The Chronicle

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

Crackley Hall School will be adding an extra Reception class for pupils starting in September 2019 after seeing an increase in the demand for places at our popular Prep school.  The new Reception class will enable more children to benefit from the school’s specialist tailored approach, a wealth of opportunities and the chance to be stretched and challenged.

Applications for places in Reception in 2019 started early, with high levels of interest from parents with children at the school’s own nursery, Little Crackers, and other local nurseries.

Comments Headmaster, Rob Duigan, “We normally limit places in Reception to no more than 20 children each year, but this year with registrations well over that number we have decided to offer a second Reception class.”

Please do encourage family and friends interested in places in Reception or other Year Groups to come along to the next Open Morning, on Saturday 9 March from 10.30am – 12.30pm, to meet Mr Duigan, the staff and the children and to see what the school and its nursery has to offer.

Contact Jenny Vaughan, Admissions Secretary on 01926 514410 or by email admissions@crackleyhall.co.uk for more information. All are most welcome.

Crackley Hall is celebrating after its U11 Netball team qualified for the ISA National Netball Finals.

A combination of committed play, great passing and excellent teamwork saw them finish in 3rd place at the ISA Midlands’ Regional Tournament held on Tuesday 26 February at Malvern St James Girls’ School, Worcestershire.

With nine in Crackley’s pool, the team started a busy day with eight matches of eight minutes each. The girls made a solid start with a 2-1 win against Twycross, they then drew 1-1 against Stafford Prep and Malvern St James, before St Edwards delivered the team their only first round defeat 1-2. The girls stayed focused and committed and were rewarded with good wins against Mylnhurst 3-0, Akeley Wood 2-0, Castle Howard 4-0 and Arnold Lodge 7-0. They finished as runners up in the pool and qualified for the semi-finals.

Their semi-final was a much closer and competitive game and the team were disappointed to lose 1-2 to Grantham Prep. They faced Old Vicarage in the play-off and performed brilliantly to win 3-1, take the bronze medal and win a coveted place in the National Netball Finals.

A jubilant Head of Games, Mrs Kat Vaughan, commented, “The girls were great, they were feisty, didn’t lose concentration and really worked well as a team. I am delighted to be taking them to the Nationals.”

Well done to you all.

Playing in the team were: Hannah Wildey (Captain), Maddie Lambeth, Isabella Osborne, Francesca Kelly, Annamaria Kordas, Amisha Modi, Caitlin Horan and Martha Harris.

Crackley Hall’s KS1 Performing Arts Afternoon took place on Wednesday 27 February.  The concert featured music, poetry and song, and was a testament to the range and talents of the young performers. Parents, family and friends gathered excitedly in the school hall to enjoy this celebration of the talent of some of our youngest pupils.

Music Captain, Andrea Zanyi, and Performing Arts Captain, Isabella Osborne, compered and began by warmly welcoming everyone.  Mini Brass Group opened the proceedings with a stirring rendition of Hot Cross Stomp and Theo Cowlishaw stayed on stage to play a super cornet solo of Old McDonald’s Echo.   Then Isabella Osborne performed her set piece Why Am I Always The Bridesmaid.  Junior 1 played Sleepless Night beautifully on recorder and were then word perfect as they recited the poem What Is Under.

Next up was Julia Kozhan and she delighted all with her piano solo Ode To Joy, followed by Arisha Shujaat who spoke slowly and clearly as she enunciated her poem Falling Star.  Mrs Goode’s singing group delivered a fabulous and enthusiastic performance of The Work Song. Then Andrew Parizzi played Indian Song on piano and Carter Headland performed the poem Dragonfly.

The concert continued with Junior 2's amusing rendition of Skipping Steps, and Amelia Turvey carefully fingering out her piano solo Twinkle Twinkle.  Junior 2’s Violin Ensemble had the audience yee-hawing along as they played Old Chuck Wagon.  Then the very talented Isabella Olden played a beautiful piano solo Cruella de Vil.  Junior 2H came on stage to recite Wet Play and the Junior 2 recorders played the lively St Lewis Blues.

Allegra Fox performed the thought provoking poem A Lion, she was followed by Andrea Zanyi singing Shy.  Miss Pavett’s singing group cheekily brought the afternoon to a close with a wonderful performance of I Won’t Grow Up.

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 worked so hard to help them achieve so much.

Appreciating other faiths and understanding how other cultures live out their faith is the key message of Crackley Hall’s 'One World Week'. Each year group has explored a different faith and the Junior 4 children have been learning about Buddhism.

On Tuesday 26 February, accompanied by RE Coordinator and J4J Teacher Mrs Jackson-Mayne, Teaching Assistants Mrs Convey, Mr Harris and Mr Vaughan, the two classes visited the Buddhist Peace Pagoda in Birmingham. Completed in 1997 the Dhamma Talaka Peace Pagoda in Ladywood, Birmingham, is the only purpose built Myanmar style pagoda in the UK and one of only six structures world wide that share the same shape. It is a miniature replica of Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, which is over 2,500 years old and one of the most important pagodas in that country.

