The Chronicle

‘“Children are apt to live up to what you believe of them."― Lady Bird Johnson

Dear Parents,

As I write this week's Chronicle, I'm on my way back from Scotland with our wonderful J6 students. I'm extremely proud of each one of them - their conduct was exceptional, and they truly represented themselves, their families, and their school with distinction. They relished the sightseeing, the journey, the traditions, and the camaraderie of being part of a team. It was a great privilege to have this educational experience with the children. I express my gratitude to all the staff members who sacrificed their time and accompanied me on this trip, as well as to Mrs Horan and the Office team for organising this event and to Mr Cottrill and all the staff who managed the school while I was away.

As the end of the school year approaches, I feel a mix of emotions. It's exciting to see our students move on to new beginnings in September, but it's also sad to bid farewell to our J6 students. Recently, my PA said that the best part of parenting is watching children grow up, but the worst is seeing them grow up. As a Headmaster, I can relate to this sentiment. And then, just as quickly, it's time to say goodbye as they head off to their next school. My hope is that when they reflect on their time here, they will remember the wonderful memories we helped create. As the school year ends, I eagerly anticipate J6 finishing strong.

As the end of the term approaches, our schedule is packed with various events such as assemblies, sports day, prize giving, school production and Leavers’ Mass. I eagerly anticipate seeing you and your children at some of these events. To stay informed about all upcoming events, please read all communications carefully from the school office regarding arrangements.

During our Monday morning Assembly, we had a guest speaker from CAFOD who shared her experiences of the organization's work in less developed countries. The children listened attentively to her presentation.

Just a quick reminder that the Peter Pan Production Programme Competition will be closing on Monday. We would love for all children to participate by designing this year's programme cover.

We are currently waiting for some important information from the Leamington Spa Centre regarding ticket sales for our annual school production. As soon as we receive the details, we will send you a link to the box office. We're confident it will be another spectacular show this year.

We are excited to announce that the PTA Fair is scheduled for 17 June and Mrs Gordon and her committee have been working tirelessly to organise this wonderful event. Please look out for the raffle tickets that will be coming home with your child today, and we kindly ask for your support as all funds raised will benefit the school and the children. Additionally, the PTA's sustainable Uniform shop will be open for the final time this year. We are also thrilled to announce that Crackley's Got Talent will be back for our J6 leavers. Although Mrs Lamb will not be present on this day, we would like to express our utmost gratitude for her driving force behind its huge success over the years and we are hugely grateful for her energy and commitment.

The met office has issued information that we are due to have a heatwave shortly.  During the hot weather, it is even more important that all children bring a named water bottle and hat to school each day.  We also ask that you apply long-lasting sun cream before they come to school. 

Questions have been received in the office about our policies for ear piercings over the holiday period.  I can confirm that the school policy has not changed but I am aware that some parents still intend to have their children’s ears pierced and will not be able to remove their earrings for 6 weeks.  Therefore, plain studs are only acceptable during the 6-week healing time and must be always covered with a plaster.  After 6 weeks have passed and the hole has formed, earrings should not be worn to school.  I trust that I can count on your support on this issue.

Again, I must stress that you keep to the correct collection times for the car line.  It has unfortunately become increasingly busy with children being released late due to car line 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 policy.

On our front door, you'll find a list of contact numbers for our Aftercare and Nursery provision. When picking up your children, please give Aftercare a call at 07732036625 and Nursery at 01926 514456. These numbers will ensure a smooth and efficient pickup process.

I would like to thank Danielle Palmer for leading the guitar ensemble from beginners to Grade 2 in assembly this morning.  This week’s stars of the week are Nursery - Hannah, Rec A – Alice, Rec M – Faryal, 1G – Daya, 1H – Jessica, 2B – Xanthe, 3H – Beatrice, 3V Remy, 4R Jessica, 4S – Harrison, 5L – Phoebe, 5W – Elsie A.

Have a lovely, restful weekend.

God Bless,

Rob Duigan 

Please use the link below for Junior 2 parents for the additional items needed for going into Year 3. 

Crackley Hall Order Form for Junior 3

Please see the new electronic uniform ordering system.

This link will be in the weekly Chronicle for your ease and convenience. 

New Uniform Order

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

Congratulations to them all!

