April 25, 2005

1.    Travel/Teach English in Eastern Europe:  Bridges For Education, www.bridges4edu.org a non-profit organization, is looking for volunteer teachers and interested professionals to teach conversational English in Timisoara, Romania this summer from July 15th through August 16th.
        The program lasts three weeks with one additional week of travel throughout Romania.  This is a fantastic opportunity to experience the culture of the emerging democracies of Eastern European countries.  Highly motivated teenagers from many former Soviet republics and Soviet bloc countries will attend this language camp, which will be held in a residential high school.
        No specific language skills are required and costs which are reasonable, cover all expenses.  Over 100 teachers, high school and college students from central Ohio have participated in the BFE programs since 1999.
        For more information, please contact Gary Huss, 740-881-9656, husspartyof5@aol.com.

2.    Summer Opportunity in Vietnam for Educators, Deadline to Apply-April 25:  Trip Dates are July 2 to July 17, 2005, followed by an optional extension into Laos and Cambodia (return date:  July 25).  As part of an ongoing program in summer travel for educators, the National Peace Corps Association (NCPA) is sponsoring a trip to Vietnam from July 2 to July 17, 2005, over the tenth anniversary of normalization of relations with the U.S.   Educators will live with families in Hanoi, visit schools and universities in the Mekong Delta and Hue, and meet teachers and experience cultural activities.  An optional extension into Laos and Cambodia will also be available.  Cost:  $2,850.  Application instructions:  please contact the Exchange Director, John McAuliff, to express your interest.  For more information:  http://www.rpcv.org/.

3.    2005 Study Canada Summer Institute for K-12 Educators June 26-July 1, 2005, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA:  Teach beyond the 40th Parallel.  This six-day workshop for teachers provides a strong foundation for teaching Canada and enhancing its inclusion in the social studies curriculum.  Teachers who are interested but unable to attend the full program may earn reduced clock hours based on daily participation.  The institute features expert instruction from distinguished speakers from Canada and the United States.  Participants evaluate a variety of curriculum materials, visit Canada, experience its culture, and design curriculum projects aligned with district and state standards to expand their teaching portfolios.  Teachers receive a program binder of session-related materials as well as the popular textbook, CANADA:  Northern Neighbor (2nd Edition), CD-ROMs, atlases, and other classroom resources.  The draft agenda can be viewed at:  www.wwu.edu/depts/castudies/k12studycanada/scsi.shtml.  For more information about the workshop, contact tina.storer@wwu.edu or call 360-650-3728.

4.    The Middle East Studies Summer Workshop:  June 20-July 1.  The workshop will be comprised of daily lectures and presentations on various aspects of the Middle East including culture, language and literature, history, religion, social institutions, folklore, cuisine, art and architecture, and the status of women, as well as lectures on teaching strategies.  One day of the workshop will be devoted to a full day tour of various Middle Eastern religious and community organizations.  Financial Aid grants in the form of partial tuition and fee authorizations may be available.  The workshop is geared primarily toward the needs and interests of K-12 teachers, educators and administrators.  The workshop is available on a credit or non-credit basis.  Application deadline is May 20, 2005.  For more information, http://oia.osu.edu/mesc/Website_files/ or wightman.16@osu.edu.

5.    Classroom Technology for Instruction, Diocese of Columbus Office of Catholic Schools and ODU:  3 semester Professional Development Credits, $450 for course fee or $150 for 4.5 CEUs., Bishop Hartley High School Lecture Hall,
July 5- July 14, 9:00am - 1:00 pm.. 
        Presentation design - lecture, discussion, demonstration, hands-on lab. 
        Topics - Keeping time tested "treasures" by converting paper, transparency, cassettes and other analog material into digital format; Smartboards, Homework Online, Plagiarism, Video Conferencing; Tools that may sound exotic but are becoming very available in the near future...
        Register by e-mailing kquinn@cdeducation.org by June 25, 2005.

6.    eLearning:  The Ohio SchoolNet Commission and the Ohio Department of Education have collaborated to offer eLearning - Online Professional Development courses for PK-12 educators.  Registration will be available now through Thursday, May 26, 2005, on a first-come, first-served basis.
        Registration will take place using the Ohio SchoolNet Opportunity Tracking tool, which requires a Hall Pass account [http://www.osn.state.oh.us/go/hallpass].  Registrants will need to login with an existing Hall Pass account or create a new account to begin the registration process.
        Courses offered include
            Diagnostic Assessments
            Evaluating Technology Use in the Classroom
            Exploring Standards-Based Resources:  an INFOtrip through INFOhio
            Facilitating Courses in an Online Environment
            Instructional Design in an Online Environment
            Measurable Case for Technology
            Ohio Mathematics Academy Project Module A, B, C (OMAP) - Algebra
            Ohio Mathematics Academy Project Module A, B, C (OMAP) - Geometry
                and Spatial Sense Management
            Ohio Mathematics Academy Project Module A, B, C (OMAP) - Data Analysis
                 & Probability-Number, Number Sense and Operations
            Ohio Science Institute Module A, B, C (OSCI) - Earth Science
            Ohio Science Institute Module A, B, C (OSCI) - Life Science
            Ohio Science Institute Module A, B, C (OSCI) - Physical Science
            Standards-Based Education I and II (SBE)
            Strengthening Systems to Support Technology Integration (SSSTI)
        Visit http://www.osn.state.oh.us/go/elearning for more information.
        If you have any questions, please contact the eLearning team, elearning@osn.state.oh.us, at 800-644-6761.

