Dear Religious Education Families,

It's hard to believe this is the final newsletter for the 2024 calendar year. It's also hard to believe that we have entered into the season of Advent and the start of a new Liturgical Calendar year.

Thank you to everyone who attended and supported our first ever Operation Christmas Child Packing Party! It was so wonderful to see so many different groups and families together to serve those most in need, while also celebrating the upcoming season of Advent. Together with YOUR HELP, we packed 74 boxes and delivered them safely to the Christian Missionary Alliance drop off location the following Monday!

Holidays, while full of all kinds of preparations, are really a time to pause, and prepare for the birth of Jesus, and not necessarily for a mega shopping spree, or checking tasks off a holiday bucket list. I have added some resources below to help you enjoy this season with your family and continue to find the true meaning of Christmas all season long. Thank YOU for continuing to choose to send your children to us each week!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Whitney Bargerstock

Religious Education Coordinator

As mentioned above there are so many ways to celebrate Advent and prepare for the birth of Jesus.

Last month I mentioned using the nativity and having Joseph and Mary travel throughout your house, arriving at the Nativity Christmas Eve, with Jesus arriving in the Nativity scene on Christmas morning.

Random Acts of Christmas Kindness - Share your kindness with others this holiday season.

Build Your Own Advent Calendar - During our Packing Party, we offered this craft idea for families to build an advent calendar. You can access the PDF here, if you were unable to attend the event.

Christmas Novena Prayer Book - A great resource for building prayer into your family's preparations this holiday season. Feeling a little rusty on this part? That's OKAY! Check out this 3-minute video to feel a little more comfortable before jumping into a prayer routine!

Count Down to Christmas Bible Verses for Younger Kids

The Meaning Behind the 12 Days of Christmas - Perhaps you already know the symbolism of this traditional song, but I was not aware of how deeply rooted this song is in our Catholic faith. This is a fun read to share with your kids or just enjoy yourself, as you're sitting in the drop off or pick up lines this month at the school.

FORMED App is FREE through our Parish!

Check out the following resources available to support you to create memorable moments for your family:

• ROOTED: Rediscover the Jesse Tree - Check out THIS LINK in just 7 minutes a day, explore Scripture, uncover the stories of Christ's ancestors, and experience meaningful Advent reflections that connect faith to your daily life.
• Coloring Sheets - Ask your kids to join you this Advent! Use these ornament coloring sheets to spark conversations about the stories of Christ's ancestors and the anticipation of His birth. Enjoy these simple meaningful activities to help your family grow together in faith this Advent!
• Drawing Tutorials for Kids! - I have seen so many of your budding artists creations during our time together on Sundays. Check out some of the great drawing videos for your cutie-pies to draw fridge-worthy Advent pictures!
• Interactive Advent Calendar - Use THIS LINK to access the interactive calendar. The thing I LOVE the most about this, (and fully intend to use) are the separate focuses for adults and children. This has the daily ROOTED reflection, but there is also a kid's resource for each day listed below the one for adults! If nothing else feels click-worthy, CHECK THIS OUT and bookmark it!
• Quick Answers to Advent Questions - Listen, we all have some rusty moments... I certainly know there is SO much floating through my brain this time of year that I need a "cliff notes" for all aspects of life. At the bottom of THIS PAGE, you will find some great Q&A on the basics of Advent. I promised you back in September during our parent meeting, I would provide you the tools to feel equipped to have conversations with your kids like an expert! (Teamwork makes the dream work!)

Here are some important dates and updates to keep in mind:

• December 1st - First Sunday of Advent (No Class)
• December 1st - Penance Service at 3:00 PM
• December 6th - The Feast of St. Nicholas On this day we celebrate the beloved St. Nicholas of Lycia (modern day Turkey) and many traditions include children waking up to shoes filled with treats. He was a giver in secret and wanted no credit for his kind gestures. Celebrate his legacy with your children by coming up with RACKs (Random Acts of Christmas Kindness) to share with others. More information on St. Nicholas can be found HERE.
• December 8th - Second Sunday of Advent Class Resumes
• December 8th - CCD Penance Service for Religious Education Grades 3-9
• December 9th - Immaculate Conception of Mary the Feast of the Immaculate Conception is normally celebrated on December 8, exactly nine months before the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 8). However, because the celebration of the Immaculate Conception falls during Advent every year, the feast is transferred to December 9 when December 8 falls on a Sunday.
• December 14th - CD of A Cookie Drive for Shut-Ins the CD of A is looking for both cookie donations and cookie deliverers. Cookies can be dropped off in the meeting room at 8:00 am December 14th. Delivery drivers may stop in and receive further instructions at that time. If interested, please reach out to Debbie Rougeux (4th grade CCD teacher)
• December 15th - Third Sunday of Advent, Class Christmas Party! Did you wonder why we light a pink candle on this Sunday? The Pink candle symbolizes joy, the joy that Jesus is almost here!
• December 15th - Sensory Bible Study Class - This month we will be completing activities aligning with the Nativity.
• December 17th - SSCD Christmas Cash Raffle 50/50 Drawing at 6:00 PM
• December 22nd - Fourth Sunday of Advent - NO CLASS
• December 24th - Christmas Eve
• Children's Mass 4:30
• December 25th - Christmas Day
• Mass Times: 8:00 AM & 10:00 AM
• December 25th - January 5th The Twelve Days of Christmas - Did you know the song was actually written to teach children about the Catholic Christmas Season? Check out this article to see the meanings behind the 12 Days of Christmas.

