The Chronicle

'The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.'  - Eleanor Roosevelt

Dear Parents,

Although it has been a shorter school week due to the Bank Holiday, we have still managed to have a packed week. On Sunday, pupils represented Crackley Hall by singing at the Coronation Celebration. This event was a unique way for the people of Kenilworth to celebrate this momentous moment in British history, and what could be a finer venue than Kenilworth Castle with its long association with the British Royal Family. My extended gratitude and heartfelt thanks go out to Mrs Olden for arranging this, to the parents who supported her and to the pupils who participated in this momentous memory-making event.

Unfortunately, the weather has hindered some of our sporting fixtures this week, which is disappointing, but on Wednesday some of our sporting stars travelled to participate in the ISA Midlands Athletics. We enjoyed a successful meet where the Year 4, Year 6 and overall girls gained 1st place. Congratulations go to those who gained first place finishes - Emily (150m), James (150m), Patrick (long jump), Jessie Johnson (long jump), Leo (600m). Thank you very much to Mrs Vaughan and her team – she trained the athletes and organised the whole tournament so well, from the feedback I have received.

As the weather has behaved in true British style as of late, please keep a close eye on your emails for communications from the school regarding any updates or changes to arrangements.

There are just a few items of housekeeping to which I would like to draw your attention. May I stress that you must please keep to the correct collection times for the car line. It has unfortunately become increasingly busy with children being released late due to carline parents failing to either move around the roundabout, arriving at the incorrect times, parking inconsiderately, allowing children to run around cars and stopping to chat with other parents. This has in turn led to complaints from residents and parents alike and could possibly lead to an accident. I would like to work with you to keep your child safe whilst they are in school and on their journey to and from school. As such, I would respectfully ask that please always heed the correct school procedure or policy.

Holiday club will be taking place each day during the half term and will be open from 8.00am until 6.00pm. To book please email Ms Osborn at holidayclub@crackleyhall.co.uk. This club has proven to be very popular and, unfortunately, we have had to turn down bookings, therefore I would advise booking early to ensure your place.

In staff news, I was so thrilled to hear the news, and meet, Mrs Wheatley’s new arrival. Luca Evan Wheatley was born on the 24 of April at 6.54 am weighing 7lbs 11oz. What an incredible adventure he will be starting. I will never forget the day Mrs Duigan and I brought home our new additions to the family. It was exhilarating, exhausting, and slightly terrifying but most of all, we were both full of the most incredible feeling of love and desire to protect our little precious ones. Mrs Wheatley, please accept our warmest congratulations and even though you may be exhausted, cherish these moments.

I would like to congratulate our stars of the week on their achievements: Mollie-Mae in Nursery, Bracken RA, Toby RM, Oscar J1H, Jovan J1G, Millie J2B, Archie J3H, Hector J3V, Charlotte J4R, Rohan J4S, Olivia J5L, Ding J5W and Carter J6V. Well done to Alice for singing so well; it was a delight to hear her sing.

Today has been a very special day in the Crackley Hall calendar of events. Ten of our Junior 3 pupils made their First Holy Communion. Although the sun was not shining, the warmth inside the church was felt by everyone. I have been lucky enough to be present at a number of these events and each time I feel honoured and grateful to be part of such an important service and milestone in our children’s lives. I would like to thank everyone for attending today, especially those who helped make this year’s event possible including Father Kevin, Mrs Jackson-Mayne, Mrs Simmonds, the Catering Team, the Crackley Hall Caretaking team, and the school Office. Thank you to Mrs Olden, the singers, the readers, as well as Erika, Andrea and Thomas Zanyi (all past-pupils of Crackley Hall) who served on the altar. Thank you to our parents and grandparents for the very important role that you play in your child’s spiritual formation.

Wishing you all a most restful and happy weekend.

God Bless,

Rob Duigan 

We can confirm that Holiday Club will run from Tuesday 30 May to Friday 2 June.

Please click here for more information.

If you would like to book and confirm your place, please email, holidayclub@crackleyhall.co.uk or fill in the attached booking form and return to the school office.

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

Congratulations to them all!

