The Courier

Dear Parents

It is with a great sense of achievement, and some relief, that we can now safely declare the end of a successful term of learning and interaction at Crescent.  We can all look back on a term of hard work, endeavour, great resilience and adaptability. All these qualities are ones we love to promote at all times, but they have been more needed this term than ever before.

I do hope you your families are able to enjoy a well deserved break this Christmas and are able to keep safe at the same time. As I have said a number of times, we are delighted with the term we have had but we certainly can’t afford to put down our guard. The government guidance is allowing for increased mixing of households over the Christmas period, but this inevitably brings extra risk with it. The danger of another spike in the new year is clear. We have taken the measure of delivering all of our INSET training on Teams when the staff ‘meet’ on 4 January 2021.  When the children return on the 5 January, we will be reminding them all of the importance of hand washing, reducing touch points and keeping in their bubble. I know you will continue to support this message at home. We all thank you for the wonderful support you have given the school throughout this term, it has been a real team effort.

I hope you have all enjoyed the opportunity to watch our 2020 Carol Service. It is a different concept this year and of course all done on line. Great credit to Mrs Stapleton in particular for conjuring this new format out of thin air, as well as to Mrs Barnes who has shown great ingenuity getting the music up to its normal very high standard. Thanks most of all to the children, every one of whom was involved in the final thing.

Tomorrow I drive up to collect a rather lonely daughter from Sheffield. After that, I will be back in school and working until the end of the week when the plan is then to pull up the drawbridge and enjoy the simple pleasures of spending time with the family, at least for a week or so.

Whatever you have planned, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and look forward to seeing you and your children back here again, safe and sound, on Tuesday 5 January.

With festive best wishes.

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 - 5 January 2021

All the co-curricular clubs have been loaded onto SOCS for Lent Term, please select your child(ren)'s cliubs.

SOCS Co-Curricular

Crescent School

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 (please see email that was sent on Monday 14 December).

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.

We will be hosting a Virtual Reception Open Evening on Thursday 14 January from 6.30pm to 7.30pm.

This will give prospective families an insight into the Early Years at the Crescent and the firm foundation we give children for their future learning.

For more information and to register for the event please click here or contact our Registrar, Mrs Helen Morley on 01788 523851 or by email admissions@crescentschool.co.uk.

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.  

Well done to Alex G for reading 1,000,000 words this term.  A fantastic achievement.

We were delighted, in our final celebration assembly of the term, to award our Promise Badges.  Due to Covid19, this is only the second time we have awarded these.

They are very special and are awarded at the end of each term to one child in Pre-Prep (PP) and one child in the Upper School (US) for each of the three promise strands: Good Friends, Good Learners, Good Citizens.

The children listed below have embodied the qualities of the promise this term and can wear their new badges with pride.

In our Good News Assembly thismorning we awarded School Promise certificates to recognise the children’s excellent behaviour as Good Friends, Good Learners or Good Citizens. 

Congratulations go to:

• Feranmi
• Finn C
• Flora
• Joshua J

• Albert T
• Esme F

• Roisin C
• Zac

• Grace O'C
• Sam O

• Poppy
• Tegan

• Sachin
• Sophia D

• George C
• Jay 

Keep up the good work.

It was the turn of Reception and Classes 1S, 3Y and 6W to hold their parties this week.  Much fun was had by all.

Thank you to the generous donations for 'snacks' from parents, it has been very much appreciated.

Do click through the photo gallery.

Crescent School

Children and staff enjoyed a sumptuous Christmas lunch today.  Tantalising smells wafted out of the kitchen all morning.  Children had enthusiastically entered into the festive spirit wearing some cracking Christmas jumpers and clearly enjoyed their festive food as much singing and excitement could be heard coming from the hall. 

Many thanks and Merry Christmas to our wonderful dinner staff who laid on such a lovely lunch for us all today.

Crescent School

Please click on the link below to read all about what the Reception Classes have been learning this week.  Please scroll through the gallery of photos attached to this article.

Reception Round Up - 15 December 2020 

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 Citizens. 

'We respect everyone and we are tolerant'

Inter-house games have been a great way to finish the term, allowing the pupils to put their skills to practise in a competitive situation and show off how much they have developed.  Well done to all involved it was fantastic to see the progress that has been made over the course of the term and practice being put to the test in competitive situations with everyone rising to the challenge.  Do read each article for the different years.

The Year 6 competition started off which a cracker of a match between the Red House and the current reigning champions, Yellow House.  Both teams displayed great determination, commitment and a real desire to win.  Some fantastic play from the Yellows saw most of the play in their end with numerous shots on goal from George R, who unfortunately just couldn’t quite find the back of the goal.  Reds defended fantastically and kept their cool with Sahana and Asha stopping the torrent of attack from Amy, George and Emme, timing their tackles well and staying strong to win the ball.  A quick counter-play from Eve saw a fantastic cross to Josh who was able to capitalise, shooting in to the right corner to score moments before half time.  Yellows came out strong in the second half, showing fabulous stick skills, well timed and paced passes and fantastic teamwork, with the whole team pushing for a goal that finally came from Amy.  Both teams battled hard to gain the win and pushed each other hard in a real end to end second half of a game but the final result a well contested 1-1 draw.

Blue House took on the Reds in the second game with a wonderful display of stick skills from George C and Hattie who worked the ball fantastically down the centre of the pitch putting pressure on the Red defence from the word go.  Asha, Caitlyn and Sahana did a great job blocking the attack well but George C eventually cracked a great ball that shot through the defence and in between Bella’s legs in goal.  Amber and Eve worked hard with Josh to push the ball back into the Blues defence but every shot just missed the target. The game finished 1-0 win to the Blues. 

