The Chronicle

Dear Parents

Thankfully we were not too adversely affected by storm Arwen but my thoughts are with those families who have been without heating and electricity for almost a week now.  The school building and grounds looked particularly beautiful on Monday after the brief snowfall and the children enjoyed being able to go outside to experience the frosty weather.

I would like to begin this week’s Chronicle with a thank you to the PTA who have been working exceptionally hard behind the scenes this week preparing for the Light Trail, which starts this evening, and the Christmas Fayre which is being held in school on Monday.  The children will be visiting Father Christmas and fayre in their year groups and be able to choose from a variety of stalls.  Your generous support has raised over £1,700 for the PTA which will, in turn, benefit the whole school.  I do hope that you are able to participate in the Light Trail which promises to be a wonderful festive start to the season and I look forward to seeing the local decorations.

We hosted several sporting fixtures this week and were expecting more but, due to confirmed COVID cases in other schools, they were forced to cancel.  I am grateful to Mr Stedeford for co-ordinating these fixtures and the wider sports team for their support.  Our catering team should also be thanked for providing hot teas which were very welcome on such a cold afternoon on Wednesday.

In assembly this morning, Nursery, Junior 3 and 4 parents were treated to a performance from Penelope in Junior 6 and our orchestra played everyone into assembly.  Penelope’s performance can be viewed on the recorded assembly link sent to parents earlier today.  I also congratulated our Stars of the Week: Anas, Ryan, Grace, Arabella, Aaryan, Isabel, Henry, Jude, Phoebe, Josie Jean, Adreena, Emily, Sebastian, Agnes and Jack.  Junior da Vinci awards were presented to Jude in Junior 3, to Ted, Elsie, Darcey, Phoebe, Sienna, Isabelle, Joshua and Harry in Junior 4 and Marley in Junior 6. Next week, Reception, Junior 1 and Junior 2 parents will be invited to join the live Celebration Assembly audience, along with any parents whose child is receiving a Star of the Week certificate.  All the current arrangements will be subject to us risk assessing against Covid conditions at the time.

I do hope that you have been able to book your seats for our nativities and Advent services next week but if you have any difficulties in doing so, please contact the School Office.  Please remember that we ask that attendees wear a face mask while on school premises and have recorded a negative lateral flow result within the 24 hours before entering school.  I hope that by following these measures, we can continue to invite families into school to enjoy live performances.  As there will be increased traffic next Tuesday and Wednesday, please follow the arrival times and parking instructions sent in the performance letter as this will help ensure that you arrive and depart on time, children are collected safely and local residents are not inconvenienced.   Your co-operation is much appreciated.

As next week will be our last full week of the Michaelmas term, we will be hosting Christmas lunch on Wednesday 8 December and we will also be supporting Save the Children once again on Friday 10 December.   Our last week of term will be upon us very soon and school will then close until 5 January but holiday club is still currently available to book.

I was delighted with our performances and results on the sports fields this week and I hope to be able to share full reports from the games staff, on all matches, next week.  I can report on two particularly excellent results, besides the super performance by the girls hockey team.  The U11B football team (which had 3 A team players included) beat Crescent U11A 6-0 and the U11A rugby team beat Bablake U11A, scoring 11 tries to 0 in the process.  Special mention must be made of our swimmers who went to the Independent Schools’ National Swimming Gala.  Issey Cleary returned home with three gold medals, including a win in the 50m U11 breaststroke finals – a simply outstanding achievement!

Well done to all our pupils on their hard work over the past week. Thank you to our staff for their hard work and dedication over a trying term and thank you to our parents for your support and understanding through the term thus far.  As mentioned, we have many events, activities and treats planned for which parents and staff have planned and worked so hard.  My gratitude is extended to everyone in this regard. Our school felt much like it used to since we have been able to hold assemblies and ‘socially distanced’ gathering again. It is part of which helps to make us the school we are.

I wish everyone a happy and relaxing weekend with your families.

God bless,

Mr Duigan

Sports Clubs now finish at 4.15pm, pick up from field/school remains the same.

The only exception is Hockey on a Monday which will remain at 5pm pick up from North Leam School or 5.15pm at school.

Thank you 

Next Friday 10 December, Crackley Hall School will be taking part in Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day. We’re asking families to donate £1 (or however much they can give), to support children in the UK and around the world. By taking part we will be helping children who don’t have the basics they need to survive.