Classes Resume on Sunday January 5th.

I will continue to share any additional information and helpful resources through our Facebook Group and Remind App as I come across them.

As much as I KNOW it will break your children's hearts to hear 😜, we will actually have a few LESS classes at the end of the Religious Education year. I was a little too excited when creating my calendar of classes for the year, so I apologize for the change on you, but realized I scheduled classes into May when our mass times change, and your children are awarded a much-deserved break for their hard work!

Please see below for an updated calendar.

The best events are only successful with the best volunteers! We NEED YOU! Please consider helping to plan, gather supplies, or attend the much overdue return of VBS to SSCD!

As we continue 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.

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.

FORM LINK HERE

Possible ways to help:

*Set up and Tear down of events

*Working a station (sensory bins, play dough, or telling the story)

*Extra hands to assist navigation to and from parking lot and/or directions to access the restrooms.

Continuation of the upcoming classes:

December 15th 12:00 - 1:00 - Date Change from Original Flyer.

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.)

More information to come, but we will be switching things up in January by offering a community-building event to relieve some cabin fever and focus on how God's light can lead us through the darkest of times. Entrance fee will be donations towards the St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry.

This section of our newsletter will focus on volunteering opportunities along with resources for you as the parent to continue to support the faith formation of your child converting to an "Adult" within our faith.

As parents, the idea of our 14- and 15-year-olds transitioning to adulthood is TERRIFYING! I will be sharing some meaningful and hopefully helpful resources for you as you make this journey with your child.

Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities:

December:

* Become a greeter at Mass! Interested students should reach out to school counselor, Mrs. White.

*Sensory Classroom Bible Study - Contact Whitney Bargerstock (814) 952 - 0920

January:

* SSCD Bible School Planning Committee - Date TBD.

*Sensory Classroom Bible Study - Contact Whitney Bargerstock (814) 952 - 0920

February:

* SSCD Bible School Planning Committee - Date TBD.

*Sensory Classroom Bible Study - Contact Whitney Bargerstock (814) 952 - 0920

March:

* Fish Dinner Clean-up / Set-up - More information to come.

* Easter Egg Hunt Planning/Organization - Contact Whitney Bargerstock (814) 952 - 0920

Recently I was given a book by a very good friend, The Prayer Book for Tired Parents and one of the things that stuck out the most to me was this particular chapter, "The Saints Were Tired Parents Too." The author then goes on to give examples of various saints like St. Louis and St. Zelie Martin with a house full of little girls, St. Zelie actually wrote to her husband talking about how long the days were and how TIRED she was! St. Gianna Molla a full-time working mom, was a physician with three children and a fourth on the way.

I thought it was so interesting how easily we forget; saints are humans too and we aren't the first generation of full-time working parents just trying to survive. The book focuses on the idea of getting by and surviving the parenting years but brings such great ideas on how to shift our focus to ensure we are preparing our children to stay faith-filled in this ever-changing world.

I have just recently really started diving into this app, but I am really loving what I have found so far!

You can register at Formed | On-Demand Catholic Movies, Audio Books, Podcasts & More and then when you log in with your email, you simply select our Parish, and you're granted access to all of the content.

Mark Walberg is probably one of the most prominent celebrities who publicly advocates for Catholic prayer. Check out his Rosary prayers in the Hallow App or on YouTube.

I recently came across a trailer for a new Martin Scorsese mini-series. It looks incredible! Check out the trailer below.

This is absolutely nothing related to our curriculum, it's just an incredible list to listen to, as you're decking the halls this month!

100 Greatest Christmas Songs Ever

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!