Church School

 

At St John's, children are tightly woven into the fabric of parish worship and life which starts with Church School.  Individual classrooms use age appropriate lessons that are designed to lead our youth to develop a close relationship with God. Each classroom uses accredited curriculums that follow the church liturgical calendar, making it easy for parents to discuss the weekly lessons with their children at home.

 

Every 4 to 6 weeks, Children's Chapel is held during Church School where all of the classes meet together for a special service with our clergy which includes prayer, songs, readings, and a children's sermon.

 

The Church School program follows the Episcopal Safe Church guidelines and all of our teachers and gate keepers have competed a CORI check.

 

Church School at St John's run from September through June during the 10:00 service. Registration for the Church School year is held in early September and newcomers are welcome to join at any time throughout the year.

 

 

Sermons 4 Kids - Pre-K and Kindergarten

 

The Sermons 4 Kids program was started by Charles Kirkpatrick over ten years ago and incorporates the educational structure, music, and faith experiences for this age group.  Each week a children's sermon in the form of a short story is read to the children.  This sermon follows the lessons of the gospel and the church calendar, but is told as a simple short story that the children can relate to easily.  Sometimes the teacher will use manipulatives to help tell the story, as well and follows the lesson with a related craft or activity.

 

Meets in classroom in the front of the undercroft.

 

Godly Play - 1st through 4th grade

 

Godly Play is a Montessori-based curriculum that teaches the children the art of using religious language, parables, sacred story, silence, and liturgical action to help them become more fully aware of the mystery of God's presence in their lives.  Our passionate Godly Play teachers encourage the children to learn to live in the church community, come closer to God, and to grow in their faith journey.  

 

Meets in Godly Play classroom in the rear of the undercroft.

 

Episcopal Digital Network - 5th through 7th grade

 

Lesson Plans That Work is published by the Episcopal Digital Network and follows along with the Revised Common Lectionary.  This curriculum is designed for middle school aged children and is recommended by the Episcopal Church Foundation.

The revised common lectionary used in this curriculum follows our church service and the liturgical calendar – using readings from the Old Testament, the Psalms, the New Testament, and the Gospel.

 

Meets in classroom in the middle section of the undercroft.