The Courier

Please click on the link below to view the weekly calendar.  This details all the co-curricular clubs running, fixtures and additional information.

There is no Drama Club after school on Thursday for the remainder of this term.

Weekly Calendar Week Commencing 25 June

Crescent School

We have recently had increasing safeguarding concerns that children of all ages have been left unsupervised at the pupil entrance door for some time in advance of 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.

We are all very much looking forward to our two sports days next week:

Classes I - VI on Monday afternoon
Pathfinders and Reception on Tuesday afternoon

Looking ahead at the forecast it seems that we may well have good weather. With this in mind please ensure that your child(ren) comes to school with:

• suncream applied before school
• a school sunhat
• a drinks bottle of water

Classes I to VI pupils are to wear PE kit to School on Monday. 

Sports days are always very much anticipated by the children and really enjoyable for all involved. Spectators play a huge part in this and we hope to see many of you cheering on the children.

We are excited about our Reception outing to Stratford Butterfly Farm on Thursday and Classes I and II trip to Warwick Castle on Friday next week.

At this stage, the weather looks like it will be hot so please make sure that children have the following:

• Sun cream applied at home before coming to school
• A school boater/sunhat and normal summer uniform (blazers/coats not required)
• A disposable, pocket sized non-fizzy drink and snack. School will provide a packed lunch.
• In addition, Classes I & II children only will need a small, manageable backpack for the day. Please don't allow them to bring toys, it's just for carrying their lunch.

There is no need for Reading Folders on these days.

Many thanks

On Tuesday 19 June Class V visited Princethorpe College for a dedicated Crescent taster day.  Organised and hosted by the College’s Admissions Team the day provided the children with an early opportunity to experience life at the Foundation’s senior school.  Pupils were involved in a number of different classroom lessons; including Geography, History, RS, Maths and Drama.  They also had a tour of the school, lunch in the Sixth Form Dining Room and participated in other activities including a special question and answer pupil panel with a number of Sixth Formers who were former Crescent pupils.

Comments Registrar, Mrs Vanessa Rooney, “The taster day is all about the children experiencing a day at senior school and becoming familiar with a big school environment. We know the prospect of the move into Year 7 can be a bit daunting for many children and hopefully this experience will go a long way to allaying any nerves they might have.”

We caught up with the children towards the end of their day and it was clear they had all enjoyed themselves.  Harry had found Geography interesting, commenting, “I liked finding places on the map.” Jayden and Kyle had built 3D castles in History, Kyle said, “My castle even had a working drawbridge.”

Parents are reminded that Crescent School children are not automatically entered for Princethorpe’s Entrance Examinations.  Those wishing to apply for September 2019 entry must complete a registration form by Friday 5 October and the Entrance Examinations take place on Saturday 10 November.  If you have any queries relating to the admissions process please contact Vanessa Rooney on 01926 634201 or email admissions@princethorpe.co.uk

Last Saturday 13 members of Crescent School Choir returned to Coventry Cathedral to sing in a concert with Coventry Cathedral Chorus. Accompanied by professional string players and string pupils from Warwick School, piano duet, organ and percussion, they participated in a performance of 'St Nicolas' by Benjamin Britten, which chronicles the life of the 4th century saint who is now better known as Santa Claus!

Along with pupils from Coventry primary schools, Crescent pupils sang with the adult Chorus in several movements of the hour-long work. They were also able to listen to two works in the first half of the concert which featured the Cathedral Boy Choristers and a tenor soloist and was accompanied by brass, organ and percussion.

Julie Barnes, Director of Music at Crescent School, said “We are very privileged to have been part of this concert and to perform alongside professional musicians. The pupils worked hard and acquitted themselves very well indeed. I am very proud of the high standard of singing they managed to achieve.”

On Monday morning the violin pupils at Crescent School held a concert for their parents. All pupils performed a solo piece each and at the end of the concert the String Group performed four pieces together, arranged in three part harmony.

The hall was filled with excitement and all of the pupils came away smiling, feeling proud of their achievements. For many of them, this was their very first performance and it was great to see and hear our young violinists play with such enthusiasm and confidence.

Thank you to those of you who were able to come along to support the children and for encouraging your child in their practise and development.

Well done one and all!

Yesterday, Thursday 21 June, the Crescent School’s Reception Class had a very special visitor.  Mrs Kathryn Wright, a Veterinary Nurse from Medivet The Vets in Kenilworth, and Mum to Crescent pupils Oliver and James, visited the children to talk about her job caring for animals.

This term the children have been learning all about ‘growing and changing’ and in the ‘role play’ area they have created their own veterinary surgery.  Mrs Wright had previously kindly provided some veterinary supplies and the children have very much enjoyed nursing their sick animals.

