'What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?' - Jean-Jacques Rousseau

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Headmaster's Message

Headmaster's Welcome

Dear Parents

Welcome to the last edition of the Chronicle for this school year.  It has been my pleasure and privilege to be Headmaster at Crackley Hall for another year; to teach and watch your children grow and to work with a great teaching and support team.  My thanks to everyone who has supported Crackley Hall this year and who have, in turn, made my role more rewarding.  Parents and staff across the Princethorpe Foundation, PTA and of course the children; thank you most sincerely.

I could not help but be moved and immensely proud of our Junior 6 children yesterday evening listening to their memories of their time at Crackley Hall and encouraging next year’s Junior 6 in their role as mentors for the younger children.  As our Chair of Trustees, Mrs Liz Griffin, mentioned, the reviews were inspirational and hopefully a heartfelt reminder that Crackley Hall is the next best place to home where your children are nurtured and prepared for the next step in their education.  Our performers were outstanding, the prize winners deserving and every single child should feel proud of their achievements this year whether it is academic, sporting, performing arts or on a personal level.

I am delighted to announce that Lucas Summers and Isabella Ward were confirmed as our new Head Boy and Head Girl; I am sure that they will perform their duties both confidently and with the support of the whole school.  Deputy Head Boy and Girl and other roles will be formally announced next term, although all the Junior 5’s were informed first hand of their roles in class today.  A note has been emailed home to all Junior 5 parents.

We have just about completed all reports and will be updating attendance figures and performing final checks this evening and tomorrow, so we expect all end of year reports to be available to parents before the end of this week.  Although there should not be any surprises, please feel free to discuss anything with your child’s class teacher in the first instance.

In addition to Prize Giving, we have also held the end of term Mass this week and I would like to thank Father David for visiting school on this occasion.  I knew that Leavers Assembly would be a special occasion, it always is, but there were some very special moments today that I know will remain with me for the rest of my career and I am sure that those who attended were also very moved.

There will be more communications from the School Office throughout the summer and an update just before you return for the Michaelmas term.  During the summer there will be considerable improvements to the facilities in Nursery and upgrades to other parts of the school building.

We will be appointing a Teaching Assistant for Key Stage 2 and another After Care Assistant.  The School Office will be open throughout the holiday period, together with Holiday Club and Little Crackers but please do ‘phone ahead to ensure that there will be someone to deal with your enquiry.

Thank you for your kind words and most generous gifts that have been received; it means so much at the end of a busy year and especially busy few weeks, that so many people take the time to thank us.  It is genuinely a privilege to help educate such wonderful pupils.

Unfortunately, the England football team were knocked out by the USA in the Woman’s World Cup.  However, as I write, the England mens cricketers are getting the upper hand over New Zealand, so I am told.  India are an impressive team, Australia are coming into form at the right time, England started as favourites before their drop in form and New Zealand cannot be underestimated.  I think Pakistan will unluckily just miss out on the play-offs.  It will be exciting whichever way it goes.

I hope you all have a relaxing, well-earned break and we look forward to welcoming you and our new pupils in September.

God bless,

 

Robert Duigan

 

Important Information

Summer Holiday Learning!

The Summer holiday will soon be upon us.

Please find below a list of recommended summer holiday adventures, learning activities and tasks you can undertake with your child.

Whilst the holiday is time to rest and relax, and all these suggestions are optional, it is essential that all children, across the school, continue to read so we recommend they register for the summer reading challenge (more information in the whole school document attached).

To explore our recommended activities, please click on the links below, as relevant to your year group:

WHOLE SCHOOL – Awesome Adventures for Summer 2019 – activities from Mrs T Hill (Assistant Head, Academic)

Summer holiday 2019 WHOLE SCHOOL.pdf

Moving to Junior 1, Junior 2, Junior 3 – Phonics review

Summer holiday 2019 new J1 J2 J3 PHONICS.pdf

Moving to Junior 3 – suggestions from Mrs Van Zyl and Mr Stedeford (Junior 3 class teachers)

Summer holiday 2019 new J3 FINAL.pdf

Moving to Junior 4 – suggestions from Mrs Jackson-Mayne and Mrs Wildey (Junior 4 class teachers)

Summer holiday 2019 new J4 FINAL.pdf

Moving to Junior 5 – suggestions from Mrs Lammas and Mrs Roberts (Junior 5 class teachers)

Summer holiday 2019 new J5 FINAL.pdf

Moving to Junior 6 – these children have a range of examination preparation activities from Mrs Horan and Mrs Vaughan (Junior 6 class teachers). These will be sent home in an envelope on Monday. Given the impending entrance assessments, these activities are very highly recommended.

Michaelmas 2019 Lunch Menus

Please find attached PDF copies of the Michaelmas Term lunch choices. 

Please return your completed forms to school as soon as possible.

