The Chronicle

Dear Parents

I hope you have enjoyed the lovely warm afternoons this week.  The staff and children have certainly made the most of the weather at school and I have seen various lessons from science to drama taking place outside on the lawn and playground.  They have seized the moment and taken time to enjoy the beautiful surroundings we are lucky to have here at Crackley Hall.

There have been daily updates regarding COVID-19 this week and I can assure you that the Foundation as a whole are briefed regularly on the most up to date procedures.  Apologies if our messages to you change from time to time, but these are in line with information that we are provided with by the Department for Education and Department of Health. We have a document which will be shared with you early next week, outlining what course of action to take in each eventuality.  I hope that it will address some of the initial questions you may have if your child shows certain symptoms.  I would remind everyone to please follow regulations and guidance at all times. As we are coming together as a community, we need to consider everyone else and our impact on others.  Thank you so much to everyone who is working together on this.

Our stars of the week were announced in assembly and this week were awarded to:

Ryan, Harriet, Alexander, Joshua, Daiya, Josie-Jean, Joshua, Lennon, Jakob, Agnes, Isabella, Rafferty and Finlay.  Congratulations to you all.

House points for this week saw Mars leading the way with Saturn following closely behind.  Jupiter were third and Venus in fourth place.  Well done, Mars!

This morning, Junior 6 and their teachers gathered as we announced the various roles of responsibility for each of our Junior 6 pupils.  I hope that all pupils were able to share the news with their families this evening.  Next week I will be able to share the recording of the event with the school community.   I am sure that all pupil leaders will do their very best and, hopefully, enjoy the responsibility.  Thank you to Mrs Horan, Mrs Vaughan, Mrs Paphitis, Mr Cottrill and Mrs Stephenson for their help this morning.

Most of our Junior 6 pupils will be at Princethorpe tomorrow for a special Crackley Hall taster morning and their parents can watch a welcome from College Headmaster, Ed Hester, in the Calendar section.  I do hope they enjoy it and look forward to hearing about their time there next week.  My thanks are extended to Mrs Horan and Mrs Paphitis for giving up time on a Saturday to accompany the pupils.

Next week, Father Kevin will be in school to conduct the Blessing of the Stones service for our Reception class.  I hope all the stones are ready to be added to the collection which will remain in our prayer garden for years to come.  Our new children in other year groups will be invited to decorate a stone during the course of this term and parents will be notified in advance.

The PTA have been busy thinking of ideas to continue to raise money both for Crackley Hall and for charity.  The Macmillan Coffee Morning takes place next week and I would refer you to the PTA section of this newsletter for the latest update.  Unfortunately, they have had to provide alternative arrangements for many of their planned events but their enthusiasm is never ending.  If you would like to help in some form and join the PTA, please do get in touch.  Please join the PTA for their AGM this coming Wednesday evening.

Although we have not yet finalised the exact details, I would like to advise you that this term’s parent consultation evenings will be conducted online during week commencing 12 October.  These appointments will be with your child’s form teacher and aimed at discussing how your child has settled during the term, their attitude to learning, their wellbeing and their academic progress to date.

As most of you will know, Mrs Malcolm started her maternity leave during the summer break and I am delighted to announce that she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy in August.  We will be sending Mrs Malcolm, and her husband, a gift to celebrate baby Kit and for those of you who would like to contribute please see the link later in this edition.

I do hope that you are able to enjoy a restful and happy weekend.

God bless,

Mr Duigan

Please be advised that The School Photography Company will be taking class, sibling and individual photographs on Wednesday 30 September.  It would be appreciated if children could wear their winter uniform, wherever possible.

The photographs will take place in the Hall.  Children who attend the nursery on that day will also be able to have their photograph taken.  Unfortunately pre-school siblings will not be able to come into school.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the School Office.

Medical Issues

If your child has any medical issues or severe allergies please ensure we have full details. If you have a care plan in place, we require a written copy. 

Medicines

Any medicines brought into school must be handed in at the office. They must also be clearly labelled with the child’s name, and dosage instructions, accompanied by an authorisation form that you can find here: Authorisation Form. We need a new authorisation slip for each new batch of medicine. Medicine to be returned home must be collected from the office by an adult and cannot be handed to a child.

Your child should look after their own asthma inhaler, though a spare can be kept in the office.

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

Monday 19 October - Friday 30 October 2020

The Crackley Hall Holiday Club will take place during both weeks of the October half term holiday. It will commence on Monday 19 October and run until Friday 30 October.

More details to follow in next weeks Chronicle.

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

Junior 6 excitedly, and a little nervously, gathered together in the school hall this morning to hear Headmaster, Mr Duigan, reveal the 2020-2021 Student Roles Of Office.

In a special assembly, recorded for parents, who due to social distancing restrictions were unfortunately unable to attend, the new Captains and Stewards were presented with their badges of office.

Mr Duigan spoke about the importance of the responsibilities and encouraged pupils to rise to the challenge of their new roles.

Crackley Hall School looks forward to working with Junior 6 and has no doubt they will be excellent leaders and role models for the younger pupils at the school.

Congratulations to them all.

Appointed this year are:

Head Boy – Thomas

Head Girl – Anabel 

Deputy Head Boy – Noah 

Deputy Head Girl – Amelia 

Jupiter House Captain – Sam 

Mars House Captain – Woody 

Saturn House Captain – Finlay

Venus House Captain – Lily 

RE Captain – Helayna

Student Council Captains -  Isabel and Caythan 

Music Captain – Jasper 

Performing Arts Captain – Scarlett 

Library Captain – Millie 

Library Vice Captain – Niamh 

Boys Sport Captain – Maxwell

Boys Sports Vice Captain – Freddie 

Girls Sports Captain – Rosa 

Girls Sports Vice Captain – Maria 

The recording of the assembly will be available next week. 

On Wednesday Junior 2 took part in an informative virtual session with the Education Team at Twycross Zoo.

The class have been studying habitats so to develop their knowledge and understanding, they took a quick trip around the world. They investigated the mountains, the grasslands, the oceans, the deserts, the rainforests and even the arctic. They considered the climate in each habitat and the adaptions that the animals who live there have made to survive successfully.

They had plenty of questions and found out many fascinating facts. Did you know that Orcas talk a different language in different parts of the ocean, or that unlike in a cartoon, a tortoise or turtle can’t jump out of its shell?

They finished their lesson finding out about the importance of recycling and the impact that can have on the rainforest.

Huge thanks to Twycross Zoo for facilitating such a fantastic virtual session for the children. They enjoyed it immensely. Well done Junior 2!

It has been a fantastic first few weeks at Crackley Hall School for our brand new Reception class.

They have been making friends, playing outside, sitting down for lunch together, hanging up their blazers on the right peg and of course – enjoying plenty of fabulous new lessons. Already the bubbly, bright youngsters are becoming familiar with their daily routine and whilst it might be tiring at first, it is so much fun.

Under the ever-present care of Mrs Convey and Mrs Green, the girls and boys have settled in and have smiles on their faces. What an exciting adventure they have ahead of them over the next few years.

We popped into the classroom today to take a quick photo - and don’t they all look adorable in their new uniform, and how well they all behaved as we mustered the class. They are a perfect addition to our wonderful school community.

Last week’s Mathlete of the week for Mrs Lammas group was Alex 

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Mathlete of the week for Mrs Wildey's and Mrs Burley's group is Lexi 

Mathlete of the week for Mrs Hardwick's class is Will 

Mathlete of the week for Mrs Holme's class is Shuvan 

Mathlete of the week for Mr Stedeford's class is Phoebe

Mathlete of the week for Mrs Lammas group is Amelia

Mathlete of the week for Mrs Van Zyl's class is Arthur

Well done all!

We are pleased to be able to update you that Mrs Malcolm and her husband welcomed baby Christopher 'Kit' to their family during the summer break.  Kit was born on the morning of 11 August weighing in at a healthy 8lb 15oz

Some parents have asked to contribute towards a gift for Mrs Malcolm to celebrate the birth of her son and a PayPal PayPool has been organised to collect donations.  Please follow the link below and do leave a message which will be forwarded to Mrs Malcolm.  We will update parents when a gift has been selected.

PayPool:Collection

Please click here to watch a welcome message from Foundation Head, Ed Hester, to the Crackley Hall School dedicated Princethorpe College Taster Experience.

The event takes place tomorrow, Saturday 19 September from 10.00am to 12.30pm.

The children will remain in their class bubbles over the course of the morning, receive a welcome from Ed Hester, the Headmaster and have the chance to experience two taster lessons.

Social distancing and government guidelines will be followed throughout the morning.

A Revised Admissions and Entrance Examinations Booklet which outlines the admissions process for September 2021 entry is available and can be found on the Admissions page of the College website here.

Please note that Entrance Exams have been moved to Saturday 23 January 2021. Candidates need to be registered for the exams by Friday 4 December at the latest. Parents of children with a SEND should register as soon as possible so that a meeting with the SEND Co-ordinator at Princethorpe can be arranged well before the exams take place.

In the meantime, if you have any questions relating to the admissions process please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Contact the Admissions Team on 01926 634201 or email admissions@princethorpe.co.uk.

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

Blessing of the Stones - Thursday 24 September

Reception children will be busy finding and decorating a stone this weekend so that they can bring it in on Monday 21 September. All stones should be handed to Mrs Convey in preparation for the Service with Father Kevin on Thursday 24 September - 9.00am. The service is only for the children, but we will try to video it and send it to parents later in the week. The stones will be then added to the prayer garden.

Harvest Week begins Monday 5 October 

Pupils are asked to bring in food donations (packets and tins please) to school during this week. These will be given to the class teacher who will put them in a box in the classroom. All donations will be taken to the Kenilworth, Leamington and Warwick Food Banks to help communities in need.

Junior 3 will participate in a Harvest Mass at 2.00pm on Monday 5 October. During this Mass Father Kevin will also bless the stones from any child in Junior 3 who has not added their stone to the prayer garden yet.

RE Book of the Week is awarded to Noah Cowlishaw for his superb poem and reminder of how we need to look after the planet. During their RE lesson with Mr Duigan, his class has been reflecting on the beauty of God’s Creation and our responsibility to look after it.

Save the Planet

Tress are being axed down

Our world’s face was happy but now is a frown.

At the beach there’s more litter than sea.

Please listen to the planet shouting ‘Help Me’

Don’t use plastic -use paper bags.

Everest is covered in old torn flags.

The lungs of the earth have got lung cancer.

We’re cutting down tress just to enhance our,

Dirty, filthy, polluting machines.

Stop destroying our planet your fiends.

Animals are dying

Smog is flying.

So please, I implore.

DON’T DROP RUBBISH ON THE FLOOR!

Help me save the planet please.

Recycle all your tins of beans.

Global warning makes us hot.

So help me fix the vulnerable spots.

Recycle all the tins of beans.

And help me save the planet please.

The extra bit of sunshine this week gave us an even greater chance to enjoy the outdoors. 

Some of us made the most of climbing the trees in Forest School, while others have been racing, chasing, balancing and jumping in the Early Years Playground.

Would you believe, one of our indoor projects this week was making Christmas cards!  Don’t worry, we’re not that keen just yet, but look out for the PTA Christmas Cards designed by your children later this term. 

Our pre-school children have begun their journey towards reading with our lending library, thank you to those who have already started sharing and changing books, I love hearing all about the stories when they bring them back.  Just to let you know, our job in nursery is to focus on sharing stories, exploring the rhyme and rhythm in words and becoming storytellers, we will begin focussing more on the mechanics of individual letter sounds as we move through the year. 

Have a great weekend everyone.

Newsletter

Please note all the forthcoming dates for your diaries:

PTA AGM followed by an Ordinary Meeting – Now virtual

Due to the recent government updates, we will not be able to hold the PTA AGM at school. We will, however, be able to hold a virtual meeting on Wednesday 23 September - 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm via Zoom.

If you would like to join please email mfox1401@gmail.com and the link will be shared with you on the day, we really look forward to catching up with both current, and, hopefully lots of new members at the meeting.

Macmillan Coffee Morning – Friday 25 September - 8.00am

Sadly due to the restrictions imposed upon us and concerns from parents, it has been decided that we will not be asking for children to bring snack donations into school for this event. The PTA will provide a refreshment service on the school field after children have been dropped off and there will also be a PTA member collecting in the car park in the morning.

We would like to encourage children to be involved in this charitable cause and invite all children to wear an item of green for the day, this can be socks, hair bobble, t-shirt etc. In addition, they may bring their own snack to eat at breaktime which can be as indulgent as you wish but it must not contain nuts. In return, we ask that each child donates a sum of money on the day which will be collected in class. Although we are not able to support this in the usual manner, we do hope to be able to send Macmillan Cancer Support a charity cheque from all at Crackley Hall.

We hope that we can count on your support for this event.

Second Hand Uniform

Thank you, thank you to our wonderful second hand uniform team, Nikki, Linda and Katie, for being ever patient and serving our wonderful school community with much needed pre loved uniform.

We have lots of coats and jumpers at the moment so please feel to contact them on ptauniform@crackleyhall.co.uk to arrange an appointment, or to simply check stock availability.

To offer this service, we rely on the wonderful donations from you. So if you have any good quality uniform your child has outgrown, please use the collection box in the school front entrance.  It will then be quarantined for 72 hours before offering for sale.

All money raised from the PTA Uniform shop is spent on extras for your children throughout the year at school and helps the children’s day become even more special.

Cyber-crime – please be extra vigilant

Parents are asked to be vigilant when reading emails relating to the payment of school fees and any other items to the Foundation.

We continue to receive reports regarding spam emails.  The latest scam offers a large discount on fees for the coming academic year if paid immediately.

This is probably trying to take advantage of the fact that some independent schools have offered discounts for this term and that parents may therefore be more open to such a suggestion. You can always protect yourselves by only making payments to us in line with our normal, published methods.

As advised, there has been no change to the bank details of either Princethorpe College, Crackley Hall or Crescent and there is no intention to make any changes in the foreseeable future. Any electronic notification that appears to be from any of the Foundation schools changing these details may be fraudulent.  Our bank details are available on the Parent Bills, the Online Payment Portal and in the Information Booklet for each school, and only those details should be used.

Please do not hesitate to contact me or my colleagues in the Bursary if you are have any doubts about the correct details or indeed if anything appears suspicious. 

Eddie Tolcher
Foundation Bursar

Lost

Harry (J5L) has lost his blazer and tracksuit top

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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.