The Chronicle

Dear Parents

Although it has been a shorter school week due to the Bank Holiday, we have managed to squeeze a full week of activities into 4 days.   However, Crackley Hall children were representing school on Bank Holiday Monday when they took part in the May Day Schools Challenge run held in Kenilworth for Years 5 and 6.  We achieved second place overall with Sam coming in 4th, Alex 6th and Hannah finishing as the 2nd girl over the line.  This was a marvellous start to the week!  Thank you to pupils, staff and parents who organised, ran or supported.

We started the day back on Tuesday with holy Mass, celebrated by Fr David.  It was lovely to welcome Fr David back into school and I’d like to thank him, Mrs Jackson-Mayne, Mrs Simmonds, Mrs Olden and the children who took on lead roles in the Mass.  The preparation, sense of reverence and the singing were all, in their own way, exceptional.  I hope that Fr Kevin is enjoying a most well-deserved holiday.

If your child took part in the Nuneaton Festival on Wednesday, you will already know of their magnificent accomplishment.  Mrs Wildey, Mrs Paphitis, Mrs Malcolm, Mrs Hardwick and Mr Stedeford accompanied children to Nuneaton where they performed against other local schools. Having heard the children at impromptu rehearsal whilst waiting for the transport to take them to Nuneaton, I am not surprised at their achievement.  I am delighted to report that Crackley Hall School’s KS2 Choral Speaking Group won first prize and took home the Meridith Cup, along with a second and a third prize placing.  This is the first time in as long as I can remember that the children have returned with the trophy for first place.  Congratulations to all of you - pupils, class teachers and drama staff!

On Thursday, Junior 4 travelled to Princethorpe College to take part in a music technology day.  Princethorpe’s Director of Music, Mr Cowlishaw, hosted this event and the children thoroughly enjoyed exploring music through technology.  This provided a wonderful opportunity not only to experience the state of the art equipment at Princethorpe but it also gave the younger children an insight into life at Princethorpe.  Thank you to Mr Cowlishaw, Mrs Butler and Mrs Rooney for arranging this event; one which I hope will be repeated again soon.

Unfortunately, the weather has hindered some of our sporting fixtures this week but I am hoping that the sun will shine tomorrow for our Family Fun Day.  As I mentioned in a communication to you earlier today, Mrs Lamb and the PTA have been working very hard to ensure that there will be plenty to entertain you tomorrow.  If you have not managed to buy a ticket online, you will be able to pay on arrival and I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible tomorrow afternoon.  All the money raised is used to benefit the school and our children. 

The PTA would also like to invite any parents wishing to be part of their association to attend the forthcoming meeting next week.  This is a great opportunity to become involved in the PTA who work closely with me and are a very active and positive extension of school.

Well done to all of our Stars of the Week:  Alfie, Amelia, Blythe, Jenson, Olivia, Jack, George, Oliver, Maria, Jasper, Louie, Sam, Hunter, Sam, Edward and Izzy.  This week’s RE Book of the Week was awarded to Martha our and gymnasts of the week are Adreena, Isabelle, Thomas and Olivia.  We were entertained at assembly by musicians Alfie, Amy and Isabella, all of whom were excellent.

A few members of staff attended a ceremony on Monday in memory of Mrs Head.  It was a special time to remember her as a plaque was laid on her resting place.  She remains very much a part of our thoughts and prayers.

It was a wonderful week for English football, with all four finalists in the two competitions being from the Premier League.  Makes it very interesting.

I wish you all a relaxing and happy weekend.

God bless,

Robert Duigan

Dear Parents

Please see below logistical details for those of you whose KS2 children have kindly offered to come and help at Open Evening:

• Children attending free aftercare are to go to the ICT Suite (or other classroom a directed) straight after school to be signed in by a member of staff. They will be given tea at 4.15pm and hopefully time to play outside if weather permits.

• Children will then go their respective classrooms at 4.45pm.

• Children being bought back to school are asked to arrive at 4.45pm through the main entrance to be signed in by a member of the office team who will be there waiting.

• All children in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 are to bring their PE kit with them.

• Any children who are in the Chamber Choir who sing or play an instrument should bring the instrument with them.

• The children can be collected from school at the following times:

7.15 - KS1 (unless they have an older sibling)

7.30 - J3 and J4 (unless they have an older sibling)

7.40 - J5 and J6

Please collect children either in person from the side entrance or via carline.  Please ensure you do not take your child without them being signed out either by yourself or the staff member on carline.

We are very grateful for the support of both the children and yourselves at this event.

Any queries please contact Admissions and Marketing Secretary, Mrs Jenny Vaughan, on jennyvaughan@crackleyhall.co.uk.

 Many thanks

Jenny Vaughan

Admissions and Marketing Secretary

(My normal working hours are Mon and Thurs 8.30am-4.30pm Tues and Wed 8.30am-1.30pm)

Monday 13 May - 4.00pm to 4.30pm

The Kingswood Visit Information Evening will be held on Monday 13 May for current Junior 3 parents from 4.00 - 4.30pm.

Please find information attached regarding costumes for the Summer Production.