Thank you

Letter

Menu week 1

Menu week 2

Menu week 3

 

News

Prize Giving Is Culmination Of Another Exceptional Crackley Hall Year

Prize Giving at Crackley Hall is the culmination of the academic year, it is a chance to reflect, a chance to celebrate and a chance to give thanks. This year’s Prize Giving took place on Tuesday 2 July with the Lower School receiving their awards in the afternoon and Junior 5 and 6 in the evening.

Crackley was delighted to welcome a number of special guests to the celebrations including Chair of Trustees, Mrs Liz Griffin, Trustee, Bernard Warner and Senior Foundation Headmaster, Ed Hester.

Headmaster, Mr Duigan gave a thought provoking speech, he gave thanks to the many who give so much to the school in so many ways. He challenged every boy and every girl to learn something new every day and reminded that those who succeed have to be brave enough to fail. He encouraged all the children to strive to do their best, to never limit themselves and to smile becasue it is free. 

Crackley Hall’s pupil leaders gave their reports speaking movingly about their time in office and their Crackley journeys, and the memories and friends they will take with them as they move on to secondary school.

And then there were the awards, book awards for progress, effort and diligence, school spirit and kindness, contribution to school life and achievement. Followed by cups and shields and trophies galore, all recognising the diligence, effort and excellence that abounds at Crackley Hall.

It was difficult to pick winners for this year’s Special Awards as there were many worthy potential recipients so it was with great pride that Mr Duigan awarded the following:

St Joseph’s School Spirit Award – Francesca Kelly

Scholarship Award – Dylan Williams

Sister Mary Patrick Trophy for Caring – Annamaria Kordas

PTA Crackley Hall Shield – Caitlin Horan

As the ceremonies concluded, all Crackley pupils were encouraged to reflect on their achievements this year, as prize winner or not, all should be rightfully proud.

At the evening ceremony Mr Cottrill announced the new Head Boy, Lucas Summers, and Head Girl, Isabella Ward, who proudly took to the stage to receive their badges of office from Mr Duigan.

The ceremony closed with a stirring rendition of the Foundation Hymn Here I Am Lord

View Gallery

Key Stage 2 Sports Day A Super Success

Our Key Stage 2 Sports Day was a super success, race after race, event after event our outstanding young athletes leapt, threw and dashed.

Sports Day took place on Friday 28 June out on the school’s playing fields.  For the second time Crackley made a full day of it and the children took part in sprints, a middle distance race, the Long Jump and High Jump, a Throwing Challenge and a Relay Race.  All of the events were hotly contested and the final individual results, including all the new records are available for all to see on Crackley's Sports Noticeboard just outside the Science Lab.

At Crackley Hall Sports Day isn’t just about the competition, it is also about participation. Every child ran in a sprint and every child took part in an individual event and, most importantly, every child had fun.  

A very special thanks to Mrs Vaughan and to all the staff, the grounds team, the caretakers and caterers for making Sports Day such a great event.

It was a fabulous fun-filled day enjoyed by all! 

A link to an album of photos from the event was sent out to parents earlier this week.

Gone But Not Forgotten - Crackley Says Farewell To Junior 6 Pupils

We are pretty certain that even a glass eye would have shed a tear of pride, joy and sadness at our parting during the J6 Leavers Assembly. Junior 6 delighted the assembled school body by travelling forward in time to meet those significant teachers who shaped their lives and made them the pupils they are today. The Gables was to switch from school hall to centre stage as it became the setting for many a rousing tune and reminisces a plenty from the aforementioned teachers.   

One thing for sure, all were greeted with laughter, smiles and giggles from pupils, Do remember Junior 6, the word 'good bye' means 'God be with you'; Crackley will welcome you to visit whenever you can.

View Gallery

Introducing My School Portal: Investing In Better Communication

The Princethorpe Foundation is delighted to announce that we will be launching a new parent and pupil portal for the Michaelmas term, in partnership with market leading school-parent communications software package My School Portal.

My School Portal, which will be used in all 3 Foundation schools, is an online system designed to streamline communications between the schools and parents by bringing all information and services together. Parents will have instant and easy access to information about their children, such as attendance data, fixtures, event bookings, exam results, timetables, calendars and reports, as well as key school information and documents. Staff and pupils will also have access to their own versions of the portal, streamlined to their needs.

All information is secure and accessed online via one username and password and accessible via your mobile, tablet or desktop device, with an account for each parent/guardian.

All student information is shown on one dashboard so there are no more multiple log-ins and passwords for different services, and all of the information about your children will be in one place even if you have children within more than one of the Foundation’s schools.

We are very excited about this new system and look forward to going live at the start of September 2019. Full details and support on how to use the system will be given upon implementation at the start of the new school year.

Be Inspired By The Pinnacle

The latest edition of The Pinnacle has just been published, in time for the end of term. It showcases pupils' excellent work.

In the middle there is a pullout (The Minnacle) which focuses on the junior schools featuring both Crackley Hall School and the Crescent School.

You can view an electronic version of The Pinnacle here and The Minnacle here.

Make a cup of tea, put your feet up and enjoy browsing through the inspirational work our children do.

