No 63 Term 2, 2007 Spreading Good News The Spirit of the Lord is upon me... to bring good news to poor. Lk.4:18 1
St. Joseph's Convent PO Box 35 MOLONG NSW 2866 15 April 2007 My dear SRE teachers, Welcome to the second term of our year's work in the Lord's vineyard. A special welcome to new SRE Teachers/Helpers who have joined our valiant band of SRE teachers since the beginning of the year-it is great to have new people who help renew our enthusiasm for this ministry. At the beginning of this term we are still in the season of Easter and the gospels for the second and third Sundays of Easter give us accounts of the risen Jesus' appearances to his disciples as he have them their final preparation to go out and preach his message.you, too, have been commissioned to go and preach the gospel through your teaching of SRE. Pentecost will be celebrated on Sunday 27 May. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses. (Acts 1:8) is the theme of World Youth Day 2008. Pray that you,yourselves and all our young people will be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. During this term we have Education Week from 14-20 May. Hopefully copies of the Education Week Service will be available in good time for you to practise the students. Where possible use hymns or songs that the students already know. Discuss with teachers at the school which students would be the best readers, so that you don't make the preparation for the Service too difficult for yourselves and for the students. As soon as copies of the Education Week Service appears on the departmental website, I will download it and sent it to you. You can download the service for yourself or get your children or grandchildren to download it for you. You could also ask the school secretary to download the service. The Department of Education website to visit is: www.curriculumsupport.nsw.edu.au/hsie/index.cfm?u=2&1=8 St. Jerome tells us that To be ignorant of the Scriptures is top be ignorant of Christ. and I am sure, that knowing you all to be people of deep faith, want to know more about Christ. Angelo Belmonte, 2
Religious Education Consultant at the Catholic Education Office, Bathurst, has invited SRE Teachers to participate in some Scripture Inservice days provided for RE teachers in Catholic schools. I encourage those of you who are able to take this great opportunity to gain new insights into the Scriptures. I know from personal experience, that Dr. Laurie Woods, the presenter is extremely well versed in the Scriptures and has the gift of being able to explain them with great simplicity and clarity, so he won't be above anyone's head. Sessions are as follows: Thursday June 7: Dubbo: Gospels for Secondary teachers Friday June 8: Bathurst: Gospels for Secondary Teachers Wednesday June 13: Dubbo: Scriptures for Primary Teachers Thursday June 14: Orange: Scriptures for Primary Teachers Friday June 15: Bathurst: Scriptures for Primary Teachers I recommend the sessions for both Primary and Secondary Teachers for SRE Teachers; the day on the gospels should be very helpful indeed. Don't miss this great opportunity to learn more about the Scriptures. I will forward further information as this becomes available. Where these Scripture Inservice days coincide with your SRE lesson day, I would suggest that you inform the school where you teach that you will not be able to be present that day for your SRE lesson, so that you can attend the day. This is an opportunity not to be missed by SRE teachers in our diocese. I am sure that what you gain from attending one of these days will so enhance your SRE lessons that you will make up for having missed one SRE lesson in the term. Teachers in schools attend Inservice days to keep them up to date with the subjects they teach,so you can explain to the school that you are attending a day that is going to improve your teaching as an SRE teacher. A reminder to you that if you are experiencing problems with a child's behaviour in your class, do not hesitate to discuss this with the classroom teacher. It is very helpful to have the class teacher sitting in the room with the class while you give the SRE lesson, as these teachers have thorough knowledge of these children and can discipline the children and this leaves you free to get on with teaching. If you don't have a teacher in the room while you're giving the lesson and you are having problems with managing children, then I suggest you speak to the school SRE Coordinator or the deputy-principal and see if a teacher can be in the room with you. Alternately, you can ask your regional coordinator who will speak to school personnel for you. As a rule, school personnel are very supportive of SRE Teachers and are willing to assist if requested to do so. I suggest that SRE Teachers ask for a copy of the school's regular Newsletter. This will allow you to keep in touch with what is happening in the school-it's helps to know events in the life of the school. Get to know the school secretary and if you have queries about whether or not SRE may be cancelled, this person can be very helpful. I take this opportunity to thank you for the great work that you do with the children in the state schools, and to wish you a successful term. Yours sincerely, Sr. Maureen Schiemer 3
Directory Mrs. Vicki Mair Ph: 6332 2835 Miss Helen C. Ryan Ph: 6884 5848 Sr. Maureen Schiemer Ph: 6366 8188 Fax: 6366 9147 mtschiemer@netwit.net.au Improve your teaching skills. Come to one of the Inservice Days for Term 2 Monday 14 May St. Raphael's Hall Lachlan St Cowra Stages in Faith Classroom Management Art in SRE Audio-visuals in SRE Monday 4 June: Anglican Hall, Wamboin St Gilgandra Why SRE and Responsibilities Language in SRE Understanding Children Art in SRE 4
Ministry of the SRE Teacher The gospel for the fifth Sunday in Ordinary time Year C is taken from Lk5:1-11 and tells the story of a great catch of fish by the disciples. A reading of this gospel by any SRE Teacher should be encouragement in times when SRE class work doesn t seem to be producing results. It reminds us that, like the disciples, each SRE Teacher has been called by the Lord to be a fisher of young people. It also reminds us that the size of the catch is up to the Lord not to us. What is required of us is the effort and trust that the Lord will use us to plant his word in the hearts of the children and young people we teach. SRE Teachers Prayer Lord, you have called me to serve you in teaching SRE to this class of children. Guide me and give me the wisdom to be able to impart your message of love to these children under my care. Amen. The Easter Season 5
