Supporting Scott Lane School This Christmas

Although we are not able to visit our friends at Scott Lane School in Kolkata this year, we are still committed to raising awareness and  money to support them.

Mrs Richardson will be selling her handmade fused glass at St Peter's Winter Market on Saturday, 29th November, and will be donating some of her profits to help fund the tiffin (school dinner) that the children receive. It would be great to see some of you there.

We will also be holding Christmas Jumper Day on Wednesday, 17th December. To take part, we are asking children to complete some pocket-money jobs at home and bring in a donation of £1 to wear their festive jumper. All money raised will go towards providing tiffin for the children at Scott Lane School.

Finally, our Kolkata Companions will lead a special collective worship on Monday, 15th December to remind the whole school about this important link with India.

New CRS Video: Life in Kolkata

The Cathedral Relief Service has just released a powerful new video showing the lives of three children who live in Kolkata. This year, we will be using the video with our pupils alongside the excellent supporting resources that CRS has produced. These materials will help the children understand more about life in Kolkata and the importance of the work CRS does.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtfIVYJ-UV4&t=752s

Thank you for your continued support in making a difference!

CRS Lent Resources

During my time in India this January, Anita Matthews and Alison Brown who organised the trip were busy writing a lent resource. The resource provides a reflection each week in Lent and focuses on an overarching theme of freedom such as; freedom and desire, freedom and relationships and freedom and generosity. There is also a reflection for Palm Sunday and Easter Day. If you would like free material to use during Lent it provides an opportunity for you to reflect on yourself but also the wider world and the work of CRS in Kolkata.

Mrs Richardson and I went to St Peter’s winter fair with a game to raise funds for a big children’s fun day and picnic on the last day of their trip.  The children from the slum schools get very excited when they are in a large field as they are not used to having space to run around in.

Look out for us at the school Christmas fair.  Come along and have a go at our game.

BREAKING NEWS!
 

Two members of staff will be travelling to Kolkata in January 2024 to visit Scott Lane School once again after being unable to travel for 4 years due to Covid and restrictions.

Mrs Hodgson and Mrs Richardson are preparing for the visit with 11 other teachers from Church of England schools across the Diocese.

They are attending regular meetings to plan the visit and are both really excited to be able to teach the children at St John’s about life in Kolkata.

Watch this space to follow the progress of the preparations.

In 2018 St. John's CE Primary School and Nursery and St. Peter's church in Belper, began working with the Cathedral Relief Service in Kolkata India. This link was made possible through the Diocese of Derby who facilitate and support many Derbyshire schools in making friends in Kolkata. 

The objectives for our international link is to -

• Help the communities of St. John's and St. Peter's find out about life in Kolkata.
• Help the children in Kolkata find out about life in Belper and St. John's School. 
• Develop teachers and teaching in Belper and Kolkata through the sharing of practice. 

The pages below show you how we have developed our friendships with Scott Lane School in Kolkata and helped children at St. John's learn about life for school children in Kolkata. 

Thanksgiving Service
Mrs Hodgson is in contact with Jayashree from Scott Lane and today, 14th October, received this photograph of the children and teachers singing in St Paul’s Cathedral.  It was the occasion of their Thanksgiving Service. It is lovely to recognise some of the children from our visits - they have grown so much!  They look so smart in their uniforms which are kept for special occasions.

Scott Lane in St John’s

The current display shows comparisons between our seasons and those in Kolkata.