The Courier

On Friday 14 September Crescent School marked the start of its Platinum Anniversary celebrations. The children and staff came to school dressed in fashions from across the decades and spent the day off timetable exploring the history of the past 70 years. In mixed age workshops the children studied topics such as playground games, toys, music and comics developing their knowledge of life in the past and their understanding of the differences from the present.

In the Pre-Prep classroom Mrs Pullen explored the changes in television including the move from black and white to colour, with clips of children’s TV shows, including old favourites such as Andy Pandy, Bill and Ben and Bagpuss. With Mrs Emery the children delved into the playground games enjoyed by their Crescent predecessors, and British Bulldog proved a firm favourite. The active theme continued in Mr Philip’s sessions on sport history where the children learned about the sportsmen and women of the past and their achievements whilst the older children detailed the impact they have had on the modern day. Cavaliers, Capris and Coopers were the focus in Mr Webb’s classroom as the children created a timeline of transport through the decades.

Mrs Barnes danced the children through the Swing, Jive, Rock and Roll and Twist and had a row of children Oops Upside Your Heading! Up and down the corridors music drifted out of classrooms, there was New Wave Punk with Ms Forth headlining Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and the ever colourful Mrs Monteith, hosting a dance tutorial of the 80s classics, Smooth Criminal and Club Tropicana, all played on an original record player.  Next door, in Mrs Yates’ room, the 1976 classic I’ve Got A Brand New Combine Harvester accompanied a comparison of wheat harvesting and dairy farming over the decades.

Toys captured the children’s interest in Mrs Stapleton’s room, as they created adverts for their favourite Christmas toys of the past. Whilst with Ms Lowe the children explored original annuals and comics from across the decades. Commenting on the language, stories and political correctness (or lack of) in these publications for children, Jayden in Class VI said, “I didn’t realised how much had changed in 70 years.”

Crescent School is sharing its platinum anniversary with Pepsi this year so Ms Forth investigated the similarities and differences between the packaging and branding of Pepsi, Cornflakes and Dairy Milk and the children then created new packaging for these products for the next decade!

It was inspiring to see the effort the children and staff had gone to producing such a wonderful display of costumes, many had even scoured the family wardrobes to find original pieces to wear. Even the kitchen staff joined in with their sixties styled headscarves and they served special anniversary sponge cakes emblazoned with the 70th logo. Pupil Cara said, “It was such a treat to see everyone so dressed up.”

As a lasting feature for our 70th anniversary, led by Old Crescentian Mrs Akbik, the children and staff painted stones symbolising the school.

We look forward to sharing all our work and displays with visitors on our Anniversary Open Day on Saturday 29 September.

Mrs Yates
Head of History

I would like to remind parents that Crescent School, along with the other schools of the Princethorpe Foundation, aims to be a nut-free zone. Whilst we cannot guarantee that children won’t come into contact with nuts or products with nut traces whilst at school we endeavour to reduce this risk as far as we can.

The aim of this strategy is to reduce the risk to those children and adults who may suffer an anaphylactic reaction if exposed to nuts to which they are sensitive. The school aims to protect children who have allergies to nuts yet also help them, as they grow up, to take responsibility as to what foods they can eat and to be aware of where they may be put at risk.

Our 'Nut-Free Zone' means that the following items should not be brought into school:

• Packs of nuts
• Peanut butter sandwiches
• Fruit and cereal bars that contain nuts
• Chocolate bars or sweets that contain nuts
• Sesame seed rolls (children allergic to nuts may also have a severe reaction to sesame)
• Cakes made with nuts

No nuts are used in any of the food prepared on site at our school.  Our suppliers provide us with nut-free products. However, we cannot guarantee freedom from nut traces.

It is worth noting that there are currently children in school with a known nut allergy.  Exposure to nuts for these children could result in serious consequences. I know that you, like me, would do anything reasonably possible to prevent this from happening.

We ask all parents to support us in this policy by providing nut-free mid-morning snacks and not using nuts in cakes provided for bake sales or fund raising events.

In the first half of the Autumn Term children can choose to come to school in either summer of winter uniform, depending on the weather.  Where possible we like to see children in their school blazers whist the temperatures are still reasonably mild.

After the half term break all children are expected to be in full winter uniform.  Parents can then use their discretion as to whether blazers or the school coat are more appropriate for the weather at the time.

When it is cold we do need the children to have their coats in school so we can make a decision on outdoor break times that applies to all children.

Thank you for your cooperation with these guidelines.

We were pleased to welcome Corrine Mason from Rugby Foodbank to our assembly on Tuesday. Corrine shared with us the important work the Foodbank do and the difference it can make to many families in our town.  She also shared the bible story of when Jesus fed 5000 people, where one small boy was willing to share what he had with those around him.

Our Harvest collection will be for Rugby Foodbank and over the next few weeks the children have been asked to bring in goods to donate. Please click here to see the list below of suitable donations; they do not need to be put in decorated boxes, there will be crates to add supplies into under the FOC table at the student entrance.

Thank you in advance, for your continued support for such a worthy cause. We look forward to handing over our gifts at our Harvest Service on Friday 12 October at 9.15am where you are all welcome to join us.

Do you have any board games you no longer play with? If so, our board gaming club would love to have them. We meet every Friday to share the fun and enjoyment of playing games together.

The benefits of playing board games are far-reaching; they teach important social skills, such as communicating verbally, sharing, waiting, taking turns, and enjoying interaction with others. Board games can foster the ability to focus, and lengthen your child's attention span by encouraging the completion of an exciting, enjoyable game.

We’re looking to build up a wide variety of games for our club so if you have anything you’d like to donate, please send them into school.

Many Thanks

Mrs Yates and the board gamers

As many of you know, 2018 is a big year for Crescent School. Not only will we celebrate our 70th birthday but also the 30th anniversary since we moved to our Bawnmore Road home.

To mark our Platinum Anniversary and celebrate our rich history, Crescent School is holding a series of events over the Michaelmas Term. 

Our first public event will take place on Saturday 29 September, where we will open our doors from 2.00pm to 4.00pm and welcome pupils past and present back into school to celebrate our double anniversary.

• Bilton Brass band will be playing from 2.00pm - 2.45pm
• The Crescent choir singing from 3.00pm for 30 minutes
• The classrooms and corridors will be open for you to see the work of our present children and memories from the past

There will be refreshments in our 'in house' tea-room and family games are going to be available for you to enjoy on the field.

Please note children will be your responsibility during this afternoon.

All our Crescent family and friends and the local community are welcome at this special event. 

With just seven weeks to go the countdown to Princethorpe College's Entrance Exams for admission in September 2019 has begun. This year the exams for Year 7 to 10 entry will take place on Saturday 10 November from 9.30am to 3.30pm.

The College's friendly Admissions Team has been kept busy over the summer accepting registrations from prospective parents. The deadline for entrance exam registrations is ideally Friday 5 October, to enable the seeking of references from junior schools. Class VI parents wishing their children to sit the exams do need to complete a registration form and submit it with the accompanying registration fee by this date.

Comments Melanie Butler, Assistant Head, Marketing, Admissions and Communications, "Parents and pupils will still have plenty of time to prepare and opportunities to visit the College in the run up to the exams and the results will be out at the end of November, making for an exam-free Christmas holiday, which has got to be good news."

If you have any queries relating to admissions please feel free to email the Registrars at admissions@princethorpe.co.uk or call them on 01926 634201.