The Chronicle

Dear Parents

Another week has sped by with, thankfully, slightly kinder weather. Our estates team cannot keep up with the falling leaves which, although looking lovely, is practically an endless job! Due to the weather at the start of this week, the ISA U10 midlands rugby was postponed as the pitch was waterlogged. This will now take place next Monday, 2 December.   
  
Our Junior 6 pupils have been having a creative curriculum week, with lots going on. There has been a real buzz around the J6 classrooms this week as the pupils have experienced so many new and interesting activities. Thank you to Mrs Horan, Mrs Vaughan and all the staff involved in making such a difference to the pupils. 
  
Well done to all those who took their LAMDA examinations this week, the confidence and enthusiasm is a pleasure to watch, and we love hearing the results. The consistently high marks are a true reflection of the practice and confidence that we thrive on here. We see this as an important part of life here at school, as we guide pupils to becoming involved in all aspects of school life, trying new activities and exploring new interests.   
  
Thank you to everyone who supported our Operation Christmas Child charity initiative. We have had many parcels delivered by our families in aid of this project. Thank you for your generosity, especially on behalf of the children who will receive these gifts. Your generosity is very much appreciated. Thank you to Mrs Forino and Mrs Horan for co-ordinating this.  
  
Charlotte from J6 represented Crackley and the Midlands at the ISA Swimming today. What an achievement. We look forward to hearing how she swum at the nationals. 
  
I am looking forward to hearing our singers as they gather in the Kenilworth High Street this evening. The annual light switch-on is always a festive and magical occasion. Thank you to pupils, parents and staff who support this event. In particular, I would like to thank Mrs Olden. 
 
Thanks to our PTA parents and grandparents who have been very busy selling Elfridges tickets all week. We see the tireless work that goes into making events take place such as this and they would certainly not be possible without the support of our PTA community. A heartfelt thank you from us.   
  
We have definite signs of the festive period very quicky approaching us, with Christmas trees appearing magically around the school. Two of the beautiful Christmas trees were very kindly donated to us, by Mr and Mrs Parry, parents of Tianna (J2V) and Fiorella (J4C), who had a lovely story behind the donation.  Mrs Parry’s father planted one of the trees years ago and he cut it down for the school as it was growing rather large. The tree is now in pride of place on the school roundabout. Mrs Horan and Mrs Holt got very excited about this kind donation and went off sourcing decorations and lights for them. I think they love Christmas just as much as the children do! Thank you to the Parry family for their very kind thought of us having the tree which has a wonderful story behind it. 
 
Congratulations to this week’s Stars of the Week: Nursery – Sara; Rec – Eva and Kit; J1 – Felix and Milla; J2 – Samuel and Edison; J3 – Oscar and George; J4 – Fred and Olivia; J5 – Edward and Patrick; J6 – Henry and Ava. Well done to all who received their Da Vinci’s and to the J5 and J6 pupils who did so well in the recent Primary Maths Challenge. Huge congratulations go to all the recipients of Crackley Compass stars. 
 
I was so impressed with our wonderful singers and musicians this morning: Oscar (J5), for his beautiful singing, Yubo (J1) for his wonderful performance on the piano and Angelica (J5) for playing her cello so outstandingly well. They all invest so much time and effort into growing and sharing their super talents.  
  
We look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow at our school Christmas Fayre.  I hope that you are all able to have a happy and restful weekend. 
 
 
God bless, 
Rob Duigan 

'Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.' - Joseph Addison

Choral Group is cancelled on Tuesday 3 December. It is replaced by a Chamber Choir rehearsal at 8.00am instead.

Christmas Holiday club will be running on Thursday 19, Friday 20 and Monday 23 December 2024, and then on Thursday 2, Friday 3 and Monday 6 January 2025.

For a programmae of events, please click here

Please email holidayclub@crackleyhall.co.uk to make your booking.

Everyone who is attending Young Voices has already received the details to log onto the Young Voices Music Room, please can the children focus on the following songs this week: 

Please concentrate on the dance moves and get the whole family involved.

• Let’s Dance – Look at the dance moves please.
• Hairspray
• Get Loud

Songs already covered are:

• Try Everything
• Little Blue
• Birdhouse in Your Soul
• Oceania
• Marley Magic

Have fun, listening and learning!

Susan Olden
Director of Music 

Due to the Junior 5 and Junior 6 Advent Service taking place, Gymnastics Club will be cancelled on Thursday 5 December 2024.

Monday 2 December.pdf

Please note that Sports Clubs that take place outside, will now finish at 4:15pm due to the fading light, pick up will still be from the normal place.

Junior 6 have been enjoying their post examination curriculum enrichment week with a whole host of exciting activities to reward all their hard work.

Their fun ended today, with a much anticipated Junior 6 'bake off' competition. Always a creative and sometimes a sticky affair!

Congratulations to this year's winners and to those who received highly commended (or highly calorific) awards and to all the children who took part so enthusiastically.

Well done to 1st place winners Alex, Felix and Anthony for their globe of the world; 2nd place was Jessie and Ella for their snowman; and 3rd place to Eleanor and Milly for their winter wonderland scene. 

Congratulations to everyone who took part!

Our Christmas tree is up on the roundabout at the front of the school and it looks just amazing. Huge thanks to J4 Fiorella and J2 Tianna's family for generously donating two beautiful Christmas trees for us to use in school. The girls told us that the trees were planted by their grandfather but they grew too big to sell but they are just perfect for us.

We hope you are all ready for this weekend's PTA Christmas Fair when the rest of the school will be transformed into a winter wonderland.

A huge thank you to all our pupils, parents and staff for your generous contributions to the Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal. It has been lovely to see pupils thinking about those less fortunate than they are and using these shoeboxes as a tangible way to express their faith and desire to help.

Yesterday, Mrs Forino delivered 39 shoeboxes to the charity’s Coventry depot and, after checking, the boxes will be sent on their way to help make Christmas extra special for those in need around the world.

The Primary Mathematics Challenge (PMC) is a fun and exciting mathematical challenge aimed at pupils in Years 5 and 6. It is not designed to be just another test in the school year. Instead, the PMC encourages enthusiasm, boosts confidence in mathematics and shows the different way questions can be asked.

The PMC encourages problem solving which is hugely important as a means of helping pupils develop their reasoning skills. It helps pupils think outside the box. The questions are not heavily reliant on formal mathematical knowledge but can be solved by logical reasoning.

At Crackley Hall this year we had 16 Junior 6 pupils, and 12 Junior 5 pupils take part in the Primary Maths Challenge.

Our congratulations go to the following who were awarded certificates:
Gold – Eleanor, Charlotte
Silver – Harrison, Evie, Leo, Felix, Grace, Mahnoor, Shuvan, Beatrice, Himmy
Bronze – Jessie, Josh, Rohan, Swaran, Charlie, Alex, Ben, Archie, Zach, Remy, Edward.

The gold and silver winners have had their scores submitted to go through to the next round, but this will depend on what the threshold score is this year.

Well done to all pupils who took part!

The 15th annual St Nicholas Christmas Tree Festival is taking place this weekend and Crackley Hall have once again entered a tree. This year's theme is Hope, a topic close to our heart. Next year marks the Jubilee Year for the Catholic Church, with Pope Francis designating it as the "Pilgrims of Hope" year. Each pupil has written a prayer of hope and crafted origami Christmas tree decorations with these prayers. 

Please take the time to visit and enjoy all the trees. All proceeds from this year's festival will be donated to Baby Basics Warwick - a volunteer led project that supports new parents by providing free essential items to mums/families who are struggling to meet the financial and practical burden of looking after a new baby.

You can find out more about them at, www.babybasicswarwick.org.uk. 

The Crackley Hall Junior Da Vinci programme encourages all pupils to be inspired to be the best that they can be. The Junior Da Vinci programme embraces three adapted principles - Creativity, Practice and Mastery - that the children demonstrate in their learning.

This year we are ensuring that all pupils in the school have opportunities to achieve Junior Da Vinci awards. The Da Vinci leaflet gives more information about this programme. 

We have moved away from termly and half termly JDV challenges and are using a monthly theme to suggest activities to challenge and interest pupils. Each month different activities will be suggested. Pupils do not have to complete all, or any of these activities. They are available to all pupils in all years, so pupils can choose to investigate something that they are interested in. Bring any examples of activities that have been completed to Mrs Cowlishaw to share with the whole school.

This is the November challenge. 

Look out for news of the children achieving Junior Da Vinci's in the Awards section of the Chronicle over the year.

If you have been offered a place for Reception or Year 3 for 2025 our early bird acceptance deadline is Monday 2 December 2024!

We are still accepting registrations for Reception 2025 for those following the state offer timetable. There are also limited places available in other year groups. Please contact our Registrar, Mrs Jenny Vaughan to find out more, email admissions@crackleyhall.co.uk or call 01926 514410

For more information visit our website here

Thursday 5 December - 5.30pm to 7.00pm

On Thursday 5 December, all children in Junior 5 and 6 will perform in the Advent Service at Crackley Hall starting at 5:30pm and finishing no later than 7:00pm.

We ask that all children arrive back at school between 5:00 and 5:20pm.  Please accompany your child to the Gables entrance, ensuring that they are signed in with a member of staff.

Children must be smartly dressed in their winter uniform. Children should wear black socks or tights. All children will require their blazers and ties, but not jumpers, hats or caps.

Please park on the school field before making your way to the Gables entrance, where refreshments for parents will be served from 5:00pm.

After the performance the children will be escorted back to the Junior 1 classrooms to collect any belongings.

Please then collect the children as follows, ensuring that you sign them out with a member of staff before taking them.

Junior 5 - Gables Fire Exit Door

Junior 6 - Gables Main Doors

There will be two seats allocated per family in Junior 5 and 6, and if you require more seats, please email receptionist@crackleyhall.co.uk to be added to the waiting list, and these will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Should you require Aftercare for this evening, please book the normal chargeable Aftercare through My School Portal, as usual, before Monday 2 December. Please ensure that you book for both sessions, as this will ensure that your child is given tea.

Staff will then collect the Junior 5 and 6 children from Aftercare at 5:00pm.  Please be aware that you will need to collect any siblings from Aftercare prior to the start of the Advent Service.

Our Stars of the Week this week are: 

Congratulations to them all!

We love to celebrate our pupils' talents so every week, in Celebration Assembly, we hear of the children's successes and achievements and we watch performances by some of our pupils. Here are some photos from this morning.

A huge well done to all!

Congratulations to the following pupils who were awarded Junior da Vinci Awards in assembly this week.

For Art: Emma J1R       

For RE:  Jamie J2V

For History: Isher J1H

Junior 6 have had a fantastic Activities Week and fully embraced all the opportunities presented to them. Team-building activities on the sports field provided the perfect chance to enjoy some fresh air and tackle muddy outdoor challenges in the cold November sunshine. Back in the warm indoors, the children experienced the excitement and competitiveness of board games! They also enjoyed the calmness and relaxation of making their own bread, watching a film, and savouring a tasty Costa treat. In the classroom, they recreated a French café and listened to some Trenet during their French food-tasting experience. There were mixed reviews on some of the pâté, but the cheeses, pain au chocolat, and French biscuits were very popular!  
The children were fascinated, although some also slightly repulsed, by heart dissection! There were certainly some nervous faces before they started! For the ‘Bake Off’, they worked well in teams on their cakes, planning, baking and decorating. Towards the end of the week the pupils also got creative with wreath and decoration-making. While crafting Christmas cards helped them get into the festive spirit, just in time for Advent rehearsals.  

Junior 5 have been thinking about Christmas as a time of giving. During PSHE, J5L were learning about how they could make a difference and decided that they wanted to litter pick around the school during their break and lunch times, so they could give back to their environment. This month, the children have also been supporting our local community through bringing in donations for the food bank. They have brought in a variety of items such as: pasta, chocolate, tinned vegetables, soups and more. We are all proud of J5 for the generosity and willingness to give. Thank you for all that they have brought in to support our community. 

This week, J4 have been working hard on newspaper articles and their different features. They have looked at what makes a good headline and why we include direct quotes in a report. They have been interviewing each other as if they were eyewitnesses to the volcanic eruption at Pompeii, taking it in turns to be interviewer and interviewee. They will begin writing their newspaper stories next week.

This term, our J3 boys have been honing their tag rugby skills, focusing on tagging technique, passing and catching, as well as drift defence. This week, they've been bringing it all together by applying their learning to match scenarios, enhancing their overall game knowledge and teamwork. Meanwhile, the girls have been dedicated to improving their hockey skills, with an emphasis on static and dynamic passing in pairs and learning the crucial technique of ‘posting up’ to receive the ball. They've been showcasing their progress by integrating these skills into game play, demonstrating their growth and understanding on the pitch. It’s been fantastic to see the hard work and progress made by all our pupils!

We have had such an exciting week in J2! The children have been finding out everything they can about 'Living things and their Habitats' in our Science lessons. They began by exploring the local area for a range of habitats and signs of life. They then found microhabitats and minibeasts within the forest area and loved hunting for bugs! This week, they have been researching different habitats around the world and created some super digital work. Well done, J2!

During RE in J1 we have been learning about the Wedding of Cana. Children have offered meaningful insight into one of Jesus' first miracles, where He turned water into wine. This story helps children understand the significance of Jesus' divine power and His role in bringing abundance and joy. Through discussion, we talked about how miracles are not magic, but the generosity and love from God. This lesson has indeed helped the children experience kindness and faith. In PE we have been using our gross motor skills to help strengthen core muscles and improve coordination. Using specialist apparatus has helped children to build confidence and challenge themselves. We can also now balance and jump off with control and skill. Nothing can stop our wonderful J1 children!

This week in Reception we have had so much fun!  We started the week exploring ice, and last week's cold weather was really helpful when it came to discussing all sorts of icy vocabulary. We all knew exactly what cold, frosty, frozen, melting, hard, wet and slippy meant! We then used the sounds we are familiar with to write these lovely descriptive words in our books. On Thursday we had a visitor - Louise from the Warwickshire Road Safety Team - who came to see both classes and we had a great time finding out all about safe ways to cross the road. Thank you all for the Nativity costumes we have received so far, and for those of you who are so organised and have already sent in your Secret Santa gift! We look forward to seeing you all at the Christmas Fair on Saturday.

Mrs Van Zyl led a thought-provoking assembly centered on the concept of gifts, beginning with a question about Christmas wishes. As pupils shared their thoughts, Mrs Van Zyl skillfully transitioned to a greater gift - a gift from God. The assembly explored the gift of a globe, using it as a powerful symbol to discuss the world which we have been given by God to look after. Mrs Van Zyl encouraged the children to reflect on how we treat special gifts:

Do we place them somewhere safe?
Do we look after them?
Do we treat them with respect and care?

Drawing inspiration from Pope Francis's message, she highlighted that when we leave this earth, we can only take with us the actions we've performed. This prompted the children to consider their impact on the world; what have we given to our earth? What are we giving back? The children offered suggestions for protecting our 'Common Home':- turning off lights, recycling, reducing water waste, growing vegetables and living simply.

We can all change, and we can all make a new start. Pope Francis - who chose the name of St. Francis, patron saint of animals and nature - encourages each of us to view the world as a precious gift to be cherished and protected.

Weekly and daily Masses are held at St. Francis RC Church, Warwick Road, and St Augustine RC Church, Beehive Hill, Kenilworth. Mass in ordinary times are generally held at the following times. 

St Francis 
Sunday 10.30am 
Monday 9.30am
Tuesday 12 midday
Wednesday 
Thursday 7.30pm
Friday  7.30pm
Saturday 10.00am and 5.30pm

St Augustine
Sunday 8.30am
Wednesday 10.00am

Sacrament of Reconciliation
Saturday 10.30am to 11.00am and 4.45pm to 5.15pm.

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

Weekly Mission

Week Beginning Monday 2 December 2024

Please remember to check team sheets and find further fixture information on www.crackleyhallsport.co.uk or on SOCS.

Please can we remind all parents that whilst sports fixture information, once published, usually remains the same, parents should check www.crackleyhallsport.co.uk or SOCS on the day of the fixture for the most up to date information.

In Spanish Club this week, J5 and J6 children practised ordering food in a Spanish speaking country. They impressed Mrs Green and Mrs Westerman with their use of ‘por favor’ and ‘gracias’! Señora Green brought some Dulce de Leche for a mini tasting session and the children felt very hungry when learning about delicious Argentinian alfajores!

Dormice had an exciting week filled with sensory exploration and creative activities! They delighted in using their sense of touch to investigate the ice trays, which were filled with various craft materials in shades of blue, white and silver. This hands-on experience allowed them to create beautiful winter collages. In addition to their artistic endeavors, the children had tremendous fun popping bubble wrap, which not only provided endless fun but also helped strengthen their fine motor skills. The week was rounded off with engaging snow and ice-themed stories, capturing their imaginations and adding to the wintery atmosphere. It was a week full of learning, creativity and joy!

Hedgehogs and Badgers had an adventurous week in the woods, where they discovered bears! Their Forest School challenge was to gather sticks and leaves to build a den for a tiny toy bear. Some children chose to work with a partner, while others preferred to gather resources on their own. Despite the unusually damp and cold weather, everyone did their best before heading back to the warmth of the classroom.

In phonics this week, children were introduced to rhyming words. They had fun creating strings of rhyming words by changing the initial grapheme, using the special letters at the start of their names. Some of the words made sense, while others were nonsense, which brought lots of laughter.

Additionally, children have learned the final few verses of their Nativity songs. They are nearly ready to add some actions and maybe even a little percussion, which is very exciting!

Saturday 30 November 2024 - 12:00pm to 3:00pm

PTA Christmas Fair 

Join us for a heart warming afternoon filled with laughter, festive delights and a celebration of our school community. Get ready to enjoy a wonderful time with your family at our Christmas Fair! From Santa’s Grotto to face painting, we’ve got it all covered.

Introducing Elfridges The Magical Gift Shop at The Crackley Hall Christams Fair! 

Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow for a Christmas Extravaganza!!

We regularly recruit for a variety of roles, please do share news of the vacancies with interested friends and family. Current vacancies include:

The Princethorpe Foundation

• Trustee 

Princethorpe College

• Teacher of Law
• Apprentice Grounds Operative

For further information please refer to the link below 

 www.princethorpe.co.uk/join-us