David and Goliath

This week we have been thinking about the time that a young shepherd boy came face to face with what can only be called a giant. David considered many options, the armour of the king being one. But in the end he chose what he knew best , the sling.

Was he afraid? It's hard to believe that he wasn't! Goliath had a fearsome reputation and as David walked out to face him I am sure many on both sides thought that this was a foregone conclusion.

But afraid or not, David was confident in one thing, that God was with him and that therefore Goliath was no more a challenge than anything else he had faced before.

He chose his stone carefully, focused on the target and probably blocked out the jeers and shouts of the other warriors. His aim was true and Goliath fell.

What have we taken from this in our assemblies this week?

Firstly that nerves are natural and are something to be acknowledged and managed. In fact sometimes they are an essential part of bringing out the best in us.  Chris Bonnington, the famous Everest climber, once said that the moment he stopped being afraid, was the time he would stop climbing mountains. Fear and nerves were the things that kept him alive.

Secondly that God is clear throughout the bible in his promise that He is always with us. No matter what the situation, no matter how we feel, no matter what others say. He is always with us.

Our year 4 children from Mrs Kirby's class shared a song with us in assembly that sums all of this up.

May this be an encouragement to us all.

A busy week

Year 2 under the sea

It was wonderful to see year 2 expressing their creativity in terms of costume design on their return after half term. Lots of hard work had certainly gone into these ideas.

 

 

The Leicester City boys Danone trophy

In addition this week we have celebrated one of our first sporting achievements of the school year when our year 5/6 football team triumphantly carried back to school the Leicester City boys Danone Trophy. A great victory that was a just reward for their commitment, team play and combined skill. Equally the commitment and support of Mr Seago and Mrs Braybrooke and  other staff is to be celebrated. Mr Seago’s first year as manager and look what he achieved ! Can’t help but compare their success to that of a certain Mr Ranieri and his sidekick Mr Shakespere!  Well done to all the members of the team, a great achievement and one to remember for a long time.

Conker time in FS2

I discovered something myself on Monday morning. Having seen an idea on ABCDoes where you attach paper a tail to a conker and then throw them. I thought we’d give it a try. Making sure we threw them into a space, it was fascinating to see the paper wrap around the conker as it bounced on the floor. We experimented with different types of paper, wool and fabric to see which was the best at wrapping around the conker.

We then went for an autumn walk around the nature trail and school grounds to look for signs of autumn and talk about the changes we saw.

Mrs B Foundation stage 

A time to dance

Great to have the opportunity to take part in wake and shake this morning led by the talented Mrs Braybrooke! The cold air and the sunshine gave the opportunity for shadow dancing as well as the encouragment to climb a mountain!

Harvest festival at St Johns

It was great to celebrate harvest in church yesterday with the help of Sami and the team. Each of the services focused on our response to the provision that God's creation provides. Each service had a slightly different approach, but biscuits seemed to be a constant theme! The prayers and readings were delivered in their usual imaginative way. Many thanks to Mrs Brewin, Mrs Marlow, Mrs Orton, Mrs Shore and Mrs Pallet for pulling all these together and to the children in their classes who delivered this aspect of the service with such confidence and creativity. 

The gifts the children brought, filled the tables and we are very thankful for your support in providing such a quantity of produce to share with the Open Hands Charity and the Red Cross. harvest is certainly an example of making a difference together in action! 

Sharon and Kate were as entertaining and thought provoking as ever. The parachute and ball illustration was particularly powerful, a very visual example of how to share things. In addition for the first time we had a drummer ( one of our KS2 children) to accompany Kate and I with the music. She certainly set a driving rhythm behind the drum shields and her contribution was certainly a big hit with everyone. 

In addition we were able to present our last set of class lighthouses to our Foundation class teachers. These act as a daily reminder in our classrooms of the light that God brings into our own lives, but also calls us to share with each other.

It was another amazing afternoon! 

A time to remember

Harvest is a time to remember God's goodness to us. But also at this time we celebrate the great diversity that God has created in our world, as well as remember some of the challenges that this has brought and how people have responded to them.

This month is Black History month and I have placed on the board in the hall a picture of one man who believed passionately in the equality that is at the heart of God's creation and his desire for how we should live together.

I have always been fascinated by the work of Martin Luther King Jnr, his speeches and his writings use such incredible imagery and spiritual truths that it is hard not to listen to him or to be challenged by what he said.

One of my favourite U2 songs is Pride (In the name of love) , this was written in tribute to Martin Luther King Jnr. The song was written by Bono and the band after he was presented with Martin Luther King Jnr's biography Let The Trumpet Sound. The song seeks to capture the heart and focus of all that he stood for with lyrics like

One man come in the name of love
One man come and go
One man come he to justify
One man to overthrow

In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love

 

 

Jesus himself echoes the same when he said :

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I loved you.  

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends

Harvest is a time to remember 

To remember that Love can change anything.

 

Celebrations

Its been great to celebrate success across the school in so many different subjects and sports. It is one of my favourite times of the day when children come to share their success with me!