A huge thank you to all the Crackley Hall, Princethorpe and Crescent parents who joined us for Tuesday evening’s Parents’ Online Forum, when we raised awareness of our Annual Fund and the potentially huge positive impact of tax efficient donations on our Foundation schools. 

The Annual Fund has been the cornerstone of our fundraising efforts for some time and a critical part of our long-term strategy to ensure non-fee income plays a more significant role in developing our schools. 

Whilst a complex message to communicate, I hope it came across strongly that the Foundation is in very good shape, and this creative approach will help with the challenges facing us all and further strengthen the Foundation. 

Crucially, funds generated through the Annual Fund will give our Heads additional finance and resources with which they can ensure our schools continue to develop and flourish whilst keeping our schools affordable both now and in the future. Additionally, the Fund will provide financial assistance to families through means-tested bursary and emergency hardship support. 

The feedback to the presentation has been resoundingly positive, there has been a strong interest from parents in donating, (thank you to those parents who have already donated!), along with some very good questions and feedback which we have been following up individually. 

If you weren’t able to join us yesterday evening, or would like to listen to the presentation again, please click here to access the recording. 

In addition, you can access our Annual Fund brochure here, which simply explains how parental or business donations would work and the benefits to the schools within the Foundation. 

We would be extremely grateful for any further feedback to the presentation, so once you have had the chance to review this information please do complete the online form here, so we can take on board your feedback and answer any questions you might have. 

You will have also received today an individual message from the Heads to explain how the Annual Fund will help your school thrive and develop. 

With all best wishes 

Ed Hester
Foundation Principal

Dear Parents

We have had another week of hustle and bustle in school with so much having been achieved. Where does time go?  

Tuesday's eagerly awaited annual preloved book fair was a huge success. The hall was alive with the children choosing their potential purchases, waying up their options and deciding which to go for! Thank you to the PTA helpers who organised and assisted with ensuring smooth running and the school staff for supporting the event. I am informed that in the region of £600 was raised - which is a great effort! The concept of reusing books adds to our commitment to reduce waste, recycle and reduce our carbon footprint. I am delighted that this event goes a long way towards this aim, whilst raising funds for us to be able to use in school. Thank you to everyone who supported this. 

I hope you found Mr Ed Hester's Online Foundation Forum informative. Please consider being involved in donating once you have heard what a difference it can make. I have seen this school community unite previously, to the benefit of all our pupils. If you missed the presentation, a recording is available for you to digest at your leisure. Please do follow any prompts or invitations for further discussion, either with the Foundation staff or me. 

I was delighted to host our Vice-chair of Trustees, Richard Harcourt, on Wednesday. He was able to spend some time with me and also particularly enjoyed spending time in different classes, where he was able to observe lessons and speak to staff and pupils. I sincerely appreciate his time in getting to know us so much more. Thanks to the staff who very professionally took his visit in their stride and shared our Crackley warmth.   

The children have just left for the Young Voices Concert for this year. They are buzzing in excitement, and we hope they all have a fantastic time! I have loved hearing the rehearsals going on and I cannot wait to hear all about it.   

Ms McAloon will kindly step in on my behalf in leading our celebration assembly next week, as I am attending an Independent Catholic Schools Conference along with other Heads from across the Foundation. I enjoy representing our school at these events which always offer so much information and good ideas.  

Congratulations to this week’s Stars of the Week: Nursery –Ayla; Rec – Reeyan and Mikaeel; J1 – Aurora and Edward; J2 – Edward and Jamie; J3 – Alexander and Dylan; J4 – Harriet and Olivia; J5 – Isabel and Sophie; J6 – Ben and Rohan. Well done to all those who received their Crackley Compass stars and to everyone who received a Da Vinci award - they are all so well-deserved.  Congratulations to Saturn House for their victory in this week’s House Points Competition - second consecutive week they are the winners!  

Our musicians were excellent! Thank you, and well done to Wilson, on the trombone, Avni who played the piano and Sloane on ger beautiful singing.

Sadly, we will be saying farewell to Mrs Tennant-Bale today as she leaves to spend more time with her young family. I would like to thank her for being such an amazing teaching assistant in Reception during her time with us. I am delighted that we have been able to appoint Mrs Kristina Robertson and Miss Georgia Callan, who will take up their post in the very near future.

