Thursday, 25th July 2019 at 6:30pm

AIMS
 To provide a space and structure for teacher and parents to meet and greet.
 To affirm parents in the faith experience they have shared with their children.
 To familiarise parents with the upcoming Confirmation unit of work.
PREPARATION
 Chairs set out facing the front of the room
 Handout sheets
o Unit Information Sheet
 Name tags and markers in the centre of the circle
 Sticky note pad
 Pencils/Pens in centre of circle
 PowerPoint Presentation
 Tea/Coffee and share plates
INTRODUCTION
 “It is great that you are here we are glad that you could make it.”
 Welcome from Mr Fiume and Mr Paljetak.
 Welcome to Father Patrick Lim and our parents/guardians.
 A couple of practicalities – “everyone should have a name tag that we can see and
read. Please switch your mobile phones off for the next hour.”
 “Tonight we will be following the outline of the Confirmation unit of work and exploring
the different aspects in greater depth.”
 At the end of the evening, there will be a handout, giving details of the actual
Confirmation unit of work and some time to ask questions.
 Let us begin tonight’s gathering in prayer….

OPENING PRAYER
Spirit of God, grant me: The gift of wisdom
To see the world through your eyes,
The gift of counsel
To make difficult decisions,
The gifts of knowledge and understanding
To use my mind to know you and to love you,
The gift of fortitude
To have the courage to live in the faith
Despite the difficulties and disappointments,
The gift of piety
To be able to express my special love
And commitment to you,
And the right kind of awesome fear
That makes me pause to wonder and revere God’s Love.
Amen.

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KEY UNDERSTANDINGS
The unit of work will consist of six key understandings that include:
 God created people with body and soul
The soul is the part of the body that is not physical and lasts forever even after physical
death. As people realise that God empowers them to do what is good, they recognise that it
is the soul that makes it possible for them to reflect God through their thoughts, words and
actions.
 Jesus promised the Holy Spirit
Jesus explained that the Holy Spirit would strengthen people both as individuals and as
Christian communities to continue their purpose and mission and so to spread the Word of
God as disciples.
 The gift of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit helps people develop the special qualities and attitudes that develop as they
grow in faith. The Holy Spirit helps those who receive Confirmation to:
o live as Jesus taught
o tell others about the teachings of Jesus and be his witnesses.
When people are confirmed they will be filled with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit to guide
and support them throughout their lives.
 Celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation
Being marked with the sign of a cross at Confirmation, as people are marked at Baptism,
reminds them of their Christian identity, their call to mission and their invitation to be the
presence of Jesus in the world by:
o being true witnesses of Jesus
o spreading and defending the faith by word and deed.

 The fruits of the Holy Spirit strengthen people to live like Jesus
The fruits of the Holy Spirit help people to think, speak and behave more like Jesus in their
daily life. Confirmed people find that the fruits of the Holy Spirit grow within them when they:
o try to live as Jesus taught
o pray daily
o receive the nourishment of Jesus in Holy Communion.

 Every Sunday is a new Pentecost

As Christians gather each Sunday for Mass, they are nourished by the Eucharist to reflect
God through their thoughts, words and actions in their daily lives.

The first week will address the ‘wondering at the creator’ phase. Students will identify
qualities of the soul and discover ways in which God helps to strengthen the soul. They will
also look at ways God helps strengthen other people to be heroic in the Catholic faith. This
will be a stage where students start to make connections with everyday people to then the
role of saints. I encourage you to share your own experiences with your child on how helps
strengthens your soul.
The second week will begin the ‘promise of Christian salvation’ phase. Students will be able
to state the qualities of the soul and identify ways in which God empowers humans to do
what is good. This will link to the Jesus aspect and how He showed spiritual and heroic
strength. The theme of the Holy Spirit will begin to appear and begin the conversations of
living a life like Jesus. Practicing the values and teachings of Jesus at home will reinforce the
ideals of being a good human.

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The next week will continue to focus on stories that demonstrate how the Holy Spirit can
strengthen the soul by reading scripture passages. The Saint Box project will begin this
week and I ask all parents and guardians to start putting aside any reusable items now so
that the children will have a range of items to choose from and bring to class. Discuss your
own Confirmation saint with your child and explain how they have guided you on your won
religious journey.
The following week continues the research and crafts for their Saints Box in which the end
goal will be to present their research and decorated box to the year 5 class. The idea is to
assess the student’s research skills and comprehension while evaluating their oral language
skills. The remainder of the week will focus on the ‘Christian Response’. The students will
begin learning of the Confirmation steps and practice the Confirmation ceremony.
The last week of the unit focus on the beatitudes form Matthew 5:1-12 before students
complete a unit test. Before the Confirmation ceremony itself, students will have the
opportunity to attend reconciliation. After the ceremony, the students will be writing a self-
reflection on the unit of work and Confirmation. Celebrate the week leading up to
Confirmation and encourage your child to reflect on the sacrament.
Father Patrick Lim will speak for the next 15 minutes and will explain the Parish’s
involvement with the Confirmation process.
ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING
Throughout the unit, students will be continually assessed with constant and timely feedback
to develop their understanding throughout the unit of work. There will be two major
assessments which will include:
Saints Box
Students will choose a Confirmation Saint and research their life story and write a report.
The Saints Box will also include physical symbols that link to their Confirmation saint. The
students will present this project to the year 5 class.
Encourage your child to choose a Saint that reflects their own values and someone that can
relate to and call upon in their lives.
End of unit test
The test will be in two parts held at the end of the unit of work and will cover all the content
that has been learned throughout the unit.
This assessment reflects the Bishop’s literacy test which holds a strong emphasis within the
Religious Education program.
ACTIVITY TIME
There are two sets of coloured sticky notes – Yellow and Orange.
Yellow sticky note – write one thing that you know about Confirmation.
Orange sticky note – write one thing that you want to know about Confirmation.
Spend one minute reflecting on the questions and write your response.
When you have written your response, place the sticky notes on the white board at the front
of the classroom.
- Answer any questions that are necessary.

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HOW PARENTS CAN HELP
Participate in weekly Sunday Mass.
Show that you have a strong connection with the Church and take their faith seriously, your
child will naturally follow your example. These ideals will be reinforced and nurtured within
our school.
If you are Confirmed and/or a sponsor for another, share your experiences with your child
and explain how you are strengthened by the Holy Spirit.
At home, make connections between faith and life by saying grace before meals, having holy
water, crucifixes and other sacred images in the home, and making sure the Bible is a
natural resource for reflection and guidance.
Your parish and Father Lim can also recommend further materials.
QUESTION TIME
Reflect on these questions for the next minute, in what ways could you further support your
child?
 Do I keep lines of communication open with my child?
 Do I make time for prayer, both private and communal?
 Do I actively participate in the sacramental life of the Church?
 Do I try to grow in knowledge of the faith and share it with my family?
 Do I give loving service to those inside and outside my family circle?
 Am I involved with parish activities as much as I could be?
“Do you have any further questions for myself, My Paljetak or Father Patrick Lim?”

CONCLUSION
“Thank you everyone for coming along tonight, I hope that the insight to this unit of work will
better help learning development of your child through a strong partnership.”
“If you have any further questions, please contact me by e-mail.”
“Please help yourself to any refreshments at the main table.”

PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT- include a beginning prayer, 5 presentation slides and

your script explaining the RE Unit of Work and the learning and teaching of RE in your
classroom. Include how we assess and report on student progress. Include any handouts,
prayer, examples of work the children will be doing.