The Chronicle

Dear Parents

The weather this week has been beautiful which has allowed children to enjoy the outdoor space at school to the maximum and it is my wish and intention to develop the facilities even more with different activities for your children to explore and play with during their break times.

There have been both LAMDA and Music Examinations in school this week which have involved many children.  I have managed to speak to a number of pupils either on their way to or from their exam to wish them the very best and I look forward to hearing their results; they were certainly very nervous cum excited! 

Tuesday was a busy day in school and we started with our J5 Lenten Service.  We also hosted an ISA Science Course which was well attended by staff from other independent schools.  I have heard that the Junior 4 Faith Walk, with our visitors from St Augustine’s, was enjoyed by both staff and children.  The weather was perfect and the children behaved perfectly; I hope you enjoy looking at the photographs later in this edition.

As I mentioned in an earlier Chronicle, Mrs Williams will be leaving Crackley Hall at the end of the summer and on Wednesday of this week, both Mr Thackway and I met with the candidates for the French vacancy and I will be able to update you later as to the appointment made for September. 

As the weather improves you will no doubt be preparing for child’s summer uniform.  The summer uniform should be worn when children return for the Trinity term and details of this can be found on our website.  Last year I introduced the option for Junior 6 girls to continue wearing their school skirt but with a short sleeved blouse.  As this was a successful trial with positive feedback from parents and the Junior 6 girls, it has been decided to continue with this arrangement whereby the girls are may choose between wearing their summer dress or skirt with a short sleeved blouse with an open neck blouse.  Blazers should be worn with both options.

We played a combination of football, netball or rugby against the following schools this week: Eversfield, Bilton Grange, Crescent, Ratcliffe and Balsall Common.  A busy week indeed!  We acquitted ourselves exceptionally well in almost every match, winning the vast majority of them.  I was particularly impressed with how the U10B footballers came back from 1-3 to beat Eversfield B 4-3 and with how well the U10 and U11 rugby players performed against Crescent – I witnessed some outstanding running, rucking and support play!  Well done to all our teams and their coaches – and a big thank you for all the effort that you invest in the sport.  I hope to be cheering on six of our athletes as they represent the Midlands at the ISA Nation Cross-country Championships this weekend and we wish them all the very best.

Our Stars of the Week are: Warwick, Thomas, Isaac, Jia, Carter, Theodora, George, Millie, Reeve, Francesca, Aryan, Daisymay, Annamaria, Xzavier and Charlie.   Congratulations to one and all!  There are three gymnasts of the week Finlay, Marley and Willow.  Very well done each one of you. Congratulations to Lily in Junior 3 who was awarded RE Book of the Week.  We were treated to some wonderful musical performances this morning at assembly – congratulatins to Hannah, Henry, Noah and Scarlett – you were all fantastic!

I will be attending the service for Mary O’Farrell later this afternoon which will be held in the Princethorpe Chapel.  I am sure it will be a very moving tribute to Mary who was a dear friend to everyone at Crackley Hall.  I believe that Princethorpe may report on this service in the Flagpole which you will be able to read online.

Preparations are well underway for the Easter Production which will take place on Tuesday 2 April at 6.00 pm.  I know that we can expect great things from all involved as I have heard the rehearsals and I am very much looking forward to watching the show.

It looks as though the weather promises to be bright over the weekend and I hope that you manage to spend time with your family enjoying the Spring sunshine and Mother’s Day on Sunday.   Don’t forget, the clocks go forward on Sunday.

God bless

Robert Duigan

Please note that the School Shop (based at Princethorpe College) will be closed during the Easter break from 4.30pm on Wednesday 11 April 2019 until 10.30am on Monday 29 April 2019. 

Please contact Nicola Browne on 01926 634272 or at uniform@princethorpe.co.uk with any uniform requirements prior to 4.30pm on Wednesday 11 April 2019.

Nicola Browne
Foundation Shop Manager

Just a little reminder that Aftercare is available until 6pm each evening, any children that are picked up after this time will incur a £10.00 charge (for half an hour).

For more information please refer to the current Information Booklet, a copy of which is available from the school website here.

