‘Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.’
- Aristotle

 

 

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Headmaster's Message

Headmaster's Welcome

Dear Parents

The first full week back to school hasn’t, apart from the weather, disappointed and I am delighted to highlight several key events that have taken place.

The week started off with all of our J6 children taking part in first aid training.   I am grateful to Mrs Lammas for arranging the delivery of the training; we now have two classes of first aiders and although I hope there will not be the need for them to use their new skill anytime soon, it is certainly good to know that so many of our young people have learnt the basic skills required in first aid.

You may have heard about the wonderful cream tea event that Mrs Simmonds co-ordinated with the help of several parents on Tuesday this week.  The smell of freshly baked scones, the perfectly displayed tables and outstanding performance of the youngsters attracted many compliments from our visitors.   The children enjoyed entertaining local parishioners and grandparents; even the poor weather couldn’t dampen their spirits.  My thanks to all involved particularly Mrs Simmonds, Mrs Olden, Mrs Wildey, Miss Kefalas, our parents and not forgetting our talented performers and Mini Vinnie representatives.  I believe that many of our guests have the date of next year’s event already in the diary!

Father Kevin celebrated our whole school Mass on Wednesday this week, the feast of St Mark.  It was a truly wonderful and prayerful occasion and I’d not only like to thank Fr Kevin but also the children who helped at Mass in any way; Mrs Jackson-Mayne, Mrs Olden and Mrs Simmonds and the whole school for their uplifting singing.  Thank you!

Yesterday afternoon I was greeted by the beaming faces of children and staff members after they returned from the F1 JLR Regional Primary School Challenge at Princethorpe.  Not only did they win several categories, including best engineering, they were also the overall winners!  The extensive preparation by Mrs Hardwick, Mrs Spillane, Cadie Hardwick, Jimmy Loftus, Zach Rose, Soren Wasley and their parents and the sponsors certainly paid off as their results were tremendous.  They should all be incredibly proud of what they achieved.  In addition to thanking , I am very grateful to our sponsors and parents for their support both before and after the competition.  There is more coverage and photographs of the event later in the Chronicle.  Good luck for the national finals Speed Stingers!

We were blessed to hear some outstanding performances at this morning’s assembly.   After a super opening from our violin ensemble, we heard the simply lovely voices of Bella and later, Andrea.  I was so impressed by their delivery of the songs - they have wonderful voices and I look forward to hearing them sing again.  Congratulations to all the recipients of awards - I am proud of you all and of how much effort you invest into achieving your success.  Congratulations to our new Junior 6 prefects; I wish you well in your new role as you uphold the school rules and ethos and help to set a good example to our other pupils

Next Tuesday there will be a visitor in school from Holroyd Howe.  Sally Crewe is a nutritionist and will be talking to children throughout the day about food groups and the importance of healthy eating.  There will be a selection of fruit tasting pots and root vegetables for children to try.  If you would like to discuss anything with Sally before she meets the children or you have any questions about the information she will be sharing, she will be available from 8.00am on Tuesday 1 May in the foyer outside the School Office.

On a personal note, I’d like to thank the many people who made my birthday yesterday very special by way of a friendly smile and a good wish.  I hope that whatever you have planned for the weekend you have a relaxing and enjoyable time with your family.

God bless,

 

Robert Duigan

Important Information

News

Stars Of The Week

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

Nursery  Shuvan Banerjee
Reception  Olivia Holden
J1G  Ralph Richardson
J1W  Jakob Baddon
J2M  Joshua Currie
J2H  Harry Gibson
J3V  Oliver Ferguson
J4H  Lily Carroll
J4J  Daisymay McMurdo
J5G  Caitlin Horan
J5R  Poppy Clarke - Bryan
J5V  Evangeline Upstone-Wells
J6H  Jaime Phillips
J6L  Benedek Kordas

Crackley Crowned Champions At Jaguar Primary Schools’ Challenge Regional Final

After all the preparations, the plans, the discussions, the designs and the build it was finally time to plug in the compressed air canisters and get down to some serious racing at this year’s Jaguar Primary School Challenge Regional Final. 

The team ‘Speed Stingers’, comprising Junior 4’s Jimmy Loftus, Soren Wasley, Zach Rose and Cadie Hardwick, had been fiendishly busy working hard to prepare for the big day. 

The challenge requires teams to research, design, manufacture, test, promote and race the fastest car possible using standard chassis and engine housing nets with a car body made only from card. It is a technical brief but one that has proven to really engage potential future engineers. 

As soon as they parked up at Princethorpe College the team leapt into action setting up their pit display. Crackley’s team boards and table displays looked smart and professional. Bright colours and eye-catching graphics told the visual story of their journey so far. 

After a welcome from Mr Hester, Headmaster at Princethorpe College, they were on to their first task, the Engineering judging where the team were examined on their car design and manufacturing process.  The team then got quickly working on the Additional Challenge, which they were set on the day, a Design Technology Challenge to manufacture a display stand and carry case for their racing car.  The focus of the exercise was once again to test the team’s ability to work together, delegate, design and manufacture.  

After a swift break for lunch the team gave their five minute verbal presentation. The judges were looking at technique, composition and knowledge of subject matter. 

And then finally it was time to get down to the serious business of racing. This was, after all, what the whole challenge has been about. Team Speed Stingers carefully set up their car for a head-to-head down the race track and prepared themselves quietly and calmly for the competition. The cardboard Formula One cars flew down the track recording lightning-quick times. In a matter of seconds, it was all over. 

Standards had been incredibly high and after a day’s worth of demonstration, presentations and racing the judges got down to their deliberations and analysing the scores. 

Speed Stingers waited calmly but confidently, they knew it would be a close call but when the results were announced they could hardly believe it.  Not only had they won the award for 'Best Engineered Car', they had also won 'Best Additional Challenge', 'Best Portfolio and Pit Display' and best of all the team had taken first place overall and had only gone and earned themselves a place in the National Finals at the british Motor Museum in June. 

Mrs Hardwick and Mrs Spillane who helped guide the Crackley Hall team were jubilant, “What an amazing day. Our Crackley Hall pupils have worked so hard. They’ve dealt with the pressure of competition brilliantly and we are so very proud of them.” 

Thanks must also go to the team's sponsors Laser Tools, Windshear, Chapter Agency and MTC (The Manufacturing Technology Centre), and of course the children’s parents.  We are very grateful for all your support.  

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First Aid Essentials For Junior 6

Junior 6 had an exciting start to the week learning some essential and important life skills – the basics of First Aid.  Let’s hope they never have to help anyone in an emergency who is choking, unconscious or seriously hurt, but at least they all now know how they can help and what they should do.

In groups the children explored how to assess and manage risks, how to make informed choices when helping others and developed the confidence and skill to help in a first aid emergency.

The children participated in training that involved a variety of practical and engaging activities allowing Junior 6 to practice and perfect their first aid skills.  As you can see, the children were very keen to demonstrate their learning and very much enjoyed trying out the techniques on each other!

Our junior first aiders now know what to do if someone was unresponsive and unconscious (Dr ABC), how to deal with a burn, a bump, a break or a serious bleed and how to help someone who is choking.

Thank you to Emily Illston from Mini First Aid, Warwickshire, for running these instructive first aid sessions.

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Grandparents And Parishioners Enjoy Crackley Cream Tea

Despite somewhat miserable weather outside the School Hall reverberated with friendly chatter and the clink of china tea cups as local parishioners and grandparents enjoyed an afternoon of entertainment and a very special Crackley Hall cream tea. Organised by Crackley Hall’s Minnie Vinnies, the junior arm of the St Vincent de Paul Society, plates piled high with scones, strawberries, jam and cream were served to a hall full of guests.

The special tea took place on the afternoon of Tuesday 24 April and along with their refreshments parishioners and grandparents had a full programme of entertainment to enjoy. Pupils from across the school took turns to perform. This year the entertainment included the talented Choral Speaking Group as well as the Orchestra, Chamber Choir and Choral Group, they all performed their pieces with confidence and panache much to the delight of the gathered guests. Then there were a number of individual solo performances with Chenchen Pan playing a simply stunning piano solo. The afternoon’s entertainment culminated with 90 children on stage and a stirring rendition of ‘The Rhythm of Life’.

After the entertainment came the cream tea and our Mini Vinnies carefully carried out laden trays, cake stands and pots of tea for the guests to enjoy. They approached the tables a little shyly at first, but were soon chatting happily with their guests.

Mr Rob Duigan, the Headmaster, popped in to welcome everyone to the school and to thank Mrs Dolores Simmonds for helping the Mini Vinnies organise the community event.

Mrs Simmonds, Mini Vinnies Co-ordinator, said, “The underlying purpose of the St Vincent de Paul ethos is to make a difference to people’s lives. Crackley Hall and our Mini Vinnies have laid on a wonderful afternoon for our local community which was clearly thoroughly enjoyed.”

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Stay ‘n’ Play Love Little Signers Sing, Sign And Rhyme

Little Crackers was delighted to welcome Little Signers to our Stay ‘n’ Play toddler group session on Wednesday 25 April.  Rachael Hewitt from the Little Signers Club, Warwickshire, ran a short interactive session that used familiar nursery songs to teach the parents and children some basic signs.

This was Rachel’s first visit to Stay ‘n’ Play and our families really enjoyed learning some of the British Sign Language based communication skills.  The Sing, Sign and Rhyme class had the children enthralled and they were quickly joining in singing and signing along to old favourites such as ‘Wheels on the bus’ and ‘Wind the bobbin up’.

Research shows that signing has a number of benefits that include developing communication skills, strengthening the bond between parent and child and helping the development of language and literacy skills.

The session was just one from a regular programme of visiting activities at our Stay ‘n’ Play toddler group that runs every Wednesday morning from 10.00 to 11.30am at Little Crackers during term-time.  Next month we welcome the dance group Little Rascals; they will be visiting Stay ‘n’ Play on Wednesday 23 May. 

Little Signers offer regular classes for parents and children from babies to primary school age where they can enjoy learning the signs together.  Little Signers can be contacted by email on rachael@littlesignersclub.co.uk or by calling Rachael on 07939 453445.  

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Events

Events - Week Beginning Monday 30 April 2018

Monday 30 April 2018 12.00pm - 4pm Nuneaton Festival of Speech & Drama
  4.00pm - 4.30pm J6 Parents meeting for French trip in Hall
Tuesday 01 May 2018 8.45am - 9.15am May Procession
Wednesday 02 May 2018 6.00am - 6.00pm ISA National Triathlon
  2.30pm - 5.30pm U11 'A' & 'B' and U10 'A' & 'B' Incrediball cricket v Bilton Grange (A)

Thursday 03 May 2018

9.30am - 6.00pm Year 5 Taster day at Princethorpe & Parents Information Evening
  3.00pm - 5.30pm U8 'A' Cricket v Bablake (H)
  3.00pm - 5.00pm U9 & U8 'A' & 'B' Rounders (H)
Friday 04 May2018 8.40am - 9.30am Celebration Assembley

 

Crackley Hall And Little Crackers Nursery Open Evening - Reminder

Tuesday 8 May - 5.00pm to 7.30pm

Please do spread the word that Crackley Hall and Little Crackers Nursery are opening their doors for an Open Evening on Tuesday 8 May from 5.00pm to 7.30pm.

This is a fantastic opportunity to look around the school and to meet staff and pupils during the evening. All are welcome, no need to book.

Those that can't make the Open Evening but would like to look around the school, should call our Admissions and Marketing Secretary, Mrs Jenny Vaughan on 01926 514410, or email admissions@crackleyhall.co.uk - we welcome visitors on most days.

For more information visit www.crackleyhall.co.uk

One World Art Exhibition

Wednesday 16 May 2018 - 3.30pm to 6.30pm

A reminder to parents and grandparents of our up-coming Art Exhibition, which will be held in the main school hall on Wednesday 16 May from 3.30om to 6.30pm.

Featuring work inspired by art styles and techniques from around the world, the exhibition promises to be a true celebration of the creative talents of all our pupils.

There will also be the opportunity to buy the framed original and order prints of your child’s work. Please see the letter of invitation below for more details on how to pre-order.

PTA refreshments will be served at this event. We look forward to seeing you there.

 

 

Awards and Celebrations

A photographic 'walk-through' the week's events.

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

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Spiritual

RE Book Of The Week

RE Book of the Week is awarded to Jimmy Loftus in Year 4 for his written work, in the character of one of the Disciples. Jimmy was able to explore the impact of Jesus on their lives and the lives of others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May Procession - Tuesday 1 May

Next Tuesday sees our third May Procession for Junior 3 and 4 pupils. This provides the opportunity for pupils to celebrate the new life around us and continues our theme from last week’s Mass.

During the procession a group of Junior 4 pupils will lead the children in two decades of the rosary and the Holy Communicants will crown the statue of Mary. The prayers will be offered for people around the globe who are living in conflict and the threat of war.

 

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Mass For The Feast Of St Mark

Thank you to Father Kevin, the children and staff for the uplifting Mass on Wednesday, which was the Feast Day of St Mark. During the Mass we celebrated that we are all God’s children and are all called to live our life for others.

Those present were encouraged to place God at the keystone of their lives, to enable them to  understand his exciting and challenging plan for everyone.

The next Mass for the whole school will be on Thursday 10 May at 2pm and will celebrate the Feast of the Ascension.

Passover Meal - Tuesday 8 May

Holy Communicant children will join Junior 3 pupils in a class Passover Meal on Tuesday 8 May during their RE lesson at 2pm. This is a lovely opportunity for the pupils to think about the Feast of Passover and the Last Supper.

 

 

 

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Blessing of Stones - Thursday 28 June

As you will know our prayer garden is now open, in order to make this a very special place for the whole school we would like to ensure that all pupils in the school have had an opportunity to lay a stone in the garden. Over the years, new pupils in Reception and new starters have been given the opportunity to decorate a small stone and bring it to school to be blessed by Father Kevin in a little service outside.

We would therefore like to invite all the pupils who have not yet done this to bring in a stone, that they have decorated in their own way. During the St Peter and Paul vigil Mass on Thursday 28 June at 2pm the stones will be blessed by Father Kevin and then added to the garden.

Pupils will be given a few ideas on how to decorate their stone in assembly.

 

Sport

Cricket Coaching - Kenilworth Cricket Club

The England Cricket Board have launched a new initiative to try and get more children into cricket at an early age called All Stars. 

Kenilworth's All Stars session is on a Sunday morning at the bright and early time of 9.30am-10.15am.  There is a free taster session at Kenilworth Cricket Club on Sunday 6 May 9.30am-10.15am and then the All Stars official 8 week cricket coaching course runs from Sunday 13 May. 

It is aimed at Reception to Year 3.  Sign up is online and the children receive a little kit pack once they are signed up.  Access to the All Stars website can be found by clicking here.

 

 

 

 

Clubs

Club Cancellations

No 'Drama Drop in Festival Club' on Monday lunchtime as staff are at a drama festival.

Gymnastics club after school on Monday is still on but will be outside due to other activities taking place in the hall - please ensure your child has trainers with them.

Little Crackers

Nursery News

Hasn’t it been a crazy weather week, I knew that as soon as I asked everyone for sunhats and suncream something like this would happen! 

Oh well, the strange weather hasn’t stopped the fun and we have had a lovely time.  Miss Jane is getting very keen in our garden and the children have been helping her plant our clematis and climbing hydrangea this week, they are either side of the gate to our outdoor learning area and should make it look and smell beautiful for the summer. 

We have also started planting seeds, which are sitting on our window sills while we wait for the shoots to pop out and say hello.  With spring and growing in mind we need to make our nature table look amazing, so if you are out and about at the weekend and see any blossom, take any photos, or find any spring treasures then please bring them in. 

Later this term the school will be having an art exhibition (more details in the Chronicle).  We have entered work from the pre-school children and some of our 3yr olds who were in the big room last term.  Please come along to see the exhibition, our theme was ‘African People’, the finished paintings look fantastic. 

Please make sure you read this week's newsletter as it's packed with all the information you'll need.

Have a good weekend.

 

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PTA

Family Fun Day Incorporating Crackley's Got Talent - Tickets On Sale Now!

Saturday 12 May - 1.00pm - 4.30pm

Tickets can be purchased by clicking on this link. you should hopefully have received a flyer in your children's book bag by now. Entry can only be made with an advanced ticket, as the ticket includes BBQ food and a hog roast and the PTA need to know how many to cater for. Early bird tickets are on sale until noon on Tuesday 8 May at £5 per adult and £3 per child. After this the standard price for tickets available until Friday 11 May at 7pm is £7.50 per adult and £5 per child.

*New for this year* - we are also offering a hog roast along side the delicious BBQ food. When buying your tickets please select whether you want the hog roast option or 8oz burger or jumbo sausage. The hog roast numbers are limited so don’t delay in buying your tickets!

 

Crackley's Got Talent

Back by popular demand at this year’s Family Fun Day, the annual Crackley’s Got Talent show is an opportunity for anyone in the school community to show off their wonderful entertaining talents. In previous years the bill has been as diverse as jugglers, rock guitarists, gymnasts, mermaids, comedians and magicians – and so we’re looking to create a rich smorgasbord of talent to entertain the crowds at this year’s main summer term event.

Entry forms can be found via this link and lunchtime rehearsal times will be organised during the week leading up to the event. Please get your entries in by Tuesday 8 May. 

 

 

Non Uniform Day

Friday 11 May 2018

There will be a non uniform day for all Crackley Hall pupils on Friday 11 May. In return, all children in Nursery, Reception, J1 and J2 are kindly asked to donate a box of chocolates or sweets and all children in J3, J4,J5 and J6 to donate a bottle. We are also requesting any unwanted books that you have for our second hand book stall, new unused gifts for a separate stall and any homecrafts for our ever popular homecrafts stall. All can be left in the boxes in the foyer from Tuesday 8 May. Many thanks for your continued support. 

Housekeeping

Sweet Jars For Summer Fayre

A reminder from Mrs Roberts that we really need J5R’S and J5G’s sweet jars in as soon as possible for the Summer Fayre.

There is a prize for the child who brings in the most sweet jars.

Thanks!

 

Pots And Pans For Forest School

Mrs Clark is on the look out for a few items for Forest School:

She is looking for pots, pans and utensils (spoons as well as funnels and measuring jugs etc) that you no longer need for use in the forest school mud kitchen.

She would also like tarpaulins and string/ropes. If anyone has any army surplus kit she would be most grateful.

And finally if anyone has any reusable plastic cups/camping mugs that children can have hot chocolate in, please could you send them in.

 

Job Vacancy - Teacher Of Textiles

Required for September 2018, a well-qualified, dynamic and creative graduate to teach Textiles in our very successful Design and Technology department. The ability to teach other areas of the Design and Technology curriculum would be an advantage.

NQTs are also welcome to apply; the College has a comprehensive induction programme leading to full QTS status. Single accommodation may be available. Princethorpe has its own pay scale which is above national scales.

This is an excellent opportunity to join the fast growing Foundation that values its staff and offers a rewarding benefits package including discounted places for staff, a pension scheme, child care vouchers and a cycle to work scheme.

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 30 April at 9.00am and interviews are likely to be held on Thursday 3 May, at Princethorpe.

Further details and an application form are available from the College website.

 

Lost Property

Lost

Jasper Nicholls in J3 has lost a recorder in a green case after assembly on Friday and a school jumper.

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

Olivia Lamb in J1 has lost her named blazer.