Friday 12 May was an important day for ten Crackley Hall pupils as they celebrated their first Holy Communion Mass. Junior 3s Niamh, Una, Edward, Tristan, Thomas, Gabriella, Jessica, William, Leyton and Thomas, gathered together excitedly with friends, family and the Crackley Hall School community at St Francis of Assisi Church in Kenilworth.

The children have been preparing for this special day for a while, learning about their faith so that they understand what they are committing to. In March, they took the Sacrament of First Reconciliation.

In the joyful and celebratory Eucharist, Father Kevin Hooper spoke about the nourishing love of God that would sustain the young communicants throughout their lives. The children then received the sacrament with the utmost sincerity and reverence. They were all a credit to their families and the school. Following celebratory prayers, reflections and concluding hymns the recipients were presented with certificates and posed for proud parents and friends in front of the altar.

Special thanks were given to Mrs Jackson-Mayne and Mrs Simmonds for their support of the children and to Mrs Olden and the Chamber Choir for providing the music and singing.

After the Eucharist the children were presented with gifts, balloons and individual First Holy Communion cakes to mark the occasion. It was a very special day for all concerned.

Five Crackley Hall athletes have qualified to take part in this year’s ISA’s National Track and Field Championships with two further athletes just narrowly missing out, after a super successful outing at the regional qualifying event.

Crackley Hall took a team of 29 Junior 4, 5 and 6 pupils to Saffron Lane Stadium in Leicester on Wednesday 10 May to compete against schools in the Midlands ISA Athletics event. Many of the children put in amazing performances and the school was delighted with so many athletes being placed in both track and field events.

In terms of team placings Crackley’s Girls were first overall with both the Year 6 and Year 4 Girls teams taking top spot. The Year 5 and Year 4 Girls team both placed second while the Year 6 and Year 4 Boys team came fourth overall.

Director of Sport, Mrs Kat Vaughan praised the outstanding attitude adopted by the Crackley team. “It was a long and exciting day,” commented Mrs Vaughan. “The atmosphere was amazing and our Crackley children really stepped up with team spirit second to none, with every child supporting their peers, regardless of event or year group. I am very proud that so many children have qualified for the National Championships.”

Congratulations go to Emily D (J6) who qualifies for the 150m sprint, James C (J6) who qualifies for the 150m sprint, Patrick F (J5) who qualifies for the Long Jump, Leo C (J4) who qualifies for the 600m and Jessie J (J4) who qualifies for the Long Jump.

Special mention for Sienna L (J6) who was equal first in the Long Jump but just missed out on qualification when placings were decided on the athletes 2nd longest jump and to (J3) Isabel A-J who placed 2nd in the sprint final and 3rd in the 300m competing in the Year 4 competition.

These results reflect the breadth of sporting excellence nurtured through class and extra-curricular sporting opportunities across the school.

The full results:

Junior 6 Girls:
Emily D – 2nd in 80m Sprint
Emily D – 1st in 150m Sprint
Esme C – 4th in Long Jump
Esme C – 5th in 600m
Penny T – 3rd in Shot Putt
Relay team: Emily D, Esme C, Leani dT, Jessie N-S – 2nd

Junior 6 Boys:
James C – 2nd in 80m Sprint
James C – 1st in 150m Sprint
Patrick F – 7th in 600m
Patrick F – 1st in Long Jump
Jay J – 4th in Shot Putt
Relay team: James C, Patrick F, Theo C, Joseph M, Sebastian C – 4th

Junior 5 Girls:
Sienna L – 2nd in 70m Sprint
Sienna L – Joint 1st distance (2nd on countback) in Long Jump
Elsie A – 3rd in Throw
Relay team: Sienna L, Amy C, Elora H, Adreena G – 7th

Junior 5 Boys:
Josh B – 8th in 70m Sprint
Harry B – 5th in 150m Sprint
Isaac F – 8th in 600m
Harry B – 2nd in Long Jump
Relay team: Josh B, Harry B, Isaac F, Jamie V – 6th

