Reverend Thomas Thorne, Pastor

Reverend Lawrence Larson, Parochial Vicar

Cathy Romano, Religious Education Director

Joe Malaterra, Religious Education Advisory Board Chair

Randy Miller, Youth Ministry

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Our Mission Statement

To provide a Religious Education Program, along with sacramental catechesis, that offers the opportunity for our children to open themselves to a deeper understanding of God’s presence in their lives.  To aid parents in recognizing their role and responsibility as the primary educators of their children in the Catholic faith. Welcome to the Religious Education Program We invite you to read through this Religious Education handbook. Hopefully, it will acquaint you with philosophy, curriculum, policies and procedures that, together with your support, will enable your child to continue to grow in the knowledge and the love of God. We encourage you to take an active part in nourishing your child/children's spiritual growth by participating in all the family oriented events, especially the weekly celebration of the Eucharist.

Our program is gradual and continuous. It begins with Pre-school and continues through Confirmation. Therefore, it is necessary for a child to attend formal classes every year, just as he/she does for secular education. (A child cannot drop out after First Communion and return later for Confirmation without making up classes missed.) The parish Youth Group continues religious formation for the high school years

Registration

The religious education program is available to all families who are registered members of Assumption Parish. Families can register by picking up a form at the Religious Education Office. During the month of May all students currently registered will receive a packet via mail for registration in the Fall. Please register during the months of May and June  so we can plan class size and catechists. Registration is on a first come first serve basis.

Classes are nurtured by the presence and sharing of each member, therefore regular attendance is essential. Children should be part of the religious education program each and every year in order to experience continuity in their faith formation. Each and every grade level presents important material for a child’s understanding of the Catholic faith. If a child misses more than 4 classes for any reason a special assignment along with the make-up homework for the missed classes will be required for satisfactory completion of the year. At the discretion of the Director, extreme cases of absenteeism (over 7 classes) may be cause for repeating the year.

Tardiness is always disruptive and problematic, since it almost always interrupts a catechist’s lesson plan and usually is embarrassing for the tardy child. Parents are asked to see that their child(ren) arrives for class ON TIME. Children should be picked up promptly at the end of class not before or after that time.

Participation

Children should bring their book to class each week and complete any assignments given by the catechist. Written assignments should be reviewed and signed by a parent. Parents are asked to spend some time each week reviewing the lesson covered in class. 

Arrival and Dismissal Procedures

Sunday: Arrival - 10:10 A.M.-11:15 A.M. 2nd, 3rd 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th grades will meet in the gym and go to their assigned classrooms with their teacher.

Dismissal - They will be escorted to the gym to await parental pickup.

10:10 A.M.-11:15 A.M. Pre K 4, Kindergarten and First Grade, will meet in their assigned classroom, and wait in their room for their parents to pick them up.

9:00 AM - 10:00 6th, 7th, and 8th grade will meet in Roncali House and will be dismissed from there.

4:30 P.M.- All Grades are to go directly to their assigned rooms in the school, and wait with their parents until the catechist arrives.

5:30 P. M.- All grades will be dismissed to the ground floor of the school to await parental pickup.

Parents must come into the building for pick up.

For the safety of your children, please inform your child’s catechist quickly each week that your child has been picked up. If you have a need to drive up to pick up your child from class, or if your child walks home from class, please inform your child’s catechist and the Religious Education office.

Again, for the safety of your children, the upper doors of our school building, located on the gym level, are never to be used as an exit for our children (except in the case of an emergency.) Only the Religious Education main door close to the parking lot may be used as an exit.

We ask that all parents be aware of the main bulletin board to the immediate right of the Old Religious Education Office door for any special procedural instructions for that particular day of classes.

The policy of assigning homework to our students exists so that what is covered in class will be thought about or acted upon during the week. It is hoped that this can serve as a chance for parents to become aware of and then discuss with each child what he or she is learning in class. All students are responsible for the homework assigned to them by their catechist for successful completion of the year.

Teaching and learning can only take place in an environment where there is mutual respect between catechist and students, exhibited through proper conduct in the classroom.

Our catechists, who are volunteering their time and effort for the benefit of your children, only have a very limited time in which to teach their lessons. Improper conduct by a student disrupts the learning environment for all and cannot be tolerated. Our catechists are not babysitters and are not expected to deal with students who do not plan to cooperate. If a child is sent to the office because of a behavioral problem, the first step is to call the parents. If this is not effective and the child is sent down to the office a second time, he or she will not be able to return to class the following week unless a parent sits in with the child during the next class. After this, if a child is sent down a third time, we are left with two options:

1) a parent must sit in with his or her child for the remainder of the year or

2) the child will be asked to leave the program for the remainder of the year with the invitation to join us again (repeating the same grade) the following year after developing more maturity.

Parents should consult both the Sunday Bulletin and the parish web site for general information regarding the Religious Education Program. Although written, telephone or email communication reflecting changes in the program calendar or special up-coming events, are sent home with the students.

Changes in Emergency number or contact. Sometimes it is necessary to contact a family because of an emergency situation which arises during class time. Please be sure to provide us with any changes in home information. We must be able to reach you in the event of an emergency situation.

For the safety of your children, please be sure to inform us of any and all medical conditions that might be important for our teachers to know of including allergies of any kind, medications, injuries, special treatments, etc…

Also, unless otherwise parentally informed and approved, only Band-Aid type bandages are allowed to be given to your children in the unlikely event that medical aid is needed.  If a child uses an epi-pen a parent must stay in the classroom.

We provide a sound program of general religious instruction in the Catholic Faith coupled with experiences of classroom prayer and devotion. The following is a listing and description of the texts that will be used in Preschool through Grade 7 including sacramental supplements in 2nd grade (Holy Communion and First Reconciliation).

