Dear Parents 

This week had an explosive start as we officially opened British Science Week with a magical assembly delivered by Princethorpe teacher, Mr Lee, with help from four Princethorpe College Sixth Form students! Thank you to Mrs Allen for facilitating the day and Mr Lee and students who kindly assisted in delivering a huge range of scientific experiments to dazzle, ignite and wow us in some jaw dropping moments. Thank you for a wonderful assembly to start off our Science Week. 

We had two Crackley Hall sports teams attend ISA national finals this week, and we are rather proud in sharing that news. Being a part of a team that represents our school is something our pupils do with enjoyment and a sense of purpose, each enjoying the companionship of the team sport environment.  

On Wednesday Mr Stedeford and Mrs Carroll took the U11A Football team to the ISA National Football finals at the grand venue of St George’s Park, the national football centre. The team played extremely well and ended up winning the Bowl competition, winning 3 out of 4 games in their section. Huge congratulations to the team!  

Mrs Vaughan and Miss Farquharson accompanied the U11 Girls Netball team to the ISA national netball finals later in the week. 

Our U9 Rugby Team escorted by Mr Vaughan and Miss Callan played in the Midlands ISA Tag Rugby tournament Thursday. Well done to all. 

We look forward to the Scholastic Book Fair taking place over the course of next week. In a cashless world these days please ensure you send in vouchers for your child to go shopping, or you have the option to discuss what books your child could purchase at your leisure, and the books will be delivered to school. Thank you to Mrs Malcolm for coordinating this event that our pupils so enjoy. 

We look forward to welcoming Crackley Hall alumni back to school next week as we open our doors to them on Wednesday so that they are able to join the school community for Joseph’s Day Mass and the Open House for past pupils and their families. All attending have had to register with us and will be hosted by staff on duty after school. The staff will be on hand to talk with, reminisce and accompany them on a journey down memory lane. 

We have music examinations taking place next week. Best wishes to the pupils who are taking them; I’m sure you will do your best.  

Thank you to Monique from Save the Children, who came in to join Mrs O`Carroll-Bailey in helping our School Council to plant bulbs in preparation for the St Francis Church Spring Fair on Saturday 29 March, which you are welcome to attend. The event is from 10.00 am – 2.00 pm. 

Thank you very much to Harrison (J6) who played the piano so well this morning and opened the assembly perfectly by playing ‘happy birthday’ as we sung to all those celebrating birthdays this week! What a star he is! 

Congratulations to this week’s Stars of the Week: Nursery – Sebastian; Rec – Lyla and Leonardo; J1 –Joel and Parker; J2 –Yuvraaj and Ethan; J3 –Jessica and Wilf; J4 –Cameron and Harry; J5 - Zac and William; J6 –Charlotte and Morgan. Congratulations to Jupiter House for their victory in this week’s House Points Competition. 

I should like to sincerely thank all parents and families who have, so kindly, supported the Annual Fund to date. 

With the six nations ending this weekend for another year, I’ve enjoyed watching the games, and, of course, am looking forward to the Lions Tour later this year in Australia. The Carabao Cup final takes place on Sunday but, I feel, Liverpool will be a little tired after their marathon against PSG earlier this week. 

I would like to wish everyone a very happy and restful weekend. 

God bless, 
Rob Duigan

"All it takes is one good person to restore hope." - Pope Francis

The A46 Kenilworth Bypass will be closed for up to three weeks. The closure period will be:

From 8pm on Friday 11 April until 6am Thursday 1 May 2025

A clearly signed diversion route will be in place over this period with advance signage in place to help remind motorists of the closure. 

You can still get to where you need to go but you’ll need to follow the diversion route, plan ahead and leave more time for journeys. 

To find out more please click on the following links 

Notice of A46 closure and lane restrictions, near Kenilworth - HS2

A46 Kenilworth bypass box structure phases of work - HS2

HS2 & BBV Drop in: Final Phase A46 Works - HS2

Dear Parents

The school has been contacted by Warwickshire Police and the road safety education team, regarding unsafe and inconsiderate parking at school drop off and collection particularly when there is an event on at the school. 

