St. Paul's Church, Newburyport, MA Children's Christian Education for the 2008-2009 Year
An open house for our programs will be held on Sunday September 14th, following the 9AM service.
There will be an opportunity for you to meet all the teachers and tour the Church School atria and classrooms.
The first day of Church School will be Sunday September 21st. Nursery care will be available
that day beginning at 9 am, and the Church School classes will begin at 9:30 am.
Please complete a registration form for each child and
return them to St. Paul’s office.
Below you will find brief descriptions of each facet of our Church School Program:
St. Paul’s Nursery Care
The nursery welcomes children from infancy through age 3 from 9am to noon each Sunday.
The goal is to offer them a safe and fun place to get acquainted with other children while
their parents are engaged in adult education, the 10:15 am worship service and fellowship.
The nursery space has fresh paint and a new selection of toys.
We invite parents of nursery age children to a meeting on Sunday September 21,
at 9:15 am in the Harborside room.
Catechesis of the Good Shepard (CGS)
This coming year we will be holding two levels of CGS – our level I Atrium for
children 3 - 5 years old and level II Atrium for children 6 – 9 years old.
CGS is a Montessori based approach to religious formation based on the
conviction that God and the child are in relationship. God is already
present to children in their deepest being. With guidance and vocabulary,
children become aware of their relationship with God and give expression to
it. We have several returning and
several new teachers in our CGS program. We are also looking for volunteers interested
in serving for a liturgical season (approx. 6 weeks) to learn about CGS and support the
children’s work in the Atria. Contact Jenn Mansfield CGS Coordinator with any ideas
or questions – 978-346-0510 or jhmconsult@comcast.net
To learn more about the Catechesis of the Good
Shepherd, we invite you to visit these links:
The Guild of the Good Shepherd in Massachusetts
http://www.cgsma.org
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd National Association
http://www.cgsusa.org
The Center for Children and Theology
http://www.cctheo.org
Listening to the Child Blog
http://cctheo.blogspot.com
Episcopal Children’s Curriculum(4th- 6th grades)
Anthony Pretti, Terry Rooney and Bev Brennan will lead the 4th, 5th, and 6th
grade program. Children in this Intermediate level (10 -12 yrs) are no longer
limited just by what they can see, hear or touch. They can think about situations
from more than one perspective and begin to apply scriptural understanding to
everyday life. Storytelling remains an integral part of ECC at this level, but in
the form of a lively interaction between students and teachers. Concepts such as
covenant, prophecy, parables, Creeds and the Gospel are explored through art, poetry
writing, plays, and interviewing members of the congregation. This hands-on-focus
makes children active participants in their spiritual journey as they begin to
understand their responsibilities to God and other people. The 4th, 5th and 6th
grade program will also provide this age group with liturgical roles to actively
participate in the 10:15 a.m. worship service one Sunday of the month.
Journey to Adulthood Series (7th and 8th grades)
Kevin Driscoll and Kyrie Stevens will lead the 7th and 8th grade program using the
Rite-13 curriculum. The goals of Rite-13 are to celebrate God’s gift of manhood and
womanhood, to affirm the power of creative energy and to explore the thoughts and
disciplines which allow individuals to effect change in the world and also to teach,
by word and example, the principles of freedom, responsibility and friendship. The 7th
and 8th grade program will also provide this (age 13 -14 yrs) age group with liturgical
roles to actively participate in the 10:15 a.m. worship service two Sundays of the month.
Sunday Afternoon Confirmation Classes
This year those in 9th grade and above are invited to prepare for the confirmation of
their faith. We will be using the curriculum "My Faith, My Life: A Teen's Guide to the
Episcopal Church". Classes are tentatively slotted for Sundays from 12-2 pm, and
we will need to meet 8 times between October and March (so probably 2 times a month).
We will also attend the pre-confirmation retreat March 20-21, 2009 at the
Barbara C. Harris Diocesan Camp. St. Paul's will be hosting the Merrimack Valley
Deanery service of Confirmation on Saturday
March 28, 2009 at 10:00 am. Youth who are interested should plan to attend an
organizational meeting with at least one parent or guardian, on Sunday October 5
at 5:30 pm (pizza will be served). Please use the attached registration form to
indicate your interest and intention to attend the Oct. 5 meeting.
Sunday Evening Youth Group
Our Parish Intern, Brent Was, will be overseeing both the junior and senior groups
with the help and support of the
Youth Committee. Youth in grades 6-12 are invited to register and look forward to a
year of fun, fellowship and service. Watch the Weathervane and Sunday Bulletin for
dates and more information.
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd National Association http://www.cgsusa.org
The Center for Children and Theology http://www.cctheo.org
Listening to the Child Blog http://cctheo.blogspot.com