Dear Parents and Friends of the School

I write to you at the end of a damp and chilly November week, and we feel fully into the new half term already. The nights are certainly drawing in and I am now at that stage of the year when I drive to work in darkness and drive home in the same.

At this time of year there's nothing better than some success on the sports field to light up the way and we've enjoyed quite a bit of that this week, and in what has been an exceptional term. Well done to the U9 boys who came away victorious from the ISA football tournament earlier in the week. Their shiny new trophy will go alongside the U10 boys’ and U10 girls’ trophies from earlier in the term, not to mention the swimmers’ winning trophies from last week as well. I get a feeling there might be a celebratory banner coming up soon to display at the school gate. The children certainly deserve it. 

Maths Week has also proved a great deal of fun. At various times during the week when I have been out and about around the school I have met excited groups of children looking for clues and solving puzzles. This has been a great way to make the subject exciting and challenging and I know the children have really enjoyed taking part. 

Also, on a musical theme, it was wonderful to go over to the Rugby Temple Speech Rooms yesterday to see the wind band playing in a special concert put on for the parents following a day of workshops at Rugby School. A wonderful event in an historic setting. 

With all the normal coming and goings of the Monday to Friday routine in our vibrant school, not to mention two late nights for me at Trustee meetings, it has certainly been a busy old week and I look forward to a little down time over the weekend. In the middle of this busy week it is important not to lose sight of all of those wonderful qualities that make our little school so special and showing prospective parents around the school is always a really good reminder of this. In October and November there are always quite a few people coming to have a look, thinking of September 2024, and they are, almost without exception, bowled over by what they see here.

Have a great weekend everyone. 

Joe Thackway
Headmaster

The Green Team have set a challenge for pupils and teachers to 'Cut Your Carbon' during the month of November. 

This is a National Eco-Schools challenge to educate and asks pupils and their families to take nine simple actions at home to cut their carbon footprint. All pupils will receive an A4 sheet (during their Science lesson) with the actions they can take and guidance on the back. The children should return their sheet by the end of November and the Green Team will work out which class has cut their carbon the most. 

It would be great if you could send in any photos of your child completing one of the nine actions. Please send to Mrs Johnson jacquijohnson@crescentschool.co.uk

Thank you to everyone who entered superhero artwork to raise money for the Children's Air Ambulance last term. It was very hard to choose a winner as there were so many interesting entries, but two entries that stood out for creativity were:

• 'Camembert Crusher' by Edward Melges and Shaylan Patel in 5F
• 'Fox Girl' by Olivia Rose in 2W

Well done!

The Children's Air Ambulance are inviting us to tell them in words, pictures or both, what we think helicopters will look like in the next 10 years. What special features will they have? What will they do? Will they be fuelled by rubbish or piloted by remote control?

To enter the 'Helicopters of the Future' competition you can either download and print an entry form from the charity's website or take a copy from school.

These can either be emailed to the charity directly or returned to Ms Clark, who will scan and email all entries on Friday 24 November - the competition deadline. 

MySchoolPortal

Crescent School

Below is a link to view the Michaelmas Term Calendar.  You should have received a hard copy of this through the post in the summer holidays.

Wind, Brass and Drums players from Years 5 and 6 spent a day at Rugby School at their first Prep Schools Wind Band Day. Along with pupils from three other schools in the area, pupils studied four pieces, all from films: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Home Alone, culminating in a concert for parents at the end of the day.

A superb standard of performance was reached in a short time and it was great experience for all the players.

It’s been Maths Week England this week, and Crescent School has enjoyed joining in this national celebration of the importance of maths. In school all week, pupils have been taking part in exciting maths activities and challenges to help them appreciate how much maths is a part of our everyday lives. They have also discovered that maths can be found all around them and that maths can be an awful lot of fun.

Deputy Head, Ms Forth organised an amazing Interhouse Maths Trail and KS2 pupils put their maths skills to good use as they solve numerical questions and challenges all around the school. Pupils have also been taking part in the Times Table Rock Stars special Maths Week Challenge, there have been maths challenge posters in the Cosy Corner at lunchtimes and then we had plenty of entries for the ‘Maths Is An Art Form’ competition, featuring the magical number 3.

We hope everyone enjoyed finding out that there is far more to maths than just calculations and tests!

We received an email from Rugby Food Bank today thanking us the school for the Harvest Festival donations:

Many thanks for your generous donation to Rugby Foodbank. Your Harvest donation weighed in at 186 kg of food.

Please pass on our gratitude to all your congregation for their generous donations. I have attached a Thank You certificate accordingly for you to circulate or display.

Many thanks and blessings

Thank you to everyone who entered a pumpkin photograph over the holidays - each entry earned 5 house points for their house! There were many fantastic entries but three prep and three Pre-Prep winners had to be chosen, earning 150, 100 or 50 extra points for their houses.

Congratulations to Edward, Sophie and Freddie from Pre-Prep.  Orlaith, Alex B and Zac from Upper School.

Scroll through the photos to see the presentation from Assembly today.

Well done all! 

Monday 20 November 2023

On Monday 20 November, we are encouraging all staff and pupils to wear colourful odd socks to recognise the importance of Anti-Bullying Week 2023. The premise of 'Odd Socks Day' is to celebrate the fact that we are all different and it reinforces our School Promise focus of, 'We respect everyone, and we are celebrate our differences'.

Our form teachers will commit time during their PSHE lesson to discuss what this means for our children, and there will be opportunities in Chit-Chit Tuesday to complete some activities and have a chance to discuss this further.

Odd Socks Day will not be a fundraising day within school but an opportunity for staff and pupils to stand together in solidarity in supporting the importance of promoting inclusivity.

For further information, please check out the website: What is Odd Socks Day? (anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk) We look forward to welcoming your colourful, odd socks!

Monday 20 to Wednesday 22 November 2023

Please take the time to come to our Scholastic Bookfair on Monday 20 to Wednesday 22 November in the Library from 8.15am to 8.40am and 3.30pm to 5.00pm. Please enter through the Main School Entrance.

Take a look at the document below which gives you some ideas of which books will be available:

Bookfair leaflet

If there are any books you would like to buy but you cannot make it in to school, then please complete this form and return it to your child's form teacher or Mrs Webb:

Order form

Most of the classes will have time to look at the books. Your child can then tell you which ones they like and you can come into school to buy them, you can pay for them in school with cash or card. Some books may need to be ordered but they will arrive usually with a week.

Thank you to the FOC for helping to run this event.

Mrs Webb
Assistant Head

Friday 1 December 2023

Children will be decorating the school for Christmas on Friday 1 December and they are able to wear a festive accessory with their school uniform such as a Christmas hat, hair accessory or tinsel.

Children must also have their art aprons in school.

It is a day the children look forward to every year and you will be able to see see their work at our Christmas Open Corridors.

We love sharing Christmas cards here at Crescent School but we ask that all cards are put in our special Christmas postbox which we will situate near the pupil entrance from Monday 4 December.

All cards must be in before Friday 15 December so they can be sorted by the Year 6 elves and handed out to pupils before the end of term.

Please remember to include the full name of the child and form on the envelope.

Thank you

Mrs Webb
Assistant Head

Monday 4 December 2023 - 4.00pm to 5.00pm

I am delighted to invite you to the LAMDA showcase on Monday 4 December from 4.00pm to 5.00pm.  Children will be performing their pieces of prose and poetry they have been working on in lessons.

Tickets can be booked below, two per family.

 LAMDA Showcase Years 3 and 4 Tickets

I hope you can attend and am looking forward to seeing you there. 

Wednesday 6 December 2023 - 3.45pm to 4.15pm

Following Christmas Art Day, we will have our Open Corridors event where we will share with you all the great work that we have been doing in school.

Please collect your child before entering through the front door where you will be welcomed in to look at all the great work in school from 3.45pm. Years 5 and 6 will be dismissed through the pupil door.  Entry and exit will only be through the front doors. Last entry is at 3.55pm.  

If your child is in a Co-curricular club then they will be expected to attend unless you arrange otherwise. Parking will not be available on the playground due to lessons.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Wednesday 6 December 2023 - 9.20am to 10.05am

Parents and Grandparents are invited to our Reception and Year 1 Classes Nativity performance of Twinkly Nativity.

