The Courier

Dear Parents

As we enter the new school year it is an important part of my job to identify areas of the running of the school that we want to work on and develop in the three terms ahead. I mentioned these in the welcome evening at the end of last term and it is probably worth reminding you of them now that term is properly underway.

Last year we rewrote the School’s Mission Statement and Aims, a full copy of which are available to view on the School website. This academic year we are focusing on five of the School Aims, listed below;

1. To deliver a broad, engaging, inspiring curriculum.
2. To provide excellent pastoral care that meets the emotional and social needs of every child at Crescent School.
3. To teach the children the skills they need to feel happy, and safe in the wider world.
4. To ensure that as children enter the school they feel cared for and fully part of the Crescent community.
5. To communicate with all constituents of the Crescent community in a way that is consistent, inclusive, informative, effective, accurate and user friendly.

As the year progresses we will be addressing these targets in various ways and exploring how we can improve our offer in these five key areas. Later in the term you will also be receiving our annual parents' survey for you to give us your feedback on how we are doing but please do feel you can approach me about these issues in the meantime if you have unanswered questions or ideas.

Our Year 5 and 6 boys played their first football match of the season this week, with the girls’ team set to follow suit next week. The captains were announced in assembly and more individual team captains will be announced as the year progresses. This is a change to previous years when we had an overall games captain for the year. Hopefully, this will give more boys and girls the chance to take on a leadership role on the sports field over the year.

We also announced Head Boy and Girl this week and there will be elections for the appointment of the House Captains later next week. Importantly in this new initiave we have also introduced duties for all of the Year 6 children to perform throughout the year. Ms Lowe has divided them by house into three teams with a range of jobs including milk delivery, assembly preparation and recycling collections. This is designed to raise the children’s community awareness and give the eldest children in the school a special role in the school that reflects their seniority and enables them to nurture and care for the younger pupils.

Today has been a bittersweet one for me. I started the day having great fun with all of the children as they came into school in all of their wonderful outfits as we begin to mark the school’s 70th anniversary. This has been a great start to our celebrations and I know the children have also enjoyed working on their stone decoration project with Mrs Akbik during the week.

Later today I attended the funeral of Mary O’Farrell, former chair of Trustees for the Princethorpe Foundation, who very sadly passed away just before the beginning of term. Mary made a great impression on me when I came for the job here with her genuine warmth and brilliant sense of humour. She was universally admired and liked and we will all miss her terribly. Everyone here at Crescent sends our heartfelt condolences to her husband John.

With best wishes for the weekend

 Joe Thackway

I was delighted to announce in assembly this morning that the Head Boy for the year will be Harry Richards and the Head Girl Maya Patel. I have no doubt they will make fine role models for the rest of the school during their time in the position.

It was a really hard decision this year with so many strong candidates in the year group. It was great to see that the other applicants were the first to congratulate the two appointees and everyone here wishes them congratulations and the very best of luck.

One disappointed candidate even took the time to thank me for considering them which says a great deal about the Crescent spirit and the promise.

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

Weekly Calendar 17 September

Crescent School

Today saw the start of the 70th Anniversary celebrations.  Children and staff were invited to come into school dressed in fashions from across the decades, from the 1940s to the present day.  What a wonderful and colourful sight they made walking into school this morning.

Up and down the corridors the children studied and experienced different aspects of social history from the past 70 years through topics and mediums such as:

• Comics and Annuals
• Packaging
• Music
• Sport
• Playground Games
• Toys

A full update will be provided in next week's Courier but for now please enjoy the photos.

As many of you know, 2018 is a big year for Crescent School. Not only will we celebrate our 70th birthday but also the 30th anniversary since we moved to our Bawnmore Road home.

To mark our Platinum Anniversary and celebrate our rich history, Crescent School is holding a series of events over the Michaelmas Term. 

Our first public event will take place on Saturday 29 September, where we will open our doors from 2.00pm to 4.00pm and welcome pupils past and present back into school to celebrate our double anniversary.

