The Chronicle

Dear Parents

This week has been incredibly busy with three Nativity performances for our youngest children and with the older children visiting Princethorpe College for the Advent Service rehearsal which will take place next week.  Monday will begin the last full week of this term, and I am sure that you will agree, it has passed very quickly and I hope that all children have enjoyed this Michaelmas term.  As it draws to a close, many bugs and illnesses seem to strike and, whilst I am sure that you do not wish your child to miss any school days, I would ask that children who have suffered from sickness or upset stomach bugs do not return to school until 48 hours after the last episode.

I would like to thank everyone who supported the ‘Winter Wonderland’ Christmas Fair last Saturday.  As usual, our wonderful PTA pulled out all the stops to make it quite an extraordinary event.  Whilst the final amount raised is yet to be confirmed (close to £2500 at last count), I believe it was extremely successful.  Thank you very much to our wonderful Chair, Lucy Lamb and her merry band of helpers – they are all stars!  Thank you to all parents and grandparents who helped on the day and to everyone who supported the event in any way.  It is truly appreciated.  A special mention to Princethorpe College students, Lauren, Charlotte and Grace who enjoyed running their stall to raise money for their outreach and care expedition to Malawi next summer.  If you would like to know more or donate, the girls have supplied the following link https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/malawi2020

My thanks are extended to the Nursery staff, the Reception, Junior 1 and Junior 2 staff, along with Mrs Wildey, Mrs Paphitis and Mrs Olden for co-ordinating the Nativity performances and also to our caretaking and catering teams who ensure that preparations are put in place for you.  Even though the show might be over, I have no doubt that the children will still be singing their songs for some time yet.  This was a wonderful way to start thinking about Christmas and I am also very pleased with the tremendous family support at all events.  It was also lovely to have our trustees, Mrs Griffin and Miss McNamara, and Fr Kevin supporting the school as well. 

As mentioned, Junior 5 and 6 spent a day at Princethorpe College rehearsing for the Advent Service which is due to take place next Wednesday at 18:30.  It is always a joyous occasion which we are lucky enough to celebrate in the Princethorpe Chapel and I look forward to seeing parents in the 6th Form Atrium after the service.

Congratulations to our Stars of the Week, Liselotte, Rory, Angelica, Alexander, Jacob, Jenson, Isabelle, Theo, Lexi, Lily, Issey, Helayna, Solon, Jimmy and Cadie.  Our RE ‘Book of the Week’ went to Amy for her wonderful message, delivered through her ministry as a member of the ‘Pilgrim Puppets’ group who performed for our KS1 pupils this week.  Thank you and well done to her.  We were blessed to hear both Maria and Bella sing at assembly – both girls were fantastic – what a treat!  Thank you and well done to our wonderful recorder group for playing us into assembly – they were also superb!

Congratulations to our fantastic chess stars on their achievements this term.  Well done to all our sports teams who managed to play fixtures this week and a special word of praise should be extended to Issey and Sam for representing the Midlands at the Independent Schools’ Association national swimming gala in the Olympic pool in London on Saturday.  Both of them won two gold medals!  Issey in the individual breaststroke and the freestyle relay; and Sam in the medley and freestyle relays.  Congratulations to both of them – what a super achievement and reward for all their hard work in training.

I would like to wish everyone a restful and happy weekend with your families.

God bless

Mr Duigan 

Following the success of previous History workshops, 'History Off The Page' is returning to host a Victorian workshop supporting Junior 6's History topic during the Michaelmas term. On Thursday 12 December ‘History Off The Page’ will visit Crackley Hall and lead a variety of activities linked to the topic.

The aim of the day is to give children a rich, detailed experience of this period of history through personal involvement and plenty of hands-on experiences. It is always a hugely informative and enjoyable day.

The children will be asked to come in costume for the day.

Lunch and break will be as usual.

Holiday Club will again be available during the Christmas break.

It will be available from 8.00am until 6.00pm on Thursday 19 and Friday 20 December 2019 and, if there is sufficient demand, on Thursday 2 and Friday 3 January 2020 at a cost of £30.00 for a full day.

Half days (8.00am-1.00pm and 1.00pm-6.00pm) can be booked at £20.00 per session. Hot lunches are also available.

As ever there will be plenty to do and lots of fun to be had, with arts and crafts, baking, team/party games, outdoor time and movies.

Places are limited as we are bound to strict adult to child ratios, therefore we ask that you please book early to avoid disappointment. 

Should you wish to book a place at short notice, please contact the school office on 01926 514444 to check availability. Cancellations can only be made by the school office, therefore please discuss any changes with a member of staff.

To book places follow the link and complete the form here. 

The School Office

Please be advised that Yoga Club is cancelled on 12 December.

Christmas lunch for us all will be on Wednesday 11 December. This is always a jolly occasion and does bring out everybody's Christmas spirit!

As well as the traditional Christmas lunch, there will also be a vegetarian option and a delicious seasonal dessert.

If you child does not normally eat a hot dinner on this day, we will contact you separately.

The date for this year's Christmas Jumper Day for Save the Children is Friday 13 December.

If children would like to participate, they should come to school in their usual uniform with a Christmas jumper in place of their school jumper.

All children wearing a Christmas jumper are asked to bring in a £1.00 donation for Save the Children.

https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/christmas-jumper-day

Just to remind parents that ballet club is not on next week, week commencing Monday 9 December.

Just to remind parents that Tuesday 3 December was the last week of Mad Science.

The club will start again on Tuesday 7 January 2020.

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

On Tuesday afternoon, the Reception children took to the stage to tell the story of Everyone Loves A Baby.

Except the only problem was, that the lovely children in the nativity would rather have anything but a baby maybe... a dog... a donkey... a camel, or even a sheep!

That was until a very special baby was born. The children couldn't believe why all the people would come from near and far to visit this baby. But the amazing thing about this baby, was that he came to bring God's love to everyone.

That called for a party! And everyone was invited. The children were allowed to stay up late to celebrate... and they realised that babies weren't so bad after all!

Great job Reception! You were all fabulous!

Crackley Hall School’s Key Stage 1 Nativity took place on Friday 6 December.  It was a modern take on the traditional nativity story.  Strictly Come Dancing inspired, it recalled the story of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and the birth of the baby Jesus in a special, sequel edition of the much loved, well-known dance show.

The audience of delighted parents were welcomed by the enthusiastic hosts of the show and duly introduced to the judges, the very funky camel, Evie, the shyest and smallest sheep, Phoebe, and the superb Craig Revel Horwood-like Caesar, Blythe.

Hustling locals, charleston-ing camels, the shepherds’ conga, balletic stars and disco angels all took to the stage in turn to perform their routines and to share their part in the special story.

It was a fabulous performance by all the children who delivered their lines with panache, danced exuberantly and sang enthusiastically.

Headmaster, Rob Duigan, congratulated all the children commenting, “Children you were absolutely fantastic.”  He thanked the staff involved in putting together the show and thanked the parents for coming.  He even gave a special mention to Blythe whose performance as Caesar had been truly inspiring."

Well done everybody and what a wonderful week of nativities we have had!

A team of eight swimmers represented the Princethorpe Foundation at the National Independent Schools Association’s Swimming Championships at the London Aquatics Centre, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, last Saturday 30 November. The pupils had all qualified to swim for the Midlands team in the national competition in local regional heats and they faced tough competition, the best swimmers from independent schools across the country.

Foundation Director of Sport, Neil McCollin, commented, “Our swimmers have traditionally done well in the ISA Swimming Championships and they have had another very successful outing this year. Together they brought home a magnificent haul of 16 medals. It was great to see so many Foundation pupils competing and we are delighted with their performances.”

Both Foundation junior schools had swimmers competing at the national event. For Crackley Hall School Junior 4, Isabella Cleary took an individual gold medal after a super swim in the 50m Breaststroke in a time of 51.83 seconds. She then earned herself a second gold when she helped the Midlands team finish first in the 4x50m Freestyle Relay in a time of 2.49.98. Junior 6, Sam Grindal also took a gold medal after swimming freestyle in the Year 6 4x50m Medley Relay in a combined team time of 2.32.42.

For the Crescent School, Stephanie Bolton swam alongside Isabella in the Midlands Freestyle Relay team earning herself a gold medal and then claimed a bronze in the Year 4 individual 50m Freestyle when she finished in third place in a time of 41.42 seconds. Year 6 pupil, Sienna Moran placed second for a silver medal in the individual 50m Breaststroke in 45.17 seconds and just missed out a second medal after the Midlands team finished fourth in the 4x50m Medley Relay.

For the College, Year 7, André Onyekwe, swam superbly in the 50m Backstroke finishing in a time of 35.74 seconds and claiming a well-deserved gold medal. Year 7, Harrison Guest, did almost as well, finishing in second place in 42.44 in the 50m Breaststroke for a silver medal. Both boys swam for the Midlands team in the 4x50m Medley Relay finishing in second place in 2.34.66 taking a silver medal, and then swam in the 4x50m Freestyle Relay helping the team to finish in first place in a team time of 2.12.63 and earning themselves a gold medal.

Year 8, Ethan Capelett swan for the Midlands in the 4x50m Freestyle Relay helping the team to finish in second place in a time of 2.06.99 for a silver medal. He also swam backstroke in the 4x50m Medley Relay helping the team take third place in a time of 2.24.94 and earning himself a bronze medal.

Year 10, Jess Mackenzie was, as always, on fine form, she took a silver medal in the Years 9/10 100m Freestyle in a time of 1.03.93 and then swam for the Midlands team in the 4x50m Freestyle Relay helping the team to a second-place finish and a second silver medal in a time of 1.59.30 seconds. Jess just missed a third medal when she swam backstroke in the 4x50m Medley Relay when the team finished in fourth place in a time of 2.17.53.

It was a very busy day for all and an amazing haul of 16 medals across the Foundation. Overall the Midlands team finished in second place nationally. A super, huge well done to all of our swimmers.

At six o'clock last Friday evening an array of Santa hats and flashing antlers delivered a most marvellous medley of Christmas carols and seasonal favourites to help celebrate Kenilworth's Big Light Switch On. 

It was lovely to see so many of the Crackley family out to support our Choral Group. A big thank-you to Mrs Olden and of course Choral Group for creating such a heart-warming start to advent. 

Could you help our F1 team this year by sponsoring us in some way?

FrankenSTEM invite you to attend their team sponsorship presentation on Monday 9 December at 4.00pm.

The team will make a short presentation and then answer questions from potential sponsors.

Refreshments will be provided.

If you think you can help us in anyway please do come along.

RSVP to Mrs Spillane or Mrs Hardwick by next Friday 6 December.

margaretspillane@crackleyhall.co.uk

chardwick@crackleyhall.co.uk

Thank you in advance for your support. 

Mathlete of the week for Mrs Wildey's group is Mya 

Mathlete of the week for J1H is Jude

Mathlete of the week for J6V is Thomas

Mathletes of the Week for J3V is Mitchell and Georgie

Mathlete of the week for Mrs Roberts group is Millie

Mathlete of the week for Mrs Lammas group is Max

Well done to you all!

Can you Shake a Bucket at the Panto?

One of our parents is a volunteer for a local charity called Helping Hands who is this year’s nominated charity to collect donations after each performance of the pantomime at the Royal Spa Centre in Leamington Spa.  

