Our teachers
have been meeting in their teams to prepare for lively spring classes. We want
to ensure that our children and youth leave with the core ideas of their
lessons, and we encourage you to use this email message and our blog to engage
your child(ren) in discussion through the week.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1.
Pick-Up from Classes:
Our classes are designed to be about 50 minutes in length. Our pick-up time is
11:50am. The two classes that need attention at this time are our K-2 and
Grades 3-5 groups, in the classrooms on the third floor. Middle and High School
youth are free to meet you in the Social Hall once their classes have ended.
Young children can be picked up on the first floor between 11:50 and 12:00.
a.
K-2 in the Cloud Room
– These teachers are planning to close a little earlier, and to engage the kids
in an activity at the very end of class that is less structured. They welcome
you to enter the classroom at 11:50, even if the door is closed, to visit and
pick up your child. We would like to move the crowds from the hallway into the
classroom. You do need to sign your child out.
b.
Grades 3-5 in the Youth Room
– Please wait outside the classroom until the class has ended. You also need to
sign your child out. However, if you are comfortable meeting your child
downstairs in the Social Hall, please make an arrangement for this with the
teachers.
2.
Chalice Palace: Friday,
February 15th is our next Chalice Palace night! This is a great opportunity
for children, youth and adults to try out and share their talents and new
things they’ve been learning (starting an instrument, or telling stories…).
It’s a long-standing multigenerational event in our community that truly
supports each of us in finding the courage to present and perform to give joy
to others. Encourage your child(ren) to sign up for Chalice Palace during the
Social Hour, or contact Linda Anderson (linda587@comcast.net)
to put your name on the list.
3.
Spring Semester Curriculum: You can
learn more about the spring semester focus for your child or youth in several
ways:
·
A WSUU RE spring
prospectus from the greeter table at church
THIS
WEEK:
Story Time: This week our children will share a story and snack together.
Please let the teachers in the class know if your child has a food allergy.
Spirit
Play: This
week’s focus is the “Flaming Chalice Lesson” – a primary liturgical lesson used
to reinforce our UU Promises/Principles. Children will start with the chalice,
talking about how some people feel that it holds the spirit of love and justice
and truth, or maybe the spirit of mystery, which some people call God. They
will put a candle in the chalice because the flame is mysterious and beautiful
and reminds us of the spirit. And they will talk about the people and other
elements of our community and environment.
Kindergarten through Second Grade:
“Wonderful Welcome”:
This week’s class in the Wonderful Welcome curriculum focuses on “The Gift of Forgiveness”. This
lesson introduces forgiveness as an intangible gift with power to heal
friendships and restore peace. The children will consider forgiveness in the
context of how they can respond if someone in their Wonderful Welcome class
breaks the covenant the group talked about in Session 2 last week.
Third through Fifth Grades: “Windows and Mirrors”: This
week’s lesson in the Windows and Mirrors
curriculum is “We Need Not Think Alike to Love Alike”. Unitarian Universalism
finds strength in explicitly welcoming diversity. It is well known that many of
us bring identities and beliefs that are Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim,
Humanist or Pagan to our UU religious lives. This session helps our kids to
examine their family’s faith journey and traditions, and to begin to discover
their own beliefs and the sources of those beliefs. In this lesson they will
also be introduced to our six Sources that support and nurture UU faith.
This
is a particularly important lesson to follow up on at home – talking more about
your family’s faith journey and paths, and letting your child voice their beliefs
and experience affirmation of them.
Middle School: “Riddle and Mystery”: This
week’s lesson in the Riddle and Mystery
curriculum is titled “Looking Toward Tomorrow,” and the youth will be answering
the big question “Where are we going?” This is the final question of Paul
Gauguin’s trilogy (Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?). It
introduces the idea that Unitarian Universalism is a humanistic religion: We
believe humans have the potential to greatly shape our mutual destiny. Our
youth will consider increasing control they will gain, with time, over their
own decisions and lives – and the responsibilities and opportunities that
accompany this control.
High School: “Our Name is Earl”:
This week’s episode, “Broke Joy’s Fancy Figurine” will help our youth to
think about their own dreams and goals, how they may have changed already, and
what they’re willing to sacrifice to make them happen. Processing around this
episode will focus on principles three and four (acceptance
and encouragement of spiritual growth, and free and responsible search for
truth and meaning). They’ll also talk about when a child’s dreams might be
different than their parents’ dreams for them.
Youth Group
will meet from 7PM to 8:30 PM in the Social Hall with Shelby Greiner and Suki
Kaplan, focusing on formation of the YAC and planning for their upcoming
morning service on March 3rd.
See
you Sunday!
Betsy
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