A lot of hard work goes into the rehearsals, learning the songs, memorising lines, sorting out costumes and scenery and what a spectacle it is all going to be.

Refreshments will be available from 8.45am in the Library, staff will be busy setting up the hall, therefore please do not arrive before this time. 

We are able to offer each family three tickets for the performance. Booking closes Friday 3 December 2023:

Please book here:

Twinkly Nativity 

Tuesday 12 December - 9.10am

Parents of the children in Year 2 are invited to share in a performance of poetry, music and readings to celebrate the Christmas festivities.

You are welcome to come into school for light refreshments from 8.45am and the performance will start at 9.10am. 

Tickets can be booked below - 2 per family.  Booking closes Friday 3 December 2023:

Christmas Cracker Tickets 

Mr Webb, Mrs Emery, Mrs Barnes and Miss Bowdige

Thursday 14 December 2023 - 6.15pm to 7.45pm

This year we will again hold our Christmas Carol Service at Princethorpe College in Our Lady of the Angels Chapel. Please join us for a wonderful evening of carols, readings and re-telling of the Christmas story.

All children in Years 3-6 are required to attend. Please request permission from Mr Thackway (by emailing admin@crescentschool.co.uk) if your child is unable to attend for any reason. 

Please book tickets via the link below, we are limited to one ticket per family due to fire regulation safety.  If you do requre an extra ticket, please email admin@crescentschool.co.uk and we will hold a reserve list.  Priority will be given to Year 6 as it is their last year.

Carol Service Tickets

Wednesday 20 December 2023

Our Christmas Jumper Day this year will be on Wednesday 20 December 2023. On that day, children should wear normal school uniform, but instead of their green pullover/cardigan, they can wear a Christmas jumper, if they wish.

We invite you to make a voluntary contribution of £1 to wear a festive jumper, which is in aid of Children's Air Ambulance.

Ms Clark

This week sees the start of children beginning to achieve full Junior da Vinci student awards. This is when a child has been awarded a mastery, practice and creativity strand in one subject.

It is a real achievement which they should be exceptionally proud of, particularly this early in the school year.

This week's students are:

• Felicity and Ria in 3SS in Mathematics
• Sam B in 6W in Music

Great work everyone!

Mrs Symons
JdV Lead

So far 100,000 words have been achieved by:

• Kiki, Jahnavi and Uma in 3LS
• Henry, Alice and now Felicity in 3SS

A great achievement.

Congratulations to all our fabulous readers:

Top Quizzers are:

• 3LS - Fernami
• 3SS - Klara
• 4C - Mithun
• 5F - Nora
• 6W - Leela

Word Wizards are:

• 3LS - Kiki
• 3SS - Eve
• 4C - Theo Mc
• 5F - Toni
• 6W - Alex T

Mrs Nelson
Teaching Assistant

Reading certificates have, this week, been awarded to:

• Alex K
• Hannah
• Jed
• Kiaan
• Mikael
• Oscar 

Well done to you all.

It is always an exciting time for the children when they gain their pen licence, enabling them to make the move from writing in pencil to pen.

For this rite of passage, the children have to show that they can write neatly and consistently in cursive, joined handwriting in all of their work, not just handwriting tasks.

The following children have shown pride in their presentation of all of their learning tasks and have been awarded a Pen Licence and their first handwriting pen.

• Anaya
• Elliott
• Florence
• Gwen 

Well done!

Well done to this week's Artistand Scientists of the Week:

Artists

• Grace 6W - Excellent observational sketches

• James 6W - Excellent understanding of proportions

• Darius 6W - A carefully observed life study of a figure in action

• Dudley 3LS - A beautifully sketched bird drawing

• Dare 3LS - A fun design idea for a print

• Thomas 4C - Excellent painting skills and lovely choice of colour

• Aryaan 5F - Effective use of complementary colours

• Barnaby 5F - Beautifully painted and lovely range of colours

Mrs Thackway
Head of Art

• Darius
• Shayla
• Oliver
• Maggie
• Sam O 

Most improved speedsters in the studio are:

5F - Matthew - Rock Hero - average speed per question- 0.95 seconds!

England Rocks closed at 19.30 Thursday 16 November - Results will follow next week. Thank you to all those who added some points to the Crescent pot.

