The Chronicle

In a special assembly on the last day of term, Mr Cottrill announced the recipients of the Lent Term Crackley Hall Pupil Awards.

Pupils were recognised for their contribution to the school in a number of different ways, including awards for kindness, helpfulness, school spirit, effort, organisation, neat work and academic achievement.  Many congratulations to all of this term's winners.

There will be one final set of pupil awards at the end of the Trinity Term and Mr Cottrill encouraged everyone to continue to try their best.

Well done to all of Crackley Hall's pupils, those who won awards and those who tried hard but just missed out this time round, we are proud of each and every single one of you.

To help our Junior 6 pupils understand the Stations of the Cross a little more, the class visited St Austin’s Church to re-enact the different stages through readings linked to each station. It was lovely to see the pupils take on the different roles with reverence and respect.

We extend our grateful thanks to Father Kevin for conducting personally our faithful in their responses at each station.

From Monday 8 April to Wednesday 10 April, Junior 5 enjoyed a wonderful trip to Alton Castle in Staffordshire where they took part in a residential retreat. The short trip was muddy, exhausting and memorable but above all, it was a lot of fun!

Alton Castle is a residential youth centre run by the Archdiocese of Birmingham. The centre promotes the personal, spiritual and social development of the children who visit through retreats based around a variety of outdoor activities, that make the most of the beautiful location.

The themed trip is packed full of fun activities and pupils were also encouraged to join in with evening reflections and prayers and to help prepare for and experience Mass.

There were plenty of exciting activities to be experienced, from bucket ball to trekking, bike riding to night line and archery to survival. The activities all provided challenges that developed the children’s confidence and teamwork skills. The climbing wall and adventure course proved particularly big hits, working up formidable appetites for the delicious food that was provided throughout the stay.

The children also took part in a beautiful Mass. It was a wonderful service and some of our Junior 5’s enthusiastically assisted with the readings and helped with the altar serving. After the calmness of the Mass came the excitement of the evening Talent Show and Disco, which featured a range of different acts, which were very entertaining. 

And before everyone knew it, the time had come for the return journey to Crackley Hall. Weary children were met by their welcoming parents who, no doubt, delighted in listening to their many tales of this exciting and memorable trip.

Thank you to all the staff who gave up their time to support the trip: Mrs Lammas, Mrs Roberts, Mrs Hill, Mr Stedeford, Mr Duigan and Mrs Blyth. 

It was all about finishing touches this week as Crackley Hall’s F1 team, Firecrackers, aka Amelia Hunt, Woody Osborn, Jasper Nicholls, Henry Verity and Thomas Zanyi, prepared for the Jaguar Primary School Challenge.

First, the excited race crew tried on their jumpsuits.  They looked absolutely amazing thanks to Stephanie Harvey from Sew2it who had generously helped create a superb flaming motif to decorate the team’s commanding black uniforms.  Then it was time for a photo call to capture the team looking their best so that the pit boards and marketing materials could be finalised.  Thanks once again to Mike from Chapter Agency for his help producing those. Finally, there was just time to carefully add the wheels to the team’s race cars.

It is not long now to race day, Thursday 2 May – good luck team Firecrackers!

Last Monday Miss Margot from the Father Hudson Society gave a most thoughtful and engaging assembly as to the charitable work undertaken by their volunteers. No doubt the name is familiar to all at Crackley Hall, as their 'little boxes' really do work wonders for causes close to and far away from home. 

Who would have believed that the coins and notes deposited by Crackley pupils and their wider family make such a difference to the visitors of the Birmingham Night Shelter. We are indebted to the charity's representatives and very grateful for them taking time out from their pressing work to detail where and how our donations are used.

Please check your child's school bag as they will have a little blue and yellow box to fill too, and this year we hope to surpass our previous generous contributions.