If your child is in Year 6…
…why not check out these games together to help refresh their knowledge, practise their skills and to help them feel ready for SATs.
This week’s bible story
‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.’ John 14:27
What do you understand by the word ‘peace’.
The Oxford English Dictionary lists various definitions for the word ‘peace’.
– One definition is ‘freedom from disturbance; tranquillity’. Can you use this definition of peace in a sentence. For example, ‘The teacher wanted to have a few minutes’ peace in the staffroom.’
– Another definition is ‘a state or period in which there is no war or a war has ended’. Can you use this definition of peace in a sentence? For example, ‘After the Second World War ended, there was a time of peace.’
In 1981, 37 years ago, an organization called the United Nations set up a very special day called the International Day of Peace. The event is observed by people all over the world on 21 September every year. The aim of the day is to encourage everyone to commit to peace, despite there being many differences among us. People observe the day in various ways. Some people have special parties; others bring everyone together to eat in peace. Some people put up peace poles; others organize peace workshops. One thing that is common to all of the different groups of people is that they aim to have one minute of silence at midday.
The world is spinning on its axis in space. As the world turns, midday occurs at different times in different parts of the world. For example, when it is midday in Paris in France, it will be 11 a.m. in the UK because Paris is one hour ahead of us. When it is midday in the UK, it will be 11 a.m. in Dakar in Senegal, West Africa. This is because Dakar is one hour behind us. Show the maps above to illustrate. This time difference means that different countries will be observing the one-minute silence at different moments across time zones. The idea is to create a ‘peace wave’ that moves around the globe.
Each International Day of Peace has a special theme. In 2018, the theme celebrates the seventieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. When the declaration (agreement) was written 70 years ago, it stated that everybody in the world should have equal rights to life, freedom and security. It didn’t actually say that everyone had the right to peace. This year, it is hoped that the International Day of Peace will again send out a clear message about the importance of peace.
Time for reflection
The International Day of Peace encourages people all over the world to think about the importance of peace. In many parts of the world, people are living in situations where war and unrest make peace seem unlikely or even impossible.
It may seem that we can do little to help change the world. However, each of us can do things that encourage peace in our own small parts of the world. All of us can help to create peace in school or in our homes. Each of us can try to live peacefully with one another. Each of us can listen to other people’s opinions and learn about our differences.
Think about what peace means in the context of the school.
– Is our school a peaceful place?
– Are there things that we can do to make school more peaceful?
– How could we make our classrooms more peaceful? What about our playgrounds? What about dinner times?
We may feel like we can’t make a massive difference to the whole world, but each of us can do little things that together make a big difference.
Prayer
Dear God,
We pray for people in parts of the world where there is no peace,
Where there are wars and unrest.
We pray for peace.
We pray for the people we come into contact with each day.
Please help us to live in peace with them.
Help us to recognize that we are all different and that everyone’s opinions matter.
Amen.
We can take part in democractic decisions!
This week, our Living and Learning statement encourages us to learn about democracy and to take part in a democratic decision. Therefore, we took time to hold a vote in class. Read on to find out what we were voting for…
To celebrate the publication of Anna James’ fantastic new book, ‘Hetty and the Battle of the Books’, School Library Service (SLS) have partnered with publisher Barrington Stoke to launch a search for the best young reading ambassadors in Leeds.
They are looking for KS2 children who advocate reading for pleasure and encourage others to find their own love of reading with their enthusiasm for books.
Each school is invited to enter ONE pupil into the competition and the five short-listed applicants will be invited to attend an awards ceremony at Leeds Central Library on Saturday 10th July, where the winner will be announced by Anna James and receive the trophy for Leeds School Librarian 2022. The ceremony at midday will be followed by a FREE event for families with the author who will be introducing their latest book.
So our vote today resulted in Scarlet being selected to be the reading champion in our class. Next, the JLT will choose the reading champion in Key Stage 2 to be put into the draw.
Good luck!
This week’s bible story
Jesus calms a storm: Mark 4:35-41
Have a think about what peace means to you. Is it a time without conflict or is it calmness? Today, we’re going to hear a story about Jesus and his disciples who were stuck on the Sea of Galilee in the middle of a storm.
Time for reflection:
Think about the times when it seems like you’re in the middle of a storm; perhaps when there are arguments or when things seem confusing and difficult or when things are frightening. Think of Jesus being there, saying, Peace, be still. Take a moment now to hear those words, and enjoy the peace they bring.
Prayer:
Dear God,
Help us to remember, even when we’re in the middle of a storm and life seems hard, you are always there to help us feel peace.
Amen
This week’s bible story
11 I have told you these things so that you can have the true happiness that I have. I want you to be completely happy. 12 This is what I command you: Love each other as I have loved you. John 15: 11-12
Have a think about an occasion when you have argued with someone and found it difficult to resolve.
