'We must restore hope to young people, help the old, be open to the future, spread love. Be poor among the poor. We need to include the excluded and preach peace.'

Pope Francis

Preview

Headmaster's Message

Headmaster's Welcome

Dear Parents

The saying ‘time flies when you are having fun’ certainly seems to be appropriate this term as time seems ‘to have flown by’ and, hopefully, everyone at school has had a little ‘fun’ this week.

This is the last full Chronicle this term as we break for Easter at the end of the school day next Wednesday; an abridged version of the Chronicle will be circulated on Wednesday.  Some children will return to school on Thursday and from Tuesday the following week to spend time in the holiday club and I look forward to joining in the fun and games during that time.

This week started with the St Joseph’s Day Mass and I was grateful that Father Kevin could lead the service and also assist with the opening of our St Joseph’s Prayer Garden.  The prayer garden has been in the planning for some time and is an area now available to staff and children for when they feel they would like time to visit a quiet area to pray or simply have some contemplation time.  There are two benches located in the garden which have been dedicated to Mr Ryan, former Headmaster of Crackley Hall and Mrs Astle, parent helper and mother of Sam who was a J6 pupil last year.  In addition to the benches, a display box has been made to contain the stones decorated by children for the Blessing of the Stones service and this collection will grow over the years.  My thanks to those involved in helping arrange this small and personal service.  I hope that the prayer garden will bring comfort and peace to all those who use it.

On Monday afternoon, the School Quiz was re-introduced and children across the school enjoyed taking part with Jupiter winning, followed by Venus, Mars and Saturn.  Thank you to Mrs Hardwick for co-ordinating the arrangements and to Mr Sansum for supplying all children with a cake which was thoroughly appreciated by all.

I was delighted by the support of our Junior 3 and Junior 6 families on Tuesday evening as we witnessed another performing arts extravaganza – our Easter production, The Tale of 3 Trees.  I am sure that those who attended enjoyed the performances and were left most impressed with the high standard of acting and singing. It was particularly wonderful to see and hear some children who had not yet sung solo on stage.  Mrs Wildey, Mrs Olden and Miss Kefalas work tirelessly to help prepare the children for such events and I know that the children also work hard to learn their part – thank you to them and to all our teachers. 

It was a busy morning in the Hall on Wednesday when our Stay 'n' Play visitors were able to join in an Easter Crafts morning.  As you will see from photographs later in this issue, parents and the little ones had a wonderful time.

As mentioned in a letter to you earlier this week, I delivered a ‘lock down’ assembly on Tuesday and arranged for a whole-school drill on Thursday morning.  The first drill was a very worthwhile exercise and children responded well.  My thanks to Mr Hardwick and Mr Rawson with their assistance in this important exercise in addition to all the teachers responding so quickly to ensure that children were not panicked or frightened.

We have enjoyed some good sporting achievements over the past week and I would encourage you to read the various match reports – many thanks to Mrs Vaughan and our super games staff for all the extra hours that they devote for the benefit of our children.

Well done to everyone who received an award of any sport at this morning’s Celebration Assembly.  Special congratulations to all our stars of the week and the recipients of the da Vinci certificates.  A lot of hard work goes into most moments of success or achievement.  Well done and thank you to Reception, Giorgio and Eva who entertained us so magnificently at assembly – they were all absolutely superb!  I look forward to seeing the results of our recent music examinations as well – a few more pupils will be taking their exams next week.

We invited an RE inspector/advisor into school on Wednesday to visit classes, speak to various people in our community and to feed back of what we do well and where we could improve with respect to our RE, spiritual and religious life of the school.  He had many complimentary things to say and was able to offer some very good advice for making some improvements in certain areas.  He was overwhelmingly glowing in his praise for our polite and well-behaved children and the enthusiasm of our staff – I couldn’t have asked for better compliments – well done to our staff and pupils!

I hope that you are all able to enjoy a happy and relaxing weekend with your families.

God bless,

Robert Duigan

Important Information

Stay Safe - J1 Children and Above Must Be Signed In

All parents (including staff) who have children in J1 classes and above are reminded that their child should be signed in at Early Birds and After Care (when required) at the start and end of each day.

Should the occasion rise, for example a fire drill, these registers are used to ascertain where your child is on the school site. For this reason, it is extremely important that children are signed in, so staff can keep them safe. Thank you for your assistance in this matter. 

