Rejoice! He is risen!

Catechist Handbook

1. Call parents on class list and explain you are their child’s Catechist. Instruct them to look for your signature on the sign in sheet on the podium to the right of Parish Center main entrance doors. If you are not signed in, they must wait in the lobby until you arrive and sign in. PARENTS MAY NOT WAIT IN AN EMPTY CLASSROOM FOR YOUR ARRIVAL.

2. Arrive for class 5 minutes early and sign in on sign in sheet on podium to the right of Parish Center main entrance doors.

3. Student sign in/out MUST be done in the classroom, NOT while you are walking in, in the parking lot or lobby of Parish Center.

5. Prepare a weekly written lesson plan to follow during class. The Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Bible are good reference books for your lesson plans.

6. Attend special event days throughout the school year, in addition to your weekly class, to work with your students.

7. Turn in your sign in/out sheet to security at the end of class each week.

8. Turn in your Attendance Register to security at the end of the last class each month.

9. Return your copy of Teacher’s Manual, Activity Book and student text at the end of your last class for the year. PLEASE DO NOT WRITE IN BOOKS.

10. Maintain a safe environment and uphold all the principles outlined in the Volunteer Code of Conduct.

Supervision

1. You are responsible for the safety of the students in your class, while class is in session, therefore, you should never leave your class without proper supervision.

2. You must be present in the classroom during sign in/out. If a parent is late in picking up their child and you must leave, please bring the child and the sign in/out sheet to the office so that the child is properly supervised until he/she is picked up.

Safe Environment

1. You are not permitted to take photos or videos of your students.

2. You are not permitted to drive students to class or

home after class.

3. NO UNAUTHORIZED PERSONS, GUESTS, CATECHIST’S CHILDREN OR FRIENDS ALLOWED IN THE CLASSROOM DURING CLASS. ONLY CHILDREN WHOSE NAMES ARE ON THE CLASS LIST ARE ALLOWED IN THE CLASSROOM DURING CLASS TIME.

4. No lit candles, matches, cigarette lighters, etc. are allowed to be brought into the classrooms.

Custody Issues and Orders of Protection

1-Where an order of protection is in effect, the Faith Formation Office will provide you with the necessary information so that the child’s safety can be secured. If possible, a picture of the person against whom the order was entered will also be provided.

2-Where an order of protection is in effect, the Faith Formation Office will provide a list of names of those persons allowed to pick up the child.

3-Where there is an order of protection in effect, anyone picking up the child must present photo I.D. to the catechist.

4-Non custodial parents may have access to information regarding student’s progress and reception of sacraments unless the custody agreement specifically forbids this. If non custodial parents request information from you regarding their children please refer them to the Faith Formation Office so that we can ascertain if such information can be given to them.

Confidentiality

In the course of your ministry you may learn confidential information about your students and their families. You are expected not to share this information with anyone, except as absolutely necessary to prevent harm to the child or others.

Emergency Procedures and Fire Drills

In the event of fire or an emergency which requires the Parish Center building to be evacuated the following procedures are to be followed:

Rooms 1, 2 & 3 (upstairs)

Teacher will calmly line up all students, take the student sign in/out sheet and walk students down the stairs and out the door immediately facing the stairs. Once outside proceed along the sidewalk in front of the Parish Center to the east side of the parking lot (closest to the Rectory). Take attendance to ensure that all your students are safely out of the building and walk to the Church.

First floor classroom (next to office)

Teacher will calmly line up all students, take the student sign in/out sheet and walk students out the front doors of the Parish Center. Once outside proceed along the sidewalk in front of the Parish Center to the east side of the parking lot (side closest to the Rectory). Take attendance to ensure that all your students are safely out of the building and walk to the Church.

Rooms 4 & 5 (new classrooms)

Teacher will calmly line up all students, take the student sign in/out sheet and walk students out the door and to the right so as to exit through the east doors (doors facing the Rectory) of the Parish Center. Once outside proceed along the sidewalk on the east side of the Parish Center to the east side of the parking lot. Take attendance to ensure that all your students are safely out of the building and walk to the Church.

Room 6 (new classroom)

Teacher will calmly line up all students, take the student sign in/out sheet and walk students out the door and to the left so as to exit through the west doors (doors facing the woods) of the Parish Center. Once outside proceed along the sidewalk on the west side of the Parish Center to the front of the building and along the front sidewalk to the east side of the parking lot (side closest to the Rectory). Take attendance to ensure that all your students are safely out of the building and walk to the Church. Once all classes are by the Church each catechist will keep their class in an orderly line. Everyone must follow any instructions given by our staff or emergency personnel.

