Children Ministries Sunday

School
Parent Handbook

K ids
Involved in
Theological
Education
Desert Spring United Methodist Church
120 North Pavilion Center Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89144
(702) 256-5933

Church Website: www.desertspringchurch.com

Sunday School Blog: www.dsumcsundayschool.blogspot.com
Sunday School Email: dsumcsundayschool@gmail.com
Overview of Sunday school:
Desert Spring United Methodist Church (DSUMC) is blessed with an ever
growing congregation actively listening, learning and living the word of our
Heavenly Father. The role of Children Ministries is to run an evolving Sunday
school along with multiple school-wide and community programs to actively
engage children into understanding Jesus' message, good works and choices so
that they may have every opportunity to model their own lives to Christian
principles.

Sunday school Programs at a glance:

In a calendar year a variety of programs are sponsored by and for the Sunday
school children of DSUMC and community. Parent participation and
involvement is essential to the success of these programs. Sadly, if volunteerism
is low for a projected event, the event will have to be cancelled. Events include:

 January-February…Prayer Pals … A beautiful lesson in FAITH

 March - April…Ash Wednesday Children’s Worship Service, Palm Sunday
Procession of Palms, Easter Sunday Morning Egg hunts
 May… Movies in May Fundraisers for VBS, End of school year Cupcake
Party in Sunday school classroom.
 June, July, August… Summer time Bible Verse Memory Challenge. July
4th parade float building and participation. Vacation Bible School Camp
scheduled for July 18 – 22 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM every evening.
 September … Fall Fun Sunday School launches the school year.
 October………Halloween Scavenger Hunts, Saints curriculum
 November……. All Saints Day Hero Party, Rehearsals begin for Children's
Christmas Musical.
 December…….Children's Christmas Musical Performance on Christmas
Eve, Jesus' Birthday Party Celebration, Month long Talent Show Fun
During Children’s Church.

Please review the bulletin boards in the church hallway for up-dates on up-
coming events and opportunities for families. Remind parents to do the same.
Building a relationship with the parents will likely result in better support and
volunteerism in children ministries programs.
Classroom Guide:

Safe, clean and decorated Sunday school classrooms provide a fun, learning
atmosphere.

 Classroom break-out for 9:30 service:

room 1 ... age 3 …. Pre-school
room 2 … age 4 … Pre-Kindergarten
room 3 … age 5 and Kindergarten
room 5 … 3rd, 4th, 5th Grade
room 6 … 1st, 2nd Grade

 Classroom break-out for 11:00 service:

Room 1 … age 3-4-5 Pre-School
Room 5 … One Room Sunday School … Kindergarten – Fifth grade

Learning:
Cokesbury publishing's Rock Solid Sunday school curriculum provides a beautiful
storybook each week for every child in every classroom. All classes learn the
same message for the week, but the layout of that story changes for each grade
level. Teachers use the included Leaders Guide provided with the curriculum
program to teach daily lessons to the children in an exciting, interactive way.
Teachers also design a fun activity to go along with the message such as an art &
craft, game, music, group activity or movie. After lesson time the kids are
gathered for a prayer of thanks and an animal cookie snack. Cookie time is a
casual interactive social time for the kids to simply enjoy one another.

Resource Library
Room 7 in the East education courtyard is designated for Sunday school teachers'
exclusive use to design great classroom activities for the children. There are
educational movies, resource materials, bible story books, seasonal materials,
arts & crafts storage, games and several kinds of paper. A large nickelodeon box
in the narthex of the sanctuary is available to receive any office or school supply
donations with great gratitude. Thank you sincerely to all patrons that have
made donations to the Sunday school resource room and classrooms.
Safety Policies:
 Background Checks mandated by Safe Sanctuary
Background checks are mandatory for all church staff, Potossi Pines staff,
volunteer counselors and Sunday school teachers at Desert Spring United
Methodist Church. Background checks fulfill, in part, the mandates of the Safe
Sanctuary literature adopted by Methodist churches nationwide. To read the Safe
Sanctuary literature refer to the Desert Southwest Conference website.
 Safety & Security Policy for Minors on Campus
When parents enroll their children into DSUMC Sunday school they are agreeing
to the terms and conditions of the safety and security policy for minors. These
policies are designed to keep children safe while participating in church activities.
All children are asked to report to their classroom or sanctuary during service
times and remain in the care of their parent, or a designated adult, during other
times.

