Form 5 Mary Poppins Production
Form 5 embarked on an ambitious project to perform Walt Disney’s magical “Mary Poppins” which came to fruition last Thursday night. Most of the songs were included along with as many of the animated animals as possible. After just seven weeks of rehearsal time, the Company performed magnificently to provide the audience with a joyful and toe-tapping evening. Special mention must go to Alannah Creed as Mary Poppins who sang stunningly and also Charlie Black as George Banks. Olivia Turner and Tabitha Cockerill were marvelous as the two children Jane and Michael, looked after and entertained by the kind sweep Bert who was played superbly by Eve Roberts. The whole cast acted and sang its socks off to give Pamela Travers something to be very proud of.
Form 2 Science Day at the National Railway Museum
Form 2 enjoyed a Science day at York National Railway Museum hosted by students from the University of York. Workshops included an exploration of our carbon footprint, of air quality in different parts of the world using a process similar to chromatography, archaeological methods, air resistance, light and Newton’s Three Laws of Motion. The pupils even got to travel on a replica of the Rocket Steam Engine at a glorious 29 mph. All enjoyed a plethora of practical science and it was full steam ahead on their Science learning.
Form 2’s Round the World Week
Following the report last week on Form 3’s Italian discoveries, we bring you news of Form 2’s Spanish adventures: “Our Form 2 children have enjoyed learning about Spain, and in particular about Spanish foods and Spanish dancing. Learning to cook Spanish style began in the school cookery room with traditional Spanish tapas dishes including tortilla, salsa, Manchego cheese with quince jam, and Honeydew melon with Serrano ham. The children enjoyed stuffing peppers with goat’s cheese, and creating a more unusual chickpea and black pudding recipe. These dishes were enjoyed by all at break time. Next, Form 2 visited the Ambiente Tapas Bar in York to compare their Spanish cooking with the ‘real thing’; they were especially impressed to learn about the Spanish delicacy which is a ham where the pigs have fed only on acorns. Form 2 pupils and staff are grateful to Javier, our Language assistant, and Senorita Arizabel who introduced the children to flamenco dancing. They were quick to embody the mood of Spanish music. Well done Form Two!”
St Patrick’s Day in the Boarding House
The boarders were treated to an early St Patrick’s Day party last Monday, which saw them enjoy a super feast provided by April and Linda. Fun and games were had by all, with hunt the treasure, dangling donuts and toss the coin in the leprechaun’s hat. Tom Dicken scooped most of the prizes and best dressed went to Ellen and Luke. It was lovely to see everyone join in and have such a good time.
ISA Drama Festival 2015
Congratulations to everyone who took part in the ISA Drama Festival this term. Mrs Riddell has the latest news: “Despite a very early start, eighteen Cundall drama students arrived at School, brimming with enthusiasm, on Sunday 8th March. Initial difficulties with fitting the scenery on the bus were solved by sheer determination and brute force (if you’ve ever tried to fit three children, the dog, the cases and the duvets into a car for a trip, you’ll know what I mean!) This was Cundall’s first attempt to compete in the ISA Drama Festival, a well-established Drama event with a national profile. ISA schools across the country compete against each other for a variety of awards. Cundall Manor took two short productions: an adaptation of the well-known play, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Gandhi in the Shed – a comedy based around a family trying to put their unfortunate grandparent into a care home. We had a couple of hours to compose ourselves, dress and put on make-up and then we were on. Schools are given five minutes to set up in an unknown theatre space, in front of an unknown adjudicator and an unknown audience…terrifying! Our senior group performed first, with flawless characterisation and comic timing; the juniors second, using the unfamiliar space with such confidence, you’d think they were a professional touring repertory company! Our performances were well received by the audience and the adjudicator gave us some very useful, constructive criticism, complimenting the students’ ability to characterise and create believable roles. I was extremely pleased with everyone’s performance and I felt very optimistic for the outcome, to be announced after the completion of the southern heats in a couple of weeks’ time. When the results did come through, I was delighted. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory won the Oxford Cup for best junior school production and Francesca Banks added to her long list of performing achievements, winning the Audrey Vowles Shield for best junior girl performer. This is a wonderful result and testament to the talent and dedication of those involved. The pupils had quite a task, competing against some very experienced and specialist drama schools (especially in the senior categories) I would like to thank every student who took part and a really big thank you to Annabel Hartley, Zaila Barker and Pippa Adamthwaite-Cook, who stood in at the last minute.”
Form 1 and Pre-Prep Story Share
The Nursery children were delighted to welcome Form 1 pupils this week for a storytelling session. The Form 1 children had written and illustrated some wonderful stories for young children and came along to share them with Nursery. The children were enthralled and the teachers amazed by Form 1’s literacy skills – a fun time was had by all!
Cundall Manor Equestrian Success
Our Equestrian Team were out in action on Saturday at Northallerton Equestrian Centre. The team, consisting of Jemima Fawcett, Kate Sanderson and Issy Saxby, finished third with Kate being placed 5th individually and Issy 2nd. Well done girls!
Red Nose Day
Pre-Prep got into the Comic Relief spirit by coming to school wearing their red noses. The children paid £1 to make a funny face on a paper plate. There were some hilarious designs which are now being displayed in the brick building. They also danced along with Dermot and listened to the Comic Relief Song. The children found out that if they raised £60 this would pay for an orphaned child in Africa to go to school for a year and the government would then double this amount, enabling a second child to attend school too. Pre-Prep, Main School and Upper School raised a combined total of over £260. What a fantastic fund raising effort everyone!
York and Ainsty Hunt
We welcomed horses, hounds and riders to Cundall Manor last week for the York and Ainsty Hunt’s annual ride out. It was lovely to see so many turn out on such a sunny morning, and to see many of our pupils joining in on their ponies.
Form 3’s Italian Week
During ‘Around the World’ week, Form 3 had a fantastic time learning all about Italy. The week began with ice-cream tasting where a wide variety of authentic gelato was tested including salted caramel and pistachio; needless to say chocolate was the overall favourite! The children used all the information that they had learned to then create their own ice-cream advert and design their own packaging. Throughout the week the children took part in a carousel of activities including pasta art, independently researching Italy using a variety of sources and, of course, pizza making. The aroma of freshly baked pizza tempted all who came our way! Finally, the children had been set a homework challenge to make a model of a famous Italian landmark. The entrants were incredibly varied and imaginative. Models included a cucumber Leaning Tower of Pisa, an edible Mount Vesuvius and even a Pope in a soap! Prize winners will be announced by the end of the week.