The Courier

Dear Parents

I hope you all enjoyed the half term break. The mild and very wet conditions we have had all through the winter months have continued, but I do hope your plans weren’t too badly affected. I managed to get in some mountain biking on the South Downs with my son which was a first for me and was great fun, I must say.

You will have received messages from the school and the Foundation regarding our measures regarding the Coronavirus. We will continue to monitor this very closely of course, looking particularly at the advice given by Public Health England. We have given children guidance in school about using tissues and washing hands, as well as installing new hand sanitisers at key points around the building. We don’t want to panic or scare the children, but at the same time it is important to stress the need for hygienic practice.

This week in school we have focused on the theme of being calm and sensible as we go about our daily business. This fits in well with the message above regarding a sensible approach to staying healthy. In assembly we looked at pictures from the Second World War, where ordinary people took shelter from the Blitz in underground train stations and air raid shelters. The children were very impressed with how calmly people went about their daily lives at a terribly frightening time. They set a great example for us all to follow.

Next Thursday there is a meeting for Year 4 and 5 parents where we talk about the destination process for the children as they come towards the end of their time at Crescent. This is an annual information session where we talk about the options available to parents, the technicalities of applying to schools as well as the importance of managing stress levels and maintaining realistic expectations. I do hope parents in those two year groups will be able to come along.

Have a great weekend. 

The weekly calendar can be viewed by clicking on the link below.  It details all the clubs, events, fixtures and additional information for the week. 

Please note the following clubs are not running next week:

All the co-curricular clubs can be viewed on SOCS, where you can find details of all the dates the clubs are running.  

SOCS Co-Curricular

Crescent School

Today has been our first ever Wellbeing Day where we have all taken care of our emotional and mental health as well as our physical health. Following an assembly about how we as a school are planning to provide space and resources to help everyone, we all took part in a carousel of activities relating to the five ways of 'Wellbeing' as identified by the NHS and the Mental Health Foundation.

Ask your children what they did in order to Connect, Learn, be Active, take Notice and Give - or C.L.A.N.G as it is know for short!  Check out next week's Courier for more insights and photos about our exciting day!

Keeping safe online and managing use of electronic devices continues to present challenges to schools, parents, adults and children.  In line with national recommendations we advocate families having open discussion and agreement with regard to these issues. 

A family agreement is a great way to start a conversation with your whole family about how you all use the internet and to start discussions together around how to behave in a positive way when online, whether this is at home, at school or at a friend's.

Some of you will be familiar with these materials - but it does makes good sense to revisit, confirm or adjust previous agreements. 

For others they may be new to you - please do spend time looking through them with a view to developing your own family device and online agreement.

Online Safety

The Crescent Cobras have been working very hard toward the JLR challenge 2020 since the beginning of January.

They have decided on their roles:

• Alyssa and Isla are the Graphic Designers
• Amelia is the Team Manager
• Jack the Design Engineer
• Michael the Manufacturing Engineer 

They have been making cars and testing them, writing and delivering letters asking companies, shops and businesses for sponsorship, planning a raffle and recently have been making a starting tunnel for testing the cars and for the team display.

If any parents are interested in supporting this exciting and rewarding challenge, we will be very grateful to receive donations for raffle prizes anytime next week.

The raffle tickets will be on sale every morning starting on Monday 9 March at the pupil entrance at 8.15am each morning. The money raised will go towards buying the team some personalised T shirts for them to wear on the day of the challenge, some cake ingredients and more wheels, axles and card for more cars.

If you would like to see further details about the challenge please take a look at the following link:

www.primaryschoolchallenge.com/home/

Thank you very much for any support.

Mrs Byrne
DT Teacher

We are very proud of our hockey here at Crescent School and it is great to see so many of our children being selected to play for the local Rugby and East Warwickshire Hockey Club.

Harriett Gray has been selected for the Rugby and East Warks U12 squad, she has been training with the team this season and took part in the trials last week. Harriett will play in the County Tournament on Sunday 8 March.

Eve Ferguson, Amy Robinson, Hattie Sarkies, Ellie Gane and Katherine Lee have also all been selected for the REWHC U10 Squad and they will play their County tournament on 15 March 2020.

That is six out of 20 girls selected for the County Tournaments coming from Crescent School. 

Well done and good luck to you all.

Joe Thackway
Headmaster

A reminder that children who have been offered a place at Princethorpe College will need to confirm acceptance of their place with a £300 deposit by Thursday 5 March 2020. 

Once you have confirmed your acceptance of a place and sent your £300 deposit you will receive an acknowledgment and a receipt. A Joining Pack will then be sent to you during the Easter holidays, this will include various permission forms and essential information on school life.

The Registrar, Mrs Vanessa Rooney and her assistants, Miss Helen Morgan and Mrs Catherine Rogers will be pleased to help you with any questions you may regarding the admissions process.

Please contact them on 01926 634201 or 01926 634262 or click here to contact them via email.

The latest edition of The Pinnacle has just been published. It showcases pupils' excellent work.

In the middle there is a pullout (The Minnacle) which focuses on the junior schools featuring both Crackley Hall School and the Crescent School.

You can view an electronic version of The Pinnacle here and The Minnacle here.

Why not enjoy a few minutes browsing through the inspirational work our children do.

Children often grow quickly and its good to check and replace any damaged, missing or ill-fitting items.  A full list of uniform requirements can be found on page 19 of the parent information booklet.

We would ask you to check:

• Uniform is labelled with the child's name not initials. We have a lot of uniform in lost property which is not labelled so we are unable to return.
• Your child is wearing their own uniform as Coats/Jumpers/Cardigans/Blazers etc sometimes get mixed up
• Dress/Skirt length should be on or below the knee
• Children have the correct PE kit for their year and have the school tracksuit (Y3-6)
• Please ensure your child has a school winter hat. 
• Hair should be tied back.

It is World Book Day next week and we have been given a £1 book token for each child that can be put towards a book of their choice.  These have been given to children today.

Happy reading everybody.

Saturday 28 March 2020 - Arrive from 6.30pm - Walk from 9.00pm 
 
You can join over 500 fundraisers who have already signed up to support this amazing local charity in what Myton Hospice is describing as its biggest and best Glow fundraiser ever.  And all Foundation pupils, staff and families are eligible for a £5 discount, making the registration price just £15 for adults and £10 for children to participate.  
 
Princethorpe is hosting this major fundraising event for the charity Myton Hospice on Saturday 28 March 2020 and we are asking our wonderful Foundation Community to get involved.  Glow For Myton - Around The World In 5km is a night walk that will wind its way through the beautiful grounds of the College campus, taking in the sights and sounds of some of the world’s best celebrations along the way. 
 
The walk will start and finish in the Orchard where there will be entertainment and food available. Following a Zumba warm up, the walkers will head off around the College grounds. There will be plenty of volunteer marshals to cheer them on and along the way will be exciting zones showcasing festivals and cultural celebrations from around the world including Oktoberfest, Chinese New Year, Full Moon Party and the Holi Colour Festival. The event isn’t timed, instead it is all about enjoying the experience and the sights and sounds laid on for the event. 
 
Comments Rebecca Richards, Myton’s Assistant Events Manager, “We are hoping to raise £60,000 from this event and are really looking forward to holding it at Princethorpe.” 
 
The event is sure to be great fun for a good cause so we are really hoping lots of families and friends of the Foundation will get involved. 

Enter the discount code 'princethorpe' to receive a £5 reduction on the standard registration price.
 
Glow For Myton - Around The World In 5km is open to all, and pupils, parents, staff, OPs, friends and neighbours are all encouraged to sign up for the event on the charity’s website here.
 
Children of all ages are welcome but under 18s must be accompanied by an adult. 

The television production company Love Productions, who make programmes such as The Great British Bake Off and The Great British Sewing Bee are delighted to announce that Junior Bake Off is coming back for a sixth series on Channel 4 and applications are now open!

They are looking for talented young bakers between 9 -15 years old. Filming will take place from July 2020, but applications close on Sunday 5 April 2020.

If ther are any budding young bakers in school that would like to apply then please visit the application website www.applyforjuniorbakeoff.co.uk.

Do let us know if you decide to take part.

Crescent School

Wednesday 4 March 2020 - 8.00am - 10.00am and 3.00pm - 5.00pm

As you are aware Grammar School offers are made at the beginning of March and Independent Schools also require acceptance of their places within days of this.

Mr Thackway and I will be available on the morning of 4 March from 8.00am - 10.00am  and the afternoon 3.00pm - 5.00pm to listen to any parents with decisions to make, who need to talk through which school to accept for their child.

We do not have all the answers but we can listen and ask the questions that may clarify your choice.

There is no need to book, please just come to the front of the school. I will also be available via email if parents cannot make it in to school.

Wednesday 4 March 2020 - 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 4 March 2020. Your child is also welcome to attend and it should last no more than 30 minutes. 

Thursday 5 March 2020 - 7.00pm to 8.00pm

The focus of the evening is to go through with parents the potentially daunting process of finding the right school for your son or daughter when they leave us at the end of Year 6.  You will be told about how and when to apply for maintained and independent secondary schools, the type of standardised scoring that the maintained schools use and there will be advice from members of staff on preparing your child for the exams they will be sitting. The evening will clarify the timeline involved in this and explain a bit more about how we can help you navigate the process without too much anxiety. 

This meeting will be held in the School Hall.  Parking will be available on the Playground from 6.45pm.

Friday 6 March 2020

World Book Day is next week and to celebrate this we are asking the children to come to school dressed as a character from a book on Friday 6 March.

We love our reading at Crescent School and hopefully this will encourage the children to be further inspired.

All we ask is that the children are dressed appropriately and safely for a day of learning.

There's only a week to go now until the Old Princethorpians annual local Pub Meet on Friday 6 March. This year we will be venturing to Rugby and the new venue of Inside the 22, on Lawrence Sheriff Street.

All past pupils of the Foundation are most welcome, we hope to see OPs, Old Crescentians and past pupils of Crackley Hall and St Joseph's attending.

We'll be based upstairs in the private room and the OPs Commitee will be laying on a delicious, complimentary hot and cold buffet and a welcome drink for everyone, so do let us know if you can join us by visiting http://bit.ly/OPMarchMeet or email us at oldprincethorpians@princethorpe.co.uk.

Partners and friends are most welcome too. We look forward to seeing you there!

When signing up for this event you can do so as a guest, but we'd love you to create a profile on Princethorpe Connect and become a member of our online alumni community, it doesn't take long and it will help you connect with old friends and classmates. We're nearly at the 400 online members mark, so would appreciate you helping us towards the next milestone!

Monday 9 March 2020 - 4.00pm to 6.30pm

And

Wednesday 18 March 6.00pm - 8.00pm

Consultation meetings for Reception to Year 2 will take place on Monday 9 March 2020 and Wednesday 18 March 2020 in the School Hall.

Parent consultations are an important part of our communication with you regarding your child’s progress. My School Portal allows you to choose your own appointment time with your child's form teacher and you will receive an email confirmation once you have successfully reserved your place online. 

We do need to keep to 10 minute appointments to make the evenings run smoothly for everybody. If you find there are outstanding issues that can’t be covered during that allotted time, please do feel free to request a follow up appointment. 

Other subject specialist teachers will be available to speak to on the night, please arrive earlier than your appointment to meet with them and look at work books, especially those with later appointment times.

Parking will be available on the playground and please enter via the main school entrance.

Appointments can be made from today and will close on Sunday 1 March 2020. Should you wish to make any changes after this date please contact the school office.

Wednesday 11 March 2020 - 6.00pm to 8.00pm

And

Monday 16 March 2020 - 4.00pm - 6.30pm

Consultation meetings for Years 3 and 4 will take place on Wednesday 11 March 2020 and Monday 16 March 2020 in the School Hall.

Parent consultations are an important part of our communication with you regarding your child’s progress. My School Portal allows you to choose your own appointment time with your child's form teacher and you will receive an email confirmation once you have successfully reserved your place online. 

We do need to keep to 10 minute appointments to make the evenings run smoothly for everybody. If you find there are outstanding issues that can’t be covered during that allotted time, please do feel free to request a follow up appointment. 

Other subject specialist teachers will be available to speak to on the night, please arrive earlier than your appointment to meet with them and look at work books, especially those with later appointment times.

Parking will be available on the playground and please enter via the main school entrance.

Appointments can be made from today and will close on Sunday 1 March 2020. Should you wish to make any changes after this date please contact the school office.

Monday 16 March 2020 - 9.30am to 5.15pm

Music Exams will be held on Monday 16 March 2020 between 9.30am and 5.15pm.  A timetable will be published nearer the date.

Mrs Barnes
Director of Music

Tuesday 17 March 2020 -10.30am to 12.30pm

The College's Spring Open Morning will take place on Tuesday 17 March, giving prospective families a chance to visit the school on a normal working day, with Year 7 and 8 pupils acting as tour guides. Light refreshments will be available.

All are welcome and there is no need to book. For further information, please contact our Registrar, Mrs Vanessa Rooney on 01926 634201 or at admissions@princethorpe.co.uk.  

Our next Open Event after the March Open Morning will be our Summer Open Evening on Wednesday 3 June 2020 from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.

Please do spread the word amongst family and friends.

Saturday 21 March 2020 - 9.30am to 12.00pm

Crescent School will be opening its doors to prospective and current parents and children for a Spring Open Morning on Saturday 21 March 2020 from 9.30am to 12.00pm. 

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 The Selfish Ladybird.  A fun and educational musical which follows the story of Lucinda Ladybird and her search for advice about sharing and friendship.

This 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. 

Elsewhere on site there will be plenty to see and do, including guided tours by the older pupils, sampling the school menu, sporting displays, instrumental performances, plus the opportunity to visit classrooms and chat informally to current parents and staff from 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.

Alternatively please visit our website www.crescentschool.co.uk for more information.

Monday 23 March 2020 - 2.30pm to 4.00pm

The House Swimming Gala will take place on Monday 23 March from 2.30pm to 4.00pm at Rugby School.  All children in Years 3-6 will be involved and will need their swimming costumes, two towels and their PE t-shirt. Unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate spectators at this event. However, there is a short presentation afterwards at 4.00pm which parents can attend.

Please pick your child up from Rugby School at 4.15pm or email Crescent School Office in advance if your child needs to go into after school and we will arrange for them to get back to School. 

On Wednesday 25 March 2020 we are holding a meeting for Year 6 parents about the Slapton residential 2020. This is an opportunity to hear in greater detail what the week entails and for any questions you have to be answered. Mrs Webb, Mrs Byrne and Mr Phillips will all be present.

The meeting is at 4.00pm in the School Hall, there will be refreshments available. Children are welcome, please collect at dismissal as normal and come through the main school entrance.

You will receive the information pack that evening, please take the time to read through it and fill out the relevant paper work required and hand it in on time. If you cannot make this meeting we will send the information pack home via your child.

A bumper week for Junior da Vinci Students:

• Timi and Matthew T in English
• Stephanie in Science 
• Harriett and Maryn for Art
• Harry and Jessica in Maths
• Freya in PSHE
• Orla in Geography
• Alex G in PE

Congratulations to you all

Mrs Webb
Assistant Head

Sophie M has read 500,000 words and Izzy has reached 1,000,000 words.

Well done to both for this great achievement.

Congratulations to the Michael who received the Diamond Challenge certificate for Times Tables in Assembly today.

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

Pre-Prep Number Bonds certificates were awarded to the following children in Assembly today:

• Albert 
• Alfie 
• Amber 
• Evelyn 
• Nimeeta 
• Taran 

• Aryaan 
• Lewis 
• Nora 
• Patrick 
• Samuel Y
• Shaylan 

• Alex T
• Alice
• Darius 
• Emily 
• Harry S
• James 
• Leela 
• Maisie 
• Sam B
• Shayla 
• Shiv

Reading certificates have, this week, been awarded to:

• Harry R
• Herbie
• Edward W
• Esme
• Roisin B
• Shayla

Well done to you all.

Well done to Arrwinn, Alex T and George C who received Playground Conduct Awards, chosen by the Lunchtime Supervisors, in assembly this morning. 

Lunchtime Supervisors

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 in the category of Good Learners.

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'

Class 1E have been perfecting their skills in counting in 2’s and were ready to move on to using this knowledge in early multiplication. The children were introduced to the concept of ‘groups of’ e.g. 4 groups of 2 = 8.

They enjoyed a series of activities including paint and playdough where they had to visually and physically put things into groups of 2 then use their counting in 2’s skills to count the groups to find how many there were altogether.

We discussed putting the multiplication symbol in place of the words ‘groups of’ to start our times tables journey. The children tested their knowledge by creating their own counting in 2’s problems on whiteboards.  On to applying our learning to 10's and 5’s next week.

After halving in fractions involved the equal division (and eating) of a Kit Kat, it seemed only right that on pancake day we should develop our understanding of quarters by dividing a pancake into four equal parts and putting toppings on each quarter to make a whole.

Lots of fun and learning took place all finished off with a story of Mr Wolf’s Pancakes where the children discussed the importance of working as a team and helping with the making as well as the eating of the pancakes.

Class 3S carried out an investigation of different materials and which ones gave more or less friction. We used toy cars and ramps to test and record our findings. Great collaborative work 3S!

Class 5F concluded their RE learning on what it means to be generous and the importance of forgiveness by reflecting on the story of Zacchaeus. Not only did we recall and understand the story of transformation, we also created a fantastic opera emphasising the emotions and choices made by the main characters. 5F loved performing their final operatic performance to Mr Thackway, Mrs Tucker and Mrs Nelson.

Bravo!

A delivery of new class books has got 4M excited this week. As well as some classics like Anne of Green Gables and The Railway Children, we have also introduced some new fiction into our class library.

Old favourites from David Baddiel and David Walliams sit alongside new offerings by the hilarious Miranda Hart and Tom Fletcher on our shelves, waiting to be enjoyed.

We can't wait to get started!

Class 5F were asked the question: How tall is our class?

They were then given five minutes planning time and half an hour to find the accurate answer in metres. Various pieces of measuring equipment and recording materials were available. After a little discussion the class tackled the open learning problem without any more input from Mrs Dowling or Ms Forth.

After some excellent organisation skills from Hattie, Isaac, George R, Emme and Joshua, the whole class recorded heights and applying addition skills practised previously, they found out that the 25 people in class 5F on Wednesday measured 35.68m!

They extended the analysis to working out that the classroom is 3.24m high, so 5F is the height of about a 12 story building! They concluded that they were the tallest class in school because they had more people in a class than 6Y or 6W even though they have some who are very tall.

A valued and important rite of passage here at Crescent is the Year 6 children being buddied up with a Reception child to support them through their first year at school. 

Due to the double Year 6 class this year, the Reception children have been lucky enough to have two buddies. They started the year with 6Y and on the last Friday of half term they spent privilege time together; reading, playing and having fun.

The very proud and slightly emotional 6Y said goodbye to their buddies as they handed them over to parents at the end of the day.

6Y have loved being buddies and have now handed over the baton to 6W for them to take their turn in this precious tradition.

We had a 'flipping' great time eating pancakes in FROG this week celebrating Shrove Tuesday. We then chatted about what our key ingredients would be for a happy life and wrote out our recipe.

The bible verse we reflected upon is from Proverbs 3 v5-6 which says,' Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.'

It was a fabulous day in Malvern with the U11 Netball Team at the ISA Midland Tournament. The girls have all been absolute super stars giving 100% effort and commitment to every game, finishing 2nd in our pool to qualify for the semi finals.

A tightly fought match in the semi’s against the host school, who eventually went on to win, finished with a 4-3 loss putting us through to the play offs against Dodderhill, the girls gave their all but we couldn’t quite convert our chances.

4th place finish out of 18 schools. So so proud of you ladies we could not have asked more.

Pool Round 

• Arnold Lodge  8-0 Win 
• Loughborough Amherst  1-0 Win 
• Stafford Prep 4-0 Win 
• St Edward's Prep - 8-2 Loss
• Castle House - 2-0 Win 
• Old Vicarage School 2-1 win 
• Crackley Hall 5-2 Win

The girls played extremely well in freezing conditions growing and developing with every game.

Player of the game - Arabella Drinkwater 

There was a great effort and focus from the swimming team in the IAPS gala. This was a qualifying round at King Henry VIII school for The National Finals and times are taken from all around the country with the top 16 qualifying. There were other local independent schools swimming against Crescent. It was great to see our children up at or near the front on most occasions despite swimming against larger schools.

Sienna was excellent in the breaststroke and registered a time that could see her through to The Nationals. Ewan was second in his backstroke race but still recorded a potential National Final time. Another highlight was the U11 boys medley relay team (Ewan, Sam, Marco and Matthew) who won their race and also recorded a time which could see them through. Other notable performances included Sam in the breaststroke. Having made a lot of improvement in his swimming, he won comfortably. Also, Stephanie who swam a year up in the U10 butterfly race and came second. 

Monday 2 March 2020 - 3.45pm to 4.45pm

Please come along and join us if you're available. We will be discussing the events for the rest of the academic year.

Do sign your child into after school for free if you wish to attend.

Friday 13 March 2020 - 3.30pm to 5.00pm

This bake sale will be held outside (weather permitting) and then in the library for the Orchestra and Dance pupils when they finish at 4.45pm.  Please come along and support Class 2W by purchasing cakes and goodies after school from 3.30pm to 5.00pm.

All money raised will go towards crafts, games and toys for their class.

Friday 13 March 2020 - 7.30pm

We will be holding another Quiz Night on Friday 13 March from 7.30pm in the school hall hosted by Ms Forth.  Prizes and a trophy to be won!! These are always a fabulous event and a great way for parents to come together!  

Teams of no more than eight are required and the cost is £5 per adult. Your Year Group representative will be pulling the teams together and sorting food requirements. Some teams organised fish and chips, pizza or everyone just brings a snack. So look out for a communication from your rep.

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

Book your babysitters now!

This year for Mother's Day your child can decorate a fabric tote/shopping bag. This will be presented in a hand decorated paper bag with some love hearts for only £5. All the decorating will be done at lunchtime and the children will then bring the decorated bags home on the Thursday or Friday before Mother's Day.

The children love these activities and we are very happy to decorate for Grandmas, Grannys, Aunties and other significant females in your child's life. 

Please click on the link below to put your child's name down:

Mother's Day Craft

Thank you to all the wonderfully well behaved children who attended movie night last week. In total we raised £275 for this event which is fantastic.

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

Crescent Menu - 2 March 2020 

Crescent School Office

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

• Invigilators
• Teacher of Computer Science
• Teacher of Physics
• Gardener/Groundsman

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
• Scarves
• 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:

2019/20

On Wednesday 5 February a group of children from Years 4-6 went to Bedstone College in Shropshire to compete in a cross country race.

Rohan and I ran in the Under 9s races. We ran 1500m round molehills, rabbit poo and through forests. The Year 5 and 6 runners even had to go through 2 streams, luckily we didn’t need to.

I ran as fast as I could all the way round so when we got to the end I didn’t have enough energy to do a big sprint to the line however I did finish 9th.If you came in the top ten you got to run in the national finals.

On 20 March, Archie in Year 6 and I will be going to represent the Midlands and Crescent School at the National Finals at Worksop College.

I am really looking forward to it!

The children at Crescent School have been nominating members of staff who they feel have stood out as being especially super this half term.

This half term’s super member of staff is…

• Mr Phillips

One of the nomations was…

Ingredients

FOR THE COOKIES:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup cocoa powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

FOR THE FILLING:

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 3-3 ½ cups caster sugar

Method:

1. Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl, and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until well incorporated. Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture, beating on the lowest speed. Continue to mix on the lowest setting until the dry ingredients are just incorporated.
2. Divide the dough in half, and shape into two discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. When the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat. Set aside. Taking only one portion of dough out of the refrigerator at a time, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough to 1/8-1/4 inch thickness. Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out cookies and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once the cookies are cooled, prepare the filling. Combine the softened butter, milk, vanilla, and salt and beat until combined. Add the caster sugar slowly until the filling is smooth. It should be slightly stiffer than cupcake frosting. Add pink or red food colouring until desired colour is reached.
5. Transfer the filling to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (or a freezer zip-lock bag with the corner snipped off.) Pipe the filling onto half of the cookies, and top with the remaining cookies to form a cookie sandwich.