Immaculate
Conception Parish
Religious Education Policies
Our Philosophy of Religious Education
The context for our teaching is one of appreciation for different learning styles and needs of the students. Our volunteer teachers are ready and willing to work with parents to provide a learning environment that will be comfortable for students who may need attention in a particular area. We view our ministry as a mandate to model Christian virtues of faith, hope, love, and respect in dealing with all members of the religious education community: faculty, support staff, and families.
This is our Mission and our Philosophy. May God be with us and help us, parents and parish, as we make this a reality.
The following guidelines are presented so that parents, students, teachers and staff will have an understanding of the policies which help the religious education program run smoothly.
Attendance: Weekly attendance, with students arriving on time is essential to the students' religious education and spiritual growth. An entire year of religious education instruction amounts to only approximately 24 hours of class time. They are with us just one day or less out of 365! Every class is important. If your child has to miss class for a serious reason, please call the Religious Education Office at 508-481-7535 and leave the message on voicemail. Please assist your teen in structuring her/his after school activities and part time job schedule so that there is no conflict with our weekly religious education commitment.
Participation: Because our time together is so brief, we depend on the cooperation of each student and the cooperation of each family to assist in making the most of each class hour. Again, students are expected to come on time. It is disruptive to class flow and disruptive to class flow and disrespectful of the teacher and other students if a student is habitually late. We all recognize the fact that circumstances beyond a student's/parent's control occasionally may affect a student's promptness. We hope that this is a rare occurrence. Students coming directly to class from a school activity may have a problem arriving on time for a number of weeks. In this case, they must speak to the Director and teacher to inform them of the situation ahead of time.
Sacramental Years: Please note that both our First Eucharist and Confirmation preparation programs consist of a two year time span. Therefore, students wishing to receive First Eucharist in Grade Two must first complete the Grade One year of religious education. Likewise, students wishing to receive Confirmation in Grade Ten must first complete the Grade Nine year of religious education.
Behavior Code:
Mindful of our Mission to prepare students for discipleship and
citizenship, we strive to foster behavior that will promote a more
civilized society. Everything that goes on at religious education
class, before, during and after the class hour must be rooted in the
basic principle of respect. An atmosphere of mutual respect
between the teacher and students, and among students in a class, is the
linchpin upon which learning revolves. All students must be
respectful of Parish property, most notable the School buildings which
we share with the children and teachers in the Parish School. We
are committed to providing every student who wants instruction with a
place in our program. However, we must also weigh the needs and
demands of one student in a class against the needs of the class as a
whole. If a student, in any grade, is unwilling or unable to act
respectfully toward others or is disrespectful of parish property, we
will notify the parents. If unacceptable behavior continues, the
student will be admitted to class only if accompanied by a parent for
the class hour, or the parent will be invited to instruct the child at
home. The Religious Education Office will provide teaching
materials and support the parent in this task.
Our students come to class after a long and busy day. So too, our
teachers come to class after long and busy day of work inside and
outside their homes. All of our teachers are extremely dedicated
and most generously volunteer their time. Teachers deserve to be
treated with respect and appreciated for their effort.
Cancellation of Classes: The religious education
program follows the public school system's decision in cancelling due to
stormy weather. If school is closed. there is no religious
education classes for that day. In the event that a storm begins
while the students are in school, a decision will be made by 1:00 p.m.
as to whether religious education classes will be held that day.
This decision will be on the religious education voicemail
(508-481-7535) as well as posted on the parish website. (Weather
Policy)
Cancellations also may be seen on Channel 5 (WCVB TV) and Channel 7
(WHDH TV).