The Anchor 2020-2021

We are excited to announce that we will be having in-person classes for the Anchor for the school year 2020-2021, with some modifications to keep the safety of the families and students a priority. The Archdiocese of Denver has announced the normal, in-person, start for Catholic schools, and Mass restrictions are beginning to loosen up in a safe and effective way, giving us hope that we can get back to Faith Formation, Catechism, and Sacramental Prep next year.  

Anchor classes are scheduled to start on September 22, 2020.

                                    Nursery age children are 0-3

Pre-K students must be 3 years old and potty trained.

Sacramental Preparations for Anchor students follow the "Restored Order" according to the Archdiocese of Denver.  Please plan accordingly for your child to recieve these Sacraments. 

Reconcilliation in 2nd Grade 

Confirmation and First Eucharist 3rd Grade

In addition to regular Wednesday Anchor attendence, there will be 3 required addtitional Sacramental Prep meetings throughout the school year.  At least one parent and the child preparing to recieve the Sacraments must attend these meetings. There will be some at home practice and assignments to complete in order to prepare for the Sacraments.  Also, we will have a retreat day for the children before the Sacraments are recieved. More information to come!

*If your child is older than the recomended grades for these Sacraments, but has not yet recieved their Sacraments, they can be enrolled in Sacramental prep for this year. They will start with Reconcilliation for the first year, and then, Confirmation and Eucharist the following year.

Catechists

We need at least three Catechists per classroom/grade level to run the Anchor Program.  These Catechists work in teams to ensure that they do not get burned out, and it spreads out the lesson planning. Having Catechist teams allows there to still be two adults in every classroom, even if a Catechist must miss a class for any reason.  Anchor registration fees are waved for the Catechist's children.

Nursery Volunteers

The program is a family ministry. As such, parental involvement is a core component of the program and parents are required to participate by attending parent sessions. A nursery is provided for newborns to age 3 at no cost and there is no additional cost for the parent sessions.

Anchor Parent/Guardian Responsibilities

In addition to being the primary educators in the faith, parents by their enrollment into the Anchor agree to support the process in the following ways:

1.  It is important to recognize that the Anchor catechists assist the domestic church (your household) in training the children in the faith; they cannot replace you, nor is the Anchor sufficient to fully pass on the faith to the children.  Please walk with your child every step of the way and be sure to share the beauty of the faith with them on a daily basis.
2. If not already safe environment certified, parents agree to ensure that one adult in the family will become safe environment certified by the Archdiocese of Denver within 6 months of enrollment. This will allow families to participate in the volunteer opportunities.
3. Contribute to the safety of the program by serving as a Hall Monitor on a rotating basis.  Volunteers must be safe environment certified .  Duties include:
   1. Patrolling the hallways, offering an official presence, and accompanying any stranger to the front desk where they can be further assisted by staff. 
   2. Assist the catechist by ensuring children released from class to use the restroom do so and return to class in a timely manner. 
   3. Only one child in the bathroom at a time.
4. In the event that your child’s class is short a catechist, you may be asked to   forgo the parent presentation and sit as an observer in the class your child is taking.
5. Adhere to the Attendance Policy:
   1. For children in all other grades
      -1st and 2ndabsence is ignored. 
      -3rd absence results in the possibility of the parish or volunteer staff contacting    the family.  Please consider this a wellness check.  If there is something the parish can do to help, we would like to.
      -4th absence results in the possibility of the Director of Faith Formation, in          consultation with the family, determining if the Anchor alone is the best fit for the child, or if supplemental or alternative means should be employed.
   2. A parent or guardian MUST attend the parent session every time the child is in a children’s session.  This is not a drop off catechesis program.  Furthermore, since building community is an important aspect of the Anchor, it is best if the same person or persons can be present for the sessions. 
6. Clean and pick up the common areas after the Anchor sessions. Volunteer                  quarterly to stay 10-15 minutes after class to help with the final Anchor                      cleanup.

Anchor Fees

Anchor fees for 2020-2021 will be as follows. We are not collecting payment at this time. You will be notified in August of how to complete your payment. 

Anchor fees are waived for families with Catechists.

Thank your for completing this survey and information.  We will be in touch later this summer with more information.  Should you have any questions, please contact Jolene Stolz at Jolene@spiritofchrist.org.