Information for Parents

Registration

All students attending Sunday School are asked to register online.  If you can, please register during the Summer months, in order to help us anticipate classroom sizes and textbook needs. That said, registration never closes — you may register your student at any time during the year.

There is no requirement to commit to parish membership (or even to Orthodoxy) before attending. We love to welcome new families and hope to create as few roadblocks as possible.

Age and Grade Level Requirements

A child must be two years old by the first day of classes to enroll in Sunday School.

Students are placed in classrooms according to grade level. In the unusual event that a student is studying at levels much higher than their age would imply, we recommend that they remain with their age-level peer group.

Curriculum

Transfiguration uses a parish-wide curriculum, working through the Bible together over the course of several years. (Old Testament, then New Testament, roughly in chronological order.)

Term

The Sunday School term begins the Sunday after Labor Day and finishes the Sunday before Memorial Day. Holiday breaks for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Break roughly follow the calendar of the local public school district. Check the annual Sunday School calendar online to confirm exact dates.

Hours

Students should arrive at the beginning of Divine Liturgy and sit with their parents.  After receiving Holy Communion, they should walk quietly to their classrooms.  Our Sunday School program assumes that our students are truly engaging in the sacramental life of the Church, so it would not be appropriate to miss all or part of the Divine Liturgy before class.

Classes are 45 minutes long. Because the length of Divine Liturgy may vary, parents may find that Coffee Hour is often underway before their students are released from class. Unless your child is very young, please wait for them to come to you. Please do not go to the classroom to take your child out early.  If you have an unavoidable need to remove them early, please notify the teacher with a note, and we will escort your child out of class at the requested time.

General Rules

Please help your child follow these rules while on church property in order to ensure a safe and loving environment:

  • Keep your hands and feet to yourself.
  • Take care of church property.
  • Show respect to others.

Parents’ Best Practices

Here are some concrete ways that you can help strengthen the foundation of your child’s religious education:

  •  Bring your child to the Divine Liturgy as often as possible.
  •  Read the week’s Scripture lesson together before Sunday.
  •  Be consistent. Attend Church regularly. Your child’s regular attendance in the classroom is vital to the flow of information and to your child’s feelings of group membership and acceptance.
  •  Get to know your child’s Sunday School teachers. Be aware of what your child is learning in class and how your child is behaving.
  •  After church on Sunday, ask your child(ren) about the week’s lesson he or she learned in Sunday School. Discuss the lesson as a family, after church on Sunday and throughout the week.
  • Practice the faith at home, observe fast days and schedule family prayer time. Orthodoxy is a lived faith; it cannot be taught once a week but is in the rhythm of the home and in the constant habits of prayer and awareness of God modeled by parents. Children are great imitators — what they see you do, you will see them do.  If you would like to see Christ take root in their hearts, bring Him into your home.

Volunteer Opportunities 

Our Sunday School program and all of our Youth Ministries rely on the work of volunteers.  We could really use your help!  If you are interested in offering your time and talents for any ministry, please contact the listed coordinator or the church office.

Family Link Newsletter 

Please take a few moments to go online and sign up for our Archdiocese’s Family Link Newsletter, a monthly email message packed with links to timely articles on family life and other useful resources.  This service is provided by the Archdiocese’s Center for Family Care.