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

Stay Calm and Rock on!!

In maths we have revisited number formation and identified missing numbers in simple sequences. We have practised counting amounts to secure 1:1 correspondence. We have introduced time and ordered the days of the week.

In maths we will be securing counting with 1:1 correspondence. We will continue to learn about time and match routines to times of the day.

In phonics we have practised:

ch   sh   th  ng  ai  ee  igh

How to help your child at home…

• Practise counting, clarify the value of ten in teen numbers
• Encourage the children to write phone numbers or football scores to reinforce number formation
• Practise sounds that have been introduced in class – see if they can be found in books you share
• Write birthday cards and invitations
• Practise lines for the nativity using a loud, clear voice

The children only need to wear either their school blazer or black coat to school, not both. Please make sure all uniform is named including scarves and gloves.

Show and tell on Friday is a highlight of the week and a wonderful opportunity for children to practice speaking and listening skills. Please ensure that what they bring to school is appropriate for sharing and that the children can talk about it with their peers.

This week we made the most of Storm Debi and explored and experimented with wonderful wind! We started the session by enjoying a peaceful, reflective moment when we lay on the ground and watched the clouds and observed just how quickly they were moving, discussing what colours they were and what these colours might mean for the weather. The children were fascinated by the clouds and used their imaginations to find dragons, dogs and rockets.

Next we used paper plates to explore wind direction and investigate how wind exerts force. Does the force feel strong? How is it different if you hold the plate at a different angle? What happens if we let them go? How far do they go and in which direction? Lots of fun was had chasing around after our plates.

The children then had the option to continue to measure wind direction and strength by making ribbon sticks. We attached paper ribbons and wool to a stick, practicing our fine motor skills by tying a basic knot, cutting and sticking. The children loved to see their colourful creations flying like a windsock. 

In addition to all this fun, there may have been some wonderful exploding lavender volcanoes! Whatever the weather we will be out enjoying and learning from nature in Forest School.

In 1Q this week, we have been very keen on taking part in our maths activities to celebrate Maths Week. In class, we have been looking at the value of teen numbers using various resources such as coins, cubes and diens to represent our numbers. We also took part in the maths trail across the school which we were extremely excited about.

We have finished off our materials topic by looking at which of the materials we have named and identified can be recycled. We learnt how a recycling plant works, designed our own recycling logos and all took part in tidying up the classroom floor from all the rubbish that had been dropped. Clothes, food waste, shampoo bottles, glass jars, newspapers etc all had to be put into the correct recycling bin. 

Great application of our learning about materials. 

1Q have been learning the vocabulary for pets in their French lessons. Here they are doing a jigsaw word activity with the language and pictures studied. Congratulations to Aydin’s group who were the first to complete the challenge.

Year 2 have moved on to an exciting unit on dance in their PE lessons. They are using the theme of space to explore interesting and imaginative ways of moving and expressing themselves, using music and drama to create exciting routines. As you can see 2E really enjoyed their 'blast-off' astronaut training!

Year 2 studied The Gunpowder Plot in their recent music lessons and learned three new songs. One song, Remember, Remember The Fifth Of November, had a percussion accompaniment which they learned to play.

We have been thinking about our digital well-being as part of our physical and mental health. We discussed how much time on a screen we thought was the right amount of time and how too much can make us tired and a bit grumpy. We thought about some of the other things we like to do as well as technology to maintain our overall wellbeing.  

We have been learning about the Jewish Sabbath day, Shabbat, from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. We looked at important articles to put on the table, discussing the kiddush cup, Shabbat candlesticks and challah bread. The children then enjoyed making their own bread to support their learning.  

Class 2W played a strategic maths games where they aimed to get three coloured counters in a row. They had to add two dice before putting a counter on the total number on a grid.  There were some fabulous explanations of what could happen, understanding that if the first dice was a 2 it was impossible to now get the target number of 9.

At Crescent school and across the entire Princethorpe Foundation one of our key aims is help our pupils develop into Digital Citizens; young adults who can use a wide range of online digital tools creatively, constructively, safely and of course, happily. As part of this, Friday 17 November saw our very first foundation-wide 'Digital Wellbeing Day' celebrated across all three schools.

