Living Simply: CAFOD’s online Advent calendar 2023

CAFOD online calendar and prayer resources for you to use at home.

Science based Advent calendar (1.12.23)

This has been shared from our Science lead with all staff and pupils so we wanted to share this with you too.

CAFOD Advent Assembly 

Year 5 Live Sustainably workshop (5.12.23)

The parents and children came together to participate in the last in the series of our Live Sustainably workshops focusing on our local area. The children wrote and shared prayers aloud with the whole group as part of a prayer service. The children made decorations out of recycled books rather than buying new plastic decorations. The decorations made will feature in the homes of the families in the local area and half of the decorations will be shared with the parish and local community when they are personally delivered to a care home, close to school. In addition to this, the children wrote emails to local businesses to encourage local sustainability in the local community. Thanks to all who could attend.

A to Z Prayer- E is for Egypt (6.12.23)

Extra Action: Visit from our local councillor Rick Payne (8.12.23)

Rick Payne, our local councillor for the Kingstanding Ward, came into school and met with the Year 6 pupils (and the School Council). He discussed his role in improving the local community and the children explained our actions as part of the Live Simply Plan. The children had lots of ideas to improve the local area and are eager to be involved. Rick wants to organise a big weekend litter pick in the Spring term with the local community, which we are happy to help with.

Extra Action: Living Simply- Carol Singing in the local Community (8.12.23)

The Christ the King Choir, supported by Miss Cooper and some of the teachers and parents, spread some Christmas joy in our local Tesco Supermarket on Friday by singing Christmas Carols. The community responded so positively that many of the shoppers wanted to financially contribute to our fundraising for Global solidarity and sustainability. With the money raised, we have purchased all of these items below through CAFOD's World Gifts. We even made some sustainable Christmas decorations to spread the love of Jesus.

(Click on each image to make them bigger)

Living Simply: Spreading more Christmas joy in the local community (15.12.23)

The Christ the King Choir and some of the staff will be singing a selection of Christmas Carols to the residents at our local care home after school and spreading Christmas joy. Through spending time together, the children are responding to Pope Francis' words that: 'Elderly people have so much to give us because there is wisdom of life.' As part of our work on local sustainability, as a gift to them, we will share our sustainable decorations that we have made with the residents. 

History link: When the winter season of ill health subsides (so we don't but the residents at further risk), we plan to return and spend time chatting and learning about the residents' life experiences and their wisdom of lives.

Extra action: Living sustainably and simply (22.12.23)

The CTK Stewards shared handmade decorations, out of recyclable books, and shared them with Fr The and the parish. Fr The asked the children to place the decorations on the tree in Church for the season of Christmas. 

Praying for Peace in the Holy Land this Christmas (25.12.23)

We have prayed together for peace this Christmas in the Holy Land, as a whole school and parish community (at parish Masses, in school through staff prayers and in class prayers).  

Today, we pray together...

And finally a message from His Holiness Pope Francis,

"Tonight, our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is once more rejected by the futile logic of war, by the clash of arms that even today prevents him from finding room in the world." 

Today we pray for peace.