RE at St Thomas More School

An Advent Wreath is another popular symbol used during the four weeks of Advent. You could make your own one at home, or perhaps your form class could make one. My church gave out instructions on how to make an Advent Wreath, so I am going to share them with you, in case you want to make one too.

You will need the following items, many of which can be bought from a florist:

1 plate sized base.
An oasis, which you will need to fit into the base, then soak well.
4 candle holders, which will fit into the oasis.
Some evergreen leaves, cut into small pieces, which will fill up the oasis and round the base.
A piece of purple ribbon, to tie around the base.

(If you can’t get those items, why not make your own Advent Wreath like this one?

This is the meaning of the Advent wreath:

1. The circle is a symbol of eternity. God has no beginning and no ending.
2. The evergreen is a symbol of the never changing love of God. He always loves us.
3. The four candles - there is one candle for each week of Advent. As Christmas draws nearer the light gets stronger. The light is a symbol of Christ, the Light of the World.
4. The purple ribbon (and the purple vestments worn in church) is a sign of the pain of our longing for Jesus’ Spirit to come into our lives, so that we may be like him, a little light leading people to God.

You could use the Advent wreath at home in the following way:

1. The family gathers around the wreath.
2. The candle(s) is (are) lit by one member of the family. (Take turns!)
3. A hymn is sung.
4. Each member of the family prays.
5. Pause for thought.
6. All say the Our Father and the Hail Mary.

This is taken from my church newsletter:

During the season of Advent we think about the coming of Jesus into our world. The readings on Sundays are taken from the parts of the Bible which tell us about God’s special people, the Jews, longing and waiting for the Messiah. This name means Saviour, that is, someone who saves and makes whole. We know that Jesus is the Saviour and he has shown us how we can be saved. We believe that he is Risen and Alive, helping us to be saved. We allow him to come among us every time we are forgiving, kind and patient. We meet him in others when they are kind to us.

Let us, during these four weeks of Advent, help to bring Jesus to everyone we meet by sharing our love with them. After all, Jesus said: “Whatever you do to others you do to me.”

Have a fun and happy Advent!

An Advent Calendar is a popular way of counting down the days to Christmas. Nowadays, many Advent Calendars are filled with chocolate, and are decorated with popular cartoon characters, but traditionally they have a picture of a nativity scene, and each window opens to reveal a small image that has something to do with the story of the first Christmas.

Here is a link to the Woodlands Junior School’s Advent Calendar. By visiting this calendar each day, you will learn more about Christmas around the world.

There is also an interactive Advent Calendar aimed at younger pupils - perhaps you have a younger brother or sister who would enjoy playing the games on this calendar?

Finally, you could visit the Culham Institute’s 2007 Advent Calendar (I can’t seem to find a 2008 one yet - perhaps someone could help me out?) When you click on the day, you find out more about St Nicholas, as well as revealing part of an icon of that saint. There is then a link to an Advent activity.

You can find many more Advent resources on the REEP Advent Resources page.

An historical Advent calendar can be found at the Geffrye Museum.

Have fun - and happy Advent!

(The photo above was taken from the Calendars for Christmas website.)

Here is a link to the Diocese of Bath and Wells’ annual Jesse Tree. Jesse was one of the ancestors of Jesus, and the tree is used to remind us of the story of God’s relationship with the world, from the creation of the world to the coming of Jesus at Christmas.

Here is the “Jesse Tree prayer”. Perhaps you could say it with your family or your class?

Thank you, God, for our family.
Help us as a family this Advent season to prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birthday at Christmas. As we think about his family tree, may we grow to love him more and to love our own family more. Amen.

(I found the image at this website. If you follow the link, you can find out more about the Bible readings and the symbols for each day during Advent. Why not make your own Jesse Tree?)

I have recently discovered a new website called YFaith. It is a faith website for young people, and as well as sometimes helping you with homework, it’s interactive, and you can get involved. The website is looking for writers … you can download the application pack which has suggestions for how to format an article for the website - follow the links.

There is always plenty going on in the RE department to celebrate Black History Month.

Year 7s are learning what the Bible has to say about racism, and what the Catholic Church has to say about racism. They will also be taking part in the Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football campaign. The weeks of action are 16 - 28 October. Year 7 pupils will be encouraged to write poems and to take part in the Kick It Out Football Tournament. Watch this space for more details!

Year 8s have been learning about either Archbishop Desmond Tutu or Martin Luther King. They have been invited to take part in a competition which will involve them researching the life of a significant black Christian and presenting their findings in a manner of their choosing. Follow the links to find out more!

Year 9s have been studying the life of Rosa Parks, and will have considered which “gospel values” can be seen in her life and actions.

What are you doing to mark Black History Month?

There was a good atmosphere in the RE department last Thursday during the school Open Evening. It was good to meet so many parents. Here is one of the many photos I took during the evening. Room 54 looks quite different here!

Someone else made this book, but I thought I would share it with you. What photos would you include if you were to make a picture book on the topic of prayer, and what messages would you want to share?

Download

Here is a short video featuring some of the good title pages created this year in RE.

It hardly seems a year since you all started your new courses, and I got new classes, and now it’s the summer already! I hope that you have all enjoyed this year and have learnt lots, and I look forward to teaching my new classes in September. In the meantime, I hope you all have a good summer - I may post some things during the holidays, I might not - and remember to come back to this site in September to see what is happening in the RE department at St Thomas More School!

(I thought that the last animoto, looking at the hidden views around the school, perhaps did not show us in our best light! So here is a more upbeat video of some of our prettier surroundings!)