Please find below the link to an Advent reflection written by Gus, the trainee priest who is spending the year at Arundel cathedral. Gus will be spending some time in school in the new year too.

1st Sunday Advent Reflection School

On Friday, a cameraman came into school to record children making Christmas cards. It will be used as part of the ‘Arundel is…’ film.

As Arundel By Candlelight cannot take place in the usual way this year, things are happening in a slightly different way. it is lovely to be part of the town community and be asked to take part.

Year 5 had a magical time in Forest school this week with the Autumnal sun peering through the trees. The children worked well and had space and time to work on creating their own ‘mood pads’. Using nature around them to demonstrate feelings and reactions to their surroundings.

We will not be able to attend the Remembrance Service in the town this year. The children are still commemorating the annual event in school. Poppies and stationery have been sold, poems have been writing and the school wreath will be laid in the town centre with a poem attached.

We will have a service in our classroom where we remember those who have fallen in the wars and how they gave their loves for us.

We have once again teamed up with Arundel Cathedral to bring a little joy to under privileged children throughout Eastern Europe at Christmas. Each year the school asks families to fill a shoe box with gifts for a child in need. The shoe boxes can be filled with small toys, games, toiletries and chocolate and it is then decorated in Christmas paper.

The charity who organizes it is Mustard Seed Relief Missions and they are based in East Sussex. The boxes are collected at school and then taken to join the other donations from the Cathedral where they are collected by the charity. Our families are always very generous and we usually have over 50 boxes to donate. This year, even with the challenging economy, has been no exception.

As a school it is a wonderful way for our children to witness and to participate in ‘love in action’. We often talk about a small act making a big difference and this is evidenced in this activity. The charity send on average 30,000 boxes each year and each one is received by a child.