As part of the Judaism module, Year 8 have been studying Anti-Semitism. As an example of Anti-Semitism, we have spent three lessons looking at the suffering of the Jews during the Holocaust. We used the Windermere Children as a case study. As a focus, we explored how Jews became ashamed of their religion as a result of their experiences. The year 8s were given the project of creating a Holocaust Memorial for Jewish people. They had to use their knowledge of the Jewish religion, combined with their knowledge of the Holocaust, to make a suitable memorial which would help them feel proud of their religion.
Their teachers were blown away with the careful thought and design which were put into their creations. We have some very talented, aspiring architects! We were so impressed with the memorials that we wanted everybody to have a chance to see the display of incredible work.
In Year 7 RE, students explore the theme of ‘where do we belong?’ The first topic focused on what it means to belong to a religion. As part of this topic, students have learnt about core features that can be found in most religions from God/Gods, rules and leaders to common ways of worshiping. After exploring their own sacred items, students focused on how we can promote respect for all religions. The Year 7s were then given the homework task of creating their own unique symbol which promotes respect and acceptance of all religions. Take a look at some of the brilliant symbols they created…
Year 9 have been completing a topic exploring where Christians can find guidance on the afterlife and how this influences them today. The afterlife is what motivates Christians to live a good life. Different Christians have slightly different viewpoints on what the afterlife will be like. They use scripture to guide their views but people can interpret scripture in slightly different ways. As part of the RE Enrichment offer, Year 9 have completed a spirited arts project exploring the afterlife. Their task was to create a piece of artwork to represent what they think the afterlife is like according to the Bible. We again had lots of brilliant homework entries for this:
In Year 7 RE, students explore the theme of “Where do we Belong?” The first topic focuses on what it means to belong to a religion. As part of this topic, students have learnt about core features that can be found in most religions from God/gods, rules and leaders to common ways of worshiping. After exploring prayer and meditation, students focused on prayer flags used by Buddhists. Prayer flags are used to promote peace, compassion, strength and wisdom. Buddhist’s don’t believe in God so their prayers are not addressed to God but to the universe. Buddhists believe the prayers will be blown by the wind to spread good will, peace and compassion. The Year 7s were then given the homework task of creating their own prayer flag on which they could either write a prayer or a guided meditation. Take a look here at some of the brilliant prayer flags they created:
One of the most wonderful things about learning RE is all the interesting careers the subject can lead to. Here at Penwortham Girls’, we think it’s crucial that students experience first-hand how their knowledge and skills are useful for real life careers.
This term, Year 7 have enjoyed stepping into the shoes of book illustrators to demonstrate the story of the Prophet Muhammad’s life, without using images of God or Prophet Muhammad. In the first lesson of the topic, ‘What Unites Muslims?’ students discussed what is needed for a religion to begin and why Muslims believe that it is disrespectful to picture Allah or Prophet Muhammad. Students followed the school’s core value of ‘Dignity’, by not picturing Allah or Prophet Muhammad in their drawings. Picturing Allah or Prophet Muhammad is known as shirk, which is a sin in Islam. The most important belief in Islam is the belief in one God (tawhid), therefore, Muslims do not associate any pictures with God or Muhammad.
Using a storyboard, students read the story of Prophet Muhammad’s life and created drawings to illustrate His life. The teachers were blown away with their creative drawing skills and it is clear that we have some budding book illustrators in Year 7. They should be very proud of their work. Here are some amazing examples:
In Year 9 RE, we have recently begun the fascinating topic of Crime and Punishment. The students have discussed potential causes of crime, including religion. The girls completed a research project exploring different religious people who have broken the law. They evaluated the link between their crime and their religion to consider what extent religion can actually cause a crime. There were lots of really interesting projects to read. In particular, some explored religious people who were inspired by their religious teachings of equality and the religious practice of ‘treating others how you wish to be treated’ to break laws in order to gain equality for others. Well done, Year 9 on the great research. Here are some examples:
Alongside teaching substantive knowledge, we think it is crucial that we enhance student’s personal development by informing them about caREer choices that link to RE.
One of the highlights of this term in RE, has been the Year 7 Trinity artwork project. Every student had to design a piece of artwork to demonstrate their understanding of the Trinity.
The Trinity is the Christian concept of one God in three forms/roles. This is such a tricky concept to grasp and throughout history, people have used various analogies and symbolism to gain further insight into what it means for Christians. Many artists have tried to demonstrate this through their artwork like our year 7s. We were so proud of the effort and the artwork produced!
So many students achieved Head’s Commendations for their Trinity artwork. There were beautiful canvas designs, t-shirts and even a design made in the sea! Here is a collection of the Trinity artwork from our budding artists:
On 23rd February, Year 10 visited the Masjid E Saliheen Preston Muslim Cultural Centre as part of their drop-down day. Students walked to the Mosque where they were greeted by the Imam. Year 10 were shown around the Mosque and given a demonstration on how to perform ablution (ritual washing before prayer). Students then listened to multiple talks by men and women from the Mosque on topics including prayer and Ramadan.
Once students returned to school, they spent the rest of the morning making a mini Mosque model and annotated the Mosque with information they had learnt whilst at the Mosque.
“I really enjoyed learning about the features of the Mosque, such as the Minaret. This helped me complete my mini Mosque model. I also enjoyed looking at the architecture and repeated patterns in the Mosque such as on the carpet.”
“The Mosque trip was really interesting and cool. It felt really calm and like you could feel God with you. I liked the glass, marble stairs, rugs and white walls with Arabic quotes written on them. We all wore headscarves and were shown how Muslims wash before prayer. We watched the Imam pray and we learnt about Ramadan. A fun fact I learnt is that the Quran is read from right to left rather than left to right.”
So far this year, the Soroptimists have been very active in fund raising. Each year, the Soroptimists fund the Education of Fisokuhle, a 14 year old girl from Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). Sadly, Fisokuhle’s parents are unable to care for her and so a family has adopted her but they cannot afford her education. Fisokuhle is a brilliant student and is always at the top of her class. She needs our help to fulfil her dream of becoming a doctor or a pilot. Here is some of the things the Soroptimists have done so far:
Christmas Markets:
In December, the Soroptimists contributed to the Penwortham Christmas Markets. The tombola stall was organised and run by the Student Leadership Team along with Miss Buckle. The stall was a huge success and it was lovely to see parents, students and former students visit us. We raised £215 to help fund the education of Fisokuhle. Thank you again for all your kind donations towards the tombola stall.
Christmas Music Video:
Throughout December, the staff at PGHS were busy filming a Christmas music video. The song of choice was ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday’ by Wizzard. Plenty of staff got involved, including the Science department, the Maths department, the English department and many more. Mrs Hall and Mrs Pomeroy also feature in the video.
Once the music video was completed, it was shown in assembly and to forms on the last day of term. Although the singing was impressive, the 3-minute section of bloopers was definitely the best part! Students were asked to bring in a donation of 50p to contribute to the Soroptimists. Thank you to all staff involved!
Upcoming events:
Bake sale: Our next fundraising event will be a bake sale on the 7th February for St. Catherine’s Hospice.
Easter Egg Hunt: The Soroptimists are currently planning the annual Easter Egg Hunt that will take place next half term. It was a great success last year, so we are looking forward to doing the the hunt again. Here are the prizes that were won last year:
