The Courier

Dear Parents

It has been a week of hard work and endeavour here in school. The children are now fully settled back into their routines and there has been a quiet hum of learning going on in the classrooms throughout the week. It has been very much our plan to bring the children back in and quietly re-establish all of the learning habits that they were used to. They play such an important part in enabling the children to progress steadily and with confidence over time.

In our assembly this morning we talked about tomorrow’s spring equinox and the important marker this is in the earth’s journey around the Sun. We also learnt that the equinox marks the festival of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, which will be celebrated tomorrow in many parts of the world. There some lovely pictures of this elsewhere in today’s newsletter. Happy new year to any families who are celebrating this weekend.

With so many signs of spring all around us this was a fitting assembly and I hope the children will be inspired to look out for all of blossoming nature around them as the season unfolds. I know some children are already looking out for the arrival of the first swallows and swifts, but this will be a few weeks yet.

Intruder alarm practice

During the Christmas break, a new intruder alarm system was installed in the school. This means we now have call points (separate from the fire alarm points) in every teaching room that allow staff to raise the alarm in the case of a potentially dangerous intruder being on the school site. There is also a new and distinct intruder siren sound. In the unlikely event of an intruder scenario occurring, we will ask children to hide in their classrooms with their teachers until the alarm is silenced.

We will be doing a practice drill for this in school next week. I will start the week with an assembly demonstrating to the children what the new sound alarm will sound like and explaining what to do if they hear it. This will take place in an assembly with their form teachers present. Form teachers will then answer any questions the children have and reassure children that it is for their own safety and nothing to worry about. I will send a message to all parents following the alarm to let you know it has occurred.

It is possible that some children will feel anxious about this, which we fully understand. If your child has a particular concern please do contact your form teacher who will be happy to speak to your child individually and hopefully allay any fears.

Have a 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 - 22 March 2021 

Please note:

• Class 5F Orchestra - please bring instruments in

All the co-curricular clubs can be viewed on SOCS, where you can find details of all the dates the clubs are running.  

SOCS Co-Curricular

Crescent School

Congratulations to all of our Year 6 pupils who have had their secondary school places confirmed. This year’s pupils will be moving on to a wide range of outstanding local independent and state schools including Foundation senior school, Princethorpe College.

50% of children who took the 11+ assessments gained the qualifying score and four pupils have chosen the local grammar schools, Lawrence Sherriff and Rugby High School, as their future destinations. 11 of the 22-strong class will be moving on to Princethorpe.

We also have pupils going on to a wide selection of other schools; Kingsley, Bilton Grange, Lutterworth High, Ashlawn, Houlton, Harris and Rugby Free. We are especially delighted that so many Year 6 pupils have also been awarded scholarships, with 10 children receiving scholarship offers of some form.

Sarah Webb, Assistant Head and Year 6 Teacher, said, “Our aim is always to do our best to help our pupils reach the destination secondary school of their choice. Despite the pandemic the children have enjoyed great success. We are particularly pleased with the range of scholarships offers they have received, they include Sport, Music, Academic and All-Rounder offers. It’s an excellent outcome and everyone here is delighted for them.”

Congratulations to all the children for their achievements – Crescent School is really proud of them.

As the Lent term draws to a close, we start moving our thoughts to the Trinity term and the cricket season. All pupils in Years 3-6 will be playing cricket in their Games lessons and we are hoping to have some cricket fixtures.  For those who would like to wear the kit we offer a cricket shirt, trousers and sleeveless slipover which can be ordered here. The cricket kit is not compulsory.

Summer Dresses can also be ordered here.

All orders must be placed before the end of the school day on Tuesday 23 March 2021 and they will be available to collect from Crescent School w/c Monday 19 April 2021 subject to availability.

Please email any other uniform requirements to uniform@princethorpe.co.uk or contact Tamsin Frost on 01926 634272.

Amy can be seen pictured here in the Crescent cricket shirt.

Mrs Slatcher turns 60 tomorrow and we could not let that pass without a suitable celebration.  The kitchen was decorated with signs and Mr Thackway presented her wth a beautiful flower arrangement at lunctime.  The children then sang a very quiet Happy Birthday and a chorus of three cheers.

We hope you have a very happy birthday Mrs Slatcher!

Crescent School

Co-curricular will continue in the same format next half-term, we will keep reviewing it in line with government guidelines. An email will be sent out next Friday 26 March with sign up details for the first half of Trinity Term, it would be great to see every child involved in at least one activity.