We would like to remind all parents of Crackley Hall School that the parking restrictions outside of the school are there to help keep you and your child/ren safe.

Yellow Zig Zag Markings

The School Keep Clear Markings outside of your child’s school create areas that must be kept clear so that children and young people can see clearly when crossing the road.

These markings indicate the part of the road where drivers should not wait, stop, or park their vehicle.

Vehicles must not be parked, even for a few minutes, on the School Keep Clear/Yellow Zig Zag markings.

Junctions

Vehicles must not be parked within ten metres (25 feet) of a junction. 

White Zig Zag lines 

Vehicles that park on WHITE ZIG ZAG lines are liable to get a fine of £100 and three points. 

Park and Stride – The Field 

The school is lucky to have use of the Field as an overflow car park as a park and stride location when events are held at the school.

Please do use this car park and help make the area near and around the school a safer place for your child/ren.

To help keep your children safe, the police will be conducting patrols around the school sites focusing on parking. They can issue tickets for parking which causes an obstruction to other drivers or pedestrians.

Let us all work together to keep our children safe.

Please ensure that all items of school uniform, equipment and sports kit are named.

Could you please regularly check all uniform and sports kits at home and if it does not belong to your child, please return the items to the School Office as soon as possible.

All lost property  will go on display outside the gables every Friday, anything unclaimed by the end of term will be donated to charity or the PTA. 

Dear Parents 

Following the success of our Celebration of Books Day last Friday, our wonderful illustrator Tabitha Marsh would like to share her QR code here should you wish to purchase her prints, books and more…..

www.tabithamarshillustration.com

A change for Junior 3 boys on Tuesday,  please collect from school and not the field as previously publicised.

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 17 March.

On Wednesday, 12 March, the Under 11 Football Team traveled to St George’s Park for the ISA National Football Finals. Inspired by England legends like Leah Williamson and Bukayo Saka, the team was eager to compete. Despite tough competition, they showed great determination and finished fifth out of seven teams in the morning, qualifying for the Bowl competition.

In the afternoon, the team remained unbeaten in four matches, winning their group and advancing to the Bowl final. They faced the team that finished sixth in the morning group. The final was closely contested, ending 1-1 after extra time, leading to a penalty shootout. The team showed great courage, with all players stepping up to take penalties. They won 3-0, thanks to Harrison's incredible saves. After nearly six hours of football, the team earned a trophy and medals, one of only three teams to do so. They deserve immense credit for their resilience and performance.

Mr Stedeford commented that 'every child was a pleasure to take to the event and should be very proud of their achievements.' He has also shared comments on individual performances, it's an impressive line-up!

Harrison - superb saves in the penalty shootout, played like prime Peter Schmeichel  

Scarlett - her strength and composure in defence was outstanding. She’s a future Lioness, watch this space!

Archie J - the ‘through ball’ king, whose twinkle toes and drop of the shoulder are so fun to watch.

Leo - must have glue on his trainers, as his close ball control was impeccable

Theo H - his power on the ball was unplayable at times, creating many chances for his team mates.

Charlie - plays beyond his years, finding space in the tightest of areas.

Othniel - did not lose the ball all day!

Ryan - played like Vinicius Jnr and just got better as the day went on – he was superb.

Soren - a brick wall in defence, not letting anything get past him.

Year 5 parents at Crackley Hall and Crescent School were introduced to a new Early Offers Scheme for entry to Princethorpe College this week.

Foundation Principal, Ed Hester, Princethorpe Headmaster, Grove du Toit, Foundation Director of Marketing and Admissions, Melanie Butler and Registrar Catherine Rogers, along with Mr Duigan and the Crackley Team, met with parents to talk them through the scheme which will take effect for the 2026 admissions cycle.

