PARENT POLICY HANDBOOK (revised 6/1/16)
ST. BRENDAN THE NAVIGATOR CHUCH
MINISTRY OF EVANGELIZATION & CATECHESIS
FAITH FORMATION PROGRAM
4475 Dublin Road, Hilliard, Ohio 43026
Phone: (614) 876-1272 Website: www.stbrendans.net
Phone to call during Faith Formation classes: (614) 876-1272 ext. 292
Director of Evangelization & Catechesis: Drew Snyder ext. 231 or
Assistant to the Director: Bonnie Creeger ext. 233 or
Director of Youth Ministry/Confirmation: Adam Boyden ext. 232 or
Early Childhood Coordinator: Mrs. Teresa Boyne ext. 406 or
Administrative Support: Mrs. Lynn Mickey –
Where can I find current information about activities and celebrations in the Faith Formation program?
· Ministry of Evangelization & Catechesis (MEC) section of the parish bulletin
· phone information box (614.876.1272 then press 4)
· website calendar
· other (e.g. information board found at the main entrance on Monday evenings)
We choose to be good stewards of our resources. Mass mailings and continual written reminders are no longer sent out to parents. All current information can be found by using the above communication sites. It is a parent responsibility to keep current by downloading and/or accessing this information.
Welcome to St Brendan the Navigator Faith Formation Program!
Every parent is called to be the primary faith educator of his or her children. When you brought your child to church to be baptized, the priest or deacon asked you a series of questions that reflected your intention to provide an active, lifelong faith environment for your child. You promised at that time to foster this child's spiritual development and growth. This promise is lived out each day by remaining active in your Catholic Faith, nourishing your family’s spiritual life through prayer and the Sacraments, attending Mass as a family at least once a week, and by ensuring that God always has a place of honor in your home and in the conversations you have with your children.
Just as you give shape and form to your children’s character, you have immersed them into our Catholic faith life. You are and continue to be the first and primary teacher about Jesus - our faith and live out that faith life within family life and community celebrations at weekend liturgy. You've taught your child prayers that are special to you. You've shared your faith in times of great happiness (baptisms, weddings) and in times of sadness and loss (sickness and death.) Faith grows within our family life.
Our beliefs are summed up in our Mission Statement. We, MEC and you, the parent, form a partnership of mutual cooperation and support in handing on the Catholic Faith to our children.
MISSION STATEMENT
We who are called to participate in the Faith Formation Program believe that growth and formation in faith, guided by the Spirit, is a lifelong journey, which begins at birth and ending at death. By providing lifelong catechesis, we are committed to echoing the Gospel message to all in order to nourish in them a faith that is living, conscious and active.
We believe that catechesis is a priority of evangelization. The call to live out our faith is a process involving informing, forming and transforming. It solicits experience and integration, and finds its expression in how we celebrate, how we pray and how we live out the values we espouse.
We believe the primary community where faith is nurtured, shared and lived out is within the family, supported by all faith formation ministers within St. Brendan parish.
We believe that faith is a "verb" involving active, hands on learning which demands a response in service to our local community and to the world at large.
We believe that faith is transmitted to us, modeled for us, and that by our Baptism we are called to contribute to the formation of disciples for building up the Kingdom of God.
We provide the following options for faith formation:
Sunday morning Children's Liturgy of the Word
· Over the course of the school year, Children's Liturgy of the Word is typically offered at the 8:45 & 10:30 AM Masses (open toages 4 to 7 years old). For a schedule, please see: http://stbrendans.net/childrens-liturgy-of-the-word .
· Children’s Liturgy of the Word is not a substitute for Faith Formation but is meant to be a complementary program that engages children in the Mass and teaches them how to participate. Children are not required to attend children's liturgy of the Word but are very welcome to try it out. Most children love it (and parents do too!). Parents do not need to sign up their children for Children's Liturgy of the Word.
· How it works: During the first part of Mass, children are invited to go off to a separate area where they will hear about the Mass readings and receive a lively teaching that is geared toward them.Then, when the Liturgy of the Eucharist begins (during the offertory), children will re-join their families.
· Children’s Liturgy of the Word is wonderful way to complement Faith Formation classes at NO COST!
Sunday Evening (Grade 8)
· CHOSEN program for all 8th graders preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation
· Classes arefrom 4 - 5:20 PM in the School Cafeteria
· Classes begin the second Sunday in September and end the first Sunday in May
· Costis $200/student. Early registration deadline is August 1. Regular fee is $250.
o $50 additional fee/family if not a St. Brendan Parish member
Monday Evening (Grades K-6)
· Classes for children grades K-7
· There are two shifts available:
o "A" shift from 4:30-5:45 PM(for grades K-7)
o "B" shift from 6:15-7:30 PM(for grades 1-7)
· Classes begin the second Monday in September and end the first Monday in May
· Cost for Kis $90/student. Early registration deadline is August 1. Regular fee is $100.
· Cost for 1-6is $140/student. Early registration deadline is August 1.Regular fee is $175.
