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CALENDAR

Welcome To ​THE UU TREEHOUSE―OUR FAMILIES

Our Unitarian Universalist community begins with a search for truth and thrives in love. We are here to journey with you and your children as we search for truth, overcome injustice, and live out our principles together. Our aim is to support children who upon transition from their journey here know they are whole, worthy and integrated human beings capable of unconditional love.

Come often. We look forward to joining you and your family in calling this place home!
Follow us on Instagram @uutreehouse to stay informed!
​
Pay attention to the frog. Pay attention to the west wind. Pay attention to the boy on the raft, the lady on the tower, the old man on the train. In sum, pay attention to the world and all that dwells therein and thereby learn at last to pay attention to yourself and all that dwells therein.―Frederick Buechner

Our Programming

UU Santa Fe's Family Programming is a parent and volunteer-led cooperative, supported by Program Ministry staff. We focus our programming around outdoor activities, which promote connections among children and youth, families, and the UU Santa Fe community at large. Activities may include Sunday worship gatherings, family social events, hikes, dance parties and Parents' Night Out.

​We offer both Coming of Age (grades 8-9) and Taking Flight/Our Whole Lives Human Sexuality (grades 7-9) programs as our numbers allow.
Our Family Program
  • Once a month family-friendly Sunday gathering
  • A Treehouse story every week
  • Three outdoor family events a year - spring, summer, fall
  • Plus Bring Your Own Idea! - see below
Fall 2021 In the Treehouse!
  • UU Treehouse,​ ​Sundays, 10:30 am, Fogelson Hall
  • Baking Bread, Breaking Bread, November 28, 10:30 am MT, ​online
  • Follow us on
    Instagram@uutreehouse
    ​​    to stay informed!
2022 Taking Flight Human Sexuality 7th-9th Grades
  • Parent Conversations, December 9, 6:30 pm MT, onlne
  • Spring 2022 7th-9th grade Taking Flight
    • January - Parent Orientation
    • February - Program begins​

bring your own idea

Dear Families,

Join us in imagining the beginning of a new chapter in our family program.

We are implementing a Bring Your Own Idea model as we encourage a new way of collaborating together. Gatherings and events will be spearheaded by the ideas you bring forth with staff and volunteer guidance, support, and community resources. 

What might this look like? 
  • You have an idea you think would be really fun
  • You set up an appointment with one of our staff (Steven or Tilcara)
  • You walk us through what you need to bring your idea to life
  • We brainstorm ways to best support you
  • We collaborate together to build community!

As UU Santa Fe, part of our support includes communicating ongoing events to the larger community and keeping people connected. 

Don’t know where to start? We have an amazing craft supply, ample space, our beloved courtyard, a kitchen primed for community potlucks and taco nights, and of course, snacks! ​

Nursery

Nursery Room | Available During Our 10:30 am Gathering
Should you require it during our Gathering, parents may take their young children to our Nursery. Our nursery is located adjacent to Fellowship Hall (orange door). Sanctuary audio is piped into this room so you may listen to the Gathering while you care for your child. Parents who wish to keep infants with them are welcome to bring babies to the sanctuary.

Our child-friendly nursery space is well stocked with toys, books and the necessary items for the care and comfort of our children, including diapers and wipes. Donations of diapers and wipes for emergencies are always welcome.
​
We request that children who are ill or feeling unwell not be brought to the nursery to avoid the spread of contagious illnesses. As general guidelines, please do not bring children who in the past 24 hours have experienced:
  • A fever
  • A rash
  • Diarrhea
  • Vomiting
  • A runny nose (unless the mucus has been clear)
CHILDREN

​WELCOME TO THE UU TREEHOUSE!

UU Santa Fe Treehouse Sundays, 10:30 am
UU Santa Fe does not have dedicated Sunday morning children and youth programming―we gather as families in our sanctuary at 10:30 am. Young children are welcome to spend time in our treehouse at the back of the sanctuary. Its raised platform lets youngsters look out over the heads of adults while letting them explore quiet activities. Young ones too small to climb on the platform can play in the "Gazunder!" Friendly animals, art supplies and quiet crafts await. We have adult supervision but parents are welcome to join their kids in the Treehouse too! Visit our collection of UU Treehouse Stories!
Follow us on Instagram @uutreehouse to stay informed!
Baking Bread, Breaking Bread
November 28, 10:30 am MT
​online
​Led by Rev. Gail​ and Mr. Steven
x
​Rev Gail, Steven and several of our excellent UU Santa Fe bakers will don their aprons to bring you an online Bread Service pre recorded in our UU Santa Fe Kitchen.  For more information, More info

Simple Christmas

​With the 4-gift rule, each person gets just four gifts for Christmas:
  • Something you want,
  • Something you need,
  • Something to wear, and
  • Something to read.





