The Courier

Dear Parents

We started the week with an assembly based around the importance of good manners and those two little words that can make such a difference to our everyday lives; thank you. We made a thank you chain in the hall as we played out an imaginary day at school passing thank you from one child to the next. I’m delighted to say they really responded well to this theme and it has been lovely to hear so many polite children around the school during and after their lessons this week.

I am delighted to announce that we have a new after-school manager starting with us from Monday. Her name is Diana Gregory who joins us after a number of years working in local authority schools and also running her own business. Diana has impressed us greatly in her recruitment process and we wish her all the very best in her new role. She will spend a week working alongside our current manager Ros Weir before taking over the reins at the beginning of October. Ros decided at the end of last year to stand down from the after-school role to give herself a better work life balance. I’d like to place on record my sincere thanks to Ros for all of the kindness, care and hard work that she has brought to the role and I know that many of the children will be very sad to see her go. However, I am delighted to say that Ros will continue to work at the school running our early birds provision and also in her capacity as a lunchtime cook.

Looking forward to next week we will have our first Macmillan coffee morning here on Friday, run by the Friends of Crescent. Parents are invited to come to the event after drop-off in the morning and there will also be an opportunity for children to buy cakes at break time. Please do help us to support this important cause by contributing nut-free cakes and biscuits and by allowing your child to bring in 50p to buy a cake in the morning. Unfortunately, I won’t be in school that day as I will be away on the annual IAPS conference in London. 

I wish everybody a relaxing weekend and let’s hope this sunny weather continues for the next few days.

Please click on the link below to view the weekly calendar of clubs, events, fixtures and additional information for the week. 

Weekly Calendar  - 23 September 2019 

Please note the following clubs are not running this week:

• Pre-Prep Ball Skills
• Senior Drama Club

All the co-curricular clubs can be viewed on SOCS Co-curricular and detail the dates the clubs are running.  

SOCS Co-Curricular

Crescent School

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

• Class 1E - Maximillion and Maya 
• Class 2W - Maisie and Sam B
• Class 3S - Erin and Sam M 
• Class 4M - Chloe and Sachin
• Class 5F- Alyssa and Orla

They join the House Captains:

• Archie
• Euan
• Fifi
• Freya
• George
• Izzy
• Sam S

Head Boy and Girl, Joseph and Chloe complete the School Council.

They received their badges in assembly on Monday. 

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 feature Good Learners and a good motto for our Year 6 children as they approach their entrance exams:

‘We work hard and try our best'

I am delighted to announce that we have a new after-school manager starting with us from Monday. Her name is Diana Gregory who joins us after a number of years working in local authority schools and also running her own business.

Diana has impressed us greatly in her recruitment process and we wish her all the very best in her new role. She will spend a week working alongside our current manager Ros Weir before taking over the reins at the beginning of October.

Ros decided at the end of last year to stand down from the after-school role to give herself a better work life balance. I’d like to place on record my sincere thanks to Ros for all of the kindness, care and hard work that she has brought to the role and I know that many of the children will be very sad to see her go. However, I am delighted to say that Ros will continue to work at the school running our Early Birds provision and also in her capacity as a lunchtime assistant.

Library club runs on Monday and Friday lunchtimes. All children are welcome to come and help themselves to a book and read or join in with our group reading sessions.

As the term goes on we are hoping that our older children will be able to lead group reading for Pre-Prep children.

If you are looking for reading inspiration our Year 6 librarians will be more than happy to give you some advice.

Don't forget children are welcome to come and quiz at these times as well.

As you can see from the photos, the Library was enjoyed by the children after lunch today before going outside for a play in the sunshine.

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.

Monday 23 September 2019

Individual and siblings photographs will be taken in school on Monday 23 September.  Due to the warm weather at the moment, children may choose to wear either winter or summer uniform but with blazers please.

Crescent School

Thursday 26 September 2019 - 10.30am to 12.30pm

The College is holding an Open Morning on Thursday 26 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 9 November 2019. Year 8 and Year 9 pupils will act as tour guides and show visitors around the school. 

Please do spread the word amongst friends and family, all are very welcome.

For further information please visit www.princethorpe.co.uk

Friday 27 September 2019 - 8.15am to 10.15am

For the first time the FoC will be supporting this wonderful charity. We will be holding a coffee morning straight after drop off, in the School Library until 10.15am. Everyone is welcome to come, please feel free to bring younger siblings along and join us for coffee and cake.

We will also be selling cakes to all the children at break time for 50p so please can you all get your baking hats on. We require smaller individual cakes that the children can purchase as well as bigger Victoria sponges, chocolate cakes that the parents and teachers can enjoy. 

Please could all nut-free cakes be left on the FoC table from Thursday 26 September.

Monday 30 September 2019 - 4.00pm

All Year 6 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 6W form room at 4.00pm on Monday 30 September 2019. Your child is also welcome to attend and there will be light refreshments served. It should last no more than 30 minutes.

An email with a link to sign up has been emailed to you.

Friday 4 October 2019 - 10.00am to 3.00pm

The Crescent School is opening its doors to prospective parents for an Open Day on Friday 4 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

Monday 7 October 2019 - 3.45pm to 4.45pm

For the first time this year the FoC we will be holding an AGM. We will be discussing our accounts, plans and elections of roles. These roles include Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer as well as two news roles of Deputy Chairperson and a Media/PR and communications role (managing the facebook page, starting a twitter page and communicating via The Courier).

We will be publishing further documentation in advance of this meeting.  This meeting is open to everyone, please do come along.

Friday 11 October 2019 - 3.45pm to 4.45pm

Please come along and support the FoC 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 Year 5.

You can also purchase pre-loved uniform.

Friday 11 October 2019 - 7.30pm

Our annual Quiz night hosted by Ms Forth will take place in the school hall from 7.30pm. It only costs £5 per person to enter. Tables will be up to eight people with prizes to be won. Let's see who can take the cup from the amazing Year 1 team!

Your Year group representative will be responsible for getting teams together, so look out for an email/whatsapp from them, and for organising food for your table if you require it.

Please pay on the night, we can accept cash or card payments. 

Friday 13 December 2019 - 3.45pm to 4.45pm

Please come along and support the FoC 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 Year 4.

You can also purchase pre-loved uniform.

Friday 15 November 2019 - 5.00pm to 6.30pm

The movie for this event is still TBC, as we are waiting to see when particular movies are going to be released, but it will be a U rated film - appropriate for all children. It will cost £5 per child (£3 per Reception child as they need to be accompanied by an adult) and includes the movie plus snacks and drinks.  

If you child would like to come along please put their name down on the sign up sheet on the FoC table. Children need to be dropped off at the front door at 5.00pm and be collected from the side entrance at 6.30pm. If you would like your child to go into after school prior to the movie starting and have tea please put their name down on the after school sheet in the week prior to this.

Friday 6 December 2019 - 3.45pm to 6.00pm

Our annual Christmas Bazaar will include games, crafts and a special visit from Father Christmas.

Reception and Year 1 will be able to attend from 3.20pm as it does get busy in the hall and surrounding classrooms, to give the younger children the opportunity to come and have a go on the games and stalls before the rest of the school arrive. 

More details on this will follow later in the term.

Well I didn't think I would have a millionaire this early in the year but we can say congratulations to Chloe W on doing just that.

Well done.

I was delighted to be able to appoint Crescent’s first Choir and Orchestra Monitors this morning. Maryn and Holly will help me during rehearsals, write reports of musical events, and be excellent role models for the other members.

Well done to Emily and Shaylan who received Playground Conduct Awards, chosen by the Lunchtime Supervisors, in Assembly this morning. 

Lunchtime Supervisors

Well done to Seren who received a Certificates of Excellence in Assembly this morning for following all instructions and helping others. These awards are chosen by the Year 6 Play Leaders.

In Religious Education, we have been learning about symbols of belonging in the Christian faith and their importance and meaning. Symbols include the cross, icthus, the church, the bible, a candle and Jesus. The children created great symbols of Christian belonging in playdough.

As part of our learning on the properties of common materials, Year 1 children spent a Science lesson this week examining the qualities of different types of paper.  Could you draw on them well?  Were they strong?  The children came up with some really scientific predictions and conclusions.

Class 4M started making their clay coasters this week. They have designed a theme for their set of coasters and have tried hard to think what each family member would like on their coaster.

Mrs Byrne
Head of Science, DT and Art

Why were the poor Saxons so frequently attacked by the vicious Vikings? How were they able to travel so effectively to impossible lkanding sites and up narrow rivers? 

4M found out this week, when a Viking longboat was spotted moored nearby. Whilst the guard was asleep they managed to carryout a spy mission and identify some of the key features which make the long boats such successful sailing vessels. 

Class 5F have been designing and making paper straw towers this week in DT club. They needed the towers to be strong and sturdy enough to hold a stop watch!

Mrs Byrne
Head of Science, DT and Art

Excitement abounded this week in Class 5F's history lesson. As intrepid explorers of the Valley of the Kings they discovered the ancient burial site of King Tutankhamun. 

They were eager to enter the tomb and discover the treasures hidden within. Armed with torches and a strict 10 second time limit, lest the poisonous gases which had built up over thousands of years overcame them, they explored the tomb. Teamwork and communication was key as they had to take it in turns to complete a group sketch of the one artefact they had discovered. 

Once the mission was complete, the ICT room swiftly returned to its usual state and the children were able to research Tutankhamun and the discovery of his tomb. 

Classes 6Y and 6W finished making their invertebrate houses and hotels this week. Here they are putting them outside hoping they attract lots of creatures, that they will be able to look at.

On Friday 13 September we had an early lunch before heading off to watch the Men’s Cycling Tour of Britain as it passed through Bilton. After a short walk across to Alwyn Road, we saw police motorbikes setting up for the race. We all thoroughly enjoyed cheering and waving at them and the support vehicles as they sounded their horns and sirens at us.

The first cyclists to pass us were the breakaway group of Dylan Van Baarle from Holland, riding for Team Ineous, number 22. Closely followed by Cameron Meyer from Australia riding for Team Mitchelton Scott. They were 2 minutes and 16 seconds ahead of the peloton when they passed us. The peloton raced passed us in a straight-line group followed by ambulances and sponsor cars. As we waved our flags and cheered, some cyclists threw us their bags and water bottle. We were lucky enough to receive 7 different items which we drew names out of a hat for when we arrived back at school.

This was so much fun, thank you to Mrs Byrne, Mr Thackway and Mrs Yates for taking us on this amazing experience.

Quotes from our classmates about this experience:

• Ariana - I’m really glad we went to see the cycling tour. I got a Wanty Gilbert team water bottle
• Arabella - It was cool seeing the Belgian cyclist throw his water bottle
• James - I really enjoyed watching the police motorbikes whiz past
• Sam - I won the Movistar team bag in the hat draw – I’m really pleased with it!
• Ewan - There was a great atmosphere

Factfile by Harry Barnwell

Report by

This term we are continuing to be creative with our cookery and our youngest members of our school are taking part.  Cookery club which runs on a Tuesday is led by Mrs Lusty from Bayleaf Cookery and she is bringing each week a new recipe for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 children to make and try.  This week we have been making a delicious salad using rice.

In craft club this week we were using different textures and papers to create lion collages. The children enjoyed, cutting, ripping, sticking and drawing to make each of their lions unique.

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

Reception Round Up - 200919 

As promised last week here is a copy of the FoC Year Group Representatives. These reps will communicate with you on all our events via email, whatsapp or facebook. 

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

Lunch Menu - 23 September 2019 

Crescent School Office

Milk is given out to the children (who have signed up for milk) at lunchtime for all the classes except Reception, who have their milk in their classroom with Mrs Pullen and Mrs Noyce.

Several cartons are being left at the end of lunchtime not collected, please can you advise the school office if your child no longer wants milk.

Many thanks

Crescent School Office

Please see below for useful school contact information:

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

2019/20