++++++++
Lent at St.
Joseph School 
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Lent
is a very important time for any Catholic school.
Using the SLE as
our frame work we provide many opportunities for
the students to further their faith development
and outreach to others.
We began lent with an all school Mass. The 6th graders made the altar coverings and let the community in prayers, readings and singing. Each student wrote what they were going to do for Lent and presented these to Fr. Chris at the offertory of the Mass.
Each class does various activities during Lent in their classroom to make these forty days memorable. After Mass the 8th grade begins the preparation for the Passion Play (a 34 year tradition) and will lead the parish in the start of Holy Week with the re-enacting of the Passion and Death of Jesus at the 5:30 Mass on Passion Sunday and then for the school on Good Friday at 11:00.
We began lent with an all school Mass. The 6th graders made the altar coverings and let the community in prayers, readings and singing. Each student wrote what they were going to do for Lent and presented these to Fr. Chris at the offertory of the Mass.
Each class does various activities during Lent in their classroom to make these forty days memorable. After Mass the 8th grade begins the preparation for the Passion Play (a 34 year tradition) and will lead the parish in the start of Holy Week with the re-enacting of the Passion and Death of Jesus at the 5:30 Mass on Passion Sunday and then for the school on Good Friday at 11:00.
Kindergarten
• For homework, Kindergarteners fill out Jesus' sandals "I walk in Jesus' footsteps by..." These are then posted on the kindergarten doors.
• In class we read a Lenten book (a Bible story each day) from the Old and New Testaments
• Each kindergartener gives up something or works on something for Lent.
• Each kindergartener brings in an egg carton and 12 plastic eggs. These are used during Holy Week for an Easter project: retelling the Easter story through symbols and Bible verses in each egg.
First
• use Time for Lent (daily devotions and activities published by Creative Communications for the Parish) - use it during prayer every morning. It includes a scripture passage and narrative, plus one activity - students put a sticker on the prayer chart that corresponds to the reading.
• the students are growing to be more like Jesus by making a "Lenten flower garden" - the students write things down that they do at home - these are things like: I helped my mom make dinner, I read a story to my brother, I cleaned the dishes, etc.
• also, the students reflect in their religion journals and make a stations of the cross book.
Second
• made lenten mice... each time they make a sacrifice or do a good deed, they tie a knot in the mouse's tail... plus other Lenten activities/worksheets
• Holy Week - stations of the Cross, Last Supper reader's theatre, remembering Jesus activities
• students have written down how they want to follow Jesus on his Journey to the cross, and placed the notes on a path that leads to the cross- we pray our Lenten prayer everyday, which is the act of contrition - the students also design artistic crosses
Third
• reading from the Gospel of John - have rearranged the room - students sit in a U-shape, in the center is the Lenten table which has green paper stems - as each student does something for Lent - alms giving, prayer, etc., they add a tissue paper flower to their stem - right now we have 2 beautiful bouquets!
• we will learn about the Stations of the Cross and do the stations with the 6th graders on Tuesday
• followed along with the Novenna prayers
• collecting for the Rice Bowl (Kenya)
• reading Exodus as we learn about Passover and the Seder plate to connect how the Last Supper was a Passover meal
• read the Srutinies: the Woman at the Well, the One Born Blind and Lazarus.
• wrote our Lenten promises on a paper, rolled it up and put them into a vase. The students have then been adding tissue paper blossoms to the "stems" as we journey through Lent - this is a visual reminder of the blossoming that each child experiences as s/he becomes closer to Jesus
• reading stories about Jesus and making a book with summaries of favorites. • • we are learning the Apostles Creed
• wrote our own Lenten prayers
Fourth
• learn about the Stations of the Cross
• do a Lenten meditation tapes-series of 8
• do a Passover Seder on Holy Thursday and connect it to the Last Supper
• read a book on Kenya and discuss the purpose of Alms giving and where our Lenten money collection will go
Fifth
• do a daily Lenten journey/goal setting - try and center the goals around the themes of Lent
• do a weekly reflection on one of their goals from their Lenten journey of the past week
• doing the Novena and then we do self reflections in regards to the stations of the cross during Holy week.
• participate in the middle school prayer services each Friday
• reflected on virtues that we want to incorporate more fully into our lives and made a "virtue mandala"
• read and discussed Lenten Bible readings
• will be learning about and participating in the Stations of the Cross and having a short Holy Thursday prayer service
• writing a "letter to God" sketchbook entry as a way of reflecting on our Lenten experience - learning about Lenten themes and historical significance
• just preceding Lent, we had a short unit on types of prayer
Sixth
• Preparing for school and community stations of the cross on Monday and Tuesday of Holy Week
Seventh
• Novena of Grace with reflection time - talk about the 3 aspects of Lent: alms giving, fasting, prayer.