Class Prize Winners

On Monday Mr Cottrill revealed the recipients of the Trinity Term's Crackley Hall Pupil Awards. A wide ranging list of categories brought forward nominations from class teachers, teaching assistants and support staff alike, as they all sought to recognise the achievements of those individual children who had strived and reached their full potential.

Well done one and all, we are so proud of you and can't wait to see you build on this obvious success.

Calendar and Events

Events - Week Beginning Monday 2 September

 Monday 2   September  All Day  Michaelmas Term begins

 Tuesday 3   September 

 10:30 - 11:30  J4 Swimming
 Wednesday 4   September  10:00 - 10:30  J3 Swimming
   16:00 - 16:30  Reception Class   Information Evening

 Thursday 5   September 

 16:00 - 16:30  J6 Class Information   Evening
 Friday 6   September   08:40 - 09:30  Celebration Assembly
   09:00 - 10:15 

 Whole School Mass for     the beginning of term

   16:00 - 16:30  J1 Class Information   Evening

 

Week in Pictures

A Photographic 'Walk-Through' The Week's Events

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

View Gallery

Spiritual

Leavers Mass

Our theme for the Leavers Mass this week was endings and new beginnings led beautifully by Father David and Junior 6. Father David invited us all to reflect as we say goodbye to friends and think of memories that have been created and celebrate those treasured times. We thank God for the opportunities we have been blessed with.

Change can be challenging. Change is exciting but sometimes we might feel anxious. With support from our friends and family, and spiritual guidance, we can embrace the change and meet each challenge head on. The Gospel reading from St John reminded us of Jesus’ words, ‘Love each other as I have loved you’. The Chamber Choir echoed these thoughts in the Communion Hymn 'Bread of Life'. Ending school with this powerful collective worship brings us all closer together and reaffirms how lucky we are to be amongst the Crackley community and share in God’s love.

 

PTA

Networking Event

The PTA are very keen to announce the launch of their first networking event which will be held on the 19th September from 7:00-8:30pm. Please join us for an evening of networking with fellow Crackley Hall parents. This will create a valuable network where individuals can share ideas and success stories.

We are also very privileged to have Lorna Sheldon as our guest speaker at the event https://www.lornadsheldon.com has gained a wealth of knowledge & experience in business and we look forward to welcoming her on the evening. 

Once again we would like to say a massive thank you to all the PTA volunteers who have given up their time this year and especially to those who have reached the end of their time at Crackley. We wish them all the very best and thank them for all their help over the years. It does mean that we will be looking for new members next year so if you would like to know anything or wish to get more involved then please get in touch via mfox1401@gmail.com - and do come along to our first meeting in September if you can - Wednesday 18th  September - PTA AGM

PTA Silent Disco

Crackley Hall PTA are very excited to welcome you back to school after the summer break with a brand new event. Regrettably tickets will need to booked in advance so we can ensure all children enjoy the disco. Tickets will be available from 3rd September.

We look forward to welcoming both our existing and new families back to school and hope that you are able to join us.

Time For New School Shoes?

The PTA have signed up for a loyalty scheme with Naturally Kids, a new shoe shop in Leamington. It’s a great scheme that benefits both the PTA and parents. Please see the attached leaflet for further details and keep an eye out for loyalty cards appearing in your child’s book bag.

 

 

Save The Date For the PTA

We hope you all have a lovely and relaxing summer, but for those of you who like to look ahead here are the dates for some activities we have planned for next school year:

Wednesday 18 September - PTA Ordinary Meeting

Thursday 19 September - Networking Event

Saturday 14 September - Welcome Back To School Silent Disco

Saturday 30 November - PTA Christmas Fayre

The Crackley Hall summer event is one of the highlights in the PTA calendar.

Last year's Family Fun Day was a great success, however we have decided we would like to reach out to the whole school community over the summer to ask for ideas from you all on the type of event you would like us to host next year. It could be another family fun day, a themed day or some kind of performance with a picnic. We are open to all ideas and suggestions and want the day to be an event that everyone can look forward to.

The event date will be Saturday 16 May and we really look forward to hearing the ideas you come up with over the summer, once these have been received we hope to make a decision mid September!

Please could you forward any suggestions to Melissa (mfox1401@gmail.com) and we look forward to hearing from you.

We would also like to say a massive thank you to all the PTA volunteers who have given up their time this year and especially to those who have reached the end of their time at Crackley. We wish them all the very best and thank them for all their help over the years. It does mean that we will be looking for new members next year so if you would like to know anything or wish to get more involved then please get in touch via the email above - and do come along to our first meeting in September if you can.

Many thanks,
Crackley Hall PTA

Housekeeping

Lost Property

Holly (J3H) has lost her named blazer

Sara (J1G) has lost her named blazer

Xzavier (J6H) has lost his named fleece

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All lost property will be in the foyer over the summer holidays for parents to come in and collect.

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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.

 

The Princethorpe Foundation Employment Opportunities

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

  • After School Manager - Crescent School
  • After School Assistant - Crackley Hall School

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