This weekend marks the start of some eagerly anticipated Six Nations rugby matches. I do hope that sports fans will be able to make time to enjoy the matches. I hope that you have a relaxing and happy weekend.

God bless, 
Rob Duigan 

"Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all the hope they have." - H Jackson Brown, Jr.

On Tuesday 11 February we will be holding in person Parent Consultation Meetings between 4:00pm and 7:30pm, in the school hall.

On Thursday 13 February we will be holding online Parent Consultation Meetings between 4:00pm and 7:30pm, a video link will be emailed on booking.

Booking instructions can be found here and appointment booking opened last week and closes on Sunday 9 February at 6:00pm.

Nursery 
One 10-minute appointment for nursery children in Badgers, with your child’s teacher. Please note that Nursery appointments are only available between 4.00pm and 6:00pm.

Reception to Junior 3
One 10-minute, academic progress appointment with your child’s form teacher.

Junior 4, 5 and 6
Two 5-minute, academic progress appointments, with your child’s English and Maths teachers.

There will also be the opportunity to speak to the following teachers, on Tuesday 11 February, should they be available. No appointments are available to be booked.

Mrs Olden (Music), Mme Westerman (French), Mrs Clark (Art and DT), Mrs Holmes (Art and DT), Mr Vaughan (PE) and Mrs Huang (Mandarin) 

Mrs Olden (Music) will also be available for online appointments on Thursday 13 February between 6:00pm and 7:30pm, please book this online.

When you arrive for your in person meeting on Tuesday 11 February, please park on the school field, and make your way to the school hall via the Gables.

Children cannot be accommodated in the school hall on Tuesday 11 February, please book aftercare in the usual way if you require this – please be aware that aftercare finishes at 6:00pm, if you have a later appointment, then please make alternative arrangements.

Club Cancellations

Please note that the following clubs will not be running on Tuesday 11 and Thursday 13 February, due to Parent Consultations taking place.

Tuesday 11 February

Junior 2 and 3 Football Club

Fencing Club 

Junior 5 and 6 Eco Committee

Thursday 13 February

Junior 1 and 2 Gymnastics

Junior 3 and Junior 4 Netball Club

Junior 3 and Junior 4 Rugby Club

Children's Mental Health Week 2025 will take place from Monday 3 to Sunday 9 February 2025. It helps raise awareness of children’s mental health and was  launched by the children's mental health charity, Place2Be. The week exists to empower, equip and give a voice to all children and young people in the UK.

For more details and information please visit their website below.

Place2Be's Children's Mental Health Week - Official site

Crackley Hall will be taking part in NSPCC Number Day on Friday 7 February 2025.

This year's Number Day has a travel theme, as we explore how maths is used as we travel.

This will be a non-uniform day, but please can we ask pupils to wear something that is linked with or represents travel.  It could be an item of clothing from another country, something with a flag on, that is related to different forms of travel, a favourite holiday outfit or an item of clothing with a number on.

Whilst we are not asking for a contribution from each child to wear non-uniform, we are hoping to raise awareness for the NSPCC as it is an extremely worthwhile charity.  If you do wish to make a personal donation to the NSPCC, this can be made through their website https://www.nspcc.org.uk

Dear Reception Parents 

I would like to welcome you and your family into the music community here at Crackley Hall School. We are very excited to be able to introduce your child the opportunity of taking a musical lesson. 

To start with we offer lessons in Violin, Singing and Piano.

Ideally children who commence these would continue with this as they continue through the school, as skills develop naturally.

The lifelong benefits your child will obtain through music expand beyond the classroom and are transferable to every other academic subject.

If you are interested, please complete the form here  and return to the school office. 

Again, welcome to the musical family and I look forward to meeting you! 

Musically yours

Susan Olden 
Director of Music

We have introduced a weekly calendar to keep you up to date with what is going on in school. It is a one stop shop for information.

Click here for the calendar for week beginning Monday 3 February.

Aftercare needs to be booked through My School Portal.  You are able to book the whole term in advance and to cancel this yourself, should you need to.

https://princethorpe.myschoolportal.co.uk/login 

The sessions available are:

• Up to one hour – until 5.00pm per child including a drink and biscuit - £6.00
• Over one hour, up to a maximum of two hours (6.00pm) per child including tea - £12.50 

If you require tea, please ensure that you have booked by 12:00pm on the day.

