The Chronicle

Dear Parents

I hope this evening’s Chronicle, the last full edition for this term, finds you well and ready to enjoy the weekend ahead.  The weather this week has been quite varied; on Monday children enjoyed playing on the grass and enjoying sunshine but on Wednesday there was a sudden hail storm whilst children were taking part in a sports fixture.  Hopefully it will become more settled over the weekend and milder for the Junior 5 residential visit to Alton Castle next week.

On Tuesday we hosted the Easter Production and I was very impressed, as always, by the performances of everyone involved.  My sincere thanks to Mrs Wildey, Mrs Paphitis, Mrs Olden and those who helped to co-ordinate the event.  Also thank you to Mrs Lamb from the PTA for assisting with the refreshments.  I am grateful to Mrs Jackson-Mayne, Mrs Simmonds and Mrs Olden for preparing the pupils for this afternoon’s Mass, as well as Fr Kevin for celebrating the Mass.  Thank you to Ms Holmes, Mrs Bhogal and the J3H pupils for leading the Mass.

On Wednesday Mrs Bhogal and Mrs Vaughan attended the ISA Midlands U9 Netball tournament in Stafford with our team who all acquitted themselves very well, winning two of their six matches to end in 5th place.  Well done to all the girls.  Our U11 footballers played very well against King Henry’s and the highlight of the week was Max’s run in the ISA National Cross-country championships.  Max ended 6th out of a field of nearly 70 runners in the Year 3 and 4 boys’ race – quite an achievement!  Well done to all our runners who were chosen to represent the Midlands – Amisha, Hannah, Max, George, Sid and Elle.

Whilst on the subject of sports, Mr Lamprecht hosted a sports tour meeting for Junior 5 parents on Wednesday and is very pleased with the response received thus far.  It is hoped to arrange a tour to Jersey next year, before the Junior 6 visit to France.  Further details will be released next term as to whether or not this will take place.

You should have recently received the Trinity Term lunch choices.  As you will no doubt be aware, Holroyd Howe are award-winning caterers and provide for Crackley Hall School and Princethorpe College.  I have discussed our current food offering and provision with our Crackley Hall chef, Mr Ian Sansum and, as a result, some changes have been made to the menus.  I hope that you will agree there is a good variety of food available and assure you that children are encouraged to make healthy choices when choosing their desserts.  In addition, I have been reassured that all eggs used are free range, the butcher supplies only meat from the British Isles and the fish is sustainably sourced.   Our catering company takes great care and pride in responsible sourcing of ingredients.  I hope that you will agree that the lunches continue to be good value and appetising for the children.  If you have any questions or need to discuss any particular dietary requirements, please discuss these with Mr Sansum in the first instance so that he may cater for your child’s needs.

Our Stars of the Week this week are: Tristan, Jacob, Blythe, Elsie, Oliver, Grace, Dexter, George, Amelia, Jacob, Harvey, Harry, Emerson, Angel and Tom.

Congratulations to the recipient of this week’s RE Book of the Week, Harry and our Rugby Tots star, Charlie.  We were entertained at assembly by our Chamber Orchestra, Aaron A (on piano) and then by Aaron C (singing).  All three performances were simply excellent and added to a happy celebration.

Next Monday afternoon, Junior 5 will be departing for their residential visit to Alton Castle.  I know that the children are excited and, possibly some, a little apprehensive about this visit but I am certain that they will all have a wonderful time with their friends, learning new skills and testing themselves in new and challenging situations.  I look forward to hearing about their adventures on their return.

School will end at the usual time on Wednesday next week and Aftercare will also be available.  Holiday club will be open for the duration of the Easter break but closed on Bank Holiday’s, including Good Friday and Easter Monday; places are still available on certain days for full or half days and can be booked using the Parent Booking System or by calling the school office.

Before signing off, I would like to wish all those taking part in the 40 mile Coventry Way Challenge this weekend the very best of luck.  I know that a number of Princethorpe Foundation staff will be walking some, if not all, of the way.

