Faith-based curriculum
Manhattan Catholic Schools and staff are dedicated to teaching a Faith-based curriculum to the students that attend our school. Students receive daily religious education and attend Mass twice per week. Students in grades K-5 attend Mass on Tuesday and students in grades 6-8 attend on Thursday. MCS has All School Mass on Fridays. We encourage the community to join us at any Mass at 8 a.m. at Seven Dolors. Check the calendar for school Mass days at St. Thomas More.
Masses on Fridays are led by a different class every week. Teachers involve all students during the year to give announcements, lector, lead responses, prayers and to bring up gifts. The class also serves as the choir during All School Mass. Our students become accustomed to public speaking, but most importantly, they learn life-long skills of being participatory members of the Church.
Our community encourages service to others. Students in grades 6-8 are required to complete service hours for religion class. Other students and families help volunteer in the community. We encourage our students to fulfill the Mission of the Church - To Serve Others.
2nd Grade First Reconciliation/First Communion
Faith formation is the basic building block of our Catholic school. The second grade year is a most exciting and rewarding year because our students receive both the sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist. For their sacramental preparation, the students learn about the forgiveness of sins in the first half of the Religion curriculum. Second graders then grow in their knowledge of the Mass so they can fully participate in the Eucharist during the second half of the year.
Parent involvement
Parents attend several meetings for each of the sacraments and receive instructions on how to work with their child through a guided at-home program, aligned with the school Religion series.
Together parents and teachers work to develop and enhance our children’s faith life.
NCEA Assessment
Manhattan Catholic Schools takes the National Catholic Education Association Assessment of Catechesis/Religious Education in 5th and 8th grade years. This assessment tool helps evaluate the effectiveness of our school's religion curriculum. The test focuses on the core essentials of the faith that every Catholic should know in age appropriate ways.
Manhattan Catholic Schools NCEA ACRE scores have been tremendous compared to national school averages and parish religious education programs. "Passing on our Faith" to our students is our first goal as educators in a Catholic school. As you can see from the assessments, we do it very well. We can still improve in certain areas but students understand our Faith very well. We encourage them to "Live their Faith" on a daily basis.
To learn more, visit https://www.ncea.org/data-information/school-diocesan-locator
Community Service
As part of 6th – 8th grade students' religion grade, each student will be required to perform six hours (90 minutes each quarter) of community service. Serving at mass will only count as 60 minutes. These hours must be done in the community and not part of any activity during school hours or activities associated with projects done for the extended family. These hours are also counted towards the 20 hours for the Citizenship and Community Service Award. All community service hours will be turned into the Religion/Homeroom teacher, not the office. The Religion teacher will instruct and help the students to understand the importance of developing an attitude of service. They will help by giving good examples for community service and by reflecting in class on what makes a good community service project. (See the student-parent handbook for further clarification.)
Community Service Award for Grades 6-8
Each student who meets 20 or more hours of community service with a minimum of 5 different types of activities will be presented an award with the following levels:
- Gold: 60+ hours
- Silver: 40-59 hours
- Bronze: 20-39 hours
The community service hours are individual hours that the student volunteers, without pay to help someone in the parishes or community. Community service hours must have the principal’s approval. There will be a form to use to turn these hours into the homeroom teacher. If there are any questions, it is advisable to get prior approval from the principal. These hours may not be done in the student’s own home. Hours need to be turned in immediately following the completion of the service hours. All community service hours must be turned in by May 1st of the school year. Hours turned in after this date will not be counted for any awards. The following hours are examples of hours that may not be used as community service hours for this award: class projects, hours that will also be used for confirmation hours, or hours during school time. Volunteer hours for baby-sitting for school functions, and helping at family fun night, or Buttons and Bows may count.