The Chronicle

Dear Parents

I hope this week’s edition of the Chronicle finds you well and looking forward to the weekend.  It has been another exceptionally busy week in school and I’d encourage everyone to read the full report of all this week’s activities later in this edition.

Our Nursery children were involved in their sports day on Monday and I would like to thank Mrs Thomas for assisting with the events.  I thoroughly enjoyed watching our budding athletes in action. Yesterday, the graduation celebration took place in Nursery and Mrs Stephenson was on hand to capture this special day.  Unfortunately, this year, as with many events, we were are unable to invite parents in to join us but this has been recorded and will be sent to parents in the next few weeks.  I look forward to seeing our Little Crackers children in their new uniforms when they move up to Reception in September.

Tuesday was our production day - the day when all the hard work for the performance of Joseph came together and was professionally filmed.  Not only were all children involved in the show but we have also been able to stream the performance to all classes and parents on Thursday and Friday this week.  There are so many people to thank, including Mrs Wildey, Mrs Olden and Mrs Paphitis for their superb efforts co-ordinating the rehearsals and performance.  All class teachers, the Estates Team for helping with staging, the office staff and IT staff and without doubt, the children who without their enthusiasm, we would not have such a wonderful show.  An album of photographs will be sent to parents early next week and I hope to also have details about the availability of the film before the end of term.

Wednesday was an important day in school as it was ‘moving-up’ morning.  There were nervous, happy and excited voices echoing around school as children met their new teachers.  I understand that there may be some children who are slightly anxious about the move but every place has been carefully considered by the year group staff team before confirming classes. 

We welcomed Father Kevin into school today when he celebrated Mass for Junior 5 and we were able to plan events for next term which will all hopefully take place in school.

This morning I awarded Stars of the Week to: Teddy, Arabella, Leyton, Jess, Lexi, Sienna, Amy, James, Penny, Alfred, Morton, Anabel and Annalise.  Bronze Awards were presented to Harry, Aaron and Shuvan with Josie-Jean receiving a Silver Award.  Very well done!

There was another good haul of Junior da Vinci’s awarded this week including: Blythe, Isabelle, Elizabeth, Evie, Finley, Phoebe, Matilda, Theo, Lucas, Kate, Amalia, Jia, Georgie, Theo, Arthur and Sienna F.  Outstanding – all of you!

We were able to share another match report this week, so very well presented by Stephanie and Elsie, followed by Daiya in Junior 2 playing the piano beautifully.  Thank you to all three of you.

Junior 6 will have an early start on Monday morning and I hope that they will have a wonderful experience in the Peak District.  May you all enjoy spending time together, creating wonderful memories and I look forward to hearing all about it on your return.  Unfortunately, the taster day at Princethorpe College on Wednesday 30 June will not be going ahead and therefore children will be in school as normal.

The summer holiday club is proving to be popular and I would advise confirming very soon to secure your place before the online booking facility closes.  Please don’t forget the non-uniform day next Friday which will support the PTA.  The school has benefited greatly from their wonderful fund-raising efforts and I hope that this can continue.

I’d like to remind everyone that you are able to order lateral flow Covid tests via the NHS website or you can collect them from most pharmacies – free of charge.  It is a huge benefit to be able to check on your health from time to time (suggested twice-weekly) particularly with a continued rise in confirmed cases.  We all do this to protect other and ourselves.

I hope that you have a super weekend and especially enjoy the sport that is available to watch.  I had a feeling that England would end up having to face Germany in the Euros!  Wales, on the other hand, have an easier draw.  May the best teams win!

God bless,

Mr Duigan

Holiday club will be running again this summer, from Thursday 8 July until Friday 3 September 2021. It will not be available on Monday 30 August due to the Bank Holiday, or Wednesday 1 September due to staff INSET Day.

Holiday club will only operate on the days where there are sufficient numbers to open, therefore it is important for you to book early as we may not be able to accommodate last minute bookings, due to staff ratios and COVID bubbles.

