Academic School Calendar for 2016-2017

To: Elementary and Secondary Principals
From: Dr. Patrick Haggarty, Superintendent
Subject: Archdiocesan Academic School Calendar for 2016-2017
Date: December 15, 2015

To assist Catholic school principals in their planning, the Office for Catholic Schools annually prepares an
Archdiocesan Academic School Calendar. According to Archdiocesan School Policy (Management Section
5.1d), each school submits its calendar to the Office for Catholic Schools for the upcoming academic year.

OCS policy 5.1 states all Catholic schools comply with the state regulation for private schools: Each school shall make available a basic educational program that consists of a minimum of one hundred eighty school days
per school year or the following minimal instructional hour offerings:

· Grades 9‐12: No less than one thousand eighty (1/080) instructional hours
· Grades K – 8: No less than one thousand (1,000) instructional hours
Any variation from this requirement must be approved by the superintendent. In addition, the school’s calendar should demonstrate a rigorous plan for student instruction, with opportunities provided for teachers’ professional growth and faith formation.

Dates worth noting that should be on all school calendars include:

· October 7, 2016 Teacher Excellence Day (required attendance for principals and teachers)
· March 10, 2017 Regional Curriculum Development Day (required attendance for principals and teachers)
· The date for the 2017 Fulcrum Foundation Celebration of Light is still being determined (it will likely be either the last Friday in January or the first Friday in February) – school auctions should not be celebrated on that weekend.
· The first All Principal meeting of the school year (Kick Start Meeting) will be August 15‐16, 2016 at
Palisades Retreat Center for the purpose of planning.
· The Curriculum Review Schedule is beginning its cycle and our hope is that schools will begin to align to this review:
A digital version of this 2016‐2017 Academic Calendar tool is available at this link. It is important to note that individual school calendars are to be submitted to the Office for Catholic Schools by March 1, 2016. This will allow us to collate the information and create a master calendar for the Archdiocese.

I hope that this information assists your planning for the ministry of Catholic education on behalf of our students, parents, teaching faculty and support staff.

I wish you the blessings of hope and joy during this Advent season.
Peace and all good things...
Patrick Haggarty, ED. D