• Bilton Brass band will be playing from 2pm-2:45pm
• The Crescent choir singing from 3.00pm for 30 minutes
• The classrooms and corridors will be open for you to see the work of our present children and memories from the past

There will be refreshments in our 'in house' tea-room and family games are going to be available for you to enjoy on the field.

Please come bring your family and friends along and share in our special school. 

You will be pleased to know that 20 more tickets have been released for the Platinum Anniversary Dinner Dance on Saturday 29 September at Princethorpe College.

A lovely sociable occasion to share with friends over a delicious 3-course meal, with live music and dancing. The dress code for the evening will be black tie and equivalent for ladies.

Tickets will cost £40 per head. These are now available on a first come, first served basis.

Please visit for tickets:

Platinum Anniversary Tickets

Confirmation will be made by email within 24 hours, you will also have opportunity to say who you would like to sit with for the evening.

When the children move into Class VI they take on extra duties that reflect their senior position in the school.  Class VI have been split into House teams and this term Blue House will be taking responsibility for Pastoral duties.  This week Mrs McCollin ran Play Leader training to help the Blue team organise and lead lunchtime play sessions for the children in Reception and Pre-Prep.

The Play Leader training involved the students learning about the qualities of a good leader, understanding the importance of clear and concise communication and then leading their peers through different fun activities and games that they have created and adapted from different sports and using different equipment. 

They started by brainstorming different leaders such as politicians, sports captains and famous historical figures such as Florence Nightingale.   Then they looked at what made a good leader, mind mapped the qualities of a good leader and then evaluated their own strengths and areas to develop.

Next the training moved on to the different methods of communication and practised using the different types i.e. verbal, gesture, signals using games such as ‘What am I?’ where they described the word they were given without using keywords.

This was followed by a practical session that considered fun, warm up games such as ‘Sharks and Fish’ and ‘What's the time Mr Wolf?’ and ball skill games such as ‘Treasure Chest’ that allowed us to look at the importance of rules, safety and fair play.

The final session involved pupils working in small groups to develop their own game which they then explained and ran for their peers. 

Mrs McCollin commented, “Our Blue team leaders worked fantastically throughout the whole day displaying wonderful leadership qualities and empathy towards each other’s needs.  They are going to make super Play Leaders.” 

While we were all relaxing on beaches or cooling down poolside this summer break, Dorrit Davies (Class III) was busy being Oliver in a local Stagecoach production. 

We have seen Dorrit's acting and singing talents in school throughout Pre-Prep and are proud and delighted that a wider local audience are getting to recognise her love of the stage too.

"Princethorpe College - What's It All About?" That’s the question followers of the College on social media have been seeing every day over the course of the last week.

The cryptic message along with a teaser video and photographs has repeatedly posed the question in a countdown to the big reveal today, Friday 14 September at 4.00pm, when the new College film will be premiered.

The film, produced by the Foundation Marketing Team and award-winning Affixxius Films, was shot over the Lent and Trinity Terms and aims to communicate the all-embracing nature of Princethorpe, the wealth of opportunities on offer and the individuals who make up our community. It also celebrates the College's beautiful setting.

The launch has been timed to coincide with the College's admissions for 2019 and the lead up to entrance exams in November.

Thanks to all the pupils and staff who helped and took part in the film - what stars you are!

Roll out the red carpet, grab your popcorn, sit back and view the film here. We'd love you to like and share it on social media, hope you enjoy it! #princethorpeandme

With just eight weeks to go the countdown to Princethorpe College's Entrance Exams for admission in September 2019 has begun. This year the exams for Year 7 to 10 entry will take place on Saturday 10 November from 9.30am to 3.30pm.

The College's friendly Admissions Team has been kept busy over the summer accepting registrations from prospective parents. The deadline for entrance exam registrations is ideally Friday 5 October, to enable the seeking of references from junior schools. Class VI parents wishing their children to sit the exams do need to complete a registration form and submit it with the accompanying registration fee by this date.

Comments Melanie Butler, Assistant Head, Marketing, Admissions and Communications, "Parents and pupils will still have plenty of time to prepare and opportunities to visit the College in the run up to the exams and the results will be out at the end of November, making for an exam-free Christmas holiday, which has got to be good news."

