2017 Ward Conference Schedule

Jan 8 Brandenburg

Jan 29 Corydon

Feb 12 Charlestown 10 am
Feb 26 English 10 am
Mar 12 jeff 9 am
Mar 26 Lou 4 10 am
Apr 9 Madison 10 am
May 21 NA 12?
Jun 11 Salem 9 am
Jun 25 Scottsburg 10 am

 

Stake Primary Activity-Mini MTC

Save this date – Aug 19, 2017 – please pass on to all families in your wards.  More details later.

2014 Little Philmont – LDS Scout Training Day

On Saturday August 16th is a very important training that all Primary Presidencies are to attend. The Lord expects us to seek to understand and implement the scouting program as the activity arm of the church for the boys in our Primaries. This training has been well planned and offers lots of different areas to learn in. You are sure to learn things that will help you to better fulfill your callings.

Please make sure all your unit’s Scout Leaders and others on the list know about it and plan on attending with them!

 

Click here   for the flier and schedule.

You are encouraged to register here so there will be enough materials for you, but if you didn’t get a chance to register, come anyway.

 

TIP Sheets

We have just added a new TIP sheet to the above menu tabs – Activity Days for Girls Overview.

TIP sheets [short for Training In Primary] are intended to provide a quick visual overview of a specific program or concept. They are a resource that you can use when orienting new leaders and teachers, or giving follow-up encouragement and direction. Some TIP sheets are designed as training of a specific topic, such as adding variety to teaching or understanding how to counsel together.

You are welcome to print and give out copies of TIP sheets after you have reviewed the information together. We are wanting to make these TIP sheets as helpful as possible so we appreciate any feedback or suggestions on what else might be helpful to include or other subjects that would help you minister to those you serve in Primary.

TIP sheets are not intended to replace the church Handbook 2: Administering in the Church, Scouting Handbook, Teaching, No Greater Call or other handbooks and manuals. We have used information from these church handbooks and other sources to compile these TIP sheets but we encourage you to go to your handbooks often to clarify questions or get insight and inspiration for your callings as members of your Primary presidency. Studying a section together during your presidency meeting will add to your ability to get direction from the Holy Ghost and help you to magnify your callings.

Primary in the Fall

I know many of you are very focused on your Children Sacrament Meeting Presentations this fall. We are excited to attend and see your beautiful children share their testimonies about what it means to them to be a Child of God. Remember the goal – this is not a performance, but “to share what they have learned about this year’s theme” and “help the congregation focus on the gospel principles they are teaching” through song and word. Keep it simple and in the child’s own words as much as possible. [see outline p.1]

Here are some other things that need to happen in the fall –

Scout Rechartering –

Rechartering is happening this fall and our stake has requested ours to all be done by Stake Conference! Training was held on Sept. 26 and most units were represented. Please work with your Bishopric/ Branch Presidency to see that this is done correctly and on time.

Certain training requirements must be met for 2014. If your 11 yr old Scout Leaders have not done both indoor and outdoor training, you will not be able to recharter. Outdoor Leader Training is available Oct 25-26 or Nov 22-23, but they must register quickly if this is needed.

Scouting is an important part of Primary for boys ages 8-11. If we use the program correctly, great blessings can come into their lives now and in their future.

Calendar and Budget Planning –

We have updated the DATES page on the Stake Primary Blog with the 2014 dates of Stake Primary events and Cub Scout Day Camp dates. Please make sure these dates are on YOUR calendars.

Stake Auxiliary Training – We will have this training twice next year [Feb 8 and Nov 22] as we are trying to switch to the end of the year instead of Jan or Feb so we can start the year off well trained and ready for the new year’s theme.

Please review this previously written blog post for suggestions on Planning Calendars and Budgets.

Curriculum for 2014  is –

Nursery Class	ages 18 mo.–2 years	Behold Your Little Ones: Nursery Manual (37108)
Sharing Time	ages 3–11	2014 Outline for Sharing Time: Families Are Forever (10940)
Sunbeam Class	age 3	Primary 1: I Am a Child of God (34969)
CTR 4–7 Classes	ages 4–7	Primary 2: Choose the Right A (34484)
Valiant 8–11 Classes	ages 8–11	Primary 6: Old Testament (34603)

 

Welcome to the New Blog

We recently switched from Blogger to WordPress and we are glad you found us

CSMP

 

Fall is closing in and time is fast approaching for your 

Children’s Sacrament Meeting Presentation

Please refer to the September 2011 posts for some great suggestions and details about planning, but just some reminders –

• Let children use their own words as much as possible to show what they have learned and are testifying about.
• Make sure to have “script” approved by Bishop / Branch President before you start practicing.
• Don’t stress – this shouldn’t be a huge production, and you’ve been preparing the children all year.
• This is a great opportunity for the children to be “Primary Missionaries” as President Porter has asked them to be. Help them invite friends, neighbors and family members to attend. You can help the children make invitations and encourage parents to help children give out those invitations. Don’t miss this great missionary opportunity!
• If your Primary is small – simplify. It’s ok if the program doesn’t last the whole sacrament time, but do something to let the children share, in song and word, what they have learned in Primary this year.