​
YOUTH

Taking Flight Human Sexuality
7th-9th Grades

Taking Flight helps participants make informed and responsible decisions
about their relationships, sexual health and behavior. The program uses a holistic approach to provide accurate, developmentally-appropriate information about a range of topics including relationships, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, sexual health, power dynamics, and cultural influences on sexuality. Parents are required to attend a Taking Flight Parent Orientation prior to enrolling their youth in Taking Flight.
Follow us on Instagram @uutreehouse to stay informed!


​Taking Flight Program General Information

Taking Flight values:
  • Self Worth
  • Sexual Health
  • Responsibility
  • Justice and Inclusivity
Taking Flight recognizes and respects participants with diverse gender identities, expressions, and sexual orientations, inclusive of disability status and cultural and racial background.
Taking Flight is an 18-hour program vs. a 40-hour OWL program commitment. Taking Flight is adapted from OWL program content and methodology.

Program Resources

Taking Flight Attendance Policy

Consistent attendance in the Taking Flight program is a must to build trust relationships among participants and between facilitators and participants. Moreover, the program content is articulated and builds a knowledge base as content progresses from one topic to the next. Your youth's participation assumes that you will prioritize Taking Flight attendance over the many other contenders in the life of your youth.
  • Taking Flight begins promptly at a set time so that we are able to cover all of the material scheduled for the evening. If you know your child will be late or absent, please call the team leader of that session.
  • Taking Flight facilitators will provide supervision until pick up in cases of early dismissal.
We truly appreciate all the volunteer time, support, and positive feedback from families! 

Thank you, from the Taking Flight Team!
Taking Flight Parent Downloads
  • Taking Flight schedule and session content TBD
  • Taking Flight parent orientation materials TBD

Our Facilitators

Annette Gates, LMSW, MEd, CSSE is a sexuality and relationship therapist, coach and educator. While her practice and teachings are mainly geared toward adults she has a deep respect for the OWL teachings. She has taught college level human sexuality courses and now facilitates her own group teachings. In her earlier days, she led wilderness programs for teens through Outward Bound and managed teen group homes in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Mike Owens. Michael's day job is working as a computer systems administrator for the State of New Mexico. His second, unofficial job is all the things he does at UU Santa Fe, including teaching OWL. He taught his first middle school OWL class some 16 years ago, and has taught middle and high school OWL several times since. He is also trained to teach Adult OWL. He teaches OWL with both humor and fearlessness.

Upstart Crows of Santa Fe

UU Santa Fe—Supporter of the Upstart Crows of Santa Fe
That's right. Our UU Santa Fe youth learn to perform Shakespeare. It's what we do―UU Santa Fe has few youth, so we add them to the 60 or so youth in the Upstart Crows, our artist in residence theater company. Our youth, ages 10 to 18, participate in year-round workshops and uncut plays produced under the expert leadership of the Upstart Crows artistic staff, with a focus on understanding and collaboration. At UU Santa Fe, curriculum is not what you teach from, but what you teach with—if you can share with youth who you are and what you value, that is what they will remember from their time here. While performing a play we learn how to cooperate, work as a team, develop esprit de corps, take direction, achieve a goal, and tell a story from which we can learn a lesson. Alas, if only the grown-up world could do as much!

Human Being Training
And who better at understanding human nature than Shakespeare? Who better at self-realization? Self-reflection? Self-observation? Themes of love, loss, jealousy, reconciliation, tolerance, and acceptance; forgiveness, mercy, and reconciliation. Beauty and harmony. What among these should our youth not experience and carry into adulthood? Through art "we take upon’s the mystery of things/As if we were God’s spies." (Lear 5.3.16-17). What better preparation for our youth?

​This is a tuition program. ​Upstart Crows of Santa Fe is a non-profit organization—tuition fees cover only a portion of their production budget. They are committed to the principle that no one should be excluded from participation because of tuition costs. If you are unable to pay the full tuition, please see our Program Ministry staff and/or the Upstart Crows staff to apply for tuition assistance. Rehearsal space for the Upstart Crows is provided by and takes place at UU Santa Fe during designated weeknights and weekend afternoons.
The Esoteric Shakespeare, by Michael White​ - Parabola
Upstart Readers annual dramatic reading of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. 

Family Program Info

  • Steven Mead, Program Ministry
    Steven provides Program Ministry services to UU Santa Fe. The broad mandate of these services include organizing our family and adult learning programs, facilitating small groups and community life and supporting our justice teams.

    Contact Steven at dre@uusantafe.org.
    ​Tilcara Webb, Program Ministry
    Tilcara (she/her/they) is a graduate of the religious education program at UU
    Santa Fe and holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of New Mexico in International Studies and Spanish with a focus on contemporary Latin
    American Art. She is an MFA candidate at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Performance.