I hope that you all have a restful and happy weekend with your families.

God bless

Robert Duigan

The meeting will take place next Monday 8 April at 4pm in the school hall.

J5 are warmly invited to a taste of senior school life at Princethorpe College on Wednesday 1 May 2019.

The taster day will begin at 9.30am when the children will be transported to the College by mini-bus from Crackley Hall. Pupils will experience a variety of classroom sessions, a tour of the school and a question and answers session with our current pupils. Break and lunch will be provided and there is no charge for this day.

At the end of the afternoon, you are invited to join us at 4.15pm for an informal Parents’ Information Session. Offering information on entry to the College for September 2020 and light refreshments will be served.  Ed Hester, the Headmaster along with other key members of staff will be available to talk to you about the College and to outline the admissions process. Children will also have the opportunity to trial the online CEM test, one of the exams that prospective pupils complete during the Entrance Examinations day, which will take place on Saturday 9 November 2019.

Please follow the link to access the online booking form for the J5 Taster Day.

https://www.princethorpe.co.uk/crackley-y5-taster-day

Please complete and submit the form by 5.00pm on Thursday 18 April to secure a place for your child.

For those parents who are unable to attend the Parents’ Information Session, your child will be transported back to Crackley Hall for 3.30pm.

We hope you can join us and look forward to welcoming you to Princethorpe College.

With kind regards from the Admissions Team at Princethorpe College

Thursday 11 and Friday 12 April, Monday 15 - Thursday 18 April and Tuesday 23 - Friday 26 April 2019

Tuesday 28 May - Friday 31 May 2019

If you struggle for child care during the school holidays, then look no further. The Crackley Hall Holiday Club will be taking place during both the Easter holidays and May half-term holiday.

At Easter, it will commence on Thursday 11 April and run until Friday 26 April 2019 (Please note that school will be closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday).

In May, it will commence on Tuesday 28 May and run until Friday 31 May (Please note that school will be closed on Bank Holiday Monday).

There will be exciting crafts, games and activities taking place at school between the hours of 8.00am and 6.00pm. Children are kept busy with baking, arts and crafts, films, team building activities, party games and trips to the park or common. There is always lots of fun to be had!

Please be aware that places are limited (due to staff ratios), and are allocated on a first come first served basis.

We do sometimes get fully booked, so you are advised to book early to avoid disappointment.

Please follow the link to book a place https://princethorpecollege.parentseveningsystem.co.uk/

Please note that the School Shop (based at Princethorpe College) will be closed during the Easter break from 4.30pm on Wednesday 10 April 2019 until 10.30am on Monday 29 April 2019. 

Please contact Nicola Browne on 01926 634272 or at uniform@princethorpe.co.uk with any uniform requirements prior to 4.30pm on Wednesday 10 April 2019.

Nicola Browne
Foundation Shop Manager

Just a little reminder that Aftercare is available until 6pm each evening, any children that are picked up after this time will incur a £10.00 charge (for half an hour).

For more information please refer to the current Information Booklet, a copy of which is available from the school website here.

Parents are asked to continue to be vigilant in respect of any communications purporting to be from the Foundation requesting money that do not match our normal procedures.

Please note:

• invoices are only available through the on-line parent fee portal;
• our bank account details will NOT change during the academic year 2018-19.
• if you receive an email purporting to amend our bank details, do not make any payment and please contact us by telephone immediately to clarify;
• we do not email details of unsolicited discounts for payment of funds.

Please do not hesitate to contact the Bursary if you have concerns about any communication you receive and in particular if you receive any request for payment of funds outside our normal routines.

Eddie Tolcher
Foundation Bursar

J6 Leavers Party - Invites are Out!

J6 children will have received an invitation today to the Leavers Party on Saturday 29 June, so please be sure to check your child’s school bag.

With preparations well underway, the afternoon promises fun-filled entertainment for the children to enjoy.

