“So often people say that we should look to the elderly, learn from their wisdom, their many years. I disagree, I say we should look to the young: untarnished, without stereotypes implanted in their minds, no poison, no hatred in their hearts. When we learn to see life through the eyes of a child, that is when we become truly wise.” – Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
At Regina Elementary, we focus on educating the whole child through our commitment to our Catholic faith and teachings. The faith formation of our students is multi-faceted and embedded into our daily school life. Below, you will find the essential components of our faith formation program at Regina Elementary.
Religion is a core class at Regina Elementary and is the foundation for our students’ faith formation. We currently use the Blest Are We curriculum and textbooks, but teachers also supplement this curriculum with other appropriate materials. Regina follows the Diocese of Davenport’s standards for religious education.
We strive to provide our students many opportunities to celebrate their faith through the celebration of Mass. Regina Elementary celebrates Mass at least once a month and on all holy days of obligation. Students and teachers plan and take on special roles in these Masses. The support of our parish priests is invaluable, especially when they visit us to help celebrate the Mass. All Masses and religious celebrations are open for Regina families and friends.
Mass Music Rehearsal
In order to encourage more participation from our students and to provide an opportunity to praise God through song, we hold music rehearsals the week before an upcoming Mass.
Regina Elementary students prepare and present prayer services throughout the school year, especially during Advent and Lent. We also hold prayer services for reconciliation and special days throughout the year.
Regina Elementary believes in the power of prayer in our daily lives and in support of our larger Catholic community. Each morning we pray together as a school with student-led prayer. There is a prayer basket located in our main hallway to allow for prayer intentions from all Regina community members. Individual classroom teachers pray with their students in the mornings, before lunch, and at other times throughout the day. As a K-12 Catholic education center, Regina establishes prayer partners between Regina families and the faculty and staff.
Through the support of our local parishes, each grade level has a parish partner who visits with our Regina students regularly. The parish partners provide prayer, reflection, and knowledge to our classrooms when they interact with our learners.
Service projects serve as a social justice learning experience for our students. Students learn valuable lessons by doing something for someone else. Each month a grade level organizes a service project. Service projects for this year will include: collecting donations and supplies for the Ronald McDonald House, Iowa City Hospice, Crisis Center of Johnson County, Salvation Army’s Angel Tree, American Heart Association, Run for the Schools, and the Domestic Violence Intervention Program.
Catholic Schools Week and Character Counts
Regina participates in Catholic Schools Week and plans special activities for this extraordinary week. Throughout the school year, Regina also sponsors Character Counts. In addition to the six traditional pillars of Character Counts, Regina adds a seventh pillar of Faith to our Character Counts program. Special activities, lesson plans, and other events are planned for Character Counts Week in October and throughout the school year.
Professional and Spiritual Development
Regina Catholic Education Center is committed to developing our faculty and staff professionally and spiritually. Each year, Regina devotes staff development time to enriching the religious experience of the faculty and staff through workshops, prayer services, Masses, and other programming using the Davenport Diocese’s guidelines and support. Regina also regularly sends representatives to the National Catholic Education Association’s national conference to keep informed of the latest and greatest information about Catholic education.