    Contact Tilcara at intern@uusantafe.org.
    Volunteer Team
    Program parents
    Mike Owens
    ​Patty Owens
    Steering Team
    Mike Owens
    Patty Owens
    Elizabeth Swope
    Lisa Flynn
    Steven Mead
    ​Tilcara Webb    ​
    Taking Flight Team
    Michael Owens
    ​Annette Gates
  • ​Room Locations
    Our rooms can be identified by the color of their door. All of our rooms can be reached as you go to or through Fellowship Hall (red door). As you enter our main lobby entrance, you can make your way to Fellowship Hall by following the short corridor on your right, past our drinking fountains. 
    • Orange Room (Nursery). Is accessible by making an immediate left; washrooms are on your left, the nursery room is on your right.
    • Yellow Room (Resource Room). Is accessible by continuing through Fellowship Hall and making your first left down a short hallway that leads to our outside playground. The Yellow Room door is on the left.
    • Green Room (middle school room). Is accessible by crossing Fellowship Hall. 
    • Turquoise Room (Pre-K-5th grade room). Is accessible by crossing Fellowship Hall.
    • Fellowship Lounge (purple door - high school room). Is accessible by crossing Fellowship Hall and entering the classroom to your right.
  • Family Program Covenant
    We all make mistakes at times or fail to live up to the promises we have made to one another. At those times, we will lovingly remind each other of our better selves, get the help from someone we trust, and listen to one another. It may be helpful to apologize and make amends for what we have done. If we see these principles not being followed, we each have a responsibility to respond because we want this place to be safe for all. If anyone has difficulty keeping the covenant while they are in group meetings or worship, the following will happen…
    • A responsible adult immediately offers a quiet reminder that the behavior is out of bounds. If that is insufficient,
    • Then…The adult and child/youth hold a private conversation. If that is insufficient,
    • Then…The child/youth has a private conversation with Program Ministry staff who will be in touch with the parents. 
    • After a family conversation, the parents contact the Program Ministry staff to indicate the child or youth understands the behavior was unacceptable and agrees to work harder to keep the covenant.
    In the case of repeated difficulties, a parent or guardian may be asked to be with the child’s group for an agreed upon time or the child or youth may take a break from attending class if that is agreed to be more appropriate.
  • UU Santa Fe Safety Policy Highlights
    It is the responsibility of our entire community, in partnership with staff and parents, to create and maintain a safe environment that supports the growth and welfare of children and youth in UU Santa Fe programs. The safety of our children in our care is of utmost importance. 
    • Policy. We comply with a Child and Youth Safety Policy, which covers physical safety and prevention of child abuse and harassment.
    • Volunteer Screening. We conduct and maintain child abuse and criminal background checks on all volunteers with unsupervised access to our children and youth.
    • Training & Education. We annually train our teaching volunteers regarding physical and child abuse safety.
    Supervision
    • At least two adults, including nursery care workers, are required to be present in each classroom on Sunday mornings and during any UU Santa Fe-related activity involving children or youth when not under a parent's supervision.
    • There must be at least one caregiver for every four toddlers in the Nursery. Parents will be asked to volunteer to stay in the nursery to meet this ratio if needed.
    • Parenting-adult permission slips are required anytime children or youth leave UU Santa Fe property for a UU Santa Fe-sponsored event at another location.
    • We require that those who volunteer with children and youth be members or friends known to us for at least one year.
    • We ​require that all drivers for UU Santa Fe-sponsored activities be 25 or over.
    • We require that those who drive for field trips provide a seat belt for each passenger and also provide insurance information to be kept on file.
    ​For complete information, please refer to our Children and Youth Safety Policy.

    ​    Food & Health Safety
    • ​Snacks are commonly served in most classes, so it is important that food, other allergies, and any relevant health concerns be clearly noted on guest and registration forms so we can be mindful of special needs in each class
    • Unless medically contraindicated, we expect that children and youth participating in our Family Program are vaccinated according to Center for Disease Control guidelines--including COVID-19 immunization when recommended by the CDC
  • Documents for Parents
    Parent/Guardian Consent Form
    File Size: 39 kb
    File Type: docx
    Download File
    Medical Consent Form
    File Size: 39 kb
    File Type: docx
    Download File
    Medication Consent Form
    File Size: 38 kb
    File Type: docx
    Download File
    Parent Feedback Form
    File Size: 43 kb
    File Type: docx
    Download File
    Incident/Accident Form
    File Size: 35 kb
    File Type: docx
    Download File
    OWL Participation Consent Form
    File Size: 40 kb
    File Type: docx
    Download File
    Documents for Volunteers
    UU Santa Fe Volunteer Form
    File Size: 48 kb
    File Type: docx
    Download File
    Program Documents
    ​Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.— Charles Dickens, Unitarian
  • Registration
    Each fall, all UU Santa Fe families should complete a registration form for children and youth actively participating in our Family Program. Current information enables us to keep you informed about church events and activities throughout the year and, most importantly, helps keep children and youth safe while under the supervision of Program Ministry staff, childcare workers, and program volunteers. Please register your children and youth if you begin to attend regularly (it doesn't matter if you are a church member or "friend").

    REGISTRATION IS ONLINE AND ONLY TAKES A FEW MINUTES.
​​Faith development is all we do.
Unitarian Universalism is all we teach.
The entire congregation is our curriculum.
― Connie Goodbread, UU Religious Educator