Next Generation Salute Captain Tom in Fitting 100 Tribute Challenge
Just before half-term, pupils across the Prep school, paid tribute to Captain Sir Tom Moore by taking on their own 100 Challenge. Pupils braved snow and sub-zero conditions to pay tribute to Captain Sir Tom Moore. The plucky youngsters, some as young as 7, took part in ‘Cundall’s 100 Challenge.’ Sports staff at school asked 100 pupils to come up with an activity that they could perform 100 times. The activities pupils completed varied from 100 forwards rolls, kakas, laps of the garden, jogs up and down the stairs, jumps on a trampoline, press-ups, and star jumps to name a few. At school, critical worker pupils ran 100 laps of the school grounds in teams of five. Director of Sport, John Liley, said: “It is not very often that we can truly say that someone has truly captured the hearts of a nation. Captain Tom did just that. The Cundall 100 Challenge is a little nod to a proud Yorkshireman and a way for our pupils to pay tribute to such an inspirational man.” John added: “Well done to our pupils who took part in the challenge. Our pupils certainly tried to emulate the resilience shown by Captain Tom in their activities and from us all, a big thank you to Captain Tom for the inspiration.”
We’re all in this together – Children’s Mental Health week
Pupils from across the school have taken the unusual step to dance their way to better mental health this Children’s Mental Health week. Pupils were challenged to express themselves through dance as part of the national campaign organised by charity Place2Be. Year 11 pupil, Poppy, helped lead the event. Poppy, a lifelong fan of High School Musical and a keen dancer and choreographer has been teaching pupils and teachers alike the steps to ‘We’re all in this together’ from the popular show. Pupils who have been learning remotely have also been able to join in the challenge, filming themselves and then submitting their lively efforts through a specially created portal. Even parents and members of the school’s alumni have joined in to make this year’s event extra special. Wellbeing Support Teacher, Diane Riddell, said: “Our express yourself challenge this year has been designed to get pupils and their family away from their screens and moving around. Research has shown that dancing can help feelings of anxiety and depression and lift your mood. We’ve certainly had fun this week!” The finished video will be sent to the community via the school’s weekly newsletter ahead of half-term. Throughout the week, the school engaged with a variety of other activities aimed at allow pupils to express themselves and find new ways to share feelings, thoughts and ideas. They have included decorating biscuits, making chocolate mousse and creating imaginative smoothies! Children’s Mental Health week is organised by Place2Be, a children’s mental health charity that provides counselling and mental health support and training in UK schools. Last year, Place2Be worked with 700 schools in England, Scotland and Wales, reaching 380,691 children and young people. To find out more about the charity and the work they do, please visithttps://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/
Santa Run raises festive cheer and funds for two great causes
It certainly looked like Christmas had arrived early for pupils across school, as scores of children took inspiration from Santa and dressed up as the big man to raise money for two worthy causes. Pupils took on a Festive Santa Run to raise funds for Shelter and Yorkshire Air Ambulance by completing a dash across the school’s grounds. The pupils donned their best festive attire and completed the course in chilly conditions across a two day period, with funds being raised in excess of £2,000 so far. Headmistress at Cundall Manor School, Amanda Kirby said: “Events like the Santa Run are a key part of how we encourage a spirit of raising and giving across our school. Led by our Charity Champions, we all appreciate the wonderful work that Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Shelter do and each year we attempt to raise money for both charities. Due to the current health emergency, we had to do things a little differently this year, but this was a great way to get our pupils outside, have a lot of fun and help raise money.” Business Manager, Paul Swalwell, added: “A huge thank you to all our generous families who have supported the event. We all know that this year has been especially difficult so events like the Santa Run can make a real difference.” Bob Smailes, Yorkshire Air Ambulance Fundraising Manager (East and North East Yorkshire) said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to Cundall Manor School for their generosity and support and for raising more than £1,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA). It has been a challenging year for the YAA with many of our events being cancelled throughout the year, but we have received such tremendous support from fundraisers such as Cundall Manor School and we’re incredibly grateful. The money raised will help greatly towards the £12,000 a day it costs to keep both of our helicopters flying over Yorkshire and saving lives.” To find out more about the event, visit the school’s facebook page:www.facebook.com/cundallmanoror to donate, visit the Virgin Giving page:https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CundallManorSchool
Minibus-sized challenge for Cundall pupils
It was a test of strength with a significant twist. Last week, pupils from across the school were treated to a unique House competition that had a minibus sized twist. Pupils took on the test of strength in a recent PE lesson that saw each child compete for their School House. The unique tug of war event was organised by the school’s ever adventurous Games department and saw pupils as young as 7 compete to earn their School House coveted points. Director of Sport, John Liley, was the man behind the fun event. He said: “With the current health emergency, we can’t engage with sport in the same way we would normally. Events like the tug of war break up the training programmes and inter-house games but also allow for our pupils to try something different, fun and memorable.” He added: “It is not every day that you get to race your school friends in a minibus tug of war. Our pupils had a great time and it was lovely seeing the smiles on their faces as they competed.” Deputy Head, Stuart Bayne, added: “We all know the value of making fantastic memories at school and events like this live long in the memory. By running house competitions like this we can further the important role the House systems plays at Cundall. House competitions provide opportunities for every pupil to understand the importance of friendship, support, respect and teamwork within the community.” To see more images from the event, please visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CundallManor
STEAM week powers ahead
Last week pupils steamed ahead with a week of events to widen their knowledge of Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics. A week of dedicated events across the Prep school helped pupils develop their problem-solving skills through a range of fun tasks. Over 100 pupils took part in a variety of tasks across the week. Pupils as young as 7 had to find solutions to challenges that encouraged critical thinking and teamwork. Some of the challenges included creating a lighthouse with integrated electrics, constructing a variety of buildings and bridges and coding. Dawn Thyne, Deputy Head, said: “STEAM week across Key Stage 2 looked like a fabulous and fun way to tackle a wide range of engaging tasks. It was lovely to see our pupils rise to the challenges set by our staff and have the chance to explore higher order skills like critical thinking and problem solving.” One of the favourite tasks enjoyed by pupils was to create a functional parachute that would help safely guide an egg to the ground after being dropped from the second floor. Elsewhere Year 6 pupils worked through everything from coding a disco to creating a structure out of plasticine that was robust enough to hold a mandarin. Year 6 pupil, Oliver, said one of his favourite activities was based around engineering. Adding: “We needed to create a suspension bridge for a toy JCB truck to drive over. My team started off with creating a tepee like structure and laying bamboo across it but we soon found that it didn’t work, so we reworked our idea and found ourselves making a grand, freestanding suspension bridge. It was really fun and very thought provoking. I really enjoyed my morning and it was lovely to work alongside my friends.” STEAM week is the latest in a series of deep dives into areas of the curriculum for pupils at the school. Earlier this term pupils enjoyed art week which celebrated creativity in the classroom and saw pupils create carnival masks and curate a ‘dig for victory’ garden amongst many other activities. Visit the school’s facebook page to see more images of the week https://www.facebook.com/CundallManor
An Unforgettable Journey
While we may not be able to welcome prospective parents on site for the next few weeks, we are still accepting applications for September 2021 entries. Please enjoy our virtual tour and we hope that it gives you a glimpse of our happy and successful school. Call 01423 360 200 to find out more today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L84bAQlzSbk&t=90s
Welly Wanging
It may not be part of the usual Wednesday curriculum plan, but we decided to mix things up this term through a unique triathlon. We have a well-earned reputation for quirky events throughout the year including a high velocity go-kart race, and a trebuchet challenge. This term teachers wanted pupils to try something new and organised a ‘Welly Triathlon’ for its pupils with each child competing for their school house. As well as the triathlon, pupils had to show their artistic talents by decorating their wellington boots before racing in them. The pinnacle of the day was the coordinated welly wanging, in which pupils had to launch their boots as far as they could – with varying success. Amanda Kirby is Headmistress at the school. She said: “Events like this really do bring out the best in our children and community and in these difficult times, we wanted to give our children something to really look forward to and enjoy.” “We know that our pupils really love getting stuck into a task and something as simple as welly wanging can bring our pupils together. It was wonderful to hear their laughter and see the smiles on everyone’s faces.” Pupils as young as 4 participated in the event with over 200 pupils getting to grips with the unique triathlon. Each pupil competed for their school house, with the winning house receiving a special prize at the end of the year. Director of Sport at Cundall Manor, John Liley, organised the event. He said: “It was a really fun day for our pupils and particularly necessary on the eve of a second national lockdown. We were lucky enough to benefit from some glorious weather and I was really pleased to see all our pupils giving it their all throughout the entire event.” “We have a well-deserved reputation for our efforts on the sports field and in the absence of games against other schools, we wanted our pupils to translate their energy into something completely new and fun for them to enjoy.” Earlier in the term, the school also got every pupil involved in a house axe-throwing competition which saw both pupils and staff hone their throwing skills and compete with their friends for house points.
Resilience Workshop for Eldmire
Eldmire pupils have benefited from a unique event designed to enhance resilience in an ever changing landscape. The resilience workshop encouraged Year 10 pupils to challenge the way they prepare for their upcoming exams in light of the covid-19 crisis. Sue O’Leary-Hall, the Founder and Academic Director of regional educational specialists, Thesan Coaching and Training, led the session. Sue encouraged pupils to prepare for their exams by responding to a selection of increasingly taxing challenges. The Year 10 pupils worked in teams using key skills such as strategic planning, problem-solving and numeracy to work towards a common goal. The workshop offered pupil’s the opportunity to work under pressure and make considered decisions via a Festival Planning task. Towards the end of the workshop, pupils undertook an individual evaluation of how well they had performed during the Festival Planning task and considered how the lessons they had learnt could be transferred into their GCSE study habits. A further important part of the event was self-reflection and the importance of establishing a conducive home study environment and daily revision boosters to ensure that pupils can maximise their academic potential this year. Sue said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has unequivocally increased pressure on pupils and teachers who have been forced to rapidly to adapt to a potential ‘blended learning’ model of academic study. For pupils at the start of their GCSE journey, it is paramount that they develop the skills of independent learning, time and workload management in order to set themselves on the road to GCSE success.” Sue, who has previously held the roles of Director of Teaching and Learning, Head of Sixth Form and Head of English in her teaching career, added: “The Year 10 pupils at Cundall Manor undertook today’s challenges with characteristic tenacity, dedication and good humour – attitudes which should stand them in good stead to cope with the pressures of GCSE learning in a continually evolving Covid landscape.” “We will be supporting pupils in every year group of the Senior School again this year, as we have over the last four years. It is a privilege to work so closely with the pupils, parents and teachers at Cundall Manor; one of the most satisfying aspects of my role is seeing the impact of our work across the whole school community.”
Making a Difference for the Little Princess Trust
We are so very proud of Ruby who has been Making a Difference by donating 9 inches of hair to the Little Princess Trust. Over the summer Ruby generously donated her hair to this fabulous charity. Though it took her many years to grow it took only a few minutes to cut off. Her generous donation will help provide real hair wigs to children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment or other conditions. Well done Ruby for making such a difference! To find out more about the work of the charity, please visit their website: https://www.littleprincesses.org.uk/donate-hair/
GCSE Results Day ’20
A huge congratulations to the Thornton class of 2020. We are absolutely thrilled to reveal some fantastic GCSE results from our Thornton pupils today. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our pupils and teaching staff to ensure they reached their goals and achieve their next step! Well done, everyone! Visit our Facebook page to see some of the photos from today. Facebook GCSE Results Day Photo Album #WeAreCundall #GCSEResultsDay