The children had a day of creativity before the Easter holidays began. They used their imagination (and a lot of scrap material and goodies from the local Pound shops) to create Easter bonnets and hats for our Easter Hat Parade in the PE Hall.
PARENTS WERE INVITED TO JOIN US FOR THE PARADE.
Hundreds of eggs, rabbits and chicks were used, but no animal was harmed in the process.
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Everyone enjoyed a lovely Easter holiday and our next session with Helen took place on Friday 5th. May……………………Isn’t time flying!
Helen’s latest communication contained plans for the next three sessions.
We HAD planned to find out the children’s perceptions of Faith, God, and their encounter of religion (as much as 7 year olds can explain their thoughts and feelings). Then these ideas were going to be drawn and written on the paper we had used in Tracy’s visit.
Our plans had to be curtailed as the school had a visit from the Director of MS N Ireland. The entire school community had gone on a sponsored Walk for MS before Easter, and the Director had come to congratulate the children for the huge amount of money that had been raised. She spoke about the work which the charity does locally, and she also distributed certificates.
This is Mrs. Morgan, our Acting Principal, showing everyone the cheque for MS.
Today’s session was a short one, but lots of ideas were recorded and will be used next Friday. Our school is named after St. John the Baptist and we have a metal mural in our foyer which has been on display since the school opened in 1973. There is also a lovely stained glass window in St. Brigid’s Church, Belfast, depicting the Baptism of Jesus.
Every pupil in our school is encouraged to achieve his/her potential.
Our moto is: WORK TOGETHER IN LOVE.
PLAY TOGETHER IN HARMONY.
PRAY TOGETHER IN FAITH,
ASPIRING TO HAPPINESS AND ACHIEVEMENT FOR ALL.
As a Catholic school, there is a sacred space in each classroom. We use “Grow in Love,” which is our RE programme and pupils have a knowledge of the materials in this relatively new scheme.
Some of our pupils come from different faith backgrounds and we are respectful of our differences and happy to celebrate our similarities.
There are many displays and posters on the walls throughout the school.
Pope Francis is a great leader and a good man.
Last year we celebrated the Year of Mercy and all the pupils in our school had many opportunities to talk about showing love, empathy, forgiveness and friendship to each other.
Every pupil in our school knows that there is a Child Protection teacher and a School
Councillor teacher, plus other adults to help them if they have a problem.
Our Primary 3 Friendship Tree.
Primary 7 pupils made their Confirmation earlier in the year, at the beginning of March. Their lovely art work is on display for everyone to see.
Each month we focus on a “VALUE.” This month it is LOVE.
We learn how to be good people/citizens in
PDMU and PATHS PLUS lessons.
We made St Brigid’s crosses with paper straws.
We change the things in our sacred space depending on the season and focus.
This is an icon of Our Lady of Guadaloupe. It is in our sacred space in the classroom.
We like reading stories from the Bible.
We have lots of interesting illustrations in our Grow in Love books and flip chart.
We heard many Easter stories about what happened to Jesus long ago.
We learn stories about Jesus’ life, and they help us to know him better.
We brought in photographs of our own Baptisms and some children have told us about celebrating their cousins’ baptisms too.
GOOD MORNING HELEN and welcome to a beautiful sunny day here in Belfast!
We told Helen that we had made a sign for our willow circle. We wanted everyone to know that it is very important to keep it safe by not walking through it or jumping over the cuttings.
Helen showed us a model of a willow dome which she had made in her studio.
She showed us the parcel which she is sending to us for our next session.
She told us what she has put inside it, and asked us to bring in some embossed wallpaper.
She showed us materials which have different textures (smooth/rough) and we will be using these in a collage next Friday. There is also string, feathers, and leaves in the parcel. She mentioned a plate for printing, and everyone thought that sounded mysterious!
Then she asked the children about the big celebration they had before Easter – making their First Confession. She also asked them to tell her words which would help her understand what they think about God, the church, and their experience at the First Confession service.
This page from our Grow in Love book show other children making their First Confession.
Tia said that she was nervous at first, but the singing and prayers made her feel more relaxed, and she enjoyed making her first confession.
She said that when she goes to the church she likes to look at the statues, pictures and the Stations of the Cross.
Darragh said that he liked the singing in the church.
Eimear said that she thinks that God loves us all.
