The Chronicle

Dear Parents

Each week that passes in school appears to be gathering momentum this term and I hope this week’s Chronicle will be able to provide you with a glimpse of the activities and events that have taken place this week.

I was delighted that our Junior 3 classes were able to begin their swimming lessons this week and they all enjoyed visiting the Xcel centre. We are hoping to continue lessons at the Xcel centre in September as the Abbey Fields Pool will still be closed for refurbishment.

Every child in school was able to participate in the Robotics Workshop Day on Tuesday and there were shrieks of delight when robots were able to respond and come to life with programming. This day was organised by Mrs Malcolm and made possible by funding from our PTA. It was a wonderful day for children to learn more about the world of STEM and I am sure there will be more opportunities for children to experience programming and other STEM activities very soon.

I was pleased to be able to meet our Junior 5 parents on Tuesday afternoon when I hosted the Secondary School Information Meeting. This is the first time in two years that I have been able to invite parents into school for this meeting and I hope that those who attended found it informative. There will inevitably be more questions following this meeting and parents are welcome to contact me to discuss in more detail.

Father Kevin has visited school twice this week when he presided over the Passover Meal for Junior 3 on Wednesday and Mass today. I am very grateful that we have such strong links with our local church and that Father Kevin is able to spend valuable time with the children sharing his faith and knowledge. Thanks are also extended to Mrs Jackson-Mayne and Mrs Simmonds for their part in organising these celebrations.

Our cricket and rounders teams have been busy this week with several fixtures and a Kwik Cricket competition where we gained 2nd place in the ISA U11 competition and brought home the silver medal. Congratulations to our teams and thank you to the sports coaches.

Yesterday our Junior 4 pupils were able to enjoy a day at Princethorpe College exploring the music technology suite and IT classrooms. This is an annual event at the College where Foundation junior schools can use the latest equipment to try music software and create their very own songs. The children particularly look forward to visiting the College as they often see their siblings and other past-pupils and also have the opportunity to enjoy the exceptional facilities.

Thank you to Mr Cottrill who hosted today’s Celebration Assembly as I have been attending the ISA Headteacher’s conference. My congratulations to all of you receiving a certificate whether it was for an achievement in school such as a Junior da Vinci, a music certificate, bronze or silver award or an extra-curricular sporting achievement; all require dedication and hard work. Our Stars of the Week were Aarav, Bella, Liana, Henry, Alexander, Jacob, Diya, Alexa, Harry, Julia, Jessie, Holly and Alex – well done everyone!

Tomorrow we will be hosting our long awaited Gala Ball which was scheduled to take place in March 2020 to celebrate our 75th Anniversary. The arrangements have been on hold and some details have changed but the event promises to be a super evening and one that we are very much looking forward to. We will be welcoming parents, past-parents and -staff, as well as current members of staff. Thank you very much to Mrs Jenny Vaughan and others who have worked so hard in organising the ball.

Next week looks to be an exciting week for school with Junior 6 visiting Coventry University, Junior 5 spending a day at Princethorpe College, Junior 2 travelling to the local Botanical Gardens and Junior 4, 5 and 6 attending the Young Voices in concert at the NEC.  We will also be hosting several events in school including an Art Show, Open Evening and the much-anticipated family fun day organised by our PTA. I do hope to see as many of you as possible during the course of next week.

I hope that you are able to spend time looking through this edition which will provide you with comprehensive information on the last week and future events, including holiday club and changes to the diary.

I wish everyone a happy and relaxing weekend.

God bless,

Mr Duigan

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

Congratulations to them all!

Pupils at Crackley Hall were captivated by the school’s ‘Robotics Day’ with everyone enjoying learning about the world of STEM thanks to Steve Hubbard from Robotfun. The day began with an assembly where Steve shared many different types of robots including a Robot based on Theo Jansen’s self-propelling robots strandbeests.

Across the day pupils took part in workshops. Upper school children got hands on with programming in python while the Lower School enjoyed programming with a brand-new robot Indi using colour cards to control the robot’s direction of movement.

The day was designed to engage pupils in engineering and science through fun, practical experiences and Emma Malcom, who organised Crackley Robotics Day, said, “The children had great fun learning about programming, working together to make sure their robot followed the right commands. They really enjoyed the sessions engaging with the robots enthusiastically. We have had a fantastic robotics day.”

Many thanks to the PTA for funding the day.

