The Chronicle

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

Congratulations to them all!

Many congratulations to Junior 2, Olivia Edkins, and Junior 3, Jess Greevy, who have been awarded first and second place respectively in the 2022 Catholic Independent Schools Conference (CISC) Christmas card competition. Olivia and Jess were presented with their certificates in celebration Assembly today.

The theme for the competition this year was ‘Walking in the Light’ and the girls produced beautiful drawings of the nativity scene and of Mary holding baby Jesus. A huge well done to them both.

You can see Olivia's design on the CISC website here: https://www.catholicindependentschools.com/

Huge thanks to Crackley’s PTA for organising a festive treat for all the children on the penultimate day of the Michaelmas term.

Outside The Box Productions brought the magic of theatre into school as they performed the classic tale of Robin Hood. The nasty Sheriff is up to no good, but our brave hero, Robin, his Merry Man, Little John and the beautiful Maid Marion are able to foil his plans to steal money from the poor, marry Maid Marion and take over the entire town!

The traditional story, told with much slapstick comedy, silly songs, quick changes and a liberal sprinkling of traditional panto magic, was a hilarious show much enjoyed by all the children and was a super treat at the end of a busy term.

And an extra special award for Mr Kefalas who stoically endured the attentions of the cast!

Thirty-three pupils from Crackley Hall's Minnie Vinnies have been busy thinking about the retired and housebound parishioners of the Parish of St Francis. The children made their own Christmas cards and brought in gifts to be distributed by the Senior SVP - Saint Vincent de Paul Society - to the parishioners in the community. Said a delighted Mrs Dolores Simmonds, who is co-ordinator of the Minnie Vinnies at Crackley Hall, "I am so proud that these children have taken the time to think about others who are less fortunate and to make cards to help others to feel cared for."

Juniors 1 and 2 performed their nativity to a packed school hall of parents on Wednesday 14 December. The biting chill of the freeing weather seen off by the cosy warmth of the festive celebration of community and song.

The action unfolded around the comfort of a campfire and combined the present day with the nativity story. The happy campers reflecting under the stars and retelling the simplicity and wonder of the traditional nativity.

It was a fabulous performance from all the children who delivered their lines with panache and sang exuberantly and enthusiastically. Headmaster, Rob Duigan, congratulated them all commenting, “Children you were absolutely fantastic.”  He thanked the staff involved in putting together the show and thanked the parents for coming.

Well done Juniors 1 and 2, what a wonderful and uplifting nativity that was, it really was magical for us all at Christmas time!

For their nativity, Reception performed Baarmy Bethlehem, a story about the ‘party sheep’ who love to ‘Baa Baa Boogie’!

Cheeky, Rascal, Tinker and Scamp the sheep are real party animals! So, when they see Bethlehem filling up for Caesar’s census, they assume it’s for a big celebration and they do not want to miss out. They escape from the flock and make their way into town, but although they find lots of things they love, like noise and crowds of people, there can’t find any party.

As they continue their search, they come across the angels, the shepherds and the three kings and eventually, in a peaceful, quiet stable they find Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus, the real reason why we celebrate.

After all their hard work rehearsing, learning the songs, and memorising lines, and despite a few costume mishaps, what a spectacle it proved to be. The children all sang and danced baa-utifully, and we hope you all enjoyed the performance.

Our very youngest children took to the stage on Tuesday morning to tell the story of the nativity. With smiles on their faces, they performed their lines confidently and clearly. The super catchy songs were sung beautifully, if a bit enthusiastically at times.

Performing on stage to a large audience of excited parents takes more than a little courage, but our Nursery animals, innkeepers, stars, shepherds, wise men and Mary and Joseph were all magnificent.

There were certainly some stars of the future on show. Well done nursery - you were all amazing!

There were big smiles and plenty of ‘Bonjours’ all round, when Junior 5 had the opportunity to meet their French pen pals face to face this lunchtime through Teams.

Crackley Hall’s specialist language teacher, Madame Westerman, has developed a partnership with Ecole Saint Pierre in Nantes for the pupils in her Junior 5 classes. The children have been writing letters and really enjoying getting to know a little bit about each other, they have also sent Christmas cards.

The children were delighted to have the chance to see and speak to their new friends and enjoyed introducing themselves. After the weekend's football our Crackley pupils showed very good sportsmanship by saying Félicitations and Allez les Bleus! 

It was a great opportunity for them to listen to and speak French to native speakers.

It was a super session for them all.

During Advent, Crackley Hall have been preparing for Christmas in many different ways. Each class has taken part in a Reverse Advent Calendar activity and the results have been amazing! On the final day of term 11 hampers were collected by the Leamington and Warwick Food Bank Team, to be distributed to people in need this Christmas.

It is extremely important for our children to realise that not everyone is so lucky and that we can all use our gifts to find ways to help.

A huge thank you to all our Crackley Community!

Pupils have also been involved in two House events in the last week of term. Decorating the foyer of the school are cribs of all shapes and sizes – made from an assortment of materials: Lego, playdough, wood, felt, cardboard and even gingerbread! Each child was awarded a Full da Vinci when they brought their creations to Mrs Jackson-Mayne and explained how it was made and the different characters.

Then our final House event of the year was a ‘Sing Off’. Led by Mr Vaughan and Mrs Jackson-Mayne, each House was given the Carol, Awake Awake, which is sung during Advent and asked to add actions and perform it as a whole group. The ‘Sing Off’ could be heard as far as the school fields! Well done to all.

Christmas Holiday Club will run from Monday 19 to Thursday 22 December. It will also be open on Tuesday 3 January 2023. Bookings are now open for days that are jam packed full of activites and trips. The trips will incur additional charges. Places are filling fast, so if you require a place please book early!

Friday 23 December Holiday Club will not be open due to all schools within the Foundation being closed. 

Monday 19 December - Jam Jam Boomerang £7.50 NOW FULL!

Tuesday 20 December - Christmas Cookery NOW FULL! 

Wednesday 21 December - Vue Cinema Leamington £5 (entrance fee, popcorn and a drink) 2 SPACES LEFT!

Thursday 22 December - Jump In, Warwick £10 (entrance fee and socks) 1 SPACE LEFT!

Tuesday 3 January 2023 - Magical Land at Studio Megastar £8.50 (exclusive use of this venue) THIS DATE IS FULLY BOOKED - if you wish to be placed on a waiting list please email holidayclub@crackleyhall.co.uk

Daily rates are as follows;

9am-5pm which includes hot lunch £30 per child 

Breakfast Club 8am-9am which includes breakfast £5 per child 

Teatime Club 5pm-6pm which includes hot tea £5 per child 

Due to adult/child ratios early booking is advised. 

Please book via the Holiday Club email address - holidayclub@crackleyhall.co.uk

We accept childcare vouchers or holiday club fees can be added to your termly bill. Thank you.