CLASS SCHEDULE:

Grades 1, 2, 3 and Resource: 

Saturdays, 10:30am until 12:00 pm

Grade 4, 5, 6 and 7: 

Saturdays, 9:00am until 10:15am

Children R.C.I.A.: 

Wednesdays, 4:00pm until 5:30pm

OFFICE HOURS: 

(Other times, by appointment)

Monday through Thursday: 

10:00am until 2:00pm

Saturday: 

9:00am until 12:00pm

Discipleship:  Saint Athanasius Religious Education Program is a School of Discipleship.  The goal of the program is to help children and adults to be active witness to Jesus Christ in the world.  It is expected that all participants (1) will worship God through personal prayer, weekly Mass and the other sacraments, (2) will be positive role models of Christian life to others and (3) will commit themselves to the causes of justice and peace in our society.

Attendance:  Students are expected to regularly attend classes.  There are approximately 30 classes scheduled.  An absenteeism of more than three (5) times will affect the student's progress in the program.  For the child's safety, we recommend that a parent call the Religious Education Office to report an absence.  If a child is absent for two consecutive weeks, the office should be notified and a doctor's note provided so that the child's progress is not affected.  It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to make sure that the child completes the assigned lesson(s) for each class missed.

Lateness:  Late students not only miss precious class time, but also disrupt the entire class.  Please make sure that your child is at the school no later than 10 minutes before class begins.  A student who is late more than five (5) times is considered excessively late.  Excessive lateness will affect a student's progress in the program.  Any student who is late must report to the Religious Education office first.  This will insure that they are not marked absent for the day.

Textbooks and Supplies:  It is presumed that every child will bring the textbook, notebook, pencils, pens and folders that they need to each class.  Lost textbooks will be replaced upon receipt of the cost of the replacement.  Please make sure that your child packs his or her religion book and materials in his or her school bag that night before the class.

Arrival and Dismissal:  All children will meet their catechists in the classroom.  Signs will be posted, listing class and section.  At the end of the session, teachers will escort your children by the St. Athanasius Religious Education Entrance.  If you are late, please bring your child to the Religious Education Office.  An aide will escort your child to class.  In addition, for your child's safety, if someone else will pick up your child after school on a given day, please inform the Office in writing.

School Safety:  Because of safety regulations set down by the city and the diocese, parents are not allowed in the building during class time.  If a child is late, parents must bring the child to the office.  A teacher's aide will escort your child to class from that point.  If a child must leave a class early, parents must arrange with the Office for early dismissal.  They will meet the child at the appointed time in the Office.

Cars:  The Police Department has advised us that double and triple-parking have been a problem on 62 Street at arrival and dismissal time.  Please be considerate of our neighbors who are trying to pass through 62 Street at the time classes are starting and ending.  In addition, if you park in the schoolyard, do not block any of the entrances to the school.  It is a fire hazard.  Blocked doors can lead to a tragedy during a time of an emergency.

School Closings:  All school holidays are printed in the Religious Education Calendar and in the monthly Parish Calendar.  Emergency Closings:  In the case of snow or other weather emergency,  the Religious Education Program will follow the Board of Education's decision.  If the Board closes public schools on a regular school day, there will be no Religious Education classes.  On Saturdays, if snow or inclement weather causes a school closing, a decision will be made by 8 AM.  To find out whether a class is cancelled or not, call the Religious Education Office at (718) 331-8811.  If the line is busy, please be patient.  Do not call the Rectory.

Communication:  Our main sources of communication are your children, the Parish Bulletin and parent meetings.  It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to check the student's folder for pertinent announcements each week and to obtain a copy of the parish bulletin (available each Sunday after Mass).  It is expected that at least one parent/guardian will attend each meeting.

In exceptional circumstances, the office may initiate communication.  For example, after two consecutive absences, the Office will be in touch by phone or mail to discuss the matter.  After five absences, parents will be informed that the child is in jeopardy of repeating the year.  Any retention will delay the reception of sacraments.  The same procedure will be used in the case of excessive lateness.

Special Needs:  If your child has a special need of any kind or is suffering from some chronic problem of any sort, please bring this to the attention of the Director.  Such information will be of help in insuring that each child is able to participate fully in the program and to prevent any misunderstanding or misevaluation.

Conduct:  It is presumed that all children in the program will conduct themselves in a manner that reflects their status as followers of Jesus Christ.  All students are expected to cooperate with their teachers and classmates.  If the child becomes a disciplinary problem, the catechist is expected to deal with it in an appropriate manner.  Persistent problems will be brought to the Director.  If necessary, a parent-teacher conference will be arranged.  If the problem is not resolved and the child remains disruptive, that child will be dismissed from the program.

Student Progress and Evaluation:  Student progress will be based on (1) Mass attendance on Sundays and holy days of obligations, (2) class attendance, (3) knowledge of the content required for each grade level, (4) preparedness; coming to class with appropriate materials and homework and (5) conduct in keeping with Christian ideals.

Knowledge of the content will be evaluated through weekly homework and periodic tests.  For uniformity's sake, all students will take a final written examination in May.

Progress reports for each child will be provided to parents/guardians at the end of January and June.  The progress reports become part of each child's permanent record.

Reception of the Sacraments:  Diocesan regulations require that all candidates for First Penance, First Communion and Confirmation complete two (2) years of preparation for each sacrament.  NB:  Because of the religious education curriculum is developmental and cumulative, it is presumed that the final two years of preparation for Confirmation are preceded by five years of class (Grades 1 to 5).  If a child drops out of the Religious Education Program after First Communion, that child cannot simply register for the Confirmation program when he or she is a sixth grader.  Any dropout from the Program must complete three (3) years of instruction.  In the third year, the student's progress will be evaluated to determine whether or not he or she is ready to receive Confirmation.

Mass Attendance:  All children are expected to participate at Mass every Sunday and holy day of obligation.  To help the Parish track attendance, all children will have the Mass Bulletin signed and returned to their teacher the following week.  If they attend Mass in another Parish, they are to ask the Celebrant to sign the Bulletin and to turn the Bulletin in to their Catechist at the next class.  For your convenience, Saint Athanasius is initiating a Family Mass at 10 AM each Sunday.  We encourage all families to worship together as a family, whether they attend the Family Mass or another Mass.

Family Support:  At Baptism, all parents are reminded that they are the first teachers of the faith for their children.  You can carry out this role by assisting your children with their assignments, by worshipping together as a family, by praying as a family at home, reading the Bible together and by teaching your children to live a just and compassionate life based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Finances:  Tuition:  $75 per child.  Fees:  First Communion, $90.  Confirmation, $100.  In addition, please be aware that tuition and fees do not cover all the costs of running the Religious Education Program.  Please help us to keep these costs low by supporting scheduled fundraisers and by contributing to the Parish according to your means, both in the weekly collections and in the semi-annual Religious Education collections in September and February.