Keeping Our Families Safe
Mantener a nuestras familias seguras
Dear Parents, One of the important duties in these uncertain times is our obligation to protect our children and youth and keep them safe. The Diocese of Sacramento requires all children enrolled in a diocesan school or parish Faith Formation program to be taught Circle of Grace lessons each year.
We are asking you, as the primary and most important catechists of your children, to help us provide for the safety of our children by following the age-appropriate lesson(s) with your family.
Estimados Padres, La Diócesis de Sacramento requiere que a todos los niños y los jóvenes desde Kínder hasta al grado 12, que asisten a una Escuela Católica, un programa de Educación Religiosa o un Ministerio Juvenil, se les enseñe las lecciones del Círculo de Gracia cada año.
Le estamos pidiendo a usted, como el catequista principal y más importante de sus hijos, que nos ayude a mantener la seguridad de sus hijos al discutir con su familia el paquete adjunto de “Discusión y Actividad del Círculo de Gracia”.
About Circle of Grace:
Circle of Grace educates and empowers children and young people to actively participate in a safe environment for themselves and others, while being taught in the framework of our Catholic faith. Circle of Grace lessons bring God and our Catholic beliefs into the center of child protection by teaching:
-
God’s presence and assistance in difficult and confusing situations as an essential component in the Pre-K– gr. 12 curriculum.
-
a philosophy that can be used at all times that reinforces God’s real presence in our lives, respect for self and others, and skills for good decision making.
-
the sacredness of each person and how relationships are called to be experiences of divine love.
Circle of Grace contributes to the protection of our young children and affirms them as beloved children of God. Please help us by discussing these very important lessons with your children and family.
To help you and your family get the most of this safety program, we organized the materials into categories of who would most benefit from them:
-
For All: These give the basic concepts for the whole family, and you are encouraged to do them together.
-
Age groups (Pre-K to 2, 3-5, 6-8, and High School - hyperlinks are to the left of this window). We recommend to parents to review the concepts and preview the videos to ensure they are appropriate for your child. We base our age viewing on the recommendations given, but parents can group their children for lessons according to their discretion.
-
Please complete the assignment in the corresponding grade section, and complete the post-assessment form (purple form).
God bless you and your family!
KEY CONCEPTS BEFORE BEGINNING
God is "Present" because He desires a relationship with us
-
God is with us when we are happy and sad. God does not cause bad things to happen to us. He loves us very much.
-
God desires to help us when we are hurt, scared or confused (unsafe).
-
Having faith may not take away all of life’s struggles. It is because of these struggles, God promised to always " be present," providing guidance and comfort in our time of need
God helps us know what belongs in our Circle of Grace
-
Our feelings help us know about ourselves and the world around us.
-
God helps us know what belongs in our Circle of Grace by experiencing peace, love or contentment when something or someone good comes into our Circle of Grace.
God helps us know what does not belong in our Circle of Grace
-
God desires to help us when we are hurt, scared or confused (unsafe).
-
The Holy Spirit prompts (alerts) us that something does not belong in our Circle of Grace by giving us “a funny or uncomfortable feeling” that something is not safe. This feeling is there because God wants us to be safe.
God helps us know when to ask for help from someone we trust
-
God gives us people in our lives to help us when we are troubled or struggling with a concern
-
God wants us to talk to trusted adults about our worries ,concerns and “uncomfortable feelings” so they can help us be safe and take the right action.
-
Begin with this simple prayer (all grades):
Holy Spirit, show us the way.
Be with us in all we think, do, and say. Amen.
Please watching this video together (all grades). Follow the activity by standing and creating a circle of grace as described in the video.
Click on the grade level to the left you want to do at home.
CIRCLE OF GRACE K - 2
Kindergarten through grade 2 lessons introduce and reinforce the material with varied activities. All three grades have the Stoplight analogy to help them identify green, yellow and red situations, feelings attached to these situations and when to talk to a trusted adult.
Steps:
-
Download handouts before beginning (linked below)
-
Watch video together with your child and follow instructions.
-
Complete Circle of Grace K-2 Assessment (Purple box), or jump to the website here.
-
Done! Thank you for your cooperation!
CIRCLE OF GRACE 3 - 5
For grades 3-5 is the below activity. Children learn about being treasured by God, boundaries, and how to seek help from a trusted adult. Below is discussion development and activitty which focuses on helping children understand that as Children of God we are treasured and filled with grace.
Steps:
-
Download handouts before beginning (linked below)
-
Watch video together with your child and follow instructions.
-
Complete Circle of Grace 3-5 Assessment (Green box) or go to the website in a new window here.
-
Done! Thank you for your cooperation!
CIRCLE OF GRACE 6 - 9
Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth grades cover boundaries, relationships, respect, bullying, and how to be morally responsible in today’s culture. The PLAAN concept is introduced in these grades. Please discuss potential situations that you would want your child to remember PLAAN.
Steps:
-
Download handouts before beginning (linked below)
-
Watch video together with your child and follow instructions.
-
In the video they have an emotions game for you to do at home; or you can opt to do the emotion faces sheet in the download :)
-
Complete Circle of Grace 6-8 Assessment (Orange box), or go to the website by clicking here.
-
Done! Thank you for your cooperation!
For information on Theology of the Body Overview,
please watch the following video with your child.
THEOLOGY OF THE BODY FOR TEENS
God made the world—and you—on purpose. What is that purpose? Well, that’s what St. John Paul II went to great lengths to explain in his Theology of the Body talks, which Fr. Mike and Christopher West sum up beautifully in these videos. With profound simplicity, inspired by St. John Paul II, they share the fundamental truths of this ingenious vision of humanity and sexuality. Made in God’s image and likeness, you are your body, and you are made for love. What you do with your body matters. You’ll have to watch the video to get the last and most powerful point. It’s amazing.
If you liked this video, please stay posted for a series for parents and teens to walk through the beauty of how God made us.