Crackley Hall’s Junior 4 pupils enjoyed a half-day music technology workshop at Princethorpe College this week, on Thursday 12 May. Hosted by Director of Music, Gil Cowlishaw, and Music Teacher, Alison Wakeley, the sessions took place in the College’s dedicated Music Technology suite and in IT classrooms. The children were introduced to computer music production concepts such as sequencing and arrangement and then encouraged to experiment. Using the technology software Soundtrap, the children enjoyed creating music in a completely new way. Starting with drum machine patterns and loops and adding texture through the addition of bass, keyboard and even vocal lines the children each created their own unique piece.

After a short break and an obligatory Princethorpe cookie, the children moved on to explore the concept of harmony. This time using online song writing software Hookpad, the children built a pattern of major and minor chords and overlaid their own melodies. Finally, the children listened to their music in a variety of music styles including rock, pop, jazz and even reggae.

Junior 4 clearly enjoyed the workshop and exploring music in a new way and everyone was able to save their creations to their OneDrive accounts to take home to share with their families.

Mr Cowlishaw, commented, “We had lots of fun in our music technology taster, the children were all fantastic to work with and created some amazing pieces.”

The Crackley Hall whole-school Art Show is only a few days away. It takes place next Wednesday 18 May. 

The show will take place in the School Hall from 3.00pm to 6.00pm and all work on display is for sale. Children from Nursery through to Junior 6 have created works of art of a high standard which has all been beautifully framed.  

The school field will be open for car parking.

Payment is by cash, cheque or card on the day.

Additional copies may be ordered on the day itself only, so if you wish to gift a picture from your child to another family member or friend you can do so.

All monies raised will be shared between the school's charities and the Art department.

We can’t wait for you to see how hard the children have been working!

With thanks to all those who teach Art and the children who make it a joy to teach.

Thank You

Holiday club will run from Monday 30 May until Wednesday 1 June 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. 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.

Please book via the Holiday Club email address - holidayclub@crackleyhall.co.uk

Thank you.

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

Mathlete of the week for Mrs Glen-Root's class is Aaryan and Harry

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

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

Mathlete of the week for Mrs Holmes' class is Lexi-Jean 

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

Mathlete of the week for Mrs Lammas' group is Georgie S 

Mathlete of the week for Mrs Wildey group is Alex

Well done all!

Seb (J4R) and Casper (J2B) and their pal Grace all got together to set up a little stall on their road to raise money for the people of Ukraine.

They put a lot of effort into it to make it a great success by making some homemade lemonade, baking two different types of cookies and making up little sweet bags.

They set up the stall and manned it from 11am to 1pm, and raised a whopping £172.73.  

Their new neighbours, family and friends all came by to visit and support them, which was really lovely.

Well done Seb, Casper and Grace!

As many of you are aware, preparations for the Summer Show are underway. The children are invited to come up with a name for the show.

The two shows we are performing songs from are: The Lion King and Aladdin.

The name can be anything. We have previously had Magical Moments Of Musicals, A Spoonful Of Naughty and Our 4ever Musical Favourites. All suggestions are welcome and one will be selected and used.

Entries need to be in by Monday 16 May and given into the Office on a named piece of paper. The Performing Arts Team along with Mr Duigan will then select a winner.

We look forward to seeing what you come up with. Good Luck!

Please find more details of an Art Competition in the flyer or follow the link.

Ms Holmes is collecting nails (the larger the better), screws, nuts and bolts, drill bits etc for an art project.

If you have any spares and could donate to the Art department, that would be fantastic.

Thank you.

Thursday 19 May 2022 - 5.00pm to 7.30pm

Please share news of our Open Evening for prospective pupils.

Prospective pupils and their parents are warmly invited to Crackley Hall and Little Cracker's Open Evening on Thursday 19 May from 5.00pm.

Come and find out more about what a Crackley education can do for your child. This is a great opportunity for prospective families to get a feel for the school and to meet Mr Duigan, Headmaster, and speak to key members of staff.

To book your place, please click here.

For more information on admission to Crackley Hall School and Little Crackers Nursery please email Jenny Vaughan at admissions@crackleyhall.co.uk or call 01926 514410.