Please ensure that you book Aftercare in good time, as the School Office is unable to log in to book Aftercare on your behalf.

Our termly calendar is now digital. It includes an interactive contents pages and handy live links to emails, websites and phone numbers. It can be easily downloaded onto your device of choice and the calendar is designed to be mobile friendly for ease of reference.

Crackley Hall Lent Term Calendar 2025 

Please see the attached menus for the Lent Term. These rotate on a four weekly basis.

Week 1 Lent Term Lunch Menu 

Week 2 Lent Term Lunch Menu

Week 3 Lent Term Lunch Menu

Week 4 Lent Term Lunch Menu

Crackley Hall’s PTA held their popular ‘Pre-loved Book Sale’ on Tuesday 28 January with a huge selection of wonderful second-hand books, both fiction and non-fiction, all looking to find new homes. Divided into age categories and put on display for the children to peruse there was much excitement as in turn the classes came down to the school hall to take a look. The brightly coloured jackets and bold titles catching the imagination of them all, so much so that our eager readers struggled to choose.
Thank you so much to the PTA for organising this wonderful event and to all the parents who donated books. Huge thanks also to Kenilworth Books who most generously donated a selection of new books to the sale.
Reading is such an important skill for our children and it was fantastic to see them getting so excited about books.
Enjoy reading your new books everyone!

Pupils and staff at Crackley Hall School will be welcoming a new member of staff to the school’s leadership team after February half term when Mrs Narelle Copland, an experienced teacher and senior leader, will join the school as Assistant Head of Pastoral.

Mrs Copland brings a wealth of experience to her new role having played a significant part in the development and management of a number of primary schools. She joins from Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School in Birmingham where she has held the role of Deputy Head, SENDCo and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead for the last two years. Previously she taught across the primary age range and held a variety of positions at St Thomas More Catholic Primary School in Coventry, including Key Stage 1 Phase Leader and specialist Dyslexia Teacher.  

She has been recognised as an outstanding teacher and is passionate about delivering excellent teaching and learning. As a member of the senior leadership team, she will work closely with the Headmaster, Rob Duigan, and colleagues to ensure that pupils achieve to the very best of their abilities.

Explaining her approach, Narelle Copland, comments, “I want every child to have the opportunity to shine and succeed. My focus will be to nurture the whole child, not only academically but by providing a wealth of experiences and opportunities in a safe and supportive environment. I am delighted that I have been given the opportunity to lead on Pastoral at Crackley Hall. I look forward to working with all of the parents and staff, but my main aim will be to engage Crackley’s pupils to help them reach their potential.”

Narelle feels as if she is coming home as she is a past pupil of St Joseph's School (Crackley Hall’s previous name) and remembers her time at the school fondly.

Rob Duigan, comments, “We are delighted that Narelle has accepted the position of Assistant Head Pastoral. Narelle stood out in terms of her wealth of experience, proven leadership skills and an approach to teaching, learning and pastoral care that is fully in tune with Crackley's Catholic ethos and values. We wholeheartedly congratulate Narelle on her appointment, she will further strengthen Crackley's Senior Leadership Team and I wish her well in her new role.”

Narelle is pictured here alongside Headmaster Rob Duigan, Deputy Head Academic, Sharon McAloon and Assistant Head of Ethos and RE, Sorcha Horan.  

The latest edition of Princethorpe College’s magazine, The Tower Review, has just been published. Telling the story of the last school year, term by term, it celebrates the adventures, achievements and successes of pupils from Year 7 through to Upper Sixth. It includes highlights such as Prize Giving and the College's productions as well as reviews of sporting events and House competitions. 2023/24 was an incredible year filled full of wonderful and memorable moments. Why not have a read of their magazine here.

Crackley Hall School's souvenir review has just gone to print and will be available shortly.

On Wednesday 5 February, the Junior 5 children will be visiting Princethorpe during the afternoon, to watch the College’s production of School of Rock.

