RELIGIOUS
EDUCATION
December 2014
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Religious Education Newsletter Term 4
United in faith,
our Vision is to
nurture personal growth,
inspire a passion for learning,
In This Issue

The Advent Wreath

Revealing God’s Love
(Year 6)

Praying in the Church
(Prep)

Who is the Church?
(Year 3)

Living a Moral Life
(Year 7)

Promises, Promises
(Year 2)

Challenge and Change
(Year 4)

Church history in Australia
(Year 5)

Baptism, Eucharist and the
Birth of Jesus (Year 1)

An Advent Prayer Ritual for
families
build community and
encourage dreams.
The Advent Wreath
The season of Advent is the beginning of the Church’s liturgical year.
Advent is a time of preparation and anticipation for the celebration of the
birth of Jesus.
For many of us it represents the busy season as the school year draws
to a close and families make preparations for holidays and Christmas.
An Advent wreath helps Christians to ‘count down’ the four weeks before
Christmas in a prayerful and reflective way. The idea is to light only one
candle during the first week of Advent, two during the second week and
so on. Some add a fifth white candle for Christmas. Pray while lighting
the candle. An idea for prayer is on the back page of this newsletter.
Make your own Advent wreath!
Some greenery from the garden and four candles are all
you need.
Revealing God’s Love … (Year 6)
This term in Religion, the Year 6 classes worked on a unit called
“Revealing God’s Love,” with a focus on biblical images and titles that
describe Jesus. Scripture, both from the Old Testament and the New,
uses various images and titles to describe Jesus and his mission. Whilst
the Old Testament does not specifically name Jesus, there are many
references to a prophet, a messiah and a saviour who will come in time.
From the New Testament, we studied many of the “I am … ” statements
recorded by John that refer to Jesus, such as “I am the vine, you are the
branches.” (John 15: 5). The use of images such as a grapevine, light,
bread of life and a shepherd were examined for their context. The skills
we developed in our English poetry unit were used once again to interpret the implied meaning of such descriptive images. The students have
had the opportunity to develop their own image of Jesus that is relevant
to their lives today.
We concluded with a short study of the season of Advent and the true
meaning of Christmas.
Praying in the Church … (Prep)
This term in Prep the children learnt about our beautiful church
building and looked at and talked about many of the things we
found inside the church. During this year we have been observing and discussing how believers pray together at important times and during this term we joined the school community in some special celebrations; we joined our Year 6 buddies to celebrate Mass and we also participated in the end of
year Thanksgiving Mass with the whole school.
As we prepare for Christmas we have learnt about Jesus and
his life as a little boy and a man. We listened to stories about
Jesus from the Gospels and participated in activities about
these stories. We learnt that Jesus was a Jew and we learnt
about his mother Mary, his friends and family.
Living a moral
life ... (Year 7)
The Year 7 students began this term by
exploring the relationship between God
and humankind that is revealed in the
Decalogue (The Ten Commandments).
Through a variety of activities they
came to an understanding of these
laws as describing a way of life faithful
to God’s love.
Students then investigated the significance of Church teaching and basic
principles of Christian morality in the
way believers live out their faith, as
individuals and as a community. They
explored the idea that moral choice
involves both discernment and judgement, and then acting according to that
judgement. Through the examination of
sources such as Church teaching, the
Word of God and contemporary media,
they explained the basic principle of
acting according to a properly formed
conscience (i.e. doing good and avoiding evil). They developed an understanding of the relationship between
personal accountability and the social
dimension of sin.
A further basic principle of Christian
morality is concern for the good of the
community. Students analysed the
Church’s teaching regarding this principle and investigated and presented a
variety of ways to protect and promote
the common good using personal gifts
and talents.
This term, we also took a brief look at
The Catholic Church in Australia in
terms of geographical dioceses and
archdioceses and the variety of roles
and responsibilities within its leadership
structure (i.e. deacon, priest, bishop,
archbishop, cardinal).
We are lucky to have been able to celebrate Mass with our Year 1 Buddies
and to experience a calming and reflective Reconciliation in this very busy part