If you book a day and the numbers attending are not high enough, you will be contacted to either cancel or rearrange the day booked.

Due to the current restrictions, holiday club will be open from 08:30 to 17:00 and will cost £30 per day. Hot lunch will be provided.

A timetable of activities will be sent out shortly, once staffing has been arranged.

To make a booking, please log on to My School Portal, and select the Clubs and Activities option.

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

Congratulations to them all!

Crackley Hall School pupil, Blythe Camilleri-Willis, has won the British Science Week National Poster Competition. Eight year-old Blythe was awarded first prize in the Infant Category for his amazing poster featuring a Volcano Energy Extraction System.

Back in March, Crackley Hall School joined schools across the UK in celebrating British Science Week. At Crackley Hall, pupils explored different inventors before taking on the challenge of this year’s Science Week theme ‘Innovating For The Future’. The children designed their own innovations and then created posters and five were chosen to be submitted into the competition.

Year 3 pupil, Blythe was one of well over 2,500 budding young scientists from across the UK who took part in this year’s poster competition, showing his passion for Science with his innovation idea.

Teacher and Science Lead at Crackley Hall, Julia Roberts, said, “What an amazing win for Blythe. His volcano energy extraction invention was a marvellous innovation and his brightly coloured poster showed off both his scientific and design skills! Our world needs inventors, and British Science Week was a fantastic opportunity for all our Crackley pupils. They really enjoyed studying famous inventors and I was so impressed with all their creative innovative ideas.”

Well done to Blythe, Crackley Hall School is very proud of you.

The Little Crackers Nursery team organised a very special ‘Graduation Ceremony’ to celebrate the pre-school group ‘moving on’ to big school. The ceremony took place on Thursday 24 June, and the children were each presented with a little scroll by Nursery manager, Clare Bird.

The children had practised three special songs for the occasion and performed them perfectly much to the delight of the Nursery team.

Mrs Bird commented, “The graduation was a wonderful event that reminded us all of the good times we have had this year. It was such a shame parents couldn’t join us but we wanted to mark this important moment for our little ones. We are all sorry to see this fantastic group of children move on, but we wave goodbye with a smile, and plenty of good wishes for exciting times in Reception.”

Lots of photos were taken to share with parents and the performance was also recorded which we know they will all enjoy.

Crackley Hall School took to the stage this week for a full-scale musical production of Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. Performed by pupils in Junior 6 ably supported by a chorus of pupils from Junior 5 the children rose brilliantly to the occasion as the cast surpassed themselves to ensure the show could go on. The energy and clear enjoyment of all involved was a joy to see.

Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is one of the world’s most beloved family musicals, a multi award winning show that has been performed across the world. Told entirely through song with the help of the Narrator, the show follows the story of Jacob’s favourite son Joseph and his eleven brothers. After being sold into slavery by the brothers, he ingratiates himself with Egyptian noble Potiphar, but ends up in jail. While imprisoned, Joseph discovers his ability to interpret dreams, and soon finds himself in front of the mighty but troubled showman, the Pharaoh (or in our case Elvis!). As Joseph strives to resolve Egypt’s famine, he becomes Pharaoh’s right-hand man and eventually reunites with his family.

Pupils across the school have enjoyed watching the streamed production this week and the show has been recorded so that parents will be able to purchase a copy. Information on how to purchase will be shared shortly.

Of course, no show like this could happen without the help of many people. Our thanks go to all of the staff involved in whatever way, all the parents for providing costumes and props and most of all to the children for working so hard at their numbers.

Crackley as always you were amazing congratulations to you all!

Princethorpe has received its first ever review by the prestigious Good Schools Guide. The Guide, which selects schools to be included on merit alone, is famous for its unbiased and candid reviews of state and private schools, and is trusted by families worldwide. Princethorpe is now one of just 1,300 schools currently reviewed by the Guide, out of over 30,000+ schools in the UK.