Charlie told Helen that when we went to the P3 / Parish Mass yesterday, he and Tia brought up the gifts to the priest – the wine/water cruets and the bread discs. He was proud that he had done a super job.
When the Mass was finished, he and Tia went into the sacristy and thanked Father McIlhill for being so lovely at the Mass and making everyone feel so relaxed and welcome. They gave him a big hug too. Father Mc Ilhill is very old and he had to hold the handrail when he walked down the sanctuary steps. He told a funny story during the Mass and everyone laughed. We thought that God must be inside the priest because he seemed so kind and loving!
Sarah said that Jesus helped spread the Good News about God the Father. The Apostles helped him too.
PRAYER
Conal (with a new haircut) said that he thinks God is caring and kind to everyone. He said that even if you do something bad, God will always love you.
Cloidhna (wearing fancy sunglasses on her head) said she wanted to tell some things about the Passover celebration that Jesus had with his friends. He knew that someone was going to abandon him, but everyone said, “No, no never!” Then he went to a park and fell asleep, and then a light shone on him and cruel people took him away. They gave him a tee shirt that said, “You’re the King.” They were all very mean to Jesus. He got hanged on a cross.
Then more children came up to the microphone to tell Helen their memories of the Easter story.
Sophie said that there was a wee place (the tomb) and Jesus started to come back to life. He spread the Good News that he was alive.
Charlie also described how the tomb opened and Jesus came out.
Carl said that he can say his prayers. We said the Our Father at Mass.
Helen wanted to find out more about praying.
Caitlinn said that her Daddy was involved in an accident. He got his leg broken by a truck, so she asked God to make him better. She said he got a new left knee cap and he still has a wheel mark on his leg. He needed crutches at first, but he is getting better.
Laoise said that when she goes to bed she says the Hail Mary, and asks God to take care of her family. She says prayers for her Granny, who has just got out of hospital.
Olivia said that she talks to God and asks him to help her and her family.
Oisin said that he has asked God to help his Daddy who got an infection from a cut when he was in England. The doctor came to his house and put medicine from a hanging bottle into a tube like a fire house into a needle in his Daddy’s arm.
Mrs Harriott (me) said that she is always losing things and she is constantly praying to St Jude to help her find things. When she finds things she says, “THANK YOU GOD!”
Helen said that she talks to God and asks him to give her more patience. She said that our story about the elderly priest at Mass made her think that God is in Father Mc Ilhill, and everyone who shows love, and care to others, just her Nana, (who is in heaven, and who was very funny.)
Mrs Harriott thinks that God is inside us, wanting us to spread his love, just like the Apostles. So when we are generous and think of others, we are doing God’s work.
The conversation continued with: What do you think God looks like?
Where is God?
We did not know quite where this would take us, but read on …………………..
Ryan said that he didn’t know exactly what God looked like, but he thought he might be like an old man.
Helen said that her son Reuben thinks that God is like the sun, beaming with light, rather than a person.
Darragh had thought a lot and had plenty to say: He said that he thinks Jesus has a short beard, brown eyes and that he wears a tall crown made out of thorns. He is the King of everybody in Jerusalem…. a kind King to everybody. He also said that Jesus wanted everyone to remember him. He got bread from his body and wine from his blood. He had a cape on his head and everybody knows who he is. You won’t remember heaven when you die. You’ll say, “Why did I die?”
Tia said that God is everywhere.
May is Our Lady’s Month and we put a statue of Mary in our sacred spaces.
Sophie said that Mary is Jesus’ Mummy and she helps people. When someone dies, she wouldn’t want you to feel sad because she (Mary) is in heaven looking after the people you love.
This is a May display in the Link Corridor.
Each child in our class made a Mary for the display wall in the corridor.
Sarah said that Mary has brown eyes and brown hair. She wears a lovely blue dress.
Then we mentioned that when we pray we sometimes thank God for all the gifts has given us, and sometimes we ask for his help.
Ronan said that his Aunty’s dog Dug died and he included him in his prayers.
Olivia, Tia and Eimear spoke about people they know that have died, and they have asked God to look after them in heaven.
After a short break, we spent 15 minutes with Helen before attending the MS Assembly. She gave the children a little homework for next week – She wanted everyone to think about our session and draw a picture and /or write something to illustrate their thoughts about what we had discussed. This will be incorporated into our practical activity.
Lots of soul searching in today’s session.
I can’t wait to see what it looks like on paper!
