The Chronicle

Dear Parents

The weather has been quite blustery this week but fortunately this has not affected our fixtures nor the children’s break times.  Whilst the trees surrounding school are shedding their leaves, the colours are particularly beautiful at the moment.  Mr Hunt, our Groundsman, is busy keeping the grounds neat and safe by tidying the leaves almost as quickly as they fall. 

Unfortunately, this time of year brings its own challenges with stomach bugs, coughs and colds and the school office has frequent visits from children.  I would like to remind parents that if your son or daughter has experienced sickness or diarrhoea, they must not return to school until 48 hours after the last episode.  If you would like your child to receive medication whilst at school, please speak to the office staff who will provide you with a medication form to record dosage and storage details; this includes Calpol or other paracetamol products.  Medications must not be brought in or taken home by students. Please also be vigilant for the known Covid symptoms, particularly a raised temperature, in an attempt to manage this virus as well as possible. 

We hosted a choral day on Tuesday this week where we welcomed pupils from Crescent School to participate in a fun and successful day.  The children worked wonderfully together and performed to parents at the end of the day.  I am sorry that I was unable to be present for the performance but have received some really positive feedback. Please read more about this musical day later in the Chronicle and watch the enthusiastic performance of Money, Money, Money.  My thanks to Mrs Olden and Mrs Barnes, from Crescent School, for working together to make this a wonderful occasion.  We hope to visit Crescent School in Lent term to perform a similar concert. 

It was wonderful to welcome some parents to our Celebration Assembly this morning, where I presented Star of the Week awards to: Ava, Otto, Tazio, Reuven, May, Charlie, Alfie, Jess, Diya, Charlotte, Beatrice P, Harry, Beatrice W and Rosie.  Congratulations to you all on your super efforts this week. Mars House were this week’s winning house – well done to everyone. Our Chamber Choir delivered a superbly polished performance at assembly – I was certainly a very proud Headmaster. They work so hard and perform and are able to perform to a very high standard. Congratulations also to our Da Vinci recipients. 

Following our Celebration Assembly this morning, children and staff gathered for a Remembrance Service in the Hall.  It is most important that we remember those who lost their lives during wars throughout the world.  At the same time, we encourage everyone to pray for peace in our troubled world. After the poignant service, I invited Theo, in Junior 6, to play the Last Post which he did magnificently.  The children were most respectful throughout the service and Junior 6 stewards have been proud to sell the poppies on behalf of the Royal British Legion throughout the week.  The charity collection will be returned to the organisers next week and we will hopefully be informed of the amount raised in due course. 

The PTA have been busy behind the scenes recently organising the Christmas Fair, which will take place on Saturday 3 November, the Crackley Hall Cook Book, the 200 Club and also planning more events for 2023.  The next PTA meeting will take place at school on 16 November at 7.00pm and new faces will be more than welcome to join. 

Next week we will be recognising Anti-bullying Week beginning, with Odd Sock Day on Monday.  I look forward to seeing plenty of odd socks in school as we acknowledge that everyone is unique and that we respect and celebrate individuality.

Mrs Vaughan will be accompanying the U11A girls’ hockey team to the Lee Valley Stadium in London on Wednesday where they will take place in the ISA national hockey tournament.  I know this will be an exceptionally early start for the team but it is a wonderful experience and I am sure that Mrs Vaughan will update me throughout the day on the team’s progress.  Congratulations to our U11A football team for securing bronze medals at the ISA Midlands 5-a-side tournament. They shone amongst the 24 teams and will now represent the Midlands at the national tournament next term.

There were some interesting rugby results last weekend and many of us will be looking forward to this weekend’s Autumn Internationals. Well done to England on making it through to the T20 World Cup Final against Pakistan. This is a very difficult match to call.  The FIFA World Cup is just around the corner and promises some more good sport viewing.

I wish you all a very happy and relaxing weekend with your families.

God bless,

Rob Duigan