Director's Corner

As I sit here on Sunday afternoon thinking about what to write in this Director’s Corner, I find myself reflecting back on the events of this past week and also forward toward Pre-Registration and the 2010-2011 academic year. Periodically, I glance outside to see if the next round of snow is falling from the sky. As you, I wonder if there will be enough snow to cause either closures or delays to any school days this week. Certainly by the time you are reading this on Monday we will have a better sense of how the weather will affect the week. My prayer is for limited snow fall that does not close school. After so many days off last week, it is my opinion, and based on many of the comments I heard through the week, that our students need to be in school.

Bishop-Elect Medley’s Ordination
What an incredible event on Wednesday! It certainly gave all in attendance or able to watch on TV a real sense of the richness and tradition of our Catholic faith. To be honest, I sat in awe through the ordination thanking God for the opportunity given all in attendance to participate in such a time honored and spiritual ritual. I walked away even more certain than when I walked in of God’s presence at work in the Diocese of Owensboro. He certainly has blessed us with a caring and insightful shepherd. Please join me in praying for Bishop Medley as he begins his new ministry. May God bless him and keep him close to His heart through these first weeks and months as our new Bishop.

Please let me take this opportunity to thank all of the students who wore their school uniform to the ordination. It looked t o me that there was green and white everywhere. I cannot tell you how many people approached me at the reception and through the week with very positive comments concerning our students. They talked not just about the number, as evidenced by all the uniforms, but also the reference shown throughout the ordination Mass. Congratulations and way to go!

On Friday afternoon, the family of Sean and Anne Higgins presented to Bishop Medley in his office letters of welcome and invitation from each of the 18 Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Owensboro. As you can see in the attached picture, Sean and Anne were joined by their children in representing all Catholic School students, their families and school staffs across the Diocese. Bishop Medley obviously thoroughly enjoyed this special interchange. Special thanks to Sean, Anne and the kids for agreeing to represent the Diocese in this way.

OneCallNow
Thanks for the many positive comments about OneCallNow. As you, I wish that you did not have to hear my voice so often. If you are not receiving a call, or you would like to receive calls on additional telephone numbers, please contact your child’s school or Central Office at 686.8896. We can easily add, or delete, phone numbers to the OneCallNow system. Please note that in addition to school closing and other weather-related messages, OneCallNow is also used for emergency notifications and announcement about school activities and events.

Tuition Assistance Process Update
The posted deadline for the submission of the PSAS Student Aid Form to be included in Round 1 is Monday, February 15th. Last week, several families called worried about missing the deadline. I encouraged them to complete the form and submit it with all of the necessary documentation no later than March 1st. As in the past, our goal is to have the Round 1 tuition assistance award letters in the mail by March 15th. I would like to encourage all families interested in need-based tuition assistance for the 2010-2011 academic year to apply now. We want as many in the first round as possible. Do not hesitate to contact the Central Office (686-8896) with questions or the need for assistance.

2010-2011 Pre-Registration
Pre-Registration for 2010-2011 is scheduled to occur from March 15th to March 26th. Additional information and the Pre-Registration Form will be forwarded to all OCS families in early March. An electronic copy of the form will also be available on the OCS web site. We are working on ways to utilize the data available to us InformationNow in order to simplify the process for both you and the school staffs. More information concerning this will be forwarded to you as we get closer to Pre-Registration.

Please note the following important change to the Pre-Registration process. Beginning with this Pre-Registration process, we ask that the Parish Voucher be attached to the Pre-Registration Form. Our OCS Pastors have agreed to move the process of awarding vouchers from the summer Registration event to Pre-Registration. In doing this we better align the voucher and the important information it provides with our billing cycle for the 2010-2011 school year beginning in June. We are working with each Parish to ensure that the timeliness of this new voucher process.

FACTS – Important Message
Approximately 450 families utilize FACTS to budget their tuition payments via monthly, quarterly or semi-annual automatic bank withdrawals. The process has allowed our families to better manage their payment obligation. Beginning with the 2010-2011 academic year, all families utilizing FACTS will be assessed the $41 participation fee. In the past, OCS has paid the fee for each of the families utilizing the program, in essence passing on the cost to all OCS families. The cost savings in the budget allowed us an opportunity to minimize the tuition increase for all. This one-time yearly fee will be assessed by FACTS through an automatic ACH withdrawal.

I appreciate all you do to help us fulfill our mission of excellence in Catholic faith formation and academics. As always, your comments and insights are important to me. I can be reached via phone at 852-8028 and email at ken.rasp@owensborocatholic.org

God’s Peace!

Ken R. Rasp
OCS Director