Good Morning Brown Clee!

We have been doing lots of THINKing this week about the power of our words – and how important it is to ensure we only speak if we have something TRUE to say, are saying something HELPFUL or INSPIRING, if it is NECESSARY and if it is KIND.  We are trying to help everyone take more responsibility for what they say – and today I would like to continue with thinking about how important it is to take responsibility for not only our words – but our actions.

Have a watch of this video and as you listen, think about the message – of how every action you do, or words you say, will have an impact on what happens next – and how it is only YOU that can affect that outcome….so Stop making excuses and own your own action!

An interesting video – and it’s 3 main headings were…

1. Own Your Part: what did this mean – can you remember?  It means that you need to take a step back and think when there is a problem – and identify what it was that you did to cause the problem.  Like the child who chose to jump up and down in a muddy puddle – the problem was they got cold, wet and dirty and didn’t like it – but it was her choice to do it!
2. Cause and Affect: Things happen everytime we choose to say or do something! The trick is to try and think about what the affect is going to be, before you cause it – because if you want the cause to be good – then you need to choose the right cause!
3. Solve the Problem:  This is a bit like “THINK before you speak” – we need to stop and pause before we say or do something so that we can make a good choice.  We need to work to avoid a problem so that the problem doesn’t actually happen!

Ultimately – it is up to you – each one of us to make the right choice in what we say or do.  We all want and deserve to live in a happy, safe world – but we have to do our bit to make it happy and safe – so as you go through today, try and stop and think to make sure you make the right choices!

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
Thank you that you are always there to help and guide us.
Please help us to make good choices.
Please help us to think about other people when we are making our decisions.
Please help us to care about others in everything we do.
Amen.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

This week we have been thinking about the importance of thinking before we speak – as we have learnt that our words are very powerful!  We can do a lot of good with our words – or we can do a lot of harm – and we need to ensure we stop and THINK before speaking so that we use our words wisely.

Can you remember what each letter in the word THINK stands for?  See if you can!…..

Here it is – just in case you forgot!

Now I’d like you to think and reflect as you watch this video from The Pace Trust – you will recognise the toothpaste demonstration!

So today I want you to really THINK before you speak – if you have the opportunity to say something that is true, that is helpful, that is inspiring, that is necessary, that is kind, you should take that opportunity. Because, although our words can cause damage, they can also make someone’s day immeasurably better and by choosing to say that truthful, helpful, inspiring, necessary and kind thing, we add to the sum of positives in our community, and make everyone that little bit better.

Our words make a difference. Let’s make a positive difference.

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
Help us to think about the words we say.
Help us to say sorry when we have said unkind words, or when we have spoken words that we later regret.
Help us to try our best to ‘Think first, speak second’.
Amen.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

Here we are in the last half term of this academic year. The sun is shining and we want everyone to enjoy the next 6 weeks – but to do that we need your help!  We need everyone to work together, to support each other and to encourage each other to be the best we can be!  Yesterday we talked about the importance of thinking before we speak – as we know that our words can cause problems, can hurt people and can interrupt learning.  To help us we discussed the acronym….

Today I have a question for you about weapons – something that we don’t usually talk about in school, as weapons are dangerous and hurtful tools. My question is…..‘What do you think is the world’s most dangerous weapon?’………

……I wonder what your answer is?  Would it be a gun, a sword, a bow and arrow, a nuclear weapon, a bomb or maybe a hand grenade.  What if I said that I think the world’s most dangerous weapon is actually right here in your classroom? What do you think it is?

Here are some clues….

– everyone has this weapon
– we can all choose when to use it
– we can clean this weapon
– this weapon helps us with speaking, reading, eating and tasting our food.

It is our tongue!  Our tongues can cause so much damage – especially as we all have one!  I want you to watch the following video about Morph and Chas, who featured in a 1980s BBC art show called Take Hart. Morph is made of terracotta clay and his best friend, Chas, is made of cream-coloured clay. They do not talk coherently, but you can guess how they’re feeling from their tone of voice and body language.

I want you to watch the video very carefully because I will be asking questions about it afterwards.

What did you notice about Morph and Chas?  – They are both friends, but Chas can’t help but tease Morph – and how does this make Morph feel?