We will be collecting replies following the J6 French Trip meeting on Monday 8 April. All other replies will be greatly appreciated by Tuesday 9 April.

J6 Leavers Team

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

Crackley Hall’s PE and Games Teacher, Kat Vaughan, is to claim international honours after being selected for the England Masters World Cup hockey squad.

Kat will represent England at the Home Nations tournament in June and the European Championships, in Rotterdam, in early July.

Kat, who plays in midfield and defence, and captains Blossomfield Hockey Club’s Ladies second team, came through a rigorous selection process that involved four full day trials before sealing her place in the squad.

Kat’s hockey career started when she was at school and over the years, she has played club, County and Regional hockey.  She has worked as a PE and Games teacher at Crackley Hall School since 2010. 

Kat said, “It has been my dream for as long as I can remember to play for my country and to finally be able to say that I do makes me really proud.  I’m grateful to everyone who has helped me get here and delighted to be able to provide such a positive role model for our pupils.”

She continued, “Of course I have now realised that this is where the hard work starts – fitness, strength and conditioning training have to be built into my daily schedule to ensure that I am match fit (tournament fitness is much harder than standard match fitness) and injury free. It is very exciting, if a little daunting!”

Kat has also been taking part in England Hockey’s Master National Cup.  On Sunday 24 March, against extremely tough opposition, her team Sutton Coldfield secured a 4-1 victory and a place in the Tier 1 Masters Finals that will be held on Saturday 27 April at the Olympic Lee Valley Stadium just before the Great Britain versus USA match.

Mrs Vaughan’s selection is a huge achievement and we are absolutely delighted to hear her news.

Mrs Vaughan is not the only member of the Crackley Hall team celebrating national hockey selection news.  Old Princethorpian, Richard Hill, who works for Crackley’s After School team whilst studying at Coventry University, has also just had his place confirmed in the England University Hockey team.  His first match will be against Scotland on Thursday 18 April.

We wish them both every success in their forthcoming games.

Two of Crackley's finest Max and Elle, from Junior 4 and Junior 3 respectively, put their best foot forward last Saturday and tackled a very tough ISA National Cross Country course.

Always a hotly-contested competition, this year’s event took place at Rugby School and attracted 604 runners from independent schools. 

Sporting participation is a corner stone of our curriculum so it is with great pride that the Chronicle can report that Max broke through the top ten to finish sixth overall completing the 1500m course in a time of 5.57.67, whilst Elle finished with a sprint to grab a very creditable 14th place overall in a time of 6.40.33 again over a course of 1500m. 

Well done to Max and Elle you ran sure footedly on what was a fast course and we are delighted with your results.

On Tuesday 2 April, Junior 3 and Junior 4 performed a simple but dramatic musical that portrayed the intrigue and mixed emotions of the Easter story.  In front of family and friends, they told of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem, Judas’ betrayal, the Last Supper, his arrest, crucifixion and of how he rose again.

The children carried the narrative of the story with great passion and it was lovely to hear the energetic signing of the chorus. It was a brilliant, moving performance, Junior 3 and Junior 4 portrayed the important story so well.

Well done to all the children and a huge thank you to all the staff involved in putting the performance together.

Today the whole school community came together to celebrate Mass.

We are thankful to Father Kevin for leading us and for providing our children with such a valuable and insightful service.

Our thanks are also extended to the pupils of J3H for assisting him and to our choir led by Mrs Olden for their beautiful singing.

A pdf copy of the Lent Term 2019 Calendar can be found below.

Please be aware that events are added as the term progresses, so remember to keep an eye on the Chronicle for any additions/changes.

Lent Term Calendar

Please click on 'View Gallery' to scroll through a few photos from this week's events.

RE Book of the Week has been awarded to Harry (J4JM).

J3 achieved real understanding this week of the Last Supper through class teacher Mrs Holmes' inventive cross-curricular fusion of RE, English and Drama. 