Mr Hester, comments, "The reason for these changes is to ensure that we prioritise applications from families who are already within the Foundation and to make the transition process as smooth and stress-free as possible for both pupils and, equally importantly, for parents."

How will the Early Offer Scheme Work?

The Early Offer Scheme will go through a similar process to the College's traditional entrance exams but allows us to prioritise the applications from the Foundation Prep schools and leverage the unique relationship we have within the schools in the Foundation.

Currently pupils in our prep schools already sit standardised assessments from Year 3 onwards in English, Mathematics and undertake a number of free writing tasks in class. For those who register for the Early Offer Scheme, these assessment scores would be made available to Princethorpe College for the Admissions Panel to review. This will show academic progress and trajectory over time and remove the possibility of a pupil “having a bad day”.

Additionally the Early Offer Scheme candidates would undertake an online assessment which would be administered in their current school setting by Princethorpe staff.

Once the online assessment has been completed, the Princethorpe College Admissions Panel will consider all the relevant information and early offers will be made as appropriate in the second half of the summer term.

If a pupil registers for the scheme but is not offered a place – feedback will be given to parents as to the reasons in the summer and extra support offered as appropriate. It would then be possible to sit the main entrance exams in November.

Scholarship applications for Art, Choral, Dance, Drama, Music, Musical Theatre and Sport, will follow the normal assessment schedule in the Michaelmas Term. Those wishing to be considered for an Academic Scholarship would be required to sit the Entrance Examinations on Saturday 8 November, but could do so secure in the knowledge that they had the offer of a place already.

Formal offer letters would be sent at the end of November as normal and the acceptance deadline would be early March.

Mr Hester adds, "It was great to get such a warm reception to the Early Offers Scheme from so many of our Year 5 parents, and we really do feel that this new approach will benefit Foundation families, both children and parents alike and is a tangible example of our Foundation for Life approach."

To see the Powerpoint presentation with Q and A from the meeting click here.

To download the 2026 Admissions and Entrance Examinations Booklet, which includes Scholarship Information click here.

The deadline for registering Foundation Year 5 pupils for the Early Offer Scheme is Tuesday 6 May. Parents can find the online registration form here.

For any queries related to the Early Offers Scheme please contact the Admissions Team, Catherine Rogers and Georgia Newborough at admissions@princethorpe.co.uk or call 01926 634201/297 and they will be happy to help you.
 

A very excited (and very nervous) U11 Netball team travelled to King’s High School yesterday as one of 28 teams from across the country competing in the ISA U11 National Netball Finals on Thursday 13 March.

The girls were one of seven teams in their pool, so faced six 12-minute games during the morning session. They started the morning exceptionally well, beating St Mary’s 5-0. They then faced a stronger opposition (and eventual third place winners of the Cup competition), Lady Barn House, losing 8-2.  They went on to beat Alleyn Court 5-2, followed by a very closely fought game vs Meron Court, with Merton Court shooting a winning net 5 seconds before the final whistle to win 2-1. A 3-0 win against St Catherines followed by a 5-2 loss vs Stover placed the Crackley girls in 4th place in their pool and qualified them to take part in the Shield competition in the afternoon.

In the Shield semi-final, Crackley faced Lingfield College and demonstrated dominance across the court, resulting in a convincing 5-1 win. They then faced Scarisbrick Hall in the final. Despite a tough fight, they lost 5-3 to a well-drilled team, so coming away from the tournament with a well-earned Silver medal.

Mrs Vaughan, commented, "The girls were a credit to us on the day. Their team spirit, positive attitude, support and willingness to learn and develop through the day was outstanding. They faced 4 degree temperatures, frozen hands, torrential hail and wet clothing with a smile and enthusiasm. I can’t speak highly enough of their behaviour and attitude. They were an absolute pleasure to coach."

A huge well done to them all!

