Newsletter 8 December 2017

Christmas at school during Advent is a busy and exciting place to be. Nativity plays and carols fill the air whilst the classrooms are awash with glitter. It is easy to forget in all the thrill of presents and Father Christmas that there is a reason underlying all this activity and we in the Pre-Prep find this still point of calm in our Christingle service. The children make their own Christingles in the classrooms. They are told what each part of it represents – the orange, the candle, the ribbon, sweets and fruits. Later in the afternoon we gather together in the beautiful panelled front hall next to the fire and under the Christmas tree. In a big circle, the children sit and listen to the Christmas story and the reason behind this celebration of Christmas for Christians. We light the candles and the children may come to understand that the little baby sent to lie in a manger is The Light of the World who is there at the darkest times, just as a candle lights up this dark season of winter.

Having spent this quiet time together the children leave and carry on with all the wonderful hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations but hopefully that still little flame will continue to burn and remind them what Christmas is really all about.

 

 

Newsletter 1 December 2017

This week the main focus has been our Christmas Nativity Play. We have had dress rehearsals and technical rehearsals and this morning the children managed to perform the play in front of the Prep school for their morning assembly.

Our performance for family and friends is this afternoon at 2.30pm. As I write, it is remarkably calm in the school. I can hear chatter coming from Year 2 as they hang their decorations on the Christmas tree in the hall and carols are being played in Year 1 as they make candle jars. The Nursery class are outside and the Reception class are working on rhyming words before starting work on making some beautiful little angels. This is all rather like a normal day, except that a rather unexpected number of boys are sporting a variety of beards and most of the glitter around is on the children’s faces!

I think that this could be called the calm before the storm as underneath it all there is definitely a bubble of excitement as they look forward to performing to you this afternoon. Mince pies will be served afterwards and you are all most welcome.