A Few Class Logistics

Greetings 8th graders and parents,

Here is some important logistical information about RE class this year.

I will use this website to share about what’s happening in class and what activity should be done at home during the week in between classes.
 
Your daughter/son is expected to visit this website whenever there’s a new update, usually once a week, especially so they can know what s/he should do at home.  The activity will be something faith-related, to give the students a chance to try out different spiritual practices, and generally will take a short amount of time to do.
 
Whenever there’s a new post I will notify all the parents via e-mail with a short message containing highlights for that week.

For the parents, if you would like me to send you text message notifications, please contact me to provide your mobile phone number.

Regarding attendance, if your daughter/son will be absent or tardy to class, please notify me as far in advance as possible.  If you have something planned over a week ahead of time, please feel free to let me know as soon as it's scheduled, including scheduled dates with a sports team.
 
If your daughter/son is absent from class, I will contact you with make-up work that your daughter/son is expected to complete.

I usually check my e-mail between coming home from work and departing for class.  So I can guarantee I will see your message about attendance-related matters if you send it before 5:30 PM the day of class.
 
There is an important update to share with you about the class schedule:
Our first class was scheduled for September 14, but we were unable to meet because of an open house at Ascension School.  In an effort to maximize the amount of class time we have during this RE year, the grade 8 class only will make up that class on October 5.  Since we anticipate that our classroom will be unavailable that evening, we will instead meet via Zoom.  More details are forthcoming.
 
We also anticipate a schedule conflict with the class on January 18, so the grade 8 class only will make up that session on a week when we’re off from RE class but when District 97 is not on break.  A date hasn’t yet been finalized, but it will be January 4, February 1, March 15, or April 12, so please keep those dates in mind.  Again, that make-up class will likely be held via Zoom.
 
If there is ever a day we’re scheduled for class and we’re unable to meet in-person, such as multiple cases of the virus in our class or inclement weather, the contingency plan is to meet via Zoom.  As soon as it's determined we are unable to meet, in those circumstances or otherwise, please assume in those circumstances that we will meet online, and I will contact you with further details as soon as possible.  This contingency plan is only for the grade 8 class.
 
We appreciate your willingness to make these adjustments so that we can maximize the amount of RE class time the 8th graders have during their final RE year.
 
We’re definitely planning to meet in-person as much as possible this year, and the number of virtual classes should be limited.
 
Please feel free to contact me or the RE office with any other questions, concerns, comments, etc.
 
God's Blessings,
Paul Rubio

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

October 19, 2021 Update: God is Gift and We are Gift

Image
Greetings everyone! The primary focus of our most recent class was on Theology of the Body , the teachings of Pope St. John Paul II's on the body and how we all created for a purpose. The big idea is that the body is sacramental, a visible sign of the invisible reality of God.  We are created to reflect God, Who is love.  God is love means that He gives Himself as total gift, which we experience in the Eucharist, when we recall Christ's sacrifice for us.  We are created to be a gift as we make God's presence known to others. You are all getting an extension for last week's activity. Please visit Carlo Acutis's website on Eucharistic miracles.  Take a couple of minutes to read a story about one of these miracles, and then write a minimum of 1 sentence sharing about what you learned.  Bring that sheet with you to class this Tuesday. Looking ahead, the plan is to watch a documentary in class this coming Tuesday, Champions of Faith: Baseball Edition .  It is a...
Read more

January 25 Class Update: God with Us and Close to Us

Image
Greetings everyone! It was so great to be back in class and see all of you this past Tuesday. To recap , we did some further follow-up to the Christmas Season and the Incarnation of God in Christ by thinking about how great gift Christ is to us, our very God becoming human to be close with us and be with us forever.  We read a commentary from a teen-geared Student Bible I got as a gift back in 7th grade.  And remember the baby pictures and seeing my teddy bear?  God continues to make Himself known to us, especially at Mass, as I shared with a two different stories. Then, we heard from our guest speaker, Ms. Baer , an Ascension parishioner and a special education teacher at OPRFHS.  She talked about her faith experiences in her life growing up and in college.  She also shared about her time at World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid and her trip to the Holy Land for the Christmas Season 2019-2020.  Thank you, Ms. Baer, for visiting and sharing so many wonderful insig...
Read more

November 9 Class Update: Being Church

Image
Greetings everyone! In the spirit of the Feast of All Souls last week Tuesday, November 2, we started class our most recent class spending time remembering those we know who have passed from us, reflecting with words and images.   For this week's activity, please keep the card you used for this reflection in some place where you'll see it constantly.  Nothing needs to be turned in at our next class.  If you haven't yet handed in the previous two activities, on Eucharistic miracles and canonization prayers, please be sure you do so at our next class on November 16. Paul also shared in-depth his story of faith in life. We also spent time focusing on what it means to be church, the people of God driven by the mission He has given us.   To speak about the idea of mission, Paul shared a video of his cousin's apparel company, Belong Designs, whose slogan is "When you follow your passion, you find where you belong." During our closing prayer, everyone drew a "li...
Read more