January supplementary lesson:

Hi friends! 
We are sad we could not meet together this month but would much rather be sure that everyone is safe and healthy! Until we can meet again next month (where we will need all of your creative story telling talents!) we would like you to go on a little scavenger hunt that we were going to do together. 

Attached is a little workbook. (You can access it here.) The first activity encourages you to try to find different items that you would find in the Church while you are attending Mass (either in-person or while watching the recorded Mass). Do your best to find as many as you can! Once you have found the items, pick six of the items and take a little time to learn more about what they represent and why we have them in the Church. 

We can share any fun facts you have found next time we are together!
We can't wait to see you all again soon!

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EDITED 1/12/2022: 

• We will be canceling this weekend's in-person Faith Formation session for Pre-K - Grade 5. We have asked that the Pre-K - Grade 5 catechists prepare an alternate at home lesson to replace the in-person session. Since the original January at-home lesson just went out this week, we intend to send out the "replacement" lesson at the end of next week so that the catechists have enough time to prepare the lesson. In the meantime, you can work on the lesson below if you have not already done so.

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Happy New Year, friends! 

Just like we celebrate the start of each new year on January 1st, every Sunday we celebrate the start of each new week by spending time with God in Church. In Church we have the opportunity to talk to Jesus; receive the Holy Spirit; and praise God with music, prayers, scripture, lessons from the priest, and various holy sacraments. 

To prepare for our next class together, take some time to learn more about Sunday Mass. In the workbook with the picture of Jesus on the front, please read through pages 121-129. When you are done with that, take some time to look at pages 97-106. Complete two or three of those pages (or more if you want!) to test your knowledge. 

We have a fun activity planned for the next session, so come prepared with some Sunday Mass knowledge!

Hi, friends! 

What is Advent? 
Advent means “arrival” or “coming.” It is a season of hope because across the world families spend the last four weeks before Christmas preparing for the birth of Jesus Christ! To better guide and prepare our hearts for the birth of Jesus during the last four weeks an Advent wreath is used by the Church. 

The Advent wreath consists of evergreen branches, three purple candles, one rose candle and one large white candle. Usually, the white candle is in the center of the wreath while the purple and rose candles are in equal distances around the wreath. Each week one more candle is lit on the wreath.

As you can see in the picture here, the four candles on the Advent wreath not only represent the four weeks that make up Advent, but also represent reminders to live each day with hope, peace, joy, and love.

Right now we are in the second week of Advent, so we are halfway to celebrating Jesus' birth!!

Before our next meeting, take some time to learn about the Advent wreath by making your own! Take a piece of paper, draw a wreath (decorated however you want) then add the candles--one candle for hope, one candle for peace, one candle for joy, and one candle for love. Then, by each candle either draw a picture or write a few words that show what each theme means to you.

When you're done, here is a prayer you can say with your family (or you can say your own): 
“O, God, when we think of Christmas we think of love and lights and gifts and happy times. But, most of all, we think of Jesus, born in a manger and grown up as a loving teacher. Help us to live the way Jesus teaches us so that we may show the real meaning of Christmas. Amen.” 

See you soon!


DECEMBER SERVICE PROJECT FOR PRE-K - GRADE 5:
   Warm Feet, Warm Heart! If possible, we'd love the kids to participate in a service project this month. We are asking that they purchase ONE pair of adult socks (Just one, please. Not a pack.), wrap the socks themselves (even the littles should try to do this on their own), and attach a note to the gift that includes the following: a Christmas greeting, whether they are women's or men's socks (or unisex), and their first name only.
   These socks will be donated to local facilities/shelters that serve the homeless or less fortunate in our communities.
   To take it a step further and to allow the kiddos to feel like they are "owning" this service project, you may want to have the kiddos do a chore to make the money that they use to purchase the pair of socks. 
   The wrapped socks can be brought to our next in-person session and placed in a basket at the front of church.
   If you have any questions, please contact Beth, Amy, or Teresa.

"Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.
In all circumstances give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus."- 1 Thes 5:16

Parents, caregivers, and friends of Second Grade Faith Formation: During the first class we were able to take the time to get to know each other and get to know more about God. Now, we get to learn how to have a closer friendship with God through the gift of praye r! 

In preparation for our next session on prayer, we would like you all to be mindful of how big a role God plays in all parts of our lives by talking to him throughout the day. An easy way to start a conversation with God is by answering these questions:

1. I praise you for...
2. Thank you, God, for...
3. I'm sorry for...
4. Please help me...
5. I pray for...

Please bring in an answer to each question on this list for our session activity! 

In addition, try starting each day with the guardian angel prayer and each night with a prayer of thanks so that you can make a habit of starting and ending your day by having a conversation with God! 

We can't wait to see you all again!


*Guardian angel prayer: 
Angel of God my guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here. Ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen. 

*Prayer of thanks:Busy bees and butterflies, flowers, trees, and stars, rainbows, clouds, and wiggly worms, fireflies in jars. God, You made so many things for my two eyes to see, thank You, God, for making them for everyone and me! Amen. 


November at-home activity for ALL grade levels: We are hoping to spread some Thanksgiving cheer around our community and would love for you to help us with that. Before our November 14th in-person gathering, please create a Thanksgiving card that can be shared with someone that may need a little extra cheer this season. The design and cheerful/thankful message can be any you choose, but for safety's sake, we ask that the kids only sign their FIRST name inside the card. Bring the card(s) with you to our November 14th gathering and we will send them on to parishioners and/or community members on our prayer list, in living facilities, in the hospital, etc. Thank you for your help with this project! :)
 

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Hi, friends!! Welcome to Second Grade Faith Formation! We can’t wait to meet you and have so much fun learning more about God’s love for us all and how we can be closer to Him. In the Bible, God wrote a great love story for the world and in it asks each one of us to allow Him into our lives and hearts every day. So, here is what you should know to start: God loves YOU and He wants to be friends with you! This year you will learn more about how you can be friends with God.

Before we get the chance to learn more about God and each other during our first class, take some time to learn more about Him with your family and friends. Either create a picture of you and God together or create a picture of what you think Heaven looks like with God. You can use any materials that you want! While you’re creating your beautiful pieces of art think about a few things. . .
 
If you want, bring these pieces of art to our first class to show your new friends! It’s okay if you don’t know the answers to some of these questions because we will all be growing in our faith together.

See you soon!
Ms. Cleaves, Cali, Mr. Schwabl, and Mrs. Gilges