Preschool Pre K-4  prepares preschoolers to learn about God through hand on projects,  talking, cut and folding - and singing out their love and joy!
Kindergarten children will focus on God’s Love in a variety of ways using Blest Are We Kindergarten Program, The content of our Kindergarten program focuses on, God Love, through the Universe, through who I am, through God’s people, through Jesus, through God’s teachings: the Bible Holy and Saint Days, and Activities.

Grades 1st through 7th These grades will also be learning from the “Blest Are We” Word  and Faith Series, RCL Publishing Company. Throughout these years children will begin to build fundamental concepts behind lessons on God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Sacraments, Church, Morality, the Bible, Prayers, and New Religious Vocabulary.

Grade 1 Focuses on Our Church Community, Our Loving God, God’s Son, Jesus, The Holy Spirit, Jesus’ Church of Followers.

Grade 2 Our sacramental book offered for our 2nd graders are also from RCL Publishing Company, and are entitled “The Gift of Reconciliation” and “The Gift of the Eucharist.” Sacrament Preparation Program prepares students and families for the celebration of each sacrament.

Our Reconciliation Curriculum includes The Gift of God’s Love, The Gift of Jesus, Responding to the Gift, The Gift of Forgiveness, Celebrating the Gift, Celebrating Reconciliation, Examination of Conscience, and The prayers of sorrow, praise and thanksgiving are the contents of our Reconciliation curriculum.

Our First Eucharist Curriculum consists of Giving God Thanks and Praise, Gathering as the Community, The Gift of Christ’s Body and Blood, Serving Others, The Gift of Everlasting Life, Following Jesus, and Celebrating at the Lords Table.

Grade 3 The Church is One, The Church is Holy, The Church is Catholic, The Church is Apostolic, The Church has a Mission in the World.

Grade 4 The Goodness of God, Jesus is the Son of God, The Holy Spirit, The Church, Social Justice.

Grade 5 The Sacraments, Baptism and Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony.

Grade 6 We Answer God’s Call, God Saves and Delivers Us, God Invites Us Into His Kingdom, God Reminds Us to Do God’s Will, God Promises Us Everlasting Life.

Grade 7 The Mystery of the Incarnation, The Meaning of the Kingdom, The Christian Life, The Paschal Mystery, The Good News.

All of our classes have extra experiential Family Life Outreach projects, craft, and family participation projects which occur during the year.

The Catholic Church is a sacramental church with participation in the sacraments crucial to the faith life. Children receive three sacraments during the religious education years: Penance, Eucharist and Confirmation. Penance and Eucharist are usually received in the second grade after proper preparation and parental participation. The Grade One curriculum is required before entering the Grade Two curriculum for First Penance and First Eucharist.

The Grade Six and Seven curriculum is required before entering the Eighth Grade Confirmation preparation program. The goal of the Confirmation program is to help those who participate in it to deepen their personal relationship with God, to develop their sense of belonging in a living Christian community, and to personally ratify their membership in the Catholic church. It is assumed that the process of confirming the faith has been ongoing in their lives and that it will continue to be renewed long after they have completed the program.

In cases of home schooling, parents are responsible for obtaining the proper materials from the Religious Education office and implementing a home program that meets with the approval of the grade level catechists and the director. The student is expected to attend any activities planned for that grade by the catechists or director. Frequent contact with the director is essential to insure the proper religious direction is being cultivated at home.

Parental Involvement

Sunday Eucharist - Celebrating the Eucharist each week with our parish community is central to the life of a Catholic family. Experiencing liturgy is one of the major components in a person's faith formation. Our children learn about the Eucharist in their textbooks. Our children experience Eucharist with their family each week in the parish community. Children who do not participate in the Eucharist each week are really "missing out" on a major part of our Catholic Heritage. Our children learn that Jesus gave us His body and  lood at the Last Supper. He wants us to bring our children to the table of the Lord and celebrate as a parish community as we receive the Eucharist.

We celebrate a Family Mass each week at 9:00 A.M., with children participating as lectors, ushers, and altar servers. All children are expected to attend Mass every week. It is the responsibility of the parents to insure that the child attends Mass regularly. Religious

Education classes are never meant to take the place of Mass.

Helping the young Christian to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the primary responsibility of the parents. Children should be taught to pray in their own words and also helped to learn the traditional prayers of the Catholic Church according to the requirements for the particular grade level and the ability of the child. Prayers for each grade are listed with the student textbook.

Assumption Church supports parents in their role as “primary religious educator” by providing the best religious education programs possible at this time. During the year parents may be asked to attend special events or parent meetings or to give some of their time with special projects. Information regarding these programs will be sent home by mail, email or through class distribution. Parents are asked to make parent meetings and special events a priority on their family calendar. We always need parents to help in the class rooms as either teachers or assistants.  

Theme Gift Basket Project

We have incorporated into our Annual Holiday Fair the Theme Basket Project. We ask every child in every class to contribute to a theme basket.. We need one or two parents to gather the items and wrap them creatively in a “basket” with clear wrapping. These baskets will be raffled off at our fair in December.

Classroom Assistants and Hall Monitors - We are always in need of parents helping in the classroom and as hall monitors. This is necessary for the protection of the children as well as the catechists.

Children Lectors at the 9:00 am Family Mass - Every Sunday children read the scriptures at Mass during the Liturgy of the Word. If your child is interested please call the Religious Education Office.

Christmas Pageant 4:00 pm Mass Christmas Eve Mass.  We need many hands to help with costumes, and rehearsals. Call the Religious Education office.

A Final Thought

Unexpected situations and concerns are bound to arise during any year of religious education. To ensure a great program, please be advised that we reserve the right to amend and add information to this handbook as the circumstance dictates. Please keep the handbook and use it for future references throughout your child(ren)'s time in our program.