Based on the hit film, this hilarious musical follows Dewey Finn, a failed, wannabe rock star who decides to earn a few extra bucks by posing as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. There he turns a class of straight-A students into an amazing rock band. While teaching these pint-sized prodigies what it means to truly rock, Dewey falls for the school’s beautiful, but straight-laced headmistress.

The children will leave after an early lunch and return to Crackley Hall by the end of the school day.  The children will then go to either carline collection or clubs as usual.

Rugby Art Gallery and Museum is showing its annual Open Exhibition. On until 20 February 2025, you might come across a name you recognise; Forest School Practitioner, Mrs Clark has two pieces on display this year, why not go and see if you can spot them! More information and details on how to get there can be found below:

Rugby Open 2024 - Rugby Art Gallery & Museum - Rugby Borough Council

Friday 14 February 2025 - 6.30pm to 9.30pm

With just two weeks to go until our 2025 Farmers' Networking Supper, we are delighted that a good number of Princethorpe's farming community have signed up already, with over 50 guests already confirmed. We still have capacity for more to join us, so do sign up, if you're available, as soon as you can to secure your place, and help to make this year's event the best yet.

We are also excited to announce our Guest Speakers for the evening:

Charlie Weetman - Owner of F. Weetman & Son who have run East Chase Farm in Kenilworth for five generations. Charlie is also Director of the Kenilworth Show, and so will be sharing both his insights into running a family farm and his exciting plans for the Kenilworth Show, which takes place this year on Saturday 31 May.

Luke Weetman - Son of Charlie, Luke is co-founder of East Chase Distillery, an independent artisan gin distillery situated on East Chase Farm. Luke will share his story of how the distillery came about and his vision for the future.

The evening is set to be a fantastic chance to socialise and network with fellow farmers, enjoying great food and drinks whilst gaining fresh insights into the sector and celebrating the efforts of this vibrant community. Don't miss out!

The event will take place in the Sixth Form Centre at Princethorpe College, and the dress code is smart-casual.

Secure your spot here by Friday 7 February 2025.

Crackley Hall's Holiday Club will be running this half term between Monday 17 and Friday 21 February.

For a programme of events, please click here

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

Team Super Sports are back at Princethorpe College this February half-term with an action-packed week for children aged 5 to 16 years. From Monday 17 February to Friday 21 February, the Holiday Camps will run from 8.00am to 5.00pm.

Children aged 7 to 16 can choose from a variety of sports to create their own personalised sports camp! For our younger campers (ages 5 to 7), along with sport we’ve got arts, crafts, and dance activities to keep them engaged and having a blast!

Why Team Super Sports? They’re experts in sport and multi-activity holiday camps, providing top-level coaching for all abilities.

Click here to visit the Team Super Sports website to secure your child’s spot.

Camps are priced at £38 per day. Book before Sunday 2 February to receive an extra 10% off for early booking!

Sibling discounts and flexible booking options available!

Crackley Hall’s Holiday Club will be running as normal. 

We will be celebrating World Book Day on Friday 7 March. Children and staff will be dressing up in their favourite Pyjamas. There will be lots of fun activities on the day . Please put the date in your diaries.

Further information can be found here.

Saturday 8 March - 10.30am to 12.30pm

We are holding a Nursery and whole school Open Morning on Saturday 8 March. The Open Morning is a great opportunity for prospective families considering Crackley Hall School or Little Crackers Nursery to come and have a look around and get a feel for the school and Nursery. There will also be opportunities to speak to pupils, key members of staff and to meet Mr Duigan, Headmaster.

To find out more and to book your visit to Crackley Hall and Little Crackers Nursery visit our website here.

Most of our pupils enter at Nursery and Reception, though pupils are welcome at any age, dependent on a place being available. We are still accepting registrations for entry to Reception in September 2025 and have 2, 3 and 4-year-old places available in Nursery. 

Applications for places in the current Reception to Junior 6 are treated on an individual basis as places are limited. Click here to find out more about mid-year and mid-term admissions. 

If your child is turning two, get in touch and come and take a look around our Nursery or come along to our friendly Stay 'n' Play Toddler Group on Wednesday mornings in term time. Click here to find out more. 

Please do share this information with family and friends. 