Wednesday 8 June 2022 - 6.30pm to 9.00pm

The College's Summer Open Evening is a great opportunity for prospective families, for Year 7 to 10 and Lower Sixth entry, for September 2023 and beyond, to look around the school and to meet members of staff and pupils. As part of your evening, there will be two opportunities to hear from Ed Hester, Headmaster, at 6.45pm or 7.30pm, allowing families to explore the College before and after. So, families do not miss out, we are encouraging visitors to book their place and time slot.

Click here to book your place.

If you have any questions please contact the Admissions Team on 01926 643201/262/297 or email admissions@princethorpe.co.uk.

Please click on 'View Gallery' to scroll through a few photos from Celebration Assembly this morning.

This week J6 have spent lots of time chatting and reminiscing about their experiences from last week. We had a fantastic time at the Aberdovey Outward Bound Centre, where we spent a fun-filled four days. The staff there could not have been more accommodating, and we were immersed in exciting activities from the time we stepped off the coach. We enjoyed orienteering, gorge walking, canoeing, speed boat rides, hiking, and campfires, where we had to cook our own food, as well as abseiling and raft building. All the activities focused on team building and understanding our own role within a team and how that can change at different times and for different reasons. We also strove to become more independent and resilient to situations we are not used to.

This half term, Junior 5 are taking part in a touch-typing challenge. Each child has created a login for the ‘Ed-club’ website and during their Computing lessons, they work at their pace, completing the different stages of the program. They are challenged to not look at their hands whilst typing, thus hopefully enabling them to become more fluent in this skill. We have encouraged them to continue their learning at home using their own logins. Here’s hoping they become more efficient at typing than their teachers!

Junior 4 pupils enjoyed a music technology workshop at Princethorpe College this week where the children were introduced to computer music production concepts such as sequencing and arrangement and then encouraged to experiment. Using the technology software Soundtrap, the children enjoyed creating music in a completely new way. Starting with drum machine patterns and loops and adding texture through the addition of bass, keyboard and even vocal lines the children each created their own unique piece.

After a short break and an obligatory Princethorpe cookie, the children moved on to explore the concept of harmony. This time using online song writing software Hookpad, the children built a pattern of major and minor chords and overlaid their own melodies. 

Junior 4 clearly enjoyed the workshop and exploring music in a new way and everyone was able to save their creations to their OneDrive accounts to take home to share with their families.

Junior 3 are loving their mythical writing and have spent their English lessons this week thinking about superb vocabulary and imaginative sentence starters. We have used words like encircled, skilled, claustrophobic, exquisite and flabbergasted!

We are loving the story of Daedalus and Icarus…… the boy who couldn’t follow his father’s advice. Hmmmmm…lessons for us all there! We have worked quietly using all the skills we have been learning over the past few weeks to experiment and improve our language skills, editing and perfecting our writing. We certainly have a group of budding authors!

Junior 2 have continued to impress us with their ever-growing knowledge of the rainforest. This week, they have used information books and iPads to discover new facts about the animals which can be found there. Did you know a sloth might have two toes or three? Junior 2 loved learning this fact! We have also been using interesting adjectives to make our writing more exciting. Away from the rainforest, our maths topic has focussed on direction, particularly looking at turns for left and right. There has been lots of practical work on the tricky concept of clockwise and anticlockwise too! For Science, we have continued to look at microhabitats and which creatures might be found there. We are really looking forward to our visit to the Botanical Gardens on Tuesday, where the children can experience life in a rainforest for themselves!

Our week started by finding out more about minibeasts – this time ones that live in the water. We focused on water boatmen and realised how interesting tiny creatures can be. We also looked at dragonflies in more detail, and now know that they spend most of their life in the larvae form, with many of these living in water. We went on a minibeast hunt in our Science lesson and although we didn’t find any water dwelling minibeasts, we did see some flying ones and some hiding under rocks and logs. Fractions is our new topic in Maths where we have begun to find and recognise half of a shape or amount. In Geography we have learnt about where hot and cold places in the world are and why. Now we have our fingers crossed for a nice hot summer!

This week the children have been finding out about travelling on a boat to another country, France! We have built boats in the outdoor area and with a range of 2D shapes in Maths. They thought carefully about the sights and sounds on an adventure across the sea and then learnt about how life in France is similar and different to England.

What an exciting week it has been!

