ATTENTION PARENTS!
The Religious Education (R.E.) office is looking forward to a wonderful year ahead as we prepare for Ingathering Sunday, September 7th.
IF YOUR CHILDREN/TEENS WERE REGISTERED LAST YEAR WE ARE ASSUMING THE FOLLOWING:
- You feel your child is ready to be moved up to the next “grade level”.
- Your family will attend at the same session time as you did last year, 9:15 a.m. or 11:30 a.m.
- Your contact information (address, phone, email) is unchanged from last year.
- Your insurance provider and policy number is unchanged from last year.
If all of the above assumptions are correct, you need do nothing; your child will automatically be placed on the roster for their fall through spring class.
If, however, you need to make changes to your child’s class-time or if any of the information we have on file for you has changed, please email Josh Lewis, our new R.E. Administrator, today at jlewis@dallasuu.org to inform him of the needed changes. Don’t forget to provide him with the names of your children when you do so!
IF YOUR CHILDREN/TEENS WERE NOT REGISTERED LAST YEAR WE ASK THE FOLLOWING:
Click here to obtain forms or phone or email the R.E. office to request that they be mailed to you. Simply complete the forms and return them today so that we may have nametags, materials and supplies ready and waiting.
Thank you for your help to make Ingathering Sunday the most efficient and welcoming experience possible for your family.
Infants and Toddlers - up to Age 3 - Warmly Welcomed
8:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Trained and carefully screened Caregivers and parent volunteers work together to staff our inviting, well-equipped nurseries.
Parents of children in the nursery may request a silent pager to wear during the worship service so that they can stay in touch, if they desire.
Parents are asked to assist in the nursery on a rotating basis. Helping in the nursery is a great way to get to know our caregivers and the other families with young children.
The nursery is open every Sunday including those designated as "No R.E. Classes."
Age 3 & 4 - We are Many, We are One
9:15 - 10:30 a.m OR 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
In a setting that encourages them to discover and express their own uniqueness, our three- and four-year-olds will be introduced to our religious community and tradition. This age-appropriate curriculum, facilitated by dedicated teachers, provides experiences and opportunities that foster trust and caring. The children will spend their time with teachers and friends developing a sense of self-identity and a feeling of connectedness to all of life.
Children are encouraged to use their minds, bodies, and emotions to develop their sense of identity within their Unitarian Universalist community and their world. The underlying theme throughout is anti-bias and multi-cultural education that celebrates diversity and interdependence.
Kindergarden & 1st Grade - Creating Home
9:15 - 10:30 a.m OR 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Children in Kindergarten and first grade will spend the year with friends and teachings enjoying this fresh and vibrant curriculum.
“Creating Home” takes the concept of “home” that young children understand as a place where families gather, share love, and take care of one another and expands upon it to help children understand their “faith home” in Unitarian Universalism.
This program develops a foundational sense of belonging, of trust, of loving community, as well as responsibility and stewardship, towards the faith community in which they will live out their lives. Learning about our faith ancestors, traditions and the blessings of family and friends are a few of the subjects that are explored.
Grades 2 & 3 - Moral Tales
9:15 - 10:30 a.m OR 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
“Moral Tales” engages second and third grade children in identifying and articulating their own sense of right and wrong.
As they interact with a variety of stories from folk and faith traditions and share stories from their own lives, children are encouraged to articulate and apply their own “spiritual compass” to find moral direction.
The children generate and sign a group behavior covenant, have opportunities to earn “gems of goodness” for behavior that reflects positive moral choices, and explore why it is not always easy to follow one’s inner voice and choose behaviors that are good and just.
Grades 4 & 5 - Toolbox of Faith
9:15 - 10:30 a.m OR 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Fourth and fifth graders often find themselves engaged in conversations about religion with their peers. This is a wonderful time for them to have the tools to better understand and explain their faith.
“Toolbox of Faith” invites fourth and fifth grade participants to reflect on qualities of Unitarian Universalism such as integrity, courage and love as tools they can use in living their own lives and building their own UU faith. Each session uses an actual tool as a metaphor for a quality of our faith. These tools include, for example, a hammer (for justice), duct tape (for flexibility), and a mirror (for reflection).
Grades 6 & 7 - Compass Points
9:15 - 10:30 a.m OR 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Sixth and seventh graders will explore Unitarian Universalism and start to create their own “moral compass.”
Youth will discover what they believe about the nature of humanity and God, beliefs about death and faith and other of life’s big questions.
Learning how to think independently, assume responsibility, make decisions, explore values and adopt the practice of radical hospitality are paramount in this class. They will learn that religious liberty is a hard-won legacy that continues to need protection.
Grade 8 - Our Whole Lives ("OWL" Human Sexuality)
11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. only
Youth who participate in this class will end the year equipped with accurate, age-appropriate information about human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture. Grounded in a holistic view, comprehensive sexuality education helps class members clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, social, and political aspects of sexuality.
