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Ten Ten Collective Worship parent newsletter

July 2022

Our Only Need

The end of the school year is a very exciting – and busy – time! Children are busy finishing off work/projects, tidying up, meeting new teachers and seeing their new classrooms/schools ahead of September, enjoying lots of end-of-term parties and perhaps worrying about the changes that will come over the summer holidays and beyond. For parents too, this can be a busy time – not least, preparing for the change of routine and child-care arrangements that the longest school holiday of the year brings around!

The last assembly of the school year reflects on the busyness and worries of everyday life that can distract us from what is most important.Through discussions around what was actually most important in different scenarios, children realise that sometimes we become busy with things we want to do and sometimes we become busy with things we think we should do. This helps children to better understand what was happening in the Gospel account of Mary and Martha, two sisters who had different responses to a visit from Jesus. Why not read the story with your child:

Luke 10: 38 – 42 (Paraphrased)

One day Jesus and His disciples came to the village called Bethany where His friends Martha and Mary lived. They welcomed Jesus and His friends, and invited them to stay for a meal.

While Martha busied herself preparing and serving the food, her sister Mary sat beside Jesus, listening, and enjoying His company.

Martha continued to dash about making sure the food was good and her guests had everything they needed. She kept looking over at Mary who was calmly spending time with Jesus and His disciples. ‘I wish I had time to just sit around,’ she thought to herself, ‘but there is so much to do.’ After a while, Martha began to get annoyed.

Finally, she got upset and complained to Jesus, “Lord, must I do all this work on my own? Please tell Mary to come and help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” Jesus said, “Do not let these things upset you. They are not important. Mary has chosen to listen to me and that is the most important thing of all.”

In the Gospel story, children saw that the two sisters behaved very differently! Mary took the opportunity to sit and listen to Jesus, but Martha was distracted by things that she thought were more important.

Children learned that we all have things which take up our time, but Jesus shows in this Gospel passage that we can become so distracted by tasks or worries that we can forget or miss out on what is most important. When we realise that Jesus is our only need, we can surrender all our worries and put our trust in Him.

Like Mary, children are invited to put aside whatever else they have going on and be still in the presence of Jesus - because when we put Jesus first, above all things, we can trust Him to love us, help us and guide us.

To finish off this assembly and help children prepare for their time off over the Summer holidays, children listened to a guided meditation. Why not listen to it again with your child here:

https://www.tentenresources.co.uk/prayers-for-home/parent-newsletter/

Why not…

  • Ask your child what distractions or worries they may have, and how you can help them with these.
  • Come up with a family plan to put Jesus first over the holidays, e.g. scheduling in some family prayer times, or activities focused on loving others the way Jesus wants us to.

June 2022                

During Eastertide, we explored the overarching theme ‘We are an Easter people and “Alleluia is our song!”’ With June comes the finale of Eastertide: Pentecost, when the disciples received Jesus’ promised gift of a helper, the Holy Spirit.

This newsletter shares some of the content children will experience in school throughout June and suggests ways for you to engage with them about it. We hope and pray that you will find the content illuminating and helpful in your shared family faith journey.

Something appeared to them that seemed like tongues of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit…’ Acts 2: 3 - 4

‘Pente’ means ‘50’, and Pentecost marks the end of Eastertide - 50 days of celebration and rejoicing following Easter Sunday. Children learned that this was the day when Jesus’ disciples received the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus had promised they would!

Children watched a video to help them understand more about the who, what and how of the Holy Spirit. Why not watch it with your child here: www.tentenresources.co.uk/parent-newsletter-ce/

Through this video, teaching and a game of musical statues, children learned that the Holy Spirit does lots of different things! The Holy Spirit is…

  • Our Helper – Helping us to know who God is and what He wants us to do. He guides and directs us. The Spirit inspires us to make good choices. (John 14: 15 - 18)
  • An Intercessor – The Holy Spirit helps us to pray. The Spirit searches our hearts and lifts up prayers to God for us too. (Romans 8: 26 - 27)
  • Our Teacher – The Holy Spirit helps us to understand the Bible and reminds us of Jesus’ teachings. We can trust the Spirit because He says what God says. (John 14: 26)
  • A Gift Giver – Like the new languages given to believers on the first Pentecost, the Spirit gives gifts to display what God can do and make others aware of Him. There are many gifts of the Spirit, such as wisdom, faith, and healing. (1 Corinthians 12: 1 - 11)

Children learned that Pentecost is the celebration of God in us. The Holy Spirit fills believers with God’s presence as a sign of their faith, giving them strength and courage to show God’s love to the world. We can recognise the Holy Spirit working in us by the ‘fruit’ He produces in our lives (like peace, joy, love etc).

