LVS Ascot Junior School Pupils Spread Christmas Cheer In Local Community
17 Jan 2019
Pupils of all ages from LVS Ascot Infant & Junior School have been spreading Christmas cheer in the local community by involving senior citizens in their seasonal celebrations. On Monday 10th December, Year 5 and 6 pupils visited residents at Larkland House care home in Ascot, and on Wednesday 12th December Warfield Church’s Autumn Club were welcomed to the school to enjoy lunch and watch the school’s youngest pupils perform their nativity play.
The visit to Larkland House care home saw a group of pupils aged 10 and 11 perform a selection of carols and Christmas songs to elderly residents, and then sit with them and chat as well as presenting them with Christmas cards they had made at school. This special Christmas visit came at the end of a term in which the pupils have built up an affectionate relationship with residents at the home, visiting them every week as an optional part of their Infant & Junior School Diploma which allows them to show empathy and reflection and reach out to do good in the local community.
10-year-old Atia Hawthorne said: “I’m proud to have done this as it is nice to see that we are making them happy. It also makes me feel confident as I have done something new and we have just been going up to residents to start conversations and begin chatting”. Resident Michael, who received cards from a number of pupils, said: “The visits from the LVS Ascot pupils are so positive because they give you a feeling of being wanted. It is
rewarding all round to know that they want to learn from you and are interested in what you have to say”.
The LVS Ascot Infant & Junior School’s nativity play is one of the highlights of the school’s Christmas celebrations, and with pupils keen to share this with more than just their families, older members of Warfield Church were invited to enjoy the play. The Autumn Club, a group for the older congregation, were served lunch by pupils at the school before watching the nativity play put on by children from 4 to 6 years old in Reception class, Year 1 and Year 2. They enjoyed being warmly welcomed with a lunch provided by the school’s caterers Sodexo and hosted by older juniors, who chatted to them over lunch, and then were captivated by the infants who told the story of Christmas.
Parent Aimi Reilly, whose 4-year-old daughter Sienna was one of the angels, said: “The nativity was really fun to watch and they all showed so much confidence. Sienna has really developed since coming to the school in September and is now very confident and enjoying everything she does”.
Head of LVS Ascot Infant & Junior School Rachael Cox said: “Through our Infant & Junior School Diploma pupils are learning five sets of different skills including empathy and reflection, and self-confidence and collaboration. The visits to Larkland House are definitely helping them empathise with others and reflect on what they can do to help make other people’s lives happier. Performing the nativity to Warfield Church’s Autumn Club gave our youngest pupils the chance to demonstrate the self-confidence they have gained since joining LVS Ascot, and had pupils working together across three year groups”.