7.    Mark your calendars! The Fourth Great Media Giveaway is coming soon!
The Office of Religious Education and Catechesis will sponsor the Fourth Great Media Give Away Tuesday, May 31 in the Conference Room at the Catholic Center, 197 East Gay Street, Columbus, Ohio.  From 9:00 am until 7:00 pm any interested person will be able to choose from a variety of videos, books, textbooks, story books and miscellaneous items.  The Department for Education (The Office of Religious Education and Catechesis, the Office of Education and the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry) are contributing to the giveaway.
        Don't miss this exciting opportunity.  All are welcome!

8.    Weekly Religion Ideas, April 25, 2005, Standard III D: 18, 19, 21
    For the Teacher:  The first two objectives have to go with teaching about the Sacraments of Marriage and Holy  Orders.  A good video is Echoes of Faith:  Liturgy and Sacraments "Sacraments of Service".  It gives a good explanation of both sacraments.  Marriage and Holy Orders are two sacraments that show God's love and care for us and are two ways that persons can follow Christ.  By his life, death and resurrection, Christ has shown us that every state of our life is sacred.  Think of the priest as the coordinator of the community, giving service to others by being a minister of the Word and Sacraments, the presider at the Eucharistic Liturgy, thereby building up the faith life of the parish community.  When teaching about Marriage, bring out the idea of covenant between a baptized man and woman who are committed to helping each other be holy in coming closer to God through their mutual relationship of love and respect.  They also are to be builders of community in their own family (the domestic church) and to others to whom they are to image God's love.  Regarding how to teach about sharing in the priesthood of Christ through Baptism, all the faithful are consecrated to proclaim Christ and offer spiritual sacrifices in all their Christian activities of reception of the sacraments, prayer, witness of a holy life, self denial and active charity.  (Lumen Gentium, #10).  In every Mass, we join with Jesus to praise the Father and offer ourselves along with Jesus for the transformation of the world.  

For the Classroom: 
    1) Have a deacon, priest or a Bishop come to class and explain his vocation and what attracted him to the ministry and how that has enriched his life.
    2) Have a married couple come to class and explain how they met, decided to marry and how they have grown in their friendship in the challenges and joys of their married lives.
    3) Have a discussion on vocations and how God calls each person to live a vocation by which they can love God and be happy, using the gifts God has given them.
    4) Go through the rites of the Marriage ceremony and the ordination of a deacon and priest ceremonies.  Read some of the prayers and discuss their meaning for that vocation.  Discuss the difference between covenant and contract.
    5) Discuss the role of sexuality in marriage and what it is a symbol of.  What does the church say about sexual relations before marriage?  Why is this wise?  We have resources if there are questions about divorce, separation and annulments.
    6) How are the students living out their priesthood through Baptism in their prayer and service they are giving to their family, the parish and the wider community?
    7) Have the students think of the sacred moments in their life which they felt were special and which are hard to explain, e.g., birth of a new baby in the family, the death of a relative, a birthday celebration, etc...Did they feel God's love and care?

Resources:
    Videos - The Sacrament of Matrimony:  VTE 2437 by Kathy Chesto and
VTE 1558 Marriage, Just a Piece of Paper with Cokie Roberts would be good discussion starters for older students.  There are also videos on Marriage and Holy Orders:  VTE 1514, 1520 and 1521 for intermediate students.  There is a video VTE 2221 "Called by God, What is Vocation".  Videos on the ministry of the deacon  VTE 2217 and 2218, and on priesthood, VTE 2220 are also available.  The video on Teen Discipleship VTE 1379 would be good for examples of the priesthood of the faithful.  The Vatican II Document "Lumen Gentium", the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church paragraphs 10 and 11 also discuss this.

9.    Principal Openings:
            South Bend, Indiana
                St. Joseph's High School, South Bend, is accepting applications for a high    
                school principal.  Applicants must be practicing Catholics and must be eligible 
                for Indiana Administrative licensure.
                For information and application contact the
                    Catholic Schools Office,
                    PO Box 390
                    Fort Wayne, Indiana   46801 
                    (Phone 260-422-4611).
                Application deadline is May 13.

            Youngstown, Ohio
                The Diocese of Youngstown is seeking candidates for the position of principal
                at Saint Matthias Elementary School, Youngstown.  Applicants must be
                practicing Catholics and have appropriate academic preparation.
                Send resume and a cover letter to
                    Mrs. Judy Bogdan
                    Director of Certificated Personnel
                    Office of Catholic Schools
                    144 W. Wood Street
                    Youngstown, OH    44503
                Further information may be obtained by calling 330-744-8451, ext 286.

            Diocese of Columbus
                St. Mary, Columbus
                Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Grove City
                St. Andrew, Columbus
                St. Timothy, Columbus
            Applicants must be active, practicing Catholics and must possess - or be eligible
            for - current Ohio administrative licensure/certification.
            To access the administrator's application go to www.cdeducation.org.   

Comments to office@cdeducation.org

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