Junior 4 Girls:
Isabel A-J (Year 3) – 2nd in 60m Sprint
Grace A – 3rd in 150m Sprint
Isabel A-J – 3rd in 600m
Jessie J – 1st in Long Jump
Elle W (Year 3) – 8th in Throw
Relay team: Isabel A-J, Grace A, Jessie J, Harriet S – 2nd

Junior 4 Boys:
Josh B – 5th in 150m Sprint
Leo C – 1st in 600m
Ryan M – 7th in Long Jump
Casper B (Year 3) – 5th in Throw
Relay team: Josh B, Theo H, Ryan M, Alex T – 5th

The ISA National Track and Field Championships take place later this term, on Monday 19 June at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham. We wish all who have qualified the very best of luck.

Have a look in the gallery to see photos from the regional event.

As you are aware the children will be involved in performing Peter Pan for our summer production.

All children in the school are invited and encouraged to design a programme for the two shows drawing inspiration from Peter Pan.

 The following information must be on the design:

• Crackley Hall Presents Peter Pan
• Leamington Spa Centre
• Friday 23 June

Children are encouraged to be creative and produce a colourful design, handing it into the office by Monday 12 June at the latest.

The Performing Arts Team along with Mr Duigan will then select a winner and their design will be used on the programme.

We look forward to seeing what the children come up with.

Good luck!

To celebrate the coronation of the new king, Crackley Hall's Choral Group, joined primary school and community choirs at Kenilworth Castle, for a fabulous Choirs At The Castle celebration on Sunday 7 May.

Head of Music, Mrs Olden, led the pupils in singing amongst others, Coronation Day, a song specially written for the occasion. It was lovely to see so many children attending and celebrating this momentous moment in British history.

Little Crackers Stay 'n' Play went wild in the outdoors on Wednesday morning, with a special session of Forest Fun in Windmill Wood. Lots of muddy fun and exploring was had by all, with some water play and even worm hunting!

It's lovely to share this wonderful outdoor resource with our weekly toddler group.

Our next activity with be Outdoor Play on Wednesday 24 May and don't forget our Teddy Bears' Picnic on Wednesday 21 June.

Stay 'n' Play's autumn activity dates will be available shortly on the Little Crackers website, please do share them with interested family and friends as booking is essential to avoid disappointment.

https://www.littlecrackers.co.uk/stay-n-play

Crackley Hall’s Junior 4 pupils enjoyed a half-day music technology workshop at Princethorpe College this week, on Thursday 11 May. Hosted by Director of Music, Gil Cowlishaw, and Music Teacher, Alison Wakeley, the sessions took place in the College’s dedicated Music Technology suite and IT classrooms.

The children were introduced to computer music production concepts such as sequencing and arrangement and then encouraged to experiment. Using the technology software Soundtrap, 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 an obligatory 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. Junior 4 clearly enjoyed the workshop and exploring music in a new way. 

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.”

Wednesday 7 June - 6.30pm - 8.30pm

Princethorpe College's annual Summer Open Evening will take place on Wednesday 7 June from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. This is a perfect opportunity for prospective families looking for a place in September 2024 and beyond to visit the school, for children to take part in departmental activities and for parents to meet and chat to members of staff and pupils.

The Headmaster will also address visitors during the evening. Light refreshments will be available.

Please click here to book your place. 

Scroll through the gallery to see photos from our Celebration Assembly this morning.

In RHSE we have continued thinking about the changes that happen as we grow up and transition into adults. In our most recent sessions, we have been learning about topics all the way from how to make and grow relationships, how our bodies change as we grow, to how babies are made. It is brilliant to see the children approach their RSHE topics sensibly and with maturity. They have contributed to discussions and asked questions with an emotional literacy beyond their years. The children have also been thinking about all their memories at Crackley as we start to put together our class yearbook. We had such fun thinking about all our happy and funny memories. Seeing the children flourish as they make the most of the final term at Crackley is a pleasure to see. We are so proud of you Junior 6, keep up the hard work!

