Showing posts with label catholic schools week. Show all posts
Showing posts with label catholic schools week. Show all posts

Friday, January 26, 2024

Saints & Sports Bulletin Board


Our Catholic Schools Week activities are themed around the Olympics and the Saints- each class is representing a country around the world and a Saint from that country.

I love a good theme, so switched up my bulletin board to feature Saints living well- playing sports and enjoying the outdoors. I plan to share their stories with my students, and will be reading some excerpts from Pope St. John Paul II's speeches to athletes. (There is a great list here, and you can check the full text on the Vatican website)

I want to share with my students that we can celebrate the gift of athletics and sports– as well as challenge them to see how we can use those talents while also serving the Lord and growing in holiness.


Saints included are:
• Pope Saint John Paul II (hiking, skiing, camping)
• Blessed Chiara Luce Badano (pictured playing in the snow, also a tennis player)
• Saint John Bosco (encouraged students to play sports)
• Saint Carlo Acutis (soccer)
• Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati (mountain climbing, skiing)
• Blessed Gianna Molla (hiking)
• Blessed Benedict Daswa (played soccer)
• Servant of God Michelle Duppong (grew up on a farm)
• Venerable Carla Ronci (riding a Vespa)
• Saint Dulce Pontes (played soccer)
• Venerable Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan (pictured riding a bike)
• Venerable Guido Schäffer (surfing)



Saints & Sports images here:
 

Sports & Virtue Quotes from JP2 here:


"Be Saints" letter outlines here:


During class that week, we talked about Saints who were athletic. Each grade level chose a particular Saint, so I also specifically taught about St. Sebastian, Ven. Teresita Quevedo, and Pope St. John Paul II. This slide show includes a favorite Fr. Mike Schmitz video using some great sports analogies, a video for the three Saints chosen for our junior high classes, as well as photos of the Saints and the sports/activities they did. Click here for the presentation:

Then I had the students pick one Saint they were interested in and do a little research. I included some great wisdom from JP2 to athletes on the back, hoping that they might take it home and hang it up as a reminder!
Click here for a printable version of the activity:
And click here for a digital version you could assign in Google Classroom, etc.:



If you are looking for more bulletin board ideas, check out this post:
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Saturday, January 28, 2023

Mentors to Saints Bulletin Board- Perfect for Catholic Schools Week!



While prepping for a retreat for high schoolers this past fall, I wanted to make something encouraging to hang up in the chaperone hospitality room- a little message to express our thanks to the priests, youth group leaders, overnight chaperones, kitchen workers, and retreat team for the often unseen impact they have on the teens they work with. 

My brainstorming led me to think about Ven. Jan Tyranowski- a man who was asked to direct his parish's youth ministry during the turbulence of WWII in Poland. With so many priests arrested and sent to concentration camps, Tyranowski took his role seriously, beginning first with his own holiness. He passed that call to holiness on to the young men of his own parish, eventually leading to five diocesan priests and six religious vocations. And one of those diocesan priests was Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope St. John Paul II.

More brainstorming led to some other awesome mentors to Saints during their youth, and it's not surprising to me that most of these mentors are either Canonized or on the path to Canonization themselves!

-St. Thérèse of Lisieux and her parents Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin
-St. Kizito and his catechist St. Charles Lwanga
-St. Dominic Savio and his teacher St. John Bosco
-Bl. Chiara Luce Badano and her mentor Servant of God Chiara Lubich
-Ven. Augustus Tolton and his pastor Fr. Peter McGirr


Whether youth group leaders, teachers, catechists, godparents, mentors, or the parents of young people, we know that adults impact their formation in the faith and growth in virtue. The Lord can use His humble servants to share His goodness and guide their paths to Him. And we pray to be worthy of that call! I'm reusing this display as an encouragement for my coworkers during Catholic Schools Week, and you are welcome to use it yourself!


Click here for the "print ready" mini posters with photos and captions on the same page:

Click here for the mini posters with separate photos and captions if you'd like be able to cut them apart to create something like the display I made above:

Do any other young Saints and their mentors come to mind? Leave their names in the comments and I'll add to the collection!
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Sunday, January 1, 2023

January Radiant Roundup

 

Happy New Year, Friends! It's been a year of offering the Radiant Roundup, and I've been so grateful for the more practical organization method, opportunity to pull things out of the archives, and chance to share some new things in an easy & quick manner. If you haven't already subscribed, I'm also sending a brief monthly newsletter hitting the highlights for the coming month. You can sign up in the navy box to the right of this post. May God bless you richly in 2023!

Resources with a * mean that they contain free printables (or shareable digital files).


Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus: Feast Day January 3rd
Names of Jesus Mini Poster* 
The Significance of the Sign of the Cross Study*  (includes content on taking the Lord's Name in vain)
Mary, Mother of God: January 1st
Marian Ideas Collection* 

Epiphany: First Sunday after January 1st (traditionally January 6th)
Epiphany Home Blessing Kit* (Includes updates for the next few years)
*Original Post updated to include Home Blessing Booklets in Spanish*
Gifts of the Magi Bible Study* (Google Classroom Assignment)

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton: January 4th
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Mini Study (Google Classroom Assignment)

Ordinary Time is perfect for growing in the virtues!
Virtues & Saints Bible Study* 3 guides for the Theological Virtues
Virtues & Saints Bible Study* 4 guides for the Cardinal Virtues


St. Thomas Aquinas: January 28th
St. Thomas Aquinas Mini Study* (Google Classroom Assignment)

St. John Bosco: January 31st
St. John Bosco Mini Study* (Google Classroom Assignment)

Catholic Schools Week: Begins on the last Sunday in January
Saint Pennants- Perfect decor for Catholic Schools Week*

Resources for a New Year:
Start the year off with weekly readings and reflections with my books!
Through the Year With Jesus

Traditional Catholic Monthly Devotions:
Monthly Devotion Calendar Signs*




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Sunday, January 30, 2022

January Radiant Roundup: Resources for the Month!


Hello friends! I set a goal to offer some new organization on the dear old blog during 2022- While the search feature is handy and the Liturgical Year tab is helpful, sometimes you just need a month at a glance to see what feast days and celebrations and seasons and themes are coming up. After ten years of blogging, there is so much content here that I want to make sure we are not missing out on anything (And this will help me move some NEW resources out of my drafts folder too!) I got a little behind starting off in January, but still compiled this list for good measure and so that I can begin the monthly catalogue. I'll be back in a couple of days with the February Roundup and then hope to post them a week in advance so you can plan ahead. Happy New Year!

Resources with a * mean that they contain free printables (or shareable digital files).

Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus: Feast Day January 3rd
Names of Jesus Mini Poster* 

Mary, Mother of God: January 1st
Marian Ideas Collection* 

Epiphany: First Sunday after January 1st (traditionally January 6th)
Epiphany Home Blessing Kit*
Gifts of the Magi Bible Study* (Google Classroom Assignment)

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton: January 4th
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Mini Study (Google Classroom Assignment)

Ordinary Time is perfect for growing in the virtues!
Virtues & Saints Bible Study* 3 guides for the Theological Virtues
Virtues & Saints Bible Study* 4 guides for the Cardinal Virtues

St. Thomas Aquinas: January 28th
St. Thomas Aquinas Mini Study* (Google Classroom Assignment)

St. John Bosco: January 31st
St. John Bosco Mini Study* (Google Classroom Assignment)


Resources for a New Year:
Start the year off with weekly readings and reflections with my books!
Through the Year With Jesus

Traditional Catholic Monthly Devotions:
Monthly Devotion Calendar Signs*



And I'll be back asap with February! 
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Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Teaching with Fulton Sheen Curriculum- Over 200 Pages of content, all free!


If you've been around my blog for long, you know that Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen and I are old friends. He and I grew up in the same Diocese and he's now entombed in the Cathedral just across town from my school. When I was in college, reading one of Sheen's books was the reason I finally began to understand and believe Mary's role in the Church- and then started to get to know him as a "local" celebrity. When my dear friends' son was miraculously healed (Vatican approved miracle!) through Fulton Sheen's intercession, I knew that I needed to share his life with my students in the classroom. 

That was almost ten years ago, and I can now credit Fulton Sheen as being one of the greatest influences on my work as a teacher and catechist. His deep prayer, his warm humor, his evangelical use of technology, and the way he could connect the seemingly everyday with the loftiness of Heaven- these all inspire me to be a better teacher and a better follower of Christ. The first year I taught about him in my classroom (and with him) was a powerful and memorable experience. At the end of the school year, I collected the resources I had created and shared them here and within my diocese. Since then, much more has been added to the collection, being used with different grade levels of kids, in CCD classes, youth groups, whole family activity days, and more.

While I have created many more resources about Fulton Sheen and the things that he taught... I haven't been as great about sharing and keeping them organized here on the blog. So without further ado, I'm happy to present the 3rd Edition of Teaching with Fulton Sheen!

With over 200 pages of resources, printables, and ideas, this collection has applications in homes and classrooms with kids of all ages. It's not just for those who want to dive into a study of Fulton Sheen- it's more about using his wisdom and words to present the truths of our faith. These tools are things that can reinforce the content that you already plan to cover, or could be pulled from for a fun mini unit or project.

Some major topics covered:
-Biographical info about Sheen
-Resources for teaching about the Canonization Process, heroic virtues, etc. as well as non fiction sources on Sheen's Cause for Canonization
-Topics that were especially important to Sheen- devotion to Mary, commitment to Adoration, the World Mission Rosary, Spiritual Adoption, etc.
-Tools to help with using outside resources in the classroom, like newspaper articles, 61 Minutes to Miracle, Word on Fire's Pivotal Players Documentary, and the Servant of All Documentary
-Projects for universal Catholic topics, including all seven Sacraments, prayer, Mary, the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, virtue, and more
-The resources cover a variety of skills and ability levels, from simple things like coloring pages to more complex writing prompts to non fiction research, making it useable across grade levels
-And much more!

