The Sunday Archive: St Martin's Cloak - Covering the Whole Parish - April/May 2006 - Part 1
I am writing this editorial in late March and it is absolutely freezing outside. The weather people tell us it is the coldest March in 20 years - well, you don't get an argument from me!
For all I know you are now reading this in early April, basking in warm sunshine. It just goes to show that you cannot possibly predict the future.
That was true of the first Easter too. None of the disciples of Jesus, who nearly all ran away in fear for their own lives as he was being executed, could have possibly realised what was going to happen next (despite Jesus telling them often enough!). They simply could not have envisaged a resurrection, let alone a faith that would span the world in the next 2000 years!
Easter celebrates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the fact that our future is secure with him.
Talking of futures, who would have predicted ten years ago that a magnificent Community Centre would be nearing completion on the corner of Rue Maze and Grande Rue? We wait with bated breath to see it in use. Having had a tour of the building, I can predict that it will be a great asset to the community. It really has so much to offer.
If you are an organisation that is part of St. Martin's Community, why not get in touch with us and tell us about yourselves. If you have an article or event you would like published, please contact the Editor. After all, St. Martin's Cloak is a magazine by the community for the community.
Ed
Going Green!
Sometimes it’s good to have a break from routine and do something a bit different. We decided to go green and swop the blue and gold school uniform for various shades of green for a day. This all came about through a real wish to make St Martin's School a more environmentally friendly place.
Every month the school creates enough rubbish to fill a large skip and this adds significantly to the Island's waste disposal problems.
When a 'Green day' was suggested to launch a recycling drive, the children were full of ideas for what we could do to reduce our waste and become a greener school.
Year 4 visited the land fill site at Mont Cuet and the recycling depot at Bulwer Avenue. They came back full of horror stories about the mountains of smelly rubbish we produce and a real understanding of Guernsey's waste disposal problem.
Miss Bougourd's class put on a wonderful assembly to educate the whole school about recycling (with a guest appearance from the Wombles). The children's School Council organised recycling bins for each class and a cake sale to raise funds for a school composter. We are now looking for other things we can collect to recycle to add to our current list:
Sometimes it’s good to have a break from routine and do something a bit different. We decided to go green and swop the blue and gold school uniform for various shades of green for a day. This all came about through a real wish to make St Martin's School a more environmentally friendly place.
Every month the school creates enough rubbish to fill a large skip and this adds significantly to the Island's waste disposal problems.
When a 'Green day' was suggested to launch a recycling drive, the children were full of ideas for what we could do to reduce our waste and become a greener school.
Year 4 visited the land fill site at Mont Cuet and the recycling depot at Bulwer Avenue. They came back full of horror stories about the mountains of smelly rubbish we produce and a real understanding of Guernsey's waste disposal problem.
Miss Bougourd's class put on a wonderful assembly to educate the whole school about recycling (with a guest appearance from the Wombles). The children's School Council organised recycling bins for each class and a cake sale to raise funds for a school composter. We are now looking for other things we can collect to recycle to add to our current list:
- Stamps and postcards for the Leprosy mission's fund raising
- Computer ink cartridges - sold to a company to be refilled
- Waste paper for Mayside recycling Milk cartons as paint pots in the Infants Recycled materials for 3D art work
- Old 'Wave' telephone books collected to raise funds for the school
- Old/ broken mobile phones for funds for school and charities.
Any other ideas would be gratefully received!
We are also on an energy saving drive as the children and staff try to reduce our burden on the environment by remembering- to turn off unwanted lights, close doors, and turn off taps, to name but a few of the many ideas.
Learning about environmental issues and recycling has been part of the curriculum for many years, but not an integral part of school practice. Direct experience will hopefully turn our future decision makers into environmentally aware parishioners.
We are also on an energy saving drive as the children and staff try to reduce our burden on the environment by remembering- to turn off unwanted lights, close doors, and turn off taps, to name but a few of the many ideas.
Learning about environmental issues and recycling has been part of the curriculum for many years, but not an integral part of school practice. Direct experience will hopefully turn our future decision makers into environmentally aware parishioners.