Do you know of any conflicts or wars taking place anywhere in the world? Unfortunately, conflicts are continuously occurring as humans try to share the world.
Whether an argument occurs between two people or between nations, the situation is still a conflict. Having conflicts is part of being human. If we did not have differences of opinion, we would never see anything in a new light or change a view that we have wrongly held. However, what is extremely important is the way in which a conflict is handled. If conflicts between large groups of people get out of hand, they can become bigger and bigger until they become wars. The way in which we manage conflict can enable people who have different opinions to work peacefully together for the better.
When we think of peace we often think of:
– freedom from war
– freedom from disputes
– freedom from worry and anxiety
– peace of mind
– quietness, silence, stillness
In the Bible, in Matthew 5.6-8, it says that people who work for peace are happy. In John 15.11-12, Jesus says that we will be happy if we care for others.
Most world religions value the importance of peace.
Reflection:
How could you contribute to peace around the world? Maybe you could try harder to listen when someone has a different opinion to your own. Maybe you could walk away if you feel angry with someone. There are many little things that we can do to contribute to the peace of the world.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for giving us the ability to make others feel better.
Help us to share our lives together in peace.
Help us to love and care for those who need us.
Help us to care for our families and friends.
Please help us to play our parts in encouraging peace in the world.
Amen
Easter egg competition
It was great to see how creative the children had been when decorating the eggs. There were some amazing ideas – it made the judging very difficult! Well done.
This week’s bible story
Jesus is friends with Zacchaeus: Luke 19: 1-10
Have you ever heard the story of Burglar Bill – Bill goes out every night. Getting into houses through open windows and taking things. Until one night, Bill found a baby, and that changed his whole life …
There is a Bible story about a man who stole from other people. He took extra money when he gave them their tax bills and became very rich on all the money that he stole. Zacchaeus was a little man and that small people can’t see in crowds. Read the story of Zacchaeus to find out what happened to him.
Reflection:
Jesus loved everyone when he lived on the earth. It didn’t matter how bad people were, Jesus was always there for those who needed him. This is true for us too – no one is so bad that God doesn’t love them. And the more time we spend with God – praying, thinking about him, finding out about him, the more we want to be like Jesus; kind, helpful and good. Just like Zacchaeus, Burglar Bill changed his ways and tried to be more like Jesus by loving those around him. Even though Burglar Bill and Zacchaeus made the wrong choice, God forgave them and continued loving them.
Prayer:
Dear God,
Thank you that Jesus loved Zacchaeus even when he wasn’t making the right choices. Help us to love all of those around us.
Amen
Non-Uniform Day
Thank you to everyone who donated some money on Friday to wear non-uniform. We raised £121.70! Half of the money raised will be donated to Comic Relief and half will be donated to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
This week’s bible story
Peter’s story (Based on Mark 8.27-38, Mark 14.15-72 and John 13.36-38)
Have you ever told a lie to keep yourself from getting into trouble? You don’t have to answer the question out loud, just to think about it.
Have they ever let a friend down, rather than get into trouble? Again, don’t answer outloud, just remember how it felt if they have.
In the bible, Jesus had 12 disciples – these were special friends of his that helped him. One of his closest friends was a man called Peter. Peter, even though he was Jesus’ friend, was someone who did both of those things. Read Peter’s story (Based on Mark 8.27-38, Mark 14.15-72 and John 13.36-38)
Reflection:
Why do you think Peter behaved as he did. Peter was confused: how could anything so awful happen to God’s Special One?; his fear of arrest; his fear of the palace guards; his courage in following Jesus as far as he had; his loyalty to his friend despite his cowardice.
How do you think Peter felt when he heard the cock crow. Do you think he could ever be friends with Jesus again?
Jesus meet Peter again for the first time after he had risen from the dead. He asked Peter three times if he loved him, once for each time he had denied him (John 21.15-19). Jesus told Peter then that he would have an important part to play in telling the world about him; and he did – but that’s another story!
Prayer:
Dear God,
When we are frightened:
Please help us.
When we don’t know what to do:
Please help us.
When we are tempted to lie:
Please help us.
When we let our friends down:
Please help us.
When we are sorry and want to make amends:
Please help us.
Amen.
Year 5 & 6 ‘rulz’… Yeah, it does!
Our cloakroom has a plethora of compliments, boosts and celebrations of friendship! It’s only March and I think we’re rapidly running out of space!
It’s great to see the children being so positive about their classmates.
If children catch someone being friendly, kind, helpful or just generally being an all-round top person, they can grab a chalk pen and scribe on our communal cloakroom wall to share that moment with us all! Nice one, Y5/6!