PTA Second Hand Uniform Shop

We know that the Second Hand Uniform Shop is a valued resource for school parents. The volunteer parents who run it are, however, spending a lot of admin time labelling and reimbursing parents where they ask for money back on items (some 400 items of clothing have been processed since September!). Often cheques are written for a few pounds, and sometimes never cashed.

To alleviate this admin time, we have decided to only accept donated uniform from after Easter.  All proceeds will then go to the PTA, and ultimately, back to your children.

If any parents are unhappy with this, then they may collect their items during Trinity Term. We will assume that any uncollected items are donated and all proceeds will go to the PTA.

Many thanks for your support. 

Crackley Hall PTA 

 

News

Stars Of The Week

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

Reception G Rory Thomas
J1G William Verity 
J1W Lion Choi
J2M Marley Hardwick 
J2H Elle Weir
J3V Jasper Nicholls 
J4H Lily Carroll
J4J Lucas Summers 
J5G Francesca Kelly 
J5R Amisha Modi
J5V Carys Warrener 
J6H Oliver Hutton
J6L Harkirit Jandu

The Tale Of 3 Trees Triumphs At Crackley’s Lenten Service

Crackley’s Junior 3 and Junior 6 pupils took to the stage on Tuesday 20 March and gave a fantastic performance of Ann Beresford’s The Tale of 3 Trees as part of this year’s Lenten Service.

The Tale of 3 Trees follows three little trees growing up on a mountain top who have big dreams of what they want to become, but one by one those hopes are dashed as they are chopped down and turned into seemingly insignificant things. However, as the story revealed, God had an amazing plan for each tree – a plan that went beyond any of their wildest dreams as they find themselves at the heart of the story of Jesus.

Our Junior 6 children carried the narrative of the story with great passion and it was lovely to see our Junior 3 children bringing the mini-musical to life with their energetic signing as part of the chorus.

Concluding the service, Mr Duigan congratulated all on their brilliant performances, remarking how wonderful it was to see so many of our Junior 3 pupils take on such prominent roles and trusted that the messages of hope and encouragement which underpinned the performance would be thought on over the Easter break.

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Jupiter Triumph In Inter-House Quiz

There could only be one winner, and this year Jupiter transferred their prowess on the sports field to the classroom to run out victors in 2018's hotly contested inter-house quiz.

Age appropriate questions were pitched to Crackley's finest by ace quiz masters Mrs Clarke, Mrs Hardwick and Mr Lamprecht. There were sections reflecting our diverse curriculum as well sections on general knowledge.  No stone was left unturned in weeding out the challengers from the pretenders.

Well done to everyone who took part and congratulations to the winners.

And remember next year it could be you!  

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Crackley’s Got Talent - Time to Think Up That Act!

Back by popular demand at this year’s Family Fun Day (held on Saturday 12 May), the annual Crackley’s Got Talent show is an opportunity for anyone in the school community to show off their wonderful entertaining talents. 

In previous years the bill has been diverse as jugglers, rock guitarists, gymnasts, mermaids, comedians and magicians – so we’re looking to create a rich smorgasbord of talent coming together to entertain the crowds at this year’s main Trinity Term event.

Entry forms will be available shortly and lunchtime rehearsal times will be organised during the weeks leading up to the event.

The Easter holidays provide an ideal opportunity to put an act together and practise – it’s always lovely when children group together and create something between themselves and particularly wonderful to see whole classes perform at the Talent Show. 

So, it's time for our children to get their thinking caps on, get the creative juices flowing and get ready to wow the hugely supportive audience. Don't forget Crackley - it’s your time to shine!

 

Events

Easter Holiday Club - Online Bookings

Thursday 29 March and Tuesday 3 to Friday 6 April 2018

We are now taking electronic bookings for the Easter Holiday Club. If you would like book your child on to the club, please follow the link below which will take you through to the Princethorpe Foundation Parent's Evening Booking System. If you complete the information as requested, this will take you through to the Easter Holiday Club information.  

https://princethorpecollege.parentseveningsystem.co.uk/

 

Tennis Camp in Easter Holidays

There is a tennis camp being held at Kenilworth Tennis Club from Tuesday 3 to Friday 6 April 2018 and Monday  9 to Friday 13 April 2018.

Please click here for more information.

Anyone For Cricket? Kenilworth Cricket Club Wants You!