During the school day, pupils have had sessions focusing on how we can really take care of ourselves in the online world, examining and discussing key issues such as screen time, online addiction, social media peer-pressure and many more.

We would absolutely love for you now to continue this discussion and conversation at home with your children! There are a whole host of fantastic websites and online resources for getting started with this, so please take a look at the guides and the weblinks below!

If it's not something you already do, could you have a family digital detox day? Or spend some time creating a list of the fun things you do or would love to do that don't involve digital devices and screen time?

If you would like any further information on any of this, or would like to share any of the super activities you have been up to, please do get in touch!

Well done to the Year 3 and 4 girls who travelled to Stoneygate for their hockey fixture on Thursday.

The girls all worked hard and lots of goals and fun was had in the fast-paced games. 

Crescent made the journey to Walsall Baths on Thursday 9 November to compete in the Independent Schools’ Association’s Midlands Junior Swimming Gala. Success at the Regional event would qualify pupils for the ISA National Championships due to take place on Friday 1 December in London at the Olympic Aquatics Centre.

The children swam 25m in the pool and the races included both individual events and team relays. Crescent's pupils showed great confidence, teamwork and skill at the gala. A number had swum before and showed their progress through their much improved finishing positions and personal best times. For others this was their very first experience of a competitive gala, but as always Crescent School's pupils encouraged each other, from the start through to the finish of every single race.

Competing against 32 schools it quickly became clear that Crescent were one of the dominant schools with both the Year 5 Girls and Year 5 Boys teams taking top spot and three pupils qualifying to swim in the National Championships.

There were fantastic performances from all of our swimmers but particular mentions go to:

Zac J - 1st Year 5 Boys 25m Backstroke
Sophie G - 1st Year 5 Girls 25m Freestyle
Roisin B - 2nd Year 6 Girls 25m Breaststroke
Thomas B - 3rd Year 4 Boys 25m Freestyle
Joshua J - 3rd place Year 4 Boys 25m Backstroke
Maxi E - 4th place Year 5 Boys 25m Freestyle
Evelyn H - 4th place Year 4 Girls 25m Breaststroke
Alex G - 6th place Year 6 Boys 25m Backstroke
Zac J - 6th place Year 6 Boys 25m Butterfly
Matthew L - 6th place Year 5 Boys 25m Breaststroke
Nora V - 6th place Year 5 Girls 25m Breaststroke
Harry R - 7th place Year Boys Breaststroke
Isabella J - 8th place Year 4 Girls 25m Backstroke

Year 4 Boys Relay 1st place - Thomas B, Harry R, Joshua J and Oliver B
Year 5 Boys Relay 2nd place Zac J, Lewis H, Maxi E and Matthew L
Year 5 Girls Relay 5th place - Sophie G, Sophia K, Ming Yi W and Nora V
Year 6 Girls Relay 8th Place - Roisin B, Maisie T, Sofie M and Hattie L

Zac J, Sophie G and Thomas B have qualified for the National Finals where they will swim for the Midlands team. Zac will compete in the Year 5 Boys 25m Backstroke and the Year 5 Boys Freestyle Relay team, Sophie will swim in the Year 5 Girls 25m Freestyle and the Year 5 Girls Freestyle Relay team while Thomas will swim the Year 4 Boys Freestyle Relay team. Many congratulations to them all and a huge well done to all of Crescent’s swimmers.

Our combined U8/9s boys side had a fantastic trip to a very sunny Repton last Saturday morning, with the atmosphere and the skill on the pitch matching the weather perfectly.

Crescent began the festival with two very even and hard-fought 2-2 draws against strong Fairfield and Packwood sides, before playing our best football of the day to beat the hosts Repton Prep 1-0. The final games against Crackley and Hallfield saw two more 2-2 draws, again played with real determination, skill and resilience.

A huge well done to the entire squad of players, particularly our own Tomisin who was unanimously voted as player of the festival by all of the team's coaches, a super accolade!  

Mr Adkins & Mrs McCollin

To say that the U9 boys had been looking forward to this ISA Tournament for quite some time would be an understatement... and they certainly made it worth their wait!