She began by talking to the children, she explained what a veterinary nurse is and told them all about the sorts of animals she looks after.  She asked the children what different sorts of pets they had and then explained how vets help sick animals get better.  The children were fascinated, they sat still, engaged and full of questions.

It was then time for a practical session.  The children delightedly reached for their poorly 'toy' animals, old favourites missing an ear here and eye there that they had brought in from home and in turn each child had the chance to bandage their toy, to listen to their heartbeats through the stethoscope and to take their temperatures.

Reception Teacher, Claire Pullen, commented, "We are incredibly grateful to Mrs Wright for coming into school, visitors from the community are so valuable, they help put learning into context for the children and really enhance the curriculum.  They have all been so excited."

It has been a great year for reading and the children are still enjoying books.

Please can all school reading books for Classes III - VI be back in school by Wednesday 4 July.  Over the summer we like to do an audit, checking that we have a good range across the year groups.  Please check under beds, on shelves and in bags and send them into your form tutor.

Thank you for all your continued support with reading out of school, keep it up over the summer, it can be a good time to visit your local library and bookshops.

This Sunday 24 June from 2.00pm to 4.30pm Princethorpe College PTA is holding its traditional Summer Fête.  Crescent School families are warmly invited to come and enjoy a lovely afternoon out.

At the fête there will be lots of entertainment for both children and adults alike, including Zorbing, a BBQ, refreshments, bar, plenty of different stalls to explore, a raffle, competitions to enter and many, many more exciting activities for all the family to enjoy.

The fête includes the College’s 23rd annual Motoring Festival with classic, vintage, veteran or interesting vehicles all on show.  Fête visitors can also enjoy the College’s Summer Art, Design and Photography Show, showcasing the work of its talented GCSE and A-level pupils and, for those not wanting to miss the big sporting event of the day, the school will be showing the England World Cup match.

We do hope that you are able to come along to this fun, family event.

Sports Day takes place on Monday 25 June at The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Centre in Rugby.  Children from Class I through to Class VI will compete in track and field events representing their House.  The event starts at 2.00pm and parents are invited to come and watch. 

Saturday 29 September 2018

This year the Crescent School celebrates 70 years since it was formally founded back in 1948. 70th anniversary celebrations are planned for the Michaelmas Term when the school will also officially mark 30 years at its current site. On Saturday 29 September the school will open its doors and welcome pupils past and present back into school to celebrate its double anniversary. It will be a fantastic opportunity for people to come and see their old school and to catch up with old friends. There will be tours, displays, activities, the school choir will sing, the Bilton Silver Band will play and there will be refreshments available.

Do put the date in your diary and do encourage any Old Crescentians you know to get back in touch with the school and to come and join in the celebrations.

The school has created a Facebook Group the Old Crescentians which can be found here: www.facebook.com/groups/oldcrescentians to help connect past pupils. If there are any past pupils who do not have Facebook, they can email pastpupils@crescentschool.co.uk or contact the main office on 01788 521595.

It has been a wonderful 70 years for the Crescent School. 

Congratulations goes to the following pupils who have received their first Junior da Vinci:

• Arabella Dugmosh in Geography
• Ella Knight in English

A big well done to these children for gaining another Junior da Vinci status making them double da Vinci Students:

• Freya Somerset in Science
• Oliver Bell in Maths

Well done to you all.

• 500,000 words have been read by Isaac Nelson and Kaitlin Gray 
• 1,000,000 words have been read by Isla Barrack
• 2,000,000 words have been read by James Wright

Following on from learning how to classify animals, Class 1 pupils focused on fish and had great fun examining the teeth, gills, fins and scales of a real herring and rainbow trout. Accurate comparisons were made and differences identified.

The National ISA Athletics Final took place at the Alexander Stadium on Tuesday 19 June.  Three Crescent pupils took part representing the Midlands at the National event having won the ISA Regional title the week before.  An amazing achievement for all three students.

Following in the footsteps of some world famous athletes, including Usain Bolt and Jessica Ennis who have both competed in stadium, the students composed themselves well and went out to be the best that they could be.

It was a great day for all, with personal bests achieved by both Olivia Monk in the 75m sprint, she finished 4th in a time of 11.76 seconds and Oliver Bell who improved his PB from the qualifying rounds by 10cm to jump 3.98m finishing in 5th place.  Fin Calder could not quite reach his personal best height in high jump but finished in a fantastic 6th place in the country.

Our students conducted themselves wonderfully showing fantastic sportsmanship towards other competitors and support for each other. A very proud day.