They are struggling to get enough volunteers as they need 4-6 people at each performance.  If you are local and can spare half an hour to help at any of the matinee or evening performances, please contact Julie Hutton on 07958 282235 or juliemhutton@hotmail.co.uk and she can let you have more details.  Children are welcome to help but will need to be accompanied by an adult.  If the performance is not sold out, there is a chance that volunteers will be offered free tickets.

Last year’s nominated charity raised over £11k so it’s a great opportunity for Helping Hands.

Helping Hands is all about local people helping local people in need.  The charity gives people the support and opportunities to feel better about themselves, be more active in the community and get back into work.   They run a soup kitchen offering hot food and a listening ear.  They like to give a hand up not just a hand out through new skills, experience and qualifications. Their supported volunteers can get involved in the Lighthouse Charity Shop in Leamington, Gateway Cafe in Warwick and House2Home Project in Stoneleigh to help them to build a better future for themselves. The volunteers for the House 2 Home project support clients with goods from fridges to furniture to recently homed and low-income families.

On behalf of everyone at Helping Hands, we wish you all a very merry Christmas and thank you in advance for any support you may be able to give.

More information on Helping Hands is available here.

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

Information on CAFOD donation gifts is attached for parents in the image here.

RE Book of the Week has been awarded to Amy (J6V).

On Saturday 30 November, Crackley Hall's U11 Boys travelled to Foremarke Hall in Derbyshire to take part in their annual football festival. As it had been for the U9 Boys, it proved a great opportunity for the children to gain experience in a festival environment.

The team played five matches and had a mixed bag of results, with one win, one loss and three draws.

A festival it is all about the taking part so no overall positions were published. However, all the boys played and behaved brilliantly and really represented their school well. It was a great afternoon of football.

PE Teacher, Rich Stedeford commented, “The boys played with great spirit against very strong footballing sides on a bitterly cold day. As the tournament progressed, so did their football which resulted in some superbly created goals and well organised defending.”

Many thanks to all the parents who supported the event.

We are pleased to announce that Francesca (J5R) is our gymnast of the week. 

We are pleased to announce that Henry (J5R) was our gymnast of the week last week

Our very youngest children took to the stage on Tuesday morning to tell the story of the star that could not shine. With smiles on their faces, they could be heard telling the big star, "Yes you can!" as they performed their lines confidently and clearly. The songs were sang beautifully, if a bit enthusiastically at times, as they had the audience crying with laughter. There were certainly some stars of the future on show!

Well done nursery - you were all amazing!

What a cracking Christmas party the Stay 'n' Players had on Wednesday 4 December.  At what was the last session for our friendly toddler group this term, it was wonderful to welcome a bumper 42 families into the school hall for some fabulously festive fun.

The Nursery had organised plenty of Christmas-themed activities to keep everyone busy.  The little ones enjoyed the Christmas craft table or just enjoy playing freely with the laid-out toys.  Whilst all the mums, dads and grandparents welcomed the chance to catch up over a warming mince pie or coffee. Mid-morning it was time for a Christmas snack and then everyone enjoyed a very special Christmassy sing song.

Then it was time for a very special surprise and our Stay 'n' Players truly couldn't believe their eyes, when Father Christmas popped in to meet them all.  He delighted in exchanging glad tidings and offered each of the children a very special chocolate treat.  He said, "I was given a wonderful welcome by the children and their parents. I hope they all enjoyed their party and have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year"

Little Crackers Stay ‘n’ Play returns after the Christmas break on Wednesday 8 January 2020.

What a wonderful week we’ve had in Nursery, I must say a HUGE thank you to all our stars who performed so brilliantly on Tuesday morning in Shine, Star, Shine! our Nativity. 

It was a joy to see their faces as they enjoyed the whole experience, doing their best to make everyone smile, laugh and wipe away a proud tear! 

I was extremely impressed with how well our really little stars coped with such a big audience, and our big stars certainly made the most of their opportunity in the spotlight! 

Thank you to all our parents and families for the brilliant costumes, and for coming along to support us in style – I don’t think we have ever seen the hall so full. 