Parents are asked to continue to be vigilant in respect of any communications purporting to be from the Foundation requesting money that do not match our normal procedures.

Please note:

• invoices are only available through the on-line parent fee portal;
• our bank account details will NOT change during the academic year 2018-19.
• if you receive an email purporting to amend our bank details, do not make any payment and please contact us by telephone immediately to clarify;
• we do not email details of unsolicited discounts for payment of funds.

Please do not hesitate to contact the Bursary if you have concerns about any communication you receive and in particular if you receive any request for payment of funds outside our normal routines.

Eddie Tolcher
Foundation Bursar

J3/4 hockey club will be cancelled on the Tuesday 2 April due to the Easter Production being held on that day.

Thursday 11 and Friday 12 April, Monday 15 - Thursday 18 April and Tuesday 23 - Friday 26 April 2019

Tuesday 28 May - Friday 31 May 2019

If you struggle for child care during the school holidays, then look no further. The Crackley Hall Holiday Club will be taking place during both the Easter holidays and May half-term holiday.

At Easter, it will commence on Wednesday 11 April and run until Friday 26 April 2019 (Please note that school will be closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday). Thursday 18 April has now also been added.

In May, it will commence on Tuesday 28 May and run until Friday 31 May (Please note that school will be closed on Bank Holiday Monday).

There will be exciting crafts, games and activities taking place at school between the hours of 8.00am and 6.00pm. Children are kept busy with baking, arts and crafts, films, team building activities, party games and trips to the park or common. There is always lots of fun to be had!

Please be aware that places are limited (due to staff ratios), and are allocated on a first come first served basis.

We do occasionally get fully booked on certain days and so you are advised to book early to avoid disappointment.

Please follow the link to book a place https://princethorpecollege.parentseveningsystem.co.uk/

A Leavers Celebration for the Junior 6 children is planned for Saturday 29 June 2019 from 3.00 to 6.00pm. Please make a note of the date, further details will be provided in the coming weeks.

If there are any Junior 6 parents who would like to be involved in helping to organise the party celebration or who have useful contacts, please contact Stella Kelly on stella@chapelfarm.me.uk

Also, thank you to the Junior 6 parents who have already provided their contact details. If you have not yet submitted your contact details (i.e. email and mobile number), could you please send these through to Stella.

Many thanks

J6 Leavers Team

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

A small margin of three and a half points separated the teachers from a quartet of quiz victories and elevated a parent's team to the top spot. Named 'Six of the Best', this hand-picked team of Warwickshire's premier quizzers romped through rounds that included science, geography, art and literature. Even Mr Duigan, Head and Quiz Master, commented that his infamous 'flag' round failed to trouble his red pen, with Professor Chalmers scoring a perfect 20 points with the Joker. 

With more teams than ever, we at the Chronicle are delighted to report that a great time was had by all. Our thanks are extended to Mr and Mrs Duigan for executing their duties as quiz master and scorer with excellence. Perhaps the momentous nature of their victory should mean the last word should be given to our newly crowned Crackley PTA Quiz Champions..."We were a team that perfectly complemented each other, meaning our victory perfectly reflected our different, yet complementary skills and knowledge." Well said Professor Chalmers, we hope you and your other team members enjoy the trophy as our teachers' teams, which finished second and fourth, are keen to reverse the loss next year. 

On Friday 22 March 2019, Crackley Hall sent two enthusiastic squads over to Princethorpe College to participate in the ISA Midlands U11 Rugby Tournament.  Schools from across the Midlands were taking part including fellow Foundation junior school Crescent School.

The Contact competition was played 7-a-side, with nine schools split into two pools for the first round of the competition. Crackley started well with a win against Quinton House, but then, despite battling hard, they narrowly lost their remaining pool games, versus Akeley Wood, Bowbrook House and Dixie Grammar Prep.

Finishing third in the pool put Crackley through to the 5/6th play-off where they faced Lucton School.  Through sheer determination, blood, sweat and tears the boys finished the day with a win to place fifth overall in the Contact tournament. 

