Religious Education Program
Kindergarten – Grade 6
Family Handbook
Rev. Msgr. Joseph J. Goode
Pastor
KellyAnn Routhier
Director of Religious Education
Religious Education Office: 908-876-4003
Weekdays, Labor Day-Memorial Day
9AM – 3PM
Summer Hours, Weekdays, 9AM-1PM
Email: dreolm@comcast.net
SUNDAY MORNINGS, OCTOBER – APRIL
EMERGENCIES ONLY:
908-876-5024
1
WELCOME!
On behalf of Fr. Joe, I would like to welcome you
to the Religious Education Program at Our Lady
of the Mountain.
If you are new to our Program, we welcome you.
Please always feel free to contact us with any
questions or concerns that you may have.
If you are coming back to us this year, we would
like to welcome you back!
We look forward to a wonderful year with your
children!
KellyAnn Routhier
Director of Religious Education
2
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Grades Kindergarten – 6
Students entering the Religious Education Program must be baptized Catholics and
provide proof of such at the time of registration. In accordance with Diocesan
guidelines, all students entering the Sacramental Preparation of Reconciliation and Holy
Eucharist in Grade 2 must first complete Grade 1.
Classes are held every Sunday, September – April, in three sessions: Session A:
8:00AM – 9:00AM; Session B: 9:30AM – 10:30AM; and Session C: 11:00AM –
12:00PM. Classes for Kindergarten and Grade 1 are held in the upper level of the
Parish Center. Classes for Grades 3, 4, 5 and 6 are held in the lower level of the Parish
Center. Grade 2 meets in the Teen Center, which is located in the lower level of the
Parish Office.
Each grade will be required to attend one 9:15AM Mass per year. The date of the Mass
will be listed on the program schedule. The Mass will count as a class. Students will be
required to enter the Church via the Gathering Room to sign in.
Classes are conducted by volunteer Catechists. All Catechists have had mandatory
background checks and have attended Protecting God’s Children, a program mandated
by the Diocese of Paterson. They are provided with teaching manuals and other
resource materials. Assisting the Catechists are Classroom Aides. There are also
volunteer Hall Monitors assigned to the Parish Center and Teen Center.
Absences: Students are expected to attend all sessions; only five absences will be
permitted for grades 1, 3-6. Students who exceed this number will be asked to obtain
from their Catechist the lessons which were missed. They will then be asked to see the
Director of Religious Education before May 31st before they may register for the next
grade level.
Grade 2 students preparing for the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Holy
Communion are afforded only three absences. Students who exceed this number will
be seen by the Director of Religious Education to determine their readiness to receive
the Sacraments.
Punctuality: All students are expected to arrive to class on time. A five minute grace
period is allowed. If a child is more than five minutes late, a late pass will be given to
the child to take home. Parents will be asked to sign the pass and send to with their
child to the next class. Five incidents of lateness will be considered an absence.
Children will not be dismissed early without a note from their parents. Notes are to be
given to the child’s Catechist. Additionally, parents will be expected to come to the
Religious Education Office in the lower level of the Parish Center to meet their child.
3
Arrival Procedures: Parents are expected to park their vehicles and walk their
children to the Parish Center and Teen Center. For those children whose classes are in
the Parish Center, please enter the building through the doors located to the left of the
entrance to the Church on Schooley’s Mountain Road. For children in Grade 2, there
will be an orange traffic cone in the back parking lot of the Church (off of East
Springtown Road). Please walk down the path marked with the cone in the back of the
Parish Office building and enter through the door at the bottom of the stairs. Please do
not leave your child until you have determined that a Catechist or Aide is present
in the Teen Center.
Dismissal Procedures: Children will be dismissed to areas marked by orange traffic
cones. Again, parents will be expected to park their vehicles and meet their children at
the designated areas. Children will not be dismissed until a parent comes to the
designated area to meet them. If the dismissal area is snow covered, the orange
cones will be placed in the parking lot along the Parish Center classrooms. An email
will be sent advising parents of this change.
Children in Grade 2 whose parents are volunteers or who have siblings attending
classes in the Parish Center will be escorted by an Aide from the Teen Center to the
Parish Center. They will then stand in the Grade 2 designated area to await their
parents’ arrival.
To ensure your child’s safety, please do not drop your children off in the parking
lot at arrival time and/or wait for them in your vehicle at dismissal time. The
parking lot is busy on Sunday mornings and it is not a safe place for unescorted
children.
Curriculum:
Kindergarten: Stories of God’s Love has been developed to provide children with a
readiness for future catechesis. The key teachings of the Catholic Church have been
appropriately woven into six units to meet the unique learning and faith development
needs of Kindergarten children.
Grades 1, 3-6: The parish edition of Be My Disciples is designed around a “spiral
model” of education. Each year children will revisit a theme, i.e., sacraments, morality,
at an age-appropriate level. Parents are invited to explore this curriculum by visiting
www.bemydisciples.com.
Grade 2: The Benziger Sacramental Series provides effective Sacramental catechesis
that utilizes Scripture, doctrine, ritual and prayer to prepare the children for the
Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Eucharist.
4
Basic Catholic Prayers:
Each grade level will be required to learn a prayer before the end of the year. Parents
are asked to pray with their children daily, helping them memorize their assigned prayer.







Kindergarten:
Grade 1:
Grade 2:
Grade 3:
Grade 4:
Grade 5:
Grade 6:
The Sign of the Cross
The Our Father, The Hail Mary
The Act of Contrition, The Glory Be
The Apostles’ Creed
Review of the Act of Contrition
The Memorare
The Hail Holy Queen
Grade Level Activities:
The children participate in various activities during the sessions. Just to name a few:





Grade 2 – Jesus Day Workshop
Grade 3 – May Crowning of the Blessed Mother
Grade 4 – Penance Renewal, St. Nicholas Project
Grade 5 – Lenten “Pretzel People”
Grade 6 – Friends in Faith with Third Graders
RESPONSIBILITIES OF PARENTS AND STUDENTS
Parents are the first teachers in faith. Therefore they are expected to:




ensure that their children attend classes on a regular basis;
discuss weekly lessons at home and ensure that assignments are completed;
help with the study of prayers and participate in family prayer daily; and
ensure that their children attend Mass weekly.
Students are expected to:





attend class weekly;
follow classroom regulations;
be respectful of Catechists, Aides and other students;
complete assignments in a timely manner; and
complete all work missed due to absences.
5
Classroom misbehavior will not be tolerated. Students will be given two warnings; if the
behavior does not improve, the Student will be sent to the Religious Education Office
and the parent will be contacted. Additionally, cell phones are not permitted in class. If
a student is possession of a cell phone, it must be turned off. If a student is caught
texting, a warning will be issued and the phone confiscated until the end of the class; if
the behavior does not improve, the student will be sent to the Religious Education Office
and the parent will be contacted. If a parent needs to reach their child during class time,
they may call the Religious Education Office at 908-876-5024.
INCLEMENT WEATHER: CLASS CANCELLATIONS
Please do not call the Parish Office. Notice of class cancellations will be sent in one
or more of the following ways:




via automated phone system;
via email;
at all Masses, if possible; and
on our website’s homepage, www.ourladyofthemountain.org, via the scrolling
message.
Parents should feel free to contact the Director of Religious Education with any
questions and/or concerns at dreolm@comcast.net or at 908-876-4003 during normal
business hours.
6