Their tableau entitled ‘The Last Supper' helped pupils remember why it is so important, who was there and four of the important events that happened during the meal. Well done J3H, this learning will underpin your future studies by providing a perfect and memorable 'scaffold'. 

This week Father Kevin joined those J4, J5 and J6 students who have embarked on the programme to celebrate the sacrament of Reconciliation. In the sacrament of Reconciliation we celebrate God’s forgiving and healing love. This sacrament has a number of different names, including Confession and the Sacrament of Penance. During the service we looked at how we can use the stories from the Bible in our everyday lives and how we can turn over a new leaf.

Thank you to Father Kevin for helping us to say sorry and to everyone who helped our children continue their sacramental journey.

On Wednesday 3 April the U9 Netball Team travelled to Stafford Prep for the Midlands ISA Netball Tournament.  Team spirit was high on the bus as the girls looked forward to a day of netball against teams from Twycross House School, Crescent School, Salterford House School, Akeley Wood Junior School, Mylnhurst Prep School and Stafford Prep School.

The tournament was played as a round robin format with four matches back to back before a brief break and then on to play the final two games.  The girls enjoyed their matches playing well and showing promising footwork, good passing and defence.  Over the course of the day, they won two games but lost four to finish the tournament in fifth place overall.  

Playing in the team were: Issey Cleary, Anabel Davis, Rosa Davis (Capt), Scarlett Hammond, Maria Howe, Adelaide Hunter, Jasmine Staveley, Francesca Voisey and Elle Weir.

U11 'A' Football v King Henry VIII 2 - 2 (draw)

Player of the Match - Ollie

Match Report by Sam James: On Wednesday the Under 11 'A' Football Team hosted King Henry's. It was a close and hard fought game, played in extremely brutal conditions. The wind, rain, sleet and biting cold made it very tough for both teams.

It was nice for us to have Mr Duigan watch our final game of the season from the sideline, his enthusiasm and encouragement kept us going. Every member of the team tried their absolute best, earning a well deserved 2-2 draw. Man of the match was Ollie for his two goals. 

I am proud to mention that the team has gone the whole season unbeaten, and we are now looking forward to competing at the five-a-side National Finals in May.

U10 'A' Football v King Henry VIII 0 - 5 (loss)

Player of the Match - The Whole Team

Please find details attached of the schedule for the Trinity Term:

Schedule

Can we please remind you that if choosing a club led by an external provider, you must sign up both on SOCs and with the provider themselves.

Please see the attached letters for more information on individual clubs: 

Bayleaf Cookery Club

Karate

Mad Science

Chess

Rugbytots

Cricket

Tennis

Yoga

Ballet

Mini Brass

I believe this week, more than most, will be remembered for its weather.  Even though we had a successful and very loud fire evacuation practice on Tuesday afternoon, all the children can really remember and comment on is the fantastic hail storm we got caught in! 

Luckily the same hail storm popped by again on Wednesday, encouraging some fantastic language as they discussed the nature of the exciting ‘ice rain’. 

The children have also been thinking about tadpoles as one of our boys has some frogspawn at home.  He has quickly become our ‘tadpole expert’ and is giving us the ‘tadpole news’ each day, apparently they now have tails!  It was kind of Reception class to share their real, live, wriggling tadpoles with us, just to check what they really looked like. 

Please remember the children who are ‘term time only’ will finish on Wednesday next week – ready for a rest to recharge their batteries over Easter. 

Enjoy the weekend.

Newsletter 

The Gables was a whirl of glitter, icing and sprinkles last Wednesday 3 April, as Crackley's youngest tucked into a feast of all things crafty.

Miss Gail and Miss Mary welcomed the Stay 'n' Play families to a morning of Easter Crafts; tiny eager fingers enjoyed decorating ginger biscuits, eggs, chicks and lambs. Parents, carers and grandparents all got stuck in, some following their charges around the different activities more than once!