Why not…

  • Further explore the roles of the Holy Spirit by looking up the Scriptures referenced above.
  • Try to notice the fruits of the Holy Spirit in your family life, e.g. when someone is filled with joy or brings peace to a situation.
  • Discuss the concept of baptism, and how it is an outward sign of our faith in Jesus. You don’t have to be baptised to be filled with the Holy Spirit, but we often read in the Bible that the two go hand in hand!

Prayer

‘The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.’

Galatians 5: 22 - 23

Over several days, discuss with your child/ren each of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and examples of how they can practised and developed in our lives to help us to become more like Jesus. Then finish your discussion with a traditional prayer:

Come Holy Spirit

Fill the hearts of your faithful

And kindle in them

The fire of your love.

Amen

To help your child/ren remember what they fruits of the Holy Spirit are, you might like to sing them! For example:

May 2022

Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday is such a foundational cornerstone of our faith that we don’t just celebrate it on Easter Sunday, but for 50 days called ‘Eastertide’. This year, our resources in schools are exploring the overarching theme ‘We are an Easter people and “Alleluia is our song!”’

This newsletter shares some of the content children will experience in school and suggests ways for you to engage with them about it. We hope and pray that you and your family will enjoy this time of rejoicing and celebration!

Eastertide Alleluias

In the weeks after the Easter holidays, children learned that ‘Alleluia’ means ‘Praise the Lord’ which we do and say to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. Moreover, they learned that it’s a word that we fast from saying or singing during Lent, so that we can say and sing it with even greater gusto during Eastertide – because Jesus’ great victory over death at Easter is something great to shout about!

Eastertide is 50 days of rejoicing and celebration between Easter Sunday and Pentecost (when Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to His disciples), during which time we say and sing lots of “Alleluias!” to celebrate that Jesus is risen! We rejoice in the hope, joy and peace that Jesus brings through His death and resurrection.

Children around the country have been articulating this Eastertide theme in their own way. Click to see some of their filmed creations here: www.tentenresources.co.uk/parent-newsletter-ce/

For more on these films which we’re inviting schools to make and share with us, visit here: https://www.tentenresources.co.uk/the-hub/film-eastertide-alleluia/

You might like to make your own at home too – if so, don’t forget to share them with us!

Jesus Feeds Us:

Our Daily Bread

Jesus said to them: “Come and have breakfast.” John 21: 1 – 4

In the w/c 2nd May, children heard the Gospel story of Jesus sharing a miraculous breakfast with His disciples shortly after rising from the dead, and considered three amazing things Jesus did that we can learn from:

  1.  Jesus showed Himself to the disciples for the third time after rising from the dead – to prove that He was alive!

Jesus is still alive today and we can be friends with Him!

  1. Jesus performed a miracle through the huge catch of fish to show His divine power – He is God!

Jesus is the second person in the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

  1. Jesus knew the disciples would be hungry after working all night, and so He cooked breakfast – to show that He loves them and provides for their needs!

When we say the Our Father, we ask God to ‘Give us today our daily bread’. That doesn’t mean just bread or food which we need to help us grow strong and healthy: it means all our day-to-day needs. This prayer reminds us that God provides the daily bread that our bodies need, but also that in the Eucharist, He feeds our souls too!

Children learned that, just like the disciples, Jesus meets our needs and feeds us because He loves us! In the same assembly, children learned what putting this knowledge into action can look like, through the story of 17th Century missionary George Müller.

