Spirit Play Opportunities
Recently the Children Youth RE Committee has been talking about the new Spirit Play curriculum that will begin this fall. A survey is going out to determine skills and interests for helping with this new program, but we are already beginning to prepare materials for the classroom and for the
story baskets that will be used each week. Please contact Alice in the office 982-9674 ext 11 if
one of the following tasks calls to YOU:
•Sew covers for 20 small cushions – RE can provide the fabric
•Sand and/or finish 3 book cases– RE can provide tools and finish
•Donate sturdy trays or baskets to use for stories and learning materials
•Donate two children’s painting easels (less than $50 each)
Religious Education Prospectus for Children and youth Programs, 2009-2010
The purpose of Religious Education for Children and Youth at UUCSF is to nurture and affirm each individual’s sense of identity, self-esteem and tolerance. To do this we incorporate the study of our cultural and religious heritage, world religions, moral values and social responsibility. We promote the development and redefinition of each individual’s own religious values while encouraging a feeling of community and fellowship with members of all ages. Personal exploration of each individual’s spirituality is integrated throughout the program.
Welcome to the Children and Youth RE Program!
At the UU Congregation of Santa Fe, we view religious education as a life-long process. We believe that our children and youth, their parents, guardians and siblings and all of the adults in our congregation are both learners and teachers in this process. We base our religious education on our congregation’s mission statement, our Principles, on many sources of wisdom, and on our interaction with the wider community.
Here you will find information about our religious education program for children and youth, including:
Role of Parents in RE
Sunday Morning, including worship and staff
Enrollment, including new family orientations
Health and Safety policies
More information about programs for youth in grades 7-12 and Lifespan Religious Education programs can be found on the RE Information Table in Fellowship Hall throughout the year and are also regularly updated on this website.
Please contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns you may have about the program.
Alice Springer
Director of Religious Education
The Sunday Morning Schedule
Religious Education classes for Fall 2009 begin on September 13 and the final class session is May 23, 2010. Religious Education for children and youth is concurrent with the second service, beginning at 11 a.m. and ending at 12:15. Generally this allows parents and guardians to enjoy a few minutes of adult fellowship prior to picking up their children.
We ask that all children through grade 4 are met by parents no later than 12:15. If you must arrive later or earlier, please notify your child’s teachers before class begins.
Worship for Children and Youth
When we come together in community for worship, we gather to celebrate life and to focus our attention on those things which are of greatest worth.
Each Sunday when religious education is in session, children and youth attend the beginning of the worship service in Fogelson Hall, leaving for their classes at the appropriate time. On most Sundays, a “Story for All Ages” is shared by the DRE, the Minister, or another member of the congregation and special music of interest to children is frequently offered. Individual classes may also include time for lighting a flaming chalice and sharing personal joys and sorrows.
In addition to these weekly worship services, some full-length services for all ages are specially planned, generally for particular celebrations such as a Day of the Dead or All Souls Day service in early November, Thanksgiving, Christmas or Winter Holidays, Children’s Sunday, Coming of Age Celebration and Flower Communion. Each year the High School and Junior High youth groups plan and lead both services on one Sunday.
Sunday Morning Staff
The congregation has a credentialed Director of Lifespan Religious Education (DRE), who works closely with the RE committee and the congregation to provide a quality RE program for children, youth, their parents and guardians and all adults in the congregation. DRE Alice Springer has served UUCSF since August 1999. Alice is generally in the office between 9 and 4 on Mondays and Wednesdays and 11 to 4 on Thursdays. She is also in on Sundays from 9 to about 1 p.m. Please call to schedule an appointment. You can reach her at the church (982-9674, ext.11) or via email (
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
).
Additional staff includes Pattie Ravenheart, RE Assistant and a nursery coordinator who, with volunteer staff, provides care for our infants and toddlers in the nursery for the 11 AM service.
Volunteers: Our classes and youth groups are staffed by volunteers, most of whom are parents. As in all cooperative programs, parents and/or guardians are expected to assist in their children’s classes several times per year if they are not one of the regular teachers. The Children and Youth RE Committee is committed to a diverse Sunday morning staff and encourage members of the wider congregation to volunteer.
While we are a non-creedal denomination our Seven Principles state our covenant to affirm and promote:
In Children’s Language
1. Each person is important.
2. Be kind in all you do.
3. We are free to learn together.
4. We search for what is true.
5. All people need a voice.
6. Build a fair and peaceful world.
7. We care for Earth’s lifeboat.
How to Enroll Your Children and Youth in the Cooperative RE Program at UUCSF
We ask that children be registered in a particular class so that they may build lasting relationships with other children and adults. Such relationships in a religious community are every bit as important as the actual content of the curriculum. Because the relationships which can develop in a religious community are so important, the RE Committee and staff assume responsibility for setting enrollment limits and for canceling or merging classes in which very few children are enrolled.
Registration for each church year begins in August. We ask all new families to fill out a family registration form. Returning families can usually review the previous year’s form then initial and date to confirm that the information is accurate.
