The Courier

Thank you to all of you that made it to this information session. From the feedback we received, we know you found it worthwhile so we plan to repeat it next year. What I found most satisfying, as Head of English, is the time and dedication that the staff and yourselves put in to create life long readers and lovers of books. As I said on Wednesday, all the hard work that is done in Pre-Prep creates the strong foundations from which the reading continues to grow in the upper school and that is why we have so many children exceeding expectation in their reading.

All the paperwork that was shared last night will be sent home to those of you unable to make the session by the end of next week.

Congratulations goes to the following children, who have been chosen this week by their classmates to be on the School Council.  They received their School Council badges in assembly on Friday: 

• Class I - Shayla and Alex 
• Class II - Ava and Alex 
• Class III - Stephanie and Rohan
• Class IV - Amelia and Ollie
• Class VF - Sienna and George
• Class VY - Amelie and Archie

A certificate was given to each member of the outgoing council to thank them for their hard work.

Well done to all.

The following children received Certificates of Excellence from the Playground Supervisors in Assembly this morning:

• Bella for keeping our playground tidy this week
• Caitlyn for becoming more active with other children in the playground

Well done to you.

During our Online Safety Day, a few weeks ago, children, staff and parents were made aware that educating our online behaviours and understanding potential pitfalls together can be significantly safer over time than strict prevention.  However, while our children are still so young it is vital that, alongside this, we as adults do all we can to protect them from age inappropriate online material.  As such, I today attach useful guidelines as to how we can effectively apply parental controls across devices.

https://www.childnet.com/resources/parental-controls

On Friday 1 February, the parents and friends of Classes III and IV were treated to a wonderful hour's entertainment of poetry performances. From the 'Big Fat Budgie' to 'This Tooth' the children relished performing to an audience, who were all impressed by the children's ability and confidence. 

The showcase was a super opportunity for the children to execute their much practised and perfected poems, ahead of their examinations. 

We would like to thank Miss Thompson for all her efforts in preparing the children so well and for affording them the benefit of her talent and experience.

Crescent School

Just a quick reminder there will now be no Philosophy Club until after half-term, as per the original letter.

We have had a great half-term so far and the children make me smile with their fantastic ideas.

This fantastic competition is open again for 2019, it is a super opportunity for children to showcase their writing talents. 

Any child over age 5 can enter a story of up to 500 words before the deadline of Friday 8 March 2019.  Your child can write a story at home or even use a story written in school.

Please let me know if your child enters the competition, it is an additional opportunity for me to praise them for extra effort.

For further information on how to enter please follow the link:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00rfvk1

Good luck everybody.

Work is well underway on an exciting, new Foundation website which is due to launch this spring.

The new site has been carefully designed as five websites in one to perfectly showcase the Foundation and its four schools - Princethorpe College, Crescent School, Crackley Hall School and Little Crackers Nursery.

Melanie Butler, Assistant Head – Marketing, Admissions and Communications, comments, “This has been a major project, which we hope will be well received by the Foundation community and prospective families. It will look better, work faster and be easier to use than our current sites. We can’t wait to share it with everybody!”

The project has been carried out in partnership with website company, e4education.

Keep an eye on the Foundation social media platforms for previews of the site and news of the launch date.

The Foundation is holding a special memorial service to celebrate the life of Mary O'Farrell, the Foundation's much loved former Chair of Trustees, on Friday 29 March 2019 at 6.00pm in the Princethorpe College Chapel.

Mary joined the Foundation’s Governing Body in 2000 and held the role of Chair of Trustees for eight years until 2016, continuing to serve as trustee until her death. A former primary Headteacher with many years’ experience, Mary played an integral part in the Foundation's growing success, overseeing the merger with Abbotsford in 2010 and with the Crescent in 2016.

Comments Ed Hester, Head of the Foundation "Mary very sadly died in September last year and is sorely missed by us all. She was a remarkable woman in so many ways and with her passing the Foundation lost a true and valued friend. She was an exceptional Chair of Trustees, known for her wise counsel, collaborative approach and sense of humour, all of which she brought to bear in her role. She had an implicit understanding of education, teaching and learning, and this combined with her unique personal touch with fellow trustees, staff and children, had an immeasurable impact on the Foundation over the years.

He continues, "We hope this Memorial Service, which we have organised with her husband John, will give the many people whose lives she touched a chance to come together and celebrate her wonderful life."

The service will be followed by refreshments in the Sixth Form Centre. All are most welcome.

If you would like to attend the Memorial Service please click here to RSVP by Friday 15 March.