Religious Education - Welcome Letter 2020-2021
Hello from the staff here at St. Peters the Apostle Parish – Religious Education program!
If you are a new family, we are so happy to have you join us! If you are one of our current families, welcome back, we missed you!
Please know that we are working hard to provide a great program this year designed with the safety & health of our students and families in mind concerning Covid-19. That being said, we know that people are experience a lot of fear and that is totally understandable in these uncertain times. I have found peace in receiving the Eucharist whenever possible and in praying the rosary and also in trusting that God and His son Jesus, along with His beautiful Mother Mary (our mother Mary too) and St. Joseph her spouse and protector and all the Saints and Angels, are with us and praying for us all. We can always lean on Jesus, ALWAYS!
For health & safety reasons, the program has changed quite a bit. We will be relying on parents and students to be diligent and committed to teaching & studying the faith throughout this year. We will be using a traditional Parent led homeschooling model for grades K through 4th and then a new program that is more technology based, but one that has been around for 4+ years and is used by many, many parishes across the country. It’s called “My Catholic Faith Delivered”. This would be used for grades 5th through 10th. Our 11th graders preparing for Confirmation will be using Matthew Kelly’s “Decision Point” program, which we have used before and found it to be Excellent!
We also have plans to meet with all student by grade in small groups throughout the year to keep fostering the sense of community and for prayer, service and sharing experiences (more on this later) there will be a schedule so that you know the dates in advance. We will be posting a weekly question about the Sunday Gospel and as part of their formation, every student will participate in the journaling activity at their grade level. This would be a great opportunity for family discussions “springing” from Sunday Mass.
We have lowered the registration fee by 53% in order to help keep the programs affordable in these difficult times but also because much of the instruction is going to be parent taught or self-taught by the students and then monitored and supported by our RE staff. The book fees are charged at exactly what we pay for them as well as the sacramental supplies.
REGISTRATION FEE All Grades K – 11 $65.00 per child
BOOK FEES Grades K – 10 $21.00 each
CONFIRMATION BOOK FEE Grade 11 $6.00 each
SACRAMENTAL KIT FEE Grade 2 $35.00
(Kit includes: Reconciliation kit – Together in Jesus, Holy Eucharist kit – Together in Jesus, Banner kit and 1st Communion Candle)
CONFIRMATION RETREAT Grade 11 $165.00
(Fee Includes: Overnight retreat with transportation & 5 meals, sponsor dinner)
**The confirmation retreat is REQUIRED according to the Archdiocesan sacramental guidelines. The retreat facility is booked a year in advance. If students cannot attend our retreat, they will be required to attend a retreat with another parish
*** PLEASE HOLD OFF PAYING FOR THE RETREAT UNTIL WE CAN BE CERTAIN IT CAN STILL HAPPEN AS PLANNED DUE TO COVID-19***
We ask for payment to be made at the time of registration. We request that if you can’t pay your entire invoice in full, then please pay half of the total due now and then setup up a payment plan for the remaining balance via our Online Payment System. Any prior balances due must be PAID but you may roll prior balances into the new fees and divide the total into manageable payments through the online payment plan.
**Please let us know if there is a financial hardship in your family due to unemployment, under employment, illness, etc. We do have some funds, although limited, to assist families in need with part of the cost to attend our RE program. Please send us an email (skapser@stpeterset.org) and we will send you the application for financial assistance. Please know that should you apply, your application will be held in the strictest of confidence and your anonymity will be protected.**
If you are a new family, we are so happy to have you join us! If you are one of our current families, welcome back, we missed you!
Please know that we are working hard to provide a great program this year designed with the safety & health of our students and families in mind concerning Covid-19. That being said, we know that people are experience a lot of fear and that is totally understandable in these uncertain times. I have found peace in receiving the Eucharist whenever possible and in praying the rosary and also in trusting that God and His son Jesus, along with His beautiful Mother Mary (our mother Mary too) and St. Joseph her spouse and protector and all the Saints and Angels, are with us and praying for us all. We can always lean on Jesus, ALWAYS!
For health & safety reasons, the program has changed quite a bit. We will be relying on parents and students to be diligent and committed to teaching & studying the faith throughout this year. We will be using a traditional Parent led homeschooling model for grades K through 4th and then a new program that is more technology based, but one that has been around for 4+ years and is used by many, many parishes across the country. It’s called “My Catholic Faith Delivered”. This would be used for grades 5th through 10th. Our 11th graders preparing for Confirmation will be using Matthew Kelly’s “Decision Point” program, which we have used before and found it to be Excellent!
We also have plans to meet with all student by grade in small groups throughout the year to keep fostering the sense of community and for prayer, service and sharing experiences (more on this later) there will be a schedule so that you know the dates in advance. We will be posting a weekly question about the Sunday Gospel and as part of their formation, every student will participate in the journaling activity at their grade level. This would be a great opportunity for family discussions “springing” from Sunday Mass.
We have lowered the registration fee by 53% in order to help keep the programs affordable in these difficult times but also because much of the instruction is going to be parent taught or self-taught by the students and then monitored and supported by our RE staff. The book fees are charged at exactly what we pay for them as well as the sacramental supplies.
REGISTRATION FEE All Grades K – 11 $65.00 per child
BOOK FEES Grades K – 10 $21.00 each
CONFIRMATION BOOK FEE Grade 11 $6.00 each
SACRAMENTAL KIT FEE Grade 2 $35.00
(Kit includes: Reconciliation kit – Together in Jesus, Holy Eucharist kit – Together in Jesus, Banner kit and 1st Communion Candle)
CONFIRMATION RETREAT Grade 11 $165.00
(Fee Includes: Overnight retreat with transportation & 5 meals, sponsor dinner)
**The confirmation retreat is REQUIRED according to the Archdiocesan sacramental guidelines. The retreat facility is booked a year in advance. If students cannot attend our retreat, they will be required to attend a retreat with another parish
*** PLEASE HOLD OFF PAYING FOR THE RETREAT UNTIL WE CAN BE CERTAIN IT CAN STILL HAPPEN AS PLANNED DUE TO COVID-19***
We ask for payment to be made at the time of registration. We request that if you can’t pay your entire invoice in full, then please pay half of the total due now and then setup up a payment plan for the remaining balance via our Online Payment System. Any prior balances due must be PAID but you may roll prior balances into the new fees and divide the total into manageable payments through the online payment plan.
**Please let us know if there is a financial hardship in your family due to unemployment, under employment, illness, etc. We do have some funds, although limited, to assist families in need with part of the cost to attend our RE program. Please send us an email (skapser@stpeterset.org) and we will send you the application for financial assistance. Please know that should you apply, your application will be held in the strictest of confidence and your anonymity will be protected.**
Questions?
If you have any questions or concerns regarding our Religious Education Program, please contact skapser@stpeterset.org.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding our Religious Education Program, please contact skapser@stpeterset.org.
