The First Day School’s Corner of the World: May 2021
First Saturday of May is World Labyrinth Day. It is a day when people all over the world, at 1 p.m. (local time anywhere in the world), walk as one, celebrating and honoring peace. The image above is the logo for the Labyrinth Society, the labyrinth is in the center, with waves of peaceful energy around the globe, the earth, holding it. For more information, please see https://labyrinthsociety.org/world-labyrinth-day
On Sunday, May 2nd we are gathering at 10:00 a.m. for time together in the yard of EFM. We will hang out, play, run around, have snacks, sing a birthday song, talk, and possibly even do some yard work, preparing our place for planting, spring and summer. All are welcome to join us in friendship and fellowship on what looks to be a sunny and warm day! All safety guidelines such as masks and social distancing will be in place. Norma, Camille, Raphael, Charlotta, and members of the RE Committee will be in attendance and we do hope to see you as well! There will be no RE Zoom classes for our students on Sunday, May 2nd.
Last month’s visit of the Easter Bunny and time together was just perfect! Also, a sunny and warm Sunday made us all smile. Students both assisted the Easter Bunny with hiding the eggs and finding them—a sort of recycling… The Easter treats included chocolate, raisins, a packet of flower seeds, and Crayola Model Magic, a soft, squishy modeling (and non-messy, air drying) material/clay. While I think the students truly enjoyed the treats, the Easter Bunny Assistant (a/k/a Charlotta) enjoyed it more by putting the bags together and seeing how all the students ate the snacks and created figures and animals with the clay. Our amazing Easter Bunny Express (a/k/a Rex) delivered Easter Bag treats to our registered RE students who could not attend the in-person gathering.
In April, our students in Primary heard stories of The Great Pearl and about John Woolman, while in Intermediate we have started to talk and address Native American history and culture with a focus on the area of Evanston and Chicago and the relationship to nature, life, and spirituality. For all our Zoom classes we also provide time to be together and talk. We can always catch up on learning and knowledge! In May, which includes a fifth Sunday, the students will join the Upstairs Zoom Meeting for a few minutes on Sunday, May 30th. And yes, we do have some plans for June… and more about that later.
A few dates to keep in mind:
Sunday, May 9, Mother’s Day—a day to celebrate mothers in all their different forms
Sunday, May 30, Fifth Sunday
Sunday, June 6, First Sunday (and Swedish National Day)
Recognition Sunday in June—date and program to be announced
Friday–Sunday, June 25–27: ILYM’s Children’s Religious Education Session
Did you know that on…
May 21, 1780, Elizabeth Fry was born? What important reforms, work and changes did she do? (Answer: prison reforms). British Elizabeth Fry, sometimes referred to as Betsy Fry, was an English prison reformer, social reformer, and a philanthropist. Queen Victoria supported her efforts of reforms. Was Elizabeth Fry mentioned in the BBC television series Victoria?
Some closing words on the topic of labyrinths: the center of the labyrinth can be either its ending or the beginning, it is a space for both rest and reflection, however the path itself, either to or from the center, is also a journey of reflection. The exit from, or the entrance to, both lead us to the unknown, to the world, to others and to ourselves. Either way, being in our center is the most essential.