The Courier

Dear Parents

There have been a number of notable highlights this week for us all to enjoy in school. I calculate that Crescent pupils have taken part in 12 sports fixtures during the week, one of which was a whole day tournament. Then our Year 5 pupils are off today on an educational visit to Bletchley Park as part of their computer studies, the first time we have run this particular trip. Having read quite a bit about the work that went on there during World War II, I would love to have gone myself but other appointments and commitments dictated otherwise, unfortunately. As with every school trip we will evaluate the success and value to the pupil’s learning before we book again next year but I am pleased to see more of these events appearing on our calendar.

On Tuesday we hosted an Orchestral Day, with Crackley Hall musicians and staff coming over for a day of musical bonding and rehearsals, followed by an excellent concert in the hall at the end of the day.  It was an inspiring sight to see both orchestras arrayed in the hall and the sound they produced was a wonderful combination of power and quality. Bringing together a junior age orchestra is never an easy task and the music staff from Crackley and our own Mrs Barnes deserve a great deal of credit for the success of the day.

Later next week we will be launching our all-new website with a completely new look that I hope you will enjoy. It is all in the wings ready to go and we are hoping to flip the switch on Thursday so you might want to check the web address, which will remain as www.crescentschool.co.uk and have a surf.

I would like to finish by flagging up an important upcoming event that you can find full details about elsewhere in this week’s Courier. That is the visit of Mark Groome on 26 March, who will be delivering talks to parents about nurturing your children through a happy childhood and the pitfalls of exams and other potential causes of stress. This theme is designed to fit in with our focus on well-being and mental health and I know you will find Mark an engaging and interesting speaker. I do hope many of you will be able to take the time from your busy schedules to come along.

Have a great weekend.

Best Wishes

Joe Thackway

For a two or three week period this year we will be focusing on one of the sayings in the School Promise. We will talk about this in assembly and in form period. It would be great if you could discuss this with your children at home and support the messages we are emphasising in school.

This week we are looking at the idea of being a calm and sensible pupil. The school council chose this one in the category of Good Learners as all children know that they learn best when they are focused in class and there is a determined, hardworking atmosphere.

‘We are calm and sensible’

On 26 March 2019 we welcome Mark Groome to school for two information sessions on the important area of promoting childhood happiness and well-being. The first will be in the main hall from 4.00pm and is aimed at parents form all year groups in the school. That evening there is an information evening for Year 4 and 5 parents on the transition process into Year 7 and Mark will be talking as part of the evening on the theme of managing exam stress.

Mark is a retired head of some thirty years’ experience in independent preparatory schools. Having spent over ten years as a head of two preparatory schools, he is now an independent education consultant, an ISI inspector, and chair of governors of a large Independent Girls’ Boarding School. The talk will finish at around 5.00pm.

Mark is an engaging speaker with a 'parent friendly’ approach that I am sure you will enjoy. Full details of both events have been sent to all parents in a separate ISAMS message so please do check your inboxes for this and respond to the school office as required.

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 Junior Drama Club running next week, as per the letter sent out at the start of term.

We have a couple of fixtures next week that haven't been finalised, do check the school SOCS Sport system to check details the details.  

Weekly Calendar - 110319

Crescent School

After more than 10 years of excellent service here at Crescent, at the end of this academic year we will say au revoir and adios to our foreign language teacher Mme Tourigny.

Mme Tourigny came to see me a week or so ago to tell me she will be relocating to the Manchester area with her partner and we wish her all the very best in a new chapter of her life.

There will be an opportunity for us all to say our proper goodbyes when the time comes. In the meantime an advert for the vacancy this creates is available to view on the Princethorpe College and TES websites.

On Tuesday 5 March, Crescent School welcomed musicians from fellow Foundation junior school, Crackley Hall, for an orchestral workshop. It was another opportunity for the young virtuosos to work together following a successful Choral Workshop at Crackley Hall in the Michaelmas Term. The event saw 20 members of Crackley Hall’s Orchestra join 20 Crescent instrumentalists for a day designed to develop and stretch their music and performance skills.

