Headmaster's Message

Dear Parents

It is always lovely to see the children returning from their holidays, their uniforms and kit all clean and pressed, with smiles on their faces but also perhaps a slightly wary look as they break themselves away from the close contact they have enjoyed with their families, particularly after the Christmas break. I very much hope the holiday period was good for you and you were able to catch up with family members and build some treasured memories for you and your family.

After a week back in school of course the festivities seem to fade rapidly away as we get back into the more familiar groove of early rises, lessons and homework. In assembly this week I talked about the Roman God Janus and how he represented gateways and transitions, endings and beginnings. The children all thought about their greatest achievements of the year gone by and considered their plans and ambitions for 2018. We had some great ideas for resolutions, including sporty ones and work ones, but also one ‘to be kinder to my brother’ (from an already very kind girl) and quite a few to help tidying up around the house. You might want to get those in writing whilst the year is still young! You can see some of our Janus gods and goddesses in the pictures gallery.

I also asked the children to think hard about the school report they received last term. This report contained achievable targets for them in all the different areas of the curriculum and I hope they have been thinking about these as they have set their targets for the term ahead. I would encourage you to spend some time discussing these with your children at home, as I’m sure many of you have already done.

There were two school events this week that I would like to give a quick mention to. Firstly the history workshop for Class I and II on Tuesday which really inspired the children in their studies and showed the great value of this style of learning. Secondly, our very first block fixture at The Croft School in Stratford where we were able to field five teams, each with their own team coach and including every child in Year 5 and 6. We performed admirably against some stiff opposition and, most importantly for me, we showed the real Crescent spirit in both our play and in our behaviour.

Today you will also receive by email some feedback on last term’s parental questionnaire where I talk about ways we are trying to make home/school communication better and more easily accessible for all. One important strategy is ‘Communication Friday’. We will be aiming to send the large majority of school emails, and of course The Courier, to your inboxes on Friday each week and gradually the amount of paper and hard-copy letters will diminish. Occasionally it will be necessary to send urgent messages out during the week by email as well but please do get into the habit of looking out on a Friday and reading The Courier, which is hopefully both an entertaining and informative way to finish off your working week.

With all best wishes for the New Year.

Joe Thackway
Headmaster

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Emergency Drill

In line with most schools around the country, Crescent will be having our first emergency drill this term where the children are required to remain inside the building. The children will stay in their rooms and doors, windows and blinds will be closed. The idea is to prepare ourselves for a different style of threat, that the normal evacuation procedure would not cover.

I will be telling the children about this in assembly next week. They will have a chance to discuss and practise in form periods before the actual drill, which will take place later in the term.

Every effort will be made to make sure that instructions are straightforward and do not alarm the children. We will simply tell them that is a different type of drill because there might be times when we all need to stay in our classrooms to be safe.

Joe Thackway

Headmaster

Parking Complaints

Dear Parents

I have received some complaints and concerns from local residents regarding parents parking and driving in and around the school. These have included blocking the entrance to the retirement home as well as fast driving and poor parking on Bawnmore Court and Dalkeith Avenue.

I fully appreciate the difficulties that parents have parking and dropping off for school, and also the time pressure you may be under.

However, please remember that we must be considerate of our neighbours, in the same way we would hope visitors to our own home streets would be. The safety of the children must also be a paramount concern and I would urge everyone to drive and park with this in mind on all occasions around the school site.

Joe Thackway

Headmaster