A new link for parents, whether your child is returning to school this week or in September.
'Returning to School' →
(Although aimed at younger children, this is still useful for older ones too!)
Saturday marked the longest day and the official start of the summer - lots of time to spend outside and boost our mental health.
Some children in school have been looking after our vegetable beds over the last few months. Everything is growing really well, thanks to all the sun and rain that we have been having. The potatoes will soon be ready, once the flowers have died off. We are also growing lettuce, courgettes, butternut squash, cabbage and leeks.
Spending time outside and growing things is a great way to practise mindfulness. It can help us to really focus on what we are doing at that moment, rather than rushing or having our head full of other thoughts. There is lots of mindfulness in nature. If you have ever watched a bird feeding... it is not worried about where it's next meal is coming from or what the weather will be like tomorrow or next week. Instead it is just living in that moment.
We now have a new boat at the front of school. Well done to the children who filled it with soil last week and got it ready for planting. It is full of plants which will attract bees and butterflies. There are also pebbles between the plants. This is so that the bees and butterflies can crawl out of the wet and have somewhere to dry their wings on rainy days.
Next time you pass the boat, notice the bees and butterflies, mindfully gathering their pollen.
(The boat is there to remind us of St Peter, who our school is named after. St Peter was a fisherman and was one of Jesus' first disciples, along with Andrew.
Jesus told Peter and Andrew that they must become fishers of men.
We will celebrate St Peter's feast day next week, so a great time for us to get a new boat!)
We are also continuing to develop our wild flower area and finally, after many months, the flowers have started to grow. This is another very important area for our bees and butterflies.
Maybe you could make a small growing area at home or create a bee and butterfly garden. Even if you don't have a garden, you could use a large pot instead.
Have a great week.
💚