J6 Letter

Rec - J5 Costume Letter

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 the May half-term holiday.

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 sometimes get fully booked, so you are advised to book early to avoid disappointment.

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

Please find attached the termly curriculum sheet for your child's year group:

Reception

Junior 1

Junior 2

Junior 3

Junior 4

Junior 5

Junior 6

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

On Wednesday 8 May pupils from Crackley Hall School competed in the Nuneaton Festival of Speech and Drama at the Abbey Theatre, Nuneaton.

Crackley Hall’s Key Stage 2 Choral Speaking Club entered the Juniors section against stiff competition from other schools including performing arts specialists and previous winners Pattissons College and Milverton House.  Despite trepidation at taking on schools with such a tradition in the Performing Arts, Crackley’s Choral Speaking group wowed the audience and the judges with their outstanding performances of The Old Wife and the Ghost and Matilda.  The Group were awarded first place and ‘Distinction’ with the judge commenting on their excellent clarity of diction, facial expressions, volume, energy and witty and charming artistic expressions in the poems they performed.

Drama teacher, Nicola Wildey commented, “Mrs Paphitis and I were truly humbled by the group’s superb team effort, commitment and talent.  To come first is such an achievement; it is an outstanding result. The children have made us, their parents and the whole school very proud.”

Both Junior 2 classes also took part in the Infants section. J2H performed Wet Play and My Grannies while J2M performed Skipping Steps and Hide and Seek. Both classes scored 84/100, were ’Commended’ and finished in joint third place.  Mrs Wildey, was delighted continuing, “It was their first time performing in a competition and they were so mature and took the stage and the bright lights all in their stride.  It was a great result and shows real promise for the future.  Well done Junior 2s.”

Crackley Hall School took a team of eight boys to the ISA National U11 5-a-side Football Finals at St George’s Park (the Football Association's national training centre) in Burton upon Trent on Friday 3 May.

Playing in the finals were teams from 28 schools from across the country.  In the morning, the teams played five pool games to qualify for the Cup, Plate or Bowl competitions in the afternoon.

Crackley started confidently playing steadily and controlling their games. In the first, against Claires Court, they went 1-0 up and dominated throughout but lost 2-1 right at the very end.  The team then played King Alfred and drew 1-1, after again going 1-0 up and dominating play for much of the game.   Against Gatehouse Crackley drew 0-0 and then finally the team had their first win against Parsons Green 3-0.  At this point in what was a very tough and close pool one further win would have seen Crackley top the group, but against Highclare the boys were unlucky and lost 1-0 to finish fifth overall in the pool.

Crackley’s boys turned their attention to the Bowl competition and the afternoon’s games.  In another series of close matches they played St James (drew 1-1), Scarisbrick Hall (won 1-0), Old Vicarage (won 1-0) and finally St Michael’s (drew 1-1).  This qualified the boys for the 3rd/4th place play off, narrowly missing out on the Bowl final on goal difference alone. In the final match of the day, they beat Eaton Square 2-1 to finish 3rd overall in the Bowl competition (out of 10 teams).

Teaching Assistant, Rich Stedeford, commented, “The boys were great and got better with every match. The results were so close that on another day, they may have had a lot more success.  They were very unlucky as they weren’t outplayed by anyone.”

Playing in the team for Crackley Hall were Ollie Camargo-Jones, Bobby Chapman, Zak Gerrad, Connor Horan, Sam James, Fintan McGrory, Seb Owen and Archie Robinson.

Those that listen carefully as they cross the threshold of J1GR will be rewarded with a cheerful chirp from a flock of feathered friends, as they warm themselves in the school's incubator, kindly donated from our ever resourceful PTA.

This planned event coordinates several aspects of the curriculum with the school's science teaching. Our newest guests, rare breeds one and all, were carefully chosen by Mr Steve (School Caretaker) and we are pleased to let you know they are settled and growing well. Sadly, for our J1 cohort today will be their last day with us as they will soon be living out their days in rural Warwicksire. 

For some a May Day bank holiday is spent in front of the TV set or meandering along the local high street - not so for Crackley's finest, as a quick call to action by Mrs Wasley (Mum to Soreen in J5) saw the burgundy, black and white of J5 and J6 line up at the start line of the 'May Day Race' at Abbeyfields.  

Crackley has a fine tradition of exceeding all expectations in this event, so it was with no suprise that we at the Chronicle can announce a fine 2nd place overall for our eager runners. Of particular interest is the excellent personal achievements of Crackley pupils; these include Sam Grindal (J5R) 4th overall, Alex Vaughan (J5R) 6th overall and Hannah Wildey (J6V) 2nd girl.

Crackley Hall’s Junior 4 pupils enjoyed a half-day music technology workshop hosted by Princethorpe College on Thursday 9 May.  The workshop was run by Director of Music, Gil Cowlishaw, ably assisted by Music Teacher, Alison Wakeley, and took place in the College’s dedicated Music Technology suite. The children were introduced to computer music production concepts such as sequencing and arrangement and then encouraged to experiment.  Using the technology software Band Lab, the children enjoyed creating music in a completely new way. Starting with drum machine patterns and loops and adding texture through the addition of bass, keyboard and even vocal lines the children each created their own unique piece.

