The Chronicle

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

Well done to all!

Picture the scene... It is 1666 and London is a thriving capital city. Narrow streets of closely built timber frame buildings tower over you as you walk within the city's walls. Surely, life after a recent bubonic plague outbreak can only get better? Then, the faint whiff of burning that filled your nose quickly transforms in to a raging fireball of thick acrid smoke and red hot sparks. For London is alight! A fire that respects no boundaries has left its darkened birth at a bakery on Pudding Lane and is on the march, consuming everything in its path.

Thanks to History Off the Page, this was the scene that the J2H and J2M apprentices discovered on Tuesday 30 January. Fresh from learning skills common for workers of the era, our keen firefighters had to try and stop the devastation. Pupils turned rat catchers, leather workers, chandlers, metal workers and seamstresses formed fire lines to move buckets of water to the raging inferno... and all before lunch!

In the afternoon, our children faced their next challenge and set about excavating what was left of the charred city. They became central to the process of rebuilding, piecing together singed legal documents and returning personal belongings.

A beaming Mrs Hardwick summed up the day, "This was a most excellent and informative day, where the past was brought to life through a living history. Well done, one and all." 

Wednesday 30 January saw our Girls’ and Boys’ Under 10 and Under 12 Cross Country teams travel to Bedstone College, Shropshire to compete in the ISA Midlands Cross Country Championships.  Crackley Hall has a tradition of success at this event and took 40 children all keen to make their mark.

The course was tricky with challenging steep hills and freezing streams to contend with and recent rain and snow made for muddy cold conditions for all.

PE Teacher, Kat Vaughan commented, “I have been taking children to Bedstone for the last seven years and this was the muddiest I have ever seen it!  The children couldn’t place a foot without sliding and then it started snowing while we were there so the children were running with snow in their faces!  Conditions were very cold and tiring.”

Inspite of the harsh conditions, three children qualified for the National Championships and one was just pipped at the post into 11th place.  Oliver Camargo-Jones (finished in 6th place) and Iman Khan (9th) so both boys qualify for the U10 Nationals and Oliver Farquharson (finished in 5th place) and qualifies for the U12 Nationals.  Hannah Wildey (finished 11th) ran well and just missed qualification.

Mrs Vaughan, continued, “The children ran well with many finishing near the front of the pack across both age categories.  Great results and the children all had a fantastic day out.”

U10 Girls: Louisa Cooper, Emily Hutton, Kiran Dhillon, Constanza Alvarez Lujan, Isabel Reddish, Rosie Moreton, Nancy Volpe, Francesca Voisey, Emily Currie and Scarlett Hammond

U10 Boys: Oliver Camargo-Jones, Iman Khan, Soren Wasley, Conor Horan, Fintan McGrory, Aaron Cooper, Alfie Blenkinsop, Henry Fox, Thomas Zanyi and Sebastian Lloyd-Evans

U12 Girls: Hannah Wildey, Kaena Wasley, Amisha Modi, Eva Plevin, Alice Minshull, Isabella Osborne, Sofia Mehta, Abigail Gillard, Maddie Lambeth and Francesca Kelly

U12 Boys: Oliver Farquharson, Jamie Phillips, Seamus Meakins-Owens, Benedek Kordas, Toby Lucas, Sam James, Oscar Glover, Freddie Knott, Charlie Wilcox and Giorgio Kleinmann

On Friday 26 January pupils from Junior 4 and Junior 5 joined 6,700 other children to sing their hearts out at Young Voices, one of the largest children’s choir concerts in the world.  For everyone it was an unforgettable afternoon and evening, a fabulous spectacle, a celebration of all sorts of music, an experience that will stay with them for a lifetime.

The event took place at the Birmingham Genting Arena and, following a full afternoon’s rehearsal under the inspirational conductorship of David Lawrence, thousands of school children from across the Midlands were ready to perform, to amaze the audience and to have the time of their lives.

Crackley Hall has been attending Young Voices for many of its 20 years; a testament in itself to the quality of the event.  