Thursday 13 April 2024 - 10.30am to 12.30pm

As part of the launch of the 2026 Admissions Cycle, the College's Spring Open Morning will give prospective families a chance to visit the school on a normal working day, with Year 8 and 9 pupils acting as tour guides. The Leadership and Admissions Teams will be available to answer any questions visitors might have. Light refreshments will be available.

All are welcome, please book your place by clicking here.

Entrance Examinations Day for September 2026 entry will take place on Saturday 8 November 2025 from 9.30am to 3.30pm. The deadline for registrations, scholarship and bursary applications is Friday 26 September 2025.

Limited places are also still available for entry to the College in September 2025 in current Years 7 to 10, and a Spring Entrance Exams Session will take place, after the Open Morning on Friday 21 March.

For further information please contact the Admissions Team on 01926 643201/297 or email admissions@princethorpe.co.uk.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit​
Wednesday 9 April - 2.30pm and 4.00pm and Thursday 10 April - 2.30pm and  4.00pm

As part of the Foundation's drive to increase non-fee income, our Commercial Enterprise Team are delighted to be hosting LOL Theatre Company's lovingly adapted production of The Tale of Peter Rabbit in The Clarkson Theatre in the run up to Easter.

When young Peter Rabbit disobeys his mother and enters the forbidden garden belonging to Mr McGreggor, he indulges himself with lettuce, green beans and radishes, however he soon starts to feel sick and goes in search of some parsley to soothe his stomach ache. Who does he encounter when he ventures further into the vegetable patch? None other than Mr McGreggor himself! After a frantic chase, he loses his clothes and his sense of direction. Will Peter Rabbit escape Mr McGreggor's clutches and return home unharmed? More importantly, will he learn his lesson and listen to his mother's warnings next time? Let's hope so!

This 45-minute family friendly production is based on the classic short story by Beatrix Potter and teaches about the importance of listening to warnings, doing the right thing and facing the consequences of your actions. Recommended for ages 4 and above.

This enchanting theatre show brings Beatrix Potter’s beloved characters to life! This is a public performance and all are welcome.

Tickets

• Adult ticket - £10
• Child ticket - £5
• Under 4s go FREE

Click here to book your seats.

Our Stars of the Week this week are: 

• Nursery - Ayla
• Reception A - Reeyan
• Reception OC - Mikaeel
• J1R - Aurora
• J1H - Edward
• J2M - Edward
• J2V - Jamie
• J3G - Alexander
• J3W - Dylan
• J4A - Harriet
• J4C - Olivia
• J5L - Isabel
• J5S - Sophie
• J6H - Ben
• J6V - Rohan

Congratulations to them all!

Congratulations to all our Junior Da Vinci award winners this week.

• Maths - Clement
• RE - Edward
• STEAM - Isher, Eva, Avni and Bracken  

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!

Junior 6 have been learning about food in their French lessons. This week they did some listening and speaking activities on Seesaw, learning how to order food in French and feeling motivated in their work by the thought that they might otherwise feel very hungry! The children realised that there is more than one word for ‘some’ in French, so knowing how to say ‘Je voudrais du jambon’ but ‘Je voudrais de la salade’ was important. They found various picnic items on the French supermarket ‘Carrefour’ website and discovered how much the items cost in euros, as well as finding some impressive special offers! Already the Junior 6s are finding out more about Normandy and looking forward to one day sampling ‘Tarte Normande’ or a delicious ‘crêpe’..without forgetting to say ‘Bon Appétit’ of course!

Over the last two weeks, Junior 5L have been recreating one of Monet’s artworks using oil pastels. The children have learnt how to make a darker colour by using contrasting colours and how to blend colours to create a smooth image. In Computing, Junior 5 have begun to explore and experiment with Kodu. They have been coding their Kodu to react when it sees an object and to eat the apples when their Kodu reaches them. In Music, Junior 5 have been practising Young Voices songs with enthusiasm, ready for this evening!

This week, Junior 4 have been mastering their use of a dictionary to aid with their creative writing. They worked in pairs to find tricky words and their meaning and then used the dictionary and thesaurus to find synonyms to make their description of Grendel super scary! They have also made pan pipes in Science to further understand pitch – Mr Ashley’s class even learnt how to play Happy Birthday as a group.

