CHRISTIAN FORMATION -- CHILDREN
NURSERY CHILD CARE
St. Martin's Nursery is open from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Sunday of the year and is located downstairs next to the Choir room. The age range in the Nursery Room covers babies through 4-year-olds. There are two screened and Safe Church trained adult child care providers in this room at all times. A brochure is available at the nursery which every parent should receive on their first visit. It has important information regarding health guidelines for nursery care and allergy information that is essential for our caregivers to know in order to insure the safety of your child. Please to also download the brochure.
The Christian Formation offered in the nursery is experiential in that consideration for one another is practiced. Sharing toys and taking turns is explained, modeled and rewarded with praise when accomplished. Stories from the Bible and other sources are read to the children, and the room is filled with toys that appeal to a child's imagination as well as puzzles and manipulatives that test their ingenuity. If there are any questions about the nursery, contact Ann Meyer at 229-1111 or click here to email her.
SUNDAY SCHOOL occurs most Sundays at 10am during the academic year (September through May)
The Christian Formation offered in the nursery is experiential in that consideration for one another is practiced. Sharing toys and taking turns is explained, modeled and rewarded with praise when accomplished. Stories from the Bible and other sources are read to the children, and the room is filled with toys that appeal to a child's imagination as well as puzzles and manipulatives that test their ingenuity. If there are any questions about the nursery, contact Ann Meyer at 229-1111 or click here to email her.
SUNDAY SCHOOL occurs most Sundays at 10am during the academic year (September through May)
TEACHERS in each of the four elementary classrooms are hand-picked and are up-to-date with their Safe Church training requirements. There are 4 teams of two teachers per classroom who are scheduled on a rotating basis approximately every four weeks. Teachers, parents and children are all encouraged to access the Christian Formation Director and Clergy with suggestions, observations or grievances. All comments are welcomed, respected and responded to by SMEC staff.
CHILDREN'S SUNDAY SCHOOL
Our Sunday school teachers use the Spark Curriculum for 4 weeks, telling eight stories per academic year. This way children hear the story and participate in related activities whether they attend all four weeks, 3 weeks, 2 weeks or only one week. The activities are designed to help the children remember the story. They include art, drama, music, cooking, games, outreach—whatever will be fun and engage the children in the elements of the story. To accomplish this and aid the continuity of the story, each team of teachers teach for the entire module. This means that each team teaches 4 weeks in a row once in the fall and then once again in the spring.
PRE-KINDERGARTEN TO GRADE THREE
These children use three classrooms downstairs near the church offices and our nursery. These classrooms are used during the week by the Williamsburg Parent Cooperative Preschool and we use their rooms on Sundays.
GRADES FOUR AND FIVE
These young people meet in room 10 of the Zig-Zag building which is furnished with tables and chairs as this age group still prefers to keep their hands busy with crafts and projects while hearing Bible stories and lessons related to the same Scriptures introduced during Story Sunday. The adult leaders of this age group frequently use the children’s ability to act out Bible stories and their students offer their theatrics as a formational offering to the lower grades.
Our Sunday school teachers use the Spark Curriculum for 4 weeks, telling eight stories per academic year. This way children hear the story and participate in related activities whether they attend all four weeks, 3 weeks, 2 weeks or only one week. The activities are designed to help the children remember the story. They include art, drama, music, cooking, games, outreach—whatever will be fun and engage the children in the elements of the story. To accomplish this and aid the continuity of the story, each team of teachers teach for the entire module. This means that each team teaches 4 weeks in a row once in the fall and then once again in the spring.
PRE-KINDERGARTEN TO GRADE THREE
These children use three classrooms downstairs near the church offices and our nursery. These classrooms are used during the week by the Williamsburg Parent Cooperative Preschool and we use their rooms on Sundays.
GRADES FOUR AND FIVE
These young people meet in room 10 of the Zig-Zag building which is furnished with tables and chairs as this age group still prefers to keep their hands busy with crafts and projects while hearing Bible stories and lessons related to the same Scriptures introduced during Story Sunday. The adult leaders of this age group frequently use the children’s ability to act out Bible stories and their students offer their theatrics as a formational offering to the lower grades.
PAGEANTS AND PLAYS
St. Martin's Christmas Pageant takes place at the 4:00pm service on Christmas Eve. The pageant offered is billed as our NO-FUSS NO-MUSS CHRISTMAS PAGEANT because it requires only one rehearsal. That rehearsal takes place at 2:30pm on Christmas Eve and invites the participation of anyone, any age (children, parents, grandparents, non-parent adults, etc.) to hear the Christmas story, followed by a light snack. Then those participating in the pageant choose their parts and are costumed in time to participate in the 4:00pm Family Service and Eucharist.