There’s no need to buy a new jumper – you can re-invent an old jumper into a sparkly new one. If you want to get crafty at home there are decorating templates available on the Christmas Jumper Day website www.christmasjumperday.org. Children should wear their usual uniform with their Christmas jumper.

There are different ways to make donations:

A Just Giving page has been created and you can donate directly there: https://christmas.savethechildren.org.uk/fundraising/CJD210001415 Please note, JustGiving only accepts a minimum donation of £1.

Or donate via Save the Children’s website at www.christmasjumperday.org. Please use our school's reference number CJD2100014115 on any donation made. 

Or bring in £1 to school

We really appreciate your support to make Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day a success.

The Crackley Hall Junior Da Vinci programme encourages all pupils to be inspired to be the best that they can be. The Junior Da Vinci programme embraces three adapted principles - Creativity, Practice and Mastery - that the children demonstrate in their learning.

This year we are ensuring that all pupils in the school have opportunities to achieve Junior Da Vinci awards. The attached leaflet gives more information about this programme. Look out for children achieving Junior Da Vinci's in the Chronicle over the year.

Da Vinci Leaflet

Holiday club will run from Wednesday 15 until Thursday 23 December 2021, and then again on Tuesday 4 January 2022.

It will be open from 8.30am to 5.00pm each day, and will cost £30 per child. Hot lunch will be provided.

Holiday club will only operate on the days where there are sufficient numbers to open, therefore it is important for you to book early as we may not be able to accommodate last minute bookings, due to staff ratios and COVID bubbles. If you have booked a day and the numbers attending are not high enough, you will be contacted to either cancel or rearrange the day booked.

Bookings for the Holiday Club are via My School Portal

Thank you

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

Congratulations to them all!

Junior 2 left no stone unturned when they explored the medieval fortress Warwick Castle. They enjoyed a trip to see the super stronghold last Friday 26 November to complete this term’s history topic, British castles.

Their trip was packed full of educational opportunities alongside an equal measure of fun. The children were so excited to see the castle dressed for Christmas and there was definitely a sprinkling of magic in the air. Christmas trees twinkled around every corner and the arches were adorned with beautiful greenery.

The children walked under the portcullis entrance before visiting the Great Hall where they saw a knight in armour with his horse, along with a jaw dropping display of swords and spears. In the Time Tower, Junior 2 learnt all about the history of the castle through spellbinding story clips which walked them through the ages. Then as well as visiting the opulent state rooms, they also explored the Kingsman exhibition which showed what life was like for the medieval peasants.

The exciting day finished with a trip into the maze and the teachers were delighted that everyone found their way safely back to the start, ensuring the whole of Junior 2 could return to school!

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

Mathlete of the week for Mrs Burley's class is Archie

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

Mathlete of the week for Mrs Holmes class is Charlotte

Mathlete of the week for Mrs Robert's class is Arthur

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

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

Well done all!

This week in Junior 6, we have been thinking about how Jesus recruited his disciples. We read the bible extracts about the call of the fishermen and then how Levi, the tax collector, joined the group of disciples as well.  We discussed why Levi was an unusual choice of disciple and why Jesus might have wanted people from all backgrounds to help him. We thought about the qualities Jesus had, to be able to gather all these people around him, and how difficult a decision it must have been for the disciples to leave their families and everything they held dear to begin a totally new life.  We designed recruitment posters that Jesus could have put up around Lake Galilee.

What a lot of fascinating information Junior 5 have found out about charities this week! As part of their PSHECE topic, the children have shown a real philanthropic interest in the good works and range of causes across a wide variety of charities. The children were eager to then research a charity of their choosing, some very close to their hearts, and present their information to the class. Charities which were researched included the PDSA, the RNLI, The British Heart Foundation and the Sea Life Trust.  Next week the children will participate in creating a charity of their own and will develop their vision for this, using their own designed logo, inventing a name and a description of its purpose and intent.

Junior 4 have been drafting and editing story openers this week. Using description, action and dialogue they have produced some wonderful pieces of creative writing. They have also been busy creating their very own multi-coloured 3D elephants, which ties in with their current class novel, The Girl Who Stole An Elephant. This elephant has been described using an array of ambitious and figurative language, at the centre of an exciting adventure story that the children are eagerly composing.  We can’t wait to read their descriptive stories, edited and completed!