Playing for Crackley Hall were: Scarlett M ©, Gaby A, Milly M, Eleanor W, Isabel AJ, Gwen K, Mahnoor B, Jessie J and Grace A

On Monday 3 March, the U10 Netball team travelled to Stafford Prep for the ISA U10 Midlands Netball tournament.

The girls had a tremendous start to the morning, with a categorical 5-0 win over their first opponents. Over the course of the morning, they went from strength to strength, winning all six games in their pool convincingly. Their closest game was against Stafford Prep, where they won a well-fought match 2-1.

The girls topped their group and went on to play the 2nd place team from Pool B in the semi-final. Again, they were the convincing winners, with a 6-1 win over the opposition.

In the final, the girls fought exceptionally hard. They went 1-0 down very quickly, then the opposition scored again. Crackley fought hard and managed to get a goal back just before half time. In the second half, the opposition scored again, and Crackley had to battle. They dominated play for the remainder of the half and equalised with 3 minutes to go. The netball was end to end, with each team having the opportunity to score, but neither able to capitalise. Until, in the last few seconds, the opposition managed to score, so winning the final by that one goal.

The girls worked extremely hard all day and showed tremendous improvement in their game play and skill and should be very proud of themselves.

Playing for Crackley Hall were: Gaby A ©, Isabel AJ, Elle B, Sophia C, Emily F, Gabriella F, Sophie K and Sara Y.
 

British Science Week was launched on Monday in assembly with Mr Lee and the STEAM ambassadors from Princethorpe. They introduced this year's theme of 'Change and Adapt' with exciting experiments.  The children observed changes in colour with the traffic light experiment. They watched physical changes with the elephant's toothpaste experiment, and they saw and heard squeaky explosions from chemical changes, including the amazing whoosh bottle experiment. The children left assembly buzzing and ready for put their own scientific skills to the test.

In Reception the children watched excitedly as mentos and coke react together to make a fizzing rocket. They then had a go at building their own raft for the three billy goats to cross the river on, and then had a go at changing or adapting it to make it even more suitable. 

Junior 1 set up an experiment to see if plants really do need water, light and soil/cotton wool to grow healthily. They set up a control pot (with seeds on wet cotton wool in the light), one without light (put in the cupboard), one without water and one without cotton wool. They also predicted which ones will grow. They will have to wait to see which ones grow and if they do, how well they grow. They are interested to see if any of the seeds adapt and change to the way they grow due to the conditions they are growing in.

Junior 4 had an amazing workshop with the Princethorpe Ambassadors and Mr. Lee. They continued the British Science Week exploration by integrating their Geography topic on waste and recycling, with a Science investigation on filtering microplastics from the ocean. Junior 4 tested various materials to determine the most effective at filtering out microplastics, using sand as an eco-friendly alternative.

Junior 5 investigated how we could generate more gas/bubbles in a solution of bicarb and vinegar. They saw that if we increased both substances, we produced more gas. They noted there was a chemical reaction and new substances were made - mixing baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and vinegar (acetic acid) causes a chemical reaction that produces a salt (sodium acetate) and water, as well as carbon dioxide gas.

Nursery even joined in the fun making cakes and observing how the dry ingredients became cake batter and then eventually cakes.

In STEAM club pupils looked at how animals have adapted themselves to suit their habitat. Anthony, Othniel and Rohan created posters to show some examples of animal adaptations of a variety of wild animals found all over the world. 

A huge thank you to all the staff for bringing their positivity and enthusiasm to British Science week and making it such a success!

As part of the charity for World Book Day this year, Lisa from Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice in Coventry, collected a donation from Crackley Hall of just over £118 on Tuesday this week. Lisa was delighted we had chosen this very special Hospice in Coventry.

Pictured are:

Lisa, Ms Holmes, Yubo and Eva from Junior 1, and Charlotte and Toby whose grandfather, Jack Scarisbrick, is the founder of Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice and Life Charity and who began the Hospice over 30 years ago.

