Dear R.E. Teacher / Chaplain,
Well it’s finally here, the last day of term. I hope you have found the Advent & Christmas resources helpful in preparing both you and your students for the celebration of the birth of Christ. The Advent YouTube Playlist has been very popular and let me know if you found any other good videos to use in R.E. classes. If your students are still in class today you could always play Christmas Bingo with them and show them some of the videos.
I have added an R.E. News Blog section on our website and it contains all the contents from emails I have sent this term and the last 13 editions of the R.E. News. The BLOG contains regular updates of resources, weblinks and information for R.E teachers & chaplains.
In January I’ll send you details about January resources and you can preview them by clicking here. Also on the website you can find an updated list of guest speakers & charity links. Let me know of any guest speakers or charities I could add to the list.
The theme for Catholic Schools Week 2013 is Catholic Schools in the Community of Faith: Sharing the Good This year school communities are offered the opportunity to reflect together on key elements of their faith life, so that they can become better witnesses to God’s love for the world made known through the good news of his Son, Jesus Christ. It is a wonderful opportunity to respond to Pope Benedict’s invitation to the Year of Faith, which is being celebrated all around the world. The themes for the week all stem from the joyous outpouring of the Holy Spirit that took place during Vatican II fifty years ago. Each day there is an opportunity to reflect on different ways of sharing the good news and celebrating the saints whose witness to the good news still has relevance for today.
Resources have been produced to use With R.E. classes for each of the school days during Catholic Schools Week:
•How we gather as a Church (Monday 28 January): The Feast of Thomas Aquinas
•How we pray together (Tuesday 29 January)
•How we encounter God in the Scriptures (Wednesday 30 January): St Aidan
•How we participate in our community (Thursday 31 January): St Don Bosco
•How we reach out to others of different faiths (Friday 1 February): St Brigid
This year, Wednesday of Catholic Schools Week is the day for the school community to celebrate and pay tribute to grandparents and the role they play in handing on the faith to their grandchildren and in supporting the community of faith at home and in the parish.
I hope to have some PowerPoints and further resources/details available in January.
Finally, may I wish you & your students every blessing this Christmas and I look forward to continuing to support you in your work as religious educators in the New Year.
Kind regards,
Gary
Email: garyabrahamian@gmail.com