Image by Dorothy Woodward rsj Taken from www.liturgyplanningimages.com Copyright 2006 Emmaus Productions Easter is the greatest feast of the liturgical year. The first eight days of the Easter season are called the Easter octave and all the Sundays of this season have precedence over all other feasts and solemnities. The Ascension is celebrated on the seventh Sunday of Easter. The following week we celebrate the feast of Pentecost. 27 May. During this season, the Easter Candle (Paschal Candle) is lit to celebrate Christ risen, and now reigning with the Father and present to us through the gift of the Spirit. The baptismal font is also an important symbol during this season,as Easter is the season for Christian initiation, The Easter Candle is placed near the coffin during funeral Masses as a sign of the Lord's resurrection. While white vestments are worn throughout the Easter Season, red vestments are worn on the feast of Pentecost, which celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first Christian community. Handy Hints for the SRE teacher Be punctual. Try to arrive at the school a few minutes prior to the beginning of your lesson. Sign the SRE Teacher book each week and read any notices placed there. Where requested, use the Visitors badge provided by the school and return it to the office before leaving the school. 6
Take any opportunity to get to read the school Newsletter as this helps to keep you up to date with what is happening in the school. Greet the schools secretary and any other ancillary staff. The school secretary can be a very helpful source of information regarding events in the school. Remember that you are ambassador of Christ to staff as well as to students. From the Code of Conduct Read Section 5 (top of page 10 of the Code of Conduct) together with this commentary. As you first read this section of the Code you will probably be taken aback by the bluntness of the language in this section. It spells out behaviours that are totally unacceptable. As SRE teachers we teach by word the importance of love and respect for others. Our teaching by word needs to be reinforced by our actions. As parents you would be outraged if a child of yours was subjected to any of the actions mentioned in this section of the Code, so I am sure you can understand why the Code prohibits such conduct on the part of a person who proclaims allegiance to Jesus who preached and practised love of others. Many of the teacher behaviours listed in this section of the Code can occur when a teacher becomes angry when students persist in misbehaviour. When a teacher realizes he/she is becoming angry, it is time for the SRE teacher to ask for assistance from school authorities. (If any new SRE Teacher has not receive a personal copy of the Code of Conduct for Catholic SRE volunteers, please contact me.) Sr. Maureen. 7
ISLAM Islam had its origins about 1,400 years ago in what is now called Saudi Arabia when the prophet Muhammed began to preach that there is only one God Allah. Muslims are people who submit to Allah s way and try to live in accordance with Allah s designs. The word Islam is derived from the Arabic word for submission. After the prophet s death the Islamic empire expanded through military conquests and through Islamic traders and extended from Spain and North Africa to India. Muslims believe in one God; in prayer; in practising almsgiving; in fasting during the month of Ramadan and in making a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime. These are called the Five pillars of Islam. Muslims consider Muhammed to be the last of the prophets through whom God revealed his message to humankind. Muslims look to Abraham, Hagar and Ishmael as their foundation members. Muslims consider Jesus to be a prophet and have great respect for Mary, the mother of Jesus. Muslim Holy Book: Holy place: Holy man: Festivals: Place of Pilgrimage: Qur an Mosque Imam Ramadan Id ul-fetr (end of Ramadan) Mecca The Five Pillars of Islam To believe in one God, and that Muhammad was God's final prophet To pray five times a day To give Zakat, a part of personal wealth, which must be given each year to be used for charity Every year, in the month of Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink during daylight hours At least once in his or her lifetime, a Muslim tries to make a pilgrimage to the holy Ka'ba in Makkah We could all pray for tolerance amongpeoples of differing faiths. 8
Worksheets I have not included any worksheets in this issue of Spreading Good News. If you would like worksheets that deal with Pentecost you will find these in past issues of Term 2 Newsletters. However, if you are a new SRE Teacher or you have mislaid past copies of Spreading Good News, contact Helen, Vicki or me and tell us what you want and I am sure we will be able to help you.(for phone numbers please see the Directory in this Newsletter) The following form might assist you in making your request. Topic that I am teaching e.g Pentecost, aspects of Jesus life I would like a worksheet that has: Prayer Prayer service Song Echo Pantomime Drama Chant Class that I teach: e.g. Year 2 or K-6 Picture Maze Crossword puzzle Find-a-word Filling in the missing words Multiple choice questions Map of Palestine The Regional coordinators are happy to encourage and to help you in the important work you for the children in your SRE classes, so don't hesitate to contact us. Resources on the Internet that could be useful in SRE classes You might not be able to access the net, but you will have children in your class who can access the net. Some of your own children or primary school age grandchildren will be able to help you to access the internet. Included are some websites that could be useful to you, if you wish to use the internet. Discovery Schools' Puzzlemaker www.puzzlemaker.com Bible Word Games for Kids www.biblewordgames.com/kidspage All God's Kids www.allgodskids.com Don't forget that the Catholic Resource Centre, Gilmour St Bathurst has a wide variety of teaching resources that can assist you. Contact Mary or Anne on 6331 8255 and tell them what you require for your particular class. 9