Pupils from both schools worked together under the guidance of Directors of Music, Julie Barnes and Susan Olden, to prepare and rehearse a mixture of pieces ready for an afternoon performance for parents.

The children enjoyed a busy morning and afternoon of rehearsals, they relished making music together especially in such a big group. They worked hard to prepare two challenging pieces, including the moving 'I Dreamed A Dream' from the hit musical Les Miserables and the stirring ‘Great Movie Adventures’ by John Williams, both pieces testing the players’ technical and music-reading ability to the limit.

The afternoon concert was superb, a sensational symphony of sound. As well as featuring the full 40-piece orchestra playing their now near perfect pieces, it also included four solo performances, two from each school. Edward Hunter played ‘I’d Do Anything’ from Oliver on Trumpet, Fin Calder played ‘Reverie’ by Tchaikovsky on Tenor Horn, Andrea Zanyi played ‘Take Five’ by Paul Desmond on Flute and Matthew Thomas played ‘Prelude’ by Charpentier on Cornet.

Mrs Barnes, Director of Music at Crescent, commented, “It was a very successful day and the pupils enjoyed working and collaborating together. They achieved a very high standard of performance, and this was due in no small part to the preparation and practising that went on in the weeks beforehand”.

Mrs Olden, Director of Music at Crackley Hall, agreed commenting, "I thought it was a brilliant day for all the children. They learned so much challenging music in such a short space of time, it was simply great for them to play with so many other talented musicians."

Another successful Foundation day with the young musicians leading the way enjoying learning and working together!

On Friday 1 March a team of four Chloe, James, George and Sam, took part in the Wrekin Y5 Mathematics Challenge.

Forty schools provided 79 teams of two all tackling puzzles, problems and conundrums against the clock. Chloe and George as Crescent1 came a fantastic 6th place overall and Crescent2 of Sam and James a super 14th place.

Ms McBride the new Head of Mathematics at Princethorpe accompanied the pupils and Ms Forth and commented on how impressed she was by the attitude and accomplishments of our 'mathletes' and how she would love to run such a competition at the college. Well done team, we are proud of how you represented our school.

The following children received Certificates of Excellence from the Playground Supervisors in Assembly this morning:

• Herbie for having good manners in the Lunch Hall
• Ava for volunteering to tidy up Play Leaders equipment

Good luck to all the Crescent's U10 Hockey players who are representing Rugby and East Warwickshire Hockey Club in the Warwickshire Championships this weekend.

Well done to Fin whose U12 Rugby and East Warwickshire Hockey Team became Warwickshire Champions last weekend and to Cara Ridd who played in the U12 Girls team that were runners up.  Both teams have qualified for the Regional Championships.

We are proud of you all!

Crescent School

Please don't forget to return your general medical/code of conduct form by 21 March 2019.

Thank you.

Thursday 14 March 2019 - 7.30pm

Foundation parents, staff, past pupils and friends are all cordially invited to attend Princethorpe - A Vision For The Future, a presentation by Ed Hester, Head of the Foundation in the College's Clarkson theatre.

The presentation will outline the Foundation's vision for the next five to ten years, and provide more detailed information on the College's new Science Building and campus improvements, including an interactive walk through of the Science facility.  Mr Hester will also feedback highlights from the College's parental questionnaire, unveil the Foundation's new website and outline plans for a new, improved Foundation parent portal.

Refreshments will be served after the presentation in the Sixth Form Centre.

The event is aimed at adults, although pupils are welcome to attend if accompanied by an adult.

Please click on this link to let us know if you would like to attend by Monday 4 March 2019.

Saturday 30 March - 9.30am to 12.00pm

Join us for our Spring Open Morning, a wonderful opportunity to look around the school and meet staff and pupils.

As part of the Open Morning there will be a very special performance by Reception to Year 2 pupils, along with children from Pathfinders Nursery, of Hats Off - An All-Weather Musical. A fun and educational musical that takes the audience on a tour through the changing seasons of the year as Apple the pony tries to find a hat suitable for the weather.

It promises to be fantastic entertainment for visitors of all ages, and will really showcase the talents, confidence and stage presence of the school's youngest pupils. The show commences at 10.00am and we would urge visitors to arrive early to get a good seat!

