Our Faith on Fire! Summer Home

Curriculum: Saint Mary's Press Discover curriculum and resources for grades 1, 3, 4, 5.  For Grade 2 Sacrament Prep Saint Mary's Press Go, Seek, Find. For Grade 6 Saint Mary's Press Connect! curriculum.

Lessons: Parents are delivered a syllabus for the Faith Formation summer semester.  The expectation is that the syllabus will be followed (timeline) as closely as possible.  All lessons listed on the syllabus are to be completed.  Any lessons not included on the syllabus are considered optional and parents may add them in, time permitting, and if desired. 

Accountability:  Although families will have paper resources to use at home (for both parent and student), there is an online digital platform component of the program that must be completed with each lesson, as a REVIEW.  Parents should plan accordingly to ensure that all digital components are complete for credit. Please keep in mind that the online review sessions are not complete lessons! You MUST instruct your child one on one.

Communication:  The Director of Faith Formation will communicate with families enrolled in this program primarily via email correspondence and Flocknote.  It is critical that families check email on a regular basis and their spam folder in case any email is redirected there.  Mark those emails as safe!  Please read all correspondence. You will NOT be emailed unless it is necessary and all information sent to you should be reviewed.

Homework: The Director of Faith Formation reserves the right to assign additional work to be completed at home from time to time, if appropriate or necessary.  

Attendance: Lessons completed (when review sessions are submitted online) are considered "attendance" for the purposes of this program.

Program Website: A website will be available for the dissemination of information should it be necessary and for easy eaccess to resources.  Parents should check in frequently to stay up to date on news and information. Please bookmark the website for convenience.

Parent Participation: Parents operate in their role as  "Primary Catechist" for their child throughout the year, preparing for each lesson, carefylly explaining the truths of our Faith to their children, reviewing content as necessary, and asking questions about and having discussions concerning what was learned.  Parents are also required to attend an orientation session (virtual with cameras on) before they can start the program.  

This program operates during the summer for an accelerated ten week period, beginning in June and concluding in August.  TIMELY registration is required so that students have adequate time to stay on track and complete all work.  Additionally, the online component of this program allows for progress to be monitored.  Those who fall behind will be contacted to ensure they stay on track.  In rare cases, students may be withdrawn from the program.

There are many resources available on the website! 

• A link to the digital login page can be found on the website.

• Your child's syllabus for the year is available on the website.

• Links to both publisher and recommended resources can be found on the website.

• There is a page for relevant news and information for families who have children enrolled in this program.

• There is a Holy Days & Seasons page which offers optional suggestions and activities that fit with the liturgical calendar year.  Saint days! Feast days!  Holy days! These suggestions help our families to live their faith!  

Parents are expected to attend an orientation session to ensure that they understand exactly what is required when enrolling.

Parents must be very proactive at making time to work on lessons each and every week of the summer semester. A suggested syllabus will be provided to you, to help keep you on pace, but there is some flexibility.  The Home schedule reflects an accelerated pace with the goal of completed the same curriculum as students do during the school year.  

Because the lessons can be done at any time, on any day of the week, with 24/7 access to the digital platform, there are NO EXTENTIONS for completion of the program.  A child must complete all assigned content by the course end date for this program to be marked as complete for the year.

Parents are expected to use the publisher's curriculum provided to them as well as the Home Guide, digital resources, and digital platform for lessons.

Parents should also reach out if at any time they have questions, concerns, or need assistance with digital navigation or content.  The digital platform is used for tracking and progress purposes and is not an optional part of the program, but is to be completed and submitted WITH each lesson covered.

Schedule for the 2024 Accelerated Summer Session: 

• Materials will be available for "pick-up" from late May through the first week of June.

• If materials are not picked up by the end of the FIRST FULL WEEK of this program, your materials will be removed and your enrollment fee refunded.

• The official "Start Week" begins Monday, June 17th, 2024.

• Each week of the Summer Session has multiple assigned chapters and families should stay on track each week.  Your syllabus will tell you what chapters are to be completed for each week.

• All lessons and online review work should be completed for processing no later than AUGUST 26th, 2024.  THIS IS A FIRM deadline.  

The catechists are YOU! The parents and guardians!  You'll have great curriculum to work with, a guide to lead you through the lessons, and the satisfaction of knowing exactly what is being taught to your child, with the ability to focus where needed and review when necessary!  

Parents, it is vital that you understand that children enrolled in this program will have BOTH Physical AND Digital components that are to be completed for program credit.  SEE BELOW.

Program Curriculum (Physical):

• Your child will receive a "Children's" or "Youth" Bible (depending on age) as part of the curriculum the first year you enroll them in a program that uses Saint Mary's Press publications.  This is the primary TEXTBOOK, and it will be reused when you enroll in subsequent years for the Home or Traditional programs.  Please do not discard the Bible.

• There will also be additional physical materials to use which may include a workbook or flyers.

• Parents will have a Home Guide that serves as a lesson planning tool and offers all sorts of tips, ideas, activities, and time management suggestions for each chapter, very similiar to what our catechists use in the classroom.  Please use this guide!  There is so much more to Faith Formation instruction than just flipping through a workbook and filling out a few questions!  

Program Curriculum (Digital):

• In addition to the work done at home with physical materials, you will be given login information for each child enrolled in the Home Program that works on the publisher website and gives you access to the Digital Platform.  Here, each chapter has content that MUST be completed so that progress can be monitored and credit given for completion of the course.  

• Use the platform as a way to review, at the end of each chapter, once you complete the lesson(s) for each week.  The online component may have short video clips, a few questions to be answered, or other tasks and only requires about 20 minutes, per chapter, to complete.  The online compent is NOT OPTIONAL.

Catholic Vision of Love and Empowering God's Children:

• These Diocesan requirements are still a part of Faith Formation but it looks a little different than years past.  There are now online components for parents to complete with their children AT HOME, in addition to the other lessons that are to be done at home.  Information will be sent to you when it is time to complete these components.  They are NOT OPTIONAL.

• Links will be provided to parents at the beginning of the Faith Formation summer semeseter for review of material and instruction at home.