If anyone would  like to donate further, please hand in any monies into the office.  Thank you.

We marked our annual One World Week after half term, our annual exploration and celebration of our world and its faiths. As part of the week, each class visited a different place of Worship, with pupils learning more about Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam and Sikhism. The children enjoyed learning about different faiths and cultures and it was wonderful to see them engaged and listening so respectfully. They were amazing ambassadors for our school!

Junior 6 visited the Gurdwara in Leamington Spa, Junior 5 the Birmingham Central Mosque, Junior 4 went to the Buddhist Peace Pagoda in Birmingham, Junior 3 to the Singers Hill Synagogue in Birmingham, Junior 2 visited a St Luke’s Greek Orthodox Church in Birmingham, while Junior 1 went to St Mary's Church in Warwick and our Reception classes visited our local St Augustine's Church in Kenilworth. Many thanks to all who facilitated the trips.

Crackley's Student Council got busy with their green fingers this week. Everyone has been collecting old mugs to 're-use' in our fundraising, and on Thursday we met with Monique from 'Save the Children', to plant them up with primroses and pansies.  They looked fabulous when we had finished and it was great to see so many of our Council members taking part.  We will be selling these to raise money for 'Save the Children' in a couple of weeks at the St Francis Church Spring Fair.

The Scholastic Book Fair will once again take place at Crackley Hall, during the week beginning Monday 17 March. 

No cash is needed to make orders or purchases, instead pre-brought online vouchers should be used and these can be purchased here. 

You can either discuss and decide on what books your child can choose, or you can let them choose for themselves! 

Wednesday 19 March 2025 - 2.00pm to 5.00pm

We cordially invite all former Crackley Hall and St Joseph's Convent School pupils, parents and staff, to join us for a special St Joseph's Day Mass and Open House.

Mass will be lead by Junior 5 Pupils and will commence at 2.00pm, guests are encouraged to stay afterwards for refreshments, when there will be time to chat, view artefacts and photographs from the archives, and the chance to take a tour of the school at 4.00pm.

It is a lovely opportunity to return to Crackley Hall, the site of St Joseph's Convent School, and catch up with other former pupils from across the decades, as well as long-serving members of staff.

If you would like to attend as a former pupil, parent or member of staff, please sign up for the event on Princethorpe Connect here to let us know you're coming.

Final details will be shared with all those signed up, in the days before the event takes place.

We look forward to welcoming you.

Monday 24 to Wednesday 26 March

Our annual Skipathon will be taking place during lunchbreaks on the 24-26 March. Children will be bringing home a sponsor form to raise money for Mary’s Meals. 

Mary’s Meals serves nutritious school meals to children living in some of the world’s poorest countries. The promise of a good meal attracts these hungry children into the classroom, giving them the energy to learn and hope for a better future. Mary's Meals already feeds more than 2.6 million children every school day. It costs just £19.15 to feed a child with Mary’s Meals for an entire school year – meaning even small donations can transform lives. Let’s see how much we can raise! 

Please support your children as we contribute to this worthy cause.

Please follow the link for information Please follow the link for more information 

Homepage | Mary's Meals UK.

Thank you

Saturday 29 March - 10.00am to 2.00pm. 

St Francis of Assisi RC Parish Centre, Warwick Road, Kenilworth. 

Please do come and support us at the Save The Children Spring Fayre.

There will be crafts, jewellery, plants, cards, small gifts for Mother’s Day and of course delicious cakes and refreshments. 

Pupils from Crackley Hall School will be present again selling their beautiful 'Spring in A Mug' flowers.

Please share widely with friends, family and children.

Crackley Hall's Holiday Club will be running this Easter. 

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

Team Super Sports are back at Princethorpe College during the Easter Holidays with an action-packed three weeks for children aged 5 to 16 years. From Monday 7 April to Friday 25 April (excluding bank holidays), 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 16 March 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. 

