The Courier

Dear Parents

It has been a full week of INSET training here at the school, with the teachers and staff preparing in various different ways for the exciting term that lies ahead of us. It is a year of new beginnings in many ways, with the new Horton Centre ready to go from Monday morning, following a summer of  building work and refurbishment, preparing the space for the Year 2 class that will begin there on Monday as well as afterschool, music and drama which will be housed in the other main rooms.

Alongside this major project, we have had a new roof installed on the Mortimer Suite that adjoins the Reception classrooms, which floods light into the space and richly enhances an already important learning area for the youngest children.

I look forward to the opportunity of inviting parents in to see these facilities in the near future. Look out in our communications for dates and details.

We have also been launching our new whole school objective around growth mindset, with inspiring presentations from both in-house teachers as well as from Mr. John Medlicott, a visiting expert who ran a workshop for all teaching staff on Thursday. We have plans to run similar workshops for children and parents later in the school year, which I hope you will want to get involved with and support your children as they develop the learner profile that will enable them to thrive in their education.

However, the main focus for the preparations always has to be the first day, the first week and the first half term and welcoming the children back into school. I know that there will be some nervous children over the weekend with natural anxiety about either their very first day in school, or their return after a lovely long summer break. Please reassure your children that we are all ready and raring to go and the staff will make every effort to make you and your child feel welcome on the return. Books have been labelled, pegs have got names on them, display boards have lovely welcome messages and all we need now is for the children to arrive and we will have our school back up and running.

Have a great weekend everyone and I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday. All children should arrive by the side gate on the school field as I mentioned in my letter last week. One small amendment to that letter was that dismissal for Year 5 and 6 at the end of the day will be from the front of school rather than the field side to ease congestion in that area.

With very best wishes

Joe Thackway
Headmaster

Important information for parents

From the beginning of term our after-school provision will be based at the newly refurbished Horton Centre. This provides an excellent location for this facility and will enable children to complete homework and reading assignments in a peaceful and calm area of the school. We also now have two double doors that lead directly from the after-school room to the playground which can be used later in the afternoons when homework has been completed.

We have planned to install an electronically controlled entrance gate next to the car park that will allow parents to be buzzed through, using an intercom and camera system. However, there have been some problems with the manufacture of this new door and hence this is not yet in place and is unlikely to be installed before the end of this month.

For that reason, we are introducing a temporary system for collection from after school that will run as follows:

• Parents or guardians who want to collect their child should go to the side gate next to the field
• Parents should then call the after-school number 07467 488440 on their mobile phone. This number will also be on the parent notice board
• Your child will then be brought to you at the gate for safe hand over

This system well ensure that all of the children are kept safely within the school site at all times and only handed over to parents or guardians when closely supervised by a responsible adult. As soon as the new gate is installed, I will communicate with parents again to clearly outline the new procedures that we will put in place at that point.

Please find below to view the Weekly School Calendar.  

Weekly Calendar - 6 September 2021

After School provision can be booked through My School Portal:

MySchoolPortal 

Crescent School

Our resident modern foreign language teacher, Madame Claire Tatton, will be leaving us at the end of the current term. Claire has been with us for two years teaching French and Spanish to the children with great energy and enthusiasm and I know she will be much missed. Claire is moving to a new job at Fairfield School in Loughborough, a move that will bring her much closer to her home and reduce the significant amount of commuting that she currently has to do.

We have already begun the process of seeking a suitable replacement and hope to announce a new teacher in this important curriculum area before the half term break. In the meantime, we wish Claire all the very best in her new school when the time comes for her to move on.

The new school sports/sun cap has arrived in school and doesn't it look great!  This will be sold alongside the Fisherman's Hat and the phased out Legionnaire's Cap with the flap to cover the neck.

There is a limited supply of the new cap in the school office.  Please email Mrs Tucker if you would like one.

Crescent School

Please ensure that you wait with your child(ren) at drop off until the school's opening at 8.15am.  It is only at this time that school becomes responsible for all children's safe care. Before this time it is a parental duty.

Please note, however, that all children can be brought to the front door at any time from 7.45am - 8.15am where they will be welcomed and looked after by our Early Bird staff as appropriate for their age. This does not need to be booked in advance.

The end of the school day for Reception class is at 3.30pm and collection should be from the Pre-Prep entrance alongside the field.

For the rest of the school, the day finishes at 3.45pm and collection for Year 1 is from the Pre-Prep entrance, for Years 2, 3  and 4 from the main pupil door, and for Year 5 and 6 from the front of school. 

Also please let the school office and/or your child's form teacher know if someone else will be collecting your child at the end of the day. We cannot release pupils without this information.

Many thanks

We hope that you have all had a great summer of reading.

Quizzing this term for Years 3 - 6 will only be available in school. The children are welcome to pop along to the IT suite between 0815 and 0845 any morning and quiz. This will be open from Tuesday 7 September.

I know the children will have hopefully read many books, but I recommend that they only quiz on the last two that they have read from the summer, it is not a memory test or a competition. Thank you for your support with this.

There will be an online information session for our Online platforms in both Pre-prep and upper school, the week of 13 September, more information will follow.

Co-curricular clubs start this week apart from Reception Yoga, Before School Yoga and Cookery. We are very excited with the new clubs we have starting and look forward to seeing the children enjoying another aspect of school life.

I am sure that you will have enjoyed reading this over the summer. If you have not quite finished it, please make sure that it is completed by the first day of term so we can start work from it immediately. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it.

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.

This week’s promise is an excellent one to start the year with and is in the category of Good Friends:

‘We are kind to each other’ 

Please click below to view the lunch menu: 

Lunch Menu - 6 September 2021

Please note children are able to choose either of the two main lunch options.  

Olive Catering

Please see below for useful school contact information:

Please find below term dates for 2021/22 and 2022/23:

The Foundation has the following vacancies:

• Lunchtime Supervisors - Crescent School
• Estates Assistant - Princethorpe College

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.