The final match was all to play for with both teams battling hard, George R taking the title of the most missed chances of the tournament, finally managed to get one past Eden in goal and everybody celebrated for him. Blue’s were quick to respond and Isla, worked well moving the ball out to the wing making a great pass to George C who crossed the ball in to Hattie who just managed to get an edge tipping the ball into the corner of the goal.  With both teams desperate to get the winning goal it was tense end to end play but it was George C who managed to find the winning goal with seconds to go.  Final score 2-1 Blue’s meaning the title of inter-house champions moved across to the Blue team.   

Mrs McCollin
Head of PE and Games

Year 5 inter-house hockey did not disappoint with end to end nail biting matches and fantastic displays of hockey from every one involved.  The first game saw the Blue House take on the Red House, in a very evenly matched game.  Once the play settled and everyone found their position and role we saw some fantastic attacking play with some lovely team work and passing from Katherine, Kai, Faris and Charlotte testing the Blue defence.  Blues however stayed calm and collected with some well-timed and executed tackles from James and Ro, and wonderful blocking of the ball from Dorritt.  The Blues looked dangerous with some fast breaks taken by Ro and solid passing between Chloe and Rosina but unfortunately, they couldn’t quite get the shots on goal.  Red’s continued to push hard and eventually broke the Blue defence with a well worked goal coming from Katherine the game finished 1-0 Red.

The second game saw the Red’s take on the Yellow house in another tightly contested game with Reds looking hungry from the off, however the fresh legged Yellows were quick to read the ball and intercept the pass.  Quick feet from Sachin and Aryan and fast running from Evie soon had the Red defence of Abigail and Rory under pressure, but they held their nerve and made strong challenges to gain back possession and clear the ball well.  Fantastic positioning and spacing from Sofia and Harriett allowed them to run on to the ball making interceptions and putting pressure back on to the Red defence, with Sachin, Evie and Aryan getting in to the D but hitting the ball wide of the goal.  The Reds showed great teamwork once again moving the ball well, using the width nicely to help create space and getting good crosses in to the D, but never quite able to capitalise on their chances.  The game finished 0-0.

The final game saw the Blue team back in action against the Yellows, in a game that quite literally left spectators biting their nails on the side line.  The Blues showed tremendous team work, moving and passing the ball well, with Ro and Rosina attacking the ball in to the D, however the solid defence of Aryan, Drew and Sachin would not let them through.  A good ball from Drew started the attack for the Yellows with Sofia moving nicely in to space to receive and pass on to Aryan who made a fabulous turn into the D to score.  The second half saw more grit and determination from the Blue team desperate to equalise but the Yellow team worked the ball well and saw Aryan smash in a second goal. Final score 2-0 Yellow and 1st place in the tournament.

Mrs McCollin
Head of PE and Games

The Year 4 competition was another tense and tightly contested affair coming down to the final minutes in the last game.  The first match saw the Red House take on the Blue House.  Both teams took a little while to settle in to the game and find their rhythm but once they did it proved to be an exciting match.  The Blues came under strong attack from Ellie, Bella and Esme, with Ellie managing to hit the ball in the back of the goal, but it was disallowed for being hit outside of the area.   The first half came to an end with an exciting run of play seeing Sam reading the Red’s free hit and moving in to take a quick interception and taking a quick break to run the length of the pitch and score.  Reds made a strong start to the second half with Ellie and Tegan working well together, some well executed free hits from Esme getting the ball through to Charlie and Ellie in the D, but try as they might they could never quite find the back of the goal with Zahra and Finlay making great clearances.   Final score 1-0 to the Blues.

The second game was the Blue House against the Yellows.  Some excellent teamwork from Sam, Grace C, Ava and Finlay saw the Yellows come under attack right from the off, however the ever cool Yash did not let that unsettle him and well executed tackles kept the Blues at bay.  Strong hit-outs from Alex found Grace M, Libby and Yash, out on the wing all of whom made moved the ball well passing in to Lara to make her attack, but just missing the target and going wide.  Solid defence from Libby and Zara made it hard for the Blues to keep possession but determination and strength from Sam and Ava prevailed. It did not take long for Sam to find the back of the goal again. Annalise and Erin worked hard in defence for the Blue’s to keep the ever persistent attack from Lara out, the final score 1-0 to the Blues. 

The final game was Red House v Yellow House.  The Reds came out like a new team, making strong connected passes up the pitch which Ellie was determined to capitalise on and she quickly did.  Yellows were quick to answer back with Lara and Zara moving the ball quickly into the D, with Lara just shooting wide.  The second half was end to end with the next goal coming from a well placed free hit from Chloe to Ellie who drove the ball into the D with conviction to find the back of the goal.  Final score 2-0 Red.

Final result victory to Blue House

Mrs McCollin
Head of PE and Games

Year 3 were not going to let the weather get in the way of their inter-house hockey competition and so we took to an indoor version of euro-hockey instead.  All pupils got fully involved in their games and were very supportive and encouraging of each other cheering excitedly from the side lines.  There was lovely team work and camaraderie from all involved with some excellent defence from Remi, Harry and Edward F, fantastic shooting from Timi, Sofie and Alex T and solid passing from Sam B, Alex G, Maggie and Grace.  We saw amazing display of grit and determination from Shayla, Shiv and Maisie who were quickly in towards every ball hit and wonderful supportive play from Albert, Emily and Oliver, always in good space to receive the ball.  The final results were all 1-1 draws resulting in all teams taking the title, a true reflection of how they played. 

Mrs McCollin
Head of PE and Games

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. 

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

Lunch Menu 5 January 2021 

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.