Everyone had an 'eggcellent' time and the event as always was a great success.

Keep an eye out for the next special event at Stay 'n' Play in May, details are still being confirmed.

Non Uniform Day - Friday 10 May 2019

There will be a non uniform day for all Crackley Hall pupils on Friday 10 May. In return, all children in Nursery, Reception, J1 and J2 are kindly asked to donate a box of chocolates or sweets and all children in J3, J4, J5 and J6 to donate a bottle. We are also requesting any unwanted books in good condition that you have for our second hand book stall, new unused gifts for a separate stall and, for all you makers and bakers out there, we would greatly appreciate any whole cakes (not cupcakes) and any home made produce, such as chutneys, jams, pickles or eggs for our home made produce stall. All can be left in the boxes in the foyer from Tuesday 7 May. 

Many thanks for your continued support. 

Family Fun Day - Tickets On Sale Now!  Saturday 11 May - 1.00pm to 4.30pm

Tickets for this year's Family Fun Day can be purchased here:

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/crackley-hall-pta

Entry can only be made with an advanced ticket, as the ticket includes BBQ food or a hog roast as the PTA need to know how many to cater for on the day.

Early bird tickets are on sale until midday on Tuesday 7 May at £5.50 per adult and £3.30 per child, this will also include a complimentary glass of Pimms on arrival for the adults or a non acholic alternative.

After this the standard price for tickets available until Friday 10 May at midday is £8 per adult and £5.50 per child.

When buying your tickets please select whether you want the hog roast option or 8oz burger or jumbo sausage. The hog roast numbers are limited so don’t delay in buying your tickets!

We are able to accommodate a few external stalls so if anyone is interested please email mfox1401@gmail.com

We are also always on the lookout for extra helpers, so if you can help on the day or in any way beforehand and haven’t yet let us know then please do - thank you!

Crackley’s Got Talent

The PTA have organised the annual talent show for the past eight years, latterly held as part of the Family Fun Day.  It has always been hugely popular - from the number of children performing, Mr Cottrill’s memorable joke-telling in his role as host and loved by the gathered audience of the school community. Over the last couple of years it has been difficult to accommodate all the acts and so after much consideration and with a desire to keep it as a non-competitive event, it has been decided that there will be two acts per year group, selected by pulling names out of a hat, in golden-ticket fashion.  These performers will be asked to perform at the Talent Show at the Family Fun Day on Saturday 11 May.

Further details are contained in the Entry Pack, including an Entry Form which are in your children’s book bag tonight  - these should be returned to your child(ren)’s class teacher by Wednesday 1 May, with the lucky entries announced in Assembly on Friday 3 May.

We encourage entries from all year groups and welcome variety.

Entry Pack

Raffle

You should also hopefully have received your raffle tickets in your children's book bag alongside a flyer which tells you all about some of our amazing prizes; including use of a 4-bedroom holiday villa in Spain, a family ticket to Drayton Manor Theme Park (worth up to £130), a hamper of mixed drinks plus family days out, beauty vouchers and meals in local restaurants.

Each family will receive 10 tickets and we ask that you return ticket stubs and money as soon as possible.  Please also return any unused tickets.

If you require any more tickets, they will be available from the school office or members of the PTA before Friday assemblies, as well as at the Family Fun Day.

If you have any unwanted gifts that you would like to donate as a raffle prize, they will be gratefully received and can be left with the school office.

Please find a link below to the current vacancies available across the Foundation:

• Facilities Assistant Manager

Full details of the roles and how to apply are available on the Foundation's website:

https://www.theprincethorpefoundation.co.uk/join-us

Lost

Willow (J3V) has lost her black sports fleece

Harrison (Rec) has lost his sports jacket

Amelia (J2M) has lost her school coat

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Parents, please ensure that all school uniform and sports kits are named.

Could you please regularly check all uniform and sports kits at home – if any of it is not yours, please return it to the School Office as soon as possible.