The Chronicle

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

Congratulations to them all!

The Little Crackers Nursery team organised a very special ‘Graduation Ceremony’ to celebrate the pre-school group ‘moving on’ to big school. The ceremony took place this afternoon, and the children were each presented with a little scroll by Nursery Manager, Emma Birch.

The children had practised three special songs for the occasion and performed them perfectly much to the delight of the Nursery team.

Miss Birch commented, “The graduation was a wonderful event that marked this important moment for our little ones. We are all sorry to see this fantastic group of children move on, but we wave goodbye with a smile, and plenty of good wishes for exciting times in Reception.”

On Tuesday 27 June, Crackley Hall School celebrated Junior 6s time at school with a Leavers’ Mass. The service reflected on endings and new beginnings, as the school communally said goodbye to this year group. Memories were fondly recalled of the treasured times these youngsters have spent with us over the years. We thanked God for the opportunities they have been blessed with and through our prayers we asked for God’s blessing to be with them on their next stage and to be a guiding light as they navigate the challenges that lie ahead.

During the Mass, Susanne Jackson-Mayne, the RE Leader at Crackley Hall, received a certificate from the Archdiocese of Birmingham for her Long Service to Catholic Religious Education.

After the mass, parents, grandparents and members of the local community were served a celebratory tea. Guests gathered in the School Hall which reverberated with friendly chatter and the clink of china, as teapots and plates piled high with scones, strawberries, jam and cream were carefully served.

Alongside their tea, our guests enjoyed a programme of entertainment as pupils took turns to perform. The Chamber Choir performed five pieces including Strength For The Journey and Corner Of The Sky.

There was also plenty of time to chat with Junior 5 and Junior 6 enjoying talking to the older generations as they enjoyed their tea.

It was a lovely event clearly enjoyed by all.

The latest issue of the Minnacle has just been published, showcasing our pupils' excellent work. The Minnacle celebrates our pupils at their best and the Summer 2023 edition includes plenty of examples of their outstanding efforts. From amazing arithmetic in Reception, through dazzling descriptions in Junior 3 and on to fabulous French in Junior 4 and much, much more.

The next copy of the Pinnacle is available now too, with equally impressive work by pupils at the Foundation's senior school, Princethorpe College. It's wonderful to see and celebrate their talents too!

Printed copies will be sent home with pupils for you to enjoy, or you can read a copy of the Minnacle on our school website here.

As we come to the end of the Trinity Term it was lovely to take time this morning, in our final full school assembly of the academic year, to celebrate and thank our longstanding members of staff.

The Foundation is grateful for the commitment and service given by all staff but this morning it took the opportunity to honour those who have worked at the school for over 20 years. Mr Duigan was delighted to congratulate Mrs Olden, Mrs Hardwick, Mrs Buswell and Mrs Lammas who between them have given nearly 100 years of service to the Crackley Hall and St Joseph’s communities.

A huge thank you to them all for their hard work, dedication and all the contributions they have made.

This term seven pupils have been chosen to take part in a new project at Crackley Hall. These pupils undertook their own research in a topic of their choice to create innovative and exciting presentations. Today, these were presented to Mr Duigan in his office. Each pupil used their own time and initiative, alongside guidance from Mrs Cowlishaw.

The idea was for this to be a fun and exciting opportunity for some of our top attainers in J6.

The seven pupils and their research projects were:

Georgie Rea – Chat GPT

Matilda Clarke – Gun Crime

Frankie Courtenay-Evans – The curse of Tutankham

Theo Cowlishaw – Video games impact on health

Lucas Hobson – Greek Gods

Andrew Parizzi – Which material can withstand a drop the best?

Julia Kozhan – How to build a Go - Kart

Mr Duigan said that this was one of his favourite days of the year! He loved the presentations from each pupil and the time and effort that had gone into each one.

Mr Duigan thanked three PTA members for their services to the PTA over the years. Lucy Lamb, a former Chairperson of the PTA, Tara Card, also a former Chairperson and Jo Write, a former Treasurer have worked tirelessly for the school raising money and oontributing to the astro turf, arranging a pantomime each Christmas, as well as facilitating second-hand book and uniform sales.

We are most grateful for all their support!

We presented Mrs Dolores Simmonds with a little thank you earlier this week, a beautiful bouquet of flowers in gratitude for all the hard work and dedication she has given to Crackley Hall pupils, parents, staff - the list goes on, over the many years she has been with us.  

Her devotion is immeasurable - a huge thank you Mrs Simmonds! We greatly appreciate you. 

As a special treat to the children, the PTA arranged for every child and member of staff to have an ice cream on Friday afternoon. A huge thank you to the PTA for making this possible for the pupils.

We were delighted to see Crackley Hall pupil, Chace, as one of the Queen’s Attendants in the Kenilworth Carnival last Saturday. Chace was selected after a rigorous interview process, where he had to go up on stage and be asked questions about himself and his hobbies. To the Judge's delight, when Chace mentioned he loves dancing with afterschool club, Move it Shake it, he showed them a few moves on stage!