Children's Education

We want our children to develop a strong sense of personal values and to feel confident in expressing them and acting on them. Our Religious Education program for children teaches ethical living, our Unitarian Universalist principles and heritage, and the religions of the world, including Jewish and Christian teachings.

We offer our program in a way that gives children a framework they can build upon, so that they will grow up to become responsible adults and make wise decisions about what to believe and how to live.

Formal Sunday school classes are held from September to June every church year. We have a fall semester and a winter/spring semester of Sunday school. Around the winter holidays, Intercession classes are held for Pre-K to 8th graders. During this time, the children do art, crafts, cooking, social action and other activities focused on the different holidays of the season.

Sunday School Classes for the 2009/2010 Church Year

The Fall Sunday School program begins with the intergenerational Gathering of the Waters Service on September 13th, 2009.  The theme of the church year is UU Identity and the Eastern World Religions. Beginning September 20th, there will be the following classes: 

* Infant and Preschool:  Safe and fun playtime for our youngest children with Michael Green in the blockroom.

* Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten:  The We Are Many, We Are One curriculum uses stories to explore connections to our family and our church.  

* First Grade:  This group will begin with Treasure Hunting to study the UU Principles and then will learn about Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism through stories with the Picture Book of World Religions curriculum.  

* Second to Third Grade:  This group will begin with Moral Tales to give them the spiritual and ethical tools to make choices and then will learn about Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism through stories with the Picture Book of World Religions curriculum.  

* Fourth to Fifth Grade:  The Toolbox of Faith  curriculum will use real life tools to discover the tools Unitarian Universalism offers for the challenges of life. In the winter and spring, they will learn about Islam and Buddhism.

*Sixth to Seventh Grade:  The Amazing Grace  curriculum in the fall is intended to help middle school youth understand right and wrong and act on their new understanding. In the winter and spring, they will learn about Islam and Buddhism.

*Eight to Tenth Grade:  This group is moving to a Youth Group format on Sunday mornings with the Small Group Ministry for Youth curriculum.  They will discuss issues relevant to youth and their UU Identity. There will be once a month Middle School Youth Group activities planned by our Youth Advisor, Emily Lehr Anning.

Our Whole Lives (OWL) Programming

This church year we are offering OWL for 7th to 9th graders on Sunday evenings beginning January 10th. OWL comprehensive sexuality education. The program equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information in six subject areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture.  It helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, Our Whole Lives provides not only facts about anatomy and human development, but helps participants to clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality.  Both youth and parents frequently describe the program as an invaluable gift—helpful, fun, transformative, and safe.

Program Registration

Parents are asked to register their children in the program after they begin to attend regularly. Please fill out the PDF file below and e-mail it to the Director of Relgious Education at dreuufrc AT yahoo . com. (Note the e-mail address has the usual format but is not written here that way to reduce spam.) If there are any questions about registration, contact the DRE at 650-365-6913.

Click here for a UUFRC Religious Education Registration form. Please fill out the PDF form and e-mail it to the DRE. If you do not know the DRE's email address, then click here and we will email it to you.

Sunday Morning Schedule

Parents may bring children of any age to church services.

Childcare is available in the blockroom for infants to 5 year olds. School-aged children begin in the sanctuary with their parents. After the first hymn, they will be escorted to classes by their teachers. We ask parents to pick up children from nursery care by noon. Parents (or another designated adult) are expected to remain at the Fellowship while children are in our care, in case of medical emergency or any other situation requiring parental attention.

Curriculum Philosophy

At UUFRC, we want our children to develop a strong sense of personal values and to feel confident in expressing and acting on them. Our Religious Education program for children teaches ethical living, our Unitarian Universalist principles and heritage, and the religions of the world, including Jewish and Christian teachings. We offer our program in a way that gives children a framework they can build upon, so that they will grow up to become responsible adults and make wise decisions about what to believe and how to live.

Each church year, the fall semester begins with a unit on UU Identity. The topics range from the 7 UU Principles, UU history, and famous UUs. In the winter/spring semester, we focus on World Religions. There are three major areas we study, in rotation. We select specific religions and topics of interest within Western World Religions, The New Testament and Eastern World Religions. The winter/spring semesters will have the following rotation of World Religions:

• Winter/Spring 2010:  Eastern World Religions.This may include Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism.
  Winter/Spring 2011: Western World Religions.  In the past, we have studied Judiasm and Earth Based Spirituality.
  Winter/Spring 2012:  The New Testament will be the focus of study for our youth and children.

We to make authentic connections in community of the within these religions. For example, the children in 3rd to 8th grade have attended a prayer service at an Islamic Mosque and a morning service at a Hindu Temple in the past.

Beyond Sunday School, we offer Rites of Passages for Kindergarteners, the Age of Reason (3rd/4th grade), Coming of Age (8th to 10th grade) and Our Whole Lives comprehensive sexuality education for 4th to 6th graders and 7th to 9th graders.

Unitarian Universalist Principles in Children’s Language

We agree:

• To value each and every person
• To treat each other fairly and kindly
• To accept one another and keep on learning together
• To search for what is true and right in life
• To make decisions together
• To work for a peaceful, fair, and free world
• To respect the connections between all things

Inclusivity

We welcome all persons, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin; gender or gender identification, affectional preference or sexual orientation; age, physical or mental challenge; or social, economic, or marital status.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact the Tracey Fecher, the Director of Religious Education.