2008-2009 CCD Calendar of Meeting Dates

Goal

We want to keep before us the goal of our religious education program here at Our Lady Queen of Peace:

To:       Welcome the children/teens/adults

into a caring environment that encourages

Learning about their faith,

            Worshipping as a Church community

Praying to a loving God

Serving and caring about others.

Scripture tells us:

“Let the children come to me and do not hinder them.  It is to just such as these that the kingdom of God belongs” (Mark 10:14)

We are all called, Parents and Catechists alike, to be witnesses of God’s love for our children.  Let us be present and welcoming to the gift that is each one of our children.  Let us together build a community of love and caring that is willing to share all we have with one another.  Let us be Jesus in our world today that is so much in need of loving forgiveness.

Philosophy of our Continuing Catholic Development Program (CCD)

We believe that...

Your children are special to God, to you, as parents, and to your parish community @ OLQP.

We believe that...

"In the family children learn to believe what their parents' words and example teach about God,

and parents enrich their own faith by participating in the formal religious education of their children".

We believe that...

Your participation in Sunday Eucharist, as well as your involvement in parish life, speaks more powerfully than any program or class.  It is essential that you bring your child to worship on a regular basis for your child to grow in understanding of our Catholic Faith.

We believe that...

The best way families transmit or share faith and values is through rituals experienced in and with the family.

We believe that...

Together, as partners on this faith journey, all of us - parents, children, and catechists- will grow in a deeper knowledge, love and service of the Lord Jesus.

Admission Policy

The religious Education Program is open to all registered members of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish.  Special needs students will be placed into the mainstream when possible.  Arrangements will be made to the best of our ability for any child who cannot be placed in the classroom situation.  Children preparing for the reception of a sacrament must be enrolled in a religious education program for at least one year prior to the preparation for that sacrament at OLQP.  All new registrations must be accompanied by a baptismal certificate and a new student form.  Adult faith formation opportunities are planned with you in mind.  If you have any suggestions please feel free to share them.

Parent/Catechist relationship

Your child learns about faith through relationships with you in the family, with the catechist, with our parish family.  We want that “growing in faith” to be as positive an experience as possible, so please “get to know” your child’s catechist.  Support, help and encourage him/her.  There are many ways to do this.  Among them:

·         Stop by during the first class and listen to and share with the catechist.

·         Offer to help whenever you can, even if it’s just to sit-in a class occasionally.

·         Visit your child’s class for “special events”

·         Call the catechist if you have a question or concern.

·         Find a way to say “Thank you” in little ways whenever you can.

·         Pray for your child’s catechist regularly.

·         Have your child write a personal THANK YOU note to their catechist for Christmas or the end of the year.

Our Promise to you / Your Promise to us

We invite you into relationship.  We will do our part and we ask that you, too, make a commitment to do your part in helping your child grow in his/her faith.

50-50 plan

Protecting God’s Children

Your child’s welfare is our first concern as a parish and as a Church family.  To that end all of our staff have attended the Course presented by Virtus called “Protecting God’s Children” and are keeping current with the training, have been fingerprinted and submitted to a criminal background check, and have signed the document entitled “Living and Working with Integrity: Code of Pastoral Conduct Diocese of Paterson.”  Some passages from that document are quoted below.  Copies of the entire document are available upon request.

“Church Personnel must respect boundaries in ministerial behavior.  They must always respect the rights and advance the welfare of each person.  Church personnel shall provide a professional work environment that is free from physical, psychological, written, or verbal intimidation or harassment.   In addition to our policies on the behavior of adults and those who aid in programs, we must also maintain a safe environment among the children and teens themselves in our programs.  There will be zero tolerance of harassment of any kind, including, but not limited to, verbal harassment, gender bias, threats, sexual harassment, and foul language.  There will be zero tolerance for substance abuse of any kind, including, but not limited to drugs, inhalants, alcohol, and tobacco.  The consequences for the forgoing behavior will be immediate.”

Attendance

Regular and punctual attendance is necessary for the growth of your child in faith and knowledge.  If your child is unable to attend class, due to sickness, please call:  973-728-8264, ext. 308 (CCD Office) and leave a message.

When you call to indicate an absence, please give your child's name and grade.  It will be the responsibility of the student and the parents to make up the work lost because of the absence.  You can pick up materials from your child's catechist for a missed class the week of absence, or you will receive a call giving you this week's lesson to complete at home before the next meeting time.

Parents whose child or children have missed 3 classes a semester will be personally contacted by the catechist to discuss the problem.

In order to gain the most from the weekly class, all parents are asked to make a special effort to have their children to class at least 5 minutes before the scheduled starting time.

Your appreciation of the importance of regular and punctual attendance contributes greatly to your child’s attitude toward their religious education.

