Hello 

How are you?  I hope you are enjoying doing the work as much as we are enjoying receiving it, we are truly impressed with the work that you have sent to us so far. 

Today is the last day that we are setting you a task and it is a very special one. We would like you to write your own prayer that we will put in our class prayer folder and, with your permission, our prayers will be shared with each other throughout the year.

We are a Christian school and Christians believe in God.  However, you might have a different belief to the Christian religion (or you might not believe in God at all) and, if so, you do not have to participate in this activity (as an alternative, you might wish to email your class teacher a paragraph or two about your own personal beliefs). 

Things to consider when writing your class prayer:

• Our world: what do you care about in our world?  Thank God for the good things that you care about and ask him to help change the things that upset you. (Examples: world leaders; water; animals; plants; people; homelessness; inequality; war).
• Our school: education is free in the United Kingdom but this is not the case in every country.  Some children never get the opportunity to learn how to read and write and this means that they find it hard to get a good job when they grow up and it is possible that they will not be treated with respect (our school sponsor two children where education is not free in their country, Yi Yi and Kudiatuka - you might want to mention them).  What, in school, would you like to thank God for and what might you like him to help you with?
• Our homes, our family and our friends: try not to mention people by name, but be more general, so that when we pray your prayer we can all feel that we are a part of it.

We have included a video of a child's prayer and a template that you might wish to use (there is also room to illustrate your prayer if you wish to). If you would prefer to use your own paper, please feel free to do so. Feel free to write your prayer using rhyme, repetition or free verse!

We are really looking forward to reading your prayers and sharing them with each other when we enter Year 4.

God bless.

Miss Smalley: bsmalley@bishop-ridley.bexley.sch.uk

Mrs Gorin: agorin@bishop-ridley.bexley.sch.uk