Community Centre Update
The internal roadway and parking area is now complete with tarmac all over, giving a clean and reliable surface for walking or driving. Between the pedestrian entrance from the Rue Maze and the road are 4 curved recesses for flower planting and just below each window will be a flower container with automatic irrigation to enhance the appearance and add to the display of floral St Martin's.
Inside the building decoration is proceeding, acoustic tiles are now overhead in the Hall ceiling, the moveable partition dividing the Hall when required is in place. This partition can be tucked away into a recess when not needed. Stainless steel is covering the wall in the cooking area of the kitchen which serves through to the Hall and also to one of the Meeting rooms.
A centre manager will be appointed in due course, whose job will include taking bookings, preparing the premises for hiring, liaising with clients and so on. The manager will also work closely with the hall management committee - a small group of people from the community, appointed by the Trustees to oversee the management of the premises.
The Promise Auction which took place at the Villette Hotel was a great success raising £3,812, thanks to lively bidding for a remarkable range of goods and services
As we get nearer to the completion date of the Centre the need to order furnishings gets more critical.
To prepare the Hall for events, wedding receptions, concerts, or lectures requires 25 light folding leg tables @ £150 each and 150 upholstered chairs, 20 of which have already been sponsored @ £40 each.
If lots of people would sponsor just a single chair it would be marvellous and the sponsor's name would be recorded on the chair unless not wished. Not only does this help with the finances but it gives a feeling of involvement with a project that is for the benefit of all. Please contact Henry Goodeve Kudoya, Jerbourg Road, St Martin's (38506) who will be delighted to hear from you.
Henry Goodeve
From the Rector
Technology is a wonderful things until it goes wrong. My computer printer malfunctioned the other day -the paper kept getting stuck; tearing, creasing and jamming inside the machine.
After dozens of bits of wasted paper and several quiet (and not so quiet) curses, I gave up and was about to call the repair man, when I thought: "I'll just read the maker's instructions" (I really was desperate!). There I found I was loading thicker card into the machine incorrectly. It was all my own fault!
For best results, follow the maker's instructions. That is true for so much in life and even life itself. When God made humanity he wanted us to live our lives with reference to him; to follow the maker's instructions, so that we would reach our potential as human beings and produce the best possible results.
But our response was "No, I'll do it my way". That is really the point of the Genesis Garden of Eden story - to show that we chose what God did not intend for us and that, every day, we often make that same choice!
And the result? Lives jammed with rubbish, relationships torn, the picture spoilt, creation gone wrong, sin blocking everything up and cursing all round.
God had to send in the repair man to point us back to him because we couldn't fix the mess themselves.
Easter is all about that repair man Jesus, sorting out the mess of humanity, dealing with the rubbish and torn lives that stop us from living as God means us to.
Through his suffering and his death, he put us right with God, gave us a new start, (a life guarantee you might say!) and pointed us back to the maker's instructions.
Easter is THE Christian festival. Our Lord's death and resurrection offers new life and hope to us all. So if life has somehow jammed up, or it feels torn and twisted; if you feel you need to take advice from the maker's instructions on how to get the best out of it' why not come and discover the great repair man, Jesus ,with us in Holy Week.
Why not join us on Good Friday from 2pm - 3pm as we reflect on the last hour of Jesus' life. It is always a moving service. Or, why not come on Easter Day at 10am as we celebrate the greatest event in human history -the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
We hope you will join us and may I wish you all a very happy Easter
Christ is risen. He is risen indeed, Hallelujah.
Mike Keirle
The Untouchables!
Pam plays a hand with son, Paul, looking on
Hit the net to find out more about Guernsey's most popular card game of euchre, and be amazed, as I was, by some 1,500,000 sites!
It seems that euchre is enjoyed worldwide, but only in selected places like the American Midwest, the regions of Nova Scotia and Ontario in Canada, in parts of Australia and New Zealand, and in coastal regions of the UK, like Devon and Cornwall.
