Thursday, August 16, 2012

Religious Education 2012-2013


Dear Parents,
If you have not done so already, please take moment to register
for Religious Education at St. Benedict’s parish for the 2012-2013 school year.

Enclosed, please find materials that you need to register your child, or children,
Please return the forms and the tuition as soon as possible so we can
arrange class lists and obtain the proper number of textbooks and teachers.

We offer two styles of Religious Education on two different days; one centers in the family the other in the classroom.

SUNDAY CLASSES – Generations of Faith
All people of all grades and ages are welcome to join
our intergenerational faith sharing program.

Children and parents gather on ten Sundays throughout the year.Each meeting is three hours long, from 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM, and includes prayer, mass, lively discussion and a delicious lunch!

Parents are the first and often the most influential teachers of the faith.  Generations of Faith is a wonderful program to strengthen faith in your home, as well as within our larger family of faith, the Church!

We meet: September 16, October 14, November 4, December 2, January 6, February 3, March 3, April 7, May 5, June 2.

MONDAY CLASSES - Traditional Classroom Instruction

            Grades 1-5 meet from 4:00 - 5:15 PM
            Grades 6-12 meet from 6:45-8:00 PM

We will meet: September: 10, 17, 24  October: 1, 15, 22, 29  November: 5, 26  December 3, 10, 17  January: 7, 14, 28  February: 4, 11, 25  March: 4, 11, 18  April: 8, 15, 22, 29  May: 6, 13, 20  June: 3, 10, 17

In summary, one engages the whole family in sharing our faith and meets on Sundays, the other program is traditional classroom instruction and meets on Mondays.  Sunday gatherings are longer (and include more homework) but only meet once a month.  Monday classes are shorter and meet most every Monday during the school year. 

Families are invited to choose which program they like best.


CATECHETICAL SUNDAY, September 16th, 2012  -  We cordially invite all students, parents and teachers to join us on Sunday, September 16th at the 10:00 AM mass.  Catechetical Sunday is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the role that each person plays, by virtue of Baptism, in handing on the faith and being a witness to the Gospel.  It is an opportunity for all to rededicate themselves to this mission as a community of faith.  Each year, Catechetical Sunday is celebrated on the third Sunday of September.  The 2012 Catechetical Sunday theme is: "Catechists and Teachers as Agents of the New Evangelization".  Resources are available for download from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website.  The National Conference for Catechetical Leadership also has resources available.


Transportation:  Please note parents will need to arrange for their child's transportation both to and from all classes.  To ensure student safety, we request that parents walk their children into the school building and come into the building to pick their children up, especially of students in grades K-5.

Tuition:  For St. Benedict’s Parishioners, the tuition for one child is $60, two children $100, three or more is $140.  For non-parishioners, the tuition for one child is $80, two children is $140, three or more is $190.

No one will be turned away from the program if they can’t afford the tuition.  Tuition is waived for the children of teachers.

Snow:  If the Public School is closed due to snow or bad weather, we automatically do not have class.

Sacraments: Information about the Sacramental Programs will go out in another mailing, but for now please note that First Confession for children in 2nd Grade will be held in early March and First Communion for children in 3rd Grade, and Confirmation in the 11th Grade, will be held sometime in early May).

Office Hours: Please feel free to stop by the Office of Faith Formation before or after all masses on the weekend, or set up a meeting any other day by appointment.  The Office is located on the ground floor of the School near the front door, as indicated at the top of this letter, or you may email Matt Smith, the Director of the Religious Education Program, atmsmith@saintbenedicts.com and/or call 836-6444.


 
CHURCH OF SAINT BENEDICT                                           Date: _____________
Religious Education
REGISTRATION FORM  2012-2013


                                              
                                                Please complete this form and return it in person or by mail to:

                                                                        CHURCH OF SAINT BENEDICT
                                                                        Religious Education Office
                                                                        3980 Main Street
                                                                        Amherst, 14226 

                                                Please make tuition checks payable to: St. Benedict’s


Please check the Religious Education Program you prefer:                   PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY

        [] Sunday: Generations of Faith
        [] Monday: Traditional Classroom Instruction

Child’s Name:                                             Gender: Female __  Male __ 
Age:___  Grade as of September: ___           Date of Birth:
School presently attending:

Child’s Name:                                             Gender: Female __  Male __ 
Age:___  Grade as of September: ___           Date of Birth:
School presently attending:

Child’s Name:                                             Gender: Female __  Male __ 
Age:___  Grade as of September: ___           Date of Birth:
School presently attending:

Child’s Name:                                            Gender: Female __  Male __ 
Age:___  Grade as of September: ___         Date of Birth:
School presently attending:

Does your child require any exceptional student educational services:
Learning Disabilities []  Language Impairment []  Emotionally Impaired []
Other _______________________________________________




Family Name:
Address:
Town:
Zip Code:
Email Address:

Home Phone: 
Work Phone:             
Cell Phone:                         
Emergency Contact Phone:


Father’s Name:
Religion:
Occupation:

Mother’s first & maiden last name:
Religion:
Occupation:

Is your family registered here at St. Benedict’s Parish?   Yes []   No []

If you are not registered at St. Benedict’s, which parish do you belong to?

I am willing to assist in the following area(s):
Teaching []  Substitute []  Classroom Assistant []
Religious Ed. Office Assistant []  Other ___________________

Parent Signature _________________________________________
--

Matthew R. Smith

Director of Youth Ministry
& Religious Education

Office of Faith Formation
3980 Main Street
Amherst, NY 14226
(716) 836-6444
msmith@saintbenedicts.com