Hello everyone,

I hope that you are all well and that you are enjoying a peaceful, safe and relaxing half term.

St. Peter’s have continued to partake in numerous events this term, which have taken place as part of the Catholic Life of our school. For example, on Tuesday 15th October 2019, Year 3 and Year 4 took part in a walk to Sacred Heart Church. At Mass, we celebrated the Extraordinary Month of Mission and how we as Christians can live out our school Mission Statement in order to help make our world a better place. As part of the offertory, the children produced a postcard for the Missio Charity and described how they would use their special qualities and talents in order to serve the people of God’s world. We would like to say a huge thank you to Mrs Keogh (Oaklands chaplain) for organizing the music and resources, as well as to all teaching staff for distributing readings to children and all parent volunteers for their kindness and generosity when assisting the children on the walk to church. Thank you!

As well as being a month on Mission, we have also celebrated the Month of Mary during October. As part of our celebrations, each year group took part in a special mission set by the Pope: for one million children around the world to join together and pray the rosary, with a particular focus upon spreading peace and unity across the world. The children were reflective and respectful during each session, successfully using the beads of the rosary as a guide in supporting them to pray ‘a decade of the rosary’. Please see the photos below…

In class, we have continued to consider the significance of St. Peter’s Mission Statement in our everyday lives. As part of our God Matters RE curriculum, we have completed our learning on Creation and have started our new unit as a school on Prayers, Saints and Feasts. In this unit, we shall focus upon the key figures in the History of the people of God, as well as on the importance of prayer and how this may take place in different settings. We have particularly enjoyed exploring the Other Faiths elements within each unit, for instance Year Four have been studying Judaism and have been learning about the Torah and the symbols used in Jewish prayer before studying the Shema prayer (Hear, O Israel) and creating their own version.

To complete this month’s RE blog post, I would like to leave you all with a prayer as we reflect upon the month of Mission and how we may welcome, encourage and support others in our everyday lives.

We pray for the Church: that it may be a place where everyone is welcome and inspire a change in the lives of all those who hear its message. Lord in your mercy…

We pray for our brothers and sisters in every country: that they may have their fair share of the good things God has given for all. Lord in your mercy…

We pray for our parish, family and friends: that through God’s help we may make changes so that all people may live together in peace. Lord in your mercy…

Welcoming Lord, come and stay with us. Fill our hearts with your love. Help us to show kindness and mercy to everyone we meet. Amen

With very best wishes to you all,

Kind regards,

Miss Honeywell