Participants in this class must covenant to attend on a regular basis. Parent participation at the orientation sessions and signed parent-permission forms are required in order to enroll 8th-graders in this course. Should an 8th-grader choose not to participate in OWL, or should they register for classes after October 1st, they may join the class for 7th and 8th graders that meets at 11:30.
Grade 9 - Coming of Age
11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. only
Crossing the bridge from childhood to young adulthood is a milestone worthy of our attention as a faith-community.
During this important year, youth are provided opportunities to explore their maturing religious identity as they learn more about the history of our faith, begin to clarify their personal religious positions, and are invited to join the Church.
The year culminates in a ceremony of congregational recognition of Coming of Age, offering the youth all of the opportunities, rights and responsibilities in the church that adults enjoy.
Participants will also enjoy a Heritage Trip in the early summer. Parents and students are asked to attend special meetings regarding orientation, fundraising and planning throughout the year.
Teens in Grades 10 through 12 -
Young Religious Unitarian Universalists (YRUU)
see schedule below
The six pillars of YRUU (worship, fellowship, social action/community service, intellectual growth, youth/adult relations, and leadership development) are central to time spent together on Sunday mornings.
With guidance from the Youth-Adult Committee, youth determine topics for worship and discussion, and plan social events throughout the year. Caring and dedicated advisors assist the youth as they explore together what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist. In addition to time spent together on Sunday mornings, members of YRUU participate in several community service projects. Each Spring, the youth also present a worship service to the larger congregation. They broaden their understanding of leadership in the areas of social justice and community service during their annual end-of-year Service Trip in June.
Summer 2008 schedule
Classes for rising 10th graders through graduated high school seniors will meet as follows:
May 25 YRUU class in Room 205; Coming of Age class in 204
June 1 YRUU class in Room 205 & attend COA ceremony in church
June 8 No YRUU or COA class; Youth trip leaves for U-Bar-U
June 10 COA leaves for Boston
June 15 No YRUU or COA class
June 21 LOCK-IN for EVERYONE!!!
June 28 Everyone meets in room 205 from 10:30 a.m. ‘til 12:30 p.m.
Children’s Worship in Chapel and Church
While attending Children’s Chapel and services with the entire congregation in the Sanctuary from September through May, children learn some of the ways in which Unitarian Universalists worship, and what it means to be a part of a larger faith-community. Children three years of age through sixth grade spend the first few Sundays of the church school year in
their classrooms getting acquainted with their teachers and greeting friends, old and new. They will then attend the first fifteen minutes of worship in the Sanctuary for up to five consecutive Sundays, attend Children’s Chapel for up to six consecutive Sundays, and continue this rotation through the year. The children begin approximately seventeen Sundays in the
Sanctuary, a comparable number in Chapel and join their families and the larger congregation for the entire worship service in the Sanctuary on several Sundays during the year.
Children in the Sanctuary
Children gain an understanding of the ways in which we worship together by attending the first fifteen minutes of services in the Sanctuary. Seated with their families, they join with people of all ages singing hymns, listening to a story and
joining their voices with those of the larger congregation as we recite our Affirmation of Faith and sing our Doxology.
Children three years of age begin these Sunday mornings in their classroom and are seated with their teachers and friends in pews reserved just for them.
Children’s Chapel
During services in Raible Chapel, the children recite our Affirmation of Faith, sing hymns, listen to a story and often join in meditation or prayer. In prayer, focus is drawn toward expressing gratitude for the gifts of life, regret or sorrow over disappointment or loss, and hope for a better tomorrow for ourselves, our loved ones and for all of creation.
During the service an offering is given and received by the children. At the end of the year, the children put their money to work by donating it to a favorite charity or worthy cause. In past years, the offerings have been presented to Heifer International, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, the Red Cross and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Through this offering, children learn how a small act of generosity can have a positive impact on our society. Children look forward to being able to drop something in the basket when it is passed.
Please help them feel a part of the service by reminding them when it is “Chapel Sunday.” Families are always welcome to attend this worship service.
Worship With Families in the Sanctuary
Children four-years-of-age and older and teens attend the entire worship service several times during the year. Children three years of age and younger will be cared for in the nursery on these Sundays. These services provide an important opportunity for children to witness first-hand the way their parents worship in the Sanctuary when they would usually be in their classrooms. These services are not designed for children and teens, but are designed to provide them the experience
of joining in worship with the larger congregation. Family Worship services include post-Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and Earth Day. Other services, such as the Coming of Age Ceremony and Youth Sunday, may be appropriate for older children. Our two-service schedule provides families the opportunity to attend worship services together at one service time and attend Religious Education classes for children and adults at the other time. |
