Welcome to the Melrose Unitarian Universalist Church School from the RE Committee and the Director of Religious Education for Children and Youth! 

Our Sunday School programming reflects our care and planning to develop multi-age Sunday morning classes

v      that accomplish our goal of providing our children with a safe and accepting environment in which to explore spirituality

v      that support Unitarian Universalist values and their engagement in the wider world. 

Download the attached RE Pamphlet and 2009-2010 registration and volunteer forms to see what is happening in RE. Then take a moment to print and complete them so we can count you in as part of RE this year.

RE Pamphlet    Registration Form    Volunteer Form

Our RE program is a cooperative one that relies on everyone’s involvement to work and thrive.  Please take some time to look at the volunteer form and see what level of commitment you can give, whether as a classroom leader, a helper for special events, or the other many ways you can give time to the programming. Training, support and resources will be provided for teachers so please check out what’s being planned and let us know how you can be involved.

Feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions about any aspect of the year’s RE program. I look forward to receiving your forms and your feedback!

Blessings,

Nita Penfold, D.Min.

Director of Religious Education for Children and Youth

(781) 665-7504  Church Phone

dre@melroseuu.org

Church School

We have a weekly church school for preschoolers through 8th grades, which meets during the Sunday worship service. Children stay with their parents during the first part of the service. After the Time For All Ages, the children and teachers leave the service for their classes.

7^th and 8^th graders will meet the first half of the year in Our Whole Lives sexuality education programming which includes an orientation for parents.  The second half of the year, 6^th 7^th and 8^th graders will use the curriculum Neighboring Faiths to explore the religions in our area.  Our youth, grades 9 - 12, meet each week for youth group on Sunday afternoons from 12:30 - 2:30 p.m.

Preschool – Elementary

Our cooperative church school classes for Preschool through 5^th grade utilize the innovative Spirit Play program that uses story to explore and wonder about the big questions in life. 

Steeped in Montessori methodology, which is child-centered and accommodates multiple learning styles, these classes are designed to create an intentional children's community. With doorkeepers and specially trained storytellers, a story-lesson is presented in sacred space, told with manipulatives hand-made by some of our adult artists and crafts people.
Children may then use various art mediums to express the story or explore one of the stories (today's story or one previously told) during their work time.  One of the new choices available on some Sundays this year is a Spirit Play in Motion where the children Kindergarten through 5^th grade may choose active games and activities as their work time choice.

 Unitarian Universalist World Religions, Life Issues, Social Justice and our Judeo-Christian Heritage are some of the themes we explore in different years. Age appropriate groupings ensure that children can learn and play while receiving a valuable foundation of liberal religious education. Parents and other adults rotate teaching throughout the church year.

Intergenerational Sundays and Worship Circles

Some Sundays the children will be invited to stay in church for an Intergenerational Service to enable them to stay with their families and to learn how Unitarian Universalists come together in community for worship.  These services will be more child-friendly.  There will also be special Children’s Worship Circles downstairs every few weeks so that the whole church school can come together in community to worship.