In some areas, and it would be fair to count Jersey among them, euchre is rarely played at all or totally unknown. According to the Internet, euchre could derive from `fucker', a card game played in Alsace in the early 19th century. It eventually reached the USA, and was spread to other countries by the American Navy, but it wasn't until the 1850s that the Joker (called the Benny in Guernsey) was introduced.
Different places play different rules, and Guernsey players usually play in two opposing pairs with five cards each, using only the cards from seven up to ace, with the Benny as top trump. Some local players also play by English rules and drop the seven and eight cards from play.
For many people euchre is their only social activity, and the Tuesday and Thursday winter leagues and euchre drives continue to thrive.
Pam Queripel is typical of many who learned the rudiments of the game as young children from their parents, and who have introduced their own families into the skills of play.
Her parents, Frances and Ted Ozanne, taught nine-year-old Pam soon after they returned from St Helens after the Occupation.
When she moved into their home after they died, a bungalow in Les Cornus she now shares with one of her two sons, Paul, his wife, Kietta, and their three children, she encouraged 13-year-old Emma in the rules of the game, although Emma is too young yet to join her parents and grandmother in league matches.
`My grandmother's brother's family played in Ontario, so it goes back a long way said Pam.
`When I was a child my cousins Jim and Eric Murray and either my mum or dad would sit and play with me, and when I was married my husband Eric, Jim and his wife Edith and my parents would have a game every Tuesday evening, playing six-handed which I prefer as it is more complicated with more of the cards in play.'
There are people in their 90s playing in league games, and they would agree with Pam that there is always an opportunity to learn new tricks.
She first played in the Thursday league in 1969, the year after it started, and still plays with the Untouchables, a mixed team. On Tuesdays her all-women team is High Spirits, helping to swell the numbers of what was until four or five years ago a men-only league.
`It's my social life; league in the winter and euchre drives in the summer. It would be nice if someone started a euchre drive at the new community centre when it is finished - just down the road for me and for a lot of other players in St Martin.'
Pauline Torode
It was a letter in the Guernsey Press that led Joan Derbyshire to respond to the invitation from the Bedfordshire borough of Luton for anyone with town connections to make contact for a historical research programme.
Joan was born in Wigan and has never been to Luton, but has the name of the former car-making town as her own middle name!
`It was my mother's maiden name,' said Joan, who lives with husband Dudley in Route de Saint, 'and I've never come across anyone else with that surname since. It has died out on my mother's side of the family.
`No-one could ever guess what the L in my name stood for, and are always surprised when I say Luton.'
She wrote to the researchers just before Christmas and didn't think any more of it, but in March she had a letter saying that the town which has a history of hat-making going back to the 17th century intends to present her with her own Luton bonnet.
Although the industry, famous for its straw boaters and top hats, has had to change with the times, and many of the once-famous firms no longer exist, several hat firms are still operating, particularly Snoxell and Sons, famous for the 'civic boater'.
Each of their hats is shaped on the traditional hat block, and they are often made of Sinamay material from the Philippines, a light substance that is easy to wear.
They cost from £90 to £200, and reflect current fashion for feathers and net, so Joan Derbyshire is looking forward to the arrival of her own model, which might even arrive in time to become her Easter bonnet!
Technology is a wonderful things until it goes wrong. My computer printer malfunctioned the other day -the paper kept getting stuck; tearing, creasing and jamming inside the machine.
After dozens of bits of wasted paper and several quiet (and not so quiet) curses, I gave up and was about to call the repair man, when I thought: "I'll just read the maker's instructions" (I really was desperate!). There I found I was loading thicker card into the machine incorrectly. It was all my own fault!
For best results, follow the maker's instructions. That is true for so much in life and even life itself. When God made humanity he wanted us to live our lives with reference to him; to follow the maker's instructions, so that we would reach our potential as human beings and produce the best possible results.
But our response was "No, I'll do it my way". That is really the point of the Genesis Garden of Eden story - to show that we chose what God did not intend for us and that, every day, we often make that same choice!
And the result? Lives jammed with rubbish, relationships torn, the picture spoilt, creation gone wrong, sin blocking everything up and cursing all round.
God had to send in the repair man to point us back to him because we couldn't fix the mess themselves.