Arrival and Dismissal

We ask that parents take children directly to their classrooms for the first two weeks.  After that, the children (grades 5-8) may be dropped off at the office and go by themselves to their classrooms once their teacher has arrived.  No student is allowed in the classroom before the catechists have arrived.  There is an in/out chart outside the office that will indicate when catechists are in the building.  Classes will begin promptly at the scheduled starting time.

No parent is allowed up to the classroom to pick-up a child before the class period is over, except in the case of emergency, after checking with Janet or Mary Beth in the office.  Early pick-ups disrupt class for all the other students. 

For safety reasons, dismissal for grades 1-4 will be from their classrooms.  We ask that parents come to the classroom to meet their children and bring them to their cars.  SAFETY is the responsibility of all of us and due to the number of children and cars; parents must come into the school to pick up their children.  Monday night classes, grades 5 & 6, 7 & 8, the catechists will bring their students out in front of the school as a class and dismiss directly to you.

Behavior

It is hoped that the atmosphere at Our Lady Queen of Peace would be a Christian one.  Respect for each other and for one’s self is paramount in a religious setting.  Conduct unbecoming a Christian student and/or inappropriate behavior cannot be tolerated in such a setting.  If a disciplinary problem arises in the class, the teacher will try to handle the situation.  If it becomes necessary, the director of the program will step in.  If the director needs to step in more than once for a particular student, the parents/guardians will be informed and a meeting will be arranged.  If action needs to be taken by the director two or more times, other arrangements will be made for the student’s religious training.  In addition, if at any time it is felt a child is a danger to him/herself or to others, they will be removed from the in-school program immediately.

Safety and Health

We ask our parents to notify the CCD Office at the beginning of the school year of any particular difficulty your child may have that would be helpful both for the child and to the teacher.  Ex. poor eyesight, hearing loss, allergy, learning disability, etc.

Snow Days/ Cancellation of Classes

If the Township schools are closed because of snow, poor weather conditions, or no school, the Christian Education classes are automatically canceled.  If weather does clear up later in the day, classes may be held.  Catechists will inform their students.

If poor weather conditions prevail later on in the day, you may call the following number, where we will leave an announcement: 973-728-8264, ext. 314.  The catechists will attempt to reach their students in the event of a canceled class but if they cannot reach you because you are in transit, please check the cancellation line before you set out.

When classes are missed because of weather, we ask that the student and the parents study the chapter at home so that all lessons/experiences are shared by your child.

CCD Office

Registration

Registration for the 2008-2009 Religious Education Program began in March, but it is not too late to register, but we ask that you do so as soon as possible.  There is an additional fee of $50 per family added to tuition of those families who do not make a regular contribution to the parish.  If you are unable to include payment at time of rgistration, you can mail it in later or bring it to the first day of class.  Thank you!

Follow up at Home

It is imperative that the lessons presented in our classes are reinforced at home.  Each week please take a few minutes to discuss with your child what they talked about in class.  Sometimes a catechist will ask the students to complete an unfinished exercise at home and often the catechist will have children apply what they’ve learned into everyday life.  Please help the children learn the importance of their faith in Jesus by supporting our efforts through your example at home.

Calendar Notes:

Home Family

Our Home Family program is a unique experience that provides the option for parents to share their faith with their children at a particular time each week and gather with other families who are doing the same thing once a month for support and sharing of ideas.

This year our Home Family group will be studying Prayer.  The children will be using the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies for home study.  Families in Home Family will be meeting on Sunday mornings from 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. on October 14^th, November 11^th, December 9^th, January 13^th, February 10^th, March 9^th and April 13^th.

Vacation Bible School/Summer Religious Ed

This is an opportunity offered for students in grades 3-6 to experience intensive study of their faith for a two week period from 8:30 am - 1:30 pm during the summer.  This time dedicated to faith development along with the Advent Family Workshop, (this year December 8^th, 9:00-11:30 a.m.) the Lenten Family Workshop (this year February 9^th 9:00-11:30 a.m.) and Children’s Mass on Sundays replaces the full year of classes.  Registrations for VBS must be completed in March.  We can accommodate a limited number of students per grade; therefore registrations are accepted on a first come first served basis.  This is also a wonderful opportunity for Junior High and High School students to practice their faith by helping out with the younger children.   VBS 2008 is scheduled this year for June 26^th, 27^th, and 30^th, July 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd. .

Where Your Money Goes

The breakdown of our day to day expenses this past year is as follows:

          55%    Textbooks

          12%    Students and Office supplies

            7%   Training and appreciation for catechists

  7%   First Communion

  7%   Equipment and repairs

  6%   Workshops and other activities for the children (including VBS)

  4%   Postage

  2%   First Reconciliation

The tuition and fees parents contribute to our program cover 45% of the total operating costs of our Religious Education program.  The Parish Weekly collections cover the remaining amount.  We remind you this is with the generous contribution of many hours of service from close to 200 volunteers, without whom we would have no program at all.

