The Courier

Dear Parents and Friends of the School

The weather couldn't have chosen a better week to put its smiliest face on as two of our residential trips have enjoyed perfect spring conditions for their adventures.

I managed to get along to both of them for at least some of the time, with the Year 3 children loving the combination of circus tricks, assault courses and ping pong at Whitemoor Lakes. The Year 4 trip to Ilam Hall was a new one for us this year and I was particularly keen to get along to that. The setting of the hostel was genuinely stunning, housed in an old manor house nestled in the Dovedale valley. The children managed a considerable hike up a nearby hill and managed to do so with happy smiles and plenty of energy left for racing around and orienteering later on. Good luck to the Year 5 children who head off next week to Worcestershire for their go.

In fact, I haven't been in my office much this week and also enjoyed an afternoon of cricket at Crackley Hall, two excellent performances from our teams, as well as a theatre visit this morning with Year 3 classes. It does mean my e-mail box is groaning under the weight of unanswered mails unfortunately. I'm sure it will keep me occupied gainfully this evening and I'll soon catch up.

Another proud moment this week was the handing over of our £2000-plus check to Mrs Melia from the Bwengu project charity. This represented a great community effort and many thanks to everybody for all of their contributions.

I do hope you're able to enjoy what looks like being another lovely weekend and if you didn't manage to last week, this surely must be the time to dust down the barbecue and enjoy some of the good life.

As the Residential have started, photos will be shared on Seesaw by staff where possible. For safeguarding reasons, please could I remind all families NOT to share any photographs from residentials on any form of social media.

Many thanks for your support of this.

We discourage watches being worn in Pre-Prep but they can be worn in the Upper School to aid learning. Watches worn by children in Upper School should have no capacity to communicate, play games or take pictures.

Thank you for you cooperation with this safeguarding matter

We are looking forward to welcoming visitors to the school on Tuesday 14 May. Any Year 5 or 6 involved need to be returned to school via the pupil door for 5pm unless you have signed up for Afterschool that evening.

Year 5 need to be in their sports kit and Year 6 in summer school uniform with blazers.

Collection is via the pupil door at 7pm. Their help is much appreciated as the children are the product of our school and allow visitors to see what our school is all about.

As the weather is getting warmer please ensure children have their Crescent School sun hat in school and sun cream. Crescent sun hats can be purchased form the school office.

Crescent School

MySchoolPortal

Crescent School

On Tuesday 7 May, Sam Melia, from Bwengu Projects Malawi, visited the Crescent School to receive a cheque for £2,036. The cheque was presented by Year 4 pupils, Evelyn and Albert, in assembly in front of the whole school.

The Crescent School has been supporting the work of Bwengu Projects for fifteen years. Every year the Year 4s study Bwengu as a less economically developed area, comparing and contrasting it to their local town of Rugby. At the end of their topic the children organise fundraising activities to support the work of the charity. This year, the Year 4s raised money in a number of enterprising ways including a very successful charity day. Then, Evelyn, Albert, Taran and Lilah all managed to raise over £100 in the class’s sponsored silence. Evelyn and her family also took on the challenge of a sponsored mud run raising a further £530 for this year’s Bwengu fundraising.

Bryony Forth, Deputy Head, said, “The children worked incredibly hard organising lots of events. They have smashed their fundraising target, having raised an amazing £2,036. The money will be used to renovate the buildings at Nachiphu Early Learning Centre in Malawi with plenty left over to help with other projects too. ”

What a fantastic effort from Year 4!

Crescent visited Crackley Hall School this afternoon to take part in an afternoon of athletics fun.

Led by Crackley Hall staff and their Junior 6 sports leaders, and alongside Crackley's youngsters, and pupils from other primary schools, our Year 1 and Year 2 children worked in groups taking part in four different activities, a sprint, the high jump, long jump and a throw. They rotated round each of the activities in turn very much enjoying all the events. It was fantastic to see everyone taking part, working together, trying their best, taking turns and generally having a super time.

The event finished with an extra special sporting treat when Olympic hopefuls, Paralympic Freestyle Swimmer, Tully Kearney and British Long Jump Champion, Rey Banigo, came on to the field to say hello.

Many thanks to all who organised the activities and a huge well done to everyone who took part.

Monday 13 May - 7.00pm to 7.45pm

Parents at all our Foundation schools (excluding Little Crackers) and those with children joining us in September 2024, are invited to an Online Parents’ Forum on Monday 13 May.

We have had a number of queries from parents about the current political climate and potential changes which may affect the independent schools’ sector in the future, and what our plans are in the light of any changes.