If you have any queries relating to admissions please feel free to email the Registrars at admissions@princethorpe.co.uk or call them on 01926 634201.

Dear Parents

In the last 12 months we have made it a priority to improve the way we communicate with you. As a parent with school age children myself I know how important it is that you have access to clear and consistent information to enable you to plan your busy schedules around the needs of your children.

There have been a number of developments in the way we communicate with you and this letter is an attempt to set out clearly how we will use the various different platforms available to us, so that you know how and where to find the information you need.

We will also use this means of communication if it is a personal message for you, often from a form teacher, or possibly one that is specific to a form or year group.

From January 2019, In terms of co-curricular clubs you will be able to select and sign up for your chosen clubs each term and you will also be notified of your child’s acceptance. The only exception to this is Bayleaf Cookery who will communicate directly with parents regarding their club.

In terms of sports fixtures, you will now receive all information regarding team selection, fixture time, date and location (including a link to Google Maps directions) though SOCS. In due course, on the SOCS website, you will also be able to view scores, match reports and upcoming fixture details. 

These types of platform do not lend themselves well to viewing large numbers of pictures of the children. For some events, such as residential visits, we like to make available pictures of the children taking part to parents and for these we would use our Flickr account. If we are planning to upload pictures of events that involve your children onto Flickr you will receive an email from the school that contains the link to the relevant pictures. It is not possible to access our Flickr account without this personalised link.

When you put it all in one letter, you realise just how varied our communications options are. Hopefully, this letter will clarify how and when each of them will be used this year but we are always looking to improve and refine this aspect of the running of the school as time goes by. If you have any queries in the meantime or would like more guidance on using the new systems I, or one of the front office staff, will be more than happy to help.

With all best wishes

Please see below for useful school contact information:

Michaelmas Term
Term starts Monday 03 September 2018
Half Term Saturday 20 October to Sunday 04 November 2018
Term ends Tuesday 18 December 2018

Lent Term
Term starts Monday 7 January 2019
Half Term Saturday 16 February to Sunday 24 February 2019
Term ends Wednesday 10 April 2019

Trinity Term
Term starts Monday 29 April 2019
Half Term Saturday 25 May to Sunday 2 June 2019
Term ends Wednesday 3 July 2019

Wednesday 19 September 2018

Individual and siblings photographs will be taken in school next Wednesday 19 September.  Children are required to wear their Winter uniform.

Crescent School

Wednesday 19 September 2018 4.00pm

Parents of Class III and any new parents from the Upper School are invited to learn about the learning platforms that your child will be using.

The session will cover Accelerated Reading, Spellzone and Abacus, how your child will use them in school and how they can be used at home.

It will be held in Class VI form room at 4.00pm, your children can be signed into After School for free for the length of the session and light refreshments will be available.  It should last abut 30 minutes.

We look forward to welcoming you.

Ms Lowe
Senior Teacher

Thursday 4 October 2018 4.00pm

All Class VI parents are invited to an information session about the residential to Slapton Ley Centre. This will be an opportunity for you to see what happens there, the key dates and ask any questions. We will soon be asking for you to sign up for this trip, securing your child's place with a small deposit.

This will be held in the Class VI form room at 4.00pm on Thursday 4 October 2018, your child is also welcome and there will be light refreshments served. It should last no more than 30 minutes.

Friday 5 October 2018 - 10.00am to 3.00pm

The Crescent School is opening its doors to prospective parents for an Open Day on Friday 5 October from 10.00am to 3.00pm.

This is an opportunity to look around the school and to meet staff and pupils on a normal working day. All are welcome, no need to book, so please do help us spread the word.

If you can't make the Open Day but would like to visit the school, please call our Registrar, Mrs Helen Morley, on 01788 523851 and come on a day to suit you, we welcome visitors on most days.

For more information visit www.crescentschool.co.uk

• Ellie Gane
• Chloe Brosnan
• Harry Slaytor
• Leela Matharu
• Shiv Patel
• Timi Ladele

Please return the blue Flu vaccination consent form, which have  been sent home tonight, by Friday 21 September 2018. 