One day George wrote down his favourite Bible verse in his diary: God said, ‘Open your mouth and I will fill it.’ Shortly after, the orphanage George had started ran out of food and money, so George and his staff asked God to provide for them. As the children sat before empty plates, a local baker arrived with baskets of fresh bread. He said God had told him during the night to bake it for the children, as they needed it for breakfast! Then the milkman came to the door and gave them all his bottles of milk. His milk wagon had broken down outside the orphanage and he needed to get rid of the milk to fix it! The children and teachers all ate and were full - God gave them all they needed. Over time, George’s orphanages cared for 10,000 children, as well as teaching them to read and write - a true gift! And George’s work to help children, especially teaching them about trusting in Jesus, is still going on today through the Müllers charity.

Through this story, children were inspired to have faith and trust in Jesus to meet their needs, and to share with others to meet their needs too!

Why not…

  • If you don’t already, develop a practice at home of thanking God before each meal and/or other occasions of provision.
  • Discuss ideas for how your family might help to meet the needs of others, either practical or emotional.

Our Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela

The next stopping place on our Ten Ten Year of Pilgrimage was Santiago de Compostela, the final resting place of St James and the destination of the ancient ‘Way of St James’ or ‘Camino Way’ – a 780km trek on which pilgrims recognise one another by tying scallop shells to their backpacks.

The scallop shell is the symbol of St James, who was a fisherman, and it can beseen on many statues of him as well as on signs along the Camino Way…

  • It has many grooved lines leading from the outer edges to the centre.
  • This shows our pilgrimage, from where we are, journeying towards God at the centre.
  • The shell helps pilgrims to focus on their pilgrimage purpose – journeying to God. When the way is difficult and they feel like giving up, the shell reminds them to keep going and focus on God, the reason for their journey.

In the w/c 16th May, children watched modern-day pilgrim Hannah sharing her experiences of walking the Camino Way. Why not watch the film together with your child:

https://www.tentenresources.co.uk/prayers-for-home/parent-newsletter/

Just like the Camino Way pilgrims recognise each other by the shell they carry, children learned that Jesus wants us to be recognised as His followers by our words and actions – by our love and care for one another. This is Solidarity – one of our pilgrimage purposes! – walking together in friendship as followers of Jesus!

We want children, staff and families alike to feel involved in the Ten Ten Year of Pilgrimage, so if you want to dive deeper, read this article: https://www.tentenresources.co.uk/the-hub/many-routes-one-destination/

Why not…

  • Discuss with your child the Key Scripture from this assembly, ‘By this love you have for one another, everyone will know that you are my disciples.’ John 13: 31 - 33, 34 – 35
  • Share some of your own struggles/joys from your spiritual walk with Jesus.
  • Sing together the Pilgrimage Song.

https://www.tentenresources.co.uk/prayers-for-home/parent-newsletter/

Prayer

Jesus said: “The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice;

I know them and they follow me.”

John 10: 27 – 30

Prayer is a two-way communication between us and God that involves speaking and listening. Jesus invites us to listen to His voice and this is a skill that can be developed. When we listen to Jesus, He leads us to the Father through the Holy Spirit.

Why not spend some time listening to Jesus with your child this month, in one or more of the following ways:

  • Creation – take a walk outside together and invite the Holy Spirit into your conversations
  • The Bible – read a Gospel story together and discuss what it can teach you, e.g. Zacchaeus the Tax Collector (Luke 19: 1 – 10)
  • Our imaginations – discuss what Jesus would do in different situations that arise across the month
  • Silence – spend time quietly reflecting and afterwards share your thoughts
  • One another – identify Jesus at work in one another, e.g. ‘When you forgave me for being grumpy yesterday, it reminded of how Jesus forgives us. Thank you.’

You might like to start your time of prayer or each day by saying together:

‘Come Holy Spirit, open our hearts to hear the voice of Jesus today.’

For parents of children in Year 2 or Year 6, you might also like to check out our special resource here: https://www.tentenresources.co.uk/the-hub/sats-prayer/

#Pray4Ukraine

When our March newsletter was written, the invasion of Ukraine was very recent news. Unfortunately, two months on, the conflict is still ongoing. You can still access our #Pray4Ukraine resources at the links below. We have also included a Secondary school version of the prayers for any parents with children spanning across Primary/Secondary age ranges.

Please be aware that the situation is constantly evolving, so some elements of these resources might become outdated before we’re able to address them.

There are also some links below which might prove useful in talking to your child about the situation in Ukraine:

 

 

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