Brentwood Preparatory School Incipe 2017-18

Brentwood School Preparatory 26 Rev’s Review My weekly visits to the Preparatory School on a Wednesday morning remain one of the highlights of my week as Chaplain at Brentwood School. Without fail, I am greeted with warm smiles and often a few conversations as well and a request, or two, to light the candle at the service. Our Wednesday morning assemblies offer each of us a moment in the week to stop and reflect upon the spiritual aspects of our lives. As a Christian school, we look to the life and teaching of Jesus as our guide but we remain welcoming of students and staff of all faiths and none. Recent termly themes have included a close look at the ‘Fruits of the Spirit’ – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control – and how they might be nurtured in our life together as a school community. My decision to include a short film clip has now become a fixed part of the assembly and I have had to search deep within my expanding ‘Pixar’ collection to find something new! My visits to Early Years and Key Stage One are a little less frequent but equally joyful and I look forward to sharing a story with them and hearing their thoughts. I can always be assured of a wave and a smile when I meet them on route to the Sports Centre. Their happiness and love of life are an important lesson to us all I think. Our annual Christmas Carol service in December this year was unexpectedly cancelled due to the severe weather but I am pleased to report that I did enjoy the performance of ‘Hey Ewe’ which signalled the start of our Christmas celebrations. The Start of Year service and the Easter and End of Year services are particular highlights when the school are able to gather in our Chapel at the Senior school and it is always good to be able to welcome parents to many of these occasions. This year we have launched two new Junior Chapel Choirs and to date they have led two Choral Evensongs in Chapel and these have been much appreciated by parents and staff alike. The quality of singing and the level of commitment required to sing such a service is significant and I am indebted to Mr. Revels and Mr. Barber for their expertise and their commitment to early morning rehearsals. Throughout the year in Chapel, there are a number of Special Services which are open to all members of the Brentwood School community. Most notable are services for Harvest, Advent, Christmas and Mothering Sunday. I look forward to being able to welcome you to Chapel and please stop and say hello if you see me out and about. Revd. Dr. Adrian McConnaughie