Arrival and Dismissal

1. For the safety of the children, ALL students must be escorted to their classroom and picked up from their classroom. Parents are required to sign the children in and out of class.

2. The side doors of the Parish Center are not to be used, except in case of an emergency requiring the evacuation of the building. All parents, students, and catechists are to enter and exit the Parish Center using the main doors off the lobby.

3. NO ONE IS PERMITTED IN THE CLASSROOMS UNLESS A CATECHIST IS PRESENT IN THE ROOM.

4. Outside doors of the building will be locked 10 minutes after classes begin. Once classes begin no one is allowed to remain in the building except the classes that are in session. If special circumstances arise and anyone else must remain in building, they will be required to sign in and out at the main entrance and must remain in the lobby area.

5. Children arriving late to class will obtain a late pass from Security and the PARENT will escort them to class and sign them in.

6. If parents need to pick up their child early, they must obtain an early release pass from Security before they sign their child into class and let you know they will be picking up their child early. The pass will allow the parent back into the building early.

7. A note is NEEDED for any child that is not brought in or picked up by their parent. It must state the name of the person who will bring or pickup their child. The note must be dated and signed by the parent. These notes must be given to the Catechist at the beginning of class. The person picking up the child must present photo I.D.

Attendance

Students are expected to attend class each week, to arrive for class on time and to remain in class for the entire time class is in session. Attendance will be taken in each class and clear attendance records must be kept by all catechists.

1. If a child is absent mark the absence on your attendance register with an X.

2. You must assign work to make up any absence. Once the make-up work has been done by the student, note that on your attendance register by circling the absence (X).

3. Only 3 absences are allowed per school year. After 3 absences the parent will be called by the Faith Formation Office with the possibility of child being taken out of class and placed on home study.

4. Make up work will be assigned by the Faith Formation office to all Confirmation Preparation 1 & 2, RCIC 1 & 2 and High School students who are absent from any large group presentation regardless of the reason for their absence. Make up work must be completed and returned to the office in a timely manner.

5. Any child which we determine to have excessive absences will be required by the office to take and pass an evaluation at the end of the year. Excessive absences for students in the sacramental classes - that is, first, second, Confirmation Preparation 1 & 2 and RCIC 1 & 2 and High School, may result in a delay in receiving the sacraments.

6. If a serious health problem arises please ask the parent to notify the Faith Formation Office so that we may make any necessary arrangements to accommodate the child’s health needs.

Student Conduct and Discipline

Disruptive behavior in the classroom is not acceptable, it interferes with the teacher and those students who wish to learn. Any disruptive student should be sent to the office so that the parents can be called. Repeated disciplinary problems will result in child being removed from class and placed on home study. Behavioral issues should be addressed immediately.

1. Respectful and courteous behavior is expected at all times.

2. No parties, food or drink are permitted in the classrooms or in the Church.

3. Students will be reminded of the above guidelines once. If the student continues to ignore the guidelines he/she will be referred to the Office to set up a meeting with the parents.

4. The Parish Center and Church buildings, their furnishings (tables, chairs, blackboards, pews etc), and grounds are for the use of all parishioners. Their careful and respectful use is expected of all students. Anyone caught vandalizing Church property in any way must be immediately sent to the office and their parents will be called. The family will be held responsible for the cleaning, repair or replacement of any damage done by any student through vandalism. Depending on the extent of damage, the child may also be suspended from the program.

5. Any student found in possession of an illegal or unauthorized substance on parish property or at parish sponsored events must be sent to the office. They will be immediately suspended from the program.

Dress Code

1. Students must dress in attire appropriate to a visit to the church. Our efforts to teach reverence for God and each other include guiding students in how to best present themselves modestly and respectfully. Students must refrain from tight fitting clothing, short shorts or skirts, bare midriffs, halter tops, spaghetti straps or any shirt/top that exposes cleavage. Pants should be worn at the waist, no sagging pants that expose undergarments, basketball jerseys or see through mesh that does not have a T-shirt on underneath.

2. Articles of clothing which depict themes of drugs, alcohol, profanity, weapons and innuendo are forbidden.

3. Hats, caps, hoods, etc. are not to be worn in the classroom, Parish Center or Church at any time.

4. For safety reasons Heelies (sneakers with wheels) will not be allowed in classrooms, Parish Center or Church.

Electronic Devices

1. Cell phones must be powered off during class time. This applies to Catechists as well as students.

2. Headphones, MP3 players, I pods or any other electronic devices should not be brought to class.

3. No games or toys brought into classroom.

4. Students will be reminded of the above guidelines regarding dress code and electronic devices once. If the student continues to ignore the guidelines he/she will be referred to the Office to set up a meeting with the parents.

