The Chronicle

Dear Parents

Today has been a very special day in the Crackley Hall calendar of events.  It is the day that some of our students take their First Holy Communion.  Although we could not guarantee the sunshine for today, the warmth inside this church from this occasion was felt by everyone.  I have been lucky enough to be present at a number of these events and each time I feel honoured and grateful to be part of such an important service and milestone in our children’s lives.

I would like to thank everyone for attending especially those who helped make this year’s event possible including Father Kevin, Mrs Jackson-Mayne, Mrs Simmonds, the Catering Team, the Crackley Hall Caretaking team and the School Office.  Each child also had a special treat at the end of the day as they all collected a cake made by Mr Sansum to celebrate Holy Communion.  Thank you to our parents and grandparent for the very important role that you play in your child’s spiritual formation.

Although First Holy Communion may have been the highlight of the week/year, there have been other exciting events during our first week back to school.  On Wednesday, Junior 2 visited the Belgrade Theatre to watch Honk!  This was enjoyed by staff and children alike and is highly recommended.  Thank you to Mrs Olden for organising this visit and to Mrs Hardwick, Mrs Malcolm, Mrs Wild, Mrs Kaur, Mrs Duigan and Mrs Convey for accompanying the children.

Also on Wednesday, Mrs Simmonds and her able volunteers hosted a delightful afternoon tea for grandparents and parishioners.  Our choral group and orchestra entertained our guests while they enjoyed the homemade scones expertly baked by Mrs Simmonds that morning.  Unfortunately, I was unable to attend or sample the delights, but I have received many compliments about the atmosphere, food and entertainment.  My sincere thanks to Mrs Simmonds, Mrs Olden, Mrs Wildey, Mrs Paphitis and the willing helpers for making this an enjoyable afternoon for so many.

On Thursday some of our sporting stars travelled to the Alexander Stadium to participate in the ISA Midlands Athletics.  We enjoyed our most successful meeting ever, with at least 7 of our athletes being selected to represent the Midlands at the ISA Nationals later this term.  Thank you very much to Mrs Vaugahn and her team – she not only trained the athletes but also organised the whole tournament – ever so well from the feedback that I’ve received.

As many of you will know, there was an All About Me meeting in the Hall yesterday afternoon which parents were invited to attend to learn about the new guidance for Relationships Education and Health Education.  For those parents who could not attend or wish to have more information regarding the programme, there will be a separate communication from Mr Cottrill very soon.  This will detail what topics will be taught to specific year groups and when.  There will also be a link to a website, Warwickshire’s Protective Behaviours – Taking Care Programme and the NSPCC Pants rules.  I am sure that there will be questions regarding this initiative but please be reassured that there will be staff available to help you with your queries.

Due to First Holy Communion, this morning’s assembly was shorter than normal and all external trophies, awards and certificates will be celebrated next Friday.  However, I would like to congratulate our stars of the week on their achievements: Isabel, Grace, Thomas, Evie, Amelia, Mairen, Mya, Stephanie, Solon, Noah, Daisymay, Jude and all of Junior 6.

I am hoping that the weather improves tomorrow morning as Crackley Hall will be at the Kenilworth Show; if you are in the area and can attend it would be lovely to see you.  Please do not forget it is Charity Day on Monday and children are invited to attend in non-school uniform for a contribution to this year’s chosen charity – Blind Sports.

Before closing, I would like to remind you that the Leamington Spa Centre Box Office is now open and you can book your tickets for the school production online.  Also, it is my intention to open our holiday club throughout the whole summer this year and you can also now book this online using the normal procedure.  I would urge you to book as soon as possible so that I can confirm it is viable to open this facility to parents throughout the summer.

The cricket world cup is interesting, except if you are a South African supporter!  At least I was able to celebrate Liverpool’s Champions League triumph last week.  They might not have played well and, very often, looked second best to Spurs but the trophy justified a tremendous season for them.  I hope that you enjoy a good sporting weekend – tennis and cricket, in particular and we wish those pupils taking part in the Leamington Festival or the Kenilworth Show the very best.

Have a restful weekend.

God bless,

Robert Duigan

As you are no doubt aware, the Key Stage 1 Sports Day (Reception to Junior 2) will be held on Monday 17 June on the sports field.  Mrs Vaughan would like all children to arrive at school in their PE kit and wear a plain coloured T shirt that represents their house colours.  Matching coloured socks and hair accessories are also permitted.

To remind you of the house colours:

Saturn - yellow

Venus - green

Mars - red

Jupiter - blue

Parking will be available on the field and our PTA have kindly offered to provide refreshments for this occasion.  Now all we need to do is keep our fingers crossed for a nice dry day.  If for any reason this date needs to be postponed, the School Office will contact you and we will hopefully reschedule for the following day.

Children are invited to design a programme cover for the summer production to be held on Friday 21 June at the Spa Centre in Leamington. 

The two shows this year are Mary Poppins and Matilda. The summer production will be titled 'A spoonful of naughty’.

Let your artistic creativity start flowing - as all entries are to be named and handed into the office, by Monday 10 June.

Don't forget, the following information needs to be put on the cover: Crackley Hall School presents: A spoonful of naughty on Friday 21 June, at the Spa Centre, Leamington.

Please make sure your entry is 2D (nothing raised) and does not have any glitter on it, or unfortunately we won't be able to use it.

Good luck all!

Please find information attached regarding costumes for the Summer Production.

J6 Letter

Rec - J5 Costume Letter

Please find attached the termly curriculum sheet for your child's year group:

Reception

Junior 1

Junior 2

Junior 3

Junior 4

Junior 5

Junior 6

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

Friday 7 June was an important day for nine Crackley Hall pupils as they celebrated their first Holy Communion Mass. Mikey Bell, Issey Cleary, Merryn Cleary, Leo Fella, Finlay Hackett, Dillon Horan, Joseph Hughes, Milana Lambeth and Joseph McCoy gathered together excitedly with friends, family and the whole Crackley Hall school community at St Francis of Assisi Church in Kenilworth.

The children have been preparing for this special day since the beginning of the year, meeting regularly to learn about their faith so that they understand what they are committing to. In March they took the Sacrament of First Reconciliation and then in May they celebrated the Passover Meal. 

Father Kevin Hooper began by commending Crackley Hall’s long and strong association with the parish.  He then led a joyful and celebratory Eucharist beautifully supported by the Altar Servers and Chamber Choir.  He spoke about the nourishing love of God that would sustain the young communicants throughout their lives. The communicants received the sacrament with the utmost sincerity and reverence and were a credit to their families and the school. 

Following celebratory prayers, reflections and concluding hymns the nine recipients shyly posed for proud parents and friends in front of the altar.

Special thanks were given to Mrs Jackson-Mayne and Mrs Simmonds who have supported the children in their journey this year and to Mrs Olden and the Chamber Choir.  It was a wonderful occasion bringing together pupils, teachers, family and friends from across the Princethorpe Foundation.  The school was delighted to welcome Ed Hester, Princethorpe Headmaster, and Trustees Mrs Griffin and Mrs McNamara to the service along with Mr McCullough and some of the Sixth Form prefects.

After the service parents, family and guests were invited to share in the special buffet lunch laid on for the communicants in the adjacent church hall where the traditional First Holy Communion cake was of course the centrepiece with each of the children’s names iced on the top in Crackley Hall School colours.

A very special day for all concerned.

On Wednesday 5 June children from Junior 2 visited the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry to watch the marvellous and magical Honk.  A heart-warming adaption of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling, the musical tells the story of Ugly, a plucky little bird who gets picked on by the other farmyard animals because he’s different.

The much-loved story was brought vividly and noisily to life.  Pushed out of the flock, Ugly embarks on a series of adventures across the marsh, meeting an array of characters who teach him that it takes all sorts to make a world!

The children very much enjoyed the performance with its catchy songs, interactive scenes, puppetry and illusions.

Director of Music, Susan Olden, who led the trip, said, “We all thoroughly enjoyed the show. The music and songs from this modern musical were excellent, it was a great performance that cleverly presented an underlying message of acceptance.”

Grandparents and parishioners were welcomed into school for a special afternoon tea on Wednesday 5 June.  Organised by Crackley Hall’s Minnie Vinnies, the junior arm of the charity St Vincent de Paul Society, the Crackley Cream Tea is an annual community event aimed at the older generation.

The School Hall reverberated with friendly chatter and the clink of china as teapots and plates piled high with scones, strawberries, jam and cream were carefully served to the guests. 

Alongside their tea, the parishioners and grandparents enjoyed a programme of entertainment as pupils from across the school took turns to perform. The entertainment included the School Orchestra, Choral Group, Chamber Choir and the Choral Speaking Group as well as a number of individual solo performances.  All the children performed with confidence and panache much to the delight of the gathered guests, but the highlight of the afternoon had to be the Choral Group’s evil chuckles as they belted out the pirate song ‘Give Us What You’ve Got’.

After the entertainment, there was just time for the Minnie Vinnies to chat to their guests as they finished their tea.

Mr Duncan Cottrill, Deputy Head, popped in to welcome everyone to the school and to thank Mrs Dolores Simmonds for helping the Mini Vinnies organise the community event.

Mrs Simmonds, Mini Vinnies Co-ordinator, said, “We had a lovely afternoon, the St Vincent de Paul ethos is to make a difference to people’s lives and our Mini Vinnies’ Crackley Cream Tea for our local community was clearly thoroughly enjoyed by all.”

Just before half term Junior 6 enjoyed a spectacular six days away in Normandy. Their packed itinerary included a range of cultural, historical and leisure sights and activities, as well as the opportunity to put into practise some of their French language skills.  A total of 51 pupils and six staff travelled from Kenilworth to Normandy by coach and ferry and stayed in a picturesque gîte in Clinchamps-sur-Orne near Caen.

During their week away pupils had the chance to visit the Vieux-la-Romaine Roman museum and archaeological excavation site, they also learnt how to make bread, toured the town’s beautiful Basilica where, in the Crypt, they were able to attend Mass. As D-Day has featured in their History studies their visit to the bunkers near Arromanches, with its 360˚ cinema experience and a walk across the sand on the landing beaches was always going to be a poignant experience.

Alongside all the educational elements there was of course plenty of time to play and everyone had a fabulous day out at a local theme park, ‘Festy Land’, and enjoyed an evening BBQ. The children also visited Bayeux to take in the famous Bayeux Tapestry and the town’s Cathedral, along with some essential last minute souvenir shopping. On the same day the group also visited the nearby War Cemetery where the children were momentarily silenced by its sheer scale.

Thankfully, the weather was kind throughout the stay and volleyball and ice creams filled any spare time the group had. All in all the trip was a resounding success and has provided many magical memories for our Junior 6 to take away with them as they come towards the end of their time at Crackley Hall.

Thanks go to all those involved in organising the trip and to the accompanying members of staff Mr Duigan, Mrs Horan, Mrs Vaughan, Mrs Paphitis, Mr Kefalas, Mr Stedeford and Mrs Williams.

Crackley Hall’s Aryan Mehta helped Warwickshire to victory in the County Cup Championships, when he won the Junior Championships in August last year. Since then Aryan has been working hard to retain his County rating as one of the highest ranked U10s.  His commitment has earned him a coveted Green 1* rating, an award only given to those players that have beaten highly ranked players at least 20 times.

Aryan has also recently won the regional Junior AEGON semi-finals beating local teams from across Warwickshire and is now preparing for the final on Saturday 22 June at the Edgbaston Priory Club.

Aryan works hard on his game training regularly every week and, in the competitive sport of tennis, has been delighted to be selected for the county Junior team since he was 7-years-old. Asked to reveal the secret of his success Aryan explains, “I am very focused, you have to have a strong mind to succeed in tennis.  Often in crucial matches, you can be one set down and facing match point and it is at these times you need to be mentally and physically strong to overcome your opponent.  I say to myself ‘never give up’ and from there I have gone to win the match and then the tournament.”   It is clear Aryan has a steely determination.

Aryan confesses that he would love to be a professional tennis player.  We applaud his ambition and think that he has every chance of making it to Wimbledon one day.

Good luck in your upcoming final Aryan, we are all very proud of you.

In light of the upcoming changes to Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) by the Department of Education, Public Health have updated their programme and the resources we use in school. For this reason, our school held an information and insight evening for parents, where we welcomed Johnny Hunt, a leading practitioner, to host a seminar and question and answer session on the soon to be launched 'All About Me' programme.

The new programme whilst based on the same ethos and evidence of previous programmes, now incorporates much of the thinking and evidence accumulated through recent best practise. There will be much stronger links and reinforcement of the Key Messages from Warwickshire's Protective Behaviours - Taking Care Programme and the NSPCC rules.

Please do look out for details of the website especially designed to support parents and carers. Here you will find further information about the programme, including details of every lesson delivered, samples of resources, as well as a section of FAQ. 

A carousel of fun activities greeted the children who attended Holiday Club during the May half-term holiday. Miss Osborn and staff, surprised and delighted the children in equal measure with a varied programme of carefully selected activities; baking made way for arts and crafts; bingo became mindfulness yoga and outdoor activities and trips to the park morphed into football games for all.   