Junior 3 have been deepening their understanding of the concept of division and multiplication this term using manipulatives such as place value counters and Base 10. All the children love to use them in Maths as they help them visualise, explore and represent mathematical concepts. This week, the place value manipulatives have been used in lessons to help children understand exchanging when dividing. Soon they will be able to move from concrete representations, to pictorial representations, to abstract representations with a deep and secure understanding. Junior 3 have also developed their collaboration skills when using them with a partner, which leads to brilliant ‘Maths talk’ between them. Most importantly, it makes Maths lessons fun, inclusive and engaging.

This week, Junior 2 have been completing their Monet inspired Digital Art. The children have learnt about Claude Monet and the progress of his impressionist style. They were genuinely amazed at how he could create pictures that looked like 3D moving art, over 100 years ago. The children then explored the different range of marks that they could make using an art app and created their own pieces based around his Water Lilies pictures.  

After the excitement of learning about the Antarctic in Science last week we moved to the top of the world and found out about the Arctic this week. The children discovered that many more animals live in the Arctic region, including the biggest of all bears – the polar bear. This led onto them recording facts about polar bears, such as polar bears actually have black skin, and they can smell their prey up to 32km away!! Fascinating! In Geography, now we have learnt about the capital cities of the UK, we looked at London in more detail recognising famous landmarks and talking about who has been there. This week saw the end to our focus on Mrs Armitage on Wheels and after initially recognising onomatopoeia words in the story, they had a chance to write their own. This was followed by a final recount of the story, this time as a cartoon strip. It was also lovely to see them remember the story so well and be able to perform it with actions with no help from the teachers. Finally, we all enjoyed the Book Fair, and everyone loved getting a new book or two to keep for themselves. Thank you, PTA.

As part of our theme on animals, this term the Reception children have been exploring 'under the sea'.  We looked at webcams on coral reefs, found out all about submarines, divers, fish and sharks and spoke with each other about what we would love to see if we could dive beneath the waves.  We then used all this information to support our writing. The children became divers, in charge of making notes, and wrote some lovely descriptions of the jellyfish, sharks, octopus and sea-horses they imagined they saw.  It is lovely to see the children beginning to use their knowledge of sounds to write with greater independence - we were super impressed watching one of the children thinking hard, and giving the word 'tentacles' a really good go!

For this  month we are asking for donations from our Junior 3  classes to be brought to school.  Please see below for a list of most needed items:

Most needed food parcel items:

• Tinned Vegetables
• Instant Mash
• Tinned Rice Pudding
• Chocolate
• Biscuits
• Crisps
• Small Bottles of Squash
• Ketchup/Mayonnaise
• Toothpaste
• Deodorant
• Shower Gel
• Washing Up Liquid
   

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

Weekly Mission

Weekly and daily Masses are held at St. Francis RC Church, Warwick Road, and St Augustine RC Church, Beehive Hill, Kenilworth.  

For dates and times follow the link above and scroll down. 

Ms McAloon led an inspiring assembly celebrating Saint Paul the Apostle, introducing him as the first great Christian missionary. She explained the concept that a missionary is someone dedicated to sharing God's love with the world. The assembly highlighted Saint Paul's remarkable journey; how his dangerous travels spanned hundreds of miles; his dedication to spreading Jesus' message of love; his work in building God's kingdom; and his influential letters encouraging others in their faith.

When Ms McAloon asked pupils how they could create positive change in their own lives, they offered thoughtful responses, which included listening attentively to teachers; being helpful to others; showing kindness; and feeding those in need.

The discussion then evolved to explore ways of sharing Jesus' love, with children suggesting:

• Attending church
• Sharing with others
• Offering friendly smiles

The assembly concluded with a challenging question: how will we follow in St Paul's footsteps this week to spread God's love?

Our Sports Information Booklet provides you with key information across the department including contact details, fixtures and selection and kit requirements.

Sport Information Booklet 2024-25

If you have any questions or queries, please contact Head of Games, Mr Stedeford. 

This week in Dormice we read the story 'Elmer' and made colourful milk bottle elephants, with the children using different materials and colours to create their own Elmer elephants. This type of activity encourages creativity and helps develop fine motor skills. Discussing the story of Elmer helped children understand diversity and individuality.

