One day as David the shepherd boy was carrying lunch to his older brothers in the Israelite army, he heard an angry booming voice thunder across the fields. “I am Goliath, and I dare you to pick someone to fight me.” The voice was coming from the Philistine ranks and went on taunting the Israelites and their God. As David grew closer, he could see the giant Goliath strutting up and down. He could also see the terrified faces of King Saul and his soldiers. This made David very angry and more than a little ashamed. He decided he must go and see the king. “I will fight that bully Goliath!” David announced. It was all that King Saul could do not to laugh out loud. “You are just a boy David, a small boy. Goliath has been a mighty soldier all his life.” “But when the wild animals attack my father’s sheep,” protested David, “I fight them off with my sling and staff. I have killed many lions and bears, and I will do the same to this wicked Philistine. Do not fear for God is on our side.” King Saul was taken aback. “Well, I suppose you should be given a chance. At least let me lend you some armour and a sword.” But the armour was heavy, and David was not used to it. He returned the armour to Saul and instead picked up five smooth stones from the stream and marched out courageously to face Goliath.

The giant laughed scornfully at the small boy and shouted curses at him. David did not flinch. “This very day you will be defeated, and everyone here will see that the Lord does not need swords or spears to save his people.” As Goliath lowered his shield and aimed his spear at the boy, quick as a flash, David loaded a stone into his sling, spun it around above his head and sent it spinning through the air towards Goliath. The stone struck the giant on his forehead, and he crumpled to the ground. Goliath was dead. There was a moment of stunned silence before the whoops and cheers from the Israelite army echoed around the hillsides. This was a day no-one would forget, when the courage of a shepherd boy saved a nation.

What are we doing in school to learn about Courage?

We are encouraging our children to show bravery through trying new experiences and pushing themselves to achieve their potential.

Each year awards are presented to children throughout the country who have shown outstanding bravery and courage in overcoming huge challenges in their lives.

You can collect a nomination form from the office and create a nomination for a child that you know and believe should be recognised for their courage.

Remember, there are different kinds of courage and different ways of showing bravery!

The nominations will be displayed in the Values Book at school.

Courage at home

Think together about words of wisdom…

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to overcome that fear.” – Nelson Mandela

Talk about COURAGE together…

Being courageous can mean different things to different people. For example, one person may think it easy to speak in front of a large audience, whilst another would need to find lots of courage to do this. Everyone faces challenges from time to time, and we have to find courage to overcome them.

Talk together about:

-The different challenges that each family member faces

-Who or what helps us find courage

-Is there someone that we admire because of the courage that they have shown?

 Click here to read the courage leaflet.

Courage doesn’t always roar, sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try tomorrow.

– Mary Anne Radmacher