This event will specifically cover potential changes, some of which have been highlighted and discussed in the media, including the possible introduction of VAT on school fees.

To access this event on Monday 13 May, please click on this link.

During the live online forum there will be the opportunity to raise questions, but if you would like to submit any queries in advance, please do so by using this short form.

Tuesday 14 May 2024 - 9.00am to 10.00am

The Celebration Breakfast for 6W is on Tuesday 14 May. We will be eating around 9am, so the children in 6W will only require a light breakfast at home (and no snack required) so they can fully enjoy all the treats that our wonderful Olive staff will be laying out for us.

Tuesday 14 May 2024 - 2.45pm to 3.30pm

I am pleased to announce our Year 4 production this year will be Jack And The Beanstalk.

Refreshments will be served in the Library from 2.30pm.

There are four tickets available per family of pupils in Year 4 to book by Sunday 12 May 2024:

Jack and the Beanstalk

Kind regards

Friday 17 May 2024 - 3.45pm to 4.15pm

On Friday 17 May, after school, we will have our Open Corridors event where we will share with you all the great work that we have been doing in school.

Please collect your child before entering through the front door where you will be welcomed in to look at all the great work in school from 3.45pm. Entry and exit will only be through the front doors. Last entry is at 3.55pm. On this day, Years 5 and 6 will be dismissed through the pupil door. 

If your child is in a Co-curricular club then they will be expected to attend unless you arrange otherwise. They are unable to attend both.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Tuesday 21 May 2024 - 9.15am - 10.05am

We are looking forward to the Year 3 Production of Julia Donaldson Bombs and Blackberries.

Refreshments will be served in the Library from 8.45am

There are three tickets available per family of pupils in Year 3 to book by Sunday 19 May 2024:

Bombs and Blackberries

Tuesday 21 May - 9.30am - 1.00pm

Pupils in Year 4 will be travelling over to Princethorpe on Tuesday 21 May for a special joint Eco-Explorers Workshop with fellow Foundation prep school Crackley Hall School. 

Building on the Foundation’s Environmental Sustainability Plan the event is aimed at giving the children an appreciation and understanding of the College’s beautiful grounds and its diverse eco-system.

There will be a range of activities for them to participate in including pond dipping, mini beast hunting and orienteering.

The event will be hosted by the Princethorpe Science and Games Departments with support from the Marketing and Admissions team.

An Evolve consent form with more details has been sent to parents.

Tuesday 21 May 2024 - 9.00am to 9.30am or Wednesday 22 May 2024 - 2.45pm to 3.15pm

This is an opportunity to share your child's learning journey through Reception. 

One parent is able to attend either of the sessions below by Sunday 19 May 2024:

Entry will be via the After School entrance by the side of school where parents normally collect Reception children.

Wednesday 5 June - 6.30pm to 8.30pm

Princethorpe College invites prospective families to the College's annual Summer Open Evening which will take place on Wednesday 5 June from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. This is a perfect opportunity for families looking for a secondary school place in September 2025 and beyond to visit the school, for children to take part in departmental activities and for parents to meet and chat to members of staff and pupils.

The Headmaster, Grove du Toit, will also address visitors during the evening. Light refreshments will be available.

Please click here to book your place. 

Dear Year 5 Parents

As you will no doubt be aware, the local authority 11+ exams for entry into Year 7 in 2025 are scheduled to take place in September 2024, most likely on the second weekend of the month. Registration for the exam has already opened on the Warwickshire.gov website.

With this in mind, we would like to invite this year’s Year 5 children in for two days of Pre-Season Brain Training Sessions on Thursday 29 August and Friday 30 August 2024. These will run from 9.00am until 12.45pm each day.

The children will spend each morning with their familiar Crescent teachers, including Ms Forth, Mrs Webb, Ms Clark and Mr Adkins, getting them back into gear and ready for their exams. Each day there will be taught sessions focusing on the four strands of the 11+; verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, Maths and English comprehension. Needless to say, these skills will also be useful for their Princethorpe exams on Saturday 9 November, as well as any other independent school exams they may be entered for.

Children will be expected to arrive in school smartly dressed with a mid-morning snack. They do not need to wear school uniform.

These sessions will be in addition to the revision packs that we send home at the end of the Summer Term. I am pleased to say that there will be no charge for attendance.

Please indicate if you would like to sign up by following this link by Friday 3 May 2024.

