Important Updates

MANS Celebrates the House Appropriations Committee Including Nonpublic Schools in School Safety and Mandate Reimbursement Funding

Thank you to everyone who contacted their legislators regarding the school safety and mandate reimbursement funding! On May 1, the House Appropriations passed HB 5503 which includes $18 million in the general fund for nonpublic schools to participate in the school safety funding. Additionally, the House mirrored the Senate K-12 budget proposal by including $1 million to reimburse non-public schools for state-mandated health and safety protocols. 

MANS School Law Seminar - June 14 in Lansing, MI

The 2024 MANS School Law Seminar is coming this summer! This half-day session is designed to allow you to engage with and learn from practitioners and others on important legal issues facing schools. Empower yourself to proactively address legal challenges and implement effective policies within your schools.

MANS Creating Pathways Toward School Success - July 26, 2024, Lansing, MI

Creating Pathways is a professional learning opportunity tailored for school secretaries and administrative assistants in Michigan’s nonpublic schools. Participants will spend the day networking with peers and will participate in session designed for the important role they play in your schools. 

• Learn how AI impacts schools and how to harness it's power to simplify and create efficiencies in your work.
• Explore safety protocols that prepare you for issues before they arise.
• Pick up tips and tricks for maximizing what Microsoft suite can do for you,
• and more!

Creating Pathways empowers school secretaries and administrative assistants with the knowledge and tools to effectively contribute to their faith-based school’s success while embracing the challenges and opportunities that shape their roles.

MANS Faith-filled Office Professional Award

Principals and school boards are invited to nominate your outstanding administrative assistant for the Michigan Association of Non-public Schools (MANS) Faith-filled Office Professional Award. This award recognizes school office professionals who are faith-filled ambassadors for their schools, create efficiencies that streamline daily tasks, understand their broader ministry, have a willingness to take on new challenges and tasks, and develop respectful relationships with parents, students, and staff.

Nominations are peer-reviewed, and awardees will be recognized at the 2024 Creating Pathways Toward School Success retreat. Recipients of the award will receive complimentary registration for the retreat in recognition of their achievement. Nominations are due June 14, 2024.

MANS 2024 Education Conference & Expo

SAVE THE DATES! The 2024 MANS Education Conference is coming this Fall! Don't miss this great opportunity of professional growth and innovation for all nonpublic school staff. The event offers keynote speakers bringing profound insights and inspiration, more than 100 diverse range of education sessions catering to various roles and interests, and an array of vendors presenting cutting-edge resources and solutions! Attendees will gain knowledge, learn best practices, and engage in faith-filled networking opportunities. Whether seeking fresh perspectives, innovative strategies, or practical tools, nonpublic school staff will find this conference to be an event that enriches skills, ignites passion, and equips them to return to the classroom re-energized and re-charged!

Registration opens soon!

MANS 2024 Christmas Card Student Art Competition

The temperatures may be rising, and it feels like an unlikely time to think about Christmas, but at the Michigan Association of Non-public Schools (MANS), we believe it's never too early to spread a little holiday cheer! That's why we're thrilled to announce the launch of the 2024 Christmas Card Student Art Competition. 

We are excited to invite MANS member students from across Michigan to showcase their artistic talents in celebration of the holiday season by designing the card MANS will send to stakeholders this coming Christmas. This year's theme is 'Angels Among Us,' inviting participants to depict the roles of angels in the Christmas story. Not enough time to do it this school year, there is plenty of time as the deadline for submissions isn't until November 2024. 

U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School - West Side Christian School in Grand Rapids

Congratulations to West Side Christian School in Grand Rapids for being recognized as one of the winners of the 2024 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools awards. This award celebrates schools, districts, and postsecondary institutions for their dedication to reducing environmental impact and costs, enhancing health and wellness, and providing impactful sustainability education. Great work by West Side Christian School leadership paving the way in creating a more sustainable and healthy future for their students and community.

Opportunities

REMC Association of Michigan AI Webinar Series

The REMC Association of Michigan is offering a webinar series aimed at delving into various AI topics and fostering collaborative learning experiences. These webinars are open to all educators in Michigan with no registration or SCECH fees:

• Unveiling the Future: Fundamentals of AI - June 11th from 4pm to 5:15pm
• Responsible AI: Examining Risks and Best Practices in Education - May 7th or June 13 from 4pm to 5:15pm 
• Transformative Teaching with AI: Enhancing Instructional Practices & Efficiency - June 18th 9:30am to 10:45am
• Learning with AI: Revolutionizing Assessment & Cultivating Student AI Literacy - May 21 from 4pm to 5:15pm or June 20th 9:30am to 10:45am 



Register today - seats are limited to 40 per session!

MESC Offers Free Van Andel Institute Virtual Math Series

The Michigan Equitable Service Collaborative (MESC) has partnered with Van Andel Institute (VAI) for Education to offer a virtual Math Series for K-8 teachers. This FREE professional learning opportunity is open to Michigan's non-public schools. Please register for each session you plan on attending. Michigan's nonpublic school teachers can use code MANS24 to receive FREE registration. Register soon! Spots will fill up fast!

• Practices Make Perfect: Using the Standards of Mathematical Practice to Improve Student Instruction on June 13 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.
• The Antidote: Eradicating the Fear of Math Once and For All on June 18 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.
• Lesson Transformation in Math: Stop Creating Lesson Plans, Start Creating Learning Experiences! on June 20 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.

MESC Offers Van Andel Institute Science on the Grand Scholarships

New this week! The Michigan Equitable Service Collaborative (MESC) is excited to offer a limited number of scholarships to the VAI Science on the Grand 2024! We know teachers have the most important job in the world; that’s why we support the whole teacher. This conference was designed by experts and current classroom teachers to provide research-based, classroom-tested, and inquiry-oriented content that supports your classroom expectations, your content standards, and you as a person.

This FREE professional learning opportunity is open to Michigan's non-public schools. Michigan's nonpublic school teachers can use code MANS2024 to receive free registration. In case the code is no longer active, reach out to Molly Koll, and she will ensure you are added to the waiting list. 

Michigan School Safety Academy

The Michigan School Safety Academy is a two-day learning opportunity, hosted by the Michigan State Police Office of School Safety, is open to K-12 school administrators, school safety liaisons, mental health professionals, and school resource officers. Registration is now open for May 14-15 in Grayling, June 25-26 in Gladstone, August 20-21 in Pontiac, or September 17-18 in Bath Township.

New Gun Safety Laws - February 13, 2024

To protect Michigan families from tragic gun violence and unintentional firearms injuries, the “Secure Storage Law” requiring safe storage of firearms went into effect on February 13, 2024. Public Act 17 of 2023 amended the Firearms Act by adding MCL 28.429, making it a crime to improperly store or leave a firearm unattended on a premises under an individual's control when that individual knows or reasonably should know a minor is, or is likely to be, on-premise. Unattended firearms must be unloaded and locked with a locking device or stored in a locked box or container. A guide to responsible gun ownership, safe handling, and secure storage can be found here.

To help defray the cost of purchasing firearm safety devices, additional legislation made these devices exempt from sales and use taxes through December 24, 2024. Free gun safety locks can be obtained through the Project ChildSafe program’s law enforcement partners across the state. Michigan residents can visit their local MDHHS office to request one of the free gun locks while supplies last, and they can also check with their local health department, some of which will have gun locks available. MDHHS staff who make home visits will also be able to access gun locks if a client has a need or wants to request one. Free gun locks can also be obtained through any Michigan State Police post or Project ChildSafe police partners across the state.

America 250 – Students Invited to Participate in National Contest 

In 2026, the United States will mark its Semiquincentennial: the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, America 250, has developed a national contest: America’s Field Trip. Students from grades 3-12 are invited to share what America means to them through essay, artwork, or video. The contest submission deadline is May 17, 2024. Twenty-five first-place awardees from each grade level will receive free travel and lodging for a three-day, two-night trip to a select cultural site. Be sure to review the Official Rules for contest guidelines.

Zekelman Holocaust Center 2024 Summer Academy for Educators

The Zekelman Holocaust Center’s 2024 Summer Academy for Educators is set for August 6-8, 2024, and it is now open for registration! The Academy will take place at The Zekelman Holocaust Center from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. each day. It is free for all participants and includes lunch and snacks. Participants will receive classroom resources and up to 20 SCECH hours. Participants can register for one or two sessions, a full day, or for the whole week.

Questions about Summer Academy or registration may be directed to Rick Schaffner, manager of Outreach and Teacher Education.

2024 School Wellness Award - Application Window Open

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has announced its application window for the 2024 School Wellness Award. All Michigan K-12 public and non-public school buildings are eligible to apply.

MDHHS, in collaboration with the Michigan Department of Education, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and the United Dairy Industry of Michigan, invites school buildings to apply for the award by May 22, 2024. Direct questions to Karen Krabill Yoder at MDHHS.

MANS is pleased to announce a partnership with Loyola University Chicago TESP. As a member of the Transformative Education Scholars Program (TESP), a minimum of 12-15 members will complete one of the participating academic degree programs with the benefit of a 30% tuition discount. Scholars will receive a 30% tuition discount each semester of their academic degree program. Discount applies to required courses within the degree program only and does not cover fees or other expenses 

Eligibility for Transformative Education Scholars Program: Must apply to and be accepted to one of the participating academic programs and must be admitted as part of a cohort of at least 12-15 members of the organization.

Participating Degree/ Endorsement Programs include: 

• Higher Education MEd
• Language Culture and Curriculum MEd
• School Counseling MEd
• Educational Leadership MEd
• Superintendent Endorsement Certificate
• Elementary Education MEd
• Secondary Education MEd

Now is an excellent time to think about how to support educators in an impactful and actionable way, whether it’s built into new teacher training, summer PD, or planning for fall programming to support a smooth 2024-2025 school year. The timing is ripe for EmpowerU’s educator PD campaign. The link below will take you to three new case studies highlighting the amazing, real results teachers have had with EmpowerU. 

Michigan Virtual's Innovation Bootcamp - June 17 to 20, 2024

Michigan Virtual noted they are often asked what prompted them to start their EdTech Catalyst program, including an EdTech Innovation Bootcamp and Pitch Contest. And with their 2024 program launching soon, they decided to take this opportunity to share the “why” behind it.

The program was started to help close the gap between what EdTech companies make and what classrooms really need. They believe teachers are not just users of technology but also innovators who can help improve education. Teachers, administrators, parents, and others in the education ecosystem know the everyday challenges and opportunities better than anyone else, making them well-suited to develop solutions. 

Do you have an idea that will improve teaching or learning? Join them this summer during their Innovation Bootcamp and prepare for their EdTech Pitch Contest on July 18, where your idea could win a share of $22,000 in startup grants plus legal and marketing support. The 2024 Innovation Bootcamp will run June 17-20 with live morning sessions via Zoom. Receive signup notifications by clicking below:

Michigan Virtual's Professional Learning Services

This summer, join Michigan Virtual on an educational enrichment and advancement journey. They offer various opportunities for both students and educators to grow and learn. Strengthen your math skills with the EdReady program or explore diverse summer and fall courses to expand your knowledge. Check out their newsletter for a glimpse into the transformative learning experiences waiting for you this summer and beyond and make this season a cornerstone of growth and discovery!

GPS Solutions

GPS Solutions provides a mental health professional who conducts one-on-one, group, and whole group support that focuses on both proactive and reactive ways to promote self-awareness, managing emotions, social awareness, developing empathy, maintaining and repairing healthy relationships, and responsible decision-making. This support is designed for students, staff, and leaders so that the strategies identified can be supported with all stakeholders within the building.