· Cost for 7is $200/student. Early registration deadline is August 1. Regular fee is $250.
o $50 additional fee/family if not a St. Brendan Parish member
The following can be found on our website: www.stbrendans.net
· weekly lesson plans for classes and home faith
· all class and home faith registration information
· yearly calendar of dates and events
· sacramental information pages for First Eucharist, First Reconciliation and Confirmation
· volunteer forms
· school & parking maps
HOME FAITH PROGRAM
The Home Faith program (for grades 1-8) is designed for parents to useat homein place of the Monday evening sessions held throughout the school year. If you are interested in the option of teaching your children from home, the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis will provide you with the tools needed for your child's faith formation.
Through the Home Faith Program you live our your calling as the first evangelist and catechist of your child. You commit to:
· Attending 4 (four) Sunday afternoon informational meetings which offer you additional support and creative ideas (*these meetings are for parents only unless otherwise noted)
· Teaching your children weekly lessons. The lesson plans provided outline what chapter to teach each week
· Learning how to teach by using the parent formation guide and grade appropriate child text
· Growing in your own faith
PHOTO PERMISSIONS
From time to time, we will take photos of Faith Formation classes in action. We sometimes share these photos on the St. Brendan website, press releases, or in marketing materials. We do not include student names with the photos.
If you prefer that your child does not appear in any photos, please contact the MEC office. We maintain a database of parents who do not grant permission for photos.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Raising your children in our Catholic faith is both a privilege and a commitment that you as parent made when you brought your child to the waters of Baptism. Our Faith Formation program is a process where the child’s faith life unfolds within the classroom setting during our weekly sessions. We provide a curriculum wherein we teach our Catholic traditions, values and heritage in an age appropriate, planned and organized manner.
From the day to day family values and behaviors taught and reinforced in the home, you know that consistency is a key element in the mental and spiritual growth patterns of children. We hold the same mindset regarding your commitment to faithfully having your child attend our weekly sessions. Consistency is important in the continuing spiritual development of your child, and we see it exampled most in two ways: 1) the way in which you ask about and reinforce the lessons taught in the home following class and, 2) on the value you place on faithful attendance in class.
Faith Formation classes are in session for 75 minutes each week beginning in mid September and ending in early May for a total of 24 weeks. At each class we take attendance using a form provided to each catechist. Because these forms become legal documents in the event they are needed in custody situations, we keep them for a period of 7 years. Our attendance policy is listed below.
GRADES K-8
When the child arrives for class, he or she is welcomed by the catechist, volunteers and:
· the child is marked “PRESENT” on the attendance form for that night.
· if the child comes late, the mark on the sheet reads: PRESENT/LATE.
· if the child comes into class after the attendance forms have been collected, the child must come down to the MFF office to let us know he/she has arrived so the mark can be changed from ABSENT to “PRESENT/LATE.”
· on the 2nd absence, a post card is sent to the family indicating the date of the absence and the list of other absences along with the invitation to teach at home the lesson missed. Every time there is an absence after that 2nd time, an additional postcard is sent. It is our way of connecting with you letting you know of our concern and asking if circumstances at home have changed, or if the child is/has not been well. We ask you to respond to us. In the event of regular or extended absences, we will “work” with you giving you options for “at home” make up. Always keep close contact with the child’s catechist and our MEC office when conditions like this occur.
OPTIONS AVAILABLE:
· If for some reason, the child will be absent for a period of time, regardless of the reason, you can “dis-enroll” your child in our weekly program and “home faith” the child during that time using the lesson plan outline located on our web site, completing the information in the book and returning the competed work to the child’s catechist upon the return to class.
· The last option is to transfer to the Home Faith program for the remainder of the catechetical year. See details on the program in this handbook. You will need to register and purchase books for that program.
If we do not hear from you, a written comment will appear on the child’s progress report issued twice a year, giving you the option of having your child repeat the year OR complete the makeup work. The choice is yours! A letter addressing the attendance issue is sent in May outlining these options. Again, the key to a consistent plan of action is entering into a conversation with the child’s catechist and our MEC office. A note to that extent will be recorded on the attendance sheet.
ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL
To relieve congestion, we now have two access doors available for entering the school building at the beginning of the sessions:
on traffic pattern map - the main entrance doors for drop off and parking, OR
on traffic pattern map – the door on Davidson Rd. for DROP OFF ONLY – Do Not Park
If you choose to accompany you child into the building, you MUST use the parking lot doors and show your Parent Key Tag to the monitor stationed at the entry. In the event no parent key tag is shown, each parent will be asked for some type of picture identification and to sign the entry notebook located at the front desk.
An automatic bell signals the beginning and end of class.
Until November, or after if a parent chooses, children in grades 1 & 2 need to be accompanied to the classroom by a parent or older sibling. After November, when the child is familiar with the building and classroom location, the parent no longer needs to accompany the child to the room. Parents, however, are always welcome in the building.
We strongly discourage parents from taking their children from class time for sporting or athletic events before the class has ended. We applaud parents who recognize that when their son/daughter is in faith formation class, he or she remains there without interruption. All else waits! It puts a priority where a priority needs to be in a world where “God things” often become second class!!
In the event a parent chooses to pick up a child early from class, that parent must come to the Faith Formation office in the school, fill in the needed information on the “sign out form” which lists reason for the dismissal, and accompany the office worker to the classroom who will validate with the catechist permission the removal of the child from the room. For safety reasons, the child will not be released directly from the classroom unless this procedure is followed.