What a perfect way to start the celebrations as we count down the days to Christmas with our Advent Candle and learn more about the birth of that very special baby.  

Newsletter

Thank you so much to everyone who supported our annual Winter Wonderland last weekend. It was a wonderful way to start the Christmas festivities with such a lovely community feel, and for once the weather was kind to us! The final profit figure was £2,454.88, a fantastic result that will be put to good use around the school.

We changed things a bit this year and I think you will all agree it was a roaring success, the hog roast was supplied by the Moretons, along with the patio heaters, thank you to Simon and Rebecca Moreton. There were also some new editions to our Winter Wonderland themed Christmas food market, which included the very well organized bratwurst and pretzels stall, alongside the lovely crepes which both brought a very Christmassy feel to the day. The roasted marshmallows were also delicious Mmmm Mmmm Mmmmmm......... The candy floss was kindly donated to the school by Angela Lewis Clarke whose daughter left Crackley last year, how lucky are we. Angela, also once again donated some stunning Christmas Wreaths. thank you again Angela Jaynes Florist.

Another special thank you goes to Kate Greevy for supplying the AMAZING flower wall, which lead the way to new salon environment for the very special face painters and glitter queens amongst us 

A very special thank you to Sarah Rotherham and her company at Beechwood Trees & Landscaping for their very generous donation of the owl. The lucky winner was Donna Lakey and in total we raised £160!  http://www.beechwoodtrees.co.uk/

Ian Sansum from Holroyd Howe Catering for their very generous donation of chips. Thank you.   http://www.holroydhowe.co.uk/

A huge thank you to everyone who helped and donated towards the home craft stall. There were some exciting new ideas which everyone enjoyed. A special thank you to Penny Beddow who has worked so hard over the years on our very own special Twinkly Library, Penny you are a superstar and a hard act to follow.

Crackley Hall staff, your help along with the parents help to make the day such a success, your supportive and reliable hands knitting it all together.

Craft areas such as the Gingerbread Men creations, Reindeer food for Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet or Cupid went down an absolute storm, Christmas foliage decorating, star-making and other craft activities were greatly received by all the children. I think you will all agree we are extremely lucky to have such a great school community who go beyond the call of duty to help make the day such a huge success. You are all shining stars!

Thank you to the J6 students and the staff for their fantastic stall ideas for the event. We loved all of your ideas and were so impressed with your creativity, we hope you also had the chance to enjoy what will be the last Crackley Christmas event. The stalls made a staggering a £193.73!

Thank you to Angel Solicitors & Warwickshire Events who added sparkle with their generous sponsorship. https://www.angels-solicitors.co.uk/    https://www.warwickshireevents.co.uk/

There are so many parents, staff and children who were involved in the run-up and on the day, some of you for the last time, you know who you are. You will be greatly missed by the whole school community. Thank You one and all.

For those of you that don’t know the PTA contributed towards a new piano and Mrs Olden and her team are extremely grateful to you all, as it will be appreciated by many students over the years to come. Enjoy!

Please note that the School Shop will close from 4.30pm on Wednesday 18 December 2019 and reopen at the beginning of the Lent term on Monday 6 January 2020.

Shop opening hours during term time are Monday to Friday during the following times:
      For pupils - break and lunch break
      For parents - 3.30pm until 4.30pm 

Remember you can email orders for uniform to nicolabrowne@princethorpe.co.uk  or call direct on 01926 634272, which will be delivered to school on either a Tuesday or a Friday for collection.

Items can be paid for in cash, by cheque, card or added to the school bill.

Lost

Bicycle keys – lost in or around school premises – 3 small keys together (1 broken)

Isabella (J4JM) has lost her named jumper

Lost at Winter Wonderland

Gap blazer style jacket, blue with stars

Small "Eurotunnel" bag.

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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 it does not belong to your child, please return it to the School Office as soon as possible.