Classroom Volunteer Training PreK-7th grade Fall 2016 Children, Youth & Family Ministries, First Universalist Church of Minneapolis

At all ages, we come to be reminded... In the Universalist spirit of love and hope, we give, receive and grow. Together, we: ● Welcome, affirm and protect the light in each human heart ● Listen deeply to where love is calling us next ● Cultivate bravery, humility, and compassion in service to justice

This is the church of the open mind, This is the church of the loving heart, This is the church of the helping hands

Love is the spirit of this church, and service is it’s law; this is our great covenant: To dwell together in peace, seek the truth in love, and to help one another

We are all part of one church community ● ● ● ●

We are a multigenerational community with a high ratio of kids:adults We share the vision and goals of the larger church in RE We no longer charge RE fees We build multigenerational classroom communities and “over”-staff ○ Families actively participate in our “co-op” RE model ○ We hire and pay youth staff to do childcare and teach RE

Religious Education isn’t just for kids; it is “doing church” with our kids

“Doing church with our kids” means: Being “each others’ people” Being a small community within the larger church community Supporting one another’s spiritual growth - this is relational work ● ● ●

Honoring the light = radically welcoming and radically welcomed Listening for love’s call = becoming more awake, aware and intentional Acting in service of justice = cultivating bravery, compassion and humility

“Doing church” means: 1. We worship together First thing, every Sunday, we worship together. We... ● Light a chalice ● Sing a song ● Welcome everyone with love, expressly and repeatedly ● Share joys and concerns ● Practice prayer or meditation and silence ● Hear relevant stories and messages

2. We mark milestones ● ● ●

RE curriculum acknowledges a milestone about every three years. Prepare the child and family to navigate transitions with grace, leaning into the support of their church. Family is involved in these passages, and sometimes the whole church. Baby dedication Chalice Children welcome ceremony (new) Kindergarten Rainbow Path graduation 3rd grade Signs of Our Faith stole ceremony 6th grade Rites of Passage ritual 9th grade Coming of Age worship service 12th grade Bridging ritual at Youth Sunday

3. We approach tough topics with love and courage When we approach what we don’t know, what is vulnerable or what is broken: ● The importance of covenant suddenly makes sense ● Our religious community is something we can lean into ● We can make mistakes and begin again in love ● Our faith compels us to keep growing, even when it’s hard ● It helps to have a sense of being part of something larger than we are ● Our faith helps us hold onto hope ● We benefit from learning together, even though our ages are different ● Parents/guardians are engaged, come to extra training, and volunteer ● Parents/guardians offered related small groups and discussions ● Kids and adults show up, go deep, and make use of church during RE time

2016-2017 Curriculum 6 mos.-2yrs. Preschool PreK

Nursery and toddler childcare Chalice Children & Families All Matter Spirit Stories

Kindergarten

Rainbow Path & Rainbow Path Graduation

1st grade

Love Surrounds Us & Families All Matter

2nd grade

Moral Tales & Stories of Justice

3rd grade

Love Will Guide Us & Signs of Our Faith

2016-2017 Curriculum 4th grade

Toolbox of Faith & Families All Matter

5th grade

Love Connects Us & Our Whole Lives

6th grade

Taking Our Places & Rites of Passage

7th grade

Neighboring Faiths

8th grade

Our Whole Lives & Racial Justice Intensive

9th grade

Coming of Age

10th-12th gr.

Senior High Youth Group & 12th gr. Bridging

Nuts & Bolts: Your volunteer commitment Volunteer about once a month (10 Sundays per year) Sign up for your Sundays online on SignUp Genius site Swap spots or find a sub if your schedule changes If you can’t come at the last minute, email Lauren and let your whole team know ● Communicate with staff, your teaching team and parents to help classes run smoothly ● ● ● ●

Nuts & Bolts: Drop-off and pick-up ● Up to 1st grade classes run 9:30-10:40 and 11:15-12:25 ● 2nd grade and up are 9:30-10:45 and 11:15-12:30 ● All children up through 6th grade must be signed in by their parents at the classroom ● 2nd-5th graders then walk directly to the Chalice Room, and return to classroom together after Children’s Chapel ● 3rd graders and younger must be picked up from class by an adult

Nuts & Bolts: Special Sundays ● First Sundays are Sharing Sunday. Children join their families in the Sanctuary for first 15-20 minutes of service, then excused to class. Teachers meet them just outside sanctuary doors. ● Seven Sundays each year, we have Multigenerational Worship. Children in the preK class and older attend the service with their families. Optional childcare for ages 6 months to 3 years

Nuts & Bolts: Registration and class sizes ● Classrooms are full this year! ● As classes fill, registering families are asked to attend at a different service time ● Please help us manage enrollment by encouraging parents to register their children ● Please have one adult take role and ensure all kids are marked present or listed as visitors ● Children should attend at their registered service time

Nuts & Bolts: RE Visitors ● All registered children are on your attendance sheet ● Visiting families should be warmly welcomed and directed to the Visiting Family Welcome Station before they drop off kids ● Visiting children who have been checked in will bring you a Visitor Form and will have a visitor name tag – please welcome them! ● Visiting parents may choose to stay in the classroom or attend service

Nuts & Bolts: Your classroom ● Your classroom will have a teacher resource folder with all the handouts from today, and an attendance list on a clipboard ● Each classroom has a small altar table and chalice ● All the supplies and materials you need for the lesson will be set out in the classroom each Sunday

Nuts & Bolts: Your small community ● Share info about allergies or special needs with your team. Honor differences, among your adults and your kids. Reach out to their grown-ups as needed. ● Social activities: ○ Young Families Halloween & Easter Parties ○ 2nd-6th grade - get together in October and January; RE overnight events in Spring ○ Lauren can provide family emails

Nuts & Bolts: Strategies for Success ● Preparation – when we have a good story, activity, or demonstration, it does the teaching ● Connection – when we listen and care about each other, we encourage connections ● Expectation – when we have reasonable expectations, children relax and respect grows ● Engagement – when we are authentic, responsive and engaging, our kids are, too From Katie Oberle

Classrooms this year Nursery Toddler Preschool PreK

Room 206 Room 100 Room 104 Room 102

4th grade 5th grade 6th grade 7th grade

Chalice Room Room 204 Room 202 Room 201

Kindergtn

Room 101

8th grade

Room 200

1st grade

Room 105

9th grade

9:30am Cummins Room

2nd grade

Room 107

3rd grade

Room 208

● ●

11:15am Room 203 10th-12th gr.

11:15am Cummins Room

We will have a new preschool renting downstairs classrooms Evening childcare will be held upstairs in Room 206

How are these ideas important to UU RE? ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Spirituality is awareness of our relationship to self, others, and that which is holy or larger than ourselves We should love our students before we even know them (bell hooks) To know me is to love me We are making a way out of no way Love beyond belief You don’t have to be perfect to be good Ours is a theology of inclusion Universal design Diversity is where we count the people. Inclusion is where the people count. Don’t ask what’s wrong. Ask what’s possible.