Visitors are always welcome in the church school and are asked to fill out a Visitor’s Form so teachers will have the information they need to make the children feel welcome. Parents/guardians are also welcome at all times. Children and youth are asked to register after visiting three times.
A word about money: We are a cooperative church school that is dependent upon active stewardship from the members of our congregation and those who benefit from it’s programs. Although there is no fee for our Sunday religious education program, we do count on everyone’s financial support, not only for the RE program, but for all the work of the church. We hope that all of our members and friends will make a pledge that they can afford to keep and one that mirrors the value that the congregation brings to their lives.
The Role of Parents in the Children/Youth RE Program
The DRE and the Children/Youth RE Committee see ourselves as partners with parents and guardians in the responsibilities of religious education – most of a child’s religious education happens at home, as parents convey their beliefs, attitudes and values, explicitly or by implication.
To assist both new and returning families in becoming connected and fully involved in our cooperative religious education program, we require attendance at one of the regularly held orientation sessions. The first scheduled orientation for 2009-10 will be held on September 13, following the 11 a.m. service. On the first Sunday of most months, beginning in October, orientations will be held from 10:15 to 10:45 with childcare available as needed.
It is expected that parents/guardians who are not regularly teaching in our RE program will assist in Sunday morning classes several times each year. In addition to classroom volunteering there are a variety of additional RE opportunities that provide avenues for service as well as deeper connections to the congregation. For example, each classroom has need of at least one “room parent,” classroom set up and clean up are needed each week, etc. Sign-up for RE volunteer tasks will be done during RE Orientation meetings.
NOTE: Snacks are not regularly served during classes. The Religious Education Committee made this decision out of concern for the many children with allergies as well as the difficulty in providing truly healthy snacks. We urge parents and guardians to provide a late breakfast or additional healthy food snacks for their children and/or to bring something to snack on after church. We will of course continue to have special events where food is served and occasionally the RE classes will prepare food as a part of their Sunday lesson.
Health and Safety
Parents are ultimately responsible for the safety and behavior of their children. Other adults in the community may also provide guidance as they see it is needed. We ask that parents be aware of our Church School Covenant and safety policies and that you help your children and youth understand and abide by them while they are at church.
For the safety and well being of children, youth, adults and the RE program the Religious Education committee:
- asks for written notice of allergies or other health concerns when registering.
- posts allergies of children in each classroom.
- holds quarterly fire drills with clearly posted evacuation plans.
- requires that those who volunteer with children and youth be members or friends known to us for at least one year.
- requires that two adults staff each classroom.
- expects that parent or guardian will supervise children before and after RE classes – both inside, on the playground and in the courtyard – and at all church functions unless child care is provided.
- asks families to review together the “Covenant for Cooperative Church School” to help us all act in ways that are respectful at all times.
- requires that those who drive for field trips provide a seat belt for each passenger and also provide insurance information to be kept on file.
- requires that all drivers for church sponsored activities be 25 or over.
We ask that younger children—grade 4 and under – be met by a parent or guardian after the worship service. We realize that occasionally the service may end later than 12:15. In those instances all RE classes will usually continue until the service is over. It is expected that parents or guardians will remain at church during RE time. In the event that you must be away from the church we ask that you notify the DRE and leave a contact number for reaching you in case of emergency. Parents are also asked to make prior arrangement with the classroom teachers if a child must be picked up before the scheduled end of class. Though individual families may have different rules while at church, children younger than grade 5 may not be unsupervised and children under 12 years of age may not be put in positions of responsibility for the care of younger children.
The playground and courtyard (excluding the rock garden and courtyard wall and including the apricot tree) are play areas but they all require supervision. The rock garden is a memorial garden and should be treated with respect. Climbing or walking on the courtyard wall is highly dangerous. Please remember that it is the responsibility of parents and guardians to supervise your children if they are going outside before or after RE or to arrange for your child under 11 to be watched by a responsible youth or adult.
Guidelines for Conduct
A Covenant for the Cooperative Church School
We all make mistakes at times or fail to live up to the promises we have made to one another. At those times, we will lovingly remind each other of our better selves, get the help from someone we trust, and listen to one another. It may be helpful to apologize and make amends for what we have done. If we see these principles not being followed, we each have a responsibility to respond because we want this place to be safe for all. If anyone has difficulty keeping the covenant while they are in group meetings or worship, the following will happen…
First…A responsible adult immediately offers a quiet reminder that the behavior is out of bounds.
Next…The adult and child/youth hold a private conversation.
Then…The child/youth has a private conversation with the Director of Religious Education who will be in touch with the parents.
After a family conversation…The parents contact the Director of Religious Education to indicate the child or youth understands the behavior was unacceptable and agrees to work harder to keep the covenant.
In the case of repeated difficulties, a parent or guardian may be asked to be with the child’s group for an agreed upon time or the child or youth may take a break from RE if that is agreed to be more appropriate.