After a short break and a Princethorpe cookie, the children moved on to explore the concept of harmony.  This time using online song writing software Hookpad, the children built a pattern of major and minor chords and overlaid their own melodies.  Finally, the children listened to their music in a variety of music styles including rock, pop, jazz and even reggae.

The Year 4s clearly enjoyed the workshop and exploring music in a new way and everyone was able to save their Band Lab creations on a memory stick to take home to share with their families.

Mr Cowlishaw, commented, “We had lots of fun in our music technology taster, the children were all fantastic to work with and created some amazing pieces.  The online software we used can be found at www.hooktheory.com if anyone wants to carry on creating.”

Tuesday 14 May 2019 - 5.00pm to 7.30pm

Please do spread the word that Crackley Hall and Little Crackers Nursery are opening their doors for an Open Evening on Tuesday 14 May from 5.00pm to 7.30pm.

This is a fantastic opportunity to look around the school and to meet staff and pupils during the evening. All are welcome, no need to book.

Those that can't make the Open Evening but would like to look around the school, should call our Admissions Secretary, Mrs Jenny Vaughan on 01926 514410, or email admissions@crackleyhall.co.uk - we welcome visitors on most days.

For more information visit www.crackleyhall.co.uk

Wednesday 5 June 2019 - 6.30pm to 8.30pm 

The College's Summer Open Evening will take place on Wednesday 5 June from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. This is an informal opportunity for prospective families to look around the school and to meet members of staff and pupils.

There will be activities in each department for children to participate in, and the Headmaster will also address visitors in the Chapel during the evening. Light refreshments are available.

There is no need to book.

For further information please contact the Registrar, Mrs Vanessa Rooney, on 01926 634201 or email admissions@princethorpe.co.uk.

Trinity Term Calendar

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

A huge thank you to all those who participated in the Good Shepherd Mass on Monday. We received so many lovely comments from parents and staff. Junior 5R led the readings with clarity and respect and the responsorial psalm was sung beautifully by four soloists.

The Theme of the Mass, which was celebrated by Father David, was ‘The Good Shepherd’ and in the Gospel we were reminded that all of us are truly valued and just like a shepherd looks after his sheep, God will remain close and watch over us. 

Father David explained to the pupils that we are still in Easter-tide, pupils brought up gifts at the offertory to symbolise that God is with us throughout our lives and if we follow his teachings we will grow closer to him.

RE Book of the Week has been awarded to Martha (J5R).

Athletics club is now on as normal next Tuesday 14 May after school.

Any children attending the club and also helping with Open Evening, will be bought back slightly earlier to allow time for a late tea.

We are pleased to announce that Adreena (J1G), Isabelle (J1G), Thomas (J1G) and Olivia (J1G) are our gymnasts of the week. 

Please find details attached of the schedule for the Trinity Term:

Schedule

Can we please remind you that if choosing a club led by an external provider, you must sign up both on SOCs and with the provider themselves.

Please see the attached letters for more information on individual clubs: 

Bayleaf Cookery Club

Karate

Mad Science

Chess

Rugbytots

Cricket

Tennis

Yoga

Ballet

Mini Brass

Well, after the lovely short week  we have had it is clear to see that I have jinxed the whole summer with my sun-cream reminders before Easter!  Apologies to everyone – but, please bear in mind that we are hoping things will eventually get warmer, and we do like to get out as often as possible, so please would you think about light layers and sun-cream just in case! 

We have been rather excited about ‘all things bug like’ this week, checking the progress of the tadpoles in the Reception class, hunting for woodlice etc. and then, on Tuesday, our special package finally turned up!  We all made predictions… 5 baby alligators? 5 dinosaur eggs? 5 little insects?  We opened it very carefully to find… 5 baby caterpillars!  We will be watching them carefully over the next couple of weeks, waiting patiently until they become butterflies. 

We are looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible on Saturday at the Crackley Family Fun Day, please pop into the face-painting/nail art/glitter tattoo ‘emporium’ to say hello!

Newsletter

Saturday 11 May 1pm - 4.30pm 

Entrance with pre-purchased ticket only.

Thank you to everyone who has offered support for tomorrow’s event:  running a stall, setting up and clearing down, donating goods for sale and coming along to be part of the fun! We’ve ordered sun for the event and have lots of great stall and activities planned.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Wednesday 15 May at 7.30pm

(The AGM will be followed by a short EGM which is required to elect new officers following some resignations).

We are always looking to welcome new members. So if the PTA is something that you fancy getting involved with, we would be very pleased to have you on board.

We normally meet in the Science Room.

Lost

Francesca (J4W) has lost her school hat.

Max (J4JM) has lost his school coat & blazer.

Jakob (J2M) has lost his school coat.

Maria (J4JM) has lost her school hat.

Bobby (J6H) has lost his PE Kit (Bag No. 239)

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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.

Interested in working for the Princethorpe Foundation?  We currently have the following vacancies:

• School Nurse
• Summer Estates Asisstants

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

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