In the brief time we have been in school we have run a successful programme of activities through our co-curricular programme. 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.

Tuesday 30 March 2021

As is tradition, we will be holding our Easter Service on the last day of Lent Term.

Class 5F will share the Easter story with you through poetry, readings, prayer and music, supported by members of Class 6W and Choir.

It will be a recorded online event as public performance guidelines are still in place regarding audiences in school. Pupils and parents will be able to watch the service thorough the link sent out 30 March 2021.

Year 1 have plenty to celebrate this week, well done to Evelyn, Esme, Kian and Aria for becoming JdV students in English.

Mrs Webb
Assistant Head

This week congratulations go to:

1,000,000 words:

• Faris (5F)

Keep up the good reading!

Top Quizzers this week are:

• 3Y  Edward F
• 4M Sam
• 5F  Ro
• 6W George C

Word Wizards this week are:

• 3Y  Maggie
• 4M Grace M
• 5F  Drew
• 6W Amy

Weekly Class battle 12 - 18 March 2021

Well done Class 3Y who claim a first win in a long time!

• 1st place - Class 3Y with   9,376 points
• 2nd place - Class 4M with 5,836 points
• 3rd place - Class 5F with  1,989 points

The players contributing the most points to their class were:

• 1st - Shiv (3Y)
• 2nd - Bryson (4M)
• 3rd - Shayla (3Y)

This week's Playground Conduct award is presented to Zahra (4M) for being a good friend for solving friendship problems.

Lunchtime Supervisors

The following children in Class 2W were awarded Times Table certificates from their co-curricualr timetable club:

• Alex
• Akaal
• Aryaan
• Barnaby
• Edward
• Lewis
• Matthew
• Maximillion
• Maya
• Nora
• Patrick
• Roisin
• Shaylan
• Sophia
• Sophie

Well done to you all.

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 - 19 March 2021

The Reception children enjoyed a super activity with Mrs Olner this afternoon, planting cress heads. Linking into their topic on growing they worked together in their classes to decorate small pots with eyes and a nose before planting cress seeds.  We are going to pop them on the windowsill and wait to see what happens! Lots of lovely taking turns, sharing and waiting patiently too – well done Reception!

Year 1 have enjoyed their learning about the patron saint of Ireland this week as we continued our RE topic of popular and lesser known saints.  From playing a board game to listening to the traditional story and then creating their very own masks, they all enjoyed a fun and interesting lesson.

Today, we celebrated Persian New Year with Kian leading us in some of the traditions and festivities that his family follows at home and back in Persia. 

Following an informative assembly, we had fun decorating eggs which would traditionally be used to decorate the 'haftseen' table. Along with jumping over 'fire' for good luck and banging spoons on saucepans, we now have a much better understanding of their ancient traditions.

Thank you, Kian! 

Class 3Y have recently been learning all about plants and we spent a lovely Wednesday afternoon outside the front of school this week drawing and labelling the plants and trees in the glorious sunshine. 

Spring came to Craft Club this week and we welcomed new arrivals to the fold. Beaky, Feathers, Neon, Cherry, Bobby, Baby-Babs and Bird were created!

The children needed to use accurate cutting, folding and sticking skills to ensure that their origami birds would work.   

They also needed to carefully follow instructions so that each of the folds and construction were done in the right order. I was very impressed with their results.

Class 3Y put lots of love, time and effort into making their Mother's Day cards special.

We hope the 3Y Mums liked their cards and had a lovely Mothering Sunday.

Class 4M have been discussing ways of avoiding single use plastic. Here are some of their ideas that you can try too.

• Say no to straws and lids for drinks - you could also have your own metal straws
• Say no to the hangers when you buy clothes
• Use a picnic hamper
• Carry proper cutlery in your bag if you eat out
• Use a flannel or cloth instead of wipes (wipes have micro plastics in them that get in the sea)
• Use a metal bottle and tap water to drink
• Do not use a plastic bag for fruit and vegetables at the supermarket
• Use proper shopping bags

For more excellent ideas, we have been using this website - run by children for children.

https://www.kidsagainstplastic.co.uk/

Class 5F have been enjoying learning about Shakespeare since we came back to school. They have shown such enthusiasm and interest in the man, the stories, and the characters. I have been impressed by the level of discussion and debate we had this week about Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and how complex their characters are, it was a joy to be part of.

Class 6W have been learning all about the circulatory system. This week they have been designing and making superb board games to reinforce their understanding.

