Welcome to Junior High Religion

My name is Jane Lidgus. I teach religion in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades and have an 8th grade homeroom.

I have been teaching at St. Juliana for many years (52) and am also an alum (as are my three siblings and my daughter).

Please subscribe to my blog. I post weekly with any tests or quizzes or any other junior high news. I will also post at other times with any important announcements or reminders.

Homeroom 15 Specials:

Monday: Gym

Tuesday: Gym and Health

Wednesday: Art

Thursday: Music and Spanish

Friday:STEAM

Please feel free to email me at any time if there are questions or concerns.

I'm looking forward to a great year.

Posts

Week of October 20

Thank you to our 7th graders who volunteered to help at the Mother/Son event on Saturday.

It was great to see so many of you yesterday at the Confirmation Acceptance Mass and at parent teacher conferences last week.

Good luck to our academic team. Ms. Arianas, Mrs. Marshall and I are taking the team to a competition at Notre Dame tomorrow after school.

I think it will be a fairly quiet week this week.

6th Religion: continuing our study of the Bible.

7th and 8th Religion: continuing in our text and probably a test at the end of the week.

Have a great week.

October 17

Good morning.

It was great to see so many of you at conferences yesterday.

Thank you in advance to the 25 7th graders who are volunteering their time on Saturday to help with the Mother/Son event in the gym.

I will see the 7th graders and their families at the 11:00 Mass on Sunday where the Confirmation candidates will be welcomed into the program.

Have a great weekend.

Week of October 14

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend and beautiful weather.

Homeroom 15 parents: Just a reminder to sign up for conferences this week.

7th Graders: I am sending home a letter today with information about Confirmation. Please ask your child for it because many times things in backpacks never get out of the backpack (if they even got in there!!!!!). I'm looking forward to seeing you on Sunday at the 11:00 Mass for the Confirmation Acceptance Mass.

6th Graders: Bibles for the 6th graders have arrived. Bishop John will have a short ceremony to bless the Bibles some day when he is available. Each child will have their own Bible to use for the 3 years of middle school. I keep them in my classroom but the kids are welcome to bring them home at any time.

Have a great week.

Confirmation Acceptance

The Confirmation acceptance for the 7th graders who will be confirmed in May will take place on Sunday, October 19th at the 11:00 Mass. Most of your children have not decided on a sponsor yet (we haven't even talked about it) and that is perfectly fine. I understand that occasionally there might be a family obligation or something that would prevent you from attending this Mass. If that is the case, please send me an email to let me know.

Thanks so much.

Week of September 29

I hope everyone had a good weekend. It was fun to see so many of you at Brooks on Saturday for Homecoming.

October is one of the months that we honor Mary. I will be asking all of my students to bring a rosary if they have one so that we can say a decade each day before class begins. We will be doing an all school rosary at two different times this month.

The high school prep class starts today after school. Students will be dismissed at 5:15.

I will be starting new chapters in each of my religion classes this week.

I will be ordering Bibles for my 6th graders this week. Each child will have their own Bible and we will use them in school for their junior high years. At the end of 8th grade they will take them home. Once the Bibles are here for the 6th graders we will have a ceremony in the chapel and Bishop John will bless the Bibles. The Bibles are kept in my classroom but the students are welcome to take them home whenever they choose.

Have a great week.

Band Information

Dear St Juliana Families

I am excited to introduce a new, unique general/instrumental music Band program this year at St. Julian! Our fourth through eighth grade students can continue to sing, move, dance, and perform, while also beginning their journey on band instruments. Students will explore foundational skills on wind or percussion instruments, preparing them for full ensemble playing.

Interested students will have the opportunity to take the next step by performing in a Concert Band ensemble, choosing from instruments such as flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, or percussion. There will be a $40 payment due at the start of every month starting October that can be charged to your FACT account. The students will have a total of 25 lessons this year. Lessons will take place every Friday during school, so I will be taking students out of a class for a 30 minute lesson. On days where there is no school or a half day, there will be no lessons. The Sign Up and Instrument Rental Websites are at the bottom of this email!

This comprehensive program draws from established Orff, Gordon Music Learning Theory, and Kodály music education philosophies. It is a full-fledged accredited instrumental music curriculum that uses band instruments as a vehicle to deliver core musical skills. Research has shown that learning to play wind and percussion instruments enhances academic achievement, coordination, and critical thinking—I am thrilled to see St. Juliana students with instruments in hand!

We will be working with Quinlan & Fabish to provide each student with a well-suited instrument for use in class, which can be rented out through the link at the bottom of this email. During Band lessons, our focus is on cultivating a love of music while developing independence, creativity, and teamwork. Students will gain technical skills on their chosen instrument, learn a wide range of repertoire, and receive differentiated instruction so that every child can succeed. Singing, rhythm reading, movement, and composition will continue to play an essential role in building well-rounded musical thinkers. The learning that takes place in the Band lessons will directly impact the creative problem-solving and collaboration skills you see in the classroom.

We have two concerts scheduled for this year—One already scheduled for December 16th—and we can’t wait to share our music with you on stage. Please feel free to reach out at any time if you have questions about this exciting new program. Your support and enthusiasm are essential to helping me launch this new chapter at St. Julliana, and I am looking forward to a wonderful year in Band!