In total this year's Summer Fete raised over £2,100 and after we remove the costs of the donkeys, inflatables, prizes etc. we have raised £1,500 for the school. This is a tremendous amount of money and a massive thank you goes to all my wonderful FoC parents and Grandparents who tirelessly help to put on all our events and especially the Summer Fete and Christmas Bazaar. You really are an amazing group of people. We are saying goodbye to Karen Louch, Nicola Bentley and to Claire Pinks from the committee as their children leave the school. I really appreciate how you have all thrown yourself into the committee. You are going to all be sorely missed.

In total this academic year we have

• put on a Draycote water sponsored walk in aid of the Guide Dogs,
• 7 market days raising over £1000 in cake alone,
• 2 movie nights,
• Parents Quiz night,
• Christmas Bazaar,
• Parents Christmas Party,
• Mothers Day and Fathers Day craft activity,
• Christmas cards, mugs and coasters,
• Show Us Your Talent Show,
• Children's Disco
• and the Summer Fete.

In total this has raised over £6,000 and in addition we've raised £1,685 for the Guide Dog association. Wow what a year. I've been asked what we will be looking to spend this money on going forward. Over £2000 has already gone back into school buying games, toys, crafts etc. for privilege time plus we have purchased equipment for Happy Playtimes. We are also looking into an initiative to purchase benches for the playground too and I'll update on this when we have further information.

As you are reading this the Summer Fete will be coming to a close and our year of FoC work is done.

A massive thank you to all my wonderful FoC parents and Grandparents who tirelessly help to put on all our events and especially the Summer Fete and Christmas Bazaar. You really are an amazing group of people.

We are saying goodbye to Karen Louch, Nicola Bentley and to Claire Pinks from the committee as their children leave the school. I really appreciate how you have all thrown yourself into the committee. You are going to all be sorely missed.

Looking forward to September we have the following dates already in the calendar:

• FoC meeting - Monday 10 September
• Class VI market day - Friday 21 September
• Class V market day - Friday 12 October
• Parents Quiz night - Friday 12 October
• FoC meeting - Monday 12 November
• Movie night - Friday 16 November
• Christmas Bazaar - Friday 7 December
• Parents Christmas Party - Friday 14 December
• Class IV market day - Friday 14 December

Next week I will publish an update of what profit we made from the Summer Fete as well as our total for the academic year.

Please click on the link below to view the upcoming lunch menu: 

Crescent Menu Week Commencing 25 June

Crescent School Office

Please see attachements below for details of holiday clubs that are running over the Summer holidays:

Fun Summer Camp

JKM Swim School

KA Kits Academy

Musicmania Summer

RCCC Summer Cricket Course

We are looking to recruit an IT Apprentice, at Level 3, to join the busy Foundation IT department, to start by August 2018, although later starts will be considered for the right candidate. They will report to the Assistant Head (Director of Digital Strategy) and will be based in Princethorpe College with some duties at the Foundation feeder schools, Crackley Hall School in Kenilworth and Crescent School in Rugby.

The candidate will be a member of the IT Service Desk team providing a front-line service to staff across all three schools and for pupils in the College.

The role would provide the successful candidate with an inside view of the workings and the organisation of a multisite network, implementation procedures of new hardware/software, including expansion and development of existing and new IT services. They will have responsibility for the first point of contact on the ICT helpdesk with all users.

Interested candidates will have good communication and organisational skills, as well as the ability to work on their own and as part of a team. They will be studying an IT related Apprenticeship at level three or four. Likely courses are IT, Software and Telecoms Professionals, IT Application Specialist or Infrastructure Technician, although this list is not exhaustive. Training for the Apprenticeship will be on day release at Warwickshire College, who are the training service provider for the Apprenticeship.

An IT Apprenticeship will enable the successful candidate to gain hands on experience; they will be trained to provide support to users on various levels, from toner replacements, stock checks and Audio Visual setups, to supporting end users with any technical and software queries.

Candidates are welcome to discuss the Apprenticeship courses in more detail with Emma Rogers, Worked-based Learning Manager, Warwickshire College Group on 01788 863230.

Single person accommodation on site may be available.

This is an excellent opportunity to join the fast growing Foundation that values its staff and offers a rewarding benefits package including discounted places for staff, a pension scheme, child care vouchers and a cycle to work scheme.

Application: To apply for this vacancy applicants must submit a Princethorpe College application form, together with a CV and covering letter detailing your personal qualities, experience and how you meet the person specification for the role. Applicants must ensure the application form is fully completed, including a detailed career history with specific dates.

Closing date: Wednesday 27 June at 9.00am, with interviews likely to be held on Tuesday 3 July at Princethorpe College.

Further details and an application form are available from the College website www.princethorpe.co.uk/employment-opportunities