Religious Education Grades 1-5

GRADES 1, 3-5

Grades 1 and 3-5 will be journeying with a family style program called “A Family of Faith.” The Family of Faith program was designed to help parents in their primary role as educators of the faith to their children. Parents will be given books and lesson plans to do at home with their children each

month. The Family of Faith program offers a Parent Guide, as well as an Activity Book for each child. While the Activity books are the same for each child regardless of their grade, they offer a wide variety of activities that can be tailored to the particular child’s needs—ranging from coloring pages to

essays with questions to be answered. This program offers the parent flexibility in teaching the child in a way that will be the most beneficial for each individual child. Each month, the parent will look over the months’ lessons and read a brief essay in the parent book which outlines the topic for the month. They then will decide how to present the material to their children.

Families are encouraged to work together in small groups of 2-4 families. This will allow families to share the workload with other families, as well as create community for the kids as they work together with other children their age from their local community. Additionally, families will be able to find times that work with their particular schedules. We encourage you to talk with families involved in your child’s extracurricular activities to find other families with similar aged children and schedules. Groups are able to meet wherever they choose, whether it be in a family’s home, at the library, at a park, or in the Church building.

Once a month, children in grades 1, 3-5 will gather for a Family of Faith gathering beginning with the 10am Mass, followed by donuts and a teaching. At these sessions, we will introduce the topics for the month, answer any questions you may have, and provide children with a short lesson and activity. Parents should attend Mass with their children, and will have the option to stay and enjoy a cup of coffee with other parents during the teaching.

 Additionally, and most importantly, attending Mass every weekend and on Holy Days of Obligation is expected, as the Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian Life. To encourage this in our children, students will receive a “Massport,”—a small booklet akin to a passport. After each Mass the child attends, they will scan their Massport and can receive a stamp in it. Please note that the QR Code on the Massport is not connected to the internet in any way. When a student scans their code, it merely submits their name to an electronic list which is only accessible to the staff.

*If your child has not received the Sacraments of Reconciliation or First Communion and will be in Grade 3 or above this year, please contact Camille Mainardi: cmainardi@stveronicaparish.org