Brain Training 2024

Best wishes 

Reading certificates have, this week, been awarded to:

• Mason
• Mikael
• Nishaan
• Ola
• Reegan
• Sofia
• Siara
• Tara

Well done to you all.

Garage and Gigs are the most important games to show your progress. Pupils who have reached landmark % on automatic training mode in the Garage and Gigs and therefore are awarded JdVs for Maths Practice this week.

• Everly 4C Completed 72% of the training course
• Catherine 3SS Completed 24% of the training course
• Lara 2E Completed 24% of the training course

Most improved speedsters in the studio are:

4C

• Aria - Headliner!

3SS

• Catherine - Support Act!

1Q

• Arielle - Wannabe!
• Alex S - Busker!

Results for Battle 2-9 May between Classes 1Q, 2E and 2W - average score per class member.

• 1st 2E 77
• 2nd 2W 59
• 3rd 1Q 58

Most valuable players in the whole competition:

• 1st Daniel 2E
• 2nd Sophie 2W
• 3rd Locan 2E

Well done, 2E! 🏆

This week's battle between Year 1 - Year 4, 9-16 May. All Certificates will be given out in assembly.

TT Rock stars will block 2x, 5x, 10x and 11x on jamming if you are efficient at them, so you cannot pick easy ones just to score more points in the competition! 

Please note only the children should play on their account or it influences the level appropriate to them.

Year 3 have returned from their first residential experience full of pride, fantastic memories and exhaustion!! They all demonstrated superb teamwork skills in buggy building, on the challenge course and in extreme team games along with developing individual skills in fencing and circus skills. They also had to face the dreaded challenge of making their own beds and fighting with the duvet cover!! Year 3 parents can access many more photos through Seesaw and see what else we got up to!

Year 3 continued their adventures when they learned how to build a campfire safely. Alan Stapleton from 10:10 Ventures taught the children basic fire lighting skills and then helped them toast marshmallows and make everyone’s favourite s’mores! Year 3 loved being outside in the fresh (but smoky!) air and their campfire session was the perfect way to round off this week’s successful residential trip.

Year 4 have had what looks to be an amazing residential at Ilam Hall.  This was a new venue this year so we cannot wait to hear all about it.

Year 5 have been busy learning how to ask questions in Spanish. They have been working in the library recording their conversations, giving clear and accurate answers, with help from Mrs Calder. 

In their English lessons, Year 6 have been pulling together their English skills using the topic of climate change. They have studied a variety of texts on a topic around climate change and had to decide this week how to show their findings. Some children wanted to highlight what impacts climate change while others wanted to promote things that could have a positive impact on climate change. They had to consider what genre of writing to use, how to present it and use good English.

Crescent School is taking part in the Big Battery Hunt again. A national competition for schools to collect and recycle batteries.  

Please see this presentation for more information. 

I went with the Year 6 boys to the recent hardball cricket fixture at Crackley Hall. On a pleasantly warm afternoon, the boys dominated the play right from the first over and ended up comfortable winners by a margin of fifty runs. The strength of the bowling was our greatest asset and with some steady batting to go with it, Crescent enjoyed their afternoon but also developed aspects of their fielding and running between the wickets along the way.

On our match against Crackley,  Crescent won by 15 runs. We started with Emily doing some incredible bowling, which made her 'bowler of the match'. There were also a few brilliant wickets like Sofie and Roisin C's catches and Maisie's excellent bowling that hit the stumps. Sofie did some amazing batting that made her 'Batter of the match'. Well done to Emily (Captain) and Maisie (Vice-captain) for their help with the team and positioning everyone on the field.

Emily - Year 6
Girls Cricket Captain

Uniform can be ordered here:

Uniform Order Form

Please note the following items are stocked in the School Office and can be added to your account.  Do pop in to collect any items.

• Sun hats
• Gloves
• Ties
• Swimming hats
• Sports socks
• Hair bands
• Hair scrunchies
• Hair clips
• Music group badges - Choir, Orchestra, String and Brass
• Winter hats
• Scarves

Crescent School Office

Click here to view the term dates for 2023/24, 2024/25

Click here to view 2025/26.

Crescent School

Please see below for useful school contact information:

We regularly recruit for a variety of roles, please do share news of the vacancies with interested friends and family. Current vacancies include:

The Princethorpe Foundation

• Head of Business Services
• Events Co-ordinator

Princethorpe College

• Assistant Registrar
• Science Technician
• Minibus Driver

Full details and information on how to apply are available on the Foundation website here:

www.princethorpe.co.uk/join-us

Should you know anyone who might be interested in these posts, please do share this information with them.