Parent Letters
Communicating with Parents
As you work with the students who are completing the Our Catholic Heritage program, you will have many occasions to communicate with their parents and family. Hopefully, you will have the opportunity to meet them at least during the Parent Orientation Meeting. Also as you and the children gather for your sessions, you may be able to visit informally with parents before and after classes.
Encourage the parents to communicate with you by exchanging phone numbers and email addresses. Let the parents know that you and the Program Director are available to discuss any aspect of their child’s progress and participation in the Our Catholic Heritage program.
Keep in mind that you are assisting the parents in the nurturing of their children’s faith. Communicating frequently will enhance this relationship and demonstrate to the children that the entire faith community helps each of us on our faith journey.
How to Use
You can view and download each of the parent letters in the right sidebar, PDF Downloads. These four parent letters provided here are designed to keep parents informed about what the children are learning in Our Catholic Heritage. The schedule below indicates when each letter should be distributed to the parents.
- Letter 1: After your first session with the children
- Letter 2 : After you and the children complete “The Life of Jesus” section of the text
- Letter 3 : As you begin the “We Celebrate Our Faith” section of the text
- Letter 4 : After the children have been welcomed into the Church through one of all of the Sacraments of Christian Initiation
Partnering with Parents
Use the ideas below to invite the parents in a more active role in their child’s faith development. These ideas will enhance your partnership with the parents.
- Invite all the parents to participate together in one specific class session with all of the children. Choose a chapter from “The Faith of the Church” section of the text for this parent/child session. Adjust the lesson plan to engage and involve the parents.
- If possible, plan a local pilgrimage for the parents and their children. For example, you might visit the diocesan cathedral or take a guided tour of your own parish church. Focus on the uniqueness of the sacred space and the site’s spiritual history. Survey the parents and students to determine their availability.
- Invite all the families to gather at a particular Sunday Mass. After Mass, arrange for hospitality in a parish meeting room. Invite the families to get to know one another.