The Courier

Dear Parents

With just a short two-day week before we break-up next Tuesday, this will be the last full fat version of the Courier for the autumn term.

It has been a term of unique challenges for us all, both as a school and as a nation, and we will be looking back on the year of 2020 in the history books for many years to come. One thing we have learned is just what a central role schools play in the life in the life of the nation. First and foremost, they provide the children with an education that is easy to take for granted, but is in fact the product of years of evolution of thinking and practice, as well as expertise and hard work. Beyond that they give young people’s lives structure and purpose and society as a whole cohesion. For all these reasons and more, the return of the children to school this term has been great news for us all. We are proud to have navigated the last three and a half months successfully and we are enormously grateful to all of you as parents for the support you have shown for the measures we have put in place to help keep us all safe.

With the Christmas season now in full flow, we have enjoyed our Covid-version of some key seasonal events during the week gone by. I was very privileged to be able to watch the Pre-Prep children perform their two Nativity plays to camera earlier in the week, and I have also had a preview of the Carol Service that will be coming out to you all on Monday next week. In school, we have been enjoying the countdown to Christmas courtesy of Mr Adkins’ advent calendar that the children have been watching each day during their form period. We also got out together on the playground for mince pies, hot chocolate and carols on Tuesday with the official turning on of the Christmas lights. I hope you have enjoyed seeing the tree at the front of the school on your collection run as well. With class parties going on today and into next week, the children have certainly had every chance to enjoy the run in to the holiday.

For the weekend, I am still attempting to avoid crowded shopping centres for as long as I can. My own plan is to get everything I can this year online. My son’s football games are back up and running so that will keep me busy on Sunday. I do hope you all have great weekend.

Joe Thackway
Headmaster

The weekly calendar can be viewed by clicking on the link below.  It details all the clubs, events, fixtures and additional information for the week. 

Weekly Calendar - 14 December 2020 

All the co-curricular clubs have finished for the term.

SOCS Co-Curricular

Crescent School

Pupils and staff gathered together on the playground on Tuesday 8 December to celebrate Advent.

The season of Advent is traditionally a time for reflection and for renewal of hope, as we countdown towards Christmas Day. In this difficult year, Crescent School's Advent service provided a precious opportunity for the school to come together safely and to look forward to the upcoming celebrations.

During the short service the lights on the Christmas tree were turned on much to the delight of all of the children.

It was cold out on the playground so after the service finished the children all enjoyed a hot chocolate to warm up their fingers and toes.

You can listen to the children singing the carol, Star Child here.

What fun the children had on Monday 7 December filming the nativity plays and we can’t wait to share the finished films with parents.

This year Reception performed ‘A Bundle of Joy’, a story of about Grumble, a very grumpy donkey. The children really enjoyed learning all the songs and dances that help tell the story of the birth of Jesus and Grumble’s realisation that life isn’t so bad after all.

Pre-Prep’s nativity was ‘The Angel Who Nearly Missed It All’ and the children also put on an excellent show. The angel chorus really did rehearse for hours to be ready to spread the joyous news and we met a whole host of familiar characters as we followed Late Angel's dash to join in the fun. The children's singing was magnificent and they coped with a small technical hitch brilliantly - we bet you don’t spot it at all!

We couldn’t resist sharing a few photos to give you a sneak peek of their wonderful productions.

A huge well done to all!

On Thursday, a team of Year 6 elves helped pack 60 Christmas gift bags for all those supported by Hope4, it was a generous act of kindness from all of us here at Crescent School.

Every child in the school contributed in some way. The children from Pre-Prep designed and printed the giftbags, Year 3 wrote the labels with a Christmas message and the Upper School designed and made Christmas cards and then filled them with kind and thoughtful words.

Orchestrated by Mrs Stapleton, assisted by Miss V, the gift bags were packed with a chocolate selection pack, a funky pair of socks together with the Christmas cards the children had made. They will be now be stored until we can deliver them to Hope4 next week.

Look out for an update in the new year when we announce the final total raised for Hope4 and the Foodbank this term.

Many thanks to our community for your continued support, your generosity will make such a difference to those less fortunate than ourselves this Christmas time.

Huge thanks to outgoing Chair of the FoC Zara Corbin and to FoC Secretary Amy Sarkies for all the work they and their band of merry FoC helpers have done to support the school.

