One Last Session!

Joe Paprocki Intermediate Grades

It’s hard to believe, but this Tuesday is the last session I have with my 6th graders! Where did the year go? It has been a wonderful year and I am so grateful to these 9th sixth graders for being such a great class of kids and to my wife Joanne for being the best aide ever!

Our official last class is next week when we take the kids to church for Mass so this week is the last time I have them. I’ve decided to keep it light and fun but also to get some important work done. The fact is, I’m in a bit of a pickle because, in previous years, their catechist had a party on the last night, so the kids have certain expectations. I don’t want to just have a party but neither do I want to be a scrooge. Here are some details:

  • Last session, I had the kids take home their personal faith symbols that we’ve arranged on the prayer table throughout the year. So tomorrow we’ll still do our procession but I’ll have the kids carry their little tea light candles to place on the table.
  • I plan to begin with a guided reflection…one last time! I think it will be a good way to bring closure. This will be a recorded guided reflection “My Call to be Holy” from Finding God CD 3, Guided Reflections (13 mins) which invites the children to talk to Jesus about their vocation in life.
  • After this, I have a couple of brief videos I want to show them about St. John Paul II in honor of this weekend’s canonizations. The first is a short summary of JPII’s legacyand the second segment shows the memorable performance by Tony Melendez for JPII in L.A. – a great thing for young people to see. Both segments are about 5 minutes each.
  • Finally, we’ll have some fun as I’ll show them a video compilation of America’s Funniest Videos (about 12 minutes) while we enjoy some popcorn (approved by the DRE).
  • If any of the kids do not return their take-home assessment (Gr 6 Final Assessment; Gr 6 Final Assessment answer key) , they will have to complete it while the videos are showing! Sorry to be such a meanie, but they had 2 weeks to do this at home!
  • Likewise, during the videos, Joanne and I can correct the assessments that are turned in on Tuesday (I already received 2 of 9).
  • We’ll return the assessments and briefly go over them.
  • If there is still time left, I plan to have a game or 2 to play before inviting them forward to receive a signed copy of my book, The Bible Blueprint and a final blessing before we send them off.

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About Joe Paprocki 2742 Articles
Joe Paprocki, DMin, is National Consultant for Faith Formation at Loyola Press, where, in addition to his traveling/speaking responsibilities, he works on the development team for faith formation curriculum resources including Finding God: Our Response to God’s Gifts and God’s Gift: Reconciliation and Eucharist. Joe has more than 35 years of experience in ministry and has presented keynotes, presentations, and workshops in more than 100 dioceses in North America. Joe is a frequent presenter at national conferences including the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, the Mid-Atlantic Congress, and the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership. He is the author of numerous books, including the best seller The Catechist’s Toolbox, A Church on the Move, Under the Influence of Jesus, and Called to Be Catholic—a bilingual, foundational supplemental program that helps young people know their faith and grow in their relationship with God. Joe is also the series editor for the Effective Catechetical Leader and blogs about his experiences in faith formation at www.catechistsjourney.com.

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