This weekend, many of the Year 6 are taking the 11+. Mrs Yates and Mrs Webb wish good luck to our classes. They have been prepared through their lessons, taught strategies and timings as well as how to deal with stress and knowing how to relax. All they can do is try their best, once the exam is over it is best not to analyse and just settle back into their learning and preparing for Year 7.
We are sending you positive thoughts.
For a two or three week period this year we will be focusing on one of the sayings in the School Promise. We will talk about this in assembly and in form period. It would be great if you could discuss this with your children at home and support the messages we are emphasising in school.
This week’s promise is an excellent one to start the year with and is in the category of Good Friends:
‘We are kind to each other’
We have had safeguarding concerns this week that children of all ages have been left unsupervised at the pupil entrance door for some time in advance of the school's opening at 8.15am.
It is only at this time that school becomes responsible for all children's safe care. Before this time it is a parental duty.
Please note, however, that all children can be brought to the front door at any time from 7.45am - 8.15am where they will be welcomed and looked after by our Early Bird staff as appropriate for their age. This does not need to be booked in advance.
With a little over nine weeks to go, the countdown to Princethorpe's Entrance Exams for admission in September 2020 has begun. This year the exams for Year 7 to 10 entry will take place on Saturday 9 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 registrations is ideally Friday 4 October, to enable the seeking of references from junior schools. Year 6 parents wishing their children to sit the Princethorpe entrance exam must complete a registration form and submit it with the accompanying registration fee by this date.
There are still opportunities for prospective pupils and their parents to visit the College before the Entrance Exams, including the College's Open Morning on Thursday 26 September from 10.30am to 12.30pm, when pupil tour guides will be available to show visitors around the school.
Comments Melanie Butler, Assistant Head, Marketing, Admissions and Communications, "Parents and pupils still have time to register and one final opportunity to visit the College before the entrance exams. We post the results out at the end of November, making for an exam-free Christmas holiday, which has got to be good news."
More information on the admissions process can be found in Princethorpe's Admissions Update newsletter here or on the Foundation website here.
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.
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:
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 should come to school in summer uniform together with their school blazers whilst the temperatures are still reasonably mild. Parents can use their discretion to send children in winter uniform if the weather turns cooler or if it is raining.
After the half term break all children are expected to be in full winter uniform. Parents can again 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.
Joe Thackway
Headmaster
In Assembly this morning the following children were awarded their badges in recognition of being made Sports Captains this term:
Congratulations!
Dear Parents
Please be considerate when parking around school.
There has been a number of problems with parking preventing residents accessing their properties, including parking across driveways, and with cars parking on pavements and near the junction in Dalkeith Avenue.
The safety of the children is of 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
Following on from an incredible summer of international sport, we are excited about our year of sport here at Crescent. Leadership, communication, team work and resilience are sought after skills in the world of work and sport gives the children a great grounding to build these skills. Therefore, we want the children to have plenty of experience of playing in fixtures and we look to provide opportunities for all children from Year 3 to 6 to do so over the course of the three terms.
We know that logistics can sometimes be difficult which is why we have most of our fixtures printed on the calendar (some local fixtures or events get arranged after the calendar is printed) and we have an up to date list of fixtures on SOCS (you can get to this through MySchoolPortal). We would encourage you to save the app to your phone and sync it with your phone’s calendar. If you are unsure of how to do this then do ask. By making this information accessible, we are hoping that parents are able to make arrangements so that their child is available for all of the fixtures and so won’t miss out on building those valuable skills.
We select teams based on ability and the ability of the opposition. We also take into consideration the child’s commitment to co-curricular practice, commitment to fixtures and attitude/behaviour when playing sport. We look to reward those that are showing the qualities that we value. We put team sheets and fixture details on SOCS and will send an Evolve message as a reminder and to gain parental consent. We encourage the children to look on SOCS as well and, particularly in Years 5 and 6, take responsibility for knowing the fixture details. The children should tell the teacher in charge if they cannot play in a fixture as soon as possible.
Parental support at fixtures has been fantastic and, certainly last year, was always positive. Nevertheless, just a reminder to not question the official’s decisions and to not to give your child tactical advice during a match. They may have received different information from their teacher and will then be confused as to what to do. We had some great results last year and some not so great. It was pleasing that the parents acted as positive role models for their children regardless of the result. This is so important.
Kindles or other e-reader are allowed in school from Year 3 for the children to read from. It is important that reading is accessible as possible for children and often books are cheaper online. The children really only need to be reading one book rather than having a school book and a home book, one book can do both jobs and will save on confusion for the child.
If you decide that your child can bring their Kindle or other e-reader in then it is for reading ONLY. There will be no internet access. If a child is found using it inappropriately then parents will be informed. The Kindle will be the child's responsibility and any breakages are not our responsibility.
Please be reassured there are more than enough books in school for your child to enjoy and there is no necessity for your child to have a Kindle or e-reader, it is just a different way to access books if you wish to.
Cyber-crime – please be vigilant
Parents are asked to be vigilant when reading emails relating to the payment of school fees and any other items to the Foundation.
We continue to receive reports regarding spam emails being sent to parents of independent schools asking them to pay future fees to a ‘new’ school bank account.
Please be advised there has been no change to the bank details of either Princethorpe College, Crackley Hall or Crescent and there is no intention to make any changes in the foreseeable future. Any electronic notification that appears to be from any of the Foundation schools changing these details may be fraudulent.
Our bank details are available on the Parent Bills, the Online Payment Portal and for Princethorpe in the Princethorpe College Information Booklet 2019 – 2020, and only those details should be used.
Parents are asked to be vigilant in respect of any communications purporting to be from the Foundation requesting money that do not match our normal procedures.
Please note:
Please do not hesitate to contact me or my colleagues in the Bursary if you are have any doubts about the correct details or indeed if anything appears suspicious.
Please contact the Bursary if you have concerns about any communication you receive and in particular if you receive any request for payment of funds outside our normal routines.
Please note we do not accept payment in cash for the fee bill.
Eddie Tolcher
Foundation Bursar
