The Chronicle

Dear Parents

This week has been one of the busiest weeks in the school calendar in respect of school outings and trips.  Mrs Jackson-Mayne has co-ordinated One World Week, which has resulted in all classes having the opportunity to explore different faiths and cultures.  Both staff and pupils benefit from these experiences and I am grateful to Mrs Jackson-Mayne and everyone else who has helped make this week an informative and enjoyable one. The visits have included the Leamington Sikh Gurdwara, Singers Hill Synagogue, the Buddhist Peace Pagoda and the Central Mosque in Birmingham.  There were also local visits to St Mary’s Church and St Augustine’s Church together with activities in school which explored Hinduism. I would like to thank the PTA for their support in One World Week by contributing to the provision of the Fairtrade t-shirts that the children have been decorating.  I do hope that the children have shared their experiences with you this week and you enjoy viewing the photographs of their activities later in the Chronicle.

We welcomed Father Kevin to school on Wednesday for our Ash Wednesday Mass.  It is always a pleasure to see Father Kevin in school and I am very grateful that he can take time from his duties to visit Crackley Hall for these special occasions.  My thanks are also extended to Mrs Simmonds, Mrs Jackson-Mayne, Mrs Van Zyl and Mrs Olden for their hard work in preparing for Mass. Well done to the Junior 3V pupils.

Parent Consultation Evenings took place on Wednesday and Thursday this week and I managed to see many of you during these evenings for a brief discussion. Although there were some issues with the My School Portal booking system, I do hope that you all managed to meet with your child’s teacher at some point.  If you still need to meet with a member of staff, please let the School Office know and this will be addressed.

As you will be aware, The Princethorpe Foundation contacted all parents and staff earlier this week about the actions taken, and those that are being taken, to ensure the school community is well informed about Covid-19/Coronavirus.  As a follow up to previously circulated information, if you have recently returned from any of the affected areas, please contact the School Office in order that we are fully informed.

Stars of the Week were awarded to: Oliver, Jacob, Arabella, Hector, Zachary, Joseph, Sienna, Rory, Arisha, Lawson, Morton, George, Jasper, Woody, Oliver and Neve.  The RE Book of the Week was awarded to Isla.  Congratulations to all recipients and also to the pupils who received merit certificates and Da Vinci awards today.

Our U11 netball team played well at the ISA Midlands tournament this week, winning most of their matches and ending third in their pool.  They progressed to the next round where they ended up in 5th place out of 18 teams.  Very well done to all the girls and to Mrs Vaughan.

Our U11 footballers and netballers will be playing against The Oratory Prep School near Reading tomorrow and we wish Mr Lamprecht, Mrs Vaughan and the teams the very best.

On Monday next week our Under 10 netball team will be taking part in the ISA Midlands Netball competition and on Tuesday, Mrs Olden will be accompanying children to the Orchestra Day which is being held at Crescent School.  On Saturday 7 March, Crackley Hall will be opening the doors to visitors for our Open Morning.  Thank you to those of you who will be bringing your children to help either as tour guides or performing during the morning.

I hope that you have a restful weekend and that the weather does not spoil your enjoyment.

God bless

Mr Duigan 

A reminder that children who have been offered a place at Princethorpe College will need to confirm acceptance of their place with a £300 deposit by Thursday 5 March 2020. 

Once you have confirmed your acceptance of a place and sent your £300 deposit you will receive an acknowledgment and a receipt. A Joining Pack will then be sent to you during the Easter holidays, this will include various permission forms and essential information on school life.

The Registrar, Mrs Vanessa Rooney and her assistants, Miss Helen Morgan and Mrs Catherine Rogers will be pleased to help you with any questions you may regarding the admissions process.

Please contact them on 01926 634201 or 01926 634262 or click here to contact them via email.

Please can parents provide a photocopy of their child's valid passport to the school office as soon as possible.

If your child's passport will have less than 6 months left to run in May 2020, under new regulations you must apply for a new one.

Thank you 

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

Crackley Hall School in Kenilworth is planning to introduce a second Year 2 class from September 2020 after seeing an increase in the demand for places at the popular Kenilworth prep school. 

The school was rated ‘Excellent’ in all areas by the Independent Schools Inspectorate at their last inspection and the new Year 2 class will enable more children to benefit from the school’s specialist tailored approach, a wealth of opportunities and the chance to be stretched and challenged.

