Parent Information

ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR FALL 2018
WILL TAKE PLACE DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE!
Watch the bulletin, web site, and your email for more information.

The journey of Christian faith begins in the home where parents are the primary educators of their children as they grow up in the Catholic Church. Those teachings are then reinforced during our formalized faith formation classes at St. Martha Parish and St. Mary Parish.

We encourage our parish families to practice the gift of faith in your homes by praying together as a family, incorporating works of charity and mercy in your lives, and attending Mass together regularly. Our efforts as a faith formation program will not be effective unless they are combined with your efforts as well.

Together we can help your children grow to live faith-filled lives that glorify God and make a difference in the lives of others and the world!

As we open our Faith Formation Online Registration today, we wanted to share with you some updates about our program and some exciting changes we have in store. This past year we introduced a new curriculum using the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies for our Grades 1-6 program. We have had very positive feedback from our catechists and families, and we will expand our training for catechists to ensure they build a solid understanding of the wonderful tools available for this program and are well supported to achieve success in their classrooms!

Our middle school and high school programs continue to build on the foundations we have developed over the last several years. We introduced the Reason Series (Faith and Science) and Alteration (The Mass) curriculum for middle school two years ago and each year we look for ways to enhance the students' understanding of their faith and help them grow in their relationship with God. This year the lesson plans developed with our catechists will help to guide small group discussions to focus on the needs of our students. Each grade includes a one day retreat to spend some time together praying and learning how to apply what we learn in the classroom to our everyday lives. This is often the students' favorite part of the year!

Our high school curriculum is entering its third year utilizing the Chosen and Decision Point video series and discussions to guide students to a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God. Each year we have assessed this program and made small changes to improve our teaching strategies. Because the needs of the 1st and 2nd year Confirmation students are diverse, we have decided to offer separate 9th and 10th grade programs. Our 10th graders will have classes in the fall semester (through January), then in the spring semester they will attend a one day retreat and have more time to work on their service hours as they prepare for Confirmation in May or June. (Catholic High School students only register for their 10th Grade year.)  Our 9th graders will have their retreat day and time for service in the fall, and have their classes in the spring semester. Both will continue with the Chosen/Decision Point curriculum. In addition to allowing us to tailor the programs more directly, this also allows us to decrease class sizes to improve the quality of discussion in the small groups. 
  
Please pay careful attention to the class calendars and retreat dates. We publish these early to assist parents in planning for next year. Please make every effort to avoid scheduling conflicts as students will be expected to be at all scheduled classes. If you feel that there is an unavoidable scheduling conflict, please contact our office as early as possible so we can help you find an appropriate solution for your child. Although the majority of high school students are expected to attend with their classmates during their assigned semester, we will be offering one small class for each grade on the alternate semester on a first-come first-served basis. 

All of our faith formation programs strive to provide the knowledge and support our parish families need to strengthen their faith. We have worked diligently to utilize our resources to the best of our abilities while balancing the fiscal needs of our entire collaborative. 

Fr. Joe and Fr. Bill are both committed to the parishes subsidizing the Faith Formation programs as an important part of our mission, but practical circumstances have led both of our Parish Finance Councils to recommend an increase in the registration fees for students in all grade levels. With inflation and a decrease in the overall number of students we serve, the parish subsidies are beyond what the parishes can afford. 
  
The fees have remained unchanged for at least four years (longer in some cases) at a rate that is less than most other parishes. After consulting the Collaborative Pastoral Council and the Pastoral Team (staff) about the Finance Councils' recommendation, there is a broad consensus that the fees should be raised $25 per student. This means registration for those in Grades 1-6 is now $100 for one year, and for those in Pre-Confirmation (middle school) and Confirmation (high school) is now $150 per year. To offset this cost to families, we continue to offer one free registration for Catechists (teachers), and discounts for parents who commit to volunteer in the program. In addition, the Councils proposed a new family cap, so anyone who has more than three students in the program should contact their Faith Formation office to invoke the family cap. Most importantly, children in families facing financial hardship will always be welcome in our programs. 

We are committed to our partnership with families to share the wonderful gift of our faith and look forward to seeing your children again next fall. May you all have a safe and blessed summer!