The Flagpole

Friday 4 March 2022 - 6.30pm to 10.30pm 

The OPs annual Local Meet takes place tonight, Friday 4 March 2022. After a hiatus of two years we will be meeting once again upstairs at Inside The 22, on Lawrence Sheriff Street, Rugby, CV22 5EJ.

Now a live music venue, as well as bar, our guests will also be able to enjoy The SOS Rock Blues Band who hark from Leicester from 9.30pm.

All OPs, VSOPs, Old Crescentians and alumni of St Joseph's and Crackley Hall School are most welcome.

There will be the customary welcome drink or two and the OPs Committee will be laying on some delicious food, so do let us know if you would like to attend by registering at Princethorpe Connect, so we can cater for you.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Fr Teddy O'Brien MSC invites the Princethorpe Community to any or all of the Lenten and Easter services at either St Anne's, Wappenbury or the Chapel of Our Lady of the Angels, Princethorpe College.

Sunday 6 March

10.30am Mass Princethorpe College
Children's Liturgy will resume in the Prayer Room during past of the Mass.

Thursday 14 April             

7.00pm  Mass of the Last Supper, Princethorpe College

Friday 15 April                 
3.00pm  Commemoration of the Passion of Christ, Princethorpe College

Saturday 16 April             
8.00pm Vigil Mass for Easter, St Anne's, Wappenbury
                                                            
Sunday 17 April               
8.30am  Easter Mass, St Anne's, Wappenbury
10.30am  Easter Mass, Princethorpe College

For an update on the weekly news in the parish bulletin please use the link here

Mass is celebrated every Sunday at 8.30am at St Anne's, Wappenbury and in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Angels, Princethorpe College at 10.30am.

On the first Sunday of each month Mass is offered for the deceased members of our families. Please join us if you can.

Fr Teddy looks forward to meeting you all.

Wednesday 9 March - 7.00pm

We enjoyed a great discussion last month about The Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin. All members seemed to have got something out of this book. Set in a hospital, it explores the unusual friendship between a 17-year-old and an 83-year-old. Both are dying but the novel is quite uplifting and there is a light humour which brightens the tone. The backstory of each character is revealed in such a way that we share both their triumphs and tragedies.

We will be meeting again at 7.00pm in the library on Wednesday 9 March. On this occasion we plan to discuss The Architect’s Apprentice by Elif Shafak. This comes well reviewed and is certainly visually appealing, although we all know not to judge a book by its cover! It has been great to welcome newcomers recently and you’ll get a warm welcome if you can join us, whether or not you have read this particular book.

Chris Kerrigan
Head of English

Tuesday 5 April 2022

Parents of pupils elected to serve on the Prefect Body, for the term of office which commences at the start of the Trinity term 2022, will receive an invitation from the Headmaster inviting them to attend the Prefect Inauguration Ceremony.

The ceremony takes place on Tuesday 5 April  at 1.45pm, in the Sports Hall, as part of our final assembly of the term and is preceded by a buffet lunch at 12.45pm in the Sixth Form Centre.

Replies will be due in by Monday 28 March 2022.

Saturday 19 March 2022 - 10.00am to 12.00pm

The Crescent School, Princethorpe's prep school in Rugby, is opening its doors to prospective and current parents and children for a Spring Open Morning on Saturday 19 March 2022 from 10.00am to 12.00pm. 

This is a perfect opportunity to come and have a look around the school, meet key members of staff and to find out why the school has been judged excellent in all areas by the ISI in their recent inspection. 

Families are invited to book on to one of two sessions, 10.00am and 11.00am. After a short welcome presentation by Mr Thackway, Headmaster, you will be guided around the school where you will be able to watch sporting displays and listen to instrumental performances; there will also be the opportunity to visit classrooms and children can participate in an activity trail. 

To book your place please click here.

In terms of availability, Reception and Year 3 for 2022 entry are now full, with a waiting group available. We are also operating waiting groups in most other years apart from our current Reception and Year 1 classes (Year 1 and 2 for September 2022 entry). We are now taking registrations for Reception and Year 3 entry in 2023 and beyond. 

For more information about availability or 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.

Saturday 19 March 2022 - 10.00am to 1.00pm

We are looking forward to welcoming former pupils, parents and staff back to Crackley Hall School for the Crackley Hall and St Joseph's Convent School's postponed 75th Anniversary celebrations.

