Spring 2021 kNOw Program Registration and Opt-Out FormThe parish is offering the kNOw children's safe environment program this spring,
We have trained presenters who will lead this program on three consecutive Wednesdays in April at 7:00pm in the Msgr. Koenigsknecht Hall (school basement). The class will run for 30-45 minutes. At least one parent will need to attend this training along with their student(s). Students only need to attend once every age group (K-2nd, 3rd-5th, 6th-8th) but are encouraged to attend every year. Please use this form to register your student(s) for a class or opt them out of the program this year. As a parent/guardian, you have the right to choose whether your student participates. If you have questions about the program or its contents please contact me. **Because of COVID, seating will be socially distanced and masks will be required Paul Fahey Director of Religious Education mhtdre@gmail.com 989-593-3174 Diocese of Lansing Safe Environment PageThe kNOw Program is a safe environment program designed specifically for the Diocese of Lansing where children gather: Schools, churches, youth groups, ministry groups, or mission fields.
The kNOw Program has FOUR goals:
Diocese of Lansing Safe Environment Coordinator Reba Sommer 517-342-2551 2018 Report from Bishop Earl Boyea on the Clergy Sex Abuse Scandal |
MHT kNOw Letter 2019/2020This past spring the parish rolled out the new safe environment program from the diocese, the kNOw Program. One of the main principles of the kNOw Program is parent involvement. The responsibility of our children’s safety should not rest primarily on children. We cannot assume that our kids won't be exposed to a difficult situation. This program is designed to empower students to recognize unsafe situations and behaviors, do what they can to leave that situation, and then report what happened. And it also teaches parents how to best respond if their child says something to them about feeling unsafe.
This means that our new program will be presented in a new way, outside the classroom. At least one parent will need to attend this training along with their student. Because children and their parents are going through this together, it encourages the students to view their parents as trusted advocates which in turn promotes open communication about this sensitive topic. The feedback we received last spring was overwhelmingly positive. I asked Andrea Scheneider and Cari Smith to briefly share their experience as parents going through this program with their kids. They said: What I liked best about the kNOw program was that parents and their children had the opportunity to view the content together. It was so valuable being able to hear what they were being taught and then be able to speak the same language to them. I felt way more equipped to speak to my children about these important topics and it has generated good conversation. (Andrea Schneider) I enjoyed how the kNOw program emphasized that all parts of the person are special and should be taken care of, including your soul, feelings, and body. It gave us, as parents, many ways to talk to our boys about dealing with disrespectful relationships and protecting them physically on many age appropriate levels. I love that it gave students scripts to use, and adults to listen for, in the event of a potentially hard or difficult discussion. (Cari Smith) Their comments reflect much of what I heard from other parents as well. One of the most valuable parts of having parents go through this program with their children is that it creates a shared experience and shared vocabulary that helps parents have these difficult but important conversations with their kids later on. Also, the more adults who attend this class, the more we have “community immunity" against abuse. That is, the more people in our community who know what safe and unsafe adult-child relationship looks like the more protected everyone's children are. However, along with these benefits of having students attend with their parents comes a real concern, namely, because we are no longer showing the safe environment program in the classroom there will be students who, at least at first, don’t see this program at all. To address that concern the parish is trying to make the kNOw Program as convenient and accessible as possible for parents and families. Instead of only showing this program once a year we will be offering it every month throughout the school year. We have a team of trained presenters who will lead this program on the third Wednesday of every month at 7:00pm in the Msgr. Koenigsknecht Hall (school basement). Those dates are: September 18, 2019 for 6th-8th grade students October 16, 2019 for 3rd-5th grade students November 20, 2019 for K-2nd grade students December 18, 2019 for 6th-8th grade students January 15, 2020 for 3rd-5th grade students February 19, 2020 for K-2nd grade students March 18, 2020 for 6th-8th grade students April 15, 2020 for 3rd-5th grade students May 20, 2020 for K-2nd grade students The parish also asks you for three things in order to address this concern. First, and most important, please pray for our children’s safety and for the Church to continue working to keep the most vulnerable of her members safe. Second, if you have children in Kindergarten - 8th grade please make a point of attending these classes with your kids this year. You can find more details and RSVP to any of these classes here: http://www.mhtparish.com/know-program-safe-environment Finally, if you have seen positive fruits in your family from this program please talk about it with others. By encouraging other families to attend we can help keep all of our kids safe. Thank you for your help in creating a parish and community where protecting children is a top priority. Paul Fahey, Director of Religious Education mhtdre@gmail.com 989-593-3174 |