This week, Junior 5L have continued to learn about the Tudor dynasty (1485 – 1603) in Hstory. The children have been inquisitive and enthusiastic when learning about the major concern of witchcraft within the Tudor reign. They engaged in discussions regarding the types of people who would most likely be accused of being a witch. The children have been creative in constructing their own 'Wanted' poster for a witch. Some children have even tea stained their poster to make them look authentic. I think you’ll agree that you wouldn’t have wanted to be an old lady (with a birthmark), who had a cat and kept herself to herself in the Tudor times!!

This week, Junior 4 were treated to a morning at Princethorpe College, where they learnt all about the role technology has when creating music. They all loved creating their own pieces of music, using various sounds and instruments. It has been yet another excellent week for this wonderful group of children, who continue to impress their teachers. In English, they continued their enthusiasm for poetry, using ambitious vocabulary to create poems about the environment. Well done to everyone in Junior 4 – they are superstars!

After the excitement of another Bank Holiday weekend, Junior 3 have settled back into the rhythm of learning. We are coming to the end of our unit on fractions, and we are officially ‘fabulous fractioneers’. Our teachers have been so impressed with how well we can compare, order, add and subtract fractions with the same denominator. We know so many fractions equivalent to 1 whole and we can also calculate fractions equivalent to 1/2 and 1/4. In English, we have been learning how to use the possessive apostrophe accurately by claiming all sorts of classroom items as our own.

What a fabulous afternoon we had on Friday, marking the occasion of His Majesty King Charles III’s Coronation. We wish King Charles and Queen Camilla the very best for the future. As always, we have had a very busy week. Children continued to use the book 'The Tin Forest' to look for sentences with adjectives. In Science, we continue with our gardening and our dried beans experiment is in full flow. The children have thoroughly enjoyed observing the wonder of nature’s new growth in the classroom! Finishing our week in church celebrating the First Holy Communion Mass was wonderful.

History was the highlight of the week in Junior 1 as the pupils looked at toys that children made in the past. They found out that toys were usually handmade, so they created their own toys! Using card and string they had the opportunity to make a penny spinner or whirligig spinning toy. English and Science have linked nicely together, looking at minibeasts – drawing and labelling them, writing a fact file about them and matching descriptions to pictures. Geography was very topical this week as we were looking at different types of weather. We drew different weather symbols and tried to match them to the weather we were experiencing.

This week Reception have been preparing for our upcoming trip to the Sea Life Centre! We have been using the VR headsets to explore different creatures and habitats under the sea and preparing questions to ask about the animals in the exhibits. We can’t wait to have a wonderful time!

Please click here for this week's newsletter 

Mr Cottrill led the school Assembly on Tuesday after the Bank Holiday and spoke about some fascinating facts about King Charles III. Did you know that King Charles was the first member of the Royal Family to be a Flight Lieutenant and that he has founded nearly twenty charities, including youth opportunity, environmental sustainability, education and the arts and each year his charities raise more than £140m for good causes? Did you also know that his car runs on English wine? Apparently, Charles runs his 39-year-old Aston Martin (which was given as a 21st birthday gift from his mum) on bio-fuel made from surplus English wine. He also has his Jaguars, Audi and Range Rovers run on 100% biodiesel made from used cooking oil.

He was also the first British royal heir to earn a degree and he has written a children's book. He eats seven boiled eggs each day between 4 and 5pm - boiled for exactly seven minutes - and he has poached eggs on top of every meal with vegetables steamed in a specific type of mineral water.

To conclude, he has a frog named after him called the Prince Charles Magnificent Tree Frog. What a lot of facts we now know about King Charles III!

Please click on the link below for this week's Weekly Mission:

Weekly Mission

Please find information below:

Children's Liturgy

Jesus tells us that if we love Him, we must keep His commandments. We think about how we can show our love for God and one another in all that we do.

Activity Sheet  

We regularly recruit for a variety of roles, please do share news of the vacancies with interested friends and family. Current vacancies include:

Princethorpe College

• Registrar
• Teacher of Spanish
• Rugby Coach
• Graduate Sports Coach
• Graduate Teaching Assistant

Further information and application forms on all roles are available on the Foundation's website - www.princethorpe.co.uk/join-us