Monday 1st October 2012
Sheelagh Wurr writes:
St. John’s School may look like a building site from the outside, as the building of our new school is now well under way. However, inside, there are big improvements already. The Early Years’ classroom now has its very own toilets and there is a smart new disabled toilet in the hall as well as the large store cupboard adjoining the kitchen, which has made Liz, our cook, very happy. The badgers have been given a brand new luxury apartment block and we hope that they will settle there and keep away from the main building!
Already, the children are looking ahead to the opening of the new school. The older children have been reading the log book which holds records of school events from 1872 when the school opened with 48 pupils in the morning and 44 in the afternoon.
At the beginning of term the school had a visit from a Victorian Headteacher which gave them a flavour of school in the early days of St. John’s.
Church visits are planned for all the classes before half term. The new children have already been in to explore, and enjoyed the experience. One very little boy pointed to the font and said excitedly, “My baby brother was born in there!”
On 28th September, the Harvest Festival service was held in church. This year, to encourage the children to think of children further afield and to support a local good cause, the school offered two ways to donate for harvest.
First, families had the opportunity to purchase fair-trade rice through a scheme called ‘The 90kg Challenge’. This scheme enables Malawian farmers to send their children to school for a year, for the cost of 90kg of the rice that they produce on their farms.
In addition, children were encouraged to donate non-perishable foodstuffs to the Warminster Foodbank. Parents and children were incredibly generous and, as well as purchasing a total of 26kg of rice, a huge amount of food was collected for the Foodbank.
During the service in church, each class presented an aspect of Harvest through songs and poems, and these contributions reflected an awareness of the needs of others, as well as God’s care for all in the world.
Following the service, Headteacher, Lyn Taylor, said “Yet again, I’m overwhelmed by the generosity of the children and parents in our school.”
Our Open The Book team from church will continue to take bible study assemblies into school and there are plans afoot to set up an ‘Advent Experience’ in church in the second half of the term.
The church ‘team’ would be delighted to see new members. If you would like to know more or volunteer, please talk to the Rector or me.