Comments Headmaster, Rob Duigan, “Crackley Hall has always been a popular choice for parents, particularly in recent years, and adding this extra capacity in Year 2 next year will afford more children the opportunity to benefit from a Crackley Hall education. The move is good news for both prospective and current pupils, who will enjoy smaller class sizes, and the school’s proven approach to individual nurturing that helps children into their first choice of secondary school, whether independent or local grammars. We’re confident that there will be plenty of interest, especially as more families move into the area.”

There is still time to register interest in the new Year 2 class for September 2020, and for places in some other years. The school is holding an open event on Saturday 7 March from 10.30am to 12.30pm.  Visitors will be able to look around the school, see the school’s facilities and to meet the Headmaster, Rob Duigan, pupils, staff and current parents. Parents who are interested should contact Jenny Vaughan, Admissions Secretary on 01926 514410 or by email to admissions@crackleyhall.co.uk. All are most welcome.

The latest edition of The Pinnacle has just been published. 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.

Why not enjoy a few minutes browsing through the inspirational work our children do.

A letter will be coming home with your child today, please find a copy below:

Letter

Just to confirm that the production will be held on Tuesday 17 March

Please find decade letters below:

Reception

J1

J2

J3

J4

J5

J6

J5 are warmly invited to a taste of senior school life at Princethorpe College on Thursday 30 April.  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 2021 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 7 November 2020.

Please click here to access the online booking form for the J5 Taster Day. Please complete and submit the form by 5.00pm on Friday 20 March 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

Registrar, Mrs Vanessa Rooney, 01926 634201, vanessarooney@princethorpe.co.uk, Working hours: 08.30-17.00

Assistant Registrar, Miss Helen Morgan, 01926 634262, helenmorgan@princethorpe.co.uk, Working hours: 08.30-13.30

Admissions Administrator, Mrs Catherine Rogers, 01926 634262,  catherinerogers@princethorpe.co.uk, Working hours: 13.00-17.30

As you know, World Book Day is on Thursday 5 March.

Further to our message earlier this week, this is to confirm that we will NOT be asking children to dress up this year.  We will be celebrating World Book Day with different activities in School and the children will be receiving book vouchers as usual.

As we have already asked parents to source a costume for the 75th Anniversary Decade Dance, which is only 2 weeks later, and the Junior 3 and 4 classes are being asked to provide costumes for the Easter Production, we feel it is excessive to ask you to source a costume for World Book Day too.

The latest edition of Crackley Hall and Little Cracker's Admissions Update e-newsletter was published on Monday. Please do share it with your family and friends.

Designed to give prospective parents and pupils a feel for Crackley life, provide information on forthcoming events and offer helpful advice about the admissions process, it is particularly relevant for those who are looking at entry in September 2020.

The newsletter reminds parents that our next Open Morning takes place on Saturday 7 March between 10.30am and 12.30pm.

Our Admissions Update Newsletters are published twice a year to coincide with key admissions periods, the next edition will be out in Autumn 2020.

Please click here to go to the Admissions Update newsletter.

If you have any queries relating to admissions please do feel free to email the team at admissions@crackleyhall.co.uk or telephone our Admissions Secretary, Jenny Vaughan, on 01926 514410.

Saturday 28 March 2020 - Arrive from 6.30pm - Walk from 9.00pm 
 
You can join over 500 fundraisers who have already signed up to support this amazing local charity in what Myton Hospice is describing as its biggest and best Glow fundraiser ever.  And all Foundation pupils, staff and families are eligible for a £5 discount, making the registration price just £15 for adults and £10 for children to participate.  
 
Princethorpe is hosting this major fundraising event for the charity Myton Hospice on Saturday 28 March 2020 and we are asking our wonderful Foundation Community to get involved.  Glow For Myton - Around The World In 5km is a night walk that will wind its way through the beautiful grounds of the College campus, taking in the sights and sounds of some of the world’s best celebrations along the way. 
 
The walk will start and finish in the Orchard where there will be entertainment and food available. Following a Zumba warm up, the walkers will head off around the College grounds. There will be plenty of volunteer marshals to cheer them on and along the way will be exciting zones showcasing festivals and cultural celebrations from around the world including Oktoberfest, Chinese New Year, Full Moon Party and the Holi Colour Festival. The event isn’t timed, instead it is all about enjoying the experience and the sights and sounds laid on for the event. 
 
Comments Rebecca Richards, Myton’s Assistant Events Manager, “We are hoping to raise £60,000 from this event and are really looking forward to holding it at Princethorpe.” 
 