of the year!
Who is the Church? … (Year 3)
In Year 3, students have explored the very important question, “Who is the Church?” They have explored
what Catholics mean when they talk about “diocese”. They have identified key features of the local
diocese including its location, names of key buildings, who the archbishop is as well as some of the
surrounding local parishes. The children have identified key role of the bishop and some of his important
duties. The children have also explored the history of the local parish of St Joseph and St Anthony. They
have identified key roles within the parish and explained some of the duties undertaken by these people.
Through their study of scripture, in particular, the Beatitudes the students were also able to explain how
the Parish lives out its concern for the poor and disadvantaged. Students explored the text to gain an in
depth understanding of the cultural context at the time in which this gospel was written. They examined
maps of the Holy Land, looked at the characters and discussed where the story of the Beatitudes took
place. This helped the students to understand the meaning of the Beatitudes and how they relate to their
lives today. The students were able to use this set of teachings as a guide for moral living as they wrote
and illustrated ways in which they could live out the Beatitudes in their everyday lives.
Promises,
promises ...
(Year 2)
In Year 2 Religion this
term, we have explored
the Jewish understanding
of covenant as an agreement between God and
the
Jewish
people.
The
children
have
listened to stories from
the Old Testament such
as Abraham and Sarah
and the story of Moses.
They
identified
the
promises that God made
to the major characters in
the stories. In exploring
the story of Moses, the
children learnt about the
Ten Commandments and
how they helped the Jewish people to understand
God’s laws. Together, we
identified behaviours and
actions
in
the
Old
Testament stories that
revealed aspects of God’s
loving
and
forgiving
nature. The children also
investigated how we live
out God’s promises in
our
present
lives.
The
children
were
encouraged to share their
own ideas and opinions
with others about the Old
Testament stories.
Later in the term, we
looked at the Christmas
story and researched
information about the first
century
Mediterranean
world, to better appreciate
the life and times of
Jesus.
Challenge and change: the Catholic
Church in Australia … (Year 4)
Year 4 Religion this term has linked with our study of the history of Australia’s colonisation; we have been investigating the early history of the Catholic Church in Australia.
During Term 3 the students took the role of a convict travelling on the First Fleet and
they learnt that the majority of convicts who travelled to Australia in the late 1700s
were either from England or Ireland. Because of this we had some knowledge that
there was a mixture of both Catholics and Anglicans settling in Australia.
We learnt that Catholics in Australia were initially discriminated against. As there was
no official recognition of the Catholics in the colony, Catholic convicts were forced for a
period to attend Anglican Church services. Five years after landing, lay Catholics
petitioned Governor Arthur Phillip to appoint the first Catholic priest Fr Dixon. Fr Dixon
was actually a convict sentenced to transportation for his involvement in the Irish
Rebellion!
Within discussion the Year 4s understood that it was crucial for Catholics to have a
priest in a country in which they were discriminated against. It was a necessity to have
a priest to perform the sacraments of baptism, marriage, and funeral rites with the
Catholic faith; but the priest was also an educated person who could give direction and
guidance during a time of great turmoil and change. The role of the priest was necessary in order to establish the Catholic Church in the early colony.
The Year 4s have come to the realisation of how lucky and fortunate they are to live in
2014 Australia where they are free to practise their faith without persecution. We have
indeed journeyed a long way!
Photos retrieved from: http://www.cathedralofststephen.org.au
Church history in Australia … (Year 5)
This term, Year 5 have been learning about the history of the church in
Australia. Mary MacKillop was one of the pioneering Catholics in Australia
and the students have read letters and biographies of Australia’s first saint to
understand how she cared for the well being of others and for the faith of the
community of believers. The students have reflected on Mary MacKillop’s
saying, ‘Never see a need without doing something about it’ and have identified some of the needs in our own community.
The students then shifted their focus to the history of the Catholic church in
Brisbane. They told the story of the history of the Archdiocese of Brisbane by
