Good morning,

I am continuing the friendship theme today. Have a think about the following questions and share your answers with a partner or the class.

1. What would you rather do at playtime: play football or sit on a bench and chat to your friends?
2. What do you prefer to do with your friends: play on a games console or go swimming?
3. If your best friend was away, would you sit on your own for a day or go and sit by somebody else?
4. If there was a new child in your class, would you ignore them or go and play with them?
5. If someone was being mean to you in the playground, would you hit them or go and tell a teacher?
6. If you had fallen out with your friend, would you go and tell everyone else how horrible your friend is or try to make up?

All of the questions were to do with friends. In the first three questions, the choices that you made were up to you – your answers depended on your personal likes and dislikes. However, in the last three questions, you could have made a good choice or a bad one with your answer. The choices that you made could either help you to get on with your friends or cause you to fall out.

I watch this story of Mary and Martha from the New Testament Book of Luke in the Bible….as you watch, have a think about what we can learn from the story…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQGKLA4AfXs

What did you learn – did the story help you think about somethings that you could do better – some better choices that we could all make?  Here are some questions to help you think…..

• Why did Martha feel so cross with Mary in the story?
• In the story, Jesus told Martha that it was sometimes good simply to sit and listen. Why is it important to listen to our friends?
• How can listening to our friends help us not to fall out?

Let’s have a quiet moment to reflect – think about the importance of listening to friends – ask yourself whether you notice your friends enough?  Do you pay them attention when they are with you?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMlzRKpYJyA

Dear Lord,
Thank you for today’s story about listening.
Please help us to make time to listen to others.
Please help us never to be too busy to notice those around us.
Amen.

Good morning everyone,

Today let’s think about what you think is meant by the word FRIENDSHIP – how could you define it?  Have a moment to think about it…..then share your thoughts – and remember you might all have a different idea!

In the dictionary it defines FRIENDSHIP as “Having a good relationship
with somebody we call a friend, showing friendship to others.”  Have a watch of this video – about a little boy and his father who run a llama pinata business (in case you’re not sure what a pinata is – its a fancy container that is hung up at parties and when beaten releases sweets) – see how many words you can come up with from watching it, that can describe what friendship means…..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJnDXCg91KM

How many words did you come up with – have a share in class.

The story made me think of companionship, fun, helpfulness, kindness, warmth, encouragement, support, teamwork, joy, laughter, happiness, dependable, special, caring – all positive words that help make the world a better place.

So as we go through this term let’s focus on the importance of having friends – and also of being a good friend.  Imagine a world without friends – what a lonely place that would be!  Let’s see how many different ways we can be good friends to each other so that we can help make the world a happier place.

Let’s take a quiet moment now to reflect – what have we learnt about friendship – what does it mean – how important is it? At the end of the story – the llama pinata seems to have made the little boy’s father a happier person – so maybe friendship is infectious – maybe by being a friend to others we can help make the world a friendlier place –  what do you think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVDiQcJwoIQ

Dear God

We thank you for our friends and for the happy times we share with them.

Help us to be a good friend to them.

Teach us how to play fairly and to share.

Help us to recognise loneliness in others and show friendliness towards them.

We know that you are our friend and will be with us always.

Amen.

https://www.churchofengland.org/our-faith/faith-home/faith-home-videos/collective-worship-primary-schools-episode-3-love

https://www.churchofengland.org/our-faith/faith-home/faith-home-videos/collective-worship-primary-schools-episode-2-courage

Todays worship is all about having the courage to do the right thing and not the easy thing. We are thinking about courage and how we sometimes need to be brave.

These words are on our our Courage board ‘Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’

Watch the story of ‘Esther the Brave’ and think about how she did the right thing rather than the easy thing. She courageously spoke out to save her people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbtYMdaMU6o

It would have been easy and safer for Esther to keep quiet and just look after herself. Can you think of people who have spoken out and done the right thing?

A prayer for Courage

Father God,

Help us to be strong and courageous.

Help us to speak out for others.

Help us to stand up and be counted.

Help us to do the right thing, not just the easy thing.

Amen

Courage song – have a listen to this one!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk2NvNPzgv4

Good Morning!

It was so lovely welcoming everyone back last week. This term can be a time when we all set new targets and goals. Have you set any? What are they?

Taking care of ourselves is so important – and even though we have family and friends to help us do this, ultimately it is down to ourselves to learn to be responsible for making good choices – whether those choices are about our well-being and health, or our learning. Everything choice that we make is up to us – not anyone else.

Today I want us to think about responsibility.  Have a watch of this video about making the right, or good, choice….and have a think about what you can do to help you make good choices.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cxt_Ki4GSo&t=18s

So what have you learnt about making good choices?  Is there anything you can do to help make a good choice?

I learnt that you need to stop and take some time – to pause before saying or doing something – to THINK about what would be a good choice.  Have a think about a time when you have made a poor choice – what did you choose and what happened because of it?  Now think what you could have done to help you make a better choice…..

As you go through the day, see if you can try the traffic light method – and STOP – PAUSE and Breathe – then THINK – and make a good choice!  I wonder if it will help you have a more positive day?

Enjoy listening to this song about choices and reflect upon what good choices you are going to make today…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdnHfWRAI_s&t=35s

As we come to the end of our assembly, let’s take a moment to reflect  – We all have a lot of choices to make every day – some small, some bigger. How will you make your choices today and who will you talk to when you have big decisions to make?

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
Thank you that you love us and let us make our own choices.
Help us to remember that our choices have consequences.
Please help us when we have difficult choices to make,
decisions that are helpful to us and to others.
Amen.