Mrs. Mabeus

Mrs. Mabeus - Room 207

School Phone: 402-896-0754

8th grade Religion

St. Stephen the Martyr School

2025-2026

Content: Church History, Revelation, Trinity, Jesus Christ, The Church, Morality, Sacraments, Kingdom of God, Saints, Icons, The Mass, Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Social Justice, and Confirmation. Theology of the Body Ruah Woods

We will be using the Alive In Christ book along with the Catechism and The Holy Bible. This course follows the Archdiocesan religion curriculum guide for choice of content and is a core class that runs through the entire school year. The CHOSEN program will also be used in the classroom as part of Confirmation preparation. The students will also use the YOUCAT (Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church) as a reference.

Fr. Matthew will visit the class once a month.

General Guidelines to be successful:

Respect - self, others, property

Be an active participant

Follow school and classroom rules and procedures

Act appropriately and courteously at all times

Students are expected to participate by volunteering to read in class, answer questions, work with their peers in a Christian manner, and complete assignments on time.

Materials Needed for Class Every Day:

Religion textbook (Alive in Christ (Our Sunday Visitor Publishers) Copyright 2014)

Religion notebook (must be a 2 or 3 subject)

Homework

Black and red pen

Yellow highlighter

Assignments and Tests:

Tests will be given at the end of each unit. Tests/quizzes will be taken from the text, notes taken in class and any notes given by Fr. Matthew.

Students are responsible for taking notes, which are provided in class. Notes will be checked.

Test format is multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blank, matching, short answer and essay.

Homework:

The students can expect homework 3-4 times a week. Names and proper headings will be expected on all papers. Incomplete homework will not be accepted. Homework is due at the beginning of class. I will try to always give students 5-10 minutes at the end of class to get started on their work. This ensures that I am able to answer any questions they may have. 

All homework is expected to be turned in the very next class unless a different date is given in class. If the student does not have the work to hand in on time during class, they will earn a tally mark on their behavior card. Three tally marks for missing homework equals one 30 minute session in the homework help room after school.

Late Work/ Absent Students:

If a student is absent due to an illness, allowance is made to get work completed and turned in, one day per each day absent. The student is responsible for showing it to the teacher within the time frame. If they need more time, please visit with me and we can make accommodations. If a student has a planned absence then they should get their work before they leave and all work is due the day they return. This includes being prepared for any tests or quizzes. Work may be provided before trips with advanced notice of at least 3 days. There may be additional work assigned and two additional days will be provided to make up any of the work which was not provided before the absence.

Grading:

I use a point system for all grades. Daily work will be worth 5 points and up. Tests are worth a variety of points depending on the makeup of the test.

Extra Credit:

There may be extra credit questions offered periodically on tests throughout the year. These questions will often come from a reading at Mass or something that the presiding priest shares with the students during the Mass, or during a classroom visit. Extra credit will be offered as a whole class opportunity only. Students should not count on extra credit to bring their grade up.

Confirmation Parent meeting - September 15. 

Retreat: In preparation for 8th grade Confirmation, and as a part of the school curriculum, the students are required to attend a retreat. 

This mandatory, one-day retreat will provide you with the opportunity to encounter the Holy Spirit through prayer, reflection and interaction with your fellow classmates. More details will be forthcoming as we get closer, but for right now - SAVE THE DATE! March 20, 2026

Please direct any questions or concerns about the retreat to the parish Confirmation coordinator, at 402-861-5489 or m.kennedey@stephen.org 

Confirmation: April 38-30 Exact date for each student will be announced later. 

• Confirmation Rehearsals

  • Mr. Harvey - 

  • Mrs. Brown - 

  • Mrs. Koubsky - 

• Confirmation

  • Mrs.Harvey - 

  • Mrs. Brown - 

  • Mrs. Koubsky - 

Stewardship hours:

The students are responsible for completing ten hours of stewardship. This must be on a “nonpayment” basis. Ideas and opportunities for service hours will be made available to the students via the church bulletin as well as Flocknote emails from the Confirmation coordinator. Stewardship forms are available online only. It is the student's responsibility to record and keep track of their hours.

Students have been shown how to record stewardship hours in class. 10 Stewardship hours are due April 1st.

This form is ONLINE ONLY. Record your stewardship hours HERE!

Confirmation Saint -  Record who your Confirmation Saint is HERE! 

The Confirmation Saint form is due October 10, 2025. THIS DIFFERS FROM OUR RE STUDENTS.

The Communion of Saints are holy servants of Christ, who now intercede for us in Heaven. As you prepare for Confirmation, you will choose a CONFIRMATION SAINT, someone whom you hope to imitate, and whom you will prayerfully ask to walk with you on your faith journey to Confirmation and beyond. The saints live face-to-face with God in Heaven - what a gift to have a Saint bringing your prayers to God!  Do some digging at sites like: https://lifeteen.com/biggest-best-list-confirmation-saints-guys-girls/ to learn about various saints, to explore their extraordinary lives, and to find a Saint who inspires you. Once you have selected a Saint, answer the questions below and begin talking to your Saint today!  

Your Saint should be:

1. Someone you admire. 

2. Someone whose life was shaped by their great faith in God.

3. Someone with whom you identify in some way. (Of what are they the Patron Saint?)

4. Someone you will ask to pray for you, just like you would ask for the prayers of your friends.

The Journey of faith form is due September 26, 2025. THIS DIFFERS FROM OUR RE STUDENTS.

Confirmation Sponsor Form Due October 15. We will discuss this in class but should be completed at home by the student. 

Special Projects:

Icons - this will take place first semester in art class. I will cover the Icon writing process in class.

FACTS:

Please use FACTS as a way to keep up on how your child is doing academically. Assignments are not posted online. It is important for middle school students to learn responsibility, and one of the ways that they will do this in middle school is being responsible for recording assignments in their planner. You can expect grades to be posted within the week of the assignment/test if it is turned in on time. Please keep in mind that there may be times where not many changes will be made to the grades due to longer projects, shortened weeks, etc. Please do not expect grades to be updated daily.

Remember: Be organized! Stay on task! Be Positive! Ask me for help! I want to help you succeed!

Please contact me at my email address at any time with your questions/concerns. * If you have a Confirmation, stewardship hours, or retreat questions, please contact your Confirmation coordinator Michael Kennedy at m.kennedy@stephen.org He will be your point of contact for anything related to Confirmation. 

Mrs. Mabeus

s.mabeus@stephen.org