During the school Assembly on Monday, Mrs Glen-Roots focused on the Good Shepherd and her message relayed, with some pupils dressing up as a sheep, a wolf, a butterfly and a shepherd, the importance of recognising that Jesus is our guide, protector, and leader and how the sheep know the voice of their shepherd.  The Good Shepherd guards His flock, and we were all reminded how we can trust and rely on Jesus – the Good Shepherd.

On Wednesday, Junior 3 explored the significance of the Last Supper, by celebrating a Passover Meal with Father Kevin, Mrs Jackson-Mayne, Mrs Simmonds and Mrs Wheatly. During the meal, they followed the story of the Israelites trying to free themselves from slavery. Earlier this year, Junior 3 visited the synagogue, during one World Week, as part of their focus on Judaism. Through the feast they were able to see why unleavened bread is used at Mass. It was fantastic to witness the children sharing the food and unleavened bread (matza crackers) – like Jesus did at the Last Supper. Pupils very bravely tried horseradish, parsley and apple and fruit paste. Father Kevin explained the symbolism of drinking the wine (blackcurrant juice) and the different foods which form the seder plate.

In our second Thursday Collective Worship, the pupils used pipe cleaners to make crosses, as part of our exploration of the theme of the ‘Journey to the Cross’. Pupils listened to the story of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, read by Michael Rosen, to understand that sometimes on our life journey we may experience difficulties that we can’t go over, can’t go round or under but have to go through it. It was wonderful to hear how different staff coped with problems and anxieties in their lives. Some staff shared how they listen to music, go for walks, talk to God, exercise, do breathing exercises or complete a craft activity. The children were reminded that having a conversation with God can happen any time. Junior 6 helped Reception and Year 1 make their crosses to demonstrate that in life we all help each other on pilgrimage.

Junior 4R led Mass beautifully this morning. It was so lovely to hear all the children singing and praying together again as a community.

Vaughan and Wade introduced the theme of the Mass, which was love. In the celebration the children reflected on the message in John’s Gospel, reminding us of the commandments; to love one another We were reminded to break down barriers by showing love to people who we find difficult or who have hurt us, as well as our friends.

In Junior 2 we made the most of the sunny weather and went outside to enjoy the sunshine in our RE lesson. We discussed how the Church celebrates Easter and we identified some of the symbols the Church uses to represent the Easter season.  Did you know that the dogwood tree is a symbol of Easter as this was the wood used to build the cross upon which Jesus was crucified, and that Easter lilies are also a symbol as they sprung from the ground around Jesus as He spent His final hours on the cross?  

Please find information below:

Children's Liturgy

Activity Sheet

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

Weekly Mission

Junior 2 had fun in STEM club this week creating marble runs from cardboard tubes and masking tape. They attached them to the windows in the Gables and tried to make the biggest and best marble run that they could in 45 minutes. They were very pleased with their results and they have continued to enjoy playing with them as they pass by throughout the week.

Trains and boats and planes…and cars were the theme in Lego Club this week, and with the excitement of the Music Tech workshop at Princethorpe still fresh in our minds, we had cars and boats galore busy transporting Lego characters back to Princethorpe in style. With Ninjago, Minions Stuart and Kevin and then back to Kevin and Stuart again, not forgetting Bob. We had Iron Man and a new recruit called Glutinous, a very nervous and frightened creature who apparently has great respect for his master Kalmaar, but he was having a spot of bother with travel sickness, so he had to stay behind to look after the farm animals.  Carline at Princethorpe must have looked very interesting indeed, with Luke Walker's landspeeder, a Batmobile, a Ferrari 488 GTE which converted into Harry Potter's flying Ford Anglia, a police patrol boat with rubber dinghy, the Ghostbusters crew, and an icecream truck! The process of becoming a car builder often starts from building your own Lego cars and we did build rather a lot this week. Did you know that Lego loves cars so much that it’s the WORLD’s largest producer of tyres and they have even made it into the Guinness Book of Records for their tyre manufacturing? Lego never tires of making tyres!!

Please click on the link for this week's newsletter.

We are delighted to provide further details regarding the Family Fun Day incorporating Crackley’s Got Talent on Saturday 21 May. This is the first time since 2019 that the whole school has been able to come together and we are hoping you will be able to come along and enjoy the day.  

Tickets 

Tickets to the Family Fun Day are now on sale. Tickets are £5 for adults and £3 for children and include entry and a premium butchers burger/sausage or a  vegetarian option and can be purchased on  https://www.pta-events.co.uk/crackleyhall.   

Entrance is with pre-purchased tickets only as the PTA need to know how many to cater for. 

The tickets sale closes this Sunday at midnight!

Volunteers Needed 

The day can’t go ahead without the help of our wonderful families volunteering to help with the stalls and preparation. If you are available to help on Friday after the morning drop off, afternoon collection or on the day itself, please contact aimeejweir@hotmail.co.uk or follow the link

Non Uniform Day Donations 

There will be a non-uniform day for all pupils on the 17 June. In return, all children in Nursery, Reception, Junior 1 and Junior 2 are kindly asked to donate a box of chocolates or sweets and all children in Junior 3, Junior 4, Junior 5 and Junior 6 to donate a bottle. These will be used for the tombola stalls which are always hugely popular.  

Other donations 

If anyone has any of the following they would like to donate to help make the day a success, there is a donation box in the front porch of school.  All donations would be much appreciated.  

·  Teddies for the teddy adoption stall  

·  Unwanted Lego for the “Walk of Fire” Lego challenge! 

·  Individual wrapped sweets that can be used for prizes, eg bags of Haribo or lollipops 

·  Any new and unwanted gifts that can be used for prizes, eg stationery, hair accessories, snap bands etc

Did you know we have a Noticeboard?

Our Newsletter can be found on the PTA Noticeboard at the entrance of the school as well as other events and information. Make sure to  have a look for the latest PTA news!

Please follow the link for the PTA Newsletter. 

CGT is back by popular demand and will take place on Saturday 21 May 2022 between 2.00pm and 4.00pm. 

The PTA have organised the annual talent show for the past decade, latterly held as part of the Family Fun Day.  It has always been hugely popular, from the number of children performing to Mr Cottrill's memorable joke-telling in his role as host.  The performers will be asked to perform at the Talent Show during the Family Fun Day on Saturday 21 May.

Our next non-uniform day is now on Friday 17 June. 

Reusable Crackley Hall School mugs are now available to purchase through the PTA! We ordered a limited supply to start with. They are £10 each and once payment is confirmed in the bank, they will be sent home with your child. Thank you and enjoy.

Link to order

All families of pupils at our school are members of the PTA. The PTA runs regular fundraising and social events for the whole school community. Our fundraising efforts have enhanced the education and experience of all the children at the school and will continue to do so with your support. We would like to know a little bit about you and the events and activities that interest you. The PTA Committee would appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to complete this questionnaire:

Main Survey

Volunteer Sign-Up

The PTA would like to collect outgrown Christmas Jumpers. We aim to offer them in November for a cheaper and environmentally friendly alternative than buying new!

If you join this month you will be placed in a draw each month until July! We still have a lot of tickets to sell and really need support from our generous school community. 100% of money raised will go to the school fields and changing rooms so children will not be walking back and forth to school wet and cold. Any support is so appreciated and we want to give back to you!

Please show your support where you can. All family members (aunts, cousins, uncles, grandparents etc) are eligible to join.     

To enter: Please email your details (name, email and phone number) to kategreevy@yahoo.co.uk. Please submit one form for each person's entry. Please pay £15 into the CH PTA sort code: 30-94-93 account: 02023477 Lloyds Bank. Good luck! 

This takes place on Fridays between 8.30am to 10.00am (before and during the Celebration Assembly) and outside the hall entrance. 

Please continue to use the Uniform@pta.crackleyhall.co.uk email to submit your requests if you haven’t been invited to the assembly for your child’s year group. 

We are able to take cards, cash or cheque. 

We are also always looking for donations of items your child has outgrown, please drop these in the box labelled ‘PTA uniform’, located on the front porch of the school. We are in dire need of any sports track bottoms at the moment. 

As always we thank you for your support and couldn’t run the second hand shop without your generous donations. 

We would also like to say a huge THANK YOU to our PTA members in charge of the second hand uniform shop who work so hark for us all!

It was lovely to meet some of you at our coffee meeting on Wednesday 11 May!

Our next coffee morning will be on June 13 at the Almanack at 9.00am. 

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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Merryn (J6V) has lost her tracksuit bottoms on the field after athletics club on Monday. 

We regularly recruit for a variety of roles, please do share news of the vacancies with interested friends and family.

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

• Drama Teacher - Crescent School
• Estates Assistant - Princethorpe Foundation
• Learning Support Assistant - Princethorpe College