We are looking forward to attending as many as we are able.

*VARIETY IN TEACHING*

During Gospel Instruction, Class, Lessons, & Music

“To help others want to learn, our teaching must be interesting.

To help them understand, our teaching must be clear.

To help them retain and ponder what they learn, our teaching must be memorable.” ( Teaching, No Greater Call)

The gospel can be presented in a number of different ways. I always use the potato as an example of a vegetable that can be prepared many ways. If you served mashed potatoes each and every night you would soon tire of it. No teacher should fall into a monotonous pattern of presenting lessons the same way week after week. Use variety to help learners understand and retain and also to help you feel excited about your call. Take time to make sure that you are using different and a variety of methods each and every week.

• In the case of young children, engage, engage, and engage the learners. There are many resources available. Practice using the methods before you teach them. There is an excellent chart on page 90 of Teaching No Greater Call. Look at this chart, make a copy of it and keep tabs of what you are doing on the chart. This book TNGC should go hand in hand with your manual whether it is a class, Sharing Time Gospel Instruction, or Music you are teaching. It will give you ideas and confidence in your calling. The Lord has provided this wonderful tool for you to be successful in teaching his little ones.
• In the month of August the outline for sharing time/gospel instruction helps uses storytelling; an object lesson; questions before you read so they can find the answer; stations where the children visit and read, listen and look; discussions; memorizing a scripture by using first letters; group activity of drawing and sharing their drawings; a scripture activity with the children engaged; and helps with adapting for the size of your primary. (A variety of 9 ideas!)
• In music first you need to know the song, practice practice, and practice. The suggested outline has you singing the song to the children, with something for them to listen and count; then the children clap the rhythm while you sing; display simple pictures with key words and engage them in an activity with the words and pictures; sing phrases; repeat activity; and sing the entire song several times. Testify of the importance of trying to be like Jesus. These are the helps given for the month. (A variety of 9 ideas here also)
• Be brave, have faith, try new ideas, plan ahead and use variety.
  by Jackie Bowen

Simplified Steps for New Scout Leaders in Primary

 Welcome New Scout Leader in Primary is a 2 page PDF document that we hope will help simplify the sometimes overwhelming task of learning what you need to know as a new scout leader. It contains links to online scout training, the Scouting Handbook for Church Units in the United States and as well as some helpful organization resources. The Link is also listed to the right under BSA online training. It is presented as a series of steps, so that things are done in the proper order. All who have responsibilities for or in Scouting ( Bishopric members, Primary presidents and presidency members, Scout committee members as well as the leaders working directly with the boys should be familiar with these steps and accomplish any missing steps so you can be fully trained and effective in your callings. Our Primary age boys deserve a well functioning Scouting program that will contribute to the efforts of families and Primary on Sunday to build testimonies in the lives of these future Priesthood holders. Please utilize this new tool in your Primary program.
by Tiare Fullmer

God Loves You

Carrying on in the same thread as last month’s post and because it is February, a month dedicated to love; I have chosen to write about another aspect of love. In this month’s Friend magazine there is a “Bright Idea” poster that has a quote from President Uchtdorf that says,

“You are not invisible to your Heavenly Father. He loves you.”

www.lds.org/friend/2012/02/bright-idea?lang=eng)

It is based on his talk in last October’s conference entitled “You Matter to Him”. When I read the poster the thought occurred to me that not only was this one of the most important messages we must teach to our precious primary children but it is also one of the most important lessons we must learn ourselves. In fact, we must gain a testimony of this love Heavenly Father has for us so the children will feel our love and His love too.

Rather that writing a long blog post for you to read this month, I encourage each of you to read or re-read President Uchtdorf’s talk and then pray to strengthen your testimony of God’s love for you. Then pray for the inspiration to help each child feel this love from our Heavenly Father also. I have included the link to the talk below or you can go to LDS.org to read it. The talk is also printed in the November 2011 Ensign.

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/you-matter-to-him?lang=eng

by Sandy Blackwell