Headmaster's Welcome
Dear Parents
This past week has been filled with hard work, tests, inter-house activities and the traditional services and nativities of the Advent Season. Though time has flown by, it's important to remember the blessings we have, especially when others may be facing various struggles. Our pupils have been so eloquent in their delivery of the Christmas message. This is the last full edition of the Chronicle this term, but I will send you a brief message next Wednesday as we begin the Christmas holidays.
As mentioned, this week has been truly amazing! We are incredibly impressed with the hard work and dedication put in by everyone to make our Nativity plays such a success. The staff and children worked tirelessly to make it all happen (to ‘perfection’) and we are most grateful for their efforts. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to our parents, grandparents and families who came out in large numbers to watch and support us. As the week draws to a close, we are all filled with excitement and anticipation for Christmas.
On Wednesday, Mrs Brew and her catering team produced a most delicious Christmas lunch for the whole school, one of the tastiest ever! The lunch was enjoyed by staff and pupils alike, bringing everyone together in a joyous and festive occasion. I was blessed to share the experience with Father Kevin and Father David, making it all the more special. We also welcomed to lunch Mr Alex Darkes, Foundation Assistant Head. Mr Darkes was instrumental in the building of the two extensions to Crackley Hall in the last 12 years.
We had a fantastic display of Christmas jumpers in school on Wednesday, with no duplicates this year. All pupils and staff wore Christmas jumpers to support the ‘Save the Children’ charity. A guest speaker, Monique Morris, who is also a volunteer for Save the Children, explained to the children the significance of this charity. Over 100 years ago, the founder of the charity, Eglantyne Jebb, responded to the suffering of children during the war and declared that every child has rights - the right to education, to be healthy, and to be protected and safe. Mrs Morris helped the children understand how their donation would help children living in remote villages worldwide. It was inspiring to know that a Crackley Hall pupil's Great, Great Grandfather, Captain George Gracey, was the General Secretary of the Save the Children fund in the 1930s and 1940s, and he received a letter from Princess Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace, who later became the Queen, acknowledging his charity work on behalf of the organization. Thank you to all the children and staff who participated in this charitable event. Thank you to all who donated. We will announce the final amount raised, soon.
Please bear in mind that the wellbeing of your child is of utmost importance to us. If your child has been unwell or has been diagnosed with an infection, kindly ensure that they only come back to school once their temperature can be controlled without medication.
We are thrilled to welcome two new members of staff, Miss Charlotte Paynter and Miss Tamika Jonah, to Little Crackers Nursery. Miss Jonah returns to work at her former junior school and her younger brother finished in Junior 6 last year. Miss Paynter is also local to the area and has been very involved in serving in her local community. We hope that they will both enjoy their time as part of our fabulous Nursery and Crackley Hall team.
The PTA has several unclaimed prizes that are still waiting to be collected. To make things easier, the ladies at the front office have decided to store them there from Monday to Wednesday for collection. If you happen to be one of the lucky winners, please collect your Prize before Wednesday.
There were many awards certificates and announcements to be made today. Our Stars of the Week were presented to Nursery - Leonardo and George; Reception - Giulio and Edward; J1 - Anas and Yuvraaj; J2 - Toby and Tommy; J3 – Ashleigh and the whole of J3V; J4 – Niamh and Casper; J5 - Harriet Charlotte; and J6 Elora and Elsie. Congratulations to you all for your super hard work.
Well done to everyone who was awarded their Da Vinci certificates or their Crackley Compass bronze stars. A special ‘thank you’ and congratulations to our troupe of J6 reindeer (and Santa) who entertained us at this morning’s assembly.
Special mention must be made of Elsie A (J6) on being selected as part of the Severn Stars netball training programme. This is the result of a lot of hard work and dedication. Chace W (J3) has won the Catholic Independent Schools’ Association Christmas card competition (Junior division). He is a wonderful artist, and we commend him on this outstanding achievement.
Ours sports teams have done extremely well over the course of the term. Well done to all of them and to the coaching staff for their time and expertise. Some year groups play a lot more than others, but we try to ensure that we arrange as many fixtures as possible. Whilst allowing time to practise.
I would like to wish everyone a restful and happy weekend.
God bless
Rob Duigan
