The Elementary Program will be using the curriculum series , Finding God: Our Response to God’s Gifts, Loyola Press.  Our faith is meant to be lived out in our homes, at school, on our jobs, and in the community.  Finding God: Our Response to God’s Gifts provides an invitation into a way of living in relationship to God, family, parish and neighbor.  This compelling and comprehensive program provides sound and substantial lessons in the faith and delivers those lessons through experiential activities that make these essential lessons part of a lifelong practice .  Finding God involves the whole child: mind and heart, body and soul.  With Finding God, faith comes alive through: Dramatized Scripture stories; recorded guided meditations; diverse opportunities for prayer; connections to the feasts, seasons, and liturgical life of the Church; and Exploring Faith Through Art.   All five grade levels follow five overarching themes of God, Jesus, the Church, the Sacraments, and Morality, each grade level has its own general theme.
               Grade 1: God Found Everything Good (God and Creator)
               Grade 2: I am the True Vine (Eucharist and Reconciliation)
               Grade 3: Fishers of Men (Church and Holy Spirit)
               Grade 4: Blessed Are the Poor (Beatitudes and The Ten Commandments)
               Grade 5: The Bread of Life (Sacraments and Worship)
Lessons will be sent home each week. It is important to review the lesson with your child at home.  This will give you a way to connect religion class with home.  Sometimes you may find that your child did not “fill in the blanks” on the lesson, this could mean a variety of things – instead of writing the class discussed the questions, another activity was planned, ran out of time, etc., that is why it is so important that you go over the lesson with your child.
The Finding God Web site is a great resource for parents, check it out – www.FindingGod.org
 
Elementary Prayer Service
Elementary children will gather most Wednesday evenings for prayer at 7:30 p.m. at the Church.  Parents and younger family members you are invited to attend.  Children in grades 3 – 5 will take an active role in leading the prayer services.  A Prayer Service schedule will be sent home with the children and is listed on the web site.    

Home Study for Elementary Children
Every child and family situation is different.  If for some reason the traditional classroom setting does not meet your needs, you may consider Home Study.  Home Study is an option for children in first grade and for elementary aged children who absolutely cannot attend on Wednesday evenings.  Children preparing for a sacrament cannot take part in the Home Study option; he/she must be enrolled in Wednesday evening Faith Formation classes.  The registration fee is the same for the Home Study as for children in the classroom.  You must register for the Home Study option.  Home Study curriculum is the same curriculum used in the classroom.

Contact Kris Jensen at 441-4944 or kjensen@stphilipsbemidji.org for additional information.