St. Laurence parish offers a Home Study CCE program to support each parent's vocation as the first and best teacher of their children in the ways of faith. Parents who register for the Home Study CCE program are provided with resources and support to assist them in teaching their children at home. Children in our Home Study CCE program use the same materials as the weekly CCE children and are always invited (as well as strongly encouraged) to participate in our Religious Education group activities when offered in person, including our CCE Masses, periodic Prayer Services,Middle School EDGE Nights, EDGESocials, etc.
Families who choose to teach religious education at home in an intentional and systematic way have greater opportunities to share the Catholic faith and to grow deeper in their relationship with God, through Jesus, together. This is perhaps the greatest benefit of the Home Study CCE program for families who are committed to its process. Families teaching Home Study CCE have also found an additional benefit, which is the flexibility of teaching lessons at their own pace and in accordance with their particular (and sometimes challenging!) schedules. It is also a perfect opportunity for Catholic families to join together with others to form Home Study groups for similarly aged children within their neighborhoods. The possibilities of Home Study CCE are endless in terms of growth for not only your children, but also yourselves, as faith formation and practicing the Catholic faith becomes more deeply integrated into your family’s daily life.
Please see the document at the left for Home Study Program Requirements & Dates for the coming program year. This document outlines the completion and credit expectations for all participant families. Please note that
these requirements pertain to only those children in grades 1-12, and are not applicable to Preschool or Kindergarten Home Study families.
As our Parent Enrichment/Homework Checkpoint meetings are conducted throughout the program year, we will list a link to the audio recording of our guest speaker below on this webpage, as well as a link to the meeting handouts, within the week following the scheduled meeting. In order to receive credit for any missed meetings throughout the year, at least one parent is expected to listen to the audio, complete the handout discussion questions and then turn them in at the next checkpoint meeting along with their children's work. Make-up credit for the student will be limited to two (2) absences of the parent made up in this way for in person meetings.
The registration deadline for all new students entering Home Study is November 1st of each year. After that date each year, families are invited to come in and obtain materials (which they pay for) if they'd like to begin formation at home. However, these students would not receive full credit for the current formation year for purposes of sacramental preparation eligibility due to the amount of content that would need to be covered before the Home Study CCE program year end in April.
Through our Home Study program, we want to support your desire to continue your child’s faith formation. And so we pray for you as you continue your journey, as you and your family walk by faith. Pope John Paul II said, “It is above all in raising children that the family fulfills its mission in proclaiming the Gospel of Life.”
Attention PREK and Elementary (Grades 1-5) Home Study Parents If you are just getting started for the 2020-2021 faith formation year, please follow these easy steps:
Watch the Getting Started Welcome Videofirst, in its entirety. If you have any questions, be sure to contact Ms. Joan at jhastreiter@stlaurence.org for clarification.
Begin with the Week 1 Bible Literacy Lesson Outline and proceed from there, covering the weekly lesson outlines in order. It is important to not skip ahead and to complete the lessons in the order that they are provided, as the material builds upon itself as you proceed. The weekly lesson outlines can be found under the PREK & ELEMENTARY LESSON PLANS 2020-2021 section on the left bottom of this webpage.
Home Study is self-paced. So long as you cover the lesson outlines in the order provided order and complete them all by the last checkpoint in April, your child will receive credit.
Note that a weekly lesson does not necessarily equal a chapter covered. Our focus is on the book content that will best support the weekly Essential Question (EQ) being posed each week. Refer to the weekly lesson outlines for the specific assigned chapter pages by grade level for your student. For a view of what your weekly lessons will cover going forward, go to the Elementary and PREK Home Study Lesson Schedule 2020-2021.
At the end of each curriculum Unit, complete and submit the corresponding online Unit Assessment as a family. This will verify your children's progress through the materials and eliminate the need to upload their individual work.
Be sure to attend the scheduled Parent Enrichment and Homework Checkpoint meetings, whether in person or in a virtual format alternative. Keep in mind that your learner receives credit not only for their progress through the formation materials, but also for your participation in these periodic parent meetings.
Questions? Contact Ms. Joan at jhastreiter@stlaurence.org