The Courier

Dear Parents

I would like to make a couple of polite reminders to all parents to help us with the safe running of the school.

Early Arrivals
Please ensure that children who arrive early to school remain accompanied by their parents or guardians until the door opens at 8.15am.  If you need to drop your child off before this time, please take advantage of the Early Birds service.

Winter Coats
With the weather turning colder and wetter, can I please encourage you all to send your child to school wearing the Crescent School coat.  It is helpful when making decisions on wet (or cold) play for the staff here to know the children all have the warm winter layer to protect them.

Dogs on Site
In line with many, if not all, primary aged schools, dogs are not allowed on the main school site.  If you come to school with a dog please keep it on a lead and avoid coming onto the main site beyond the drop off gate (the one next to the parents’ noticeboard).

With thanks for your understanding and support on these important health and safety matters.

Joe Thackway
Headmaster

• Breakfast cereals
• Soup
• Pasta
• Rice
• Pasta sauce
• Tinned beans
• Tinned meat
• Tinned vegetables
• Tinned fruit
• Tea and Coffee
• Long life fruit juice
• Long life milk
• Biscuits
• Snacks

The Christmas Post Box will open on Monday 4 December and will be located by the pupil entrance door until 19 December.

Class VI Christmas helpers welcome all Christmas Cards here, where they will be stamped and posted, every morning from 8:15- 8:40.

This means that lessons are not disturbed by the giving out of Christmas Cards and all the children will receive a lovely bundle from the Class VI Christmas elves on the final day of term.

All we ask is a 1p donation for each card that goes to our Term's charity.

This time of year is all about giving and TT Education are giving children the opportunity to win:

• a bundle of English resources worth over £250 for your school and; 
• a bundle of books and games worth over £50 for themselves.

There are two prizes available, one for Key Stage 1 and one for Key Stage 2.

All the children have to do is write a wonderful story in just five sentences, which is a marvellous way to demonstrate a clear story structure.  Five sentence stories are also a fantastic way to show how concise and precise you can be with your language.  When you do not have much space to play with, every single word becomes more significant.

There is no limit to the number of entries per school, however, children can submit no more than three entries.

Please can all entries be given to Mrs Lowe or emailed to slowe@crescentschool.co.uk by Wednesday 6 December.  

Ella Knight and Christopher Gibson are due to appear in Oliver at the Benn Hall in Rugby tonight, Friday 1 December at 7.30pm and tomorrrow Saturday 2 December at 2.30pm and 7.30pm.

The show is being staged by Five Star Theatre, a local company run by some very enterprising and enthusiastic young actors.  Ella has been in a number of their productions but this is Christopher's first.

The company has recently put on Les Mis, The Twits and Singin' in the Rain and is also working on Jack and the Beanstalk (as a Christmas pantomime) and Cats. 

Tickets are priced at £12.50 for adults and £10 for children and are available from the Five Star website (click here) or from the Benn Hall (01788 533719 or click here). 

Good luck Ella and Christopher.

Sunday 3 December 2.00pm - 4.30pm

All are very welcome at Princethorpe College's PTA Christmas Fayre on Sunday 3 December from 2.00pm - 4.30pm, entry to the Christmas Fayre is just £2 per car.  Princethorpe's PTA are very excited to reveal that Santa and his special guest Thunder the reindeer have been able to take time out of their busy schedules and will be joining the PTA for the afternoon.  

There will be an excellent array of artisan products and gifts for the discerning shopper and plenty of activities for all ages, including the ever popular bottle tombola and a children’s Christmas craft room. Visit our Beer and Bratwurst or Mulled Wine stalls to keep your energy levels up while you browse and there’ll be plenty of cake and hot drinks to keep you warm. There will also be some magical performances by Bilton Silver Band throughout the afternoon. 

As always, the PTA raffle offers a great selection of prizes including the the main cash prize of £250. 

Make a date in your diary now so you don’t miss this special Christmas treat for all the family.

Judith McCoy
PTA Secretary
Princethorpe College

The following children have received Junior da Vinci Awards this week:

The following children have been awarded Accelerated Reader Awards this week:

Christmas Art Day is a special day at Crescent School; full of anticipation, glitter, paint, glitter, tissue paper and yet more glitter.  It has been so much fun.    

Here are just a few photos from today.  Please click View Gallery to scroll through.

Last week, 26 Crescent swimmers travelled to Walsall for the ISA Midlands Gala.  It was a high level of competition with some amazing times being recorded. 

The green cap of Crescent kept being up there with the leaders and lots of children won their heats. The results were worked out on times from all of the heats.  Crescent managed to get some top three finishes and what was amazing is that most of those successful children do not swim at a club.

• Jamie Capelett- 2nd in Year 5 Freestyle
• Joshua Gorbutt- 3rd in Year 4 Breaststroke
• Matthew Browne- 3rd in Year 6 Breaststroke
• Marco Rodriguez Hernandez- 4th in Year 4 Freestyle
• Samuel Lau- 4th in Year 6 Butterfly
• Ethan Capelett- 4th in Year 6 Freestyle
• Olivia Monk - 2nd in year 5 Breaststroke

The Crescent's U11 Girls Gymnastics team travelled to Adcote School in Shrewsbury to take part in the ISA Midlands Gymnastics Competition on Thursday 30 November.

This was the first time that Crescent has entered a gymnastics competition but after entering the huge arena the girls' initial nerves settled quickly.

After presenting to the British Gymnastics judging panel and completing a quick five minute team warm-up the girls started the competition.

Vaults were strong showing good flight on to the vault and some controlled shapes and landings off, producing performances to be proud of.

Then the team moved on to the floor, where thicker spongy mats caused a few troubles for their spins but with a little practice they were soon overcome. Again the girls produced some fabulous routines showing flexibility, strength and balance.

The competition was a wonderful new experience for all the participants and on their first outing Crescent School was delighted to finish in 5th position as a team.

Well done to all involved who have shown great commitment and dedication to practice.

Rachel McCollin
Head of Girls Games

Well done to Georgia Dowling who has just been selected for Warwickshire’s Development of Excellence Cricket Squad for U11 girls.

She attended three lots of trials, put behind her the disappointment of missing out last year, and impressed the coaches with her all-round excellent play. She will now train over the winter with a view to being selected for the summer squad where she will play matches against the other counties.

We are very proud of Georgia, who was a key member of the school U11 team last year, and wish her all the best in her cricket journey.

Crescent took a non-Choir team to play against Arnold Lodge.  Both teams played lovely, passing hockey and both teams won. 

The 'A' team won 6-0 with the 'B' team winning 3-0.

It was great to see the children applying their skills that they have learned in lessons out on to the pitch.

James Wright and Harriett Gray were particularly impressive for the A team and Henry Corbin for the B team. Well done all.

It was a cold and blustery evening for the U9’s hockey matches against King Henry VIII on Tuesday 28 November.  All the girls worked incredibly hard and grew in confidence as the matches went on.

Both games were evenly matched and saw draws of 3-3 for the U9 'A' and 2-2 for the 'B' team. The 'A' team started off strong with some great attacking playing taking a half time lead.  However, King Henrys' came out strong for the second half and pulled the game back to a draw.

Crescent 'B' team were the first to score in their game too, with a fantastic strike from the edge of the D, King Henry’s came out with a counter attack to equalise before half time.  Players settled quickly in the second half and strong communication enabled us to have lots of time in our attacking half and with lots of determination and a scramble on the goal line from Tumi Oredope the team saw their second goal go in.

It was as cold as ice at the King Henry VIII Invitational Hockey Tournament on Wednesday 29 November.  The team played three matches starting with a 0-0 draw against Kingsley, the girls worked really hard and held possession for most of the game but unfortunately could not convert the chances that they had.

Next they played King Henry VIII U11, and working really hard they won 2-0 with some fantastic team play, great feeds from Georgia Dowling through to Mia Webb and Olivia Sarkies who was able to get on the end of the ball to make two of these count.  Fabulous defence stopped any attack for King Henry's with Rebecca Monteith and Lucy Hardy clearing the balls wide. Finally, they played King Henry VIII U12’s and despite a fantastic effort from all Crescent players, including some quick reactions and fabulous flexibility from Cara in goal, the game was lost 0-1. 

It was an incredibly close game that could have gone either way to girls a year older!  The girls deserve massive congratulations as they finished a fabulous second place in the tournament. Well done.

The School's Christmas Bazaar this year is on Friday 8 December. This is always a very popular whole school event and you are of course all warmly invited to come along and join in the fun.

It does get busy in the hall and surrounding classrooms, so this year we would like to give the younger children the opportunity to come and have a go on the games and stalls before the rest of the school arrive. If you would like to take advantage of this, please arrive at the normal dismissing door to collect your child from 3.20pm on that day and you will be able to go up to the hall for half an hour or so before the rest of the older children come in.

Of course, if you are unable to get here for that time please do not worry, your children will be looked after by their usual teachers and staff. Any children who have not been collected early will be brought to the door at the normal time for collection.

Joe Thackway
Headmaster

The raffle tickets for the Christmas Bazaar on Friday 8 December were in your brown envelopes last week. Thank you to everyone who has already returned them with the money. Don't worry if you haven't yet as you have until Wednesday 6 December at the latest. Extra tickets can be found on the FoC table.

We require the usual donations of gifts for the raffle e.g. wine, champagne, chocolates so please look on the FoC board for a list of suggested items. Also we require children's small gifts for the tombola like books, small lego kits, craft items etc. Please leave all items on the FoC table.

The forms to visit Father Christmas were also distributed last week. If your child wishes to go and see him in his grotto please fill out the form and return it by Wednesday 6 December. The cost is £3 per child and this will include the visit plus a wrapped gift.  

On Friday 15 December Year IV will be braving the cold outside to sell cakes and sweets at their market day.  All cakes & bags of sweets will be 50p as usual!

Please come along and support us. 

Ideally starting in January 2018, we are recruiting Estates Assistants to work as part of the Estates team, providing support services to all of the Foundation schools - Princethorpe College, Crescent School in Rugby and Crackley Hall School in Kenilworth.

