Dear Religious Education Families,
We made it! Over a full month into the school year, routines are forming, seasons have changed, and we are going strong in Religious Education!
How are your children's plants doing from our first day of class? Both of ours have finally begun to sprout little buds! We are hopeful these flowers get more attention than our last attempt at growing seeds!
During the month of October, we will be focusing heavily on the Rosary. You will find resources in this newsletter to support discussions and simple (efficient!) methods to build the rosary into those daily routines. I have also hyperlinked some really fascinating stories about Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima and the story behind why we celebrate in October.
I am hopeful you find this newsletter useful as we continue together to grow in God's love.
Whitney Bargerstock
Religious Education Coordinator
Here are some important dates and updates to keep in mind:
- October 4th - St Francis of Assisi Later this year, our students will have the opportunity to hear from our own Fransiscan Order and how they give back to our church. I have included a hyperlink above if you are interested in how the Franciscans came to be, and the importance of this Saint in our faith formation.
- October 6th - Class Students in grades 4-9 will be attending a great presentation on the importance of the Rosary. This passionate couple travels all over the diocese to celebrate the value of the Rosary
- October 7th - Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima I found a really great summary on the incredible story of the six appearances to 3 children in Fatima in 1917. It wasn't until 1930 that these appearances were deemed "worth of belief." Article linked above!
- I encourage you to read this with your kids or share it with them! Consider saying an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be in between your school and extracurricular activities today.
- Celebrate 125 Years of the Knights of Columbus at the 8:00 AM Mass!
- October 13th - Class (Due to the celebrations - families will drop students off at the Gymnasium doors) Students in grades K-3 will be completing the Safe Environment training, as mandated by the Office for the Protection of Children and Youth. If you prefer your child does NOT sit through this very brief training, please return your signed form. Information from OPCY for Parents can be access HERE (This link references 2023-24; however, no changes have been made)
- Confirmation Retreat will also take place on this date! Fr. Pino has graciously offered to host this, in Ridgeway. Mrs. Dahrouge will send out specific information regarding this retreat.
- October 20th - Celebrating our Catholic Daughters of America chapter at the 8:00 Mass!
- October 20th - NO CLASS K-8 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
- October 27th - Class Safe Environment for Student 4th - 9th grade.
- 40 Hours Begins - What is 40 Hours?
- Services will be held at 7 PM on the 27th, 28th, and 29th.
- Consider researching the symbolism of the number 40 found throughout Bible with your kids. (Google does the trick with this!)
- Have a little down time during those 3 days? Bring your kids in to sit and be present with the Blessed Sacrament and take a brief moment to reflect together as a family.
- October 27th - SENSORY FRIENDLY RELIGIOUS EDUCATION First Class!
- If interested in volunteering, please reach out!
- October 30th - Trunk or Treat for Parish and School Families
- November 1st - All Saints Day Check out this beautiful poem, For Those Who Walked with Us to share with your kids, or just reflect on yourself as we near All Souls Day as well.
I will continue to share out any additional information and helpful resources through our Facebook Group and Remind App as I come across them.
I want to continue to shout from the rooftop how thankful I am for the Catechists below volunteering to share their love of God with your children, but I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the most important teachers, those being YOU; making the choice each Sunday to take time out of your schedule and bring your children to us. YOU deciding to prioritize faith when so many other things constantly pull at us.
It ALL starts with YOU. In 2024, that needs R E C O G N I Z E D most of all. We love to share our time with your kiddos, but mostly we thank YOU for sharing your kids with us.
- Lindsay Kendra, Kindergarten and First Grade Teacher
- Whitney Bargerstock, Second Grade Teacher
- Carol Bernat, Third Grade Teacher
- Debbie Rougeaux, Fourth Grade Teacher
- Lynda Stiffler, Fifth Grade Teacher
- Julie Yenzi and Paul Freas, Edge Program Teachers
- Sue Dahrouge, Paul Jekielek and Arlene Stewart Confirmation Teachers
- Ann Koppenhaver, Substitute for all grades
Volunteers Needed
As we begin to offer a Sensory Friendly Bible Study to our community, I am reaching out to see if anyone is interested in helping with this monthly session. Here is a basic outline of what to expect:
* Sessions will be 1 hour in length.
* Sessions will be open to Elementary and High School Aged students. (depending on the # of students registered, we may do two separate groups)
* Adapted Bible Stories will be read (2-3rd grade reading level)
* Sensory Bin stations will be set up
* Modified craft to coincide with the Story.
* Building Block Station
These sessions will be available to the whole community, not just our parish, please contact me directly if you would like to support in any way.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION:
Know someone interested in attending? Please share this link with them! You can also direct all interested families to the Church Office for hard copy registration forms.
Possible ways to help:
*Set up and Tear down of events
*Working a station (sensory bins, craft, or telling the story)
*Extra hands to assist navigation to and from parking lot and/or directions to access the restrooms.
Tentative Schedule of Classes:
October 27th (Kick off!) 12:00 - 1:00
November 10th 12:00 - 1:00
December 8th 12:00 - 1:00
January 12th 12:00 - 1:00
February 9th 12:00 - 1:00
March 16th 12:00 - 1:00
April 13th 12:00 - 1:00 (Inclusive story of the resurrection and egg hunt for all students.)
As we prepare for the upcoming school year, we want to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff. Here are the diocese expectations for working with students:
- Volunteering for Parties: Parents are welcome to attend and participate in holiday parties if they would like. We simply must have volunteer Criminal Background and Child Abuse clearances on file prior to attending the party.
- Guest Speakers: Throughout the school year I have scheduled several speakers and opportunities for our students to learn more about their faith and the organizations that support our local parish. You are welcome to attend any of these sessions, but clearances must be on file.
- Field Trips: Our goal is to provide a day trip fieldtrip to all of our students in Religious Education programs this spring. In order to attend and chaperone clearances must be provided.
- Community Activities: To participate in any activities sponsored AFTER class times on the weekends, no clearances are required. Only class-related activities require Volunteer Clearances, as part of the diocese Child Protection initiatives.
Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our school safe and healthy!
![The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) [All Episodes]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BW0gXbEVYgA/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEXCOADEI4CSFryq4qpAwkIARUAAIhCGAE=&rs=AOn4CLDzgSx-jQ0c0FuBeqye5XNDW56FeA&days_since_epoch=19962)