How did you know that Chas was trying to wind up Morph at the start? (Answer: Chas was laughing and pointing at Morph)
– How did Morph respond? (Answer: Morph sounded cross and he shook his fist at Chas)
– How was Morph feeling when he first saw the lady and gave her the flowers? (Answer: embarrassed and shy)
– How can you tell that Morph was feeling this way? (Answer: he looked away from the lady and looked at the floor, his leg pointed away from her and he had trouble looking at her when he gave her the flowers)
– How does Morph react when Chas continues to wind him up? (Answer: Morph gives the flowers to the lady and then goes over to Chas and threatens to hit him. Morph ends up in the box with Chas and, although we can’t see them, they are probably fighting due to the sounds that we can hear and the way that the box is moving)
– Who was at fault: Morph or Chas? (Answer: they both were because Chas kicked things off by mocking Morph, but Morph made things worse by fighting with Chas)
– What should Morph and Chas have done? (Answer: Chas shouldn’t have wound up Morph; Morph should have ignored Chas and not started fighting with him in the box)

So why do you think that I believe the tongue is the most powerful weapon?

If we speak to people in an unkind, hurtful way, it is likely to cause an unkind, mean response, and things can escalate – it can lead to arguments and squabbles with our friends. Sometimes, things that we say can result in a friend behaving meanly or encourage a group of children to be mean to another child. Our words are powerful and make a difference…. so we need to THINK before we speak!

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
We know that words have power.
Please help us today to use our words carefully.
Help us to encourage each other and build each other up.
Please help us never to be unkind or hurt people with our words.
Amen.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

Yesterday we were reflecting on how important it is to show control over the words we use – and to ensure that we use words in a positive way to build people up rather than knock them down.

Today I want us to think about decisions and consequences – as every choice that we make has a consequence – and it is up to us to make the right choice so that we have a positive consequence.

I wonder how many decisions you have made today already?  Have a think and share….

…I think today, so far, I have made at least 10 decision – including what to eat for breakfast, what to wear today, what to say to my daughter when she comes downstairs in the morning, which car to drive to school in and What to do first when I get to school. I wonder how much thought and consideration I put into each decision – did I think about what I was going to say to my daughter?  I wonder what the consequences would have been if I had said the following?

“Have you tidied your room up yet – you’re going to be late?” – I think my daughter would have got grumpy and cross and it would have meant she had a bad start to the day!

I wonder what the consequence would be if I’d said “Morning Lovely – hope you slept well – have a lovely day!”….I think this would have made her smile and feel happy, and would then send her to work with a positive feeling.

Have a consider how you are going to speak to people today, or how you are going to react when your parent asks you to get up, or how you are going to behave when you get to school?

We are all ‘free’ human beings with the ability to choose and do what we want to do and what we actually do or don’t do affects others.

Our choices, thoughts and actions all have an impact on us, but they also affect the people around us. This happens the other way round too.

Someone’s decision not to invite us to their party may make us feel sad and worry that they don’t like us. However, that person’s decision may not have been a simple choice: perhaps they had to limit the number of friends at the party because their parents couldn’t afford to invite everybody.

So as you go through your day, try and think about your choices before you make them – try and think about what the consequence might be and see if this helps you to make the right choice.

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
Please help us to be wise.
Help us to realise that there are consequences to everything that we do.
Please help us to make good decisions that will work out best for ourselves and for other people.
Amen.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

Recently we have been thinking about how we need to be able to develop self control if we are going to endeavour to be the best person we can be!  We learnt yesterday that we ALL have power and control over 5 different aspects of day to day life – our attitudes, our actions, our words, our manners and our effort.  Today I want us to think about our words – and the responsibility that we have to show self control over the words we use.  Words can do damage – and words can hurt – words can also make a big difference – for good, and for bad!  Have a watch of this video from The Pace Trust and think about the words that you use each day – do you build people up or do you knock people down?

A question for everyone – do you always THINK before you speak?

Put your hand up if you sometimes speak without thinking – …….I’m expecting everyone (adults included!) to have put their hands up, because we all do at times – but we need to learn to THINK before we speak, as by not thinking we could be causing all sorts of problems!

So remember to ask yourself before you speak –

Am I being Truthful?

Are my words Helpful?

Are my words Important?

Is it Necessary to speak?

Am I being Kind?

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
We know that words have power.
Please help us today to use our words carefully.
Help us to encourage each other and build each other up.
Please help us never to be unkind or hurt people with our words.
Amen.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

Yesterday we reminded ourselves of the importance of self-control – especially if we want to be the best person we can be!  We also learnt how we all have control over our attitude, our words, our actions, our manners and our effort – and that ultimately it is up to us to make the right choice at the right time.  We also considered how sometimes our choices might affect other people – so being able to have self control is really important in order to be team-spirited.

