Woodmansey WOW (Worship Our Way) meet weekly to discuss the weekly ‘Thought of the Week’. The children self select to join the Woodmansey WOW and can attend from years 1-6. The WOW club enjoy planning and leading worship, ensuring that Worship is enjoyed and understood by all.

 

The ‘We Are Woodmansey’ board displays our core Christian Values which are at the heart of all that we do. Our values are often discussed throughout the week and we encourage the children to recognise examples of the values in action, whether they are recognised from within or an act from someone else. These examples are added to our values tree as key rings attached to the keys of St Peter, our school saint. The position of the board is central to the school day and to the main entrance providing a daily reminder of who we are and the path we are on which God chose for us.

Each class space has an area designed for reflection. The Woodmansey WOW are looking at ways to develop these and have recently decided that it is important that the children decide how they wish to use the space. Children have brought in photos and special items to aid in their reflection. They also enjoy using the space for prayer writing.

The Foundation Stage and Nursery children discovered what was unique and special about them. They used art skills to look carefully at themselves and each other. They discussed why they are all different and why it is important to respect the differences we see and know that God made us all unique because we all have a unique job to do.

Our display boards are linked to gospel, reminding us that our talents and gifts which we have been given, have been given to us by God. We celebrate our individual successes throughout the school and in different ways.

We love sharing worship with the Woodmansey community at St Peter’s Church. We enjoy Harvest, Christingle, Easter and other key dates with Revd Canon Jonathan Baker. The Woodmansey WOW lead a section of the worship and families are invited to the church services.

On Ascension Day the children wrote their own prayers for protection and strength. The children then led Collective Worship in the outdoor classroom and then a prayer walk around the school boundary, following the tradition of ‘Beating the Bounds’. The children  were so respectful on the walk and reminded each other about the purpose of reflection. The children were keen to lead worship outdoors again soon.

 

Hope: What hopes do we have for ourselves and our peers? This thought of the week provoked lots of thought and discussion during Collective Worship. The children split into groups to lead their own discussions and produced a page of hopes and also found scripture to inspire their reflection. Many favoured, ‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.’ (Jeremiah 29:11) The children then discussed the difference between a ‘Hope’ and a ‘Wish’.

 

During Worship the children’s thoughts and comments are added to our ‘Chatter that Matters’ board. The board is filled throughout the week based upon the ‘Thought of the Week’ and the ideas and comments show how the understanding develops as the discussions progresses. The children love being able to graffiti in our Space for Faith!

We really value having Beverley School’s Christian Trust helping us develop our worship time. They lead different sessions which help us to prepare for the next chapter in our lives.

Harvest is such a special time of year in our calendar. We celebrate what our land gives us for food, water and shelter but the children also considered the injustice of harvest and our thoughts turned to those less fortunate than ourselves. The children collected fresh and tinned goods which were sold for charity or donated to Beverley Food Bank – they were shocked that an issue on our doorstep is hunger.

Every year the children organise and run a charity fundraising fair. The class and school council choose three charities to support throughout the year, with the main fundraising event being the fair. The children organise their own stalls from football shoot-outs to beauty stalls and they spend time researching the charities we are supporting.

 

December 2018 was an important month for us, not just because we prepare for advent and Christmas celebrations but it saw the 120th anniversary of the consecration of our church, St Peter’s. A service was held at St Peter’s Church with Canon Baker where families and friends of the school also joined us. The WOW group led us all in prayer and taught us about St Peter.

Christingle Service at St Peter’s Church. The church was full to watch the service led by the children of Woodmansey CE. They explained the meaning behind the Christingle and how The Children’s Society support vulnerable children. The prayers written and delivered by the children were beautifully linked to the service and Canon Baker blessed the congregation.