May: Praying with Mary

May is the month of Mary and we took the opportunity to learn to pray the rosary. To make this form of meditative prayer accessible for our little ones in Grade 1, we prayed one decade each day for five days.

To prepare for our Decade-a-Day prayer journey, we made single-decade rosaries. The decade of 10 beads can be moved around as each prayer is shared.

To connect our daily decade to the full rosary, we coloured in the 10 beads we prayed each day. 

Learning the Hail Mary prayer has been central to our exploration of the rosary. A "puzzle-piece" prayer came home. Consider praying this prayer as a family. 

Today we took part in a walking rosary. We were able to pray a full rosary ... outside! For each of the 5 decades, we walked to a new location! We prayed in the forest, near the playground, on the soccer field, and more! It was a beautiful, meaningful way to finish off the month of May. 

If you are interested in learning more about how to pray the rosary, this How to Pray the Rosary infographic is spectacular as well as the free app Laudate. 

Honoring Mary: Praying the Living Rosary

Throughout May, we not only honour our mothers, but take some extra special time to honor our Holy Mother, Mary. She said YES to God when she was faced with a challenging situation, and because of her willingness to trust in God's plan, she became the most Blessed Mother of Jesus Christ. 

Today we gathered as a school community to pray the rosary together. Our school is so blessed to have a beautifully painted giant rosary that we call our "living rosary". It stretches around the gym! 

Here is the gym set up prior to the celebration

This special rosary allows us to physically pick up the beads as we pray each prayer. Our class was responsible for the first decade. We led the school in the Hail Mary prayer 10 times. 

Because I was leading this celebration, along with Mrs. Haston and Mrs. Lemire, I was unable to take photos of our class. Sorry!

We have learned that prayer can happen anywhere, even on the bus or while we ride our bikes! Songs can also be a form of prayer, as well as the quiet time that we share with God. Turns out there are very few rules about praying and how we talk to God!

Please consider praying the Hail Mary with your family throughout the month of May. 

Living Rosary

We have been learning that there are many ways to pray. Prayer can be recited, such as when we say grace before a meal or gather for mass. Prayers can be sung. We have learned the sung version of the Our Father as well as many faith-based songs, and love joining Ms. Barnes when she accompanies us on the piano. Prayer can also be spontaneous and take place anywhere, even when we ride our bikes!

May is the month of Mary, so this afternoon we took time to honor Mary's selfless contribution to our faith by praying the rosary. Mary said "YES" to God, trusting in His plan for her and bringing the world the priceless gift of her son Jesus. 

We gathered as a school community around a large wooden rosary that spanned the gym. Students and staff took turns leading the different decades and prayers by standing and holding the large rosary beads. Each student in our school was also given a rosary, generously donated by one of the families in our class.  As the prayers were recited, students moved their fingers along their own rosary from bead to bead. 

Here is the large rosary we used today.
As I was organizing and leading  the afternoon with the other Primary Teachers, I was unfortunately unable to get any pictures of the children at the celebration. 

Joining our school community in prayer today were several parents and siblings, as well as one of our school trustees, Mr. Jean Boisvert. Thank you to all who made time in their busy day to join us in prayer and reflection. 

The behaviour of the students from Kindergarten through to Grade 9 was very prayerful and respectful. Many compliments were given after this special assembly recognizing the positive choices and participation of all students. 

Please find a blessed rosary as well as a prayer card in your child's Kanga Pouch. Consider praying the Hail Mary as a family throughout May.