Headmaster's Welcome
Dear Parents
As we enter the second week of the term, the children are becoming more accustomed to their new timetable and classes and are forming new friendships along the way. We hope that our new parents have also settled into the routine here at Crackley Hall and have been able to meet fellow parents.
Today, we held our opening school Mass of the year, and it was wonderful to welcome some parents to Mass. The children sung so well and there was a real sense of reverence. Thank you to Fr Kevin, Mrs Forino, Mrs Simmonds and Mrs Olden, as well as all the staff members who contributed to the Mass.
Our external extra-curricular activities have also made a successful return, thanks to the efforts of Mrs Vaughan who has organised a diverse range of activities for the pupils. I appreciate all her work in setting up the new clubs this term.
I hope you have found the parent information meetings informative as we hold the last one this evening. I would like to remind you of the upcoming New Parent Evening on Monday 18 September. Please join us for something to drink, along with a few light snacks. It is an opportunity to meet all the staff and some of the parents on our PTA. This evening is especially helpful for those who joined Crackley Hall either late last academic year or at the beginning of this term.
I sincerely hope you have had the opportunity to indulge in some much-needed sunshine this week. However, given the unpredictability of the weather, I would highly recommend that you ensure your child brings along a protective hat, some reliable sunscreen, and a water bottle with their name clearly labelled on it.
Our Stay 'n' Play sessions returned this week and proved as popular as ever. We will soon be transitioning to a cashless payment system, and we will provide more details soon. Please do join us if you have any pre-Nursey children.
Before Covid, we had an effective parent reader programme, and I am excited to share that we will be bringing it back this academic year. Keep an eye out for more details from the front office in the next week or two. We will be calling for volunteers.
Aftercare parents, we ask that when collecting children, you park on the lower playground. I would like to request that you avoid blocking any parked cars in the main staff car park. This will ensure that our teachers are able to leave promptly to pick up their own children. Thank you for your cooperation.
I recently attended my youngest child's graduation ceremony and found myself experiencing a wide range of emotions, just like I have seen on the faces of other parents. As a parent myself, I want to take a moment to acknowledge all the parents of Crackley and the incredible efforts you make for your children. As parents, we love our children unconditionally and often put aside our own desires and freedoms to provide for them. We may question our decisions, but I can assure you that your children will always remember the sacrifices you make for them. Seeing my daughter's proud smile made all the sacrifices worthwhile.
I would like to congratulate our Stars of the Week: Jeea (to be presented next week) and Annie in Nursery, August in Reception M, Joshua in Reception O, Zach in J1G, Otto in J1H, Ted in J2B, Bella-Rae in J2R, Laura in J3V, Kenji in J3W, Will in J4A, Gabriella in J4R, Ain in J5L, Scarlett in the J5S, Sophia in J6H and Ted in J6V.
I was very pleased to welcome you to our first Key Stage 1 Assembly of the school year and we enjoyed two lovely musical performances from Angelica L on her cello and Olivia E who sang a song from Peter Pan. They were both excellent.
We enjoyed some good matches against Crescent School this week, both in football and hockey. Thank you to the sports staff for their efforts.
I hope that you can enjoy the rugby this weekend. I was so upset to see that one of my favourite Springbok players, Malcolm Marx, will be missing the RWC due to a knee ligament injury – his absence will certainly affect the Boks.
I hope that you are all able to have a happy and relaxing weekend with your families.
God bless
Rob Duigan
