Study

==// " ////Every moment of every day presents you with an opportunity to grow in holiness by loving God, loving your neighbor, and becoming more perfectly the unique and wonderful person God created you to be.// //Everything we do matters- it either celebrates or betrays our best selves." Matthew Kelly//==

The second of the Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic is Study. Matthew Kelly points out that:
 * A world without truth would be a world without joy and meaning.
 * Relativism is the theory that there are no absolute truths, but rather that all truth is relative. That is, something that is true for you may not necessarily be true for me.
 * The real problem with relativism is that if there is no place for truth, there is no place for wisdom. Wisdom, by definition, is the ability to discern or judge what is true, good, right, or lasting. Relativism makes wisdom irrelevant.
 * People deserve answers to their questions, especially those surrounding the faith.
 * 1) //Each day we need to develop our store of knowledge about the Catholic faith so that we can live it more deeply with every passing day and so we can answer more and more questions other people have about the faith.//
 * 2) //It is important that we are very clear that we don’t need to have all the answers- we just need to know what resources will lead us to solid answers to Catholic questions.//
 * 3) //Together as a Church, we need to get better at articulating answers to people’s questions in ways that resonate with their lives.//
 * Highly engaged Catholics are continuous learners. They see themselves as students of Jesus and his Church, and they proactively make an effort to allow his teachings to guide and form them.
 * Goal: read 5 pages of a good Catholic spiritual book each day. Dynamic Catholics spend an average of 14 minutes/day studying their faith.

Area of study for 6th Graders:
 * Salvation History

Areas of study for 7th & 8th Graders:
 * Year A (2015-2016): 1st Trimester- The Mass; 2nd Trimester- Respect Life; 3rd Trimester- [[file:Diversity Standards.pdf|Diversity]]
 * Year B (2016-2017): 1st Trimester- Morality; 2nd Trimester- Catholic Social Thought; 3rd Trimester- [[file:Vocations Standards.pdf|Vocation]]

Additional areas of study:
 * Purity/Chastity
 * 7th & 8th Grade: Theology of the Body for Teens: taught by Mrs. Elsner and Deacon Pat Fagan twice/month in gender-based small groups
 * [[file:2015-2016 Saint List.pdf|Saints]]
 * 6th graders will create saint puppets & storybooks to share with elementary students
 * 7th graders will create an interactive Saint Wax Museum on All Saints' Day
 * 8th graders will create 1 minute saint biography videos to share with the entire school
 * Saint Project Resources
 * [[file:All Saint’s Day Puppet Directions 2015.pdf]]
 * [[file:Saint puppet story Evaluation.pdf]]
 * [[file:saint-puppet-ebook-small.pdf]]
 * [[file:2015-2016 Saint List.pdf]]
 * [|Video on How to Make 8 page Mini-Book]

Resources used:
 * Youcat
 * Truth Be Told
 * The Catholic Connections Handbook for Middle School
 * Theology of the Body for Teens- Middle School Edition
 * Encounter
 * Breakthrough Bible
 * EDGE Resources
 * Holier Than Thou
 * Finding Yourself in Scripture
 * [|Chosen]
 * [|Altaration]