Faith Formation Guidelines
General guidelines for the Faith Formation Program for grades K-12.
Classes for grades K-5 & Sacrament preparation in English are held Sunday mornings from 10:45am to 12 noon.
Classes for grades 1-5 & Sacrament preparation in Spanish are held Tuesday evenings from 7pm to 8:15pm.
Life Teen and Edge classes are held Wednesday evenings from 7pm to 8:30pm.
St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Community
Faith Formation and Youth Ministry Staff
Deacon Joe Hensley
Director of Faith Formation
Rachel Minesinger
Director of Youth Ministry
Sharon Hensley
Faith Formation Secretary
Faith Formation and Youth Ministry Office
409-948-1383
Parish Office
409-948-8448
2016 - 2017 VOLUNTEER TEACHING STAFF
Kindergarten / Delayed Sacrament 1 / Youth MinistryJudith Torres / Kristina & Michael Leyva / Tory Cammeresi
Aundrea Enrique / Martha Carrillo
Delayed Sacrament 2 / Nancy Chambers
First Grade / Nina Sanchez / Rosemary Elizondo
Rosemary Elizondo / Jessica Chambers / Angelita Garcia
Andrea Bailey / Jennifer Hudnall
Brittany Wallace / Jr. & Sr. High Pre-Sacrament / Cody Lea
Michelle Carter / Vincent Tran / Maritzza Maldonado
Barbara Oberholtzer
RCIA for Children 1 / Carla Oliver
Second Grade / Vicky Orton / RoseAnn Rapp
Diana Canales / Nancy Chambers / Sandra Soliz
Mira Martinez / Jean Walton
Bobby Martinez / First Grade Spanish / Tony Walton
Carla Roberts / Rosa Duplan / Linsey Weiser
Tere Garcia / Sarah Zarazua
Third Grade
Becky Rodriquez / Second Grade Spanish
Mikaela Vasquez / Dolores Diaz
Mariah Ruiz / Beatriz Garza
Maria Zuniga
Fourth Grade
Deborah Duran / Spanish Delayed Sacrament 1
Olivia Lazarin / Monica Maldonado
Myriam Cantu
Fifth Grade
Mary Bundy / Spanish Delayed Sacrament 2
Cindy Mayes / Rosa Vargas
Berenice Davila
GENERAL PARISH POLICIES
St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal Faith Formation Department welcomes you and the opportunity to have parents participate in their child’s religious education. Together parents and teachers can share their faith with the students. Hopefully, this will lead them to a more loving and personal relationship with God and others. Keeping this in mind, the Faith Formation Dept. maintains the following policies for our program.
REGISTRATION: In order to register and participate in the Faith Formation program it is encouraged that the parents be registered and active members of the parish. By active, we mean that parents should be regularly attending Mass with their children. Children learn by example and if you do not make the commitment to attend Mass, they will not be familiar with the celebration of the Mass and it will not be a priority for them, as they get older. Remember, the foundations you lay for them now will be the ones they count on in the future when they in turn become parents.
BAPTISMAL RECORD: A copy of your child’s Baptismal certificate is needed when registering a child for the first time.
ATTENDANCE: An 80% attendance record must be maintained in the first and second year of preparation for Reconciliation and Communion. In Confirmation, students must have attended at least one year prior to beginning the program when entering into the tenth grade and maintaining the attendance requirements as outlined in the Confirmation guidelines. .
GUEST POLICY: Students may bring an occasional guest at Sunday morning classes. Any guest must bring a note from a parent or guardian with their name, address, and a current contact phone number. Due to space limitations in some of our classrooms, we may not always be able to allow guests. Guests are allowed on Wednesday nights for any grade. Please call the Faith Formation office if you need further information.
ALL SUNDAY MORNING GUESTS MUST BRING A WRITTEN NOTE FROM THEIR PARENT BEFORE CLASS BEGINS TO THE R.E. OFFICE GIVING THEM PERMISSION TO BE ON OUR GROUNDS. THE NOTE MUST HAVE THE GUEST’S NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER AND PARENT NAME ON IT. Guests without written permission will be sent to the office to call home for transportation and will not be allowed to stay for liability reasons.
All Sunday morning teachers will have the option of deciding if they will allow guests in their class. You will be notified in writing if your child’s teacher does not allow guests. In addition, if any guest creates a discipline problem they will not be allowed to come back to class with your child again. If a student who has a guest with them creates a problem, they will lose the privilege of bringing a guest for the remainder of the year.
BEHAVIOR: Good behavior is important in our classes. In order to help students gain confidence in the area of self - discipline, a positive approach is followed. If a student consistently disrupts a class, the parents will be notified. The first time they are sent to the office, they will meet with the director. The second time, a parent will be called and a conference will be set up. Should there be no improvement in the student’s behavior, the student will not be allowed to continue in the program unless a parent accompanies the child each week to class.
CLASSES: Sunday morning classes are held from 10:45 a.m. until 12:00 noon for grades Kindergarten through 5th grade. Wednesday night classes will be from 7:00-8:30 p.m. for 6th -12th grades. Students should not be dropped off earlier than 15 minutes before classes begin. We do not have the personnel available to properly supervise students before that time. Students should be picked up promptly after they are dismissed. All Students should be dropped off and picked up in the front parking lot facing 9th Avenue ONLY.