Band Signup Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-483kWzJ_gpYtTT_7saZtR_tM5VAMmBoKWyeQ_RwH2ANd0A/viewform?usp=header

Band Rental Link: Quinlan Rental Website (Type in Saint Juliana School)

Week of September 22

Good morning. I hope everyone had a good weekend.

There will be chapter 2 tests in all of my religion classes this week. I announced the tests to the students last week.

6th and 8th: test on Tuesday

7th: test on Wednesday

There will be a high school fair on Tuesday, September 30th, from 8:30-9:30 AM in the school hall. 7th and 8th graders will be attending this. Parents are welcome.

If your 8th grader is taking the high school prep class, please make sure that they have the book required by the first class, which is next Monday (September 29th).

Have a great week.

Week of September 8

The year has started off to a great start.

I usually post weekly with updates. If something comes up I will post at that time.

School pictures are on Thursday this week. Graduation pictures for the 8th graders will be taken later in the year.

All students must have head phones in school.

I-Ready diagnostic tests will be taken on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

6th Religion: Chapter 1 test on Thursday.

7th Religion: Chapter 1 test on Thursday.

8th Religion: Chapter 1 test probably at the end of the week.

Please don't ever hesitate to email me with any questions or concerns.

Have a great week.

8th Graders---Help Needed

Hello 8th graders and Parents. I hope everyone is having a great summer. Enjoy the remaining days.

I am SO looking forward to a great year.

OK--so here is my request. On Sunday, August 17, we are having our back to school Mass at the 11:00 Mass. After Mass there will be a "block party" on the street in front of church. Help is needed to set up and then to help at one of the booths to pass out food, etc.. You have been awesome with service opportunities over the past two years. I would love it if some of you can come to help that day.

Here is where they need help:

Sunday, August 17
10:00--come to church and help to set things up.

After Mass--10:45-1:00 ----help in the tents to pass out food, etc..

You can help at either one of these times or both if you want.

I am hoping that some of you are able and willing to do this. I think it's a great way to show our parish how great our 8th graders are!!

If you are willing to help, please send me an email telling me the time or times that you want to volunteer so that I know how many volunteers we have.

Please spread the word to your friends in case they don't see this post.

Thanks so much and I can't wait to see everybody

Mrs. Lidgus

Class of 2025 sweatshirt

I was cleaning up my classroom today and went to check in the coatroom. Guess what? There is a Class of 2025 sweatshirt hanging on one of the hooks. There is no name in it and the tag is torn off so I can't tell what size it is. Please have your kids check to see if they are missing their sweatshirt and let me know if anyone will claim it.

Thanks and hope to see some of the grads at Mass tomorrow.

Final School Mass tomorrow

I would just like to remind our 8th graders that we'd love to see you at our last school Mass tomorrow. Mass will be at 9:30 in church. Ms. Arianas and I will reserve a few pews for our recent graduates. Just look for us and come and sit with us. We'd love to see you.

Summer Altar Serving Schedule

I will distribute the schedule for altar serving tomorrow. This new schedule begins with the weekend of June 14 and ends on September 20th. This weekend (June 7-8) is on the old schedule. Before I made the schedule I asked each of the kids what Mass they liked best to serve and I was able to work that out for the most part. Most of your kids are scheduled to serve about 4 times over the summer. If they can't make their scheduled Mass, please have them get a sub.. Thank you so much for allowing your children to be altar servers. They do an EXCELLENT job with what is a very important ministry..

Thank you.

Wendella boat onTuesday

Good morning. The forecast for Tuesday isn't great---high of 68 and possible rain. Please make sure that your child is dressed warmly. We are out on Lake Michigan for an hour and a half and it will probably be at least 10 degrees colder out there. Make sure that they at least have a warm hoodie or jacket of some sort. We are outside the entire time. There is not an indoor space for us. Despite this forecast, we are looking forward to a fun trip.

You might want to send a poncho with your child--I picked up ponchos for Ms. Arianas at the dollar store. Just want to be prepared.

Thank you and have a great Memorial Day.

Change of Confirmation to 8th Grade

Our St. Juliana School and Religious Education programs are transitioning from 7th grade Confirmation to 8th grade Confirmation. The first class who will receive Confirmation in 8th grade will be our current 5th grade students (class of 2028), those who will become 6th graders in the fall of 2025. Our current 6th graders, who will be 7th graders in the fall of 2025 will still be confirmed in 7th grade, on May 1, 2026. In 2027, we will not have a Confirmation. The class of 2028 will begin preparing for Confirmation in 7th grade (26-27 school year) and receive Confirmation in late February or early March of 2028. Confirmation is a two-year preparation.

Confirmation

Tomorrow is the big day. Your sons and daughters have done a great job and are ready to receive the Holy Spirit tomorrow evening.

Just a few last minute details:

Each child has an assigned pew that will comfortably seat 5 or 6 people (two of whom are your child and his/her sponsor.) If you have more people coming there will be available seating.

Each assigned pew will have 2 Confirmation booklets (child and sponsor) and an index card with last name. There will also be a seating chart available in back of church.

Each child should be seated with his/her sponsor by 6:45. Your child should have their gown on with their name ribbon pinned on the left side. Boys, remember to wear a dress shirt and tie under your gown.

There will be Confirmation booklets available in the back of church.

Bishop John will stay after Mass if anyone would like a picture with him.

I think that's about it.

Like I said, your children have done a great job with the program and they have been a pleasure to work with. I am very proud of them and look forward to having them next year as 8th graders.

See you tomorrow night.

Thank you.