Dear Families,
We are ready to begin the first theme of Fully Alive, our family life program. The partnership of home, church and school is so important, this message is to let you know what we talk about in class and to offer some ideas for your involvement.
About Theme One
The first theme of Fully Alive, called “Created and Loved by God” is like the foundation of a house. Everything else depends on it. In this theme we explore the Christian belief that we are all created in God’s image, and that God loves each one of us. We are a very special creation. We respect and value ourselves and others.
In Theme One we will
*discover some of the ways in which each of us is a unique person whom God created and loves.
*explore the children’s growth and development in the past and look ahead to the coming year.
*learn more about feelings and the choices we have in how we express them.
Working together at school and at home
Take this opportunity to talk to your child about his or her special qualities and gifts, and also those of other members of your family. In class we will be talking about how important it is to share our gifts with others.
Your child will be bringing home an information sheet about growing and developing, and will need some help from you. In class, we will learn that we all grow and develop in our own way. Please send in a baby picture that we can put up on our wall (with your child’s name printed on the back). They will be returned to you at the end of the year.
Learning how to manage and express feelings is a big part of growing up and is something we will be talking about in class. Sometimes when children are overwhelmed by feelings of anger or frustration, the best time to talk to them about these feelings is after they have calmed down. It helps to let them know that everyone has these feelings, and has to learn to manage them. You might also discuss alternatives to shouting or hitting such as compromising or making a decision to leave a frustrating situation and find something else to do.