On Saturday 19 March (St Joseph's Day) we will be holding an Open House event at Crackley Hall School and all past pupils, parents and former members of staff of the school and of St Joseph's Convent School are invited to join us.

Plans for the event include a Mass from 11.00am to 12 noon, an archive display, music and drama performances by current Crackley pupils and the chance for past pupils, parents and staff to chat and reminisce. Light refreshments will be served.

We have already had high levels of interest in the event and we are looking forward to welcoming everyone back.

To register your interest in attending the celebrations please click here.

Friday 18 March 2022 - 6.30-7.30pm

Please join in this special event in the College Chapel reflecting on Jesus’ way of the cross through mime, music and readings with Years 7 to Upper Sixth involved. All staff, pupils and parents welcome. Tickets (free of charge) are now available to pupils, staff and friends of the school by emailing Rod Isaacs at rodisaacs@princethorpe.co.uk

We are inviting donations for Aid to the Church in Need who are currently supporting the people of Ukraine through these difficult times and for Friends of the Holy Land which funds health and education projects for Christians in Israel/Palestine. 

Refreshments will be available afterwards in the Sixth Form Centre.

Tuesday 22 March 2022 - 6.30pm to 7.30pm

What can we expect from new cars in 2030? Electric motors will replace diesel and petrol engines. Cars will increasingly drive themselves for parts or all of the journey. When the driver is in control of the vehicle, the steering wheel and brake pedal will no longer be mechanically connected to the wheels – instead commands will be sent over a data-bus just like the driving simulator for a games console. Owning a car will be increasingly like owning a smart phone: with new car companies emerging and monthly subscriptions increasingly replacing car ownership. Comfort and features may become more important than raw performance, with electric suspension and noise cancellation making you feel more like you are sitting in a business-class lounge than a hassled commuter.

Sustainability and zero emissions will become the number one goal. Whilst cars will primarily be powered by batteries, goods vehicles and larger transport systems will increasingly rely on green hydrogen as their fuel source. With petrol and diesel fumes eliminated, the focus will be on eliminating brake dust and tyre dust pollution from the local environment, and reducing noise pollution.

Behind these revolutionary new trends, there are tens of thousands of engineers working hard to deliver safe, reliable and minimum-carbon solutions. This passionate team includes software, cybersecurity, magnetic, mechanical, electronics and design experts. If you have a love of science, design, and delivering creative solutions for the green economy, this may be a career for you.

Dr Connel Williams has spent 25 years working in the automotive and aerospace industries, developing smart actuators for cars, trucks, planes and helicopters. Before that he spent 5 years in academia, studying for a PhD in micromechanical engineering, designing micromotors and energy harvesters. He is now in charge of servodrive technology development globally for ZF, the third largest automotive supplier in the world.

He joins us on Tuesday 22 March 2022 from 6.30pm - 7.30pm for a STEAM talk on Engineering Cars of the Future. Sign up here to join us for what will be a fascinating insight into the future.

Dante created a remarkable body of work, including love poetry, linguistic and political treatises, and the monumental theological and philosophical Commedia, which is also a beautiful love story.

He wrote in Latin and Italian, advocating the vernacular as a fitting subject for serious subjects, and his writings had a profound influence on the course of Italian literature.

The talk will take place at 7.30pm on Tuesday 29 March 2022 in the Sixth Form Lecture Theatre followed by wine and light refreshments in The Atrium.

Tickets may also be purchased at the door but advance notice helps catering, please. Princethorpe, Crackley Hall and Crescent School pupils free of charge.

To reserve a place for the Dante 3 presentation please use this link

We look forward to an excellent and informative evening - see you soon

Wednesday 8 June 2022 - 6.30pm to 8.30pm

The College's Summer Open Evening will take place on Wednesday 8 June from 6.30pm - 8.30pm. This is an informal opportunity for prospective families to look around the college and to meet members of staff and pupils.

There will be activities in each department for children to participate in, and there will be two opportunities to hear from Ed Hester, Headmaster, at 6.45pm or 7.30pm. Light refreshments will also be available.

To book your place please click here.

Year 5 Taster Days are also available in April, May and June. To be the first to hear about how you can book on, please register your interest here. 

For more information about the admissions process and entry to the College, please do not hesitate to contact the Admissions Team on 01926 634201/262/297 or by email at admissions@princethorpe.co.uk.