Welcome – Whole School

Welcome back everyone! We hope you had a lovely summer break and are rested up and ready to get back into the swing of things at The Becket School!

We give a particularly big welcome to our new year 7 students and those students that are new in sixth form: Hello!

The word of the week is “Welcome”… We are all called to welcome others into our communities, to open our doors and bring people in – particularly those on the margins and those who feel left out. Being welcoming helps those new to our community to feel loved, supported and included.
We are all one body in Christ, everyone is welcome, and God made everyone with a part to play.

This passage reminds us that welcoming and helping others, especially those in need, is like welcoming and helping Jesus Himself. It calls us to see Christ in every person we meet and to act with love and compassion.

You might have heard about some disturbances happening in the UK recently. These are called “riots.” Riots occur when a large group of people come together to protest, often because they are unhappy about something. Sometimes, these protests can turn violent, with people damaging property or clashing with the police.

The riots during the summer in the UK happened because people were upset about various issues, such as social inequality, lack of opportunities, and feelings of injustice. Some people believe that they are not being treated fairly by the government or society, and they are using these protests to voice their frustrations and demand change.

However, it is also important to point out that racism and islamophobia has been demonstrated by some. Whilst people have the right to protest and express their opinions, it’s crucial that this is done peacefully and respectfully. Violence, destruction, racism and islamophobia hurt innocent people and communities, making it harder to find solutions to the problems that sparked the protests and riots in the first place.

What Can We Do?

As secondary school students, you have the power to make a difference. Here are some ways you can help combat racism:

1. Educate Yourself – Learn about different cultures and the history of racism. Understanding the past can help you see why change is needed today.

2. Speak Up – If you see someone being treated unfairly because of their race, speak up. Your voice can help stop discrimination.

3. Show Empathy – Try to understand how others feel. Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes can help you see the world from their perspective.

4. Promote Inclusivity – Encourage a welcoming environment at school and in your community where everyone feels valued and respected. Get involved with the respect and diversity mission team that you will hear more about in the coming weeks!

By taking these steps, you can help create a more inclusive and fair society where everyone, regardless of their race, is welcome and treated with dignity and respect.

Hand out your new set of prayer journals. Neatly write your name and form on the front cover and begin with a moment of silence, inviting the Holy Spirit to be present in this time of reflection.

If you have time, read the passage from Matthew 25:35-40 again, reflecting on its meaning. Consider how welcoming others is a way that we can serve Jesus.

.Journaling – we invite you to think about the following questions and write your thoughts…

• When was the last time I welcomed someone new into my life? How did it feel?

• Have I ever felt unwelcome? How did that experience impact me?

• What are some ways I can be more welcoming to others in my daily life?

• How can I see Jesus in the people I meet, especially those who are different from me?
  

Commitment to Action: Think of one concrete action that you are going to take this week to be more welcoming. This could be something simple like smiling at someone new, inviting a peer to join in a group activity, or offering help to someone in need. Spend a moment to write your commitment in your prayer journal…

“One way in which I can be more welcoming this week is by…”

Let us pray…

Loving God,
As we gather together at the beginning of this school year, we ask for Your blessing. Help us to welcome each other with open hearts and minds. May we embrace new beginnings with courage and kindness, supporting one another as we grow in faith and knowledge. Guide us in our studies and friendships, so that we may reflect Your love in all we do.

Amen.

We remember that God is with us throughout our day as we make the Sign of the Cross…In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Form tutor – once your form have completed their bunting. Please aske students to cut neatly around their symbol and then please assign a couple of reliable students to thread the bunting through the string. Finally, choose a pride of place in your form room for your bunting to be displayed!

Form tutor – once your form have completed their bunting. Please aske students to cut neatly around their symbol and then please assign a couple of reliable students to thread the bunting through the string. Finally, choose a pride of place in your form room for your bunting to be displayed!

Form tutor – once your form have completed their bunting. Please aske students to cut neatly around their symbol and then please assign a couple of reliable students to thread the bunting through the string. Finally, choose a pride of place in your form room for your bunting to be displayed!

Form tutor – once your form have completed their bunting. Please aske students to cut neatly around their symbol and then please assign a couple of reliable students to thread the bunting through the string. Finally, choose a pride of place in your form room for your bunting to be displayed!

Form tutor – once your form have completed their bunting. Please aske students to cut neatly around their symbol and then please assign a couple of reliable students to thread the bunting through the string. Finally, choose a pride of place in your form room for your bunting to be displayed!

Form tutor – once your form have completed their bunting. Please aske students to cut neatly around their symbol and then please assign a couple of reliable students to thread the bunting through the string. Finally, choose a pride of place in your form room for your bunting to be displayed!

Whether you are new to the Becket School community this year or not, we have some news and projects to share with you about the work of the Chaplaincy Team that you will be hearing lots more about and participating in this academic year.

At the Becket school we are so lucky to have such a passionate and active Chaplaincy Team with over 100 student members across the year groups! Our student Chaplaincy team support, motivate and inspire us to live out our school mission statement and respond to our call to help those in need.

With so many members and so many ideas and initiatives, students decided that we would launch smaller mission teams within our large Chaplaincy Team so that teams could really focus on particular projects and causes.

At the end of last year, the Chaplaincy team met and created names, missions, weekly tasks and a big project for each of our six mission teams.

You will hear lots more about these teams and projects this year, but today we would like to give you a taste of what our mission teams are all about, projects that will be coming up for the whole school to be involved in, and give you the opportunity to apply to become a member of the Chaplaincy Team…

The mission team mission statements and projects have been written and decided by your fellow students so we hope they spark your interest too and inspire you to get involved this year.

Are you interested in joining the team?

Year 7

If you are in year 7 and would like to apply to become a member of the Chaplaincy Team, you can take a Chaplaincy application form from your form tutor today (and/or you can collect a form from the chapel at break or lunchtime). You can complete this form at break or lunchtime, or you can take it home to complete over the weekend and hand it back into Ruth or Mrs Conlon next week so that you can join us for our first meetings!

Year 8- 13

If you are in year 8-13 and would like to join the team, you can collect a sign up sheet from the chapel letter box (just outside the chapel door) at break or lunchtime today.

If you’re not sure if you are in the team or can’t remember which mission team you are working on first, you can also check that in the chapel with Ruth at break or lunchtime!

Mission team meetings will start from Monday 9th September. Ruth and Mrs Conlon will send out emails to form tutors and put on the notices when and where the teams are meeting so keep your eyes and ears open!