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 - Sebastian
• Reception A - Lyla
• Reception OC - Leonardo
• J1R - Joel
• J1H - Parker
• J2M - Yuvraaj
• J2V - Ethan
• J3C - Jessica
• J3W - Wilf
• J4A -Cameron
• J4C - Harry
• J5L - Zac
• J5S - William
• J6H - Charlotte C
• J6V - Morgan

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 all our Junior da Vinci award winners this week.

• Religious Education - Ethan
• Art - Alpha, Evelyn

The Book-themed House Art Competition was held during February and Ms Holmes was delighted with all the entries from Early Years, KS1 and KS2.

Older pupils had to design an ‘autobiographical book cover’ using images of themselves and their interests. Early Years and KS1 designed a ‘favourite book’ character cover.

The Winners: KS1

1. Marie - Junior 2 (JUPITER)
2. Yubo - Junior 1 (VENUS)
3. Michael - Reception (SATURN)

The Winners: KS2

1. Hugo - Junior 5 (VENUS)
2. Charlotte P - Junior 6 (MARS)
3. Royce - Junior 3 (MARS)

All the pupils that entered received 5 house points and the 3 top entries received 10, 20 and 25 house points.

Well done and thank you to all our entrants. 

In Computing, Junior 6 have enjoyed the challenge of designing a maze and programming their robots to follow a certain pathway. Our computer wizards created routes which involved their robots stopping at different features. They added code to make their robot talk and display words on the iPad. The children demonstrated technical expertise, excellent problem-solving and teamwork skills. Not long now perhaps until the arrival of the homework robot!

Junior 5 have donned their author caps this week, writing their own adventure story after completing our Kensuke’s Kingdom unit. It was fun to see everyone’s differing imaginations written down on paper. Some went for thrillers, some had elements of horror (but not too scary) and there were even some mythical themes! The children’s writing has progressed really well but importantly, they seem to love writing! Well done all of Junior 5 - keep up the great work!

What a busy and exciting week it has been for Junior 4! On Monday, we were thrilled to welcome Mr Lee and the STEAM ambassadors from Princethorpe. They delivered a fantastic workshop on flight, where we had the opportunity to create our own mini flyers. The hands-on experience was both educational and fun, sparking a lot of curiosity and enthusiasm among the children.

The excitement didn't stop there. Throughout the rest of Science Week, we continued our exploration of scientific concepts by integrating our Geography and Science lessons. This week, we focused on the important topic of micro-plastic filtration. The children were deeply engaged as they learnt about the impact of micro-plastics on our environment, and experimented with different filtration methods to understand how we could reduce this pollution.

In addition to our scientific adventures, we have been working diligently to prepare for the upcoming Easter production. The children have been putting in a lot of effort to perfect their performances, and the excitement is building as we start to collect and organise our costumes.

Junior 3 started their new Geography topic all about coasts this week to correlate with their English set text, The Mousehole Cat, which is set in Mousehole, Cornwall. First, the children shared their stories of seaside holidays in the UK and then we located them on a map of the UK, using atlases to help. The children used Seesaw to record the locations of these coastal towns and cities on a map. The atlases were so interesting and many of the children got lost inside the pages, marvelling at all the information they held, proving the point that maps really are fascinating!

This week, Junior 2 have been fully immersing themselves in their new topic about the country ‘China’ and loving every minute of it. We have found out about the world-famous landmark ‘The Great Wall of China’, which is the longest man-made structure on Earth. We discovered some amazing facts and worked collaboratively to create our own versions of the wall out of Lego and wooden blocks. We have been learning all about measuring length in our Maths lessons and we were very glad that we would not be using our metre sticks or trundle wheels to measure the length of The Great Wall, as it measures an astonishing 13,000 miles! That’s a lot of metre sticks.

We have also been crafting away, making dancing dragon puppets, and painting cherry blossom scrolls using a fascinating technique called ‘blow painting’. Our classroom looks full of spring cheer with all our paintings on display.