Kenilworth Cricket Club is looking to recruit new players (both girls and boys) for the 2018 season.

Interested pupils are welcome to sign up for a free taster coaching session on Tuesday 10 April - no experience of cricket is needed. For further information, please view this flyer.

 

Grandparents Cream Tea - One Lump Or Two?

Tuesday 24 April - 1.30pm to 3.00pm

On Tuesday 24 April, Crackley Hall will be hosting a very special Cream Tea event in the school hall for grandparents of children in school, retired and housebound parishioners.

If this event is of interest, please contact the school office via email: receptionist@crackleyhall.co.uk or telephone 01926 514444 with your details.

Awards and Celebrations

A photographic 'walk-through' the week's events.

Please click on View Gallery to scroll through a few photos from this week's events. 

View Gallery

Spiritual

J3 Pupils Receive Sacrament of Reconciliation

Junior 3 pupils Sam, Thomas, Harry and Francesca received the Sacrament of Reconciliation this week, with all of Junior 3 there to offer their support to the Holy Communicants.

At the end of the service balloons were released outside the church to offer up 'sorry' prayers and prayers of forgiveness. This was a beautiful occasion, where even the sun came out to make a brief appearance.

 

Feast Of St Joseph Celebrated By The Crackley Community

On Monday 19 March, Father Kevin led a special Mass with pupils from J4, J5 and J6 to celebrate the Feast of St Joseph, Crackley's patron saint. Parents and visitors also joined us on this special day to commemorate the life of the school.

In our bidding prayers read by Martha Summers, Megan Shipton and Kaena Wasley we prayed for all those people who have helped build and develop our school: pupils, parents, teachers, headteachers, governors and the wider community. We also prayed for and remembered those who are no longer with us - Paul Ryan, Crackley’s Headmaster from 2007 - 2011 and also Suzanne Astle, mum to Sam and Will.

Our extended thanks go to Father Kevin for presiding over the blessing and opening of the St Joseph’s Prayer Garden later in the morning. Bobby Kelly, who is from J6H, had the honour of unveiling the prayer stones within the garden which have been painted and blessed over the last few years by pupils as they joined our school. Each stone symbolises how each child helps to make the school what it is and that they become the foundation of our ethos – to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and celebrate his message.

Intended as a place for prayer and reflection this special location within Crackley's confines has also become a site for the expression of our community's continued remembrance and thanks to those dear to us.

Like St Patrick, whose feast it was earlier in the week, St Joseph was chosen by God to use his talents to help look after, guide and protect. In St Joseph we see his unwavering trust and faith in God.

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Sport

U8 and U9 Girls Cross Country Competition at Warwick Preparatory School

Last Friday 16 March on a sunny morning at Warwick School, we took our U8 and U9 Girls teams to compete in an inter-schools cross country relay race.

The girls ran their socks off and showed huge effort and determination against some very strong, large schools. The ground in places was like running through shallow lakes and other parts muddy enough for some of our girls to come back literally coated in mud!

Our U9s came a well-earnt 4th place against 9 other schools, and our U8s fought their way to 3rd place against 7 other schools.

Mrs Vaughan who trains the cross country teams said, “I’m so proud of the girls. They represented the school superbly finishing ahead of some of our local competition and showed true Crackley grit, determination and passion to do the best they can.”

 

U9 Rugby Festival at Warwick School

U9 'A'

West House v Crackley 3 - 3 (draw)

Spratton Hall v Crackley 3 - 2 (loss)

Solihull v Crackley 6 -3 (loss)

Warwick v Crackley 5 - 4 (loss)

Players of the Match - Harvey Hollier & Zac Rose

 

U9 'B'

Warwick Red v Crackley 5 - 0 (loss)

Warwick Blue v Crackley 4 - 4 (loss)

Solihull v Crackely 3 - 2 (loss)

West House v Crackley 9 - 2 (loss)

Player of the Match - Aaron Cooper

U11 and U10 Girls Netball v Bilton Grange

U11 'A' Netball vs Bilton Grange 1- 15 (loss)

Players of the Match - Abigail Gillard and Emily Hennegan

U11 'B' Netball vs Bilton Grange 0 - 7 (loss)

Players of the Match - Megan Shipton and Eva Lenton

 

U10 'A' Netball v Bilton Grange 1 - 13 (loss)

Player of the Match - Hannah Wildey

U10 'B' Netball v Bilton Grange 5 - 21 (loss)

Player of the Match - Cecilia Holdgate

 

Clubs

Extra - Curricular Clubs - Trinity Term

Please find enclosed forms for externally provided clubs below:

Irish Dancing

Chess Club

Cancellations

All after-school clubs next Wednesday 28 March are cancelled, apart from those run by an external provider that parents have paid for, as it is the last day of term.