This week Junior 3 have been busy refining their writing skills by editing and redrafting their stories. We have learned about the process of editing, peer assessed our friend’s writing and worked thoughtfully and patiently to improve our writing. The results are fantastic and will soon be on display outside our classrooms for all to enjoy. We have also been moving and grooving to our eight times table and are well on our way to mastering some of these tricky multiples. In PSHECE we have been thinking about Climate Change and particularly about how we can have a climate friendly Christmas. We each wrote an idea about how to help our precious planet onto a ‘globe bauble’ and threaded each idea together with some solar powered fairy lights. The Christmas spirit of kindness and compassion is truly upon us.

Junior 2 have reached the end of our 'Castles' topic, which the children have thoroughly enjoyed this term. Both classes have been diving into poetry over the past few weeks and we have particularly enjoyed the poem entitled, Has Anyone Seen My Dragon? by James Carter. Together, we imagined where a missing dragon might be, where it might hide and how it could be found. We used these ideas to help us write our own version of a missing dragon poem. The children worked hard to draft, edit and then improve their poems. Read some of our poems in the gallery! In Maths, we have been working with money to ensure that we are confident adding different coins and notes together and using different values to make the same amount. Junior 2 are very excited to present to you our Nativity play next week. We are certain that you’ll feel very Christmassy by the end of next Tuesday! 

The first week of Advent has been an exciting one. We have written letters to Father Christmas and sent them off, had a visit from an elf, who brought us gifts of candy canes, so we wrote a thank you letter to them and Mrs Hardwick very cleverly linked our Science topic of light with RE so we could make a Christingle. We learnt that Christingles are used in some Christian churches during the time of Advent. Each part of a Christingle represents something special for this time of year. The candle represents Jesus being the light of the world, bringing Hope. The orange represents the world. The red ribbon represents God’s love for the world and the blood of Jesus. The sweets and dried fruit represent God’s creations in the four seasons. While we held our Christingle, we thought about the hope that the light of Jesus brings to the world.

What an exciting week we have had in Reception! On Monday morning we were so surprised when Mr Duigan delivered a parcel containing two elves. They had arrived down the chimney in his office having been sent to us by Father Christmas. Not only that, Mrs Claus sent us some of her delicious cookies too, all the way from the North Pole – wow! Adding to the festive theme, we have also been busy making Christmas themed crafts, voting on elf names and we enjoyed learning about Christmas traditions around the world. This week’s flurry of snow also saw us having lots of fun outside – thank goodness for our cosy clothes!

Advent

In Junior 2 this week we captured the meaning and symbolism of Advent by making our very own Advent wreaths. We learnt that each candle on the Advent wreath has a special name - Hope, Love, Joy and Peace - and we discovered more about the contrast between dark and light and why each week a new candle is lit, dispelling more and more of the darkness as we draw closer to Christmas, with the fourth candle reminding us that the time to rejoice has finally arrived!

Crib

Pupils in Junior 3V had fun this week learning about the origins of the first crib.  They then set off to make three different displays around the school showing the nativity in preparation for Christmas. The children discussed who would we see in a modern-day nativity scene apart from Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Suggestions included: a homeless person; someone who raises money for charity, a teacher, the Queen, a nurse and the Prime Minister.

Da Vinci Award

This week, Jude in Junior 3V earned a full Da Vinci for his amazing insight into the parable of the Prodigal Son. Jude was able to reflect on the importance of forgiveness. Mrs Jackson-Mayne was astounded at both his understanding and empathy. His oral work completed the lesson.

Please find information below:

Childrens Liturgy

Activity Sheet

Please click on the link below for this week's weekly mission:

Weekly Mission

Congratulations to the U10 Hockey squad who won 7-0 against Kingsley School on Wednesday afternoon. For three of the girls it was their first ever hockey match and they all did so well. The team played with great determination and skill in what was persistent and cold rain. A great result that bodes well for the future. We mustn't forget the boys either as they were out on the football field and also had a good result.