presenting the key leaders involved in chronological order.
Jesus’ new commandment of love was the focus for the second part of our
religion unit. The students identified people in our community who act according to the commandments of love and charity and then reviewed our school
rules in the light of the call of Christian charity to care for the well being of
others. They engaged with stories about refugees to learn more about their
needs and wants and compared them with their own needs and wants leading
into Christmas.
The students have been enjoying the tasks in Religious Education this year
and relish the opportunity to discover facts and ideas that deepen their understanding and faith.
Jesus in each other
Baptism, Eucharist and
the Birth of Jesus … (Year 1)
http://www.stjosephsbrackenridge.qld.edu.au
During Term Four, the Year One children have been learning about the
Sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist. They have explored the significance
of these Sacraments as sacred actions of the Church through which God is
present. The children have been given the opportunity to identify words,
actions and symbols used in the Sacrament of Baptism to communicate God’s
presence and action e.g. water, the sign of the cross and anointing with oil.
Each Year One class went to the church and gathered around the baptismal
font to discuss what happens at a baptism. Following this, the children explored
the Sacrament of the Eucharist and the significance it has within the Catholic
Church. They were able to observe this when they attended Mass with their
Year 7 buddies and at the end of year Thanksgiving Mass with the whole
school community.
As the term progresses and rapidly draws to a close the children have
enjoyed the Nativity stories and the wonder and awe surrounding the birth of
Jesus. They have focused on the stories in the gospels of Matthew and Luke.
They have compared and contrasted the differences and similarities of the
stories in both gospels. The children have been exposed to a variety of books,
pictures and online resources to learn about the Nativity and the world as it
was around the time of Jesus’s birth.
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary
School
Bracken Ridge
30 Eldorado Street
BRACKEN RIDGE
Qld 4017
Thank you to the classroom
teachers of St Joseph’s School
who have written an article
explaining their classroom
Religious Education Program
for this term. This Term’s
articles were written by: Julie
Carter, Louise Quinn, Kristy
Martin, Sonya Wagensveld,
Di Bailey, Julie Lahey, Liz
Blackwell, Kate Hutton and
edited by Peggy Roe.
A prayer ritual lighting the four candles of the Advent wreath
First week in Advent
Second Week in Advent
Place a large gift-wrapped box in front of the
children and invite them to guess its contents.
Place in the gift box, items that the children
would least expect to find. Open the box and
discuss the contents with the children.
Place a large gift-wrapped box in front of the
children. Place in the gift box, words that
reflect a just and harmonious world. Open the
box and discuss the contents with the children.
Parents: We gather to celebrate the beginning
of Advent. We light the first Advent candle as
a reminder that Jesus the Light of the World is
present with us.
Adult lights the first candle.
Child: God of Surprises, we wait for you. We
know that you will be found at a time we least
expect. Help us to be ready for you!
Parents: We gather to celebrate the season of
Advent. We light the second Advent candle as a
reminder that Jesus the Light of the World is
present with us.
Adult lights two candles.
Child: God of Surprises, we wait for you. We
know that you will be found in places we least
expect. Help us to be ready for you!
Parents: Come Lord Jesus!
Parents: Come Lord Jesus!
Third Week in Advent
Fourth week in Advent
Place a large gift-wrapped box in front of the
children. Place in the gift box, words or images
that express Good News. Open the box and
discuss the contents with the children.
Place a large gift-wrapped box in front of
children. Place in the gift box the words “God is
with us”. Open the box and discuss the contents with the children.
Parents:We gather to celebrate the season of
Advent. We light the third Advent candle as a
reminder that Jesus the Light of the World is
present with us.
Parents:We gather to celebrate the season of
Advent. We light the third Advent candle as a
reminder that Jesus the Light of the World is
present with us.
Adult lights three candles
Adult lights all four candles
Child: God of Surprises, we wait for you. We
know that you will be found in ways we least
expect. Help us to be ready for you!
Child: God of Surprises, we wait for you. We
know that you will be found through people we
least expect. Help us to be ready for you!
Parents: Come Lord Jesus!
Parents: Come Lord Jesus!