Resurrection Faith Formation Policies and Procedures

Parents, please go over all of this with your children!

Attendance/Make-up Work: The children will gather for 25 sessions, or 37.5 hours out of the year. Every session is vital to a well-rounded formation in the faith. Therefore, regular attendance is expected of all of our faith formation learners. Please do not schedule appointments or other events during your child’s class time. In the event that a child must miss class due to illness or extreme circumstance, the parent or guardian is to inform us by calling the Religious Education Office prior to class at 412.835.6996, or may email us at [email protected] or [email protected]. If you do not notify us, we will call or email you to verify the absence. Absent learners will be required to make up any missed work and assignments. Catechists will assign the makeup assignment to absent learners.

Class Arrivals: Please be sure your child arrives on time each week as classes will begin promptly at their designated times (9:15 a.m. on Sunday mornings; 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday evenings). Faith Formation learners will be admitted to the building no more than 15 minutes prior to class. Entrance and exit to the building will only be through the main school entrance at Ave Maria Academy (St. Thomas More). Late arrivals disrupt the class and are disrespectful to the catechists and students. Please make every effort that your children arrive for class on time so that the lessons are not disrupted.

Tardiness: If a child arrives late for class, he/she will sign in tardy before going to class. Please arrive at least five minutes before the start of class. 9:15 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. are when classes start, not the times that students are to be dropped off for class.

Early Dismissals: These are strongly discouraged as children miss important parts of their lessons. When a child must leave class early, he or she must bring in an Early Dismissal Form signed by the parent or guardian. These forms are available at the Religious Education Office and online. A note from the parent or guardian will also suffice, but it must indicate the day and time of the early dismissal and the person picking the child up with a signature by the parent/guardian. The individual picking up the child for an early dismissal must come to the main school entrance at Ave Maria Academy (St. Thomas More) and sign the child out before the child may leave. A child will not be released to anyone other than the parent or guardian without written permission of the parent or guardian.

Early Dismissal Form

Final Dismissals: Classes will be dismissed as follows: Sundays at 10:45 a.m. and Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. at St. Thomas More, beginning with the third floor, followed by the second floor and then the first floor. Dismissal of those attending Catechesis of the Good Shepherd I and II at St. John Capistran is at 6:00 p.m., or 11:00 a.m. for CGS Level I on Tuesday mornings. Safety in the parking lot is a prime concern. Parents/guardians of young children are encouraged to escort their children to their cars. Please be careful and patient when arriving and departing from the parking lot.

Class Cancellation: In the event of inclement weather, Faith Formation classes/CGS will be cancelled if Upper St. Clair and/or Bethel Park Schools are closed on Tuesdays or Thursdays for our CGS Level I & II sessions, or Wednesday for our Wednesday Faith Formation sessions. A Flocknote will be sent when a session is cancelled, and announcements will be made on the local news networks (KDKA and WPXI).

Click here to register your phone to our Flocknote

Discipline: Every child and catechist in our program deserves respect and the opportunity to grow in their faith in a safe and cooperative atmosphere. Please impress upon your children the importance of respectful behavior towards their fellow classmates and the dedicated volunteer catechists. Each catechist will specify rules and expectations for his or her class that the learners will be expected to comply with. If difficulties with behavior arise, the catechist will give the child a warning. If necessary, the child will be removed from the classroom and sent to the office where he or she will complete his or her class work. If the disruptive behavior continues, the child will be removed from class and a conference with the child, parent and DRE will be scheduled. In the event the disruptive behavior continues, the child will be placed in the home study program.

Home Enrichment: Catechists may give homework as enrichment for the learners in his or her class. Please support our efforts by reviewing and discussing homework assignments and activities with your child.

Student Needs: It is important that families communicate to us any particular medical, learning, or dietary needs your child/children may have. Snacks will not be given in the faith formation sessions unless it is a treat to be taken home at the end of class.

Syllabus: A catechetical program such as the one we have here at Resurrection Parish, works best when faith education takes place at home as well as in our classrooms. We rely on you to partner with us in developing the foundation of faith that has begun within the family. Parents, we invite you to actively participate in our catechetical program. We are making you aware of what your children are learning each week by providing a syllabus for grades 1-8 on our parish website under the Religious Education tab. Catechists are encouraged to communicate with the parents of the children in their class on a regular basis (weekly or monthly) to keep you abreast of the things your children are learning and discussing in our classrooms. Catechists will primarily communicate through the Christ in Us (for grades 1-7) portal. Please check the portal weekly for any messages from your child’s/children’s catechists.

You can participate more fully in your children’s faith formation not only by being aware of what your children are learning, but also by praying together as a family and by celebrating the sacraments together, especially weekly Sunday liturgy.

Diocesan Safety Curriculum: “Teaching Safety: Empowering God’s Children”:
This safety program is designed to help prevent child sexual abuse by giving children and youth the tools they need to help keep them safe by educating them regarding boundaries, safe and unsafe behaviors, and healthy relationships. 

On our parish website, resurrectionpgh.org/religious-education, you will find all of the resources on the Teaching Safety—Empowering God’s Children Program, including a brochure that gives an overview of this safety curriculum.
Protecting God's Children Brochure
Protecting God's Children Overview
Teaching Boundaries and Safety Reference Guide

There are six age-appropriate lesson plans for four specific age groups:
Grades Kdg - 2^nd
Grades 3^rd – 5^th
Grades 6^th – 8^th
Grades 9^th – 12^th
Each year, children and youth will receive one safety lesson per year. All lessons stress the importance of keeping private body parts “private” and of telling a trusted adult about anyone’s behavior that causes a child to feel uncomfortable or threatened. 
This year we are asking all parents to teach the safety lesson to their child/ren at home. All six of the safety lessons are posted on the parish website at resurrectionpgh.org/diocesansafetycurriculum. This year’s safety lesson is Lesson #3: “Boundaries: You Have Rights!” This lesson will also be emailed to all families, including the Parent Acknowledgement Page, which you will sign and return once you have taught the safety lesson at home. These are to be received by the Religious Education Office no later than March 30^th.

Click here to access Teaching Safety resources

COVID Policy

• We follow current CDC isolation guidelines regarding people who are sick with symptoms of a respiratory virus, such as the coronavirus. Individuals are to stay home and isolate until both their overall symptoms have improved and they have been fever-free without using fever-reducing medication for 24 hours. For five days after that, it is recommended that extra precautions are taken, including wearing a mask, physical distancing and testing.
• People who are asymptomatic do not need to stay home but should take those extra precautions stated above. It they do not have a fever, they should still isolate until their overall symptoms have improved for 24 hours.
• If a child has an elevated temperature or feels ill, please do not send them to class. If they fall ill while at class, the child will be isolated and the parent will be called to take the child home.