It has also been British Science Week, and we learnt all about the scientist and inventor Charlie Macintosh, who invented a special rubber coated fabric that we use to make raincoats. We did our own investigation into which materials would be the best to make a waterproof coat and learnt how to use a pipette in the process. It has certainly been a busy week of super learning in Junior 2.

Finding the capacity and volume of containers has been the focus in Maths this week as we used sand to help us measure out the capacity of different containers. The children also looked carefully at different containers to see if they were full, empty, half full, nearly full or nearly empty before solving problems linked to this. In English, we have begun to look at our new book - Where The Wild Things Are and have written a letter to Max asking him questions about where he went, what it was like and if he would go back again? Over in Geography we took an imaginary visit to Wales to find out about all things Welsh, including trying some Welsh food, such as Welsh cakes and Bara Brith, mmm tasty!

This week, in Reception the children have thoroughly enjoyed British Science week. They have been developing their scientific skills of observation, predicting, testing, reviewing and adapting.

Having listened to the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff, the children were given a timed challenge to create a raft for the goats to cross the river on. The children chose their own resources, some worked with partners, some on their own, and they made their rafts. They then tested the rafts on the water and talked about what they could see. The children were then given some more time to adapt or change their raft to make it more suitable. The children were able to talk about the adaptions they made and why as they discussed what worked and what didn't.

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. 

Please click on the link for this week's weekly mission.

Weekly Mission

For this  month we are asking for donations from our Junior 2  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
   

Yesterday, Crackley Hall played in the U9 ISA Midlands Tag Rugby tournament at Stafford Grammar.  where they came Fourth (out of 12 teams).

Despite the very cold conditions, the team finished second in their pool. The team then lost out by just one point in the semi-final (to the eventual winners), and then again by one point in the third and fourth place play offs.

Across the day, the U9s scored lots of tries and their tagging was sensational, resulting in multiple turnovers.

Given the fact that our Crackley U9 team normally play contact (so they were not as practiced as some of the other schools who only play tag rugby), this was a tremendous result and bodes well for the squad next season.

Well done to them all!

This week in STEAM club we looked at how animals have adapted themselves to suit their habitat. Anthony, Othniel and Rohan created posters to show some examples of animal adaptations of a variety of wild animals found all over the world. Enjoy reading about them and maybe learning a new fact or two!!

Wednesday 19 March

The following clubs are cancelled (due to our St Joseph's Day Mass)

• 15:15-16:15 - Move It Shake It Dance Club
• 15:30-16:30 - J5/6 Rugby Club
• 15:45-16:45 - J6 Netball Club

Pick up will be the normal carline collection point and time, or aftercare provision will be available for booking, if you require it.

Warwickshire County Council Road Safety Education Team are running a competition to name their new county fleet cycles. Fleet cycles are available for children to use to access Bikeability cycle training delivered by our cycle training providers. By providing fleet cycles they are aiming to remove barriers to children gaining the skills they need to become the safe cyclists of the future. By naming the cycles they hope to make them engaging for the users, and make it easy for children and their team to identify the different cycles.

• The competition is open to everyone.
• The closing date for entries is 31 March 2025.
• You can suggest a name for one cycle per entry.
• All names will be considered by the Road Safety Officers and cycle instructors.

They will share the new names for the 20 cycles once they have been chosen and let the winners know that they are using their name. They will provide a small, age appropriate prize for the winning names. Winners who are under 18 will be contacted via their school or college. Winners over 18 will be contacted via email.

This is the link to the entry form - https://forms.office.com/e/PHUzdvSqPi

To celebrate Science Week, Dormice explored the garden for signs of spring, observing budding flowers, new leaves, and early insects. They also conducted a fun experiment, placing raisins in cups of water, lemonade, and sparkling water to see if the bubbles would make the raisins 'dance'. This activity sparked curiosity and taught them about buoyancy and gas release.

