The Chronicle

Dear Parents

I hope that you were able to make the most of the extended weekend due to last week’s snow fall.  It was rather a tight call as to whether we stayed open or closed but there were too many factors against us.  We do pride ourselves on, historically, staying open during heavy snowfalls when many other schools may have closed.

This week I was delighted to welcome Headteachers from the ISA Midlands region when Crackley Hall hosted a training day and Midlands AGM.  We were also joined by the CEO of the Independent Schools Association, Neil Roskilly.  I am very happy to say that I received many complimentary and positive comments about our fantastic pupils and on the school in general.  I happen to know, from visiting others schools with Headteachers, that compliments are not handed out very easily.  Well done to everyone!  Ms Dyer and many other members of staff worked so hard to make a success of the day and I am most grateful to them.

I tried to speak to as many parents as possible during the parent consultation evenings on Tuesday and Thursday this week and I hope that you felt you received enough time with your child’s teachers to discuss any related matters.  If you feel that you need extra time to see a teacher, please make contact with them directly and this will be addressed.

Junior 4 have been involved in two events this week - the UNICEF presentation regarding climate change and the Anglo Saxon day which was enjoyed by all involved.  My thanks to Mrs Lammas for organising the UNICEF visit and Ms Holmes for organising the history event.  These events are so beneficial to the children to widen their experience and to add value to their lessons.

I am, once again, ever so grateful to Father Kevin for celebrating our KS2  ‘Mothering Mass’.  The pupils who led the Mass were a credit to the school and I would like to thank Mrs Olden, Mrs Jackson-Mayne and Mrs Simmonds for their involvement in contributing to the success of the Mass.  It was lovely to be joined by so many mums and grandmothers.

Tomorrow will see Crackley Hall open its doors to the public for our Open Morning and I look forward to seeing our willing volunteers in the morning.  Please ensure children arrive at 10.15 am dressed in school uniform.  Key Stage 2 pupils should also bring their sports kit and music instruments in their sports bags, where appropriate.  Please come to The Gables on arrival, where we will register them.  We will leave via ‘car line’ arrangements.  I’d like to thank those who are helping; it is appreciated and duly noted.

Congratulations to this week’s Stars of the Week and all other pupils who received an award, either from school or from outside of school.  I am thrilled with the enthusiasm and involvement of so many of our pupils.  Alfie, Henry, Rosie, Martha, Louisa and Lydia were all excellent in their performances at this morning’s assembly.  We have every right to be so proud of our pupils.  Well done to them all!  Amisha Modi is also to be congratulated on her fantastic work in RE and was a most worthy recipient of RE Book of the Week for her diary entries on John the Baptist.

Our sports teams all played well during the week and have come away with some very good results.  Congratulations to all the teams and coaches.  Further results and details will follow.

Our Mini Vinnies will be taking part in the SVP Mass at St Francis Church tomorrow at 14:30. Thank you to all the pupils for giving of their time for others and to Mrs Simmonds for all the wonderful work she does in this regard.

Unfortunately there continues to be many complaints about inconsiderate parking in the residential area and I would ask, yet again, for parents not to park on the pathway, block drive ways, move traffic cones or park near a junction.  There have been several occasions when residents have been unable to access or leave their driveways due to unhelpful parking.  I hope that we can work with the local residents in this regard.  I have been informed by residents that they have asked for the authorities to intervene in whatever way possible.  This may result in staff members and parents receiving traffic violation tickets as has been the case at another Kenilworth primary school recently.  I have today met with local councillors and planning engineers to see if we are able to come to any workable solutions and have been in contact with various neighbours over the past month.  This takes quite a large amount of my time which could be better spent elsewhere.

On a more enjoyable note, I do hope that you are able to enjoy some great sport this weekend.  The Six Nations resumes and England have a must-win game against France in Paris.  Ireland and Scotland both have something to play for and Wales should have the beating of Italy.  At least it’s a much closer contest this year.  The South African and Australian cricket teams are enjoying a rather ‘friendly’ test series – certainly not for the faint-hearted by any means.

I hope that you all have a super weekend and thank you to those families who are supporting their school tomorrow.

God bless,

Robert Duigan

We are awaiting the return of over 100 skipathon sponsorship forms. The money we raise will go to Mary's Meals and we hope to match our previous total. At the moment we are over £350 down on last year's amount.

Don't worry if you have mislaid the form, it is fine to just send in the money in a sealed envelope with the name of your child on the front.

Every little helps towards giving a child one bowl of porridge per day. Sadly, for some this is the only food that they have, so it is very important to remember to bring your sponsorship money.

We have a number of trips and events coming up over the next few weeks. Please see the relevant letters below. 

Reception Trip to Twycross Zoo 11.06.18

J1 Trip to Coventry Transport Museum 08.05.18

J2 Trip to Kenilworth Castle 24.05.18

J5 Alton Castle Final details letter

J6 First Aid Training 23.04.18 - 24.04.18

J1 LAMDA letter

J2 LAMDA letter

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

On Thursday 8 March Junior 4 left modern day Britain behind to discover all about the Dark Ages. The children and staff came to school in Anglo-Saxon costumes, adopted Anglo-Saxon names and participated in everyday tasks in a ninth century Anglo-Saxon village.

Their day began gathered around the fire listening to their Chief. He told them of worrying news, that the Vikings under King Guthrum had invaded England, that the Saxon King, King Alfred, wanted his kingdom back and that rumours abounded of a forthcoming battle. He tasked them with completing their daily tasks, but also preparing for war.

In the village the children enjoyed exploring Dark Ages crafts that included carving runes for fortune telling, weaving cloth, candle making, pottery making, crafting amulets from metal for good luck, preparing ink for writing, practising the skill of illumination and working with the wise woman to make medicines and potions to heal themselves.

The children also prepared for battle. They trained to be warriors, learning the skills they would need to protect themselves from the invading Vikings. They listened to wonderful battle tales of King Alfred and then learnt about discipline and the organisation needed for battle. Then they had the chance to get hands-on practising Anglo-Saxon fighting drills and handling weapons and wearing armour.

When the Vikings were sighted, in this case Deputy Head, Charles Lamprecht, they lined up in formation and charged. After some vicious fighting the Anglo-Saxons successfully won the day only to discover that their King had made peace with the invaders.

Our Anglo Saxon day was led by History Off The Page a specialist company who help bring history to life in the classroom. It was an action packed hands on day full of fun and fantastic hands-on learning.

Click View Gallery to scroll through lots of photos from the day.

This Monday students from Warwick University's UNICEF Department came to our lovely school to host a most interesting seminar on climate change for the great geographers that comprise Junior 4.

Tied in with our current Geography curricular topics of reduce, reuse and recycle our guests focused in on how our actions with regards to green house gases have implifications for each other and our precious blue planet.

And so a most entertaining and informative seminar unfolded before the children of J4H and J4J.  Beginning with the Paris Agreement of 2020 and ending with a most enlightening insight into the plight of the many Mongolians and Indians choked by both car and coal pollution.  It was shocking to find out that some children in India are afraid of dogs, only because they are unable to see them in the smog that surrounds them, in their towns and cities.

We are endebted to Mrs Lammas (J6L Class Teacher and Geography Coordinator) for inviting such engaging and enlightening speakers to enrich the lives and understanding of our students. 

For a small school Crackley always punches well above its weight and at this week’s ISA U11 Netball Midlands Championship the girls really played their hearts out. Sadly, this time they missed a place in the semi-finals just on goal difference, but the result does not reflect their high standard of play.

The competition took place on Tuesday 6 March at Malvern St James’ and was played inside in their amazing sports hall which has two indoor courts.

Teaching Assistant, Lottie Jones, described the games, “We played Bedstone first and won 4-0. We then played the home team Malvern St James’, who were brilliant, we held our own in the game but unfortunately lost 3-1. The girls then picked themselves up and played Dodderhill, winning 5-1. With two wins and a loss we knew the last game would be the decider. We were playing Grantham Prep, one of the strongest teams in the competition. It was a very difficult game that ended with a 2-2 draw, followed by a tense five minutes waiting to hear the group results.”

She added, “The girls just missed going through to the semi-finals only on goal difference. We were absolutely gutted, the U11’s played the best I had ever seen them play, they have all of a sudden clicked as a team and did the school proud. They were really remarkable from the off with energy and commitment as well as organisation and competitiveness. We overheard other schools saying that we were the team to beat and we took this as a huge compliment as we are a much smaller school compared to the schools that were playing.”

Playing in the team were: Honor Mae Minshull, Sofia Mehta (player of the tournament for her superb shooting), Alice Minshull, Kaena Wasley, Emily Hennegan, Eva Plevin (Captain), Abigail Gillard (Vice Captain) and Harriet Sharpe (first time out).

All eyes were on Crackley this week as Mr Duigan hosted fellow ISA Midlands Region Heads for a very prestigious and important ISA meeting.

The daylong event saw the region's best educational institutions come together within our school to share best practice and governance. 

The latest edition of Crackley Hall and Little Cracker's Admissions Update e-newsletter was published this week in time for our Spring Open Morning, this Saturday 10 March - 10.30am to 12.30pm.

This issue is packed with news to give prospective parents and pupils a feel for Crackley life, information on forthcoming events and helpful advice about the admissions process, particularly for those who are looking at entry in September 2018.

Our Admissions Update Newsletters are issued twice a year to coincide with key admissions periods, the next edition will be published in autumn 2018.

Please click here to go to the Admissions Update newsletter.

Or 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 and Marketing Secretary, Jenny Vaughan, on 01926 514410.

Saturday 10 March - 10.30am to 12.30pm

Crackley Hall and Little Crackers is opening its doors for a Spring Open Morning tomorrow, Saturday 10 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, Reception and Year 3 for September 2018 admissions, limited places are available in other Years. 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 and Marketing Secretary at jennyvaughan@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 20 March 2018, 10.30am to 12.30pm 

Princethorpe College is pleased to announce a new Open Event date for your diaries. On Tuesday 20 March, the College will be open to visitors from 10.30am to 12.30pm. A perfect opportunity to view the school on a normal working day, with pupils from Years 7 and 8 acting as tour guides (so you may see a familiar face or two!).

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

The College’s next Open Event after the March Open Morning will be the Open Evening on Wednesday 6 June 2018 from 6.00pm to 8.30pm.

Thursday 3 May 2018

The whole of Junior 5 are warmly invited to a taste of senior school life at Princethorpe College on Thursday 3 May 2018.  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 a Parents’ Information Session on entry to the College in September 2019. The session will commence at 4.30pm, finish at approximately 6.00pm 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 10 November 2018 from 9.30am to 3.30pm.

Please click here to access the online booking form for the Year 5 Taster Day. Please complete and submit the form by 5.00pm on Friday 20 April 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

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

RE Book of the Week has been awarded to Amisha Modi in Junior 5 for her excellent work on John the Baptist. Amisha used literacy and ICT skills to produce a super diary account showing John the Baptist’s life.

The Father Hudson’s collection boxes will be sent out next week. During Lent we are asked to reflect on ways that we can actively support our neighbours, locally and globally. By filling up the collection boxes provided by the Father Hudson’s Society with loose change, we are helping those less fortunate than ourselves. Please could these be returned to school by Friday 20 April.

Father Hudson was a remarkable man and an exceptional priest who was well ahead of his time.  He respected the dignity of children and desired 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. Every year the Society provides Family Support in 36 schools throughout the Archdiocese. Over 400 children and their families living in adversity have their outcomes improved through the Society's intensive and tailored mentoring. 

Today at Mass pupils in Key Stage 2 celebrated the life of Mary, the Mother of God and mothers everywhere. The Mass focused on the sacrifices she made, her joys and her sorrows and her complete faith and trust in God.

Pupils reflected on the important role of women in society and Father Kevin referred to International Women’s Day in his sermon. During the communion reflection, pupils sang a song for Mother’s day and  Megan, Pippa, Sid and John in Junior 6 gave out bunches of daffodils to the ladies who attended the service.

Warwick U8 'A' Tag Rugby Triangular Tournament

U8 'A' Tag Rugby vs Warwick 'A' 5 - 3 (win)

Player of the Match - Maxwell Kiely

U8 'A' Tag Rugby vs Warwick 'A' 2 - 4 (loss)

Player of the Match - Freddie Young

U8 'A' Tag Rugby vs Crescent School 'A' 3 - 3 (draw)

Player of the Match - Thomas Zanyi

Jupiter - 1st

Mars - 2nd

Saturn - 3rd

Venus - 4th

U11 'A' Netball v Crescent 16 - 3 (win)

Player of the Match - Honor-Mae Minshull

U11 'B' Netball v Crescent 12 - 0 (win)

Player of the Match - Hannah Wildey

U11 'C' Netball v Crescent 9 - 0 (win)

Player of the Match - Megan Shipton

U11 'A' Rugby vs Warwick 55 - 105 (loss)

A full match report will follow in next week's Chronicle.

Gym Club on Monday evening is cancelled as staff will be attending a Foundation meeting.

J3/4 Hockey Club on Tuesday evening is cancelled as staff will be attending a tournament.

J3/4 Netball Club on Thursday evening is cancelled as staff will be attending a tournament.

X-Country Club is cancelled next Friday as staff will be on a residential trip.

Happy ‘Spring’ everyone! It has been a much warmer week this week in nursery and we have enjoyed stretching our legs and breathing in the fresh air.  In our outdoor learning environment we have been spotting the signs of Spring, there are daffodils and crocuses starting to pop up, and we have looked at all the buds appearing on the trees.  The worms even came back!  We have had a really ‘flowery’ time making things and thinking about our special Mummies, we hope you enjoy your cards and decorated biscuits on Sunday. 

We were also happy to welcome Miss Maxine back this week, she has been off for a while with a poorly shoulder, but the children were keen to give her very gentle hugs to welcome her back! We would like to wish all our Mummies a happy, relaxing and restful weekend, Happy Mother’s Day from us all!

For further details of the 'fun and goings-on' with Nursery please click on the attached link.

The PTA Family Fun Day will be on Saturday 12 May 1.00pm - 4.30pm.

Please save the date - details to follow shortly.  

The Princethorpe Foundation seeks to appoint a Foundation Assistant Head (Director of Digital Strategy) to lead our schools’ ICT development and to act as a central driving force for ICT provision within teaching and learning.  This post provides an excellent opportunity to make a real impact by further strengthening the educational experience throughout the Foundation.

The successful candidate will lead on the development of the Foundation’s future ICT provision and the implementation and development of ICT projects. ICT is seen as fundamental to teaching and learning, as well as to the smooth running of the Foundation as a whole. The new appointee will ensure that the current systems are both flexible and effective and provide the best possible enhancement to teaching and learning. He or she will appraise and develop the use of ICT to enhance learning, within and beyond the classroom, and ensure that the Foundation is well positioned to implement new developments.

Single accommodation may be available. The Princethorpe Foundation has its own pay scale which is above national

Application: To apply for this vacancy applicants must submit a Princethorpe College application form, together with a CV and covering letter detailing your personal qualities, experience and how you meet the person specification for the role. Applicants must ensure the application form is fully completed, including a detailed career history with specific dates. 

Closing date: Monday 19 March 2018 at 9.00am.  Candidates selected for interview will be informed by Tuesday 20 March with interviews taking place later that week/early the following week, at Princethorpe College.

Further details and an application form are available from the College website www.princethorpe.co.uk/employment-opportunities

Lunch Menus for the Trinity Term have been sent home with your child this week.  Please return them by Friday 2 March 2018.

Menu Letter

Week 1 Menu

Week 2 Menu

Week 3 Menu

Lost

Bergamote Dufour in J6 - has lost her school hat with the initials BD

Carys Warrener in J5V has lost her named blazer

Benedek Kordas in J6L has lost his named winter coat, size 32