Newsletter 27 Feb 2008

Dear Parents,

Back to another short term! Please be aware of two important events coming up soon. First, our next Open Day is on Thursday March 13th. Twenty-five students are due to leave us from Year 11 this summer, and so far only eight are signed up. Please be in prayer with us for this need, and be thinking creatively about who you might invite to the Open Day.

Secondly, our Early Years Conference is coming up in April. If your child is in class 1 or 2, we would like to encourage you to sign up for this conference. We believe that we have had much invested in us worth sharing with parents and professionals who work with children under 7 years of age. The conference will be publicised widely in the area and through CST schools in the North. However, we would also love to envision and equip you further in your task of parenting, and in partnering together with the school and would look forward to working with you at the conference. Also, consider inviting friends you may have who are parents of children in this age group who might be encouraged and inspired by our programme.

The Lovewise team was well received in school just before the half-term break. Please read the review from the students who benefited from the workshops. It was also good to see adults who work in Bradford with young people in other Christian and professional settings making use of the facilitator’s workshop.

Although students have just arrived home and barely had time to reflect on their life-changing visit to India, we placed a pen in their hand as soon as we could so that you could read their thoughts on the experience. Thanks to Mr. Walker and the team who facilitated this incredible opportunity for our students.

School will be visited this week and next by three young trainee teachers from Holland. They are completing their teaching degrees and observing our school for eight working days. We will feature their observations in our next newsletter.

Nursery Vacancies

Precious Children Nursery currently has 2 vacancies for Early Years Practitioners. Relevant qualifications include NVQ/BTEC/Cache level 2 and/or 3 in child care practice. For further information please contact Joanna Pease or Louise Marshall on 01274 768449 or email preciouschildren@btinternet.com

Bags2School

Well done! Thanks to everyone for the fantastic effort during the Bags2School fundraising. We raised £265 for the school! We encourage you to keep up the great effort for our next fundraiser (Bags2School) coming up in April. Details to follow.

Lovewise Report

Years 8, 9, 10 + 11 were visited by the Lovewise team; originally two Christian doctors from Newcastle who had a lot of teenagers in their clinics suffering from headaches and stomach aches due to relationship problems at home, at school and in their friendships etc, and they decided to set up Lovewise to talk to young people about sex and relationships.

They split us up into year 10 + 11 boys and girls, and explained to us about the dangers and consequences of sex outside marriage. They likened it to a fire - when fire is used in the right place at the right time it’s warm and good, but when fire gets out of hand then it’s dangerous, and people get hurt.

The Lovewise team taught us about STI’s which were rather disgusting, and gave us advice on relationships from a Christian perspective. They were really good and helpful and I’m sure each one of us took something away from that morning which really made us think. It was good to hear it the Christian way. Lovewise did a great job.

India Report

Alice Mattick - Year 11

On the 10th February, our team of 7 students and 3 leaders flew out to India. It was an experience I will never forget, and I can say changed my life. We firstly stayed in the mountains at Paud - a village where Intermission runs a children's home. Most of the children there have been rescued from the sex trade, abandoned or orphaned, Intermission have given them a new life in Paud, and offer hope for their futures which otherwise would have seen extreme poverty and darkness. Not quite knowing what to expect, we arrived late at night to no electricity, showers or western toilets! However we all welcomed the challenge and threw ourselves into serving the Lord and the children and our hosts.

Our day started each morning at 6:00am with Indian devotions and worship. Following this we worked hard in the compound grounds -constructing a playground for the children who before had little else but rubble to play on. We finished concreting and painting the swing sets and climbing frames by the Friday, when we left Paud for Mumbai. We spent our evenings playing with the children and leading devotions with them. We also bonded incredibly well as a team. We conquered a nearby mountain peak, we named Mount Paud, several times. We even managed a hokey cokey or two at the summit. Our time at Paud really humbled me to serve with a servant heart.

The second stage of our trip in Mumbai gave us the opportunity to see the backgrounds of the children. Some of the poverty we witnessed deeply upset and shocked us, but it showed me how God works in these situations, bringing hope into a hopeless place. I have learned so much from my experience, and God has done amazing things with my heart. I am now thinking about spending my gap year working with Intermission. I would recommend the trip to anybody looking to serve the Lord but who is secure in their faith and up for a challenge, because it is not an easy thing to do.