Badgers and Hedgehogs identified various watery sounds using their sense of hearing to identify the wide variety of water noises. The main theme was ‘Change,’ with culinary investigations highlighted in Mrs Allen's article.

Dormice continued their investigations, discovering both large and small insects hidden among the natural resources. They delighted in taking a pretend train ride around the zoo set up in the tuff tray. Additionally, they worked on developing their fine motor skills by using tweezers to pick up various items.

During Phonics, Badgers and Hedgehogs explored the deep, blue sea in our yellow submarine, discovering sea creatures and practising key phonic skills:

• Identifying initial phonemes
• Counting syllables
• Creating rhyming words

They shared their Forest School session with the Stay and Play toddler group, substituting it with ‘Mindfulness Meditation’ and a ‘Dough Disco’ to exercise hand muscles. 

Please note, we have kept hold of all our Forest School kit bags in readiness for next week.

Nursery took part in British Science Week this week and enjoyed exploring this year's theme, 'Change and Adapt' with a series of exciting experiments.

Badgers and Hedgehogs enthusiastically embraced the topic by exploring the transformation of ingredients through baking. They began by feeling, smelling, and tasting dry ingredients, then moved on to uncooked cake batter, and finally, baked muffins.

They observed how mixing wet and dry ingredients creates an irreversible change. Next, they investigated how cooking alters the consistency of raw ingredients, which also cannot be reversed.

They watched a sped-up video of muffins rising in the oven, transforming from semi-liquid batter to spongy cake.

They then posed the questions: "Can we revert the muffins back to their raw ingredients after baking?" and "Can we return the ingredients to their original packets and bottles?"

The scientific conclusion was a resounding ‘no’!

So, they ate them – yum!

Our Stay 'n' Players had a fantastic time on Wednesday during their Forest Fun session! The sun came out just in time for the little ones to explore the trees, enjoy the mud kitchen, and have fun on the rope swings and slide. 
Preschool teacher and Forest School Practitioner, Mrs Whitehurst, led the session in Crackley Hall's beautiful woodlands, right behind the school. 

All parents and carers with their tots are welcome to join us every Wednesday morning from 10:30am to 11:45am. For more information, contact Mrs. Jenny Vaughan at 01926 514410 or email staynplay@littlecrackers.co.uk. Do spread the word!

• The PTA are desperately in need of donations, specifically Sports kit, and KS1 uniform (blazers, jumpers and clip on ties). Please put your donated items in the boxes provided that are located in the Hallway at the front of the school.
• Make sure you save the following dates: Summer Fair - 17 May 2025. Family Fun Day - 30 August 2025. More details will be available soon, watch this space!

• A huge thank you to everyone who attended our sold out PTA Bingo event on Saturday 1 March . It was a really lovely afternoon with lots of fun, energy and some brilliant prizes for children and parents alike. The event raised an incredible £1,000 so thanks to all those that made it happen with special mention to Jen Robinson for her wonderful cakes and Susanne Jackson-Mayne for hosting. It was a great success and very popular so one we will run again in the future.

  Thank you to our raffle prizes sponsors: Fossato, Queen & Castle, La Aria, The Station House, Kenilworth Books, Charlotte and Hotel Cafe Royal. 

• Pupils had a marvellous day celebrating books last Friday. It was wonderful to see the pupils enjoying the hot chocolate and marshmallows arranged for by the PTA as a super extra little treat on what was a fabulous day already!

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.

Please see here for March's challenge. 

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

Please see below the final details letter and costume letter for the Junior 3 and 4 Easter Performance.

Easter Performance Final Details Letter

Easter Performance Costume Letter

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
• Expression of Interest For Individual Music Tuition
• School Day Timings
• Uniform Order Form
• Lent Clubs Weekly Overview 

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

Princethorpe College

• Graduate Sports Coach
• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Attendance and Pupil Support Officer

Crescent School

• After School Manager

For further information please refer to the link below 

www.princethorpe.co.uk/join-us

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