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Religious Education
Mini-Walk for Hunger Info
Note to parents
Sponsor sign-up form
From the Director of Religious Education
Welcome to a new First Parish in Needham Unitarian Universalist. Our caring and nurturing community is committed to guiding our children and youth on a spiritual journey of exploration of religious truth, meaning, and experience. Our children and youth have a strong religious heritage from which to learn and grow as they develop their own sense of faith and their own set of values for life.
We want everyone to have questioning minds. Through a variety of experiences, participants are encouraged to bring their faith to life and their life to faith. We recognize and honor parents as the primary source of their children’s faith development and are committed to supporting them in that role.
The goals of our Sunday school for our children and youth are to develop a sense of purpose and respect for their own worth; to understand other people and be concerned about them; to become aware of, and understand our religious traditions while broadening their perceptions of what religion can mean within the many roles of the liberal church; to explore difficult questions; to embark upon a pursuit of a personal faith while gaining a sense of belonging within a loving community as we live out our values.
We learn as much from those who teach us as we do from what we are taught. Our classroom leaders create an atmosphere where participants are free to ask questions and talk about feelings and ideas. We believe that it is important to pay attention to the implicit curriculum as well as to the explicit curriculum. Our classrooms are friendly and open to the sharing of ideas, with a main focus on how we treat one another inside and outside of the classroom.
Because safety is important to us, volunteers submit to a CORI background check, sign a Code of Ethics Statement, and always have a second adult present during activities with minor children and youth.
I am happy to meet with you and your family to discuss our Religious Education program and the many ways in which it can help enhance your lives.
Irene Praeger
Director of Religious Education
RE Calendar: 2009-2010 Spring Term
The Spring Term begins March 14, 2010, and runs through June 13, 2010. There are 9 formal Teaching Sundays and several multi-age activities and special events. Please join us!
|
Date |
Activity |
Notes |
| Mar 14 | (1) Teaching Sunday |
Spring Term Begins (Daylight Savings Time) |
| Mar 21 | (2) Teaching Sunday | Children's Worship - Music Room then breakout groups |
Mar 28 |
(3) Teaching Sunday | |
| Apr 04 | Multi-Age Activities | Easter Sunday Double Service 9:30am and 10:45am |
| Apr 11 | (4) Teaching Sunday | Earth Day Lesson curriculum |
| Apr 18 | Multi-Age Activities | Public School vacation starts |
| Apr 25 | (5) Teaching Sunday | Earth Day Service |
| May 02 | (6) Teaching Sunday | Children's Worship - Music Room then Mini Walk for Hunger |
| May 09 | (7) Teaching Sunday | |
| May 16 | (8) Teaching Sunday | |
| May 23 | (9) Teaching Sunday | Ruddigore Musical |
| May 30 | Multi-Age Activities | Memorial Day Weekend |
| Jun 06 | Coming of Age Service | Children's Worship - Music Room then breakout groups |
| Jun 13 | Flower Communion | Intergenerational Service - Flower Communion Bring a flower! |
Multi-Age Activities: Preschool through Grade 6.
Children's Worship: Children in Music Room for first 30 minutes and then break out into smaller groups.
Family Worship: Children in Sanctuary for first 15 minutes of service.
Registration Form
Download the 2009-2010 Religious Education Registration Form.
Goals of Our Sunday School
- To help each child develop a sense of purpose and a respect for his or her own worth;
- To help the child understand other people and be concerned about them;
- To stimulate the child’s awareness and comprehension of our religious traditions; broaden the child’s perceptionsof what religion can mean and of the many roles of the liberal church;
- To help the child explore difficult questions which will enlarge his or her insight into life, and to launch each child upon her or his pursuits of a personal religion;
- To provide experience with worship;
- To offer a group to which the child can appreciate belonging, and to nourish the feeling of "I’m glad to be a Unitarian Universalist!"
Children's Worship
We offer a variety of opportunities for children to experience worship. A chalice lighting and reading is a part of every classroom gathering. There are four or more intergenerational services each year where children and youth join with the adults for either half or the whole of a service. Regular Children’s Chapel Services encourage all children to become active participants in a separate worship just for them.
Children's Choir
All children from Grade 1 and up are welcome to participate in the Children’s Choir. If a child or youth has an individual gift of voice or instrument, there are opportunities for solo presentations. Please contact the Choir Director, Vivian Montgomery, for more information.
Social Action
The Religious Education Committee feels strongly that service to others should be an integral part of our Church School program. Each year all the classes share a common focus on a major project as well as participating in short-term work. We join forces with other church committees when appropriate to develop intergenerational service projects.
Your Commitment
Our program is a cooperative program and has no fee.
Parents are indispensable to our church school. We ask each family to choose one volunteer commitment for each of their children. This might include co-teaching a class of children, assisting with non-teaching Sundays, serving on a committee, or sharing a special talent. We all have a gift.
Persons new to teaching and persons new to Unitarian Universalism are provided the resources and assistance needed to become a successful participant in the church school life. We have "user friendly" curricula and we team-teach. Volunteering to teach enables you to understand and expand your knowledge of Unitarian Universalism.
Please contact any member of the RE Committee or the Director of Religious Education to discuss what you can do for the children.
You may be asked to provide children’s snack during coffee for one time during the year. A list of names will be published and sent to all parents.
Religious Education Committee
The Religious Education Committee oversees the church’s program of religious education for children and youth. Working with the RE Director, the committee addresses curriculum, educational policy, special events, staffing and budget for programs that cover children and youth from nursery through Grade 8. Our meetings are on the first Thursday of each month and are open to all.
R.E. Committee Chair: Andrea Grealish
R.E. Committee Members: Liz Rover Bailey, Tara Rivard, Mary Jane Houlihan, Katrina Kipp, Ellen O’Hara, Dan Scanlan
Youth Advisor/ Intern Minister: Molly Housh
YAC Committee Chair: Nancy Winbury