It goes without saying that the children were handed back exhausted each and every night. So there you have it; there's no better place to catch up with friends and have fun during the holidays, proving our 'second best place to home' saying to be very true.

We are pleased to announce that for the first time ever, holiday club will be running for the whole of the summer holidays. You can book either a morning (8.00am - 1.00pm) or afternoon (1.00pm - 6.00pm) session at a cost of £20.00 per child, or a whole day (8.00am - 6.00pm) at a cost of £30.00 per child. Hot lunches can be booked seperately or a packed lunch can be brought if preferred. 

Further details regarding what activities to expect each week will be sent home when available.

Please note that organising staff to run holiday club is a big job and we therefore ask that if you know you would like to use holiday club during the summer, that you book up as early as possible. We understand that changes do sometimes happen, and we will always try to accomodate you. However we are bound to strict adult to child ratios and staff availability during the summer is limited.

Booking is available at: https://princethorpecollege.parentseveningsystem.co.uk/ 

Trinity Term Calendar

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

Dear Parents

We are very pleased to inform you of an exclusive cricketing event to be held at Crackley Hall for our Junior 4, 5 and 6 boys and girls. Complete Cricket, who have been working alongside us as a club provider since last year, are delighted to announce a Batting Masterclass with England & Warwickshire CCC legend Ian Bell MBE.

Date: Tuesday 11 June 2019
Times: 4:30pm – 6:30pm
Venue: Crackley Hall School, St Joseph's Park, Kenilworth CV8 2FT

Cost: £60 pp
Places Available: 30

The batting masterclass will offer all players attending the unique opportunity to be coached by an England legend. There will also be a Question and Answer session at the end of the Masterclass together with an opportunity for photos and autographs. Please note that we have 30 places available on this course and will be sold on a first come first served basis via our online booking system. All bookings and booking enquiries will be dealt with by Complete Cricket. Crackley Hall School is only providing the venue for this event.

Children attending will have the option of going home first before returning to school. Alternatively they will be allowed to remain at school in Mr Lamprecht’s care until the event starts. Please note that normal Crackley Hall aftercare will not be used in this regard. As it is a two hour session we do ask that children have additional drinks and snacks provided from home. Parking for parents will be available on the gravelled area by our playing fields.

The Complete Cricket website and booking system is now live for the Ian Bell Masterclass at Crackley Hall using the link below.

https://www.completecricket.co.uk/ian-bell-batting-masterclass-june-2019-crackley-hall-school/

Thank you for your support. We look forward to hosting this exceptional opportunity for our pupils.

Kind regards

Charles Lamprecht
Assistant Head: Co-Curricular

Jamie Spires, Sales and Marketing Director, Complete Cricket (International) Ltd

+44 (0) 7884 313 721             jamie.spires@completecricket.co.uk

Well, for those of you hoping for a butterfly update, they’re gone!  Lovely for our all year round children, but for those of us on half term last week, well, we have had to content ourselves with the pictures!  This week we have been practising for Sports Day, next Thursday morning.  Can I remind parents that everyone is invited, so if you don’t normally come to play on a Thursday morning, please come if you can.  Children need to wear suitable shoes for running on grass, and we would like them in Nursery by 9.15am.  The races begin on the front lawn at 9.30am, and if the past is anything to go by, generally everything is over by 10am.  Could the children who have come in specially then return home with parents, and the rest of the group will return to Nursery for a well-earned drink and snack.  If you decide to take your child home early after the races, please make sure Mrs Bird knows.  Saying good bye after an event is always difficult for some of our little ones, so with this in mind I hope you understand if I ask you all to please keep the cuddles to a minimum before heading off into the ‘sunshine’ to enjoy the rest of you day!  We are hoping for some good weather, so please keep your fingers crossed!  Have a great weekend everyone.

Newsletter

Dylan Williams (J6L) has lost three named Grade 4 Trumpet books.

Reece Jones (J6V) has lost his black lace up school shoes.

Miss Jones (Peri teacher) has lost a water bottle (please see picture).

Patrick Fuchss (J1G) has lost a Lightning McQueen lunch box.

Hannah Nishiyama (J2M) has lost her named blazer.

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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.

Interested in working for the Princethorpe Foundation?  We currently have the following vacancies:

• Reprographics Assistant
• Marketing and Communications Co-ordinator
• Traffic Co-ordinator
• Summer Estates Assistants

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

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