An editor from the Guide visited the College in May, interviewed Ed Hester, the Headmaster, toured the campus, observed lessons and spoke with pupils and parents.

The 2,500-word review, which now appears on the Good Schools Guide’s website and will be included in the next hard copy edition, includes a pen portrait of the Headmaster, plus insights into exam results, teaching and learning, co-curricular life, discipline and the College’s ethos and heritage.

Commenting on the College's approach to pastoral care, the Guide says:

“There are two rules at the school: be kind and do your best. The whole school runs on this ethos and it appears to be all that is needed as pupils and staff adhere to it. The school is renowned for its pastoral care and kindness. Every parent we spoke to mentioned it and for virtually all of them it was the reason they chose the school. ‘It really is like a family and we are included too.’ These two old fashioned values shape the school. It’s open minded and all are very welcome but the Catholic teaching permeates throughout. Every child is treated as an individual ‘and they really are,’ said parents. The overall feeling that this is a kind school, we would concur.”

The very comprehensive and positive review concludes with a Last Word, which sums up the Guide’s findings:

We have the impression that Princethorpe College just gets on with things, modestly feeling no need to blow its own trumpet. But during the long-term tenure of this head it has gained in confidence, reputation and status and parents have sat up and taken notice. They know that one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to educating their children and have found the school that agrees with them; a good outcome for all.

To read in full what the Good Schools Guide says click here.

Comments Ed Hester, Headmaster, “It was a pleasure to welcome the Good Schools Guide to Princethorpe. We are delighted that they have recognised our ‘spirit of family’ and found us to be a ‘kind school’ and that every parent they spoke to was ‘hugely impressed by the diligence and commitment of our staff’. They have successfully managed to get under our skin and paint what we feel is an accurate picture of life at the school.

He continued, "As lockdown restrictions ease, we are looking forward to welcoming more prospective families to the school, so they can find out for themselves what a Princethorpe education could do for their child.”

To find out more visit www.princethorpe.co.uk/visit or email admissions@princethorpe.co.uk.

Our Little Crackers had a fabulous time at their Nursery Sports Day on Monday 21 June. The children headed out to the front lawn excitedly in their teams with everyone ready to rocket down the course laid out on the front lawn. The determination and concentration on their little faces was amazing as they took on the challenges of the hoops, cones, hurdles and bean bags.

Miss Lois started with a warm up to get everyone ready to run and then they were off taking turns to run up and down the course. There were four teams in each race, the reds, greens, blues and yellows and plenty of staff on hand to encourage and support our Little Crackers as they flew up and down the tracks.

A great morning was had by all. A special thank you to our Nursery Team and to Miss Lois for organising all the fun. 

Mathlete of the week for Mrs Hardwick's class is Rory

Mathlete of the week for Mrs Glen-Root's class is Hector

Mathlete of the week for Mrs Holmes's class is all of the class!

Mathlete of the week for Mr Stedeford's group is Ria

Mathlete of the week for Mrs Van Zyl's class is Ivy and Arthur 

Mathlete of the week for Mrs Wildey's class is Lexi

Mathlete of the week for Mrs Burley's group is Esme

Mathlete of the week for Mrs Roberts's group is Alfred

Mathlete of the week for Mrs Lammas's group is Elsie G

Well done all!

Mrs Holmes has asked if parents can send in any empty cylindrical crisp containers that you have please.

Thank you 

We hope the 'Joseph Dream' will last forever! Junior 6 have been working on their summer production and creating a wealth of laughter and fun memories to last a lifetime.  We have been so proud of the standard achieved by our current J6 in their performances of 'Joseph' this week. In spite of not having their usual audience, they have shown excellent teamwork and have risen to the high expectations that have been made of them. Everyone has been a part of this, and we hope that in years to come the video will be a lasting reminder of the excellence demonstrated in what has been a very strange year. We are all looking forward to the final video!

