Deputy Headmaster's Welcome
Dear Parents
School has felt very quiet this week with Junior 6 in France, but we have had a busy week nonetheless. The J6 children have had an enjoyable time visiting the D-Day beach at Arromanches, the basilica at Lisieux, the Zoo de Cerza and Bayeux Cathedral amongst other things. They are all travelling home as I type and I'm sure that everyone will be pleased to return to their own beds at midnight tonight! Mr Duigan, Mrs Horan, Mrs Vaughan, Mrs Paphitis, Mrs Westerman and Mr Pike have very much enjoyed spending this time with the children as they approach their final term at Crackley Hall and I'm sure they will now be ready for their Easter break. I thank them in their absence for giving up their time to allow our J6 children time to make life-long memories.
We welcomed Father Kevin into school on Monday for the sacrament of reconciliation, and then for Mass on Tuesday when we celebrated the feast of St. Joseph, our patron saint. We were delighted that some former pupils of St Joseph's were able to come along to Mass and I do hope that they enjoyed their time with us reminiscing about their school days. I would like to thank Father Kevin for his ongoing support with the religious life of the school, and Mrs Forino for her hard work in leading RE.
Mrs Roberts and Miss Eve were delighted with our U9 netball team who won the ISA Midlands Netball Tournament at Stafford Prep on Tuesday. It was rewarding to see their hard work pay off. Mrs Roberts mentioned that all the girls played superbly, winning the tournament without losing a match. Well done, girls!
I had a fabulous, if tiring, day on Thursday with Junior 3 at Kingswood. The children had a wonderful time working collaboratively to make fires and a buggy out of barrels, planks and ropes. They then learnt archery and conquered their fears by making the 'leap of faith'. This was where the children had to climb to the top of a wooden pole and then leap off. I was very proud to see all the children demonstrate how brave they were ably supported by their classmates. Thank you to Mrs Van Zyl, Mrs Wheatley and Mrs Wildey for accompanying the children and Mr Hunt for driving one of the minibuses.
The children will enjoy their Easter eggs kindly donated by the PTA - don't eat them all at once!
We say goodbye to two staff members today. Emily Nicholls has now completed her time with us as part of her PGCE qualification. Emily has been a fantastic member of the staff team and we will miss her. We wish you all the very best in your teaching career, Emily - keep in touch!
Ruth Townsend has been working in our office for eleven years and leaves us today to devote more time to travelling and spending time with her husband. Throughout all the changes over the years, Ruth has worked with dedication and commitment to the life of the school, always with the utmost care for the children, our colleagues and the good of the school. We will miss her sense of humour and her friendship, and we hope to be able to welcome Ruth back from time to time to support us in the office.
I would like to thank all the staff for their hard work and dedication to school life this term. Crackley Hall is always busy, with the children benefitting from the huge range of opportunities available to them. Every single person who works in the building, as well as many who are based in Princethorpe, contribute to this and we are lucky to have so many people committed to creating a safe, thriving and stimulating environment for the children. I hope that you are able to enjoy a really good, well earned break with your families over the Easter break.
Finally, I would like to wish all our children and families a very Happy Easter, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back to school on Monday 15 April for the Trinity Term.
Duncan Cottrill
Deputy Head
