture, printing services, computers and more! Through the Office Depot purchasing program, your school is eligible to receive the lowest prices available to any non-profit. Register your school today to receive a store purchasing card, a dedicated account manager, and 24-hour online support. All purchases made through the program qualify for rebates, which support arch(diocesan) support programs. 

If you would like to set up an Office Depot account or have questions about your current account and purchases, please contact our account representative, Pam Pedler, by phone at 860-883-9281 or by email at Pam.Pedler@officedepot.com.
 

New Video Builds Support for Virginia Tax Credit
 
As Catholic school advocates in Virginia gear up for the 2012 session of the Virginia General Assembly, they are using a new video to rally their supporters. In September, the Virginia Catholic Conference (VCC) released a new YouTube video to inform parishioners and Catholic school parents about plans to advance the Education Improvement Scholarship Tax Credit bill in 2012. The video highlights the benefits of Catholic schools and addresses the importance of providing every family with the opportunity to choose the school that is best for their children. The VCC and other Catholic school advocates hope that the new video will inspire Virginia Catholic’s to voice their support for the Education Improvement Scholarship Tax Credit bill. You can view the video, Education Improvement Scholarship Tax Credit: Taking Action for a Brighter Tomorrow, on YouTube.