As soon as our children start venturing out on their own, we
as parents start worrying about their safety. We tell them not
to talk to strangers. We ask them what time they’re going
to be home. We talk to them about who they should go to at a
store if they’re separated from us.
You are not the only one who cares about the safety of your
children. Our Faith Formation program is strongly committed
to keeping all the children of our parishes safe, both at church
and outside of it. To meet that goal, all members of the parish
staffs and volunteers who work with our children, including
our Faith Formation teachers, have attended training sessions
dealing with this topic.
As required by the Archdiocese, we also teach two lessons in
our Faith Formation classes about personal safety appropriate
to each grade level. We will be teaching these lessons in October
and November (the actual date will vary depending on the teacher).
In our Preschool to Grade 6 Faith Formation classes, we use
a curriculum called “Know the Rules.” It is recommended
by the Archdiocese and created by the National Center for Missing
and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The four rules emphasized by
the NCMEC are:
• Check first
• Take a friend
• Say no
• Tell an adult
We encourage you to take a look at the Preschool—Grade
6 materials provided below. You are always welcome to sit in
the class with your child during the safety lesson as well.
Students in Grade 7—8 will be using the “Out of
Harm’s Way” curriculum, while students in Grades
9—10 will be using “Creating Safe and Sacred Spaces.”
Information on these programs can be found at the archdiocesan
website at: www.archspm.org.
You as parents undoubtedly have many safety rules you’ve
taught your children. Since your children will be talking in
their classes about how to stay safe, we encourage you to take
some time to talk with them about what they’ve learned
and to review your own family rules.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact any of
the faith formation coordinators.
