December 4, 2008

Learning Goals....

The major themes of our junior high studies are: Divine Revelation, the Trinity, Jesus Christ, the Church, Christian Morality, the Sacraments and the Kingdom of God.  The text we use CALL TO FAITH is approved by the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops and is a terrific catechetical resource.

What Are We Doing in Religion Class This Week?

Grade 8:   We are using the internet to investigate the websites for our parish, the archdiocese, the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops and the Vatican.  Our goal is to understand how the church on these various levels uses the internet to spread the Gospel of Christ.

Grade 7:  We are wrapping up our lesson on Jesus as the Incarnate Word.  The students are working on stained glass windows of the Nativity to decorate our classroom and hall for Advent and Christmas.

Both Classes are learning each month a scripture from the letters of Saint Paul, as this is the Jubilee Year of St. Paul, celebrating his 2000th birthday.  For December, our scripture is from Philippians 3:20: "Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ."  Along with memorizing the verse, we are also using it for weekly reflections on Paul's message to us.

Field Trips

During this school year there will be two religion-centered field trips.  The eighth graders will have a guided tour of the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains that ties in with our unit on the Church.  Our seventh graders will tour our nearly Mount St. Mary Seminary also known as the Athenaeum.  Our parish priests, deacons and lay ministers have studied here, and future priests and deacons receive their formation here.

The Question Box

In our classroom, we have a Question Box which students are encouraged to submit questions for which they're seeking answers.  Some of them are theological, some moral and some personal.  These are discussed at the beginning of class.

++Confirmation Information++

The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated on May 8, 2009 at Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Rev. Len Wenke, Dean of St. Francis DeSales Deanery is scheduled to be the minister of the sacrament. All eighth graders who are currently active Catholics are eligible for the sacrament. The stewardship portion of the Confirmation Preparation Program could have begun in June.

Is your confirmation candidate working on their stewardship/service project(s)?

Volunteer Stewardship/Service Opportunities for Confirmandi

For Eighth Graders needing "service hours" for stewardship in the  Confirmation Preparation Program,  the following volunteer opportunities have been shared with the incoming eighth graders:

A Stewardship/Service Log has been given to every incoming 8th grader who is considering confirming their faith in the spring of 2009.  The three areas of stewardship include: family, parish and community.  The reverse side of the Log gives more details on each.  If there are questions, contact Brother Ed.   Confirmation candidates are expected to complete a total of twenty-one hours or more by April, 2009.

How Are Our Students Assessed?

In religion class a variety of means will be used during this month to assess your student's learning.  Some of these include the traditional paper and pen assessments (tests and quizzes), but also by graphic organizers, interviews, charts, peer-to-peer instruction and evaluation, idea sharing, reflections, games and projects using rubrics to name a few.

Be familiar with the categories grades are assigned: projects, activities, tests, quizzes, oral participation and the trimester exam.  Students are strongly encouraged to keep track of their grades through regular visits to Progress Book.  For one's oral participation grade, the student merely needs to ask Brother Ed.

The following grade values can be earned in religion class: 100 points for activities and weekly quizzes, 100 or 200 points for projects, 200 points for tests, 300 points for the trimester exam and for oral participation.

Do Remember This....

About your student's teacher...

     I am a Franciscan Brother who has been a member of the faculty at Immaculate Heart since 1989.  For the past twenty-four years I have served in schools of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.  My education background includes degrees in elementary education and school administration. I am a certified religion teacher in the Archdiocese.  This is my 40th year in Catholic education.  My philosophy is that every student is a child of God and needs to be challenged to grow not only to be a good student but a godly person.

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