This morning I want us to think about ants!  Ants are tiny insects, that can bite and make our skin tickle when they run over us.  If you were to observe ants, you would see that they always seem to be scurrying about – they don’t stop to rest.  That’s probably where the phrase “ants in your pants” comes from!  Have you ever been described as having ants in your pants – what do you think it means?….

…..yes, that you’re just like an ant, fidgety and restless and never still!

But not only are ants fidgety and restless, they are also amazing team players with great strength – which we could learn a lot from.  The Bible even tells us to learn from ants – in the Book of Proverbs verse 6, it says:”

Go to the ant, you sluggard;
Consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander, no overseer or ruler.
Yet it stores its provisions in summer
And gathers its food at harvest.

Have a watch of this video and think about the behaviour of the ants….what can we learn from them….

What did you think?  What good traits do ants teach us?   I think that…

Ants are very hardworking; (they are never lazy. As a result, ants never go hungry.)
Ants are strong. They can lift 20 times their own body weight. That’s like a seven-year-old picking up a car!
Ants are self-motivated. They don’t need a boss standing over them, telling them what to do. They don’t complain about how small they are and how big the task is.
Ants are good at planning and organising. They know that they must plan ahead. They are wise enough to know that there will be times and seasons when it will be difficult to go out looking for food or building ant cities, so they store up food and share it out when it is needed.
Ants are team-workers who work for the common good. Ants know that they can accomplish more by working together than by working alone.
Ants are persistent; they keep going. If an ant mound is knocked down, the ants will come together and rebuild it. They don’t give up.

So we can learn a lot from the little tiny ant – and today’s message is that we all need to be more like an ant – to show team spirit in all that we do, so that we can all achieve!  Here’s another video showing how we can be stronger when we work together – just like ants

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
Sometimes, life is full of happy things, but sometimes, life is difficult.
Thank you for our friends who share things with us and help us.
Thank you that wherever we are and whatever we are doing,
You are always there for us and you are always ready to listen.
Amen.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

Today I want to continue with our thinking about the importance of being able to make the right choices if we want to be the best person we can be.  Every day we will all make choices – it might be about which jumper to wear, or what to eat, or who to play with; we make choices all the time, and sometimes subconsciously!

In lessons it is important to make the right choice – to listen to the teachers, to follow the rules, to put your hands up (or not if we are Cold Calling!), to work hard.

Sometimes we can make the wrong choice – we might forget, or we might not have applied some self control, and other times it is because we are choosing to not do the right thing.  I wonder why anyone would choose to do the wrong thing?

Sometimes people make the wrong choice due to something called peer pressure – have a watch of this video from the Pace Trust and see what you think…

We all like to be liked – to be popular…but sometimes it is more important to do what is right.  We are all responsible for our own actions, and we should do our best to try and make sure we make the right choices.

Christians believe that God has given us guidelines to make the right choices, for example in this Bible verse from Romans 13:9 “Love your neighbour as you love yourself”. Christians also believe that God will help them not to give in to pressure to do what’s wrong, an example can be found in the Book of Corinthians 10:13 “The only temptations that you have are the temptations that all people have. But you can trust God. He will not let you be tempted more than you can stand. But when you are tempted, God will also give you a way to escape that temptation. Then you will be able to stand it.”

So as you go through your day have a think about the decisions that you make, and take a moment to reflect – is it the right choice?

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
Thank you that you are always there to help and guide us.
Please help us to make good choices.
Please help us to think about other people when we are making our decisions.
Please help us to care about others in everything we do.
Amen.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

This week we are continuing to think about how important it is to be bold and brave and give things a go – even if it is tricky and challenging – or even if we aren’t particularly enthused about something!  We know that if we want to be the best person that we can be, then we should always put 100% effort into everything that we do!

Have a watch of this short video called ‘Soar’ and see if you can work out what the challenges are (there is more than 1), and how they are overcome….

Did you spot the challenges?  The first one was that the little girl’s flying machine crashed, then the wind kept blowing her plans and then she got hit on the head by a bag!  She really wasn’t having a good day!   Then when the little man crash landed (which was a challenge in itself!), he had his own challenges – the bag was really heavy, his propellor had broken, all his friends were flying off and leaving him behind and then he had to deal with what he thought was a ‘giant’ and all he had was a pencil to defend himself!  He really wasn’t having a good day!

