Friday, September 28, 2012

Compost Happens at FUSS!

Starting this Sunday, Master Composters from FUSS will lead a three- week project with our PreK thru 4th graders. The children will learn about and BUILD a composting system for FUSS. The compost bins will be built near the parking lot. Classroom teachers will be there to assist and other adults are welcome. Compost building days are Sunday: September 30, October 14 and October 21. Please have your child dress for the weather. We will be outside.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

RE starts September 16

Our full RE schedule starts tomorrow! Everyone begins in the Great Hall. We will have a teacher dedication and then senior youth, 7th&8th grade OWL, and 5th &6th grade go to their classes and meeting rooms.

Grades preK thru 4 will celebrate International Day of Peace, together, in the dining room. We gather outside to rededicate our Peace Pole and finish with a healthy snack.

Parents of 7th and 8th graders can attend a parent orientation for Our Whole Lives (OWL) beginning at 12 noon in Waters House. Pizza and salad will be served.

Senior youth interested in the trip to Guatemala should plan to attend the informational session with a parent. Meeting will be held in the Emerson room.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Fall 2012 Religious Education programs for children and youth

Religious Education programs start September 16 !
 


Creating Home: Pre K/ Kindergarten (ages 4 -6)
In Creating Home children explore the deep sense of sacredness, the beauty of hospitality, and the gift of loving relationships that a home can represent. As they actively explore the concept of home, they create a community home in their meeting space. They learn to identify their Unitarian Universalist congregation as a home. The program introduces children to Unitarian Universalist heritage, including rituals, songs, and traditions of our faith, and stories about Unitarian Universalists whose words, songs, and deeds have helped to shape the faith home that participants share. You can view the full curriculum here.

 Keepers of the Earth: Grades 1 and 2 (6 to 8 year olds) 
Keepers of the Earth is a Unitarian Universalist religious education program that comes from a curriculum of stories and environmental activities created by local Native American storyteller Joesph Bruchac and Michael Caduto. Keepers of the Earth allows children to explore spirituality in the natural world. Children will spend part of each class time outdoors (unless there is severe weather) and should come dressed to explore outside.

Toolbox of Faith: Grades 3 and 4 (8-10 year olds)
Toolbox of Faith invites third and fourth- grade participants to reflect on the qualities of our Unitarian Universalist faith. Qualities such as such as integrity, courage, and love, are tools they can use in living their lives and building their own faith. Each session uses a tool as a metaphor for an important quality of our faith such as reflection (symbolized by a mirror), flexibility (duct tape), and justice (a flashlight). You can view the full curriculum here.

Riddle and Mystery: Grade 5 and 6 (10-12 year olds)
The goal of Riddle and Mystery is to assist fifth and sixth- graders in their own search for understanding. Riddle and Mystery aims to teach participants to accept, appreciate and celebrate mystery, ambiguity and contradiction as part of human life and the starting points of religion. Together with their adult leaders, the class will create their own news studio and videotape and edit a news show. Their time together will involve both concrete and abstract work as they create the set, learn to use equipment, and consider the importance of questioning thought to Unitarian Universalist faith and its value in personal and communal life. You can view the full curriculum here.

    Our Whole Lives for grades 5 and 6 : Winter of 2013. There will be an 8-week Our Whole Lives (OWL) program offered to the class as part of our FUSS RE vision of fostering healthy community by teaching sexual health together with ethical values. A parent orientation is required and there will be an information session in the late fall/early winter.

Our Whole Lives (OWL): Grades 7 and 8 (12-14 year olds)
OWL is a year -long healthy sexuality program offered by trained facilitators from our  FUSS community. OWL offers positive, comprehensive, and age-appropriate sexual educational programming. This program fosters the development of sexual health and ethical values as it nurtures the worth and dignity of all participants.  It fosters equitable, healthy relationships through values-clarification activities, teaching communication and decision-making skills.  Children are encouraged to value themselves and act on their values throughout their whole lives.

This class REQUIRES a parent orientation and signed parental consent. There will be a schedule set by the advisors and handed out at the parent orientation. Because of the nature of the class, drop-ins are not allowed. There will be Sundays when OWL is not offered and the class will engage in other activities that are welcoming to drop-ins.

Senior Youth Group: for grades 9 to 12 (14-18 year olds)
Our youth group meets each Sunday morning beginning at 10:30 AM in the Youth Lounge (the basement of the main building).  Our youth group is open to the youth of our congregation and their friends. Our advisors work in collaboration with the youth; all working toward empowering the group to be youth-led and directed. Youth group focuses on five components: social action/justice, worship, activities and fellowship, learning, and leadership opportunity. Members may also participate in district and continental events, including District Youth Conferences (Cons) and the Youth Caucus at General Assembly. Cons are held throughout the year at various UU congregations throughout our district. These weekend youth retreats offer opportunities for friendship and spiritual reflection in addition to workshops, worship, dances, shared meals and communal living.