Easter is all about that repair man Jesus, sorting out the mess of humanity, dealing with the rubbish and torn lives that stop us from living as God means us to.
Through his suffering and his death, he put us right with God, gave us a new start, (a life guarantee you might say!) and pointed us back to the maker's instructions.
Easter is THE Christian festival. Our Lord's death and resurrection offers new life and hope to us all. So if life has somehow jammed up, or it feels torn and twisted; if you feel you need to take advice from the maker's instructions on how to get the best out of it' why not come and discover the great repair man, Jesus ,with us in Holy Week.
Why not join us on Good Friday from 2pm - 3pm as we reflect on the last hour of Jesus' life. It is always a moving service. Or, why not come on Easter Day at 10am as we celebrate the greatest event in human history -the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
We hope you will join us and may I wish you all a very happy Easter
Christ is risen. He is risen indeed, Hallelujah.
Mike Keirle
The Untouchables!
Pam plays a hand with son, Paul, looking on
Hit the net to find out more about Guernsey's most popular card game of euchre, and be amazed, as I was, by some 1,500,000 sites!
It seems that euchre is enjoyed worldwide, but only in selected places like the American Midwest, the regions of Nova Scotia and Ontario in Canada, in parts of Australia and New Zealand, and in coastal regions of the UK, like Devon and Cornwall.
In some areas, and it would be fair to count Jersey among them, euchre is rarely played at all or totally unknown. According to the Internet, euchre could derive from `fucker', a card game played in Alsace in the early 19th century. It eventually reached the USA, and was spread to other countries by the American Navy, but it wasn't until the 1850s that the Joker (called the Benny in Guernsey) was introduced.
Different places play different rules, and Guernsey players usually play in two opposing pairs with five cards each, using only the cards from seven up to ace, with the Benny as top trump. Some local players also play by English rules and drop the seven and eight cards from play.
For many people euchre is their only social activity, and the Tuesday and Thursday winter leagues and euchre drives continue to thrive.
Pam Queripel is typical of many who learned the rudiments of the game as young children from their parents, and who have introduced their own families into the skills of play.
Her parents, Frances and Ted Ozanne, taught nine-year-old Pam soon after they returned from St Helens after the Occupation.
When she moved into their home after they died, a bungalow in Les Cornus she now shares with one of her two sons, Paul, his wife, Kietta, and their three children, she encouraged 13-year-old Emma in the rules of the game, although Emma is too young yet to join her parents and grandmother in league matches.
`My grandmother's brother's family played in Ontario, so it goes back a long way said Pam.
`When I was a child my cousins Jim and Eric Murray and either my mum or dad would sit and play with me, and when I was married my husband Eric, Jim and his wife Edith and my parents would have a game every Tuesday evening, playing six-handed which I prefer as it is more complicated with more of the cards in play.'
There are people in their 90s playing in league games, and they would agree with Pam that there is always an opportunity to learn new tricks.
She first played in the Thursday league in 1969, the year after it started, and still plays with the Untouchables, a mixed team. On Tuesdays her all-women team is High Spirits, helping to swell the numbers of what was until four or five years ago a men-only league.
`It's my social life; league in the winter and euchre drives in the summer. It would be nice if someone started a euchre drive at the new community centre when it is finished - just down the road for me and for a lot of other players in St Martin.'
Pauline Torode
It was a letter in the Guernsey Press that led Joan Derbyshire to respond to the invitation from the Bedfordshire borough of Luton for anyone with town connections to make contact for a historical research programme.
Joan was born in Wigan and has never been to Luton, but has the name of the former car-making town as her own middle name!
`It was my mother's maiden name,' said Joan, who lives with husband Dudley in Route de Saint, 'and I've never come across anyone else with that surname since. It has died out on my mother's side of the family.
`No-one could ever guess what the L in my name stood for, and are always surprised when I say Luton.'
She wrote to the researchers just before Christmas and didn't think any more of it, but in March she had a letter saying that the town which has a history of hat-making going back to the 17th century intends to present her with her own Luton bonnet.
