Headmaster's Message

Headmaster's Welcome

Dear Parents

Welcome to this week’s Chronicle and news of another busy week in school.

On Monday the whole school started activities as part of National Maths Week and has been expertly co-ordinated by Mrs van Zyl. This national initiative has provided young people exciting opportunities to focus on exciting mathematics exercises as well as engendering a positive image of mathematics.  You will be able to read more about the challenges, games and activities later in this edition.

Yesterday Mrs Vaughan and Mrs Horan accompanied our Under 11 girls’ hockey team to London to compete in the ISA National Hockey competition at the Lee Valley Stadium.  The team fared very well, winning their group and progressing to the playoffs.   Mrs Vaughan was also very proud of our team of 12 swimmers who attended the ISA Swimming Gala last week.  More details of the day are reported later in this edition but my congratulations are extended to Issy, Elora, Jenson, Esme, Charlie, Jack, Sebastian, Matilda, Leo and Elsie for finishing in podium places in their events.

Following the Princethorpe College entrance examination, Junior 6 have been enjoying an amended timetable organised by Mrs Horan and Mrs Vaughan.  I have been able to join the children for some of these activities and have been most impressed by the artistic Bake Off entries and the concentration during the heart dissection.

Thank you to the children who submitted a Christmas card for the CISC competition, entries have now been posted and will also be considered for our school Christmas card.  I will announce the winner in a future edition of the Chronicle.  Our PTA are busy planning a Christmas fayre for the children to enjoy in school so please keep a look out for more details about this.

Yesterday we held a poignant assembly to mark Remembrance Day.  Thankfully the weather held and pupils and staff gathered outside to observe the two-minute silence.  I would like to thank the School Council and Mrs Burley for co-ordinating the selling of poppies this week and Mr Luis for helping our Reception class understand more about why we wear poppies.  Thank you, also, to Isabella and Theo, Agnes and Merryn and Mrs Jackson-Mayne and Mr Luis for assisting in the memorial service yesterday.

I hope you were able to enjoy today’s assembly together with Arthur’s violin performance and the ISA football match report. Our Stars of the Week were: Jack, Bella, Ted, Xanthe, Remy, Alfie, Theo, Harrison, Elsie, Ivy, Penny, Jakob, Harry and Elle.  I also ‘presented’ an incredible 35 Junior da Vinci’s.  I am most proud of all of you for your super efforts - well done! 

There have been some changes to the arrangements for Advent which have been communicated this week.  Calendar changes can often be outside our control and whilst we try to seek alternative solutions, it may be inevitable that sports fixtures, trips or events need to be changed.  Unfortunately, we have recently received confirmation that we will not be able to continue with Junior 3 and 4 swimming lessons after January due to Abbey Fields Leisure Centre closing for a major refurbishment.  Although we cannot use the swimming pool during the rest of this academic year, we will endeavour to seek an alternative provision that will fit with the academic timetable or will arrange for extra sports sessions for Junior 3 and 4.

I hope to see as many of you as possible this evening at the Headmaster’s Quiz.  This is again being held online and worked exceptionally well last year.  My thanks are extended to the PTA, particularly Mr Card, who will be the host tonight.  There will be plenty of opportunity to win house points and I hope that the children will join in for the school round where I will quiz them on their knowledge of school.

We are sad to be bidding farewell to two members of staff at the end of the term. Madame Tatton, our French teacher who works part-time at Crackley Hall, is leaving for a full-time teaching post much closer to her home. She has made such a positive difference to our French at school, and I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to Madame Tatton for all that she has done for the pupils at Crackley Hall.  I am delighted to say that we have appointed Mrs Sarah Westerman to the post of part-time French teacher.  She is an experienced and very well qualified teacher, and we are very excited about her joining us in January.

Mrs Convey, one of our Reception teachers is also, very sadly, having to leave us in January. She has a long-standing association with the school, previously working as a teaching assistant and, a few years prior to that, attending St Joseph’s as a pupil.  I should like to extend my huge gratitude and appreciation for all that Mrs Convey has done, for her camaraderie and her total devotion to the school and pupils.  We are most fortunate to have appointed an outstanding, very warm and well-experienced teacher as our new Reception Teacher and I look forward to welcoming Mrs Milly Allen to Crackley Hall in January.  Mrs Allen has already met the pupils, begun her planning and comprehensive handover and will be hoping to meet her Reception class parents next week.

My best wishes will accompany Madame Tatton and Mrs Convey for the future.

I wish everyone a wonderful weekend and please don’t forget Odd Sock Day on Monday.  This will focus on anti-bullying.

 

God bless,

 

 

Mr Duigan