The Chronicle

Our Stars of the Week this week so far are:

The stars for J1W and J2H will be confirmed next week and we will be sure to include a photo of all of this week's winners in the next edition of The Chronicle.

Well done to all!

Crackley Hall’s KS1 Performing Arts Concert on Wednesday 28 February had The Gables Hall bursting at the seams as parents, families and friends gathered excitedly to enjoy a celebration of the talent of some of our youngest pupils.  The afternoon’s concert featured music, poetry, song and dance, testament to the range and talents of these young performers.

Parents were welcomed by Deputy Head Duncan Cottrill, Music Captain Chen Chen Pan and Performing Arts Captain Emily Hennegan.

J1’s Violin Ensemble opened the proceedings with a small selection of their repertoire.  The audience then enjoyed a sparky rendition of ‘The Hokey Cokey’ by the J2 Violins, a scary portrayal of ’A Lion’ by Junior 2’s Rhomun Jaswal, a cheerful performance of ‘Happiness’ by Mrs Pavett’s singing group and a finger perfect piano solo ‘Keel Row’ by Nikhil Modi, also from Junior 2.   Performances that were all delightful, and raised smiles and applause in equal measure.

The concert continued with a toe-tapping, accomplished performance of ‘Mary had a little lamb’ by the Mini Brass group, followed by P Buzz with the ‘Hot Cross Stomp’ on instruments that were clearly as much fun to play as they were a surprise to hear! Elle Weir, Junior 2, gave an enthusiastic performance of ‘This Tooth’ and Mollie Lucas, Junior 1, was quite outstanding with her violin solo, ‘Long, Long, Ago’. Then it was time for Junior 2s, Yiyang Pan and George Moreton, to get the audience bopping along to their rendition of ‘The Bare Necessities’ and for Junior 1, Isabella Olden to play her piano solo ‘Shortnin’ Bread Boogie’ with considerable maturity.

Junior 1 continued the concert with a stirring rendition of the poem ‘Mary and Sarah’, then Yiyang Pan played a piano solo ‘Asian Tiger’.  Junior 1 recorders delighted with ‘At The Ballet’, Junior 2, Elsie Roots recited ‘On The Beach’ and then Junior 2 Oliver Moore took to the stage for a skilled demonstration of Irish Dancing.  Mrs Goode’s singing group cheekily brought the afternoon to a happy close with a fun delivery of ‘The Perfect Nanny’.

Our enormous thanks and congratulations go to all our accomplished performers who took to the stage in front of their proud parents, and of course to their teachers who have helped them achieve so much.

A flurry of book characters skipped their way to school on Thursday morning to celebrate World Book Day. Now an annual literary homage, all pupils and staff were invited to come to school dressed as their favourite book character.

Characters from Harry Potter, Where's Wally, the Broccoli Boy and even Chewbacca filled the classrooms and corridors.  The teachers were resplendent in their own costumes, with a tiger and troll garb topping the bill, and your Chronicle editor types this report whilst sporting an outfit made famous by 'Toad' from 'The Wind In The Willows'. 

Certainly, the joys of reading and the pleasue from sharing a book are not lost on our Crackley cohort. As Mrs Horan said in her most captivating World Book Day assembly, just ten minutes a day spent in the company of a book can foster sharing, friendships and a joyful imagination.  

Our heartfelt thanks are extended to Mrs Horan for arranging such spectacular and special day.  The wait until next year's event is almost unbearable!

On Monday 26 February, Mr. Young, who is an expert in the management of rail networks and father to Freddie, was kind enough to present an informative seminar on how he uses science to keep the country on track. Resplendent in high visibility safety gear Mr. Young's experience and enthusiasm brought the tricky subject of forces, friction and magnetism to life. 

A thorough instruction on all things rail followed, including; how trains work, how tracks are laid and all the various jobs people do to maintain the railway. Then our budding rail engineers were faced with their own sticky problem of slippery rail tracks caused by falling leaves, an event which makes the train's wheels spin too fast. Happily, with Mr. Young's guidance the problem was solved by using sand to create more friction on the tracks.

Having the benefit of Mr. Young's experience, his science demonstrations and real life solutions was both educational and entertaining. The seminar was great fun and now Junior 3 understand how our science learning is applied in everyday situations.

This week the good folk of Warwick University's UNICEF Department called into Junior 6 to raise awareness of issues relating to gender across the world. This thought-provoking presentation and workshop sought to make our pupils reflect on the life experiences of others around the world.

Firstly, the children were asked to write down the type of work they would like to do when they are older and record this on a piece of pink or blue coloured paper. Secondly, they were asked to consider the job they had written down and the colour of the paper they had chosen - did this reveal anything about the choices that they were free to make? For example, boys using pink paper and girls wanting to be a firefighter might have no meaning here, but in many parts of the world stereotyping and prejudice persists often to the detriment of all. 

Mrs Horan summed up the empathetic feeling that spread across both classes, "This was a most interesting and informative presentation that made you realise how hugely important gender equality is and that we should all be free to follow our dreams and encourage others to pursue theirs." 

Now Crackley loves a challenge, so we know your preparations for two World Book Day competitions are no doubt well advanced. Key Stage 1 have to draw a garden that the tiger from 'There's a Tiger in the Garden' would live in and Key Stage 2 have to draw a new front cover for their favourite book complete with a new blurb or review on the reverse side of the paper.

Remember if you haven't started your entry there's still time this weekend to work your magic and hopefully scoop one of the prizes. Entries for both competitions should be handed in to Mrs Horan, Mrs Blythe or Kaena, Sylvie, Megan or Pippa of Junior 6 by the end of next Monday.

Good luck one and all!

You should have received a copy of The Pinnacle this week which showcases some of the exceptional work across the Foundation.

In the middle there is a pullout (The Minnacle) which focuses on some of the fantastic work from Crackley Hall School and Crescent School.

Enjoy a cup of tea, put your feet up and enjoy browsing through the excellent work our children do.