This week Junior 5 have been busy with the production, having performed it three times. Tuesday’s run through was filmed, and they all behaved like angels and sang like birds! Thursday and Friday’s performances were to LIVE audiences (Years 3 and 4) and, again, our wonderful pupils sang their hearts out. We were immensely proud of them.

On Tuesday, our J5Rs went into the Forest School area with Mrs Clark and Mrs Thomas – their task was to build a structure and to make it as stable, strong and creative as possible. Some wonderful hedgehog hotels were constructed!

What a busy week in Junior 4! We watched the incredible Joseph production and came away in awe of what the Year 6 and 5 children can do.

J4B have learned so much about the Viking way of life and produced some very informative posters about a chosen area of interest. They have consolidated their learning from drama on Viking Gods this week. 

4B said, 'see you soon' to Miley today. Miley is starting at a new school next week, and we all wish her well. Miley is a wonderful child, she has a heart of gold, and we will miss her dearly. We will be at your next cake sale though Miley so keep baking! 

This week 4W have used Google earth to pinpoint different places in India. They have explored the cities of Mumbai, New Delhi and Kolkata to find examples of physical and human features. Working in partners, they have located research from secondary sources to become more familiar with the language spoken, the flag and the culture.

This week in Junior 3, the children have enjoyed designing and creating their own crater pots, made from clay. Their designs were beautifully created and their pots expertly formed.

The week has also been full of singing and both classes were magnificent in their performance of their Joseph song.

In Maths, their learning of angles continued, which included a lesson outdoors, where the children had fun exploring their surroundings for examples of right, acute and obtuse angles.

As we edge closer to the end of term, Mrs Van Zyl and Mr Stedeford continue to be thoroughly impressed with the children’s endeavour and progress. Well done, everyone! 

Well after nearly three months, Junior 2 were delighted to welcome Mahnoor home from her lockdown visit to Pakistan. All the children were so excited to welcome her at the steps on Thursday morning. Tired and excited, she came back from her 10-days isolation in a London hotel. Pupils made her cards and we had balloons to herald the return of our class mate - all of us delighted she was home safely. Mahnoor has worked tirelessly on SEESAW to keep up with lessons and it’s great to see her smiling face back in class.

Other excitement this week has been the transition day where children found out who their new classes and teachers would be and we welcomed some new pupils who are all ready for September. Very exciting. Happy Weekend everyone!

This week in Maths has seen everyone learning to recognise coins and notes and the values that each one is worth. This built up to adding up amounts and trying to work out which coins could be used if we went shopping.

In Science we continued to investigate seeds and an experiment was set up to see if seeds really do need sunlight to help them to grow, with the use of some fast-growing cress seeds. We have checked on our beans from last week and they are beginning to sprout, but we are yet to report back about which grows first; the root or the shoot?  Watch this space!

Compass directions was the theme for Geography this week, using them to determine which way we would travel in if we were going from one place in the UK to another. Naughty Elephants Squirt Water was our fun way to help us remember the directions on the compass.

It has been all systems go in Reception this week as we warmed up our vocal cords and were filmed singing a medley of songs for the Year 6 production of ‘Joseph’. Keep your eyes peeled for us in the upcoming film!

More fun was had as we practised our tennis skills in Games – we are getting pretty good at using a tennis racquet now!

We have been busy writing about the seaside, and also looking at differences between seaside holidays nowadays and in the past. Some of the bathing costumes made us laugh because they are so different! Our week ended with another lovely Mandarin lesson – Mrs Huang is so pleased with our accents!

Kate Knudsen receives a Full Da Vinci for a consistently high standard of work throughout the year. Kate has shown commitment, understanding and knowledge through oral and written work. She takes care with handwriting, illustrations and layout. Well done.

A big thank you to Junior 3 this week for their help with leading the Monday mission assembly. In the assembly the pupils encourage us to reflect on the ‘Gift of Time’. During Lockdown we all found that we had more time for some things and less time for others. In the assembly the pupils use the Bible reading, from Ecclesiastes – ‘A Time for Everything’.

