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 As
parents you are the primary religious educator of your children. The parish
elementary CCD program endeavors to assist families in the development and
strengthening of their faith formation. The program staffed by over fifty
teachers and 12 aides provides for the formal religious education of children
from Pre-K - 4 year olds through students in grade 8. Classes take place during
the summer, on Sundays and Mondays during three time sessions and Sunday nights.
Announcements and reminders are noted in the Sunday Bulletin which should be
read on a weekly basis.
- Pre-K and Kindergarten -
Sundays, 8:30-9:45am & 10:00-11:15am
- Elementary - Sundays,
8:30-9:45am; 10:00-11:15am; Mondays, 3:45-5:00pm
- Grades 4-8 - 2 Week Summer
Session.....9:00am-12noon
- High School & Grade 8 -
6:45-9:00 pm (See Horizons program for confirmation class details)
CCD is
never a substitute for attending Mass. Parents should arrange the family
schedule so that regular mass attendance does not interfere with class time. The
school cafeteria is available for parents to wait during class time. Classes
begin the second Sunday/Monday at the end of September/October and continue
through the end of April. Please refer to the Calendar for details and specific
dates.
Children on the elementary level
are prepared to receive the sacraments of First Holy Communion and First
Reconciliation.
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION - All
second graders who attended grade 1 regularly are prepared to receive First
Communion. Preparation takes place during the regular Sunday/Monday class
session. The entire year’s program is devoted to this preparation. A one hour
tour of our church is part of the curriculum. Two parent meetings are held in
January and March. Parents will be notified of dates. Rehearsals will take place
as assigned. The First Communion Masses are held early in May. First
Communicants are encouraged to participate in the May Crowning & the Bishops
Prayer Service.
FIRST RECONCILIATION -
prior to receiving First Communion the children in Gr 2 are prepared for
Reconciliation which is made in January. Preparation takes place during six
regular Sunday/Monday sessions beginning in October. One additional
preparation/rehearsal class will be held in conjunction with the Church - date
to be announced. One parent meeting will be held in October.
CONFIRMATION - All students
who have completed eight years of formal religious instruction and have passed
the grade 8 test on Catholic Doctrine are admitted into the High School
Confirmation preparation program. Details on the confirmation program may be
found on the Horizons program page on this site.
GENERAL CCD CURRICULUM
PRE-K 4 YEAR OLDS
This program is designed to help very young children know themselves as special
people. Songs, stories, puppets, finger-plays, spontaneous prayers and sensorial
activities are used to encourage the child's developing sense of his/her own
uniqueness as a person. Through a heightened awareness of their importance in
God's creation, their sense of God's love for them can begin to bloom.
.ELEMENTARY
The elementary program seeks to assist parents in their task of instructing
children in the Catholic faith - our beliefs, values and practices. It also
strives to assist parents in teaching the children what it means to be a
follower of Jesus.
The program of instruction for children in kindergarten through grade 8 presents
the concepts of God, the Commandments, the Sacraments, Works of Mercy, Mary,
Saints and Church in a manner appropriate to the children's level of
understanding. The " We Believe" series of the Sadlier Publishing Company is
used with children in Kindergarten through grade 6. Brown-Roa "Crossroads"
program is used with grade 7 students. Grade 8 students review the previous 7
years of course work as part of their preparation to pass the test on Catholic
doctrine before entering the High School Confirmation program.
Our program encourages full participation in the prayer life of the parish. All
children will learn the various prayers, experience different ways of praying,
and will study the Mass, the greatest form of prayer and worship. All children
and teenagers are expected to attend Mass weekly and Holydays of Obligation.
Two Penance services are conducted; Advent and Lent, on a Monday, at 4:00pm in
the church. Parental and family support and attendance is crucial and
encouraged. Details to follow and announced in the Sunday Bulletin.
The program also encourages service to the Christian community. Children are
invited to participate in the monthly parish food drive for the needy and in the
Lenten collection for the poor.
SPECIAL
EDUCATION
Our Special Education program makes provisions for achieving the above-mentioned
goals for children with special needs. If possible, the child is mainstreamed
into a regular class. Where it is in the best interests of the child to receive
individualized instruction, arrangements are so made and special materials
appropriate to the child's ability are provided.
For more details read the
Sunday Bulletin Weekly!
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LINK TO HORIZONS
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