For me, it s a feeling or sense of being connected with people and an awareness of the positive impact we can THE SCOOP Extra @stjamescofe Working together to achieve and enjoy Why are we focusing on Spirituality at St James C of E Primary School? Over the last few years our 12 core Christian Values have become embedded in our everyday school life. The values have become part of everything we do; from talking about perseverance when we are finding something difficult to showing forgiveness or kindness when something hasn t gone right. Our worship focuses on the term s value and links Christian Bible stories we learn about our value from e.g. The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37) has been used to teach us about this terms value: Love. In February 2014 we had our Church School SIAMS inspection, where we were awarded Outstanding for our work on values and the impact it has on our children s learning and personal development. The inspection team identified the following next step targets: Ensure that the whole school community has a consistent understanding of the current opportunities for spiritual development so that there is greater clarity of how reflection and enquiry are used to engage children in discussion of matters of faith and belief. Develop the skills and ability of adults and children to create big questions of meaning and purpose to enable greater depth in their exploration of Christian values and spirituality. Spirituality Week 30 th 4 th December: The start of our journey... or is it? This focus week has enabled children, staff, governors and parents to spend time thinking about what spirituality means to the St James C of E Primary school community. All members of the school community have been asked the Big Question : What is spirituality? Teacher s thoughts... Engaging with the world and reflection on life Inner feeling of peace. Sense of purpose Presence of the Holy Spirit How do I know if I am being spiritual? Is it all about faith? Can you be a non-believer but still be spiritual? Parent s thoughts from the parent workshop Year 1 s thoughts... It s like a bird Something when you are friends with someone Something that makes you do lots of things It is tough and strong Spirit is thinking time Spirit tastes like magic Something that goes beyond the physical bits of a person that are visible and beyond the visible world we can see.

Governor s thoughts A respect for life and the ability to see beneath the surface. Hopes and dreams Belief and focus A feeling that there is more than there appears to be. Life in the Holy Spirit therefore connecting with the person of God How do we explain spirituality to children? Is it being or doing? How can we know spirituality is experienced? Why are people unsure about what this is?

Alice Todd s (Year 5) thoughts when asked to draw her life as a journey After our initial reflection on spirituality it was evident that as a school community we Patrycja Latecka (Year 5) thoughts when asked to draw what the spirit would look like,

already had lots of ideas about what spirituality meant to us, but we also had lots of questions. After exploring everybody s thoughts and questions, we decided that there were 4 main areas to spirituality which everyone touched on when thinking about what spirituality meant to them. Spirituality in me Showing Spirituality towards others Spirituality through a relationship with the beyond God, Ultimate Spirituality in the world around us Spirituality in me Reception to Year 6 explored what happiness is... Reception Rufus Buckland wrote: Playing with my cousin. Bella Seyforth wrote: I love playing with my brother Jack.

Years 1 and 2 visited different classrooms to learn about what makes them happy and how to spread equality around the world. They made bowls and filled them with words about what there is always more room in the world for... as well as making dream catchers to catch happy dreams and keep our thoughts happy. Can I explain happiness? A memory inside your head. And a loving heart to give. Your smile will spread and defeat the existence of sadness. Brooke Richardson Year 4 I drew this picture because it is the road to my future telling me what places it will take me. Maybe I will save somebody or I might be the one to be saved. I never know. Everybody has their own road and anything could happen to them too. It s not your choice where you go. It s the roads. Megan Partridge Year 4 Happiness is... Happiness is the glow of the orange, red sunset lowering in the sky. It looks like the sparkle of the bauble glistening on the Christmas tree. It tastes like the warm bolognaise on Happiness is... Happiness is part of your life. Happiness is all you ever want in your life. Happiness is when your family reunite.

Happiness is... Happiness is around you it s just there. Happiness is around you it s everywhere. Happiness is with you within each day. But what it really is It s really hard to say. Happiness is going to lead you right through your life. Happiness is very bright With everlasting light. Happiness is born in your heart and it s like a piece of art. Happiness is the way Year 5 and 6 considered quotes on happiness and then wrote about what they believed happiness is. Here are a selection of the quotes they discussed. What do you think? And something you cannot pay (for) Lucas Reiner Year 4 Happiness is the only good. The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here. The way to be happy is to make other so.

Robert G Ingersoll If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. Dalai Lama I refuse to accept other people s ideas of happiness for me. As if there is a one size fits all standard for happiness. Kaye West Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. Happiness is like a kiss, Nathaniel Hawthorne You must share it to enjoy it, Smile That winter s snow on the window pane, That evening walk through the torrential rain, An empty playground with morning sun, Good deeds completed and well done. Wet grass, wet mud on the playing fields. A smile in when friendships can be dark That time where the day is too fats That someone you know and their happiness lasts. That s happiness. Amy Heslop Year 5 and 6 As a group, the children were asked to think of a natural object that symbolised spirituality. Each member then chose one colour and they worked together to fill their symbol with finger prints and try not to leave any gaps. And never give it a miss. Happiness is a wonderful sensation It could be singing, dancing Or completing a creation. Happiness is the glue that binds Friends together. With friends you ll be happy forever and ever, Happiness is doing and achieving And maybe even Twilight walking on a balmy evening By Rebecca Coolican Davies and Ruth Samuel To me spirituality is recognising the importance of others and inserting joy and peace into others lives. I did a spool of fish are the utmost tranquil creatures to exist. I chose a bird because it represents life and being free. I also chose the fiery colours to represent life. I chose to create a leaf because each one is so important and they live just a normal life because people think they are ordinary. Though each one is so important. They symbolise peace because they float really gently off the trees and I think that is like spirituality. Showing spirituality towards other Years 1 4 listened to a Sikh story called The Milk and the Jasmine Flower. Spirituality can be shown to others by being calm and listening and showing love to others. The Milk and the Jasmine Flower Guru Nanak believed that everyone is equal. Rich or poor, sad or happy, brainy or practical: God sees everyone equally. Nanak www.stjamescofeprimary.co.uk and Mardana were travelling to a @stjamescofe new city in India 500 admin@st-james-pri.gloucs.sch.uk years ago. He was such a famous holy man 01242516836 that the news about his arrival spread, and before he even got to the city gates, the holy men in the city were talking about him. They were worried. They knew Nanak was a truly good and holy person, and they had promised to try to be good like him but they had been greedy and unkind. They were scared of Guru Nanak s arrival. They decided to send a messenger with a bowl full of milk to say that there was no room for anyone else in the city: as the bowl was full, so was the city, and they were sorry that they could not

listening to the story the children thought about what there is always more room in the world for... Year 2 Year 3 The children created their own bowls. As they made them, they thought about their own spiritual words that they believed would have a positive impact on others. N Years 1 6 visited Gloucester Cathedral to explore spirituality At the start of our visit we imagined we were monks and went on a silent walk through the cloisters and around the cathedral. Spirituality in ourselves The children looked how stones can t be balanced on top of each other or arranged