Please find information below:

Childrens Liturgy

Activity Sheet

Please click on the link below for this week's weekly mission;

Weekly Mission

It was Happy Holidays in Lego Club this week as we took a trip to the sandy beach to surf and play with exotic sea animals in the bright blue sea whilst palm trees stood tall waving in the gentle breeze…bliss.  Bringing the sea to life we used awesome blue tissue paper to create the ripples and waves whilst we conquered the torrent of froth with our surfboards, reaching the dizzy heights of a true surfer catching each and every wave as it gushed to the shoreline.  Bo the Seal and Shelley the Turtle were both in their absolute element as they made friends with a dolphin, before having a well-earned ice cream on the beach house roof terrace overlooking a rather full vegetable garden, before embarking on another splash in the crystal sparkling blue ocean.  Roll on summer!

This week has been crammed full of exciting events.  We started on Monday with our ‘Greatest Sport’s Day Ever!’  Wednesday saw many of our pre-school children finding out about their Reception classes for next year and meeting their new teachers, and then Thursday was our pre-school Graduation celebration.  We are so sorry that you were unable to join us for these celebrations, however we would like to thank Helen from Princethorpe, who took the most amazing photos for us to share with you all.  I do hope you’ve had chance to look at them with your child, they certainly made us all smile here in nursery. 

We will miss our ‘not so little’ one’s as they move into school, but look forward to spotting them in September, all smart in their new uniforms, ready to take on a new adventure!  Our little ones will also be moving and shaking, with Hedgehogs becoming Badgers, and Dormice moving up too. The children have coped so well with such a busy week, we are proud of them all. 

Hopefully you can all have a well deserved rest this weekend, maybe with a little sunshine too! 

Newsletter

KEEP CALM ….to celebrate the end of the school year the PTA are ending Trinity Term, with a celebration disco and non-school uniform day. The disco is being held in school, safely within the children’s bubbles.  

Please can we ask for £1 to be taken into school as a donation towards the PTA.

Thank you for all for your support this year and have a wonderful Summer!

Stay safe. Crackley Hall PTA.

Welcome to Crackley Hall PTA's raffle page. We're excited to join The Big PTA Summer Raffle 2021, this has been a really tough year for everyone and this is an opportunity to have some fun and raise money for our school.

For every ticket you will have 12 chances to win up to £5,000! At the same time we will raise 50% from every ticket sold supporting our PTA. It's a fantastic way to bring Parents, Carers, Teachers and the wider community together, in partnership with our PTA, and at the same time give something back. We hope to raise funds that can support and enrich the education of our children - we aim to provide extra resources for the children, improve the school environment as well as run extracurricular activities such as music, art and sport.

https://www.bigptaraffle.co.uk/support/crackley-hall-pta-cv8

Your support is greatly appreciated and we wish you good luck!

Dust off the dresses, shine those shoes and un-crease those coats.  As always, thank you, to our wonderful second hand uniform team, Nikki, Linda and Katie, for being ever patient and serving our wonderful school community with much needed preloved uniform.

Please feel to contact them on ptauniform@crackleyhall.co.uk to arrange an appointment, or to simply check stock availability.

To offer this service, we rely on wonderful donations from you. So if you have any good quality uniform your child has outgrown, please use the collection box in the school front entrance.  It will then be quarantined for 72 hours before offering for sale.

All money raised from the PTA Uniform shop is spent on extras for your children throughout the year at school and helps the children’s day become even more special!

Parents, please ensure that all items of school uniform and sports kits are named.

Could you please regularly check all uniform and sports kits at home – if it does not belong to your child, please return it to the School Office as soon as possible.

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We are recruiting for a variety of roles currently, as you will see below, so please do share with friends and family by word of mouth.

Further information and application forms on all roles are available on our website - Join Us

• Summer Estates Assistants - Princethorpe College
• Estates Assistant (Lates) - Princethorpe College
• Graduate Sports Coach - Princethorpe College