The Courier

Dear Parents

Three weeks into term and the summer is already starting to seem a long way away. With the evenings drawing in and the stormy weather we have all become aware of the changing seasons. This Sunday marks the autumn equinox which always feels to me like an important turning point in the calendar. We mentioned this in assembly on Friday so you might want to explore this further with your children over the weekend.

On a similar seasonal theme, earlier in the week we had a visit from Corinne from the Rugby Foodbank as part of our build up to this year’s harvest celebrations. She led a lovely assembly on the theme of sharing. This is a great message for young children to hear and they were certainly all very focused on the presentation. Thank you to those of you who have already dropped off tins and packages and we will continue to welcome donations in the run up to our harvest service on Friday 12 October.

At Crescent we offer a range of online learning platforms to enhance the children’s learning and enable you as parents to take an active role in supporting their learning from home. There was a very useful presentation on this for parents in the week and I hope this proved helpful for all those who attended.

I have been able to rearrange some of my set meeting times this year with the view to getting along to more of the school fixtures and supporting our children. I made a good start to this on Monday watching our U10s in a tournament over at Princethorpe College. I was really impressed with the quality of the football they produced and their tenacity in competing with some of the bigger teams in the competition. I am going through my diary and trying to highlight the games I can come along to this term so hopefully I will see you on the touchline at some point if your children are involved.

This week we tried out a new voting system to help us select the House Captains for the year. The Year 3 to 6 children heard brief speeches from the candidates and then chose who they felt kept the School Promise the best, as well as being a responsible character with the right team ethic for the job.  These are important posts in the school and much coveted by the children, even more so this year with the new duty system for Year 6 coming into effect. This coincided during the week with elections for the School Council. We hope that the elections have given the children a gentle introduction to some democratic principles as well as allowing them to feel that they have genuinely been a part of the selection process. Good luck to those children who have been chosen and were announced in assembly this morning.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Joe Thackway

Congratulations to our newly elected House Captains, who received their badges in assembly on Friday. They will have lots to do in their new role and their first job will be to sort out the rotas for the Class VI team duties around the school.

We wish them all the best in their new roles.

• St. Georges – Lily Emery and Olivia Fox
• St. Davids -  Cara Ridd and Olivia Monk
• St. Andrews – Finlay Calder and Rebecca Monteith

Congratulations also goes to the following children, who have been chosen this week by their classmates to be on School Council: 

• Class I - Shiv Patel and Alice Diamond
• Class II - Freddie Spicer and Grace Crowfoot
• Class III - Charlotte Corbin and Rory King
• Class IV - Joshua Olner and Emme Edge
• Class VF - Phoebe Causer and Joseph Yates
• Class VY - Millie Knott & Matthew Thomas

They received their School Council badges in assembly on Friday.

Well done to all.

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 we move on to the category of Good Learners and a good motto for our Class VI children as they approach their entrance exams:

‘We work hard and try our best'

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 24 September

Crescent School

On Friday 14 September Crescent School marked the start of its Platinum Anniversary celebrations. The children and staff came to school dressed in fashions from across the decades and spent the day off timetable exploring the history of the past 70 years. In mixed age workshops the children studied topics such as playground games, toys, music and comics developing their knowledge of life in the past and their understanding of the differences from the present.

In the Pre-Prep classroom Mrs Pullen explored the changes in television including the move from black and white to colour, with clips of children’s TV shows, including old favourites such as Andy Pandy, Bill and Ben and Bagpuss. With Mrs Emery the children delved into the playground games enjoyed by their Crescent predecessors, and British Bulldog proved a firm favourite. The active theme continued in Mr Philip’s sessions on sport history where the children learned about the sportsmen and women of the past and their achievements whilst the older children detailed the impact they have had on the modern day. Cavaliers, Capris and Coopers were the focus in Mr Webb’s classroom as the children created a timeline of transport through the decades.

Mrs Barnes danced the children through the Swing, Jive, Rock and Roll and Twist and had a row of children Oops Upside Your Heading! Up and down the corridors music drifted out of classrooms, there was New Wave Punk with Ms Forth headlining Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and the ever colourful Mrs Monteith, hosting a dance tutorial of the 80s classics, Smooth Criminal and Club Tropicana, all played on an original record player.  Next door, in Mrs Yates’ room, the 1976 classic I’ve Got A Brand New Combine Harvester accompanied a comparison of wheat harvesting and dairy farming over the decades.

Toys captured the children’s interest in Mrs Stapleton’s room, as they created adverts for their favourite Christmas toys of the past. Whilst with Ms Lowe the children explored original annuals and comics from across the decades. Commenting on the language, stories and political correctness (or lack of) in these publications for children, Jayden in Class VI said, “I didn’t realised how much had changed in 70 years.”

Crescent School is sharing its platinum anniversary with Pepsi this year so Ms Forth investigated the similarities and differences between the packaging and branding of Pepsi, Cornflakes and Dairy Milk and the children then created new packaging for these products for the next decade!

It was inspiring to see the effort the children and staff had gone to producing such a wonderful display of costumes, many had even scoured the family wardrobes to find original pieces to wear. Even the kitchen staff joined in with their sixties styled headscarves and they served special anniversary sponge cakes emblazoned with the 70th logo. Pupil Cara said, “It was such a treat to see everyone so dressed up.”

As a lasting feature for our 70th anniversary, led by Old Crescentian Mrs Akbik, the children and staff painted stones symbolising the school.

We look forward to sharing all our work and displays with visitors on our Anniversary Open Day on Saturday 29 September.

Mrs Yates
Head of History

I would like to remind parents that Crescent School, along with the other schools of the Princethorpe Foundation, aims to be a nut-free zone. Whilst we cannot guarantee that children won’t come into contact with nuts or products with nut traces whilst at school we endeavour to reduce this risk as far as we can.

The aim of this strategy is to reduce the risk to those children and adults who may suffer an anaphylactic reaction if exposed to nuts to which they are sensitive. The school aims to protect children who have allergies to nuts yet also help them, as they grow up, to take responsibility as to what foods they can eat and to be aware of where they may be put at risk.

Our 'Nut-Free Zone' means that the following items should not be brought into school:

• Packs of nuts
• Peanut butter sandwiches
• Fruit and cereal bars that contain nuts
• Chocolate bars or sweets that contain nuts
• Sesame seed rolls (children allergic to nuts may also have a severe reaction to sesame)
• Cakes made with nuts

No nuts are used in any of the food prepared on site at our school.  Our suppliers provide us with nut-free products. However, we cannot guarantee freedom from nut traces.

It is worth noting that there are currently children in school with a known nut allergy.  Exposure to nuts for these children could result in serious consequences. I know that you, like me, would do anything reasonably possible to prevent this from happening.

We ask all parents to support us in this policy by providing nut-free mid-morning snacks and not using nuts in cakes provided for bake sales or fund raising events.

In the first half of the Autumn Term children can choose to come to school in either summer of winter uniform, depending on the weather.  Where possible we like to see children in their school blazers whist the temperatures are still reasonably mild.

After the half term break all children are expected to be in full winter uniform.  Parents can then use their discretion as to whether blazers or the school coat are more appropriate for the weather at the time.

When it is cold we do need the children to have their coats in school so we can make a decision on outdoor break times that applies to all children.

Thank you for your cooperation with these guidelines.

We were pleased to welcome Corrine Mason from Rugby Foodbank to our assembly on Tuesday. Corrine shared with us the important work the Foodbank do and the difference it can make to many families in our town.  She also shared the bible story of when Jesus fed 5000 people, where one small boy was willing to share what he had with those around him.

Our Harvest collection will be for Rugby Foodbank and over the next few weeks the children have been asked to bring in goods to donate. Please click here to see the list below of suitable donations; they do not need to be put in decorated boxes, there will be crates to add supplies into under the FOC table at the student entrance.

Thank you in advance, for your continued support for such a worthy cause. We look forward to handing over our gifts at our Harvest Service on Friday 12 October at 9.15am where you are all welcome to join us.

Do you have any board games you no longer play with? If so, our board gaming club would love to have them. We meet every Friday to share the fun and enjoyment of playing games together.

The benefits of playing board games are far-reaching; they teach important social skills, such as communicating verbally, sharing, waiting, taking turns, and enjoying interaction with others. Board games can foster the ability to focus, and lengthen your child's attention span by encouraging the completion of an exciting, enjoyable game.

