The Courier

Dear Parents

We had the pleasure in the week of a visit from the Reverend Tim from St Mark's Church. He spoke to the children about the need to protect our environment and in particular the powerful campaign that has recently been mounted by Greta Thunberg. The children listened carefully to the message and how dependent we are on sustainable agricultural productivity. A pertinent message as we head towards our harvest celebrations and the food bank collection gets underway.

I was also was pleased to announce to the children the arrival in school of class sets of purple pens. These will be used in the classrooms by the children for reviewing and correcting their own work. As part of our whole school improvement target this year we are looking at the area of feedback and marking. The ultimate aim is to improve pupil attainment through self-regulation, where they are able to review and edit their own work checking for accurate spelling and punctuation, as well as re-reading for meaning and coherence. On my learning walk this morning I was delighted to see lots of children making use of the pens and taking responsibility for their own work. Teachers are also providing children with target areas for them to assess themselves against. These are shared with the children and provide clear success criteria, enabling the children to monitor and improve their progress.

You will have received this week a letter regarding next week’s parents’ evenings. We have reviewed our practise in this area and hopefully you will find the new format more focused on your needs at this time of the year, and also the evenings will be considerably quieter. We are putting on four evenings in total this term, as opposed to the normal two, and whilst this results in greater staff commitment I believe it will be a better experience for parents. We will of course continue to monitor this as we go forward.

With some chillier autumn weather around this week we have certainly started to notice the change of seasons. This puts us in the mood for our harvest service, which is now under two weeks away.

Have a good weekend everyone.
 

Dear Parents

This term we are bringing in a revised system for parents’ evenings, after reviewing last year’s arrangements. You have already received an invitation to make your appointment with your child’s form teacher

For parents of children in Pre-Prep, your form teacher will have gathered information from specialists but will focus on how well your child has settled into their new class, as well as reporting on early progress in the core subjects of maths and English. In the second round of parents’ consultations later in the year, all of the specialists will be present. If you would like to receive feedback from a specialist teacher before that time please email them directly or via admin@crescentschool.co.uk to arrange a mutually convenient appointment.

Pre-Prep meetings will take place in your child’s form room. For the late session on 07 October, parents can park on the school playground and enter the building by the Mortimer Foyer door next to the Reception class. For those of you coming by foot, and for the early session on Tuesday 15 October, you may enter the school by the link room door, where you would normally pick up your children at the end of the day. Both entrances will be clearly signposted.

For parents of children in Year 3-5, your meetings will take place in the main school hall. As in previous years, you will have a scheduled appointment with your form teacher as well as seeing the specialist teachers, who spend more time with your children at this stage.

These new arrangements mean that the parents’ evenings should be quieter, more relaxed affairs which focus on what you need to know at this stage of the year. Far fewer parents will be seen on each evening with a total of four evenings planned for this round of appointments, whereas this time last year there were two.

As usual, tea, coffee and light refreshments will be served and the children’s books will be available for open viewing before and after your appointments. We do hope that you find these new arrangements user-friendly, providing an enhanced experienced all round. Along with other members of the SLT I will be there each evening and look forward to meeting you all.

Best wishes

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

Weekly Calendar - 7 October 2019 

Please note the following clubs are not running this week:

• Tuesday - Boys Football for Years 5-6 
• Tuesday - Girls Netball for Years 5-6

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 to the following children whose artwork was added to the School Art Gallery this week:

• Akaal
• Bella
• Ella
• Harry 
• Isla
• Joshua
• Maximillion
• Mya
• Nora
• Orla
• Sahana
• Samuel 
• Shayla
• Sofie
• Zara

Their certificates were awarded in assembly this morning.

Mrs Byrne
Art Teacher

Many of Year 6 have already had 11+ exams this term; we are now in the midst of final preparations for the independent school exams. We do this through building their confidence and self-belief that they all can do it whilst consolidating all that they have learnt through their time at Crescent. 

We all wish them good luck.

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'

Thank you to all the Year 6 Parents that visited our drop in about the Slapton residential. If you require the PowerPoint or Frequently Asked Questions then please let us know and we will get them sent to you. If you have any questions please get in touch with me on sarahwebb@crescentschool.co.uk

The After School Club would appreciate any unwanted cardboard tubes, from the inside of kitchen rolls (not toilet rolls).  Please leave any on the table by the pupil entrance or hand into the school office.

Our Harvest collection will again this year be for be for Rugby Foodbank. Please click here to see the list of suitable donations they require.

Non-perishable donations can be left from Thursday 3 October in crates by  the FOC table at the pupil 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 Thursday 17 October at 9.15am where you are all welcome to join us.

Monday 7 October 2019 - 6.30pm to 8.30pm

or

Tuesday 15 October 2019 - 4.00pm to 6.00pm

Parent Consultation meetings for Reception to Year 2 will be on either Monday 7 October or Tuesday 15 October 2019.  The meetings will take place in the Pre-Prep Department.

This is an important meeting that provides you with an opportunity to discuss your child's academic progress.

Crescent School

Tuesday 8 October 2019 - 4.00pm to 6.00pm

or

Monday 14 October 2019 - 6.30pm to 8.30pm

Parent Consultation meetings for Years 3 - 5 are on either Tuesday 8 October or Monday 14 October 2019.  They will be held in the School Hall. This is an important evening that provides you with an opportunity to discuss your child's academic progress.

Crescent School

Wednesday 9 October 2019 - 4.00pm

All Year 4 and 5 parents are invited to an information session about the residential trip to Rock UK. This will be an opportunity for you to find out what happens there, note the key dates and ask any questions. 

This will be held in the Class 5F form room (Music Room) at 4.00pm on Wednesday 9 October 2019. Your child is also welcome to attend and it should last no more than 30 minutes.

An email with a link to book yourself a place has been emailed to you.

Wednesday 16 October 2018 - 8.15am to 10.00am and 3.00pm to 5.00pm

The 11+ scores are released on Tuesday 15 October, any Year 6 parents who wish to discuss their child's 11+ results and implications are welcome to see Mr Thackway and myself between 8.15am and 10.00am and 3.00pm and 5.00pm on Wednesday 16 October to discuss the results - please just drop in via the main school entrance. 

If you are unable to make the drop in session please do email me to arrange an alternative time.

Even if you do not feel that you wish to have a discussion, please inform us of the position and scores of your child. The local authority does not inform us and we need them for our records.

Reading certificates have, this week, been awarded to:

• Edward W
• Esme 
• Harry R
• Oliver W 
• Nora 
• Sofie

Well done to you all.

Congratulations to Isaac who achieved his Golden Challenge Certificate for Times Tables.

The times table challenge is a drop in session in the Library with myself on a Wednesday morning for Years 2-6.

Well done to Harry and Isaac who received Playground Conduct Awards, chosen by the Lunchtime Supervisors, in assembly this morning. 

Lunchtime Supervisors

Class 1E have been learning about how data or information can be sorted and represented this week. In Geography, we looked at the benefits of using pictograms to give a visual representation and allow us to clearly see which category has the highest and lowest numbers. In what turned into a passionate debate on our favourite fruits, with apples and grapes running neck and neck for most of the way, grapes pipped apples to the post right at the end. This learning was then transferred into representing data collected in a house styles survey where the children made their own pictogram.

In maths, we continued sorting and representing data looking at properties of 2D shapes and seeing how many different ways we could sort them into categories. A venn diagram was introduced in order to solve the problem of some shapes falling into two categories of colour and number of sides.

In Science this week, Year 1 children were worried that Winnie the Pooh's umbrella had ripped in a storm!  They quickly became engaged, practical scientists testing different materials for a speedy repair job.  Their criteria was simple - it just had to be waterproof!

Pupils in Class 2W have been getting creative designing their own fridge magnets this half term, looking at the layering of different materials. 

They have created designs using corrugated card, on the theme of animals or TV characters, and foam, using the theme of geometric shapes. 

The results have been fantastic with lots of Junior Da Vinci's earned.   

Class 6Y had great fun this morning comparing traditional and modern methods of measuring. Using a height measure and a measuring app on the iPads, the children recorded their height in centimetres. Many discussions were had about the most accurate way to use the iPad measure and it was a great way for the children to become familiar with this excellent new resource. We then went on to use our knowledge of multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1000 to convert between measures.  

Children in Breakfast Yoga this morning had a fun time doing Bollywood Dancing.  A lovely way to start the school day.

Crescent School

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

Reception Round Up - 041019 

Having participated in this tournament last year, Crescent knew the tough level they would be facing. However, with the two Georges looking dominant, Isaac excellent in goal, Kai and Sachin giving energy to the team and Joshua looking dangerous up front, Crescent won their first three games.

In the last game, they faced a strong Birchfield team and drew but this saw them top the group and qualify for the three team final!

Against Edenhall in the final, they had the better of the play in the first half but their outstanding goalkeeper kept the scores level. In the second half a couple of high class pieces of play were the difference and Crescent just lost out.

Playing Ruckleigh for second place, the game was end to end. Two early goals gave Crescent control but a late goal by Ruckleigh made it a nervous finish.  Crescent held on to finish as runners-up in the ISA Midlands Football.

What a fantastic achievement - well done boys!

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 stationery 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 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.

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 stationery for privilege time for Year 4.

You can also purchase pre-loved uniform.

Thank you so much to everyone who baked, bought, consumed and helped make this such a successful event. We raised £573 for Macmillan. 

Zara Corbin

Below are the details 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: 

Crescent Menu - 7 October 2019

Crescent School Office

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

• Foundation Data Manager
• Learning Support Asssitant

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

Please see below for useful school contact information: