The Courier

Dear Parents

I have been trying to think of a way to start this week’s newsletter without mentioning you-know-what. However, the truth is we have spent much of the week thinking and planning around what might happen and how we can maintain our service to the children in different scenarios. In fact, even as I write this I am aware that things could change before we press send on the Courier.

I must say, despite all of this uncertainty the children have continued to arrive in school in large numbers (absences this week have been around the normal level) and they have generally been showing a great deal of common sense. I began the half-term three weeks ago with an assembly about the old Blitz poster of ‘Keep Calm and Carry-On’. I didn’t fully realise just how pertinent this message would be over the next three weeks. I have been particularly impressed with the Pre-Prep children’s response to the cancellation of their spring play. They will still get to perform to some of the school next Friday and I hope the free to download film available to their parents will be of some compensation.

I would just reiterate that whatever does come our way, we will continue to provide as much support as we can for all of the children. We want to be honest and open with them, not to worry them unduly whilst encouraging them not to spread rumours without the full story. If we do need to close at any point we will provide relevant and well-planned work for the children to complete at home. You will be receiving a parent’s guide to working at home with your communications from the school today along with a full update on our extended precautionary measures.

The two parents’ evenings this week went smoothly and I was pleased to note that the new arrangements helped with the flow of appointments. As you know, we now only have two or three year groups on any one evening and that certainly seemed to help. Many thanks for all of your positive comments on this. 

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. 

Weekly Calendar - 16 March 2020 

The following clubs are not running next week:

Please note:

• Philosophy Club has now finsihed on a Tuesday morning
• Both Junior and Senior Drama Clubs have finished for the term

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

Super huge good luck to Crescent's U11 IAPS Hockey team who will represent Crescent School in the national finals on Wednesday next week, assuming it goes ahead. 

They were presented with their hoodies in assembly this morning.

We are proud of you all!

Crescent School

Class 4M have nominated two projects to raise money for this year. £500 towards a class kit that can deliver the curriculum to all with one set of software and hardware, plus £550 of food for the orphan stations for six months.

Due to the postponement of a few key events that usually raise collection money, Class 4M are determined to reach their target with a some extra games that they have created themselves. 

From Monday 16 March until Thursday 26 March representatives from Class 4M will be on the pupil entrance with games and competitions to enter and win. Prices are either 50p or £1 and Easter Eggs will be prizes for most apart from Guess The Teddy's Name when you win the teddy!

Please support this great cause that Crescent holds dear to its heart. This is our 11th year of association with the charity.

Thank you

I wanted to keep parents of the present Years 4 and 5 informed that I have managed to purchase tickets to see School of Rock at the The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham for next February when your children are in Years 5 and 6. I am sure you will agree it will be an exciting experience.

Further details will come out nearer the time. I, for one, cannot wait.

Our Scholastic Book Club is up and running! Go to Scholastic Book Club to browse the latest books and order online. For every £1 you spend on this month’s Book Club, our school will earn 25p in Scholastic Rewards.

Books can be delivered to School for free.

Please place your order online by 24 April 2020. 

Summer uniform is to be worn after the Easter break.  Below you can find the requirements:

Girls 

• Grey blazer 
• Green and white striped dress
• Green school cardigan
• White knee-high socks
• Straw boater with green band or green school sun hat

Boys 

• Grey blazer 
• White short-sleeved shirt with collar and tie
• Green school pullover
• Grey short trousers or long grey trousers
• Grey knee length socks
• Green school sun hat

Please click on the link below to order Summer Dresses:

Summer Dresses Order Form

All other items can be ordered by contacing Nicola via the details below:

Nicola Browne, Foundation Shop Manager

Crescent School

Cyber-crime – please be vigilant

Parents are asked to be vigilant when reading emails relating to the payment of school fees and any other items to the Foundation.

We continue to receive reports regarding spam emails being sent to parents of independent schools asking them to pay future fees to a ‘new’ school bank account.

Please be advised there has been no change to the bank details of either Princethorpe College, Crackley Hall or Crescent and there is no intention to make any changes in the foreseeable future. Any electronic notification that appears to be from any of the Foundation schools changing these details may be fraudulent.

Our bank details are available on the Parent Bills, the Online Payment Portal and for Princethorpe in the Princethorpe College Information Booklet 2019 – 2020, and only those details should be used.

Parents are asked to be vigilant in respect of any communications purporting to be from the Foundation requesting money that does not match our normal procedures.

Please note:

• invoices are only available through the on-line parent fee portal;
• our bank account details will NOT change during the academic year 2019-20;
• if you receive an email purporting to amend our bank details, do not make any payment and please contact us by telephone immediately to clarify;
• we do not email details of unsolicited discounts for payment of funds.

Please do not hesitate to contact me or my colleagues in the Bursary if you are have any doubts about the correct details or indeed if anything appears suspicious.

Please contact the Bursary if you have concerns about any communication you receive and in particular if you receive any request for payment of funds outside our normal routines.

Please note we do not accept payment in cash for the fee bill.

Eddie Tolcher
Foundation Bursar

With the fast-changing situation regarding COVID-19 it is with regret that we have decided to cancel or postpone all non-essential, larger scale Foundation events in the coming week or so, including postponing the school's Open Morning on Saturday 21 March.

Crescent School's next planned open event is our Open Evening on Tuesday 5 May 2020, in the meantime if you have any questions about the admissions process please contact Helen Morley our Admissions Registrar.

With the fast-changing situation regarding COVID-19 it is with regret that the Foundation has decided to cancel or postpone all non-essential, larger scale Foundation events in the coming week or so, including postponing the College's Open Morning on Tuesday 17 March.

Princethorpe College's next planned open event is its Open Evening on Wednesday 3 June 2020, in the meantime if you have any questions about the College's admissions process please contact the Admissions Team.

Wednesday 18 March 6.00pm - 8.00pm

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

Parent consultations are an important part of our communication with you regarding your child’s progress. 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. 

If you wish to speak to a specialist teacher, there will be a sign up sheet in the Library for you to complete.

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

Monday 16 March 2020 - 4.00pm - 6.30pm

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

Parent consultations are an important part of our communication with you regarding your child’s progress. 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. 

If you wish to speak to a specialist teacher, there will be a sign up sheet in the Library for you to complete.

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

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.  Good luck to all the children. 

Mrs Barnes
Director of Music

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. 

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. 

Wednesday 25 March 2020 - 4.00pm

With the fast-changing situation regarding COVID-19 it is with regret that we have decided to cancel or postpone all non-essential events in the coming week or so, including cancelling the Slapton Infromation meeting on Wednesday 25 March.

You will receive the information pack electronically next week.  Please take the time to read through it and fill out the relevant paper work required by the dates stated in the pack.

Great achievements for these children:

• Chloe in English
• Freya in English
• James in English
• Michael in Geography
• Sam in English

Well done all.

Mrs Webb
Assistant Head

This week Caspar and Poppy have achieved 500,000 words.

A super achievement.

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

• Amber 
• Alfie 
• Taran 
• Aryaan 
• Lewis 
• Nora
• Sophia 
• Alice 
• Darius 
• Emily 
• James 
• Roisin B
• Maisie 
• Sam O
• Sofie 

Pre-Prep reading certificates have, this week, been presented to:

• Emily 
• Patrick 
• Kian 
• Matthew 
• Timi 
• Theo 

Well done to you all.

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

Lunchtime Supervisors

After the Easter holidays, in English, we will be studying the fiction of David Walliams. The two books we will concentrate on are 'Billionaire Boy' and 'Mr Stink'.

It is helpful if the children have read one or both of these books, and have an idea what they are about, so I thought you would appreciate me sending them home now, so they can get started. If they are currently reading another book, they should finish that and then begin one of these.

Many thanks for your support.

Year 5 and 6 have both received a class reader to enjoy over the Easter holidays, either 'Kensuke's Kingdom' by Michael Morpurgo or '18th Emergency' by Betsy Byars. I am sending it home now so that they can start it as soon as they have finished their present book. If they have already read this book then please encourage them to read another book by the same author.

I am happy for pupils to share the book with you, listen to it or read it themselves. They will all need to have completed it by Trinity term so that we can work from it together.

In Year 6 we are looking at keeping healthy. As an extra challenge, Class 6W have been choosing to have a healthy snack every day. There has been a wide variety of fruits and vegetables seen in school.

The children have reflected on the challenge. They recognise the healthier they are the more they can fight illness. One child said that she felt in a better mood by eating the healthy food. Keep up the good habits!

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.

From now until the end of term we will be looking at a very important idea from the Good Citizens section of the Promise:

‘We are honest and tell the truth’

Mr Webb
Head of Pre-Prep

A hungry Crescent team started strong by displaying fantastic agility and strength on court, fabulous shooting and tight marking.

Winning the first four games comfortably, they needed to change tactics against a very tall Twycross team. Unfortunately this came too late and Twycross went on to win the game, and indeed the tournament.

The Semi Finals against Crackley Hall were end to end excitement, that sadly went in Crackley's favour this time. Through to the 3rd place play off against Stafford Prep, where the girls showed the true meaning of the words grit and determination. After finishing the first half 4-0 down they kept their heads, stayed composed and came back for a 5-4 win to take 3rd place.

Absolutely awesome work from all girls.

In tough, wet conditions, the year 5 and 6 children showed excellent effort to get round the Princethorpe course in double quick time.

It was great to see such support for each other. The boys encouraged the girls in their race and the girls encouraged the boys in their race. On the course, when children fell or lost shoes, the children helped each other out. 

In the end, the results were:

Girls race

• 1st Harriett (St. David's)
• 2nd Eve (St. George's)
• 3rd Sienna (St. David's)

Boys race

• 1st George (St. George's)
• 2nd Archie (St. David's)
• 3rd Noah (St. David's)

Overall, St. David's came out victorious in both the boys and girls races.

Here are some dates for your diaries:

• Year 1 Bake Sale - Friday 24 April
• FoC meeting - Monday 27 April
• Draycote Water charity walk - Sunday 10 May at 3pm
• FoC Disco - Friday 15 May
• Year 2 Bake Sale (rescheduled) - Friday 22 May
• Summer Fete - Friday 19 June
• Reception Bake Sale - Friday 26 June

Thanks

We are underway decorating all the Tote bags for Mother's Day. The children have done some wonderful designs! We are sending them home with the children as soon as they are done and are asking them to keep them safe until Mother's Day.

We have two more sessions on Monday and Tuesday for all the remaining children to come to the art room and decorate their bags. Any children who have signed up for the activity but are unable to complete them due to illness we will put a kit of all the items together with some pens so they will be able to do this at home with you. 

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

Crescent Lunch Menu - 160320 

Crescent School Office

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

• Key Stage 1 Teaching Assistant Part Time - Crescent School
• Teacher - Key Stage 2 - Crackley Hall 
• Teacher of Physics - Princethorpe College
• Electrician 
• Part time Learning Support Teacher - Crackley Hall

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