Cundall Hockey Champs take North of England Crown
Pupils from Cundall wrapped up an impressive season on the hockey field by securing the North of England Schools Championship. The U11 team claimed the crown following a tough competition against schools from across the county and beyond. The competition was the culmination of a season’s work for the Year 6 Boys who successfully claimed both county and regional titles before claiming their biggest prize to date. Oliver Couttie, Games Teacher at the school, said: “The boys performed brilliantly throughout the tournament. They showed a superb belief in the quality of their play and worked very well as a team.” Oliver added: “To claim the North of England title is an impressive accolade for a promising team. We are all very proud of the boys and the effort they have put in throughout the season in all their matches and training.” The title follows hot on the heels of another excellent season on the hockey pitch for the North Yorkshire School. Earlier this year, the U13 Girls Hockey team claimed the ISA National Hockey title at Lea Valley Hockey Centre in London, making it the second year in a row for the school to claim the prestigious accolade.
Out of this world experience for Cundall Pupils
Pupils from across the school were treated to an experience of a lifetime following the visit of a former NASA Astronaut. Earlier today we played host to Richard Mastracchio to hear all about his experience in space and his career to date. Rick who is a former NASA astronaut and a veteran of four missions, popped by the local school as part of a wider tour across Yorkshire. As part of his career, he logged 227 days, 13 hours, 38 minutes in space, including NINE extravehicular activities outside of the space station. Rick spoke to pupils describing his career and his role on the International Space Station. Describing the future of space travel, Rick encouraged pupils to consider becoming an astronaut. Children also got to see what life was like on board the ISS and how astronauts lived, ate and exercised. Rick said: “You have to do 2 hours of exercise a day to stay fit and healthy. In space, there is no up or down and you don’t use your muscles in the same way as earth so exercise is very important.” Rick is one of only 536 people ever to make it into of the earth’s orbit. Mrs Amanda Kirby introduced Rick to an appreciative audience of pupils. She said: “It is an absolute honour to welcome Rick to Cundall Manor School. It is not every day that you get to meet a person who has lived such an extraordinary life.” “Rick’s experiences give him a very unique perspective on life and for him to get on stage at our school and speak to our pupils is an experience that I am certain, none of our pupils or staff will ever forget.” Pupils from the school also got to ask the former NASA