Religion

At the heart of our school is our religion program.  Our religion permeates everything that we do here at St. Joseph Catholic School.  In the primary grades, the students begin to learn about our rich Catholic faith.  They are introduced to the Bible, and learn that the Bible helps us to live out our lives as Catholics.  The students are introduced to prayer and learn basic prayers.  We introduce social justice to our students to show them how to fairly treat others within our society who may come from a different background.

Students are introduced to the sacraments, and our second grade students receive instruction for their First Holy Communion and First Penance.  Teachers use a basic text in religion classes and the children’s bible to help students understand religious concepts.  Each week, our school community participates in a school-wide Mass.

 Textbooks used:

• Kindergarten: Christ Our Life:  Bible Stories
• First grade: Christ Our Life:  God is Good
• Second grade: Christ Our Life: Jesus Gives Me His Peace

• Understand the human need for God
• Understand that God speaks to us through the Bible
• Form a basic understanding of the importance of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Mary and Joseph
• Recognize the Trinity as God
• Develop an appreciation for the liturgical seasons of the year
• Form a basic understanding of the sacraments and recognize their importance in our lives
• Discuss how we are called to live out the sacrament of Baptism
• Demonstrate how we love ourselves and others
• Demonstrate how we are called to treat others with love, forgiveness, and respect
• Demonstrate how we can be helpful and loving to others
• Develop a moral conscience
• Understand the tradition of prayer, and begin to recite common Catholic prayers.