After the half-hour performance there will be a short presentation about the Crescent and our ambitions for the school as part of the Princethorpe Foundation, and the chance to meet  Headmaster, Joe Thackway. There will also be short Q&A sessions with Alan Webb, Assistant Head - Head of Pre-Prep and Headmaster Joe Thackway about the Crescent's offering for Reception to Year 2 and Year 3 to Year 6. 

Elsewhere on site there will be plenty to see and do, including guided tours by the older pupils, sporting displays, instrumental performances, plus the opportunity to visit classrooms and chat informally to current parents and staff from Pathfinders, the Crescent and Princethorpe College. Light refreshments will be available. There is no need to book.

For more information about the Open Morning please call Registrar, Mrs Helen Morley on 01788 523851 or email admissions@crescentschool.co.uk.

All the hard work the children have done during the year is proving fruitful as we now see children achieve all three strands of a Junior da Vinci Award (Mastery, Creativity and Practice).  The following children are now Junior da Vinci students:

• Asha for Art and D.T.
• Chloe for Science
• Mya for English
• Olivia for Art
• Shayla for Maths
• Stephanie for Art
• Zahra for Maths

Well-done all of you.

Ms Lowe
Senior Teacher

• Fred
• Lewis
• Maisie
• Roisin
• Sam B

Congratulations to the following children who achieved their Times Table Challenge Awards:

• Kai and Lily - Platinum Challenge in two minutes
• Anand - Golden Challenge

The times table challenge is a drop in session in the Library with myself on a Wednesday morning for Classes II - VI.

Class I were tasting different fruits this week in DT. They decided which they liked and disliked so that they can plan their own fruit salads next week.

Class II children have been learning all about keeping their bodies healthy.  This week they have learnt about the five main food groups and matched what they ate on Tuesday to each food group.  They understand that their diet should be balanced over time (and that it's Shrove Tuesday only once a year!!).

To broaden our knowledge of these amazing creatures and their habits and characteristics, and to support our work on 'Fantastic Mr Fox', the children have spent time researching, drawing, making and presenting their findings through a variety of creative ways.

Please come and see them on display during Open Morning if you can!

As research for our upcoming baking activities in Food Technology, it only seemed right to investigate the different types of bread available and look into their origin. This followed our learning during the 'Bread Stories' which is part of the 'Food - a fact of life' curriculum we are following.

Katherine very kindly brought in some Chinese steamed rolls for us to try alongside a wide selection of breads. The children enjoyed describing them and rating them as well as tasting them!

Class IV have been deciding on which projects they would like to raise money for this term in aid of the Bwengu Projects Malawi.

They debated, discussed and voted on two projects. Firstly six months supply of maize to feed orphans and secondly solar panels for a girls boarding school so that they can study in the evenings and get the most out of their education.

Events and ways to support them will be advertised soon. Watch this space!

Our topic of Twisted Fairytales drew to a close today. The children have worked hard at analysing traditional tales, creating story maps and then creating their own stories based on the originals but with a 'twist.'

Today they finished writing them in neat books, and we have some wonderful stories, such as 'The Bean and the Beanstalk', 'The Three Little Wolves and the Pig', and 'The Kind Witch and Naughty Hansel and Gretel.'

In finding exciting ways to deliver our RE curriculum, Class V stepped up to the challenge of presenting their knowledge and understanding of the story of Zacchaeus when he met Jesus, through writing an opera! Each group took a role within different scenes and created sung dialogue expressing different emotions. Year 1 and Year 2 came to watch the performances and gave some very positive feedback!

A team of Year 5 children have entered the Jaguar Landrover Junior Challenge that will take place in early May 2019. Here are pictures of the JLR team testing their cars for the first time. They were looking at speed and timing which designs they will be considering entering.

The team have been working hard writing letters to sponsors, designing new car bodies, designing a Crescent School logo and much more.

Whilst considering how we can prepare ourselves ready for Easter, we thought about what we could fast from, what we could pray for and what acts of kindness we could do over the next 40 days. As it was Shrove Tuesday, what better excuse than to share pancakes whilst we chatted!