Lego Club ventured into the savanna this week after being Frozen into spiralling fractals previously!  With The Lion King melodies in full volume in preparation for Young Voices, we made animals galore with Simba and Mufasa taking centre stage in our beloved vet clinic. After discovering that Simba in Swahili means lion, we just fell in love with these gorgeous, adorable and endearing furry little animals mingling with their lion cubs.  To add to the collection, we made elephants, seals with hats on, speedy ostriches and a powerful warthog who couldn’t quite see where he was going!  Loving our already established and well-equipped treehouse, we added a watchtower and floating dinghy to make it even more authentic. With an abundance of renewed sleek minifigures making their welcome return to the spotlight after last week’s hair-raising episode, we overheard Batman majestically roaring that he just can’t wait to be Batman again!!  How delightful.

This week in nursery has been all about preparation.  Miss Gail talked to us all about the Christian celebration of Advent, and how it was a time to ‘get ready’ for Christmas, we opened the first couple of windows in our nursery Advent calendar, and explored a fabulous interactive one on screen. 

The children have also been telling us about the advent calendars they have at home, and the chocolates they are enjoying!  We have been completing our preparations for our Nativity performance next week – we can’t wait to welcome you all to our stable in Bethlehem on Tuesday morning, make sure your tickets are booked, your tissues are packed and your cameras are ready for the hottest show in town!  Our final preparations have been creative and craftly as we work with the children to produce all those lovely ‘Christmas sparkles’ we love to share with you for Christmas. 

I wish you all a peaceful and safe weekend as the big day draws closer.

Newsletter

Little Crackers have been enjoying the winter weather this week, not only finding ice and mark making in the snow and frost, but making wintery pictures inside too. Our story, Stickman, matched our wintery work, and gave us an opportunity to spot some lovely rhyming words.

Our lovely little Stay 'n' Players had great fun on Wednesday morning, when we held our Christmas party. The children enjoyed festive crafts and yummy mince pies, as well as a special visit from one of Santa's elves! Everyone gathered together at the end for some Christmas songs, before heading home with a little gift from the Big Man himself.

Stay 'n' Play returns week commencing Monday 10 January at St Francis church in Kenilworth. We have some exciting special events booked in, including a return of the popular Forest Fun session. For more information please visit our website here. 

The Kenilworth Light Trail will start on December 3rd until 12th from 3.30pm to 8.30pm each evening.

A printed copy of the map will be passed on to each child by their teacher.

Regarding the trail map, please note the following:

Displays Number 4 & 5 are on Martin Drive, which does not show up correctly using the postcode on some satnav systems.

Martin Drive is off Harris Way which is the new housing estate off Common Lane which is only a 2 minute drive from school.

Display Number 14, White Cottage, is on a bend.  If you turn left out of Tainters Hill towards Kenilworth Town Centre, you will be heading in the right direction.  The house is before Manor Road, and again, some satnavs will try to send you the wrong way.

If you are following the order on the map, it may be prudent to visit Display 16 before Display 15 so that you are not doubling back on yourself due to the one way system

We hope that you and your families have a wonderful time enjoying the festive light display!

We need more volunteers to help run the different stalls at the Children's Christmas Fayre on Monday 6 December from 9.00am to 2.00pm. If you are available, please send an email to Tara Card on cardtara@gmail.com

The Big PTA Christmas Raffle is still open!

For every ticket purchased, you will have 12 chances to win up to £5,000! At the same time, we will raise 50% from every ticket sold supporting our PTA. 

We have a goal of 500 tickets sold... So get involved if you haven't already!

https://www.bigptaraffle.co.uk/support/crackley-hall-pta-cv8

Parents, please ensure that all items of 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.

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Hector (J2B) has mislaid his M & S school trousers (after move it shake it club on Wednesday)

George (6H) has mislaid his school cap 

We are recruiting for a variety of roles currently, as you will see below, so please do share with friends and family by word of mouth.

Further information and application forms on all roles are available on the Foundation's website - www.princethorpe.co.uk/join-us

• Teacher of Spanish (Maternity Cover) - Princethorpe College
• Head of Boys’ Games – Princethorpe College
• Caretaker - Full Time - Crackley Hall School
• Caretaker - Part Time - Princethorpe College
• Cleaner - Saturdays - Princethorpe College
• Examinations Invigilator - Princethorpe College
• Lead Examinations Invigilator - Princethorpe College
• Early Years Assistant - Crackley Hall School