The challenges didn’t stop there though did they – when the 2 characters started working together to fix the flying machine, it crashed on the first 2 attempts!  No wonder they felt despondent and sad and felt like giving up!  But did they?….when the wind blew the plans back, they had another attempt, and finally they got success!

So I wonder what lesson you might take from this film?   For me, it is that no matter how hard or tough a time you are having, you need to work together and keep trying as that is the only way to succeed!

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
We thank you for all the opportunities you have given us.
Help us to make the most of our time at school to learn and enjoy all that we can.
Help us to encourage others to do their best, too.
May we grow through new experiences and find joy in whatever comes our way.
Amen.

Pippa has asked us to let you know that the deep fat fryer has been repaired and lunch tomorrow will be as planned – Fish and Chips.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

Over the past week we have been linking our school’s Bible verse “Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind” to our school mission statement “To be the best person we can be” – and we have been thinking about lots of ways that these 2 statements are interconnected.

Yesterday we asked ourselves whether we could be the best person we can be if we don’t face challenges and try new things. There were some interesting comments and thoughts from Chloe, Megan, Abigail and Max!  Today I want to think more about the importance of facing challenges and how this helps us learn – and we are going to find out all about The Learning Pit!  Don’t worry – it isn’t a scary pit – but it can be tough going in there!  As you watch the video have a think about whether you have ever been in the Learning Pit, and if so – what did it feel like….

So how many of you think that you’ve been in the Learning Pit at some point in your life?   I know that I definitely have – in fact I am at the moment as I go through my running challenge – I am learning how to breath effectively, pace myself and how to overcome any psychological barriers ( the ones where the thought of running 5km fills me with dread and doubt as it is going to take so long!).  Why don’t you take a moment and share some examples of when you have been in the Learning Pit…..

In the video, the narrator uses the following words to describe the attitudes needed to get across and out of the Learning Pit – “Persistence, Resilience and Recall” – do they ring any bells?  We often talk about the importance of persevering when things are difficult, (persistance is another word for persevering!) and we have the word “Resilience” in our learning behaviours as it is such an important skill – to be courageous and not give up.  Recall is using our memories to find and use important skills and knowledge that we already know to help us overcome new learning – and we can all do this!

As you go through the weeks ahead, remember that the only way to learn is to face a challenge and travel through “The Learning Pit” – because if we take the easy route, and don’t attempt new things, then we aren’t actually going to learn – and better ourselves!

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
Sometimes, we need to think ‘I can’
instead of saying say ‘I can’t’.
Sometimes we have to look at old problems in new ways.
Sometimes we must keep trying
when we feel like giving in.
Thank you for always understanding and having faith in us.
Help us to have more faith in ourselves, in others, and in you.
Through Jesus Christ
Amen.

Unfortunately, the deep fat fryer in the school kitchen has broken down today meaning that Pippa is unable to cook the children chips for lunch.  We are sorry that lunch will not be as previously advised.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

Over the coming weeks we are thinking about the Bible verse “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind” and how it links to our school mission statement which is “Brown Clee is a learning community that nurtures and empowers everyone to be the best we can be” – and we are learning the many different ways that we can demonstrate we are being the best version of us.

Today I want us to think about how important it is to be kind – to others and ourselves. Kindness is a massively important value – it can make a big difference to how people can feel – as can unkindness!  Have a watch of this short video and as you watch think about what kindness means to you…

Kindness does matter – hugely!  And kindness can come in many forms – we can be kind to other people, we can be kind to ourselves and we can be kind to the world around us.  Today I want us to think about the importance of being kind to others.

Every day we meet people – some we know, some we don’t know.  We meet people at school, in shops, on walks, at the park – everywhere!  Everytime we meet people we have the chance to be kind – sometimes just a smile or a hello can make a big difference – it can brighten someone’s day up!  I know each morning when I meet children arriving at school – your big, bright smiles make me smile and instantly feel uplifted – even if I am feeling tired or under pressure.  Imagine how I would feel if you all arrived looking grumpy and sad??

I wonder if you can think of a time when someone has been kind to you – has someone asked you to join in and play?  Has someone helped you with your school work?  Has someone just smiled at you or said something positive and encouraging?  How did this make you feel?

Now think about a time when someone has said something unkind or thoughtless – maybe someone said you couldn’t play with them, or someone has criticised your work in class, maybe someone has been distracting you and stopping you learning – all these things can happen, often without the person actually intending to be unkind.