We welcomed Chris Lynn, volunteer presenter from CAFOD to our Monday Assembly this week.  The assembly began with the question, ‘What makes us smile?’ Answers ranged from getting a new puppy, to displaying tractors at the Kenilworth Show, to a holiday in Spain.  Chris then asked us to think about CAFOD and what would help people in less developed countries to smile. We thought about the six things everyone has the right to have. These were - Food, Fresh Water, Shelter, Health, Education and Peace. Chris linked what CAFOD do to the Gospel of Matthew 25:35-45 "I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink."

We learnt that CAFOD is providing these countries with seeds to enable them to grow their own food and to give water pumps to help them obtain fresh water. Inspired by this, Henry in Junior 4R raised his hand and quoted the proverb, "If you buy a man a fish, you can feed him for a day.  If you teach him how to fish, you can feed him for a lifetime."  

CAFOD also helps these countries to grow fertiliser by making the hard ground softer and using worms in a trough to break down the hard soil to enable seed planting to take place.

Mrs Jackson-Mayne then reminded the pupils that if we are unable to donate money, we can do other things to raise awareness of the need for help in these countries to spread the message, and how we can all be the light that spreads unity. We each then passed on a smile to each other to show how we can spread the message of love and hope throughout the world.

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

Never let it be said we do anything by halves - Junior 6 have had a super week in the Highlands. They started their residential week off climbing the base of Ben Nevis, then enjoyed gorge walking and canoeing and taking on challenges such as the Jacob's Ladder. They finished their week off with an amazing loch-side cookout.

They have all had a super time up in Scotland and have certainly had much better weather than we have enjoyed back here in Kenilworth! The groups have made the most of the stunning Scottish scenery as they explored around Loch Eil, all against the incredible back drop of Ben Nevis. Some of them even got to see the steam train that stars in the Harry Potter films as the Hogwarts Express!

We shall welcome Junior 6 back home later today.

Junior 5 have been applying all their new learning about mapping skills in some fun collaborative group activities. Each group moved around the classroom engaging in a series of different map reading challenges that required discussion and co-operation to answer. Children took turns to be the ‘caller’ and read out prepared question cards. The others then had to consult their maps and discuss and agree their answers. It turned out to be a very lively Monday morning with lots of hands-on active learning!

It has been a wonderful week in Junior 4, as we have been inspired by so many excellent presentations in English lessons. We’ve learnt about Rubix cubes, basketball, deforestation and so many more interesting topics, including a beautiful presentation from Jude about his artificial eye. Every child has presented their work expertly to their audience and then listened to their classmates with intent respect. They even had the opportunity to don the cap of a teacher, providing feedback to one of their peers. A super week for all of Junior 4!

The Rainforest is in full swing this week after a lovely week of sunshine and relaxation over the half-term break. We are journeying to the Equator via the story of 'The Kapok Tree,' an amazing tale written by Lynne Cherry over 30 years ago, when global warming was only a whisper. How insightful of her. She tells the story of a lone tree in the jungle, which is due to be chopped down by a timber company worker. The children are already very aware of the significance of this and they have bombarded Ms Holmes with facts they already know and can discuss at length about, which is fabulous. In this way we are ALL learning together and it is fantastic that the pupils are so environmentally aware.

In other areas 'The Trojan Horse' has galloped in (one of the best tales in Ms Holmes view) and the pupils are investigating writing an acrostic poem to encapsulate the terror of being packed inside a wooden horse in a 35 degree heat! Not for the fainthearted – but enormous fun. Thank you for the costumes which have made their way in…..Have a lovely weekend!

The Junior 2 children have been reading a story called 'Silly Billy.' Billy's a bit of a worrier. He worries about so many things, like hats and rain and clouds and giant birds, that it keeps him awake at night. One night Billy stays at his grandma’s and tells her about being worried. She has the ideal solution – a set of worry dolls who will do Billy's worrying for him while he sleeps. Children really enjoyed making worry dolls using wooden pegs and wool. In English, we are thinking of our own character to write a story about. Well done, Junior 2 on another very busy and productive week.

