Friday 24th April
Happy Friday! Did you clap for the NHS yesterday evening? I did, and I am now starting to recognise more of my neighbours (I don’t often see them as I am in school) - a positive to come out of these difficult circumstances.
On April 16th Dudley Local Authority sent us a list of the children who will be joining our reception classes in September, some children will transfer from nursery and others will be brand new to the school. I am sure you will all join me in saying a huge big Olive Hill WELCOME! We have told them about our website (which Mr Patel keeps updated every day - thank you Mr P) and I am hoping that they will be reading this blog, doing some of our online learning and emailing us.
There are many different reasons that people select our school for their child’s education, this can include distance from home and having siblings in the same school. Why do think people should want to come to our school? Another reason that was given this year was because of our diversity. How awesome is that! The diversity of our school is definitely something that we celebrate. We have adults and children from all different backgrounds learning together and achieving success every day.
Just yesterday, we looked at St George’s Day - which is a celebration of all things English. A couple of weeks ago, we spoke about the Christian festival of Easter. Well this week sees the start of Ramadan.
Every year, Muslims around the world celebrate the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and traditionally begins with the sighting of the crescent moon. Because of this, the date varies every year - depending on the lunar cycle.
The month is a time for reflection, fasting and to be with family and friends. This year people will have to find different ways of being with their family and friends, as it is important that we all adhere to social distancing rules. During Ramadan, Muslims usually attend mosques for prayers every day, but this year they have been moved online.
Fasting (when you don’t eat or drink) during Ramadan - which is one of the five pillars of Islam - takes place from sunrise to sunset. Suhar is meal consumed early in the morning before the fajr prayer. Once Suhur has been eaten, individuals fast for the whole day and then break it with Iftar.
Ramadan in the UK is predicted to end at sundown on May 23rd. Muslims would usually then celebrate with massive party involving family and friends called the feast of Eid-ul-Fitr. The celebration is marked with lights, decorations and gifts, with worshippers often dressing up and decorating their homes. Sadly, if lockdown is still in place by then, these parties will have to be in households only, or will need to take place online through video chats.
Mrs Aziz has been very proactive in teaching me all about Ramadan. This is what she had to say:
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim year. The beginning of Ramadan is determined by sighting the first crescent of the new moon. During Ramadan we fast, this means skipping lunch. We eat breakfast before sunrise and don’t eat or drink anything until sunset. We do this as an important part our religion, as it is one of the five pillars. During this time we also focus on giving charity and supporting those in our community who are in need. We believe every little act is important, a kind smile or word is also considered as charity. We also spend time with family and cook delicious meals for each other. Sometimes we are invited to friends and families houses so we can open our fasts together. However, this year we won’t be able to do this. Ramadan lasts for 29-30 days and at the end we have a big celebration called Eid-ul-fitr.
Best of luck to all of you who are going to attempt to fast this year. We will miss our fasting club. Ramadan Mubarak is a term we use to welcome Ramadan - it translate to ‘happy Ramadan’ or ‘blessed Ramadan’.
Have a lovely weekend all.
Stay safe.