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Whole School Worship
Today Rev Matt led our Whole School Worship which focused on understanding that during difficult times we can listen to God. We started with a challenge where we had to listen to different noises and identify what they were. First there was a cat, then a plane, a lion, a microwave, the wind.This highlighted the importance of listening. Our Bible story this week was the story about the road to Emmaus. After Jesus rose from the dead, two sad followers were walking to Emmaus when Jesus joined them, but they didn’t recognise him. He explained how the Bible predicted his resurrection. Later, while breaking bread together, they realised it was Jesus before he vanished. Excited, they ran back to tell others he was alive! Rev Matt told us that Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in the Bible. But they are written that you may believe. He also asked us how does God help us when something is hard? The children gave some lovely answers such as showing us the way, giving us support and being the guiding light. We finished with a special prayer and then sang One, two, three Jesus is alive!
Whole School Worship with Rev Ben
Our Whole School Worship was led by Rev Ben this morning and we started by highlighting the fact that today is St George’s Day. Today many people across England will celebrate the country's patron saint, St George. Patron saints are chosen as special protectors or guardians over all areas of life. Next, six children were selected to play Rev Ben’s fishing game. It focused on Peter the fisherman who also reminds us of St George. The six children had to work in two teams to fetch and carry the most fish to win the game. Peter was an ordinary fisherman on the Sea of Galilee who became one of Jesus' closest friends and leaders (apostles). Jesus changed his life by telling him he would become a "fisher of men," meaning he would help people learn about God instead of catching fish. Peter was known for being brave, impulsive, and for walking on water with Jesus. The children watched a clip about Peter and then answered the following questions: What happened in today’s Bible story? Why do you think you might be a better friend if you know you sometimes need to be forgiven yourself? The children answered that Peter had let Jesus down, but Jesus still forgave him. Being courageous is knowing that we don’t always get things right.
The WOW Group - Spiritual Garden Activities
Our WOW group split off into smaller groups to deliver their planned activities across lunchtimes last week. The group pictured invited children to hunt for natural materials around them and then use them to show off their creativity, making pictures. The children loved exploring different shapes and colours in nature and sharing their designs with their friends.
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The WOW Group - Spiritual Garden Activity Planning
This week, the WOW group planned some spirituality activities to carry out at break times in the spiritual garden. They chose an activity in groups of 3 and prepared all the resources they needed. They then decided which year groups they would invite to play.
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Wow Group: Tree Planting
What a fantastic afternoon our WOW group had on our school grounds! They had a wonderful time planting a brand-new orchard across two different areas of the school- next to the MUGA and next to our infant yard. We added a variety of plum, apple, and pear trees to our landscape, and it was a great learning experience for everyone involved. Ian and Aileen joined us to explain the life cycle of the trees, teaching the children how they will first burst into blossom during the spring and early summer. They learned that once those flowers are pollinated, they will begin the transformation into delicious fruit, just in time for the start of the autumn term. WOW group really got stuck into the hard work, digging the holes, positioning the trees, and carefully installing guards and stakes to keep them secure. It was a joy to see them working so well as a team, showing great care for our new environment. We are all really looking forward to watching these trees grow over the coming years, and we certainly can’t wait to eventually taste the fruits of our labour!
W.O.W. Group - Messy Church: The Sower
The WOW group ran their final messy church this week. They did a fantastic job planning a fun session based on the Parable of the Sower. First, they read the story and discussed its meaning and how Jesus wanted his followers to root their faith in God. Then the participants decorated a plant pot. Once the pots were decorated, the children filled them with rich, nutritious compost and added Nigella or Candytuft seeds.
The W.O.W. Group - Messy Church
Our fantastic W.O.W. Group have been busy planning and this week was our first messy church of the year. The theme was “promises” and the session began with a reading of the Parable of the Two Sons. The attendees compared the two sons in the story - the one that promised to do a job for his father but never did it, and the one who originally grumbled but then decided to help - and agreed that promises don’t mean anything if they are not kept. The W.O.W. Group then led an activity in which participants decorated promise jars and wrote down a promise that they vow to keep. They then drew messy church to a close with a prayer asking God to help us to keep our promises.
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Whole School Worship with Rev Matt
Whole School Worship was led by Rev Matt this morning and it looked at the Bible story - John the Baptist. We started with the usual challenge that helped us think about being courageous in times of change. How easy do different people find change. Rev Matt gave instructions that the children had to follow. This included clapping, sticking our tongue out to make an ocean, using our hands to make a V shape and rubbing out tummy whilst we pat our heads. The children loved this challenge but found different ones more challenging ~ not everyone found the same challenge to be problematic and this shows how we are all different. Next Rev Matt shared the Bible story and he asked the children to say the word “Wow” every time the word “special” was used. The story of John told us that he lived simply in the desert, wearing camel hair and eating locusts and wild honey, growing close to God. John preached a message of repentance (saying sorry for wrongs) and baptized people in the Jordan River, telling them God's promised Messiah (Jesus) was coming. When Jesus came, John baptized Him, and the Holy Spirit came down like a dove, showing everyone Jesus was God's Son. Baptism is all about change and through the story and our discussions we learnt that even though Jesus doesn’t need Baptism he shows us the way anyway.
The WOW Group - Messy Church Planning
This week, the WOW group were busy planning for our upcoming parables messy church. The children split into two groups and discussed ideas for crafts linked to their chosen parables. Next week, they will be choosing how the session will run, who will deliver each element of the session and which prayer to say to close. The WOW Group members were also very proud to receive their brand new badges.
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Year 6 - Class Worship
Year 6 took part in a thoughtful class worship exploring Herald the King and what it means to live out God’s Big Story in our daily choices. The children reflected on themes of hope, kindness and responsibility, discussing how they can shine God’s light in school and at home. To celebrate this special time of year, the children created ‘wishful stars’, each one expressing a personal hope or commitment inspired by the worship. These stars now serve as a gentle reminder of the messages shared and the values we choose to carry forward.
Whole School Worship - Power for Good
Our theme in today’s collective worship was “Power for Good”. Continuing our focus on Anti-Bullying Week, Mrs Ham shared some of the fantastic answers the children gave on Monday about standing up to bullying. These included saying stop, being assertive, asking why, and telling a trusted adult. We learned of how Jesus was a power for good, even when others turned against him, and we reflected on the ways in which we can also be a power for good by being a good friend and spotting when someone needs our help. The WOW Group also shared how they are being a power for good, by protecting our planet and leading our school’s Switch Off Fortnight campaign. They shared posters recommending ways to save energy around school, including turning off lights and computer monitors when they are not in use, and they explained that they will be checking how well each class is doing at saving energy every break time and lunchtime during the campaign.
Year 6 - Remembrance Worship
Today, during our class Remembrance worship, we watched a special Diocese video that helped the children reflect on the importance of remembering those who have fallen in times of war. The video told the inspiring story of a medic who bravely risked his own life to save many injured soldiers during World War I. The children showed great respect and empathy as they listened and discussed the values of courage, sacrifice, and compassion shown by those who served. After the discussion, the children created their own poppies to express their thoughts and feelings about Remembrance. Each poppy included personal reflections, words of gratitude. Together, these poppies formed a beautiful display to remind us all of the importance of remembering and honouring those who gave so much.