Marden Lodge pupils show the real meaning of Christmas in and out of the classroom

The run-up to Christmas may be a time when many children start to think
about what they might find under the tree on December 25, but pupils at
Marden Lodge Primary School, in Caterham, had lessons specifically about
thinking about the needs of others, rather than themselves.

The theme of the final month of term was Thoughtfulness – being selfless and
putting other people’s wants and needs ahead of your own. The topic was
addressed in the classroom, with specific lessons about how children can be
thoughtful towards their own friends and family, and how to react in
situations when they see the opposite behaviour being displayed.

Lessons were not just confined to the classroom, the weekly school
newsletter explained to parents the role they can play in reinforcing the
messages learned at school with further discussions on the topic at home.

Some of the Year Six prefects also put their lessons into action by helping
out Morrisons’ Text Santa campaign, assisting supermarket shoppers by
packing their bags for them. Over the course of just one hour, the
children’s hard work raised over £200, with another £150 coming from the
school’s Christmas Jumper day, in aid of Save the Children.

“At this time of year, children are on the receiving end of so many messages
about wanting and asking for things, we thought it was a particularly
appropriate time to encourage them to take a step back and think about other
people and what they might want,” said head teacher Mrs Kate Denby.

“It’s a lesson that parents can really help with too – find out what the
children have been learning at school, discuss it with them and then ask
them how they might put those lessons into action in the home. As the
children’s wonderful work at Morrisons shows, this is one lesson whose
messages have spread far beyond the walls of the classroom.”