Category: General

After leading the CatholicLink Middle School Leadership Conference in May, six Notre Dame Academy students participated in a week-long design sprint led by Abbie Withbroe, educator at St. John the Baptist, and Jaime Danen of Notre Dame Academy. The goal of the week was to develop a student-led character and leadership program for students from kindergarten through high school. The program they developed, Building Character, Growing Leaders, will help students develop the virtues and skills of strong leaders to impact their school and broader communities positively.

Throughout the summer, two of the students continued the work of the design sprint week to develop this leadership program which is now being piloted in three schools: St. John the Baptist, Notre Dame of De Pere, and Notre Dame Academy.

At all middle schools, students are leading and organizing leadership clubs that meet twice a month. The first meeting of the month consists of playing games and working on leadership skills, whereas during the second meeting the students plan lessons and activities which will be taught in K-5 classrooms.

At Notre Dame Academy 15 students are involved in the rollout of the program. They have named this program Notre Dame Leadership Academy (NDLA) and are working hard to involve many more students into the program.

Jamie Danen, Literacy Specialist and Equity Coordinator of Notre Dame Academy states, “This is an entirely student-led program. Students decide what the outcomes will be, how we will get there, and what it will look like when we are successful. They are intent on making this a program that is appealing to all students at NDA. Additionally, they are running each meeting, planning each event, and making deliberate decisions about what will and won’t be included in the program. I have never been involved with a group of students who have so genuinely owned their leadership position and are so excited to train and prepare the next generation of leaders for this program.”

Notre Dame Academy students had these comments to share about the program.

• “I think that this is a rare program where change and progress really happen. You don’t see that with a lot of high school programs and I hope we can continue that.” – Camden – Senior, NDA

• “The CatholicLink Leadership program is incredibly meaningful to me because I’ve always enjoyed taking on leadership positions, but I’ve never been involved in something so focused on cultivating the qualities of a truly good leader in me. I also love being a part of real programs and changes in our school community and the community as a whole.” – Adalyn – Senior, NDA

• “The Catholic Link leadership program has been infinitely beneficial for me. It’s helped me improve in my con dence, organizational skills, communication skills, and, of course, leadership skills. I feel prepared for my future because of my work with CatholicLink.” – Eli – Senior, NDA

This program was supported by a grant to CatholicLink from the Kern Family Foundation and the students are excited to continue to develop and grow the program for all GRACE schools.

Today GRACE would like to highlight the outstanding volunteer at Holy Family Catholic School, Ms. Carol Kekula!

Holy Family Principal Mr. Jere Kubuske states, “I am honored to recognize Carol Kekula as this year’s Holy Family Volunteer of the Year. Ms. Kekula is a dedicated servant of the Catholic Faith and helps us at HFS move closer to Jesus by becoming active participants in the Faith. She organizes our school masses including practicing with our participating classes, she helps students with the morning prayer on our announcements, and organizes all of our special events at the church like Stations of the Cross, May Crowning, and graduation. She is always there to serve and help our students, no matter the day or even the personal circumstances or even tragedies that she may be facing. We are a better school because of the commitment of Mrs. Kekula and we are forever in her debt.”

Thank you, Mrs. Kekula!

The GRACE Catholic School System is committed to our mission. We are not just Christians on Sunday but at all times and in all aspects of our life. Likewise, at school, we aim not merely to integrate our Catholic faith but to be rooted in it in all ways. One of the defining characteristics of our schools is that we are always “steeped in a Catholic worldview.” So whether we are teaching the Revolutionary War in middle school social studies or learning about how seeds become plants in second grade, we seek to find opportunities to show children the centrality of God and the influence of the Church in the world.

This year the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced a national Eucharistic Revival, whose aim is to encourage “a movement of Catholics across the United States, healed, converted, formed and united by an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist.” In support, Bishop David Ricken wrote a beautiful letter to our Diocese titled, Encountering Jesus in the Eucharist: Disciples Called to Worship.

During these next three years, Bishop wishes to lead us on a journey to better worship Jesus by focusing on encountering Jesus more deeply in the Word and the Eucharist. At GRACE, we aim to support this mission as we endeavor to help make sure all children know and love Jesus Christ.

Catholics believe that the greatest prayer of all is the Holy Mass, and it is especially beautiful when we bring our family on Sunday. As we seek to grow in our relationship with Jesus and strengthen our prayer lives, consider how your family will continue to make Sunday Mass attendance a priority.

In The Sacrament of Charity, Pope Benedict XVI told us, “The love of God that we receive in the Blessed Sacrament should lead us to love our neighbor (88).” Our GRACE teachers are hard at work each day, teaching children to pray, how to approach the Sacraments, and how to live our Catholic morality by guiding the way they act in the classroom and on the playground. We are proud of the ways we celebrate liturgical seasons like Advent and Lent, and each school attends Mass weekly as a community.

This year we ask all members of our GRACE community to join this great movement in our Church as we seek to encounter Jesus deeply and personally through the Eucharist. Parents can support our faith mission by asking their children what they are learning in religion class, taking time to pray as a family, going to Eucharistic Adoration, and attending Mass weekly as a family.

GRACE is proud to announce that technology services team member Lynn Fink has been recognized in a recent article by the local Catholic Diocese publication, The Compass, for her outstanding work in IT. Lynn has been working in the GRACE System since 2004 when she was first employed at Our Lady of Lourdes in 2004. Read the entire article celebrating Lynn’s work on The Compass’s website by clicking here!

Our spotlight series continues today at Notre Dame of De Pere. Today we highlight Macey G.!

Principal Mrs. Mares states: “There is a snippet of a bible verse that includes the words “joy comes in the morning.” Macey is the embodiment of this piece of scripture. Macey is a ray of sunshine who warms the lives of all who come in contact with her. She is inquisitive, always wanting to know more about the world and the people around her. She goes out of her way to share a smile and a high-five with anyone who may need it.”

Thank you Macey for being a positive example for others!

Learn more about Notre Dame of De Pere on their website here.

I am pleased and humbled to serve as the newly appointed Superintendent of GRACE school systems. I wish to outline and clarify some of the distinct duties and responsibilities that fall into my role as Superintendent. My service to our GRACE schools has a primary aim of looking to the future for our growing system rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

• Curriculum– GRACE has many ongoing processes to review, update and adopt curriculum resources. In collaboration with GRACE Curriculum Director Laura Blicharz, I will lead and oversee these processes. Likewise, I will lead the planning and implementation of the professional development of our teachers to ensure they are prepared to teach our students.
  
• Technology Integration– Along with the leadership of Technology Integration Coordinator Carrie Gossens, I oversee the long-term planning in place for the ways technology is used to support learning. Aspects of technology integration that fall into my duties include overseeing how technology is used in our classrooms, the training our teachers have, and the so ware that is approved.
  
• Communications/Marketing– Building on the success of GRACE’s enrollment growth and successful techniques to invite families to join
  our community, I am developing comprehensive strategies and identifying new ways to tell our
  story and engage new families. With the support of Marketing and Communications Director Madeline Janssen, I am overseeing our internal and external communication plans to continue sharing the Gospel and the good work going on in our schools.
  
• Support for Leadership and Strategy– Our GRACE principals are some of the strongest, most hard-working leaders in Green Bay, and I am supporting their work and leadership by providing resources and helping to steer unifying long-term strategies in our GRACE system.

My office is located at the GRACE Riverside Drive office, and I enjoy regularly getting into each of our nine schools. It is a full-time role, and I report to the President, Kim Desotell. I welcome you to reach out and connect with me as we work together to provide the best in Catholic education for the children in Green Bay.

In Christ,

Drew Mulloy

GRACE Superintendent

Our outstanding volunteers of 2022 at St Bernard School are Mr. and Mrs. Doug and Diane Dubois!

St. Bernard School principal, Crystal Blahnik, stated, “I would like to give this special service award to a husband and wife who are grandparents of two students at our school. This couple is a wonderful example of how to serve others in the name of Jesus. Whether it is building or modifying furniture, cleaning tables in the lunchroom, organizing our storage rooms or simply pitching in as needed, they are always willing to help and never ask for anything in return. I am so glad they agreed to come this evening because it gives me such joy to see them honored for their unconditional service and support. Please help me thank Doug and Diane Dubois.”

Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Dubois!

Learn more about St. Bernard School by visiting their website.

Catch up on all of the latest GRACE news by checking out the Fall 2022 Newsletter. Read about Chesterton Academy of St. John Paul II’s updated science lab, follow St. Bernard Catholic School principal, Crystal Blahnik, on her trip to the Third International Congress in Rome, see photos of what our students have been up to recently and more!

Do you possess a bachelor’s degree? If so, you may be qualified to support our school through substitute teaching—-a teaching degree is not required! Lesson plans and support are always provided.

By substitute teaching at GRACE, you can:

• Generate income with flexible hours you choose
• Come and go with your children
• Choose your buildings and types of classrooms
• Share special moments with your child during a quick lunch, recess, or in the hallway unexpectedly

Your comfort and convenience are important to us. Do you only want to substitute teach at a specific school? No problem! Open to other GRACE schools? We would be happy to assign you to additional sites that work for you.

To help GRACE as a substitute teacher, please reach out to your school principal or learn more by clicking here.

You can also share this post with those who may be interested by copying the URL and pasting it to them. Consider a retired grandparent who would enjoy visiting the school once a month or so, for example. Lastly, please keep our school and staff in your prayers while we continue to navigate this extraordinary time of staff shortages. Thank you!

We are excited to recognize the second outstanding volunteer within GRACE–this time, from St. John the Baptist School, Mrs. Karen Tooley!

Mrs. Tooley is both an active parent currently at St John the Baptist, and an alumni. Karen’s two oldest daughters are graduates of SJB, Analese is still with us in 7th grade. Karen serves on the Site Advisory Council as the Marketing Chair right now, but she has participated on the Council in many ways over the years, including past president.

Not only is Karen involved in the school, she is also an active parishioner at St. John the Baptist and coordinates many activities for the parish including the children’s area of our upcoming Blessfest. As if that isn’t enough, Karen organizes our Back to School Open House and for many years, managed the annual auction.

St. John the Baptist Principal, Mrs. Dana Vance stated, “when I first arrived here at SJB, Karen’s name was one of the first I heard. The answer to almost any fundraising question I have has been: did you ask Karen Tooley? She offers to do anything that is asked of her, always with a smile. She supports our teachers in so many ways, big and small. Karen truly lives our three tenets of faith, family and academic excellence in all that she does to champion St John the Baptist School.”

Thank you Mrs. Tooley!

Learn more about St. John the Baptist School by visiting their website.