RE Newsletter 
This half-term, the theme for our Religious Education Curriculum Branch is Dialogue and Encounter.
Reception
In this branch for Reception, children understand how to listen when others speak, develop attitudes of respect, and embrace similarities and differences. Children begin to understand what it means to be a good neighbour and speak about their experiences and understandings of religion and spirituality in a local context as part of the community they encounter each day. In learning about Jesus, children could begin to understand that Jesus lived in the past in a place called Nazareth in Palestine.
Year 1
‘For “In him we live and move and have our being”’ (Acts 17:28).
In this branch the starting point for dialogue in a Catholic school is understanding some things about the Catholic Church. For younger pupils, this begins with concrete experiences, meeting Christians from the local parish, including the parish priest where possible, and understanding what being a Christian means to them and how they live their lives. Where possible, pupils could also visit their local parish church to understand the building as a place where Catholics gather to celebrate their love of Christ in the church’s liturgies. Pupils begin learning about Judaism through understanding the Jewish belief in one God and that they have a sacred text, the Torah.
Year 2
In the dialogue dimension of this branch, pupils will begin by studying the parable of the Good Samaritan which Jesus told in answer to the question, ‘Who is my neighbour?’. Jesus concludes the parable by saying: “Go and do likewise” (Lk 10:37). In other words, he challenges us to put aside all differences and, in the face of suffering, to draw near to others with no questions asked’. Pupils will think about what this means in the community where they live and look at how Christians work together to support their local community, for example, food bank initiatives or care for refugees. In the encounter part of this branch, pupils will learn more about Judaism as part of the religious education curriculum.
Suggested Home Learning Ideas to support Religious Education
Nursery:
Week 5 - Share a special family tradition, prayer, or celebration that is important to your family.
Reception:
Week 5 - Talk to your family about faith.
Year 1:
Week 5 - What is a mezuzah? Find out together.
Year 2:
Week 5 - Think about what you and your family could do to help one of the charities from your poster last week.