The event is sure to be great fun for a good cause so we are really hoping lots of families and friends of the Foundation will get involved. 

Enter the discount copde princethorpe to receive a £5 reduction on the standard registration price.
 
Glow For Myton - Around The World In 5km is open to all, and pupils, parents, staff, OPs, friends and neighbours are all encouraged to sign up for the event on the charity’s website here. 
 
Children of all ages are welcome but under 18s must be accompanied by an adult. 

Mathlete of the week (from before half term) is Max for Mrs Lammas' group and Harry for Mrs Robert's group.

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 Mathlete of the week for J3S is Hannah 

 Mathletes of the week for J1H are Shuvan and Joseph

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

 Mathlete of the week for Mrs Hill's J4 group is Stephanie

 Mathlete of the week for J2H is Issy

 Mathlete of the week for Mrs Lammas' group is Millie

 Mathlete of the week for Mrs Robert's group is Jacob 

 Well done to all!

Saturday 7 March 2020 - 10.30am to 12.30pm

Crackley Hall and Little Crackers will be opening the doors for a Spring Open Morning on Saturday 7 March from 10.30am to 12.30pm. 

This is a great chance to look around the school and nursery at the weekend and to chat to staff and pupils. Junior 5 and 6 pupils will act as tour guides and there will be music and sport activities on display. Light refreshments will be available.

Registrations are now being taken for Nursery and Reception. Limited places are available in other Year groups. The nursery is open 51 weeks a year and is carefully structured for two-year olds, three-year olds and pre-school.

All are welcome to look round the school, and to meet staff and pupils. No need to book.

Please email Mrs Jenny Vaughan, Admissions Secretary at admissions@crackleyhall.co.uk or call her on 01926 514410 for more information on the Open Morning and admissions process.

For more information visit www.crackleyhall.co.uk.

Tuesday 17 March 2020 -10.30am to 12.30pm

The College's Spring Open Morning will take place on Tuesday 17 March, giving prospective families a chance to visit the school on a normal working day, with Year 7 and 8 pupils acting as tour guides. Light refreshments will be available.

All are welcome and there is no need to book. For further information, please contact our Registrar, Mrs Vanessa Rooney on 01926 634201 or at admissions@princethorpe.co.uk.  

Our next Open Event after the March Open Morning will be our Summer Open Evening on Wednesday 3 June 2020 from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.

Please do spread the word amongst family and friends.

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

Appreciating other faiths, understanding other cultures and considering how we can all build a better world were the key messages of Crackley Hall’s 'One World Week'. Held just after half term from Monday 24 to Friday 28 February, each year group studied a different faith. Junior 6 took on Sikhism, Junior 5 explored Islam, Junior 4 reflected on Buddhism, Junior 3 learned about Judaism, for Junior 2 it was Hinduism and for Junior 1 and Reception it was Christianity.

The week began with an inspirational assembly from RE Co-ordinator, Susanne Jackson-Mayne. She challenged the children to undertake random acts of kindness to help us all build a better world.

As well as exploring the different faiths in the classrooms in their English and RE lessons, most of the year groups also had the opportunity to take a trip out to enrich their learning on the faith.

Pupils in Reception visited St Augustine’s Church in Kenilworth whilst pupils in Year 1 visited St Mary’s Church in Warwick, there Junior 1 made brass rubbings and studied the stained-glass windows.

Junior 2H and 2M studied Hinduism, they tried on traditional clothing, ate traditional spicy foods and learned why the celebration of Diwali takes place. They learned about Diwali and the story of Rama and Sita and their adventures with a ten-headed, twenty-armed monster called Ravana. The children also experienced Mehndi tattoos and found out how families celebrate and worship.

Junior 3 had the chance to visit the West Midland's oldest functioning Synagogue, the Singers Hill Synagogue in central Birmingham. During their visit the children learned about the importance of the Torah Scrolls, the holiest book in Judaism, the main Jewish festivals such as Passover and Yom Kippur and Jewish symbols such as the Star of David.

Junior 4 visited the Vihara Peace Pagoda in Birmingham. There the children learned about the principles and beliefs of Buddhism, that what Buddha taught is the foundation of how to comprehend the reality of nature and the world, rather than the questioning of who created it and why. They learned that Buddhism is a way of life.

Junior 5 visited Birmingham Central Mosque for a demonstration of the call to prayer, and wonderful and insightful instruction on the religion of Islam, they also enjoyed a tour of the study and social areas of the mosque.

