General Information About Religion Class

I look forward to communicating with you on a regular basis. 

How you can reach me: 

The best way to contact me is via email:  kbosse@stmaryhp.org.  A written note is also welcome.  I am always happy to schedule a time to meet with you in-person or via phone call, too.

Your child’s spiritual, academic, social, emotional, and physical growth is important to me - even if I “only teach religion”.  Please note that my number one priority is to be present to your child during instructional hours.  Therefore, I will be available to read and respond to emails upon my arrival at school in the morning until 8:30am, during my planning period, and after dismissal until 4pm.  I will respond within 24 hours, during school hours (exceptions: the weekend, and if I am absent due to illness or preplanned events such as Professional Development).  Thank you in advance for your understanding and patience! 

Weekly Newsletter 

Every week, I will send home a newsletter in print and post it on the Religion website.  It will contain important announcements, a look at the topics we will explore that week, homework details, prayer opportunities, and more. 

Classroom Behavior Expectations 

Students are expected to practice the following virtues during Religion Class, whether they are in their classrooms, in the Atrium, in the Church, or in another flexible learning space: 

Respect: Look and Listen when the teacher is talking. 

Obedience: Follow directions quickly and joyfully. 

Courtesy: Treat others as you want them to treat you; say charitable things about yourself and others. 

Self-Control: Raise your hand to speak or leave your seat; think before you speak or act. 

Practicing these virtues fosters an environment where students can learn and thrive. 

Classroom Behavior Consequences 

By definition, a consequence is “the result, effect, or outcome of an action, event, or decision”.  Therefore, consequences can be both positive and negative. I will communicate with and support your child’s homeroom teacher’s behavior policies.  In addition, I will recognize students who practice virtue in the following ways: 

• Weekly: One student per grade will receive a “Christian Witness” certificate.  I will be watching for students who are practicing the virtue we are learning about that week, recognizing them at the beginning of class on the following Monday morning.  

• Monthly: During Religion Class, children can earn a Sunshine by practicing virtue.  At the end of the month, each student who has received all Sunshines will get to pick out a Prayer Card from my Prayer Card Box.  

• Trimesterly: In November, February, and May, each student will receive a Virtue Award, recognizing them for a virtue I saw them practicing consistently or striving hard to grow during the trimester. 

If a student chooses not to practice a virtue when he or she had the opportunity to do so, natural consequences will be the result.  For example, they will receive a Cloud in place of a Sunshine at the end of our day in the Atrium, or they will not get to do the bonus activity if they have not completed their work.  Consistently missed opportunities to practice virtue will be communicated to the homeroom teacher as well as the parent, so we can work together to find ways to assist and encourage the child in his or her growth in virtue.  

Why "Sunshines" and "Clouds"? 

Jesus calls us to LET OUR LIGHT SHINE!  (See Matthew 5:16) 

Our classroom "Sunshine" is a visual reminder of this calling, and represents our life of virtue which is how we can follow His call.  Receiving a "Cloud" is symbolic of the way our choice to not practice virtue prevents us from being Jesus' light to others. Learn more about the virtues and living a virtuous life by exploring Education in Virtue (linked on the Resource page). 

Rubrics for scoring weekly Class Participation, Prayerfulness, and Homework are below.  Please note that your child’s behavior impacts his or her own ability to learn as well as that of classmates.  Therefore, the choices each child makes are reflected in the weekly Participation scores.  Additionally, Prayerfulness is a virtue that directly supports our relationship with God, and one we will be intentionally striving to cultivate all year.  Choices that nurture or prevent growth in this virtue will be reflected in the weekly Prayerfulness score.  

All Weekly grades will be posted by the following Monday afternoon. 

Assigned Projects will include rubrics alongside project instructions.  Assessments will also be marked in such a way that the scoring should make sense.  

Project and Assessment grades will be posted within one week of the due date.  

I am happy to answer your questions or concerns about your child’s grades or scores anytime. 

Homework will be sent home at the beginning of each week and is due on Friday.  

(If there is no school on Friday, homework will be due on last day that we are together that week, usually Thursday.) 

Weekly homework will consist of an at-home activity.  Examples of at-home activities include a worksheet, the next step of a project, or a prayer challenge on Hallow.  Homework should not take more than 10-15 minutes to complete, and can be completed on any night during the week (unless otherwise noted).  Please reach out to me if assignments are consistently taking longer than this, so I can make necessary adjustments.  

Students will receive a “Completion Grade” for the week’s assignments.  All work must be turned in on the date it is due.  Late work will result in a lower grade (see the Homework Rubric). 

The first homework assignments will come home after Labor Day.  

Note: Kindergarten will not have weekly homework, although they may be given a few simple projects to work on with their family throughout the year.  

Late Work:  Assignments that are turned in late will result in a lower grade.  Please refer to the appropriate rubric for details. 

Note: If there is an obstacle preventing your child from accomplishing the assignment on time, please email me and let me know.  I am more than willing to work something out with you! 

Missing Work:  If an assignment is not turned in, it will be entered in the gradebook on FACTS as “missing”.  This means the student will receive 0 points for the assignment.  This is equivalent to a “U – Unsatisfactory Achievement” which greatly impacts the overall class grade.  Missing assignments will be sent home again to be completed and students can earn partial credit back.  Further details will be communicated if the situation arises. 

If your child is absent or misses a Religion class, any work missed will be collected and compiled into an Absent Work Packet. 

Your child has 2 days for every 1 day he/she is absent to complete the Absent Work Packet.  This means that if Suzie is absent on Tuesday and returns on Wednesday, she will bring home the packet that night and it will be due on Friday.  Also, Friday counts as “1 day”, so if Jerry is absent on Thursday and receives his packet on Friday, it would be due on Tuesday.  

Absent Work packets will be ready for your child on the day he/she returns to school.  No work will be sent home in advance as even the best-laid lesson plans can and often do change.  Also, no work will be sent home on the day-of with siblings in other grades, so that I can be fully attentive to the students who are present that day.  Thank you for your understanding. 

Important: If your child is absent on the day of a test/quiz/assessment, he/she will still be expected to be ready for the missed assessment on the day he/she returns to school (unless there are extenuating circumstances which you have communicated with me and we have made other arrangements). 

Also, if students are absent on the day an assignment is due, the assignment must be turned in on the day the child returns or it will be considered “late”. 

Our Baptism brings us into God’s family!  This first Sacrament of Initiation is the foundation for our reception of all other sacraments.  On the date of your child’s baptism (or the nearest day we are in school), he or she may bring in a picture of the special day to share with the class!