Safety Guidelines:
Safety measures are in place daily to ensure the safety of our children and
teachers on campus.
 Parents are asked to enroll their children into Sunday school by filling out
the Sunday school registration form for each child.
 Children in pre-school through first grade are required to be signed out by
their parents from Sunday school class. Children cannot be released to
siblings or other children. Parents or designated adults only are allowed
to pick up a child from class.
 Children in second grade through fifth grade are allowed to be released
from Sunday school class on their own.

Parents are Teachers Too:

Parents play a vital role in any Sunday school program. Developing an early love
for God and a positive direction in life can assist young people to make positive
choices in all things. Sunday school and its programs offer educational fun and
opportunities for stewardship, companionship, and service to others.
 Desert Spring United Methodist Church
120 N. Pavilion Center Drive Las Vegas, NV 89144 (702) 256-5933 www.desertspringchurch.com
Sunday School Blog: www.dsumcsundayschool.blogspot.com Sunday School Email:
dsumcsundayschool@gmail.com
Sunday School Enrollment Form
Child's Full Name: _______________________________________________

Child's Preferred Name:____________________________________________

Parent’s Full Names:______________________________________________

Street Address: __________________________________________________

City_____________________State_________Zip______________________

Phone Number_________________Parents Cell_________________________

Grade___________Date of Birth_______________________Age___________

Parents Email:__________________________________________________

Does the Child have any allergies or medical conditions we should know about?

_____________________________________________________________

Who May pick the child up from Sunday school?

_____________________________ _____________________________

Can the child be dismissed from class on his/her own? _________yes________no

(We only recommend this for first grade and above)

Are you willing to Teach or Substitute Teach Sunday school? _______yes_______no

Parents Note: Photography is used in Sunday school for ministry event records, art
projects or general church use materials. Your child may be photographed. Some photos
are posted onto the Children Ministries Blog…this is an internet based web-page. Please
mark here if you do not wish for your child’s photo be posted online. _________

Safety and Security Policy for Minors on Campus is printed on the back of this form,
please read and sign acknowledgement. Thank you.
 Safety & Security Policy for Minors on Campus

The following policies have been created to promote the safety and security of all
minors under the age of 18 participating in any and all church programs or
sponsored events, at the church and off-site. Any minor is first and foremost the
responsibility of his or her parent(s) /guardian(s) or other responsible adult
designated by the child's parent or guardian. No minor under the age of 18 is to
be on the church property unsupervised at any time except as set forth herein.

The church is not responsible for minors who leave a church program without the
supervision of a parent/guardian. All children under the age of 6 years old must
be signed in and out by a parent/guardian or other designated responsible adult.
Parents/ guardians or other adults bringing minors to participate in church
programs or sponsored events must not leave until they sign-in their child as
appropriate and ensure that the appropriate church staff member(s) and/or
volunteer(s) is(are) present.

Minors who are dropped off for church programs or sponsored events must be
walked into the property and into the building to the designated meeting place by
the parent/guardian or other responsible adult designated by the
parent/guardian. Middle and high school students will be allowed to walk
between church buildings during daylight hours. If the parent/guardian or
responsible adult leaves the church property or is participating in a church
program or sponsored event and the minor is not, it is the responsibility of the
parent to make arrangements for another adult to be responsible for their child,
or to make prior arrangements through a church staff member for supervision of
the minor.

Minors, who arrive at the church on their own, must check-in with the
appropriate church staff member upon arrival and before departing and, while on
campus, must be accountable to this staff member or another responsible adult
designated by the staff member. Minors under the age of 18, who are licensed
drivers, must inform the appropriate church staff member or volunteer that they
are leaving the church property.

For more information please contact our Director of Children's Ministries,

Rhonda Reeves email: bigfamily@cox.net

I __________________________acknowledge the Safety and Security

Policy for Minors on Campus.

_______________________________________________________
(Signature)