Forms need to be returned even if you do not consent to the vaccination for your child.

The link below provides further information:

Flu Vaccinations

Thank you.

Crescent School

Thank you to everyone who attended the FoC meeting on Monday and especially to our newest Reception Class reps Sandra Mocanu, Karena Spicer and Fatima Masood.

Below is a table with all the Class representatives just to make everyone aware: 

Chairperson:  Zara Corbin

Treasurer:  Emma Wells

Secretary:  Amy Sarkies

Staff representative:   Ms Forth

Friday 21 September 2018 3.45pm - 4.45pm

Please come along and support us by buying cakes and sweets, all priced at 50p each. All the money raised at these market day events goes towards buying toys, crafts and stationary for privilege time for the Class.

Friday 12 October 2018 3.45pm - 4.45pm

Please come along and support us by buying cakes and sweets, all priced at 50p each. All the money raised at these market day events goes towards buying toys, crafts and stationary for privilege time for the Class.

Friday 12 October 2018 - 7.30pm

Our annual Quiz night hosted by Ms Forth will take place in the school hall from 7.30pm. It costs £5 per person to enter. Please bring your own food and drink. Tables will be up to 8 people with prizes to be won.

Class reps will be responsible for getting teams together so look out for an email from them. Please pay by either cash or cheque (payable to 'The Friends of Crescent') and place your money in the green FoC box, which is situated inside the pupil entrance, in an envelope, clearly marked "Quiz night" by Tuesday 9 October.

Monday 12 November 2018 - 3.45pm

Please come and join us to discuss the last remaining events of the term including the Christmas Bazaar.

Friday 16 November 5.00pm-6.30pm

The movie for this event is still TBC as we are waiting to see when particular movies are going to be released. More details on this will follow later in the term.

Friday 7 December - 3.45pm

Our annual Christmas Bazaar will include games, crafts and a special visit from Father Christmas. More details on this will follow later in the term.

Zara Corbin
FoC

Friday 14 December 2018 3.45pm - 4.45pm

Please come along and support us by buying cakes and sweets, all priced at 50p each. All the money raised at these market day events goes towards buying toys, crafts and stationary for privilege time for the Class.

Friday 14 December - 7.30pm

We have booked the private loft function room at the Distillery from 7.30pm. More details on this will follow later in the term.

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

Crescent Menu Week Commencing 17 September 2018

Crescent School Office

To help families new to the school, and as a reminder for all, we thought we would share some tips for navigating The Courier on your phone.

Each weekly edition of The Courier will have a general overview message followed by an index list of the news and information, split into categories, as clickable title links.

Here are some top tips for navigating The Courier on your phone:

• Click the title link of the article or event you are interested in (this will open the newsletter in your browser with the article you have selected)
• From here you can scroll through all the articles in this category
• To get back to the top of a category quickly, use the green arrow in the bottom right of your browser. Click this and you will jump to the top of the page, the category index
• The category index will list all the articles in that category that week
• Select ‘Newsletter Index’, to return you to the main newsletter index listing all the categories and articles
• To move between different editions of The Courier use the green button with three white lines at the top of the newsletter. Click this and you can choose which weekly edition of The Courier you would like to browse.

Maternity cover: full-time and part-time considered 

Required for November 2018, after the Michaelmas half term break, a well-qualified graduate to teach Mathematics to KS3 and KS4 in a flourishing and successful department. Familiarity with Pearson’s IGCSE would be an additional recommendation, but is not essential.

Enthusiasm to become involved with the extra-curricular life of the school is essential. Candidates should be able to demonstrate success in the classroom and be effective team players. Full and part-time applications will be considered. 

This is an excellent opportunity to join the fast growing Foundation that values its staff and offers a rewarding benefits package.

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.

Candidates are advised to apply immediately as applications will be reviewed as they are received and the closing date may be brought forward.

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

We are looking to recruit an IT Apprentice, at Level 3, to join the busy Foundation IT department, reporting 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.

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.

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: Monday 1 October at 9.00am.

Candidates are advised to apply immediately as applications will be reviewed as they are received and the closing date may be brought forward.

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