After five years, Zara is standing down from the helm of the Friends of Crescent.  Her service to the committee has been enthusiastic, committed and dedicated, and together with her fellow FoC members she has, over that time, helped to raise thousands of pounds, for both local charities but also for providing extras for the children in school.

Amy has also been in post for five years enthusiastically supporting the PTA, working tirelessly alongside Zara and the committee to support the school. Always smiling and effortlessly organised, and patiently calm and kind with the children.

Zara and Amy have provided many wonderful memories for the children over the years, from our very own Guide Dog puppy, Cressie, to the never to be forgotten Crescent’s Got Talent shows.

In school this week we were delighted to present Zara and Amy with flowers. Thank you, ladies, for all your hard work, we shall miss your friendship, support and resilient good humour.

Crescent School

Crescent School Fleeces have arrived and are now available to purchase.  These are replacing the school sports hoodie. 

The Fleeces will retail at £27 for sizes 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 and 11-12 years old and £29 for Sizes XS, S and M.

Do contact the school unifrom shop if you wish to purchase.

Children often grow quickly so its good to regularly check and replace any damaged, missing or ill-fitting items.  A full list of uniform requirements can be found on page 19 of the parent information booklet, which can be found on the school website here.

We would ask you to check:

• Uniform is labelled with the child's name not initials. We have a lot of uniform in lost property which is not labelled so we are unable to return it. If it is not reunited with its owner it is put into the pre-loved unform stock
• Your child is wearing their own uniform as Coats/Jumpers/Cardigans/Blazers etc sometimes get mixed up
• Dress/Skirt length should be on or below the knee
• Children have the correct PE kit for their year 
• Please ensure your child has a school winter hat 
• Hair should be tied back.

We have had a successful programme of activities through our co-curricular programme this term. A big thank you to the staff who run these activities and a thank you to the children who show dedication and interest in things outside the classroom. It is great to see their enthusiasm and enjoyment.

Co-curricular will continue in the same format next term, we will keep reviewing it in line with government guidelines. Please sign up for the new options, it would be great to see every child involved in at least one activity.

An email will be sent on Tuesday to notify you when SOCS is live.

Quizzing will not be available during the school holidays. This will allow the children to read for pleasure, to explore books that are not quizzable and share different reading material with their family.

We want the children to develop a lifelong love of reading.  So we don't expect them to quiz on the books they may have read over the holidays, although they may wish to quiz on their final book they read.

Thank you for all your support with reading this term.

We are determined not to miss the joy of our Carol Service this year, which is usually held in the final days of term, so we have planned a virtual experience that will involve each class (this is an extra treat as it is usually only just the upper school).

We will be sharing it with you on Monday 14 December so you can enjoy the experience as a family over the Christmas holidays.  

Mrs Webb
Assistant Head

Tuesday 15 December 2020

Our Christmas Jumper Day this year will be on Tuesday 15 December 2020. On that day, children should wear normal school uniform, but instead of their green pullover/cardigan, they can wear a Christmas jumper.

Please bring in a £1 donation for our charity of the term, Hope4. This can be placed in the container on each teacher's desk.

Mrs Monteith

Thursday 7 January 2021

Year 6 parents are probably aware that the 11+ results will not be coming out now until the end of December. Due to this we will postpone the drop-ins that were pencilled in for next week and we will reschedule them for the first week back in school, before and after school on Thursday 7 January. However, if you need to be in touch before then, I will be available by email over the holidays and will get back in touch to arrange a Teams meeting.

Please can all parents check they have received an email from WCC regarding proof of residence.  Do check WCC website for further information.  

This week has been a bumper week, as the JdVs are added to last year's JdVs, the children are collecting them up earlier than normal.

• Nora, Rory, Kai, Alyssa, Orla and Sahana in English.
• Amelia for Science
• Amber M for Maths
• Rosina is a double JdV student in English.
• Josh O, George R, George C,  Eve, Emme and Hattie in Games

Mrs Webb
Assistant Head

We have two new millionaires this week, they are Ellie and Orla.

Pre-Prep reading certificates have, this week, been presented to:

• Harry R 

Well done to you all.

This week Playground Conduct Awards are presented to:

• Charlotte for being kind to her friend whilst she was hurt and cold

Lunchtime Supervisors

Please see the cover photo which shows the status levels.

