7th Grade Confirmation Welcome Letter
Dear Parents,
I am writing to touch base about the Seventh Grade Confirmation Program. Our first class will be held Wednesday, September 13th at
Class time is 7:30-8:30 and meets in the undercroft. (It can be accessed by going down the stairs to the right of Morrill Hall, or by a back entrance that is off the driveway between the main building and the Parish House) We will begin and end promptly. Please be punctual. Have your child eat dinner before he/she comes to class. Hungry tummies can’t concentrate.
Attendance: 3 absences total from class/church per semester
Please notify me by email or phone whether you will be absent or late to class
Sign in every Sunday in the book in the narthex. If you attend service elsewhere, bring bulletin with your name on it to class.
Communication: All information about cancellation of class, exam schedule, lock-in info, curriculum etc. will be by email or will be posted on the St .Mark’s website. When you register your child for Confirmation please make sure that you give us a parental email address, not your child’s email address, that we can use to contact you regarding schedule changes, etc.. Make sure Thea in the office is informed of any changes in the contact email info on the registration form. If you have questions or concerns as the year progresses, please feel free to contact me by phone or email.
Exams: There is an exam and a short essay which are due at the end of each semester. I realize that the thought of an exam can cause a certain amount of anxiety. However, please be assured that I make it very doable for any member of the class to pass the exam. I will be handing out sheets which summarize each lesson and a list of review questions in class before the exam. Then I will devote two classes to go over the review sheets. Everything on the exam is taken from these sheets. This is an important exercise to make sure that certain material is thoroughly presented and taken seriously by the students. Please make sure that I am made aware of any learning differences that we need to take into account on a weekly basis or when it comes to the essay or exam.
What to bring to class: We study the Bible in seventh grade. Please bring your bibles with you each week. We focus on several themes during the course of the year:
- Relationship: what is relationship? What is the nature of God’s relationship with his people? How do we stay in a relationship? Sin as something that interrupts and damages relationships with others, God and ourselves.
- The
- What it means to be sacramental human beings: If we understand ourselves to be outward and visible sign of God’s grace, how does this effect how we live out our lives, the choices we make and the priorities we live by?
Lock-ins: Twice a year we have lock-ins on Friday nights. These are mandatory events, but are strictly social and are usually the highlight of the year. We meet from 7:30-10pm for pizza, drinks snacks and games of capture the flag and manhunt. A special treat is a chance to explore the underground tunnels that exist under the church building.
Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns (Nancy McSorley, 203.966.0426, nancymcsorley@optonline.net)
Faithfully,