Assistant Head, Charles Lamprecht, commented, “The rugby from all the schools was very entertaining, with some really hard-fought matches on display. All the boys played well, toughing it out but Sebastian Owen and Seamus Owens deserve a special mention for their endeavour and work rate during the day.”

Joining their Contact sport peers at Princethorpe was Crackley Hall's Tag Rugby team - a mixed team of girls and boys, captained by Hannah Wildey. Crackley's team got off to a cracking start and just got better and better as the games progressed.  An injury to the captain broke the team's momentum but they finished second in the pool and qualified for the play-offs for third place.

In the play-offs they were pitched against St. Peter’s School.  The team started well, running freely, with superb individual efforts and lots of excellent team work. The lead went back and forth but at the final whistle, the teams were tied 7-7. Crackley scored straight from the kick-off and the two minutes of extra time then seemed to last an age. Crackley's defence, led brilliantly by Ms Widley, was as tantalising as it was exhausting to watch! It came down to the very last second when Crackley managed to get the tag that they needed as the final whistle blew.  It was a well deserved win and a finish of third place overall.

Steve Vaughan, Teaching Assistant and Team Coach, summed up, "The Tag team were just fantastic with plenty of strong evasive running and solid defence. The day was made even better by watching the boys and girls work as a strong, confident and motivated squad. Hannah’s leadership on the pitch was great to watch and she utilised her quality contact rugby, netball and hockey knowledge to encourage a team approach to the style of play that was perfect for tag-rugby”.  Top try scorer was Zak Gerrard, with Catlin Horan the top tagger!

Please see attached flyer for more details of how to apply for a Junior Bake Off competition.

A pdf copy of the Lent Term 2019 Calendar can be found below.

Please be aware that events are added as the term progresses, so remember to keep an eye on the Chronicle for any additions/changes.

Lent Term Calendar

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

Pupils from St Augustine’s joined Crackley Hall pupils from Junior 4 for a ‘Walk of Faith’ on Tuesday 26 March.  The walk took place within their RE lesson and the children walked to Kenilworth Common then along the Greenway, over the green bridge before returning to school.  On the Common pupils paused and took part in group activities that explored the themes of cooperation, spiritual and emotional wellbeing and the awe and wonder of the world we live in.

It was a wonderful opportunity for pupils at Crackley Hall to form links with pupils from St Augustine’s School and for the children to together appreciate that each and every one of us can make a difference as God is always there to strengthen, support and guide us.

During a peaceful Lenten Service pupils in Junior 5 lit candles and joined in silent reflection to think about the key events in the life of Jesus.

Pupils were then invited to think about things that Jesus said and did and to reflect on their meaning. They then took the opportunity to think about the day to day choices they make and their impact on others.

We are very grateful to Mrs Jackson-Mayne, J4JM Class Teacher and RE Coordinator, for arranging and hosting such a reflective and thought provoking Lenten Service.

RE Book of the Week has been awarded to Lily (J3V).

We are pleased to announce that Finlay (J3H), Marley (J3H) and Willow (J3V) are our gymnasts of the week. 

U8 'A' Football vs Balsall Common 2 - 1 (win)

Player of the Match - Leonardo

U9 'A' Fooball vs Balsall Common  0 - 8 (loss)

Player of the Match - George

U11 Rugby Tournament at PC - 5th Place Overall

Player of the Tournament - Seamus

Match Report by J6 Rugby Captain: On Friday I was Captain of the U11 'A' Team. We travelled over to Princethorpe for a big tournament. We played five games against some very good schools. We won two games and lost three games. I'd like to thank the staff and parents for their support and a special thank you to Mr Lamprecht for being such a great referee. We tried our very best and came in at a very respectable 5th place overall. 

U11 'A' Rugby vs Crescent - A very convincing win

Player of the Match - the whole side

Match Report by J6 'A' Rugby Captain. The Under 11'A' Rugby Team played a home nine-a-side match against Crescent School on Wednesday. It was our final game of the season and we finished in style, winning in a very convincing fashion. 

A combination of strong running, passing and tackling produced our strongest performance of the year, which lead to us scoring loads of tries. 

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Lamprecht for his coaching, encouragement and enthusiasm this year. This has helped us all improve individually and as a team. 

