Welcome to our Sunday school at First Parish. As
Director of Religious Education, it is my responsibility to
coordinate our church school as well as to assist and offer
support to our teachers and the Religious Education Committee.
At First Parish, we try to give your
child(ren) the
opportunity to grow spiritually while being exposed to the
rich heritage of western religions and UU traditions. If you
have any questions, I will be available for conferences on
Sunday mornings during the church year. I may also be reached
by leaving a message at the church (978-922-3968). Debra
Sweet, DRE
Our RE program is offered on Sunday mornings from 10:00 -
11:15 A.M., from early September through the second week of
June. Our time with the children and youth is brief. You, as
parent, play a significant role in the religious education of
your child. So that you may work to reinforce our program, we
provide the following guidelines and requests:
REGISTRATION: Formal registration will occur during coffee
hour in the sanctuary on Sept. 10, but children may register
anytime during the church year. Please take the time to fill
out our registration form. A registration donation of $10 per
child, $25 for coming of age students is suggested at the time
of registration. Our church school registrar will be available
on most Sunday mornings to answer your questions or can be
reached by calling the church office(978-922-3968).
ATTENDANCE: Please arrive on time and come regularly.
Children (and adults) develop a sense of belonging by frequent
attendance.
CHILDREN'S WORSHIP: At First Parish, children and youth
are given the opportunity to worship together with the whole
congregation as well as separately as a church school. This
allows a greater freedom of different styles of worship. The
children and youth are involved in three basic formats of
worship; downstairs worship which occurs in the children's
worship space in Hale Hall, upstairs worship as part of the
congregational service in the sanctuary, and intergenerational
worship when the children and youth participate in an entire
congregational worship in the sanctuary. The latter type of
worship is reserved for holidays and special
celebrations.
OFFERING: To help defray the cost of curricula
and class supplies, an offering is collected each week during
children's worship.
CLASS PROGRESS: You may follow the curriculum and learning
activities of your child's class by referring to the classroom
bulletin boards. Take the time to introduce yourself to your
child's teachers and ask questions about the classwork. If you
have the opportunity, please feel free to arrange a visit the
class.
LIBRARY: The Robin Elbot/ Pat Barton Memorial Library is
open on Sunday mornings and books are available for lending to
registered church school students.
CONDUCT: Especially in our church school environment, we
expect our children to behave in a considerate, reasonable and
non-disruptive manner. However, we feel that the
responsibility for discipline rests with parents and primary
caregivers and not with our volunteer staff. If your child is
having difficulty sitting through class, it will be brought to
your attention so that you can take what you feel is
appropriate action.
VOLUNTEERS: We depend on volunteers in our church school
program. We expect that parents enrolling their children, as
well as other church members, will commit themselves in some
way to the religious education of our children and youth.
Please consider joining one of our teaching teams or
volunteering as a classroom aide, giving a children's message,
or assisting with special
events.