Confirmation

Our Confirmation Program is a two year time of preparing high school students for this Sacrament.  The program includes meeting in small groups, gathering in large groups, participating in a yearly retreat, service projects and two reports written by the confirmation candidates.

Requirements for acceptance in the Confirmation programs are:

1. Parishioner of Our Lady Queen of Peace parish:  the candidate’s family must be registered parishioners of the parish in order to enter the program.

2. Of high school age:  the candidate must be a minimum of a freshman in high school.

3. Completed a minimum of grades 6, 7 and 8 in a Catholic religious education program or parochial school, or the equivalent.  (Additional prep work will be required for anyone who registers for Confirmation without attendance in religious education program grades 1-8.)

Our Mission Statement

It is our goal to enhance, support and deepen the faith of our teens.  We do this by providing opportunities for the candidate to mature spiritually and carry out the mission of Christ and live as an apostle of God’s love.

Elements of the Confirmation Program

• Class meetings: Year 1 students meet in small group with 8-12 members on Tuesday nights twice a month (5:30 -7:30 p.m. or 7:00-9:00 p.m.). 

• Antioch Meetings: Year 2 students gather on Sunday evenings 6:30-8:00 p.m.

• Weekend Mass attendance:  all candidates for Confirmation are expected to attend Sunday Mass each weekend.

• Retreats:  Each candidate is required to attend a retreat in both years of the program.  The first year students attend an evening retreat from approximately 6:00-10:00 p.m.  The second year students attend an Antioch weekend retreat that runs from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon.  The retreat experiences help foster a sense of community within the Confirmation class and bring to light the hope of establishing a more personal relationship with God.

• Service Projects:  Each candidate is expected to complete at least 24 hours of service over the two year period.  The candidates are asked to participate in acts of Christian service within four specific areas.  These areas include: Our Lady Queen of Peace parish, local community, projects with other members of their Confirmation class and individual choice of service. 

• Reflection Papers:  The candidates are asked to express their personal convictions by submitting one page reports on the following topics.  “Why I want to continue my journey of faith towards Confirmation” is due upon registration in the first year program.  “Why I chose my Sponsor” is due with the second year registration.

• Final Interview:  All candidates will be scheduled for an exit interview at the conclusion of their second year of formation.  The interview will include questions concerning preparedness for the sacrament of Confirmation, as well as basic knowledge of our Catholic faith.

Attendance Policy

Attendance will be taken at all Confirmation classes, weekend and Holy Day Masses, meetings and activities.  Candidates are expected to be at ALL scheduled meetings.  A make-up assignment will need to be completed for each session missed, regardless of the reason.  The catechist or coordinator will assign the lesson.  Absences are counted and excessive absences will be dealt with accordingly.

Parent participation

Parents are encouraged to be actively involved with their teen’s participation in the program by:

• Providing transportation to all meetings and activities.

• Bringing their teen to Mass on weekends and Holy Days.

• Praying for their teen and the entire Confirmation Program.

• Attending the annual parents’ meetings.

Behavior Policy (see above)

Year 2 - Preparing for Confirmation 2007 (March 16, 2007) 

• Weekly meetings on Sunday evenings (6:30-8:30 p.m.) beginning September 25^th.  Note calendar for particular dates.

• Antioch retreat:  October 27-29 or March 9-11

• Confirmation Rehearsals: Wednesday, March 7^th and Wednesday, March 14^th at 7:00 p.m.

• Confirmation Celebration :  March 16, 2007 at 7:30 p.m.

Year 1 - Preparing for Confirmation 2008

• Class meetings twice a month on Tuesday evenings beginning September 19^th.  Note calendar for particular dates.

• Retreat: date to be determined, 6:00-10:00 p.m.

• Antioch Continues

• Teens will gather every Sunday evening from 6:30-8:30 p.m. following Confirmation and throughout the summer.

• This is an opportunity for the young people (any time after completing Year 1) to gather and share their faith, to strengthen their commitment to follow Jesus, and just to enjoy being together.  There will always be adult team members present even if only a couple teens arrive on any given day.  (Holidays such as Easter, Christmas, and New Year’s Day there will not be meetings.)

Registration

Registrations for the coming year’s Confirmation program are mailed to all students registered in 8^th grade religious ed or school in mid-April.  They are due by June 1^st.  After August 1^st students will be put on a waiting list and if there is room there will be a late fee required.  If you do not receive registration forms please call the CCD office to request them by May 1^st.

Where Confirmation registration fees go

The breakdown of our day to day expenses based on $300 for the Two Year program

• 65%    Retreats

• 10%    Textbooks

• 10%    Supplies – Office, Rosaries, etc.

•   5%   Postage

•   5%   Refreshments

•   5%   Service Projects