TARDIES: Tardies have become a real problem in recent years. It is very disruptive to our volunteer teachers to have students come in after the bell rings. Please make every effort to get your child to class on time. While an occasional tardy is understandable, consistently bringing your child 10-15 minutes late each week is not acceptable.
PROHIBITED: There will be no guns, knives, drugs, alcohol or tobacco products allowed on our campus. Possession of any of these items will result in immediate suspension from our program.
CELL PHONES: Cell phones are not allowed unless they are turned to the silent mode. Students are not allowed to have them out of their purse or pocket for any reason during class. Students who are caught playing games or text messaging during class time or group assemblies will have the phone taken away from them and a parent must come to the office to claim it.
EARLY DISMISSALS: For the safety of our students, all early dismissals need to go through the Faith Formation Office. If a student needs to leave before the normal dismissal time, please come to the office to get an early dismissal note. The teachers have been instructed not to release anyone without a written note from us.
If you have a question about any of these policies, please call the Faith Formation Office at 948-1383. Our business hours at The Parish Office are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Faith Formation Office located in the first wing behind the gym is also open during the school year from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sunday mornings.
PARISH POLICIES FOR CONFIRMATION 2016-2017
Confirmation is a major step towards adult commitment to Jesus Christ. For all confirmed parishioners the celebration of Confirmation is an opportunity to re-examine and renew their own confirmation commitment. Thus, the celebration is a grace filled opportunity for the entire parish. The Faith Formation Department of St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal Church has the following guidelines and requirements for Confirmation:
Each person to be confirmed must be enrolled in a religious education program at least one year prior to beginning Confirmation preparation and have maintained an 80% attendance record in their previous R.E. class.:
1. Prerequisites for entering the intensive preparations for Confirmation are attending 9th grade Faith Formation Life Teen classes.
2. Students entering the 10th grade or higher preparing for the sacrament of Confirmation must attend all Sunday confirmation sacramental preparation in conjunction with their faith formation classes on Wednesday nights.
There must be a personal decision on the part of the candidate to be confirmed. Candidates should show a willingness to live out their faith in the world. Each child preparing for Confirmation must attend Mass on a weekly basis. The faithful fulfillment of this responsibility will be taken into consideration when determining is your child is ready for the sacrament.
There should be active support from family members. Parents are expected to attend and participate in the parent / student classes scheduled as well as the Confirmation ceremony itself. As primary educators of your children, you should be willing to assist your child in the immediate preparation of the sacrament and afterwards in the continued growth in faith.
The candidate will be responsible for service projects within our community. There are several options for service projects that will be discussed at the parent meeting on service projects on August 30, 2016. Students must actively work on their service projects throughout the year. The final turn in date will be April 23, 2017 when the service project record form is due to be completed.
All Confirmation candidates are expected to choose a Sponsor and have their form ready to turn in by December 4, 2016. We prefer that the Sponsor be someone local who can participate in the process with the student. When a candidate’s baptismal godparent is available, capable and willing to perform the role as Confirmation sponsor, “it is desirable that the sponsor chosen be the one who undertook this role at Baptism.” (Canon Law #893)
Confirmation has a 80% attendance requirement, meaning no more than 2 classes missed. Any Confirmation class missed over the 2 allowed must be made up regardless of the reason for the absence. The maximum number of classes missed is 2 . While we realize that many students are involved in extracurricular activities, we feel Confirmation is also an important part of your child’s life and priorities must be made. Please do not schedule Driver’s Ed., dance classes, tutoring sessions or sport practices during class times. They are not excused absences for Confirmation preparation October 2016 – May 2017.
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
In the event that a chemical spill or explosion occurs during Faith Formation classes, we will follow all emergency procedures outlined by the C.A.E.R. system. Students will be kept in their classroom with the air conditioning off until an all clear signal is given even if it is after the regular dismissal time.
Shelter-In-Place
The occasion may arise when it is not necessary to evacuate during an emergency. Situations such as hazardous chemical leaks at industrial sites would call for measures to keep all building occupants inside the building. The Shelter-In-Place plan will be implemented to accommodate these short term emergencies. The plan is designed to maintain a safe environment within the building by preventing outside air from entering the facility. In accordance with federal law, personnel are being directed to refuse entrance to the campus to anyone during a Shelter-In-Place order. Parents will not be allowed to retrieve children when such an order is in place until clearance has been given by emergency personnel. We will work with the city’s emergency management department and local industry to determine if the air is toxic. For the safety and security of all children and volunteers, no one is allowed to leave or enter the building if a chemical release could be toxic. Parents should also shelter in place at home or work. Students will be provided snacks and water during an emergency.
This is for the safety of your child. We are following the TCISD policy book on the Shelter in Place procedures and there could be legal ramifications if an individual violates the Shelter in Place procedure. Criminal trespassing (Texas Penal Code section 30.05): Disruption (Texas Education Code section 31.123): and Class B Misdemeanors.
In the event that an evacuation is called for, parents will need to come to the school and pick up their child since we do not have adequate transportation to evacuate all our students.
The phone number for the Faith Formation Office is 409-948-1383. We will also notify the answering service at our main parish number - 409-948-8448 as to the steps we are following in the event of an emergency if you try to call the Faith Formation office number and it is busy.
In addition, we ask that you notify the Faith Formation Office at 409-948-8448 of any change of phone number or address. Remember, this may be the only way to reach you in the event of an emergency.