It is rare that I have an opportunity to teach Art but it was so good to see the children showing different skills in different lessons.

Mrs Nelson showed the class a simple but effective origami flower that could be added to a card and then given to their Mum on the Sunday. The concentration was immense as was the creativity that was shown in the different varieties of card created from the same starting point.

For a two or three week period this year we will be focusing on one of the sayings in the 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.

From now until the end of term we will be looking at a very important idea from the Good Citizens section of the Promise:

‘We are honest and tell the truth’

Mr Webb
Head of Pre-Prep

The Year 6 Podcasting team are back with our latest episode! In this jam-packed edition we have jokes, weird but wonderful facts, a school round-up, an interview with the lovely Mrs Webb and not one but TWO amazing competitions! Please click on the web link to listen and watch, and if you see any of our fantastic podcasters around school, let them know what you think!

CS Newsblast

Hope you enjoy. 

Year 6W podcasting club are holding a drawing competition, where you can literally draw whatever you want!

You could draw a house, a castle, a dragon… or if you really want to impress us we are looking for a new logo for our CS Newsblast podcast, that will show on screen when our podcast is playing!

Please give your entries into Mr Adkins or any of the Year 6 Podcaster by Wednesday 21 April, which means you have the whole of the Easter Holidays to finalise and complete your ideas!

There will be fantastic prizes on offer, so good luck and get drawing!

The Year 6 Podcaster.

I am sure at some point you will have heard of Call of Duty (or CoD as it is often referred to) and it is undeniably one of the most successful gaming franchises of all time, especially with children. It does however have a strict PEGI 18+ age restriction, and for some very good reasons!

The most obvious of these is the huge amount of very realistic violence and gore in the game, which really cannot be emphasised enough, is not for the faint-hearted! The game also contains a number of very adult and disturbing themes, such as terrorism, torture and the use of chemical weapons to name but a few. The online multiplayer mode has also come under a lot of flack in the past for its use of foul language and ‘bullying’ of other players by strangers. I have attached a detailed PDF guide that outlines all of this in further detail… but the bottom line is that this really is NOT A GAME FOR CHILDREN and should not be played under any circumstances until they are adults in their own right.

Another risk to watch out for is children’s exposure to the game through watching older siblings play, or more commonly by watching the millions upon millions of videos of others playing the game on Youtube. As I am sure you already do, please keep a careful look out for any videos being viewed on video sharing sites, as ‘computer game violence’ and ‘cartoon violence’ can often sneak through age filters.

If you have any further questions, about this or any other e-safety aspects, please do not hesitate to contact me.

The FoC are inviting children to create an Easter Bonnet to bring into school on Monday 29 March. All designs welcome (an FoC child has already declared plans to use a viking helmet as a basis for theirs!).

Everyone who enters will receive a prize and there will be house points on offer. All being well the school is also hoping to do a parade for the children to share their creations.

FoC is asking for a £2 donation per entry to be paid on the day or preferably transferred electronically.

FoC Committee

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. 

We'd love to introduce you to the new Friends of Crescent team. Supporting the Committee members we have:

Friends of Crescent Facebook Group

We're hoping to announce some exciting initiatives shortly so please join to avoid missing out! 

Nick Brosnan
Friends Of Crescent - Chair  

We will happily accept any of the following Crescent pre-loved uniform:

• School Blazers
• School Coats
• School Cardigans and Jumpers
• School Dresses (winter and summer) and Skirts
• School T-Shirts/Polo Shirts/PE Shorts/Skorts
• School Boaters
• School Bags
• School Tracksuits

Please do not include anything not on the list above e.g trousers, shirts etc. 

Uniform should be put into carrier bags and left by the box outside the main school entrance.  It will then be removed and kept in quarantine ready to be used when safe to do so.

Preloaded uniform enquiries can be made by emailing Vicky on the link below:

Preloved Uniform

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

Lunch Menu - 22 March 2021 

Children are able to have either of the main options.

Olive Catering

Please see below for useful school contact information:

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

Please remember that St Mark's Church have confirmed that parents can use their car park for drop off and collection from school.  It is a large car park and there is a short cut from Church Walk which brings you out onto Bawnmore Court beside the school.

A short walk and a breath of fresh air is excellent at helping children get ready for their morning's learning. 

Crescent School

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. You can protect yourselves by only making payments to us in line with our normal, published methods. Any email offering a large discount on fees for the coming academic year if paid immediately is fraudulent.

There has been no change to the bank details of 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

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.