Westport Friends Meeting

Religious Ed Updates 4.08

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COMMITTEE UPDATE

Our meeting’s First Day School is growing in all ways imaginable! We are truly blessed to have a wonderful group of children, totaling 16, who attend Meeting along with their parents. The average number in our curriculum-based class is 6 and our childcare group has the potential of 10 children all under the age of 3. The classrooms are full of books, toys, busy-ness, noise and the artwork of our children. Take a peek, won’t you?

Considering these numbers, it is good to report that our Religious Education Committee is vibrant, full of educators and committed to meeting the needs of each of our young attenders. This means providing a safe and nurturing place for infants and toddlers as well as offering a quality curriculum-based class for our Kindergarten through second graders. In addition, Gretchen will be email mentoring with our oldest youngster on a regular basis to provide for her religious education learning experience. Everyone on the committee has been using his or her unique gifts to keep us moving in a positive direction.

Sara Mercer Medeiros, our certified childcare teacher, oversees and provides the loving care that the youngsters in our childcare group appear to revel in. The excellent children’s book-based curriculum, which was originally based on the FGC’s “Sparklers”, has now evolved into an incredible collection of “shoe box” curriculum kits that Gretchen Baker-Smith has created for us. Another first, is the attendance of three of our Committee members at a Yearly Meeting Religious Education workshop, “Threshing the Seeds of War and Peace”.

Naturally, the Committee is always trying to keep a few steps ahead of our growing children and their needs. We have appreciated and benefited from the generous support of our Meeting. The need for that support continues as we face the challenges of growth.

Teacher and childcare volunteers are needed on a weekly basis. Because of our numbers, we need one teacher each week, one parent and one Meeting volunteer for childcare.
Physical space issues are a matter of discussion and we need some help in sprucing things up and simplifying the furniture arrangements in order to have breakout space for smaller groups of children.
Financial support for materials, supplies and equipment continues.
As spring arrives, we are looking for physical assistance and carpenter know-how to ready the yard for the little ones. Sara can be contacted about our wish list for good quality, gently used toys that are age appropriate.
We are reviewing and updating our literature for recruitment and informational purposes. In addition, a priority is making our meeting and community buildings child safe. For example, radiator covers, Plexiglas in front of the window on the stage and staples vs. thumbtacks on the bulletin boards. Can you think of anything else?

Our next meeting of the committee is April 27 at 11:45 and you are welcome! This is an exciting and challenging time for the expansion of our spiritual community. Thank you for being part of our First Day School family!