Please see the attachment below for information regarding a holiday club running during the Easter holidays.

The club is provided by an external provider and not Crackley Hall School.

Tennis Camp Information

Gym club will be cancelled on the Wednesday 3 April due to a Junior 5 meeting being held in the hall on that day.

In true ‘Sesame Street’ style, Little Crackers has been bought to you this week by the letters b and h, with plenty of comparison and sorting games, rhyming words such as hat and cat, frog and log, counting and matching the flowers and sparkles, and the words "I love my Mum" in time for Mothering Sunday this weekend. 

The quote of the week has to be: “My Mum is lovely because… she picks up the cat poo!” and the image of the week has to be a group of children playing with the ‘deconstructed playdough’… you can imagine what happened when too much water and too much flour was added when the children made it themselves! 

It has been a really lovely week, and we extend much love to all our Mums as they celebrate Mothering Sunday this weekend. 

Hopefully the sun will shine and everyone will have a lovely time celebrating this important day together.

Newsletter

Thank you so much to everyone who helped organise and to the staff, parents and friends who came along to participate in the Headmaster's Quiz last weekend.

Congratulations to the winning team 'Six of the best', on a night filled with fun and laughter it was quite an achievement to finally beat the teachers' table!

Non Uniform Day - Friday 10 May 2019

There will be a non-uniform day for all Crackley Hall pupils on Friday 10 May 2019.  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 11 May.

Many thanks for your continued support.

Family Fun Day - Saturday 11th May - 1.00pm - 4.30pm

Tickets for this year's Family Fun Day are now available and can be purchased here: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/crackley-hall-pta

Please look out for flyers/posters around school as these will tell you all about the event (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 midday on Tuesday 7 May priced at £5.50 per adult and £3.50 per child.

We are able to accommodate a few external stalls so if anyone is interested please email lauraeascroft@hotmail.com or mfox1401@gmail.com

We are also always on the lookout for extra helpers, so if you can help on the day or in any way beforehand and haven’t yet let us know then please do - thank you! 

Crackley’s Got Talent

The PTA have organised our annual talent show for the past eight years, latterly held as part of their Family Fun Day.  It has always been hugely popular - the number of children performing, Mr Cottrill’s memorable joke-telling in his role as host and loved by the gathered audience of the school community. Over the last couple of years it has been difficult to accommodate all acts and so after much consideration and with a desire to keep it as a non-competitive event, it has been decided that there will be two acts per year group, selected by pulling names out of a hat, in golden-ticket fashion.  These performers will be asked to perform at the Talent Show at the Family Fun Day on Saturday 11 May.

Further details are contained in the Entry Pack, including an Entry Form - these should be returned to your child(ren)’s class teacher by 1 May, with the lucky entries announced in Assembly on 3 May.

Entry Pack

We encourage entries from all year groups and welcome variety.

Raffle

Our team are currently busy sourcing raffle prizes for the draw which will take place at the Family Fun Day on 11 May.  Prizes are still coming in, but so far we have some amazing prizes including use of a 4 bedroom holiday villa in Spain, a family ticket to Drayton Manor Theme Park, worth up to £130, a hamper of mixed drinks plus family days out, beauty vouchers and meals in local restaurants.

Please look out for books of tickets which will be sent home with children next week.  Each family will receive 10 tickets and we ask that you return ticket stubs and money as soon as possible.

Please also return any unused tickets.

If you require any more tickets, they will be available from the school office or members of the PTA before Friday assemblies, as well as at the Family Fun Day.

If you have any unwanted gifts that you would like to donate as a raffle prize, they will be gratefully received and can be left with the school office.

Please find a link below to the current vacancies available across the Foundation:

• Teacher of French
• Art Technician
• Facilities Assistant Manager

Full details of the roles and how to apply are available on the Foundation's website:

https://www.theprincethorpefoundation.co.uk/join-us

Found

Silver Bracelet (found outside the Gables Entrance)

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Parents, please ensure that all school uniform and sports kits are named.

Could you please regularly check all uniform and sports kits at home – if any of it is not yours, please return it to the School Office as soon as possible.