Weekly battle 4 - 10 December

• Boys scored 24,546 points
• Girls scored   6,833 points

Well done, Boys' Team, again! That is correct - did you know that there are a few more girls than boys in school, so come on, girls!

Most Valuable players contributing the most points to their teams are:

Each class can have the speediest TT Rock Star and that gets you up the status board on the poster. To get on this board you must tackle the single player game in the 'Studio', multi-player does not count for these. These also earn more coins than the multiplayer games too. 

Plenty of action so last week's most improved speedsters in each class are:

Battles add up any points at all as you play! I will let you know who wins in the next Courier.

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

Stay Calm and Keep Rocking!

Unfortunately we cannot celebrate Top Table at the moment in the usual style.  However, we can reward those children who have shown excellent conduct at lunchtimes this half term.

The lunchtime supervisors have chosen the following children and they will be rewarded with a goody bag on Monday:

• RE - Katie
• RP - Elliott
• 1S - Seren
• 2W - Aryan
• 3Y - Leela
• 4M - Maya
• 5F - Faris
• 6W - Eve

Well done to all of you.

Classes 2W, 4M and 6W kicked off the Christmas class parties in style today, with plenty of Christmas music, party games and party food. 

Crescent School

Class 1S have been learning about the story behind this important Jewish festival, as many families are celebrating Hanukkah across the world this week. From watching the story of the Maccabee brothers and the miracle of the oil, to making our own Menorahs to help us remember the important facts of our learning.

In DT this week, Class 1S used a different medium of ceramic tiles in designing their own Christmas scenes which can be used to brighten up their Christmas table this year! 

We have been learning about letter writing in our English lessons.

After discussing how Christians celebrate Christmas, the children wrote letters as members of the nativity about the incredible events of the birth of Jesus. 

This half term Class 4M have been working on Viking projects for thier homework. The choice of specific topic area and how they have wanted to share their learning has been entirely up to the children. 

I have been so impressed by the quality of the work the children have produced and with the enthusiasm they have shown.

A folder of work will be sent home on Monday with all of 6W for the Christmas holidays. All the instructions are within the folder, there is a mixture of Maths and English.

We do recommend the children have a rest over the holidays but we are aware that the independent school exams are soon after we return and we want to make sure the children's brains are active and focused for when we start back. We will not require the work back to mark, however many of the mark schemes are included.

Thank you for the support for this final push before the exams.

Mrs Webb
Class 6W Form Teacher

For a two or three week period this year we will be focusing on one of the sayings in the new 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 we consider the category of Good Learners. The idea behind this week’s promise is resilience and perseverance. This is such a key element of being a good learner. The desire and determination to master new skills can take children such a long way in education.

'We never give up and always try again'

Mr Webb
Assistant Head

The second exciting instalment of the CS Newsblast from Crescent Radio is crammed full of exciting content, all devised and created by our fantastic team of Year 6 podcasters! This Christmas themed episode features a festive quiz, a review of the house football competition, joke of the week, book of the week, some crazy Christmas facts and an interview with the one and only Mr Egg!

If you have any feedback or suggestions for things that you would like to see in future episodes, please email me at markadkins@crescentschool.co.uk and I will pass it on to the Year 6 team.

We hope you enjoy!

Blue Peter are currently running an amazing gaming competition with a truly fantastic prize up for grabs, a real once in a life time opportunity!

All you have to do is:

• Make a short video talking about yourself, your favourite things, hobbies, talents, school etc.
• Design a new character skin for the new game Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, complete with picture and written description.
   

It’s a great chance to show off your creativity and practise your ICT skills, so if it sounds like your sort of thing, please have a go!

The deadline for entries is Wednesday 30 December, so you’ve got most of the Christmas holidays to complete you entry. All other details can be found on the website link:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/joinin/bp-competition

Good luck, and if you need any help or tips, just ask!

The hotly contested Year 3 competition kicked off with a fast-paced encounter between Reds and Yellows. Both teams battled hard in the first half, leading to an end-to-end style of play. Despite some fine work at the back from Shayla and Roisin, Timi snuck through for the Yellows, giving them the lead just before the half.