Unfortunately there will be no Lego club next week as the Bird's Nest will be used for exams.

Little Crackers

Nursery News

After last weekend’s little flurry of snow and blast of cold air, it has again started to feel a little bit like Spring this week, especially for Miss Katie and Miss Lisa who were lucky enough to go and visit another nursery. 

It is always good to share ideas and we were really excited to see how one nursery is run totally outside – all year round! In good Early Years style we all sat on wooden logs for the training, amongst the daffodils and luckily in the sunshine, before having a game of hide and seek in the woods! Obviously this setting demonstrated quite an extreme use of the outside learning area, and not one that we could fully introduce here at Little Crackers, but we came away with lots of great ideas to continue developing our outdoor provision. 

After Easter we will begin spending more time outside, preparing the ground for gardening activities and obviously disturbing a few worms! Many of you will be away on holiday over the next few days and weeks, while some of you stay to have Easter fun with us; please make sure you check your relevant dates in the newsletter

 

Stay 'n' Players Get Easter Crafty

The Gables was a whirl of glitter, icing and sprinkles last Wednesday 21 March, as Crackley's youngest tucked into a feast of all things crafty.

Miss Gail and Miss Mary welcomed the Stay 'n' Play families to a morning of Easter Crafts; tiny eager fingers enjoyed decorating ginger bisuits, eggs, chicks and lambs. Parents, carers and grandparents all got stuck in, some following their charges around the different activities more than once!

Everyone had an 'eggcellent' time and the event as always was a great success.

The next special event at Stay 'n' Play will be on Wednesday 25 April, when 'Little Signers' visit.

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PTA

Non Uniform Day

Friday 11 May 2018

There will be a non uniform day for all Crackley Hall pupils on Friday 11 May 2018. In return, all children in Nursery, Reception, J1 and J2 are kindly asked to donate a box of chocolates or sweets and all children in J3, J4, J5 and J6 to donate a bottle ahead of our Family Fun Day on Saturday 12 May.

We are also requesting any unwanted books that you have for our second hand book stall and new unused gifts for a separate stall. Both books and gifts can be left in the boxes in the foyer from Monday 8 May.

Many thanks for your continued support. 

Crackley Hall PTA 

 

Family Fun Day - Tickets On Sale Now!

Saturday 12 May - 1.00pm - 4.30pm

Tickets for this year's Family Fun Day can be purchased by clicking on this link. Please do look out for the flyer and posters that will tell you all about the event (including activities, stalls and Crackley's Got Talent!) that will make the day a firm favourite in everyone's calendar.

As usual, entry can only be made with tickets purchased in advance so that our lovely PTA can plan catering numbers accordingly for the BBQ. Early bird tickets are on sale until noon on Tuesday 8 May priced at £5 per adult and £3 per child. After which time, standard price tickets are available until Friday 11 May at 7.00pm priced at £7.50 per adult and £5 per child.

We are able to accommodate a few external stalls so if anyone is interested please email Gill Blenkinsop. We are also always on the look out for extra helpers, so if you can help on the day or in anyway beforehand and haven’t yet let us know then please do - thank you! 

Crackley Hall PTA 

Housekeeping

House Point Competition

Another fun-filled week in our House Point Competition - the scores on the doors are listed below: 

1st - Jupiter (225 House Points)

2nd - Mars (191 House Points)

3rd - Saturn (189 House Points)

4th - Venus (185 House Points)

Lost Property

Lost

Oliver Ferguson J3 has lost his black sports glasses in black (named) case with karabiner (glasses look like small ski goggles)

Harry Turvey J3 has lost his football boots and named coat (last Thursday)

India Ferguson J5 has lost her named skort (missing 2 weeks)

Jamie Philips J6 has lost his named school coat (3-4 weeks ago)

Benedek Kordas J6 has lost his named winter coat

Sebastian Owen J5 has lost his black rectangular glasses