The Courier

Dear Year 5 Parents

As from Tuesday 7 May, you will be able to register online for your child to sit the 11+ exam for the local authority selective grammar schools. The deadline for applications is 4pm on 28 June 2019 so you have plenty of time, although the best advice is always to get it done as soon as you are sure that you will be applying. You can find full details using the link below; you will need to set up a user account in order to apply to sit the test.

https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/admissions

I have been made aware that Crescent School does not appear in the list of schools on the 11+ website selection.  Warwickshire Admissions have advised that parents need to phone them after applying online and provide them with your Child's details and they will then manually add the information. 

Also please be aware of another issue, the email confirmation you receive back will say 2018 not 2019 - ignore this. However, until you have received a confirmation email your application has not yet been registered so do keep checking the account to ensure you have completed everything you need to.

Please also note that the next significant dates in the school calendar regarding this process are Monday 17 June for the transition meetings for Class VF and Tuesday 18 June for Class VY. This will be meeting with Ms Forth, Mrs Yates and Ms Lowe to discuss the different options for secondary transfer and the schools that would be a good match for your son or daughter. The appointment booking system for these meetings will be opened in due course.

Dear Parents

As mentioned in my newsletter back in March, we are about to say goodbye to our much valued teacher of Modern Foreign Languages, Madame Tourigny.

Mme Tourigny has taught here at Crescent for the last 10 years in a subject that we hold in very high regard. She has delivered a fun and energetic programme of language learning from Reception to Year 6 and I join with all the children and staff in thanking her for all of her hard work and endeavour. She has also been a much loved colleague and we wish her well in her move to Manchester to begin a new phase of her life.

The original plan was always that Mme Tourigny stayed on to the end of this term. However, her house move has gone through much quicker than expected and, quite rightly, she grasped the opportunity to move when it was there. For the last month she has been commuting down from Manchester but I am glad to say we have now secured two teachers to provide French and Spanish until the end of term, meaning I can now release Mme Tourigny for the remaining weeks of the term. Both of these teachers come with a strong background in MFL teaching and have of course gone through all of the rigorous screening processes that apply to any staff coming into our school. This means that Mme Tourigny’s last working day here will be Tuesday 14 May.

We have also now made a long term appointment for the foreign language post, Mme Claire Tatton. Mme Tatton is a French national who was educated in France before undertaking her teacher training at the University of Leicester. She is currently the Head of the MFL Department at Grace Dieu Prep School in Leicestershire, where she has taught 2007 since. She is a native French speaker with an excellent knowledge of Spanish and a real love of primary age education. We look forward to welcoming Claire on board in September and you will all have a chance to meet her at the Welcome Evening on 27 June.

Crescent School’s Class IV enjoyed a half-day music technology workshop hosted by Princethorpe College on Thursday 9 May.  The workshop was run by Director of Music, Gil Cowlishaw, ably assisted by Music Teacher, Alison Wakeley, and took place in the College’s dedicated Music Technology suite. The children were introduced to computer music production concepts such as sequencing and arrangement and then encouraged to experiment.  Using the technology software Band Lab, the children enjoyed creating music in a completely new way. Starting with drum machine patterns and loops and adding texture through the addition of bass, keyboard and even vocal lines the children each created their own unique piece.

After a short break and a Princethorpe cookie, the children moved on to explore the concept of harmony.  This time using online song writing software Hookpad, the children built a pattern of major and minor chords and overlaid their own melodies.  Finally, the children listened to their music in a variety of music styles including rock, pop, jazz and even reggae.

The Year 4s clearly enjoyed the workshop and exploring music in a new way and everyone was able to save their Band Lab creations on a memory stick to take home to share with their families.

Mr Cowlishaw, commented, “We had lots of fun in our music technology taster, the children were all fantastic to work with and created some amazing pieces.  The online software we used can be found at www.hooktheory.com if anyone wants to carry on creating.”

On Tuesday 7 May local Rugby residents Sue and Samantha Melia, from Bwengu Projects Malawi, visited the Crescent School to receive a cheque for £1442.20.  The cheque was presented by Year 4 pupils Michael Mercer and Isaac Nelson, in assembly in front of the whole school.

The Crescent School has been supporting the work of Bwengu Projects for twelve years.  In fact, the school was one of the charity’s first supporters back in 2007 when they donated books for use in school libraries, one of the charity’s earliest projects.  Each year the Year 4 children at the Crescent School study Africa and in particular Malawi and the work the charity, Bwengu Projects, does.  Studying the challenges the people in Malawi face helps the children to appreciate the similarities and differences in our societies.

At the end of their topic the children choose specific Bwengu Projects to support and go on to organise fundraising activities that the whole school participates in.  This year the Year 4s have raised money in a number of enterprising ways including building a penny path, maintaining a sponsored silence, organising collections at the school’s Easter Service and Spring Concert and running guess games, a treasure hunt and a mystery pick-a-book event. 

For 2019 the children chose two projects to support with a target of £1010 in order to fund six months of orphans’ food and solar panels for a girls’ school. 

Bryony Forth, Deputy Head, commented, “Supporting the Bwengu Project is always a highlight of my teaching year, something which I personally am very proud to be part of.  The children enjoy studying Bwengu and comparing 'A Village Less Economically Developed than Rugby'.  Over the years, we must have raised nearly £10,000 and helped pay for renovating schools, building a Women's Development Centre, sewing machines, a teacher's salary and nearly 60,000 meals for orphans.

“The children worked incredibly hard this year organising lots of events. They have smashed their fundraising target, having raised a grand total of £1442.20. We have asked for any left over funds to be spent on bunk beds for the girls so they do not have to sleep on the floor anymore". 

Sue and Samantha Melia were overwhelmed, and commented, “This is really wonderful, our aims are very simple, our projects in Malawi support education.  It is difficult to ask a question of those that lead you, if you cannot read, write or even count.  Our philosophy is simply helping the many to help themselves.  The Crescent children help unlock that opportunity for children in Malawi.”

Sam and Vignesh were outstanding in the Bebras Computer Challenge earlier in the year and so were invited to take part in The Oxford Challenge. These challenges test logical thinking that is required for programming and problem solving on the computers. For The Oxford Challenge, the boys had to revise beforehand and did this entirely independently. They performed really well in the challenge with Vignesh achieving a merit and Sam a distinction.

Last Thursday it was my pleasure to accompany Izzy and her family to an award ceremony at Bilton Grange for the Rupert Brook literary prize run by Rugby School.

The standard of writing in the different age categories was amazing and it was motivational to hear the quality of work that school children had produced. Izzy was awarded 3rd prize - a fantastic achievement. 

Mrs Byrne would like newspapers for her art lessons over the next few weeks.  Please could you send any clean, dry newspapers into school.

Many thanks