- As the RE committee continues to construct a Safe Church Policies Handbook for FPCU, we will need to make sure we are following the most basic of safety rules & procedures. This begins with a new registration process, in which parents/guardians will need to fill out a registration form before dropping their child(ren) off in RE class, as well as signing off on our Policies & Procedures In addition, we need to always have 2 unrelated adults with each group of children. Which means, we’ll be looking for 9-11 volunteers each Sunday to help run the RE program and provide nursery care!
- Nursery Caretaker: We are excited to have Sarah McKinley in the Nursery again for her 2nd year as our nursery worker! Sarah is a senior at Westford Academy, active in theater & soccer. She is First Aid and CPR certified and has experience in babysitting and working with children as a CIT at an overnight camp. Sarah is no stranger to FPCU, attending RE for several years here and making her Affirmation in 2014. Sarah will be in the Nursery most Sundays from 10am-12pm. Following our policy, there will be a volunteer in the nursery with her as well.
- This Year’s PK-5th grade World Religion Focus is Sikhism. Children will learn about this faith through workshops & group lessons held throughout the RE year!
- Children’s Offering is collected during RE class, and is separate from the church offering. Last year’s out-reach offering of $220 went to Habitat for Humanity towards the construction of a house in Westford. Our in-reach offering was again saved & carried over, giving us a total of $745. Students will discuss & vote on where this year’s offering will go during our Social Justice workshop in January.
- We’ve improved previous year’s curriculum and added some new components to this year’s…
- Pre-School & Pre-K will continue to use the UU curriculum Chalice Children: A Tapestry of Faith Program for Children. This curriculum introduces the basic tenets of our UU faith: love, community, celebration of diversity, a personal sense of wonder and awe, and our hope and work for a better world. This year the curriculum is complete with the recommended story books for each lesson!
- NEW THIS YEAR! KG-2nd grade will be using the UU based curriculum Picture Book Bible Tales. This curriculum is fun, friendly and concise with teachable moments that introduce classic Bible Tales to young elementary children. This program will acquaint them with tales that are part of our culture and show them how to find universal messages of inspiration and hope. KG-2nd grade will also continue to use the Gather ‘Round curriculum, which offers connections to the broader church life, homes, and families as well as outreach to communities and the world. The focus is to gain a basic understanding of the story and characters, as well as exploring possible interpretations of these stories. Bible stories are taught as meaningful stories, but “what to believe” is left to parents-and, later, children themselves- to determine. Volunteers will have the option to use one or both curriculums for each Bible story lesson.
- 3rd grade RE lessons continue to build on the foundations of Bible Stories learned in earlier grades and also take a closer look at what our church and faith deems important. Attention is focused on the Bible as a collection of individual stories and verses in two large sections, The Old Testament and The New Testament. The most famous bible stories will be reviewed and discussed. Curriculum is being created by the DRE with the help of the students. Religious Education in 3rd grade marks a special milestone at FPCU, as students spend their final year exploring Bible stories and get ready to move onto more UU based curriculums. At the end of the RE year, 3rd grade students will receive 2 special books!
- 4th & 5th grade will be using the UU curriculum Windows & Mirrors, which nurtures student’s ability to identify their own experiences and perspectives and to seek out, care about and respect those of others. This program teaches that there are always multiple viewpoints and everyone’s viewpoint matters and presents UU as a faith that is lived through identifying and acting on responsibility toward one another. The metaphor of windows and mirrors represents the dynamic relationship among our awareness of self, our perceptions of others, and others’ perceptions of us. Students will begin by exploring how their own individuality creates the “Lens” through which we all view others.
- NEW THIS YEAR! We are combining middle school & high school to form one Youth Group! Components from both the High School Discussion Group and the Middle School RE class will be used. Karin Drowne will still lead approximately 7 Discussion Groups. In addition, we will continue to need volunteers to plan and lead outings and activities.
Office is closed today due to weatherNews from PruCom
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