The children enjoyed a pom poms colour matching game, which helped them recognise and match colours, enhancing their sorting skills. 

To celebrate Chinese New Year, we made paper plate snacks, exploring different textures and learning about cultural traditions. Sensory play with noodles and rice encouraged children to express their feelings and develop their vocabulary.

The Badgers and Hedgehogs room was filled with red and gold as we also celebrated Chinese New Year. The children giggled while trying to transfer lucky red rice from bowl to bowl using both regular and trainer chopsticks.

In honour of the Year of the Snake, the children competed to roll the longest playdough snake. The snake theme continued at the finger gym with a dotty hand-to-eye task and extended to the Small World play in the Garden Room.

The children also participated in a traditional Dragon dance, inspired by a clip of the 2024 Chinese New Year celebrations in London. They took turns holding poles to make the dragon body writhe and slither, with a brave volunteer controlling the dragon’s head. Additionally, the pre-schoolers crafted Chinese lanterns and dragon masks and fished for lucky number 8 among the numerals in the water tray.

So, a very joyful ‘Kung hei fat choi’ to all! 

Dear Parents 

The next half termly PTA meeting is on Wednesday 26 February instead of the advertised date of Wednesday 5 March.

 We hope to see you there!  

Family Bingo - Saturday 1 March 2025 

Please join us for a fun filled afternoon with some great prizes, cakes and snacks and with optional kids-only tables.

Without a doubt the best way to get through a Saturday afternoon without the rugby! 

A range of delicious refreshments including a bar for the big kids with table service is also available. 

Tickets priced at £5 each (includes x1 bingo book).

Please scan the QR code on the Poster or click the link here.

The PTA wish to say a special Thank You to all that have contributed and purchased  preloved books at the event this week and are delighted to announce that they have raised a whopping £650.00 

Well done all! 

Dear Parents 

The move to a ‘digital first’ approach for our publications, is part of the Foundation’s drive to be more sustainable, reducing paper use, printing and postage costs and providing a more user-friendly experience.

All the school’s publications can also be found on My School Portal under School Information and will be updated during the year as necessary.

Please see below some useful links to our documentation. 

• Absences And Leave Requests - Lost Property
• Administration Of Medication Form
• After Care
• Contact Information
• Medical Links
• Music Application Form
• School Day Timings
• Uniform Order Form
• Lent Clubs Weekly Overview 

Please find the Lent Termly Curriculum Sheets for your information:

Reception Lent Term 2025 

Junior 1 Lent 2025 

Junior 2 Lent 2025 

Junior 3 Lent 2025 

Junior 4 Lent 2025 

Junior 5 Lent 2025 

Junior 6 Lent 2025 

Nursery Lent 2025  

Morning Drop Off

If using the carline, please move carefully around the roundabout before dropping your child off. Do not stop in the middle of carline, do not block in parked cars or empty spaces and do not use the staff parking spaces.

If you need to walk your child into school, or need to come in for any reason, please use the Lower Playground to park considerately, before making your way into school.

The Sports Field is always open for parking in the morning, please consider parking here and walking over to school to alleviate congestion. Please do not park in the local residential roads where possible. 

Afternoon Collection 

Please arrive promptly at your child’s collection time, as arriving early can cause unnecessary congestion. If using the carline, please move carefully around the roundabout, being extremely aware of pedestrians and other cars.

If you need to come into school for any reason, please use the Lower Playground to park considerately, before making your way into school.

The Sports Field is always open for parking in the afternoon, please consider parking here and walking over to school to alleviate congestion. Please do not park in the local residential roads where possible.

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

Crescent School

• Head of Music

For further information please refer to the link below 

www.princethorpe.co.uk/join-us

Dear Parents 

The move to a ‘digital first’ approach for our publications, is part of the Foundation’s drive to be more sustainable, reducing paper use, printing and postage costs and providing a more user-friendly experience.

All the school’s publications can also be found on My School Portal under School Information and will be updated during the year as necessary.

Please see below some useful links to our documentation. 

• Absences And Leave Requests - Lost Property
• Administration Of Medication Form
• After Care
• Contact Information
• Medical Links
• Music Application Form
• School Day Timings
• Uniform Order Form
• Lent Clubs Weekly Overview