Playing quick, skilful and above all clever football, they really looked like champions from start to finish. The Crescent squad came away unbeaten with eight wins and one draw from their nine games, clear leaders at the top of the league and with a massive +42 goal difference on the day.

Joint players of the tournament, as chosen by all of the team's coaches were Thomas for his outstanding defensive work and composure on the ball, and Tomisin for his incredible finishing. Huge congratulations to the whole squad!

Mr Adkins & Mrs Calder

Wednesday 29 November 2023 - 7.00pm

Following our parent survey last year there was a real appetite for a Christmas Craft Evening, so this year we are delighted to invite parents, grandparents (and their friends!) to start the festive season by making a willow wreath. 

The event takes place on Wednesday 29 November at 7.00pm. Tickets cost £35 per person and include the making of the wreath, a glass of mulled wine and a festive snack. We are limited to 50 tickets so snap them up soon 

https://app.classlist.com/events/#/events/view/1040101010

The Salvation Army are looking for donations of new toys and gifts to provide to families who are struggling to afford basics let alone luxuries this Christmas and once again we are proud to support them. 

If you are able, please drop off any donation gifts at school from Monday 27 November to Thursday 7 December.

Please send all items unwrapped. This helps the SA choose the right items for each family and children. The gifts are then wrapped by the SA volunteers. Or often they provide wrapping paper to parents to do it themselves, so they can be part of the Christmas experience they’re struggling to provide for their family.

Gifts can be for any age range 0-16 years, see below for details and ideas.

Suggested Gift List for Children and Young People

We believe every child deserves a new gift at Christmas so we are unable to take used or second hand items for the Christmas Present Appeal.

0-3 years: dolls, teddy bears, cot mobiles, baby clothes, bath toys, CDs of suitable music and nursery rhymes, puzzles

3-5: dolls and action figures, cars, lorries, DVDs and CDs (music and nursery rhymes), colouring sets, pencils, crayons, books, puzzles

5-9: educational games & toys, stationery (colouring sets, pencils, crayons, school sets), CDs & family friendly DVDs, books, puzzles, wordsearch, crosswords

9-12: games and toys, stationery, DVDs, books, t-shirts, hair accessories, gloves, scarves, hats

13-16: books, make-up and toiletries (please try to ensure non-allergic ingredients if possible), gloves, scarves, hats, t-shirts, hair accessories and gift vouchers

Friday 8 December 2023

We look forward to welcoming parents and children to the Christmas Bazaar on Friday 8 December 2023.

Tickets are available until 6pm on Wednesday 6 December and cost £5 per child which will include a game card and entry into the Bazaar. We will have the usual selection of games for the children to play. Once they have secured at least six stamps on their game card there will be a prize to collect. There will also be a selection of hot and cold snacks and drinks to purchase. 

Tickets can be purchased using the following link:

Christmas Bazaar Tickets

As stated in last week's Courier all raffle proceeds will support the school fundraising for the Children's Air Ambulance which leads me on to my usual plea for donations for the raffle and tombola! As always we appreciate that it is a busy time of year so we are hugely grateful for anything that people can give. 

For the raffle we'd appreciate the usual donations of wine, chocolates, biscuits and toys etc, but we'd also love some higher value items such as vouchers for local cafes or shops.

For the tombola we need small items such as pens, games, Lego sets, toys, craft items, sweets, chocolate bars, cuddly toys etc.

We are accepting donations from 27 November and the cut-off is 7 December.

Friends of Crescent 

Please see below for useful school contact information:

Uniform can be ordered here:

Uniform Order Form

Please note the following items are stocked in the School Office and can be added to your account. Do pop in to collect any items.

• Winter hats
• Scarves
• Gloves
• Ties
• Swimming hats
• Sports socks
• Hair bands
• Hair scrunchies
• Hair clips
• Sun hats
• Music group badges - Choir, Orchestra, String and Brass 

School Uniform Shop 
Tel: 01926 634272
Email: uniform@princethorpe.co.uk

Click here to view the term dates for 2023/24 and 2024/25.

Crescent School

The Foundation has the following vacancies:

Princethorpe College

• Learning Support Assistant
• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Casual Estates Assistant

Crescent School

• Teaching Assistant Key Stage 2
• Lunchtime Supervisor

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.