We’re looking to build up a wide variety of games for our club so if you have anything you’d like to donate, please send them into school.

Many Thanks

Mrs Yates and the board gamers

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 2.00pm - 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 note children will be your responsibility during this afternoon.

All our Crescent family and friends and the local community are welcome at this special event. 

With just seven 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.

Thursday 27 September from 10.30am to 12.30pm

Princethorpe College is holding an Open Morning on Thursday 27 September from 10.30am to 12.30pm. This is a chance to look around the school on a normal working day, prior to Entrance Examinations Day on Saturday 10 November 2018.  Year 8 and 9 pupils will act as tour guides and light refreshments will be available.

Those wishing to register for Entrance Examinations are reminded that they should do by the deadline of Friday 5 October to facilitate the gathering of references from junior schools. Registration forms are available from the Registrar, Mrs Vanessa Rooney on 01926 634201 or please email admissions@princethorpe.co.uk.

Entrance Examinations will take place on Saturday 10 November 2018 from 9.30am to 3.30pm. More information is available on the College website, click here.

Thursday 4 October 2018 4.00pm

All Class VI parents are invited to an information session about the residential trip to Slapton Ley Centre. This will be an opportunity for you to find out what happens there, note 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

• Alex Thomas

A reminder to please return the completed blue Flu vaccination consent form, which were sent home last Friday, by Monday 24 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 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 will be Hotel Transylvania 3 which will be released on the Monday of that week.

The movie will cost £5 per child (£3 for all Reception children as they have to be accompanied by a parent or caregiver) and this will include the movie plus a drink and snack.

If you would like your child to attend this please put their name down in the book on the FoC table and include your phone number, child's name and year.

The movie will start at 5.00pm so please drop your child off at the front entrance then. The movie will finish at approx. 6.30pm and we will dismiss all the children from the side pupil entrance.

Please either pay (cash or cheque) on the evening or place the money inside an envelope clearly marked with your child's name and 'movie night'.  Cheques to be made payable to 'Friends of Crescent'.

If you would like your child to go into after school before the movie please place their name down on the usual after school sheet. if you would like them to eat before the movie, please tick the tea option and we will ensure that they eat prior to the film starting.

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 - 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 24 September 2018

Crescent School Office

We seek to appoint an Assistant Head (Academic) as a member of the Senior Management Team to take a major role in determining, implementing and evaluating the agreed aims of the school and all school policies.

The post requires you to promote the smooth running of the School, maintaining the ethos of a caring Christian school family with a Catholic school base.

The successful candidate will work closely with, report to and advise the Headmaster in all areas of school life, with specific responsibility for Academic matters. The Headmaster is assisted by a Deputy Head and three Assistant Heads who, collectively, take full responsibility for the welfare and development of the school and, in his absence, deputise accordingly.

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 Crackley Hall 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 10 October 2018, at 12 noon and interviews are likely to be held on Monday 15 October (with the possibility of including Tuesday 16 October as an additional day if necessary).

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

The Foundation is known for its innovative and strategic approach to Marketing and Communications and we seek to appoint, ideally from November 2018, a full-time, year round Foundation Marketing and Communications Co-ordinator to help take this forward.

Key responsibilities will include managing the Foundation’s annual marketing cycle, particularly in support of admissions and pupil recruitment, including a wide range of events, promotional and digital marketing activity.  Part of a busy, friendly and ambitious Marketing, Admissions and Communications Team, this varied role will suit a dynamic individual with relevant experience, excellent written and verbal communications skills, strong organisational and interpersonal skills, creativity and initiative.

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.

Salary:  £25,000 - £32,000 FTE, depending on qualifications and relevant experience.

Members of staff working in the Foundation enjoy a considerable discount on school fees for their own children at Princethorpe College and Crackley Hall School, five weeks’ holiday plus bank holidays, pension contributions, 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.

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

Closing date: Monday 8 October 2018 at 9.00am with interviews likely to be held on Thursday 11 October, at Princethorpe College.

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

Is anyone missing a girls navy coat, age 9-10, which was found after last Friday's Platinum Anniversary theme day?

Please let the school office know if you think it belongs to you.

Thank you.

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

Please click on the link below to read all about what the Reception Class have been learning this week.

Reception Round Up