We all have a responsibility when working in a team, to work together and be team-spirited – and one aspect of this is that we should be building each other up with kind words and encouragement, compassion and support – so as you go through today try to at least once say something kind to someone – and then try and do this at least once each day!  Kindness matters and by being kind to everyone it helps us to be the best person we can be!

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
Please help us to be kind to those around us.
Please help us to think about the needs of other people.
Please help us to seek to live in peace.
Amen.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

This week we have started to think about our school Bible verse “Love your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind” from the Book of Matthew in the New Testament.  Yesterday we reflected on what this might mean for us – and considered how it could mean we should be living our lives in the way that God has taught us – to be the best person that we can be.

We are going to start focusing on what ‘being the best person we can be’ might mean and how it might mean lots of different things.  Today I want us to think about why it is important to always put our best effort into everything that we do – whether we like what we are doing or not.

Watch this version of Aesop’s fable – the Hare and the Tortoise.  Who do you think finds running the easiest – tortoise or the hare? – as you watch have a think about who is putting effort in and trying their best…and who isn’t…..

Some people find some things easy to do, while others find them difficult.  In this story the Hare finds running very easy – he is naturally fast with long legs and small bodies – whilst Tortoise finds running much more difficult – he has a heavy shell to carry and very short legs.

It should have been really easy for Hare to win the race – but he just doesn’t put any effort in at all – and even stops for a rest!  He really doesn’t try his best – whilst Tortoise just keeps on going, he is determined to try his best – despite being slower and heavier, and as a result it is Tortoise that succeeds and wins the race.

As we go through our lives we are all going to find that we are better at somethings than others, and there are going to be other people who find somethings easier than we do.  It is also very easy when things get difficult to want to try to avoid them, to want to give up, perhaps not even bother, and pretend we don’t even care about them.   But if we take this attitude, we won’t do the best we can – we won’t achieve our potential, and we won’t be following God’s most important rule – about trying to be the best version of ourselves.

So as you go through this week, when you are asked to do something that you find challenging or difficult – it might be running, writing or maths, it might be finding a friend to play with at playtimes or doing jobs at home – try and be more like Tortoise and put all your effort into it – try your best – you might be surprised at the outcome!

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
Please be with us in times of weakness.
Give us the strength to overcome our difficulties.
Teach us to keep going when things are hard for us.
Help us not to take our gifts and talents for granted.

Help us, we pray,
To try our hardest every day.
Whatever we say, whatever we do
Please help us to let our light shine through.
Amen.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

I hope you enjoyed the long bank holiday weekend.  Having an extra day at the weekend is a real treat and hopefully means that we are all well rested for another busy week of learning!

Today I would like us to think a bit more about the Bible verse “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind”. This verse comes from the Book of Matthew in the New Testament:

Matthew also states that this is the most important commandment.  We have discussed commandments before – can you remember what they are?…..

Yes, they are the rules that God gave us to follow to live life, just as we have rules in school to ensure that we can work together safely and happily. So if the most important rule from God is to love Him with all our heart, soul and mind – how can we do this?  Have a think and discuss in your class.

I’m sure you have come up with many different answers – it is not a simple question with a simple answer – and we will all have different interpretations.

One of my interpretations (I think there are lots of ways that we can love God!) is that to love God, we should listen to him and follow his guidance – to live our lives following the Christian values we are taught in The Bible – to be respectful, compassionate, courageous, thankful, friendly, forgiving – in simple terms – to be the best person we can be!

It isn’t always easy – and we all make mistakes – and as we go through this week I would like us to think about how we can be the best person we can be – the very best version of us!  As you go through today – maybe take a moment every now and again and ask yourself – am I being the best I can be – am I trying hard, working together with everyone, being respectful….it isn’t always easy and takes time and effort.  Here are some examples to help you to reflect…

Are you listening to your teacher’s instructions carefully so you know what to do in lesson?

Are you being helpful to your classmates by not distracting them?

Are you being kind and helpful – could you have held a door open or said please more?

Are you putting the maximum effort into your learning; really trying your best?

Prayer of the Day

Dear God, 
Help us to see that rules are there to keep us safe and happy. 
Help us to love other people and to act in a way that shows care for them. 
Help us to follow the best ways and be near to us when we find it difficult. 
Guide us to live together in peace and harmony.. 
Please help us to work at growing the qualities of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 
Please show us and guide us so that we can be the very best version of us.
Amen.