Merry Christmas everyone! Finally made it to the end of term. What a long one it’s been! I hope you all have a relaxing, fun-filled Christmas; we’ll see you all again in 2024.
Thank You
I’m writing this on behalf of myself and all the other staff in school, to say thank you for the gifts that we have received. They are never expected, but they are gratefully received. On behalf of the entire team at Pedmore CE Primary, I would like to shout a massive, heartfelt thanks for your thoughtful gestures. Thank you.
Flu Vaccine Catch Up
If your child missed their flu vaccine this year, details of catch-up appointments can be found here.
Christingle Service
We held our Christingle services in school this week, led by David Nichol from St Peter’s. We did one for Reception and KS1 and one for KS2. It’s always a favourite time and one we look forward to each year. A couple of photos below.
Happy News
The latest issue of Happy News can be found here.
Reflection for Christmas
Here is a reflection from Paul Rusby, sent from the Church of England SIAMS team.
Christmas 2023-A Meditation
I wonder if you have ever re-gifted a Christmas gift?
In October 2023, the high street shop, The Works, commissioned a survey of 2000 people and found over 40% of those surveyed said they had re-gifted a gift with health and beauty products at the top of the list.
One of the most popular carols sung each year is Christina Rossetti’s ‘In the Bleak Midwinter.’ The last verse, poses the question about how we respond to God’s gift…‘What can I give Him, poor as I am?’ In our pondering, Rossetti, prompts our answer in the last line… ‘Yet what I can I give Him, Give my heart.’ Love, a gift shared from the heart.
Rossetti comes back to this theme in, her beautiful poem ‘Love came down at Christmas’. Wherever you are, I invite you to press pause for a moment and, in the silence, to slowly and quietly whisper aloud her words:
Love came down at Christmas
Love all lovely, love divine
Love was born at Christmas
Stars and angels gave the sign.
In that tiny stable, embodied in the form of a tiny baby, God’s gift of love for all people was given… ‘Love all lovely, love divine.’ A gift to accept…but also one to re-gift.
I remember listening to some Reception children one year who sang a song so simple in structure and yet so profound in meaning. It began… ‘Love is something if you give it away.’ From the mouths of the youngest of children, is this not the message of Christmas? A message which encourages us to re-gift the love that God gifted to us? A message which says ‘receive this love’ and then share it, ‘give it away’ to someone else.
Just four letters, so simple and yet transformative in meaning. I wonder what opportunities there are to re-gift this gift of love this Christmas? Like many people, our family has encountered moments of darkness this year with loved ones being ill. Within this we experienced love ‘given away’ to us, flickering as lights…God’s love, re-gifted in the form of a hug, a text, a hand squeezed or a card written with the ink of human kindness.
‘Love came down at Christmas.’ I wonder what opportunities we have to re-gift this love this Christmas…what message we can send which shares this love? It might be the greatest gift someone receives this Christmas. A light that reflects, and reveals, God’s love…gifted and then re-gifted in our messages and acts of love, kindness and care.
In the busyness of this time of year, maybe take a moment to pause…to be still and gaze into the stable-to see the gift that is given. And in our gazing, may we, in the words of the Charles Wesley hymn, be ‘lost in wonder, love and praise’ as we celebrate the love of the Divine and ponder who we might re-gift this to.
Regards, Paul.
PE Newsletter
Our first PE newsletter, which you have had a separate ParentMail for, can be found at this link. Thank you to Miss Cartwright.
Christmas Singing
Can’t beat children singing at Christmas…here’s a clip from a carol we were singing this morning.
A different book review this week…pictures!
The Cure for a Crime – Roopa Farooki
Harriet, Year 5
Named Clothes
Please make sure that all clothes have your child’s name in. We are collecting increasing amounts of lost property that we cannot give back to children due to not having names in. Thank you.
Attendance
Autumn term attendance figures.
Whole school – 95.47%
Reception – 92.77%
Year 1 – 95.52%
Year 2 – 96.93%
Year 3 – 96.12%
Year 4 – 96.25%
Year 5 – 94.41%
Year 6 – 96.06%
Take Care & Stay Safe
Mr Dunn
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