Director of Music, Mrs Susan Olden, described the occasion, “There is nothing like hearing and watching so many young people singing together. The atmosphere is extraordinary. This event provides incredible inspiration for every child no matter what their musical background is.  It gives them memories that will stay with them forever.  The repertoire ranged from classical pieces, through catchy television themes and on to modern day pop medleys. Songs such as ‘Why we sing’ say it all.  It is an awe-inspiring experience for everyone.”

Performing this year were jazz artist, Natalie Williams, a cappella talent, The M4GNETS and an incredible 16-year-old acoustic guitarist, Alfie Sheard.

For the pupils one of the standout moments was the nineties dance medley.  The dance troupe Urban Strides got the whole arena on their feet and participating in the routines – parents and pupils alike.

The event was an amazing experience that more than fulfilled all our expectations. We can’t wait till next year!

Crackley Hall School is the proud owner of a brand new gazebo thanks to the generosity of parents and local businesses. 

Donated by parents Matthew Perkins and Lisa Oakes and MODUS Advanced Dental Clinic, the gazebo will be a valuable resource for the school.  It will regularly be used at sporting events to provide shelter and shade for the children, similarly it will support outdoor learning especially in the summer and the PTA will be able to use the gazebo at their fund-raising events.

The gazebo has the school’s name smartly emblazoned on it which was kindly paid for by the parents of Penny and Rory Thomas.  

Deputy Head, Duncan Cottrill said, “We are delighted with the donation of a new gazebo for our school. It is a fantastic practical resource and the children are already excited about using it.”

The second season of Lego Masters is currently recruiting for new teams of Lego modelling enthusiasts to compete in challenges such as building a full roast dinner with all the trimmings, or a whole model funfair from Lego bricks. 

Mrs. Hill, in charge of Crackley Hall's own lunchtime Lego Club, heard about the auditions process and suggested it to our own Lego Masters. Toby Lucas (J5) and William Spashett (J5), veteran Lego builders, seized the opportunity and decided to enter. While the application required nothing more than an email to the right person, Toby and William took it upon themselves to weight the odds in their favour. They devised a plan to build a model showcasing their Lego building ability which could be sent along with the application. Much discussion followed to determine the model which best displayed their talents and they settled upon a Mobile Police Command Centre tractor and trailer unit which would include a dedicated holding cell, roller shutter door, computer terminal, and of course a coffee machine. 

The model was duly built, and with the assistance of William's family, a detailed email was written expressing the boys' love of Lego and the particulars of the Mobile Police Command Centre, and the application was sent. Toby and William are now waiting with bated breath to find out what the next stage of the process will be. 

William's Father added, "I am proud to see Toby and William taking the initiative to compete in this national competition and pleased that Mrs. Hill and Crackley Hall have been able to introduce the idea to them. I wish them the very best of luck!" We wish the boys all the best with their mission and look forward to seeing the fruits of their future labours!

This morning in Celebration Assembly pupils Eva Plevin and Dari Kotlarsky of J6L previewed the launch of a new pupil newsletter entitled 'The Crackley Classic'.

The newsletter is to be produced by J6 pupils, Hattie Underhill, Abi Gillard, Jethro Wilkinson and Ben Rose under the skilful guidance of Miss Rod. Aimed at both Key Stage 1 and 2, the newsletter will be the 'go to' place for news, information and insight as to what's going on in school and around the world. There will be many exciting activities, including word searches, crosswords and much more. The newsletter will also have an advice column (which will be monitored by Miss Rod), so do look out for the advice box located in school as our budding reporters will endeavour to answer questions in the first issue.

Keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks, as you'll probably spot The Classic's eager reporters with notebook and pencil in hand. The first issue will be released free of charge on Tuesday 13 February and can be obtained from the newsletter stand from underneath The Gables canopy. The subsequent fortnightly issues of The Crackley Classic will be paid for and cost just 50p - £1 (depending on page numbers), with the money raised split between two different charities. 

Well done all - what a lovely idea!