We were so delighted to be back at school after the half-term break. Can you believe this is our last half-term in Junior 1? We are pleased to report that the children have all settled down well to their work and they are really showing the best of themselves. This week we were so excited to participate in the ‘Toys from the Past’ workshop from the St John’s Museum, who came to visit us for the afternoon. Everyone had the chance to investigate toys from the present and the past. The children were immersed into a story, led by the workshop leader, before exploring, comparing, and sorting the variety of toys available. It really was such a wonderful hands-on experience which the children all loved. There was a real buzz in the air as the children left to return to class. What a great start to this half-term; we are all looking forward to the next few weeks as we prepare for our end of year performance.

This week, Reception have been learning how to use a text map to help them write a story. First, they used the picture prompts to verbally tell the story with actions to help. Once they had memorised the story, they were then able to use the text map as a prompt to write their ‘Under The Sea’ story. We had some fabulous writing, which inspired them all to plan their own story to write next week.

They also started to make their vehicles out of junk, following their individual designs.

Please click here for this week's newsletter 

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

Weekly Mission

Please find information below:

Children's Liturgy

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Year A)
Jesus tells us that anyone who eats the bread that He offers will live forever. How amazing! We explore this and the importance of bread around the world.

Activity Sheet 

In Lego Club this week we had imaginative play on a huge scale when we brought the classic Marvel movie action to life with an impressive cast of Marvel characters – Thor, Captain America, Black Panther, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch and Ant-Man, to name but a few. We made a lab for Iron Man so he could construct an awesome Nano Gauntlet, we fabricated a leisure and meeting area, where the superheroes could convene; a prison cell and a truck that opened to reveal a time-travelling machine. Not forgetting how we all can look after the environment with a wind turbine and a nature park under the watchful eye of a penguin called Dingle on a laptop. Our superheroes managed to visit the resident pet shop for a quick catch-up and an ice lolly under a Bonsai tree to add harmony and balance, before conjuring up another thrilling universe of imaginative superhero battles!

Saturday 17 June - 1.00pm to 4.00pm

The annual Summer Fair is running next Saturday 17 June and there are a whole host of activities planned to make a great family afternoon of fun.  There are traditional games like the Coconut Shy and Tombolas running alongside craft activities and face painting as well as netball goal shooting, Beat the Goalie and even electronic football target practice as used by Premier League clubs for our sports stars. 

Ticket price includes your choice of a burger or hot dog from the barbecue and salad bar with the option to buy more on the day. All tickets available to purchase on the PTA events platform, and please see the QR Code for quick access to the tickets.

We are serving cream teas for two or a group of four this year for anyone who wants to sit and enjoy tea or coffee with a freshly baked scone, cream and jam plus an individual eton mess.  Sparking cream tea with an additional glass of prosecco per person is also available – please pre-book to secure your seats.

New for this year we will have a Gin and Pimms bar open to serve summer refreshments as well as our normal bar offering our usual range of wine, beer and soft drinks.

Last but not least, tickets for the Grand Summer raffle are coming home this week in book bags to win prizes such as the Harry Potter Lego Ministry of Magic set and Star Wars The Mandalorian remote control Razor Crest. Look out for the yellow tickets and please return them as soon as you can!

Summer Fair Donations and Non-uniform Day

There is a non-uniform day planned on Friday 16 June, in exchange for donations for the summer fair taking place the next day.

All classes – please bring in any pre-loved teddy bears for the teddy tombola. They can be placed in the white PTA pre-loved containers stacked by the entrance door in the lobby. 

Class specific donations are as follows, please bring these in on the non-uniform day, Friday 16 June:

Reception: Chocolate – wrapped and/or boxed chocolate of all types is welcome. No nuts please. 

J1 and J2: Cakes – individual cupcakes and or larger cakes for the cake stall. No nuts please.

J3 and J4: Filled and decorated jars – Could be craft bits and pieces, lego, erasers, stickers, we are encouraging creativity here! 

J5 and J6 – Bottles for the bottle tombola.        

The PTA warmly thanks you for supporting the Summer Fair.

The Foundation term dates for 2024-25 can be viewed below:

Princethorpe Foundation Term Dates

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

• Commercial Manager
• Teacher of RE (Maternity Cover)
• IT Engineer
• Assistant Registrar
• Pastoral Support Manager
• Pupil Hub Manager
• Administrator/Receptionist
• Rugby Coach

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