Eighth
• Prepare and practice 3 times a week during Lent for acting out the Passion and Death of Jesus
•read "Every Man's Way of the Cross" for prayer
• do random seating which gives the students a chance to sit with other classmates they wouldn't necessarily sit by
• mix it up seating in the cafeteria on Friday's during lent - the tables had a color code and the students would randomly receive a color chip matching a table.
• For homework, Kindergarteners fill out Jesus' sandals "I walk in Jesus' footsteps by..." These are then posted on the kindergarten doors.
• In class we read a Lenten book (a Bible story each day) from the Old and New Testaments
• Each kindergartener gives up something or works on something for Lent.
• Each kindergartener brings in an egg carton and 12 plastic eggs. These are used during Holy Week for an Easter project: retelling the Easter story through symbols and Bible verses in each egg.
First
• use Time for Lent (daily devotions and activities published by Creative Communications for the Parish) - use it during prayer every morning. It includes a scripture passage and narrative, plus one activity - students put a sticker on the prayer chart that corresponds to the reading.
• the students are growing to be more like Jesus by making a "Lenten flower garden" - the students write things down that they do at home - these are things like: I helped my mom make dinner, I read a story to my brother, I cleaned the dishes, etc.
• also, the students reflect in their religion journals and make a stations of the cross book.
Second
• made lenten mice... each time they make a sacrifice or do a good deed, they tie a knot in the mouse's tail... plus other Lenten activities/worksheets
• Holy Week - stations of the Cross, Last Supper reader's theatre, remembering Jesus activities
• students have written down how they want to follow Jesus on his Journey to the cross, and placed the notes on a path that leads to the cross- we pray our Lenten prayer everyday, which is the act of contrition - the students also design artistic crosses
Third
• reading from the Gospel of John - have rearranged the room - students sit in a U-shape, in the center is the Lenten table which has green paper stems - as each student does something for Lent - alms giving, prayer, etc., they add a tissue paper flower to their stem - right now we have 2 beautiful bouquets!
• we will learn about the Stations of the Cross and do the stations with the 6th graders on Tuesday
• followed along with the Novenna prayers
• collecting for the Rice Bowl (Kenya)
• reading Exodus as we learn about Passover and the Seder plate to connect how the Last Supper was a Passover meal
• read the Srutinies: the Woman at the Well, the One Born Blind and Lazarus.
• wrote our Lenten promises on a paper, rolled it up and put them into a vase. The students have then been adding tissue paper blossoms to the "stems" as we journey through Lent - this is a visual reminder of the blossoming that each child experiences as s/he becomes closer to Jesus
• reading stories about Jesus and making a book with summaries of favorites. • • we are learning the Apostles Creed
• wrote our own Lenten prayers
Fourth
• learn about the Stations of the Cross
• do a Lenten meditation tapes-series of 8
• do a Passover Seder on Holy Thursday and connect it to the Last Supper
• read a book on Kenya and discuss the purpose of Alms giving and where our Lenten money collection will go
Fifth
• do a daily Lenten journey/goal setting - try and center the goals around the themes of Lent
• do a weekly reflection on one of their goals from their Lenten journey of the past week
• doing the Novena and then we do self reflections in regards to the stations of the cross during Holy week.
• participate in the middle school prayer services each Friday
• reflected on virtues that we want to incorporate more fully into our lives and made a "virtue mandala"
• read and discussed Lenten Bible readings
• will be learning about and participating in the Stations of the Cross and having a short Holy Thursday prayer service
• writing a "letter to God" sketchbook entry as a way of reflecting on our Lenten experience - learning about Lenten themes and historical significance
• just preceding Lent, we had a short unit on types of prayer
Sixth
• Preparing for school and community stations of the cross on Monday and Tuesday of Holy Week
Seventh
• Novena of Grace with reflection time - talk about the 3 aspects of Lent: alms giving, fasting, prayer.
Eighth
• Prepare and practice 3 times a week during Lent for acting out the Passion and Death of Jesus
•read "Every Man's Way of the Cross" for prayer
• do random seating which gives the students a chance to sit with other classmates they wouldn't necessarily sit by
• mix it up seating in the cafeteria on Friday's during lent - the tables had a color code and the students would randomly receive a color chip matching a table.
Some Grade Level Activities
School Wide Activities
Earlier
this year we had a visit from the Archbishop of
Mombasa, Kenya, and representatives from the Catholic
schools of that Archdiocese and the local Catholic
Relief Services Office. In support of them and for
the improvement of one Catholic school in Mombasa we
have lenten collections every Friday. We will combine
the lenten money with the monies collected on
Outreach Days and will present these to Archbishop
Lele with a delegation going to Kenya the summer of
2009 to visit the school.