Although the industry, famous for its straw boaters and top hats, has had to change with the times, and many of the once-famous firms no longer exist, several hat firms are still operating, particularly Snoxell and Sons, famous for the 'civic boater'.
Each of their hats is shaped on the traditional hat block, and they are often made of Sinamay material from the Philippines, a light substance that is easy to wear.
They cost from £90 to £200, and reflect current fashion for feathers and net, so Joan Derbyshire is looking forward to the arrival of her own model, which might even arrive in time to become her Easter bonnet!
Kindermusik classes for young children have been running for almost a year now in Guernsey, and the class for 3-5 year olds at St Martin's Primary School on Saturday mornings has proved to be one of the most popular.
Kindermusik is a music and movement program for children from newborn to 7 years. But it is more than just music. It is about the development of the whole child, not only in music appreciation but movement, expressive language, peer interaction and pretend play. Research has shown that children learn best when the activities are integrated.
The 3-5 year old class has lots of singing and vocal exploration. Exploring musical instruments, and instrument "play alongs" are an enjoyable part of the classes. A variety of percussion instruments and props are used.
There is also a listening component to the classes, where the children are trained actively to listen (as opposed to just hearing.) This could be an individual instrument sound or a complete musical composition.
Story telling is also a feature of the classes, and it is combined with music and movement. Children of this age are wonderfully active and have an important need to move. The activities are designed to help their balance and coordination, which will help them with their football and other sporting activities later.
Dance teachers also say Kindermusik is the best preparation for formal dance training and that they can pick out a Kindermusik child!
The 3 - 5 year old child is growing in independence and forming friendships, and this creates the
possibility of a class environment without the parent or caregiver present. However, the philosophy of Kindermusik is that the parent is the child's best teacher, and the home is where most learning takes place. With this in mind, a "sharing time" is incorporated into the class.
The parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters join in for the last few minutes, so that they can see what the children have been doing, why they have been doing it, and how they can continue and develop the activities at home.
Parents are also given a home activity book, which gives them ideas for art projects and other activities which they may like to do during the week. In fact there is a set of home materials for each family to take home.
This allows the family to continue the activities at home, getting the full advantage of the curriculum, and provides an important bridge between the music classes and the home environment.
Each unit consists of 18 lessons of 45 minutes each. Parents attend for the last 15 minutes. Terms run from September to February and from February to July, but children can join at any time during a unit.
Kindermusik is a music and movement program for children from newborn to 7 years. But it is more than just music. It is about the development of the whole child, not only in music appreciation but movement, expressive language, peer interaction and pretend play. Research has shown that children learn best when the activities are integrated.
The 3-5 year old class has lots of singing and vocal exploration. Exploring musical instruments, and instrument "play alongs" are an enjoyable part of the classes. A variety of percussion instruments and props are used.
There is also a listening component to the classes, where the children are trained actively to listen (as opposed to just hearing.) This could be an individual instrument sound or a complete musical composition.
Story telling is also a feature of the classes, and it is combined with music and movement. Children of this age are wonderfully active and have an important need to move. The activities are designed to help their balance and coordination, which will help them with their football and other sporting activities later.
Dance teachers also say Kindermusik is the best preparation for formal dance training and that they can pick out a Kindermusik child!
The 3 - 5 year old child is growing in independence and forming friendships, and this creates the
possibility of a class environment without the parent or caregiver present. However, the philosophy of Kindermusik is that the parent is the child's best teacher, and the home is where most learning takes place. With this in mind, a "sharing time" is incorporated into the class.
The parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters join in for the last few minutes, so that they can see what the children have been doing, why they have been doing it, and how they can continue and develop the activities at home.
Parents are also given a home activity book, which gives them ideas for art projects and other activities which they may like to do during the week. In fact there is a set of home materials for each family to take home.
This allows the family to continue the activities at home, getting the full advantage of the curriculum, and provides an important bridge between the music classes and the home environment.
Each unit consists of 18 lessons of 45 minutes each. Parents attend for the last 15 minutes. Terms run from September to February and from February to July, but children can join at any time during a unit.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment