St Greg’s is a Voluntary Aided school and we understand worship to be a special act or occasion whose purpose is to show reverence to God. Collective worship involves members of the school coming together and participating in an assembly. We expect everyone to take an active part in collective worship.
We feel it is important to gather as a whole school community to reflect, think and pray. It is a time when we think about our school values;
LOVE, FAITH, HOPE
Mrs Cook-Paine is our collective worship leader and she liaises closely with Rev Gaenor and our Young Worship Ambassadors to plan and evaluate our collective worship. We are extremely proud of our team and all that they bring to the school.
In line with our Trust Deed, which states that collective worship should be ‘wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character’, we normally base our collective worship on the teachings of Christ and traditions of the Christian Church. However, we conduct our collective worship in a manner that is sensitive to the individual faith and beliefs of all members of the school.
The aims and purpose of collective worship are:
- To provide an opportunity to worship God;
- To celebrate each unique individual made in the image of God;
- To contribute to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the children;
- To enable children to explore their own beliefs;
- To encourage participation and response;
- To develop a sense of community spirit;
- To promote a common ethos with shared values and to reinforce positive attitudes;
- To provide time for stillness, quiet reflection and prayer;
- To celebrate achievements;
- To teach children the purpose and nature of worship and provide a foundation for the future.
Christmas Nativity
The highlight of every Autumn term is of course Christmas. Nothing says Christmas at school quite like the Nativity.
This Christmas the school performed at St Gregory’s Church to a packed crowd of proud family and friends.
Everyone had a lovely warming drink and a big smile on their face as we celebrated as a whole school the wonder of the arrival of the baby Jesus.
Community Links
Our links with the community are strong and the pandemic has highlighted the need to keep the bonds between school and the village as strong as possible.
With Rev Gaenor’s help the letters (left) have been distributed to those in the village who have been isolating during this difficult time. Our school Christian values of helping the needy and following Jesus’ example are valuable lessons for the children.
Meet our Young Worship Ambassadors:
Amy, Harriette, Lily, Rosie, Jessica & Parker
Value Certificates
Our school values of Love, Faith & Hope underpin all that we do at St Greg’s. Each term we focus on one of these values and reward a pupil from each class who has displayed in their behaviour and actions the selected value. For this Autumn term our chosen value is Love.
Congratulations to each of our certificate recipients, we are very proud of you.
11.09.23
18.09.23
02.10.23
20.10.23
03.11.23
17.11.23
24.11.23
Acts of kindness
Year 1 & 2 children are exploring acts of kindness in there latest enquiry. Thanks to Carole, founder of the wonderful Vale Pantry for joining us and bringing in some splendid basket of knitted fruit and vegetables from her volunteers in Sturminster. Happily we could give something in return as our food donations are now finding their way to those in need.
Carole spoke to the class about healthy living and the important work the Vale Pantry do for our local community.
Harvest festival
Dating way back in British history Harvest Festival celebrates the time of year usually September when crops have been gathered from the field and people can reflect and show gratitude for the food that they have. In bygone days the harvest was crucial to surviving the colder winter months.
Each year at St Greg’s we learn of the history and importance of harvest time, and collect food for those in need in our local community. Our celebration o0f harvest culminates in a special service at St Gregory’s Church where we all gather and give food that thanks to the Church and other organisations such as the Vale Pantry in Sturminster Newton help those in need.