J.A.M (Jesus and Me

JUNIOR SCHOOL J.A.M. (Jesus and Me)

Our J.A.M. lessons in the Year 0 to Year 4 classes are about nurturing the spirit of each girl. These lessons help to form a code of living whereby the girls may thrive in body, mind, heart and spirit as they grow in their personal relationship with God. Our lessons are about reflection, experience, exploration and inviting questions that encourage personal search which we believe is more valuable than simply supplying answers. J.A.M. lessons always focus upon each girl’s personal journey; they help to uphold the belief that to live in a ‘By Love Serve’ way honours God’s message of ‘Love For All’. The light of God has been a main focus in our J.A.M. lessons during this very different year, both at school and during our lockdown Zoom lessons. When we are nurtured by the security of love in our lives, we all feel that comforting sense of wellbeing, belonging and safety. Using YouTube, the girls have loved joining other children from around the world to sing songs that endorse God’s light of joy, hope, peace and love. This has enhanced a feeling of unity and emphasised to us that we are one family, belonging together and bound by the gift of God’s love for all. During J.A.M. lessons a candle is lit to begin and conclude our time together. When asked recently why we light this candle, some of our youngest girls reflected: “We light a candle in J.A.M. because Jesus is like a light” – Nadia, 0ABR “When we light our candle we remember Jesus who means light and love” – Adele, 0ABR

“The candle reminds us that God loves us” – Milly, 0ING In our lessons together, bridges are built, connections made, and time is always allocated for both conversation and reflection; this is vital. Making connections that are relevant to the girls’ lives is paramount, as well as understanding the pluralistic nature of our society and upholding respect for others’ faith beliefs. We often reflect upon the idea that our lives may be like a tapestry that we weave. One of the girls stated that perhaps the purpose of her life could be in constructing a beautiful tapestry while helping others to construct theirs. While we have fun learning about God in J.A.M., it is wonderful how such a notion may be woven into our souls. —Mrs Sue Porter

During 2020, the girls have learnt to appreciate the value of ‘the story’. We can begin to understand so much from the Bible, other inspirational books and other people’s stories. Australian Chaplain, Rev. Peter Burnham, once stated, “As teachers we are caretakers of young people’s stories.” Through our J.A.M. lessons, the girls are encouraged to find their own story and to live it well. They are urged to discover how their story may impact not only their lives, but also the lives of people around them both nearby, and far away. Together, we share many stories, such as the New Testament story of Zacchaeus, the Parable of ‘The Pearl’, as well as the story of Jonah, the Old Testament prophet, and how he reminds us of God’s love, acceptance and forgiveness. ‘Daniel in the Lions’ Den’ was a focus and we discussed how, as God looked after him, He had His hand upon us during our time in lockdown.

We have read wonderful books such as, ‘God in Between’ by Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso,‘ I Am’ by Dr Wayne Dyer, ‘The Giving Tree’ by Shel Silverstein, ‘I Am Special’ by Max Lucado, ‘The White Pony’ by Sandra Byrd and ‘Great Joy’ by Kate Di Camillo.