On Monday 4 March the U10 Netball team travelled to Stafford Prep for the Midlands ISA Netball Tournament.  As reigning U9 ISA Champions they felt the pressure to perform well and rose to the challenge.  

With 12 teams split across two pools we started the tournament successfully with a 4-0 win against Castle House. Our next game proved a little more tricky, and a lot more physical, against Dodderhill, the girls worked hard and fought strongly but ended up with a 5-4 loss.  Heads still high, the team went on to win the other three games in the pool to earn themselves a place in the semi finals.  

• 8-0 Win V Salterford House 
• 4-1 Win V Crackley Hall 
• 2-0 Win V Stafford Prep

The weather took a dramatic turn for the worse in the final games of the pool round, with heavy rain and hail meaning the tournament had to be moved indoors for the semi finals.  After a towelling off the girls went out to take on Grantham Prep in the semi finals.  Fantastic marking and skilful movement of the ball up court made for a gripping and evenly matched game ending with extra time and then finally to golden goal, unfortunately for us this did not go in our favour, and we ended with a 2-1 loss.  The play-offs then saw us take on Dodderhill, again this was a very close match in which the game could have gone either way, unfortunately we were unable to make the most of our chances ending with a final score of 2-1 to Dodderhill putting us in to 4th place overall.    

A fantastic effort by all of the girls who were a delight to be with, they played extremely well and worked hard as a team, showing the School Promise at all times to make Crescent proud.   

This year your child, if you wish, can decorate a ceramic tea light holder for Mother's Day. This will come gift wrapped and include some love hearts for £5. If you would like your child(ren) to participate in this activity please fill in the Mother's Day form that was sent home last week. Please return by Wednesday 13 March. 

A copy of the form can be dowloaded here. 

The FoC will again be filming the Hats Off Open Day Production dress rehearsal.

You are able to purchase a DVD for £13 per DVD. Please fill out the form sent home with your child last week (or it can be downloaded here) and return it by Friday 22 March with payment either by cash or cheque.  Cheques should be made payable to Friends of Crescent.

Please place in the green FoC Post Box by the Pupil entrance.

Just to make everyone aware that we have second hand uniform that can be purchased from the FoC. Blazers and Black coats are only £5 and all other branded uniform is only £1 per item. We are looking to do an inventory of all the uniform we currently have at school which your Year Group representative will have access to and will send around to you all via your facebook and whatsapp groups. You will then be able to check this before you order new uniform to see if we have the size you require. If you wish to purchase something please speak to Mr Thackway on the door in the morning when you drop off and he, or his Year 6 helper, will be able to get this item for you.

If you also have any good quality uniform that no longer fits your child please donate this to the FoC by leaving it on the FoC table. Please ensure it is washed and ready to sell.

We are looking for any good quality second hand dressing up clothes for Happy Playtimes. If you have any you are happy to give to the school please leave them on the FoC table. 

Monday 13 May 2019 3.45pm - 4.45pm

Please come along and join us at our next meeting if you're available. We will be discussing Father's Day craft, Disco, Reception market day as well as the Summer Fete which this year will be held on Friday 21 June. 

Please sign your child(ren) into after school for free if you wish to attend.

Friday 22 March 2019 - 3.45pm - 4.45pm

Please come along and purchase cakes and sweets from Class II. All money raised will go towards crafts, games and toys for their class.

Friday 5 April 2019 - 3.45pm - 4.45pm

Please come along and purchase cakes and sweets from Class I. All money raised will go towards crafts, games and toys for their class.

As this date is also the Spring Concert, there will be a small selction to purchase in the hall after the concert, however, the main bake sale will be held on the Sports Field.

Please click on the link below to view next week's lunch menu: 

Lunch Menu - 11 March 2019 

Crescent School Office

Please find a link below to the current vacancies available across the Foundation:

• Modern Foreign Languages Teacher

Full details of the roles and how to apply are available via the following link https://www.princethorpe.co.uk/employment-opportunities

The following items are stocked in the School Office and can be added to your account:

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

Please do pop in if you need any of the above items.

Crescent School Office

Please see below for useful school contact information:

Please find below term dates for this academic year and next:

2018/19

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

2019/20

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

Reception Round Up - 080319