The Yellows were then first out of the blocks in the second half, Timi finishing off another four goals for Yellow House, well supported in midfield by Darius and Sam B. leaving the final score at 5-0. The Yellows were then back in action again in the second game, and what a thriller it turned out to be, a real game of two halves! Remi excelled for the Blues in the first half, netting the opening goal with a fine strike from distance. He then turned provider, setting up Shiv for an excellent team goal for the second. Just before the break Blues struck again, Shiv turning home a pin-point cross from Alex T 3-0 at the half.

The Yellows were not going down without a fight however, Sam B pulling one back with a hard low strike in the bottom corner. Despite some stalwart defending from the Blues, the Yellows kept on pressing forward, a deflection from a corner making the score 3-2 to the Blues. Then in the dying seconds, the Yellows were to strike again, Timi rounding the keeper to tie things up, 3-3 at the final whistle!

The last game saw Red house take on Blues. The Blues again proved to be dominant in the first half, taking an early lead through Alex T. Strong teamwork then lead to two further goals for the Blues, Shiv coolly finishing both. The half-time break breathed new life into the Reds however, Alex G scoring almost from kick-off to get his team right back in the game. The Reds then scored again with a superb team goal leaving the game hanging in the balance. The Blue defence were resolute however, managing to shut the Reds out for the final few minutes, leaving them 3-2 winners. This meant that the Yellows finished as tournament champions, Blues runners up and Reds in third.

Player of the tournament goes to Remi for battling superbly throughout.

Monday 11 January 2021 - 8pm

This will take place via Zoom, please come along and join us for this meeting where we will be discussing events for the Easter term.

Log-in details will be sent out nearer the time. 

Below are the details of the FoC Year Group Representatives. These reps will communicate with you on all our events via email, whatsapp or facebook. 

Please click on the link below to view the lunch menu for next week: 

Lunch menu - 14 December 2020 

Children are able to have either of the main options.

Crescent School Office

Please find below term dates for 2020/21 and 2021/22:

Please see below for useful school contact information:

Cyber-crime – please be extra 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.  The latest scam offers a large discount on fees for the coming academic year if paid immediately.

This is probably trying to take advantage of the fact that some independent schools have offered discounts for this term and that parents may therefore be more open to such a suggestion. You can always protect yourselves by only making payments to us in line with our normal, published methods.

As 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 in the Information Booklet for each school, and only those details should be used.

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. 

Eddie Tolcher
Foundation Bursar

The Foundation has the following vacancies:

• Princethorpe College - Deputy Head (Academic)
• Princethorpe College - Assistant Head (Director of Studies)
• Crackley Hall School - Assistant Head (Key Stage 2 and Academic
• Princethorpe College - Teacher of Business Studies
• Princethorpe College - Database Development Assistant
• Princethorpe College - Lunchtime Supervisors

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.

The brief spell over the Christmas holidays allowing some family members outside of the normal 'bubble' to visit will be very welcome, but it will also cause some additional stresses to families who will not all be able to get together as normal. It will also, undoubtedly, bring more families into contact with the virus and this could result in a spike in the number of cases we see in our community.

Please do continue to keep up the great work you are doing. If you do have a confirmed case within your family at any stage during the holidays, we ask that you do contact us directly by emailing admin@crescentschool.co.uk to update us.

It is so critical that we all continue to be vigilant and do not send pupils back to school in January if they are unwell or have any symptoms of the virus.

In line with other local schools and Warwickshire County Council’s message below, please wear face coverings on school grounds (if you are able) when dropping off and collecting children. 

Please remember there is plenty of space around school to socially distance.

Many thanks for you for your co-operation.

Children or adults with symptoms must not enter school. Parents must check for symptoms each day before bringing their child into school.

The main symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are:

• a high temperature – please, if you have not already done so, source a thermometer to check temperatures at home
• a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

Any children or adult who develops symptoms will need to leave the building as soon as possible and be tested for Covid-19.

Details on testing can be obtained at www gov uk/get-coronavirus-test or call the Test and Trace Helpdesk on 119.

Hand held thermometers will be used to check the temperature of any individual feeling unwell. Children who develop symptoms during the school day will be taken to the Meeting Room and their parents called to come and collect the child, as well as any siblings of the child.

Other members of the household should self-isolate for 10 days from when the symptomatic person first had symptoms, or until a negative test result is returned.

In the event of a positive test result the full protocols of test and trace will be followed www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-test-and-trace-how-it-works#

Children returning from restricted areas outside UK must self-isolate as advised by the government guidance before returning to school.