Our Advent season begins a little earlier here at school with our first celebration starting next week. Advent is a time of anticipation and preparation for the birth of Jesus. It is a time for Christians to think about what they can share with others. God gave us Jesus and we use this special Advent time before Christmas to prepare our hearts and minds for his coming. Often our secular world offers a different message, however. It asks us to make lists of what we want, of all the things we think we need to buy to make this a happy Christmas.

Here at Our Lady of the Rosary we like to give the children an opportunity to stop and quietly reflect on the many blessings they have already in their lives. We gather and consider what small actions we can take to make someone’s day a little better. 

We also use the symbol of the Jesse Tree and the people from the Old Testament who waited for the Saviour. Another symbol we use is our Advent wreath. We light the candles of Hope (purple), Peace (Purple), Joy (Pink)and Love ( Purple) and remember what they stand for and how we can bring these gifts to our world during Advent.