Buddhists believe you should make time to reflect and pause, to make the most of what you have. The pagoda symbolises peace, compassion and the other exemplary qualities of the Buddha. As such, Buddhists venerate it.

The children learnt about the principles and beliefs of Buddhism, that what Buddha taught is the foundation of how to comprehend the reality of nature and the world, rather than the questioning of who created it and why. They learnt that Buddhism is a way of life and about tenets of the faith such as the significance of the lotus flower, and how it rises up from mud, signifying goodness from anything.

It was a fascinating visit; everyone came away with a deeper appreciation and understanding of what it means to be a Buddhist.

On Monday our three J6 classes made their way to the Gurdwara Sahib of Leamington Spa and Warwick. After they had donned their headscarves, our excited but ever so respectful pupils, entered the temple's shimmering interior to patiently await an access all areas tour.

As you would guess real understanding comes through respect and listening; Sikh virtues that would stand our students in good stead as they were schooled in a brief history of Sikhism in Warwickshire and the wider Sikh religion. Just 50 short years separate Leamington's first temple and the magnificent structure that sits majestically atop Tachbrook Park. The temple, funded entirely through donations, both reflects and serves its community. 

Through instruction Sikhism preaches a message of devotion and remembrance of God at all times, truthful living, equality of mankind and social justice. The religion is open to all through the teachings of its 10 Gurus enshrined in the Sikh Holy Book and Living Guru, Sri Guru Granth Sahib. For Sikhs there is only One God and he is the same God for all people of all religions. Sikhism preaches that people of different races, religions, or sex are all equal in the eyes of God. It teaches the full equality of men and women. Women can participate in any religious function or perform any Sikh ceremony or lead the congregation in prayer.

Enlightened and eager to find out more our pupils asked pertinent and searching questions. Such enterprise will no doubt be rewarded as the J6 pupils embark on a week learning about Sikhism in class through various activities.

Our sincere thanks are extended to the temple and to our Junior 6 pupils for their immaculate behaviour and respectful, thought provoking questioning.

As part of One World Week students from Junior 5 ably assisted by class teachers Mrs Roberts, Mrs Lammas and Mrs Hill made the short journey to Birmingham Central Mosque. There to greet them was an affable representative from the mosque, a most welcoming gentlemen ready to enlighten our eager learners in the Islamic religion and culture.

With no delay, it was shoes off and into the main prayer hall for a tour of the mosque; a most interesting exploration punctuated with informative displays and instruction. This included the study and social areas of the Mosque and the architectural significance of the building's elements. Holding close to three thousand worshipers the Mosque is a significant religious structure and noteworthy addition to the city's skyline. That said, we were informed that the Great Mosque of Mecca can welcome over five million people at one time, and even then an extension is planned to accommodate more.

Time spent amongst friends will always pass too quickly, so it was with no surprise that the penultimate Q & A session had to be curtailed prior to some refreshments and goodbyes. Trip leader Mrs Lammas summed up the uplifted feeling of all that participated, "Respect and friendship will always flow from greater understanding. We are very grateful for such a wonderful welcome and insightful instruction on the religion of Islam".  

As part of Crackley Hall’s ‘One World Week’ pupils from Junior 3 have been learning about Judaism. On Thursday 28 February the children had the chance to visit the West Midland's oldest functioning Synagogue, the Singers Hill Synagogue in central Birmingham. The Synagogue has been the main Jewish place of worship for the people of Birmingham and the West Midlands for over 160 years.

Studying Judaism has given Junior 3 the chance to explore a different culture and helped them understand how people from different religions practise their faith. During their visit to the Synagogue the children learnt about the importance of the Torah Scrolls, the holiest book in Judaism, the main Jewish festivals such as Passover and Yom Kippur and Jewish symbols such as the Star of David.

Class teacher, Mrs Van-Zyl remarked, "The Synagogue was magnificent and we were made to feel very welcome. We had a fascinating morning learning about the Jewish place of worship and Jewish traditions. The visit was an invaluable support to our classroom studies."

Foundation parents, staff, past pupils and friends are all cordially invited to attend Princethorpe - A Vision For The Future, a presentation by Ed Hester, Head of the Foundation on Thursday 14 March at 7.30pm in the College's Clarkson theatre.

The presentation will outline the Foundation's vision for the next five to ten years, and provide more detailed information on the College's new Science Building and campus improvements, including an interactive walk through of the Science facility.  Mr Hester will also feedback highlights from the College's parental questionnaire, unveil the Foundation's new website and outline plans for a new, improved Foundation parent portal.

Refreshments will be served after the presentation in the Sixth Form Centre.

The event is aimed at adults, although pupils are welcome to attend if accompanied by an adult.

Please click on this link to let us know if you would like to attend by Monday 4 March 2019.