He Is Risen!
Alleluia, Alleluia He is risen! 
We have changed our prayer area to gold to celebrate the season of Easter.  Liturgy leads, changed the cloth and led us in prayer.  We shared a special story about the women who visited the tomb and were greeted by an angel who told them that Jesus was alive.

We gathered together to rejoice and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord by joining One Life Music Livestream, learning new Easter songs.

Maundy Thursday

The Last Supper

During Holy Week, we have focussed on the last few days of Jesus’ life and the final moments he spent with his friends and family.

We re-enacted the words said by Jesus to the disciples at the Last Supper and reflected on their meaning.  We know that we hear these words during the celebration of Mass and understand that Jesus gave is body up for us so that we could live a life free from sin.

Palm Sunday

Elm Class have been exploring the final days of Jesus’ life as we begin the journey through Holy Week. The children dramatised the events of Palm Sunday, welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem.

We explored how Jesus was welcomed like a king and how the crowds praised him, shouting, “Hosanna, Hosanna 

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna!”

We modelled Jesus’ journey through Jerusalem on his way to The Passover celebration.

Lenten Workshop

Elm Class invited parents in to pray together for the final weeks of Lent.  The children led the liturgy by retelling the story of Jesus Being Tempted in the Wilderness.  We identified the sacrifices Jesus made for us and recognised that Lent is a time where we can give back to him and make our own sacrifices for him.  We created acts of kindness with our parents and as we removed a thorn from Jesus’ crown, we swapped it with an act of love.  Lent is a time to fast from selfishness and feast on selflessness.

Lent

As we journey through the season of Lent, we have gathered each day to join the One Life Music Lenten Retreat, listening to the Gospel and praying through song.  In addition to this, Elm Class have joined whole school assembly where they gathered to listen to how Jesus made sacrifices in the desert for 40 days and nights.  We made Lenten promises to show Jesus our dedication to him this Lenten season.

The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes

Elm Class gathered for whole school mass to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.

We remembered our parish feast day by reflecting on the story of Lourdes and why Our Lady of Lourdes is so special to us.

In 1815 the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared 18 times to St. Bernadette, a peasant girl, in Lourdes, a small town in France.

Our Blessed Lady was dressed in white and blue, on each of her feet was a golden rose. She gave Bernadette some special messages.

She asked her to tell people to come to the grotto where she appeared, to process, pray and do penance.

People still go to Lourdes to do these things and ask for Our Lady’s help, especially those who are ill.

There have been many miracles in Lourdes, people who were sick have been cured. The feast of Our Lady of Lourdes is the day of prayer for those who are sick.

Class Place of Pilgrimage:

The Vatican, Rome

We have been learning about special people in Jesus’ life such as St Peter.  Elm Class researched why St Peter was a key historical figure in our church and the link St Peter has with The Vatican in Rome.  During our prayer circle, we explored ways we could deepen our faith and strengthen our relationship with God.  Pilgrimage to Rome is a special journey taken by many Catholics to see Pope Francis and honour St Peter and other Popes who have led the Roman Catholic Church.  Our liturgy leads, lead us in prayer asking God to help us to be good disciples of Jesus here on earth today.

CAFOD Laudato Si Assembly

We gathered as a school to share the messages from Pope Francis about how to make positive changes to better our common home.

We know that God gave us this world to take care of.  We explored ways in which we can contribute to sustainability in our world.  During our class prayer service, we prayed for our common home and have thanks for our world. 

Church Crib Visit

Following The Feast of the Epiphany, Elm Class visited the crib where they saw The Three Wise Men- Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar- paying homage to Baby Jesus.  We reflected on how these were very special visitors who put their trust in God and followed the star which led them to something great.  We discussed ways in which God can lead us in our lives and how we demonstrate faith just as The Magi did.

O Antiphons

This week, we explored the O Antiphons. We learned that each Antiphon calls the Messiah to come and fulfil the prophecy and the first letter of each Latin name spells our Ero Cras which means “I will be here tomorrow”.  Elm Class created their own artistic representations of the O Antiphons.

First Week of Advent

Following the first Sunday of Advent, Elm Class gathered together for a class prayer service.  We made our own Advent wreaths and discussed the meaning of the wreath and the candles.  The children recognised that Advent is a time for preparing and waiting for the birth of Our Lord.  We took a trip to the church to explore the changes that happen during this Liturgical season and we sang our Advent song, ‘Light the Advent Candle.’

Red Wednesday

Elm Class joined whole school assembly to pray for Christians around the world who are persecuted for their faith.  The children wore red to raise awareness and donated money to help those who are suffering or in need of Bibles to develop their faith.  Elm Class gave thanks to God for our faith and understood how privileged we are to be able to practise our faith safely within our home and school communities.

We asked God to send the gift of the Holy Spirit, to give courage to those who are suffering due to their faith.  May they continue to dedicate themselves to God even though it is not an easy path for them to follow.

All Souls Assembly

As we enter into the month of November, Elm Class gathered in prayer with the whole school to remember those who have gone to heaven.  During this assembly we shared prayers of intention for the faithful departed.  We wrote our own special prayers for our loved ones who had passed, these were taken to church and offered up to the Lord.

Missio Assembly 

This week marks ‘World Mission Sunday’.  We gathered in classes and assembly to explore the work of Missio, recognising how we can help children around the world.  We thought about the disciples and the work they did to spread God’s word around the world.  We discussed ways that young people can carry on the work of the disciples and encourage others to come together in unity and live in peace.

Harvest 

This week, Elm Class joined in a Harvest celebration assembly.  We sang songs of thanksgiving, thanking God for all of the food that we have and for all that he has created.  As a school, we collected many donations during this Harvest season, that will be donated to others in need.  Elm Class also created Harvest prayers when visiting the Mini Vinnie Prayer Station, thanking God for all that we have and praying for those in need.

The Month of the Holy Rosary

As we have entered the month of The Holy Rosary, Elm Class gathered together to pray a decade of The Rosary.  Our Liturgy Leads and the Year 6 Chaplaincy Team led us in prayer, focussing on the Second Joyful Mystery.  The children listened to scripture about ‘The Visitation’ and discussed Mary’s joy when she was chosen by God to do a special job and Elizabeth was also blessed.

We listened to a special hymn about Mary and recognised how The Rosary can show love to Mary and Christ.

The Feast of St Francis of Assisi

This week we celebrated The Feast of St Francis of Assisi, our class saint.

This half term we have been learning all about St Francis and his love for God's creation.

We have listen to his songs and prayers and recognised different ways we can praise God for all that he has made.  We wore our own clothes to celebrate this special saint and wrote prayers, asking God to help us to be more like St Francis.  We shared them in a class prayer service. 

Classroom Prayer Service

This week we gathered as a group to use our prayer bag and listen to child led liturgy.

Our prayer service was led by a pupil, sharing her own creation prayer, giving thanks and praise to God for all that he had created.  The children listened to scripture and responded through prayer.  We finished by singing our song of praise to God that we created together in our RE lesson, which was inspired by St Francis' song of praise.

Guided Meditation- Creation

During our lesson this week, Year 1 explored the Story of Creation through guided meditation.

They thought about all of God's creations and what they were thankful for.

The children created their own prayer tree, with pictures of creation that they had imagined while meditating.

The Exaltation of The Holy Cross

This week, Year 1 joined in the first whole school mass to celebrate The Feast of The Exaltation of the Holy Cross.  During this mass, we recognised the importance of the symbol of the cross within our faith, honoring it as it is a symbol of the life and freedom Jesus gave to us when he died upon it.

He died for our salvation. 

New Beginnings 

As we start our new academic year, Elm Class gathered together in a class prayer service with a focus on 'New Beginnings'.  We thought about this new year an all of the new goals we wished to achieve.  We explored the meaning of our school mission statement and shared ways in which we could live, love and learn together in our new classroom.  We gave thanks to Christ for being at the centre of our learning and asked him to guide us on our new journey.  Our new Liturgy Leads closed our service with a prayer.