Bathroom

Please encourage parents to have their children use the bathroom before arriving for class. If any child has a physical condition that might require multiple trips to the bathroom, they must notify the Faith Formation Office and the Catechist.

Homework

Catechists may assign homework to their students as a way of reinforcing material taught in class.

Students are expected to attend classes faithfully each week and to complete all homework assignments.

Progress Reports

Catechists must issue a progress report for each of their students once during the year. The report must include information regarding student attendance, behavior, classroom work and participation. Parents have the responsibility to read the report, sign it and return it to you.

Emergency Closings and Individual Class Cancellations

1-When ALL classes are cancelled due to inclement weather or other emergency the following stations will announce the closing:

WALK Radio 97.5 FM

NEWS 12 Television

YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE A PHONE CALL FROM THE FAITH FORMATION OFFICE.

Please note that the safety of one and all is our concern. Meetings can be rescheduled and classes can be made up, but we would never want to learn that anyone wound up in harm’s way because they felt obliged to get here.

2. If you need to cancel your class for personal reasons, you must call the students to notify them of the cancellation.

Books: Ignatius Press, Faith & Life series

Students receive a text book that MUST be returned to the office in good condition at the end of the year or parents will incur a charge to replace the book. If a child loses his/her book, a new one must be purchased at an additional fee. If parents wish to keep their child’s textbook at the end of the year, they may pay an additional fee of $20.00 to do so.

Children With Special Needs

Providing faith formation for special children is an important part of our program. Every reasonable effort will be made to assist parents to provide the best possible experience for their children.

Complaint Procedures

In the event that a parent has a complaint regarding the Faith Formation program, the following procedure should be taken. First, they should speak to the Catechist, then, to our Administrator, Theresa Amorese, and then to our Pastor, Fr. Gregory Yacyshyn. If the issue is not resolved to their satisfaction they should then contact the Diocese of Rockville Centre Office of Faith Formation at (516) 678-5800, ext. 506.

Medical Conditions

1-Parents should inform the Faith Formation Office of special medical conditions such as allergies, asthma, auditory or visual impairments, seizures, etc. This information will be shared with staff and Catechists on a “need to know” basis.

2-Medications will not be given to any child by a Catechist or other staff member.

3-In the event of an accident or incident, the Faith Formation Office must be notified immediately and an incident report must be filled out and submitted.

Field Trips

Because field trips expose us to such great liability they are expressly forbidden.

Copyrighted materials in textbooks or other sources may not be duplicated without prior authorization from the author.

Change of Address and/or Telephone Number

Please inform the Faith Formation Office of any change of address or telephone number for any of your students.

Your own personal information also needs to be updated as soon as changes are made.

Right to Amend

The catechetical leader and the Faith Formation program reserve the right to amend the Parent Handbook for just cause. Parents will be notified if changes are made.

For Faith Formation information please log onto www.stjudemb.org and follow the links.

YEARLY DAYS OFF

2011 - 2012

Classes begin

Monday October 3, 2011

THERE WILL BE NO FAITH FORMATION CLASSES ON THE FOLLOWING DATES

October 10, 2011 - Columbus Day

October 31, 2011 - Halloween

November 11, 2011 - Veterans Day

November 23 - 27, 2011 - Thanksgiving Recess

(Classes resume November 28, 2011)

December 24, 2011 - January 2, 2012

Winter Recess

(Classes resume January 3, 2012)

January 16, 2012 - Martin Luther King

February 20- 25, 2012 - Mid Winter Recess

(Classes resume February 27, 2012)

April 6-14, 2012 - Spring Break

ALL CLASSES END WEEK OF April 23, 2012 NOT BEFORE

Monthly Calendars

A monthly calendar is available online at www.stjudemb.org. There will be some copies each month in the calendar slot of the mailboxes.

CATECHIST ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM

PLEASE PRINT THE FOLLOWING PAGE, FILL IN INFORMATION, SIGN IT AND RETURN IT TO FAITH FORMATION OFFICE

CATECHIST ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM

By signing below I acknowledge that I have read and reviewed the 2011-2012 Faith Formation Catechist Handbook of St Jude Parish. I agree to abide by the policies set forth in the handbook.

NAME: ___________________________________________

SIGNATURE: ______________________________________

DATE: ____________________________________________

St. Jude R.C. Church

89 Overlook Drive
Mastic Beach, NY 11951
(631)281-5743

Catechist Handbook

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St. Jude R.C. Church

89 Overlook Drive Mastic Beach, NY 11951 (631)281-5743

Catechist Handbook

Menu

89 Overlook Drive
Mastic Beach, NY 11951
(631)281-5743