The duties will primarily involve maintenance work internally and externally, security, traffic management, porterage and some cleaning. Applicants with some carpentry, plumbing or decorating skills would be most welcome. This is a ‘hands-on’ role facilitating the proper functioning of the schools to ensure a safe and satisfactory working, learning and recreational environment.

The successful applicant will need to be able to provide a high quality service to staff, pupils and visitors and be enthusiastic as well as honest, trustworthy and reliable, able to lift and to work on his/her own as well as part of a team.

Working hours: We have a variety of part-time shifts available, from as little as two hours and up to eight hours, in the afternoons and evenings or on Saturday and Sundays. We would be happy to consider applications for working evenings and weekends only or with other shifts on a rota basis.

This is an excellent opportunity to join the fast growing foundation that values its staff and offers a rewarding benefits package including discounted places for staff, a pension scheme, child care vouchers and a cycle to work scheme.

To discuss the post in more detail please contact Michael Small, Foundation Estates Manager - 01926 6342647 or Pete Wilkes, Estates Manager - 01926 634200.

Application: To apply for this vacancy applicants must submit a Princethorpe College application form, together with a CV and covering letter detailing your personal qualities, experience and how you meet the person specification for the role. Applicants must ensure the application form is fully completed, including a detailed career history with specific dates.

Closing date: Monday 4 December 2017 at 9.00am and interviews are likely to be held on Thursday 7 December 2017, at Princethorpe.
Further details and an application form are available from the College website www.princethorpe.co.uk/employment-opportunities.

Required for September 2018, for one year, a well-qualified graduate to teach Biology or Chemistry up to A-level in a lively, successful and growing department.  An enthusiasm to become involved with the extra-curricular life of the school is essential. Candidates should be able to demonstrate success in the classroom and be effective team players. The role could be offered on a full-time or significant part-time basis.

NQTs are also welcome to apply; the College has a comprehensive induction programme leading to full QTS status. Single accommodation may be available. Princethorpe has its own pay scale which is above national scales.

This is an excellent opportunity to join the fast growing Foundation that values its staff and offers a rewarding benefits package including discounted places for staff, a pension scheme, child care vouchers and a cycle to work scheme.

Application: To apply for this vacancy applicants must submit a Princethorpe College application form, together with a CV and covering letter detailing your personal qualities, experience and how you meet the person specification for the role. Applicants must ensure the application form is fully completed, including a detailed career history with specific dates.

Closing date: Monday 4 December 2017, at 9.00am, although candidates are advised to apply immediately. Interviews are likely to be held on Thursday 7 December.

Further details and an application form are available from the College website www.princethorpe.co.uk/employment-opportunities.

Required to start as soon as possible, we are recruiting a full-time Administrator\Receptionist to work all year round, within our busy reception area, the successful candidate will have good organisational skills; will be articulate, friendly, professional and well presented.

The position involves a mixture of administrative support, reception duties, and liaising with pupils and parents; the post holder will need to balance general duties with providing comprehensive administrative support to members of senior management.

Interested candidates should ideally have experience in a similar position and will have excellent communication skills, good organisational skills, excellent customer service skills and the ability to work under pressure and to deadlines. Strong IT skills, particularly in Microsoft Office, are essential.

The working hours are Monday to Friday 8.00am – 4.30pm, with an hour for lunch.

Early applications are highly recommended as candidates may be invited for interview prior to the closing date, which could be brought forward.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a fast growing Foundation that values its staff and offers a rewarding benefits package including discounted places for staff, 25 holiday per annum plus bank holidays, to be taken during school holidays, a pension scheme, child care vouchers and a cycle to work scheme.

Application: To apply for this vacancy applicants must submit a Princethorpe College application form, together with a CV and covering letter detailing your personal qualities, experience and how you meet the person specification for the role. Applicants must ensure the application form is fully completed, including a detailed career history with specific dates.

Closing date: Tuesday 5 December 2017, at 9.00am. Candidates are advised to apply immediately as applications will be reviewed as they are received and the closing date may be brought forward.
Further details and an application form are available from the College website www.princethorpe.co.uk/employment-opportunities.

Required for September 2018 a dynamic, innovative and well-qualified graduate to lead Mathematics in this flourishing school.

Candidates should have strong leadership and management skills, be visionary in their approach, have a proven track record of success in the classroom and be effective team players. An enthusiasm to become involved with the co-curricular life of the school is essential.

Single accommodation may be available. Princethorpe has its own pay scale which is above national scales.

This is an excellent opportunity to join the fast growing Foundation that values its staff and offers a rewarding benefits package including discounted places for staff, a pension scheme, child care vouchers and a cycle to work scheme.

Application: To apply for this vacancy applicants must submit a Princethorpe College application form, together with a CV and covering letter detailing your personal qualities, experience and how you meet the person specification for the role. Applicants must ensure the application form is fully completed, including a detailed career history with specific dates.

Closing date: Monday 11 December 2017, at 9.00am and interviews are likely to be held on Thursday 14 December at Princethorpe.

Further details and an application form are available from the College website www.princethorpe.co.uk/employment-opportunities.