Junior 6 pupils visited the Leamington Sikh Temple where they found out about the history of Sikhism and that the religion preaches that people of different races, religions, or sex are all equal in the eyes of God.

On Ash Wednesday pupils participated in a Mass led by Junior 3 considering how we can use our time for others.

This year One World Week has coincided with Fair Trade fortnight so the children also explored how Fair Trade makes for a fairer world and how the choices they make can support the wider world and the environment. The children decorated organic and Fairtrade cotton t-shirts, provided by the PTA, on the theme of One World. Pupils chose a relevant quote from the Bible to show that the scripture has relevance for today’s world. 

To mark the end of One World Week pupils at Crackley Hall joyfully sang Ode to Peace in today’s Celebration Assembly. They all wore their One World decorated organic and Fairtrade t-shirts.

It has been a busy week for pupils who have really enjoyed exploring other faiths and the school trips and activities have helped to bring those studies alive.

RE Book of the Week has been awarded to Isla (J2M)

As we prepare for Easter, during Lent, we are asked to reflect on ways that we can actively support our neighbours, locally and globally.

Next week pupils will bring home Father Hudson’s collection boxes, by filling up the collection boxes with loose change, we will help those less fortunate than us. Please could these be returned to school by Monday 16 March.

Father Hudson was a remarkable man and an exceptional priest who was well ahead of his time in respecting the dignity of children, desiring to give them the best start in life that was possible in their circumstances.

Many people familiar with Father Hudson’s will be aware of the network of homes, especially in Coleshill, that he developed with the support of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, its parishes and schools, and the sisters of the Selly Park Convent over a period of 30 years. Father Hudson’s provides Family Support in 36 schools in the Archdiocese. Through intensive and tailored mentoring of over 400 children and their families every year, they improve the outcomes for children living in adversity.

Thank you to Junior 3V for leading the Ash Wednesday Mass this week.

Through the readings, hymns and communion reflection the pupils, parents and staff had the opportunity to reflect on how acts of kindness and giving time to others would help make a better world.

On Tuesday 25 February the U11A Girls Netball team took part in the ISA Midlands Netball Tournament in Malvern. Taking part were 18 teams from across the Midlands region.

Split into pools, Crackley first faced Old Vicarage and won 1-0, next came Arnold Lodge and a comfortable 5-0 win. The girls then faced Stafford Prep and came away with their third win 4-0. St Edward’s Prep were more of a challenge and in a close match the girls just went down 1-2. The team bounced straight back though and defeated Castle House 3-0. In their final match against Crescent School the girls were hampered by injury, they played a good game but eventually lost 2-5. The team finished third in their pool.

PE Teacher, Kat Vaughan, commented, “We had an excellent day and the girls gave 100% trying their best in every game. They clearly enjoyed their matches playing well and showing great footwork, good passing and defence.”

Overall Crackley finished 5th out of 18 teams. Player of the Tournament was Team Captain, Rosie Moreton.

Playing for Crackley Hall were: Amy Farquharson (Vice-Captain), Ajunee Gill, Annabel Leigh, Rosie Moreton (Captain), Jorja Parris, Martha Summers, Nancy Volpe and Bella Ward

This week has been full of unusual ‘upsy’ daisy moments, especially when we hoped for snow, but only had rain and went out in the sun, but felt really cold! 

To top it all off, we had a Topsy-Turvy Week exploring underground, underwear, underwater, upside down and ugly umbrellas in our ‘u’ related phonics fun.  Unfortunately, amidst all the giggling, we seem to have remembered the important key vocabulary as: ‘pants and brollies’ which doesn’t really help!

I have however, been really impressed by the positive response from everyone to our new ‘fun foam friend’, the hand sanitiser!  The children have really enjoyed having a quick squirt throughout the day, and we really appreciate your parental support in using it at the start and end of sessions. 

Have a great weekend everyone.

Newsletter

The PTA Ordinary Meeting will take place on Wednesday 11 March at 7.30pm in the Science Room.

All welcome to attend - many hands make light work.

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

• Invigilators
• Teacher of Computer Science
• Teacher of Physics
• Gardener

Full details of the roles and how to apply are available via the following link  https://www.princethorpe.co.uk/employment-opportunities

Should you know anyone who might be interested in these posts, please do share this information with them.

Lost

Beatrice (J2M) has lost her winter coat

Joseph (J5R) has lost his winter coat

Amelia ((J3S) has lost her winter 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 it does not belong to your child, please return it to the School Office as soon as possible.