Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

A big thank you to everyone who showed up for class this week. We had a lot of fun!

All of the Thanksgiving crosses came out beautifully and we hope you'll share them with family on the special day.

We also tested the class's knowledge of Advent--which begins Nov. 30-- with a fun team game. To help your children learn more about this Christian season Click Here for activities.

Reminder: Keep practicing prayers with your children

**Class will resume in TWO WEEKS** We are off 11/18 for confirmation registration and 11/25 for Thanksgiving

See you December 2!!

Everyday Heroes

There are heroes among us every day, though we might not notice them.

Teachers, parents, doctors, crossing guards, the child who helps someone hurt on the playground--they're all courageous heroes who lead by example and show us how to live with great character.

This theme of heroes ties in to the story about The Good Samaritan, which we learned about this week. People are made by God to be holy (to be holy is to be like God). Like the heroes of our everyday lives, the heroes of the church are Saints like St. Francis of Asisi and Mary the mother of Jesus.

• Sharing your confirmation name with your child is a great way to talk about Saints in our church. You can share a quick fact or two about the saint and how he or she lived a holy life.

Looking ahead: Next week we will talk about giving thanks and praise--Just in time for Thanksgiving. We have some fun crafts in store and will also discuss Advent.

Reminders: If your family is interested in lighting a candle at one of our masses for Advent, please contact the parish office: 941-752-6821

• Please take a minute to look in your child's folder when they get home. We send newsletters and take-home pages for you to complete with your child.
  

All about baptism

Why are we baptized as infants? What does it mean? What is the role of a Godparent?

This week, we answered these questions and discovered the signs and symbols of the first sacrament Catholics receive: Baptism.

Baptism washes away the original sin of the first people God created.

Four Signs of Jesus' love:

• Blessed Water - the priest pours water over the child's head and baptizes him or her in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
• Oil - the priest traces the sign of the cross on the child's forehead
• White Clothing - We begin new lives in Christ
• Candle - We receive the light of Christ

Who are our Godparents?
The class had some trouble answering what significance our Godparents play in our lives. We discussed with the class that our Godparents are present at our Baptism and make promises to God to help teach us about our faith and help us grow as members of the Catholic community. They serve as role models and help us as we prepare for other milestones in our lives such as First Holy Communion and Confirmation.

• A nice way to honor our Godparents is to remember them on the anniversary of our baptism. It could mean sending a card in gratitude, a phone call, going out to dinner...anything that shows your appreciation for their support

REMINDERS:
NOV. 1:

• Practice begins at 10 a.m. in Sacred Heart 1 for our first Christmas Play "Saint Nick's Christmas Tree"
• Family Fellowship Night after the 4 p.m. mass. RSVP to the church office: 941-752-6770
  

NOV. 1/ NOV. 2- All Saints Day/ All Souls Day - Remember and celebrate family and friends-- the faithfully departed in Christ

DEC. 6: Breakfast with St. Nick hosted by the Knights of Columbus. 10 a.m.

NOV. 30: The first Sunday of Advent!

For Next Week's Class: We will discuss how the church teaches us to live (Chapter 3)

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!!!

Building a community

As individuals we belong to many communities-- whether its our classmates at school, our neighborhoods or our own families.

But what does it mean to be a member of our church family? In chapter 1, we discussed our role as the People of God.

We talked about how we are called to care for other people, to pray together and to attend Mass weekly to celebrate Jesus.

• Volunteering with the family for a few hours or participating in a charity walk is a great way to build your community
• Do you have old, gently used toys? How about donating them to charity organizations along with clothes your children have outgrown

Reminders: If you haven't already done so, please take a minute to fill out our survey that was sent home during the first week of class.

For Next Week:
We're going to talk about the first Sacrament most of us receive as infants: Baptism!

The importance of prayer

Thank you students and parents for helping us make our first class a success.

Reminder: Your children need to bring their books and folders to class with them each week. If everyone remembers to do this, they get a star on Mrs. Charette's incentive board, which will hopefully lead to a class party in the future.

We kicked off class this week by talking about the components of prayer and its importance in our lives. We reviewed how to make the sign of the cross (which can be tricky for children) in order to bless ourselves before we pray and went on to review the Lord's Prayer.

• Tip: Learning how to recite your prayers with confidence takes time and practice. As a family, you may want to take a few minutes each evening to review how to make the sign of the cross and recite prayers such as the Hail Mary, the Lord's Prayer and the Glory be to the Father.
  

We also started our class prayer chain. Each class, the children will write down what or whom they would like to pray for that week and connect all of the prayer intentions together. When the children make the sacrament of reconciliation in February, we will present the prayer chain to Father Damian.

• Making your own family a prayer chain is a great way to reinforce the lessons in Faith Formation. You use the time to pray for just about anything including people going through tough times or express gratitude for the blessings in your lives
  

It's that time of the year...

Welcome back to our second-grade students and their families.

We realize it's back to the daily grind -- homework, projects, shuttling the family to and from sports, dance -- you name it. We'd like to thank you in advance for making your child's spiritual education a priority.

My name is Melissa Thompson, and I will be assisting Rozalyn Charette in guiding your children in preparation of the sacrament of reconciliation.

There's so much personal and spiritual growth in store for your children this year. In order to increase parent awareness and communication, we've started this blog to recap lessons, make announcements and offer suggestions to enhance growth in and out of the classroom.

As much as we are teaching the children to follow the path of Christ in the classroom, we are also encouraging parents to reinforce these lessons in their everyday lives. Please use this site as a source for weekly updates and activities.

Thanks again! If you have any questions or comments feel free to contact Mrs. Charette or myself.