This curriculum is NOT intended to be taught cover to cover- even I only use pieces of it in my classroom each year. It's more a collection of resources that can be pulled from to support a wide array of Catholic topics while also inspiring students with the life of Fulton Sheen and the message that they are also called to be SAINTS!

Someday soon hopefully I'll get the individual activities posted and my Fulton Sheen tab updated, but until then, I hope you download, use, and share this resource.

Click here to open, download, and print the whole curriculum!

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, pray for us!

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Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Saintly Friends Bingo Game





Iron sharpens iron. I want my students to understand that holiness often grows exponentially among groups of friends or family members who are all choosing to pursue God and His will for their lives. So many of the Saints who have gone before us have been companions or family members of other Saints- holiness begets holiness.

So for Catholic Schools Week, we are going to play this Saintly Friends Bingo with our Buddy Classrooms (older grades with younger grades). The game features a Bingo board with 24 pairs of Saints who knew each other in real life. The "calling cards" tell a short fact about the pair of Saints before the players cover them on their Bingo cards. (With room for variations- play it like trivia, tell a story about the pair, tie breakers using facts, etc.) I think this game would also be perfect for St. Valentine's Day parties!


There are 24 different Bingo Cards- great for a classroom set. And if you want to save a little paper, you can print them two per page and make mini Bingo cards that are still perfect for play. If you are only going to play one round, kids can color each square as it is called. Or you can use any small object for Bingo markers (math manipulatives, dried beans, legos, etc.) An "O" shaped marker like cheerios or lifesavers would be super cute- like a halo for each Saint! You can also take the game a step further and have the students flip over their card and draw a picture or write a list of facts about one of the Saint pairs. Reading the card can also function as a special Saintly Friends litany. Lots of possibilities!


You can read more about Saints growing in holiness in pairs or groups in these articles here, here, and here. This list is comprised of married couple who are canonized (or on their way!). And Kendra has my very favorite "Love Like the Saints" Valentine Cards in this post- they are so cute!

My Confirmation students complete an activity called "Saintly BFFs" where they try to connect their chosen Confirmation Saint to Saintly friend or family member- it's always awesome to see how many connections they can find! I started a doc as a resource list for me that I plan to continue to add to, but if it's helpful check out this growing list of Saintly friends and family members.


I hope you have lots of fun with this versatile Saint game!


Click here for the Saintly Friends Bingo Cards:

Click here for the Saintly Friends Clues:

If you are looking for books to go along with your Saintly Friends Bingo game, here are a few that feature some of these holy pairs. (I'm sure there are many more- this was just a stack I pulled out to use! Feel free to add your favorites in the comments.)
(Amazon Affiliate Links)
Books about Saints who were friends:

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Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Saint Pennants {Perfect for Catholic Schools Week or Confirmation!}


It's almost Catholic Schools Week, and I am so excited to share this new resource with you to celebrate!

In honor of the patrons that my students chose as their Confirmation Saints, I like to hang up a display/bulletin board as we draw close to their reception of the Sacrament. Last year I made this "polaroid" display. This year I was inspired to play off their love of sports and teams to create these Saint pennants- and my students really seemed impressed (something that's often hard to do with a group of 8th graders!) I also plan on showing them one of my favorite Fr. Mike Schmitz videos, which has a great story about the Saints who help us run our race, the great cloud of witnesses that cheers us on along our journey to Heaven.


The pennants make a great inspirational Saint/Confirmation display, or will be perfect for all Saints day, or you can just pull out a few to decorate your classroom or kids' rooms with their favorite patrons. I taped ours on the wall around our classroom door, but they also look super fun hung from a string like a banner.


If you don't have access to a color printer, look into your local office stores. That's where I had mine printed, and even on cardstock, and it only cost $10!


To create a center for the display on our classroom door, and to remind the kids to be praying for receptivity to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, I used the "Come Holy Spirit" pennant included in the set as a template and traced it on larger paper.



I added a few extra Saints and made the color scheme a little more cohesive (the students had individually chosen their own colors for their pennants), so this printable has fifty 10" Saint pennants read for you to print and enjoy!

Click here for the printable:


A few other Catholic Schools Week ideas:
We Love Our Catholic School Display
Catholic Schools Week Bulletin Board 2016
Catholic Schools Week Bulletin Board 2015
Catholic Schools Week Bulletin Board 2014
Catholic Schools Week Thank You*

 ***Update!
I can't share the original file because formatting wouldn't transfer, but I just made a similar banner in Google Slides so you can add a Saint that isn't in the collection. Click on the image below and save the file to your own Google Slides. Then edit the Saint name, colors, etc.

 And here is a black and white colorable set:

And one more update, here's a cute mini version to make small banners:


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