The Chronicle

Dear Parents

A highlight of this term thus far must be our wonderful First Holy Communion Mass at St Francis' Church earlier today.  My sincere congratulations, personally and on behalf of the school, to Samuel, Saffron, Amelia, Seamus, Francesca and Thomas.  They all looked very smart and received the sacrament with the utmost sincerity and reverence; a real credit to themselves, their families and school.   I must extend my kind thanks to various people including family members, the whole school community, Mr Hester, Mrs Griffin and fellow trustees, Mrs O’Farrell, Cmdre Warner and Mrs Lane for joining the communicants on their special day.  My sincere gratitude goes to Mrs Jackson-Mayne and Mrs Simmonds for all their hard work in helping to prepare the children for today and our catering team.  I should also like to thank Father Kevin for all that he has done for the children on their faith journey and for all that he continues to do for the good of our school community.   Thank you, also, to Mrs Olden and the chamber choir, the office, maintenance and catering team and our wonderful altar servers and readers at Mass.  We hope that everyone who attended enjoyed the day and that they will continue to keep their young family members, who made the First Holy Communion, in their prayers.

As this is the first Chronicle since our return from the Junior 6 visit to France, I would like to mention the wonderful behaviour of the children who participated.  They enjoyed the excursions, the travel, the culture and being together as a group.  It was a pleasure to be able to experience this learning opportunity with the children.  Thank you to all the staff who accompanied me on this trip and those who remained at school to provide cover.

Well done to our stars of the week on your fine achievement – keep doing your best, and being the best, you can!  Isabella P was the recipient of our RE book of the week for her wonderful piece of writing on Archbishop Bernard Longley.  I am delighted that she is being recognised in this regard.

Isabella, along with Andrew G, Andrea Z and Andrea’s sister Erika all gave up part of their half-term Saturday to serve at Mass on the occasion of the investiture of one of our parishioners as a Papal Knight of the Equestrian Order of St Gregory.  Peter Rand, MBE, receiving the award, has worked so hard for the Friends of the Holy Land charity, amongst much other good work in the parish, and is known to the pupils of Crackley Hall after delivering an assembly at school last year.  Archbishop Longley celebrated the Mass and presented Mr Rand with his award.  Our altar servers certainly did us proud.

Next week will be another busy week at Crackley Hall including the exciting trip to Twycross Zoo for Reception Class, the ISA athletics, the ISA Cricket tournament which we will be hosting and Little Crackers sports day.  Preparations for the school production are progressing well and I am sure it will be another spectacular performance by all.  For those parents who have yet to attend one of our productions, you will not be disappointed and tickets will be available to purchase from the Spa Centre in Leamington soon (look out for the online link).

I look forward to seeing some Crackley Hall families at the Kenilworth Show tomorrow - it really is a fantastic event, very well organised, with so much to see, do and eat.  Please visit the Crackley Hall stand if you are planning on going to the show. I can highly recommend the show to everyone - I hope that the good weather continues over the weekend.  This event is one of the highlights of the local community – a few of our Crackley Hall farming families are heavily involved in the organising of it – the Minshulls, the Lucas’ and the Farquharsons, amongst others have spent months in planning and getting ready for tomorrow.  Look out for their sheep on show and their home-made treats on display in the competitions.  It is a super occasion!

After a depleted Springbok rugby side were narrowly beaten by an equally depleted Welsh side last week in one of the worst games of international rugby I have seen, I don’t hold out much hope for the South Africans when they host England tomorrow afternoon.  Well done to the Welsh though.  Home advantage will not matter!  England came back well in the second cricket test against Pakistan and the football team looked fairly comfortable against Costa Rica.  Let’s hope that England can change the fortunes of their recent World Cup campaigns (if we dare call them campaigns) when it gets under way in Russia next week.

I wish everyone a very happy and restful weekend.

God bless,

Robert Duigan

Mr James has advised that there are numerous chess club fees outstanding for this term.   

Please can parents of pupils who have not paid already, complete the attached form with payment or payment advice and return the form to the school office as soon as possible.  Thank you for your help in this matter.

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

J6 Costume letter for Production

R - J5 Costume letter for Production

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

This week our most excellent teachers Mrs Van-Zyl and Ms Holmes led their Junior 3 charges on a time travelling trip as part of their pupils' humanities studies.  

The nearby village of Stoneleigh provided the location for their investigative work as the children peeled back the fabric of what lay before them to reveal how the village developed from its original bronze age settlement. No stone was left untouched as our budding building detectives scoured the many different structures before them. They looked at lots of different buildings including the smithy, the church, the Tudor farm house and the workers’ cottages and explored their purpose and construction. They then went into the church, studied the displays and looked at the records and gravestones. 

There was so much to see and learn that it took a lot of studious searching to complete their quiz sheets; so it was no surprise that the children then settled down to enjoy a well earned rest and picnic, all within the lovely confines of Stoneleigh itself.  

We at the Chronicle think our Junior 3 architectural advocates will never, ever be tired or bored when surrounded by building clues to solve.

Just before half term Junior 6 enjoyed a spectacular six days away in Normandy.  Their packed itinerary included a range of cultural, historical and leisure sights and activities, as well as the opportunity to put into practice some of their French language skills.  

46 pupils and six staff travelled from Kenilworth to Normandy by coach and ferry and stayed in a picturesque gîte in Clinchamps-sur-Orne near Caen.

During their week away pupils had the chance to visit the Vieux-la-Romaine Roman museum and archaeological excavation site, they also explored the market in Deauville and toured the town’s beautiful Basilica where, in the Crypt, they were able to attend Mass.

D-Day has featured in their History studies so the visit to the bunkers near Arromanches, with its 360˚ cinema experience and a walk across the sand on the landing beaches was always going to be a poignant experience.

Alongside all the educational elements there was of course plenty of time to play and everyone had a fabulous day out at a local theme park, ‘Festy Land’, and enjoyed an evening BBQ.

The children also visited Bayeux to take in the famous Bayeux Tapestry and the town’s Cathedral, along with some essential last minute souvenir shopping.

On the same day the group also visited the nearby War Cemetery where the children were momentarily silenced by its sheer scale

Thankfully, the weather was kind throughout the stay and cricket matches and ice creams filled any spare time the group had.

All in all the trip was a resounding success and has provided many magical memories for our Junior 6 to take away with them as they come towards the end of their time at Crackley Hall.

Thanks go to all those involved in organising the trip and to the accompanying members of staff Mr Duigan, Mrs Horan, Ms Kefalas, Mrs Lammas, Mr Lamprecht and Mrs Williams.

On Tuesday 5 June Crackley Hall took a team from Junior 2 to the Crescent School where they joined children from Dunchurch Infant School, Leamington Hastings Infant School and Crescent’s own Class II for an afternoon of Infant Agility sporting fun.  Hosted by Crescent’s Class VI the children participated in a round robin of activities designed to develop their running, throwing, bouncing, pitching, stepping and jumping skills. 

For most of the 45 children involved this was their first experience of a school sports festival and of competing alongside children from other schools.  The children were mixed into six different groups and moved round the field together, spending 10 minutes at each activity.

The event was all about participation, fun and being the best you could be. Class VI demonstrated the activity and then encouraged the younger children to take part.  All the children were impressive, participating enthusiastically and with determination to do their best.

It was a lovely sunny afternoon and the accompanying parents clearly enjoyed watching their children taking part and the refreshments offered.

At the end of the afternoon the organiser of the event, Head of Pre-Prep, Mr Alan Webb thanked everyone for coming, commenting on how well everyone had done, their enthusiasm and especially their sporting behaviour.

The Crescent's Headmaster, Mr Joe Thackway, added his thanks, especially to Crescent’s Class VI for their help running the event.  Mr Thackway then presented all of the participants with a well-deserved certificate.

The Chronicle is delighted to announce that our students will be hosting a Children’s Fundraising Day on Friday 22 June, to raise money to support our chosen local charity. Repeating the successful formula from last year's event, children will have the opportunity to run their own fundraising stall. Children should register their interest in running a stall for our Fundraising Day using the attached letter. They would need to work with a partner or small group and be able to run the stall, which could be; a small table game, selling home baked goods or bric-a-brac, or running a craft activity.

As before the children will be responsible for running their own stalls during break time and lunchtime, but would need your parent/guardian support with organising and providing resources for their stall. This would obviously need to be at minimal cost to you. Don't worry if your child does not wish to run a stall, as there will be lots of opportunities to take part in the day and have fun.  Further details will follow.

1st: Mars (429 points)

2nd: Venus (385 points)

3rd: Jupiter (368 points)

4th: Saturn (354 points)

Friday 8 and Saturday 9 June 2018

The Sudden Impulse Theatre Company is returning to Princethorpe College for two outdoor performances of William Shakespeare's play, The Comedy of Errors.

Believed to be one of Shakespeare's earlier written plays; The Comedy of Errors is a true farce ahead of its time. The story involves two sets of twins, separated at birth, being thrown together in a tale of mistaken identity.

The performances are open to the public and will take place on the Sixth Form Lawn as follows:

Friday 8 June - 6.30pm to 10.00pm

Saturday 9 June - 3.30pm to 7.00pm

A wonderful opportunity to bring a picnic, settle down in your camping chair and enjoy some perfect summer entertainment.

Tickets are available from www.suddenimpulse.co.uk priced at £12 adults or £10 for concessions. 

Saturday 9 June 2018

Both Princethorpe College and Crackley Hall School will be out in force at the Kenilworth Show on Saturday 9 June 2018.

A great day out for all the family, there is so much to see and do. Returning for 2018 will be the infamous Bolddog Lings, The Sheep Show, Grand Parade of Livestock plus the Countryside Arena and displays of farm machinery to name just a few of the exciting activities that visitors can enjoy.

There will also be over 100 trade stands from arts and crafts, jewellery, homewares, through to artisan breads and pies in the indoor trade marquee (where you can also find us!), with clothing stalls, garden furniture, plants and local club stands outside.

Visitors to the show can come and find out about our upcoming open events, admissions for September 2019 and beyond, and we would love to say hello to any former St Joseph School pupils and Old Princethorpians!

Tickets are just £10 and under 16s go free! For more information about the event and to buy tickets, please visit: www.kenilworthshow.co.uk

We hope to see you there.

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

Friday 8 June was an important day for six Crackley pupils as they celebrated their first Holy Communion Mass. Sam Bearman-Henderson, Saffron Hall, Amelia Hunt, Seamus Meakins-Owens, Francesca Voisey and Thomas Zanyi gathered together excitedly with friends, family and the whole Crackley Hall school community at St Francis of Assisi Church in Kenilworth.

The children have been preparing for this special day since the beginning of the year, meeting regularly to learn about their faith so that they understand what they are committing to. In March they took the Sacrament of First Reconciliation and then in May they celebrated the Passover Meal.

Father Kevin Hooper began by commending Crackley Hall’s long and strong association with the parish. He then led a joyful and celebratory Eucharist beautifully supported by the Altar Servers and Chamber Choir. He spoke about the nourishing love of God that would sustain the young communicants throughout their lives. The communicants then received the sacrament with the utmost sincerity and reverence and were a credit to their families and the school.

Following celebratory prayers, reflections and concluding hymns the six recipients shyly posed for proud parents and friends in front of the altar.

Special thanks were given to Mrs Jackson-Mayne and Mrs Simmonds who have supported the children in their journey this year and to Mrs Olden and the choir. It was a wonderful occasion bringing together pupils, teachers, family and friends from across the Princethorpe Foundation. The school was delighted to welcome Ed Hester, Princethorpe Headmaster, and Trustees Mrs Griffin, Mrs O’Farrell, Mrs Lane and Commodore Warner to the service along with Sixth Form prefects, Molly Geehan, Jasmine Rigg, Aimee Sen-Gupta and Meera Chauhan.

After the service parents, family and guests were invited to share in the special buffet lunch laid on for the communicants in the adjacent church hall. The traditional First Holy Communion cake was of course the centre piece with each of the children’s names iced on the top in Crackley Hall School colours. Bobbing helium filled balloons marked the table where the six boys and girls sat clearly delighted, to be joining in the party atmosphere.

On Saturday June 2 four pupils from the Princethorpe Foundation served Mass in St. Francis of Assisi Church Kenilworth. Andrew Gordon (J5V), Isabella Price (J5R), Andrea Zanyl (J5V), and her sister Erica from Princethorpe College had the privilege of serving this Mass at which the principle celebrant was the Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Reverend Bernard Longley. Several priests also concelebrated this Mass.

It was a very special occassion, where a parishioner who works voluntarily and tirelessly for the Friends of the Holy Land was invested in The Pontifical Order of St Gregory the Great.

The RE Book of the Week is awarded to Isabella Price for her diligent investigation and her stunning display of subsequent information regarding the Archbishoip Bernard Longley.

U8 cricket vs Balsall Common 209/2 - 249/1 (loss)

Player of the Match - Freddie Young

U10 'A' rounders vs Bilton Grange 7.5 - 16 (loss)

Batter of the Match - Amisha Modi

Fielder of the Match - Hannah Widey

U11 'mixed age' cricket vs Grace Dieu Crackley loss by 17 runs

Player of the Match - Charlie Wilcox.

Match Report by Isaac Fountaine (Team Captain): This was a difficult away match against a very good team. We all played very well, with each player scoring at least one run towards our total innings.

U11 'A' rounders vs Bilton Grange 5.5 - 15 (loss)

Batter of the Match - Emily Hennegan

Fielder of the Match - Evie Berger

U11 'B' rounders vs Bilton Grange 12.5 - 9.5 (won)

Batter of the Match - Amelia Fry

Fielder of the Match - Cecilia Holdgate

U11 'mixed age' cricket vs Grace Dieu 235 - 230 (win)

Player of the Match - Fynn Walker

Match Report by Sid Wier (Team Captain): It was a great match. Fortunately we won. It was very close, as it went down to the last over to decide the winner. Grace Dieu were five runs short as the first ball was bowled, but with Fynn's accuracy and the catching skills of both Benedek and Jamie we came through as victors.   

We are pleased to announce that Elsie Roots (J2M) and Oliver Moore (J2H) have jointly been awarded Gymnast of the Week.

J5/6 Athletics club on Monday is cancelled as staff will be attending the ISA Athletics meet in Birmingham.

Welcome back everyone who has been off on holiday adventures, and we would like to send a hearty ‘get well soon’ to everyone who has been dealing with chicken pox… Hopefully this will clear through soon and everyone will have a spot free summer ahead of them!  Just a quick reminder, if you do have spots, please stay away until the last one heals over – everyone has been so good about this and it is much appreciated. 

This week we have been meeting our new pets… as we begin that time in the term when we think about growth and change we have caterpillars to watch, and stick insects to take care of! The caterpillars should take a week or so to eat their fill and build their cocoons… and then we sit and wait, with our fingers crossed, for butterflies! If you have any books at home, or photos you have taken that can add to our life cycle and growth displays then we would love to see them.  Don’t forget Sports Day on Thursday, and please keep your fingers crossed for good weather! 

Please make sure you read this week's newsletter as it's packed with all the information you'll need.  Please don’t forget Sports Day Thursday 14 June at 9.30am! 

(Maternity cover: full-time and part-time considered)

We require a well-qualified, enthusiastic and energetic graduate to teach Spanish from November 2018. The ability to teach Spanish to GCSE is essential with Spanish to A-level and French to KS3 desirable. Full and part-time applications will be considered.

The person(s) appointed will be expected to motivate and inspire pupils of all ranges of ability across Key Stages 3 and 4 as well as stimulating further interest in the subject through extra-curricular clubs and events. Candidates should be able to demonstrate success in the classroom and be effective team players.

This is an excellent opportunity to join the fast growing Foundation that values its staff and offers a rewarding benefits package.

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 18 June 2018, at 9.00am. Interviews are likely to be held on Wednesday 20 June 2018 at Princethorpe.

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

(Maternity cover: full-time and part-time considered)

Required for November 2018, after the Michaelmas half term break, a well-qualified graduate to teach Mathematics to KS3 and KS4 in a flourishing and successful department. Familiarity with Pearson’s IGCSE would be an additional recommendation, but is not essential.

Enthusiasm to become involved with the extra-curricular life of the school is essential. Candidates should be able to demonstrate success in the classroom and be effective team players. Full and part-time applications will be considered. 

This is an excellent opportunity to join the fast growing Foundation that values its staff and offers a rewarding benefits package.

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 18 June 2018, at 9.00am. Interviews are likely to be held on Thursday 21 June 2018 at Princethorpe.

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

We are looking to recruit an IT Apprentice, at Level 3, to join the busy Foundation IT department, to start by August 2018, although later starts will be considered for the right candidate.  They will report to the Assistant Head (Director of Digital Strategy) and will be based in Princethorpe College with some duties at the Foundation feeder schools, Crackley Hall School in Kenilworth and Crescent School in Rugby. 

The candidate will be a member of the IT Service Desk team providing a front-line service to staff across all three schools and for pupils in the College.

The role would provide the successful candidate with an inside view of the workings and the organisation of a multisite network, implementation procedures of new hardware/software, including expansion and development of existing and new IT services. They will have responsibility for the first point of contact on the ICT helpdesk with all users.

Interested candidates will have good communication and organisational skills, as well as the ability to work on their own and as part of a team. They will be studying an IT related Apprenticeship at level three or four. Likely courses are IT, Software and Telecoms Professionals, IT Application Specialist or Infrastructure Technician, although this list is not exhaustive.  Training for the Apprenticeship will be on day release at Warwickshire College, who are the training service provider for the Apprenticeship.

An IT Apprenticeship will enable the successful candidate to gain hands on experience; they will be trained to provide support to users on various levels, from toner replacements, stock checks and Audio Visual setups, to supporting end users with any technical and software queries.

Candidates are welcome to discuss the Apprenticeship courses in more detail with Emma Rogers, Worked-based Learning Manager, Warwickshire College Group on 01788 863230.

Single person accommodation on site may be available.

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: Wednesday 27 June at 9.00am, with interviews likely to be held on Tuesday 3 July at Princethorpe College.

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

Mrs Simmonds still has a bit missing (the base) from her cake carrier which she bought in for the Family Fun day.  Please see photos and let her know if you find it.

School Uniform Shop at Princethorpe College  will be closed from Monday 9 July to 20 July inclusively.

Please note that the School Shop moves into appointment only for new starters across the Foundation schools from Monday 23 July until Monday 3 September. 

The shop will be open until Friday 6 July therefore, if you are looking for items to top up your current uniform needs then please take this into account and order accordingly to allow delivery to Crackley Hall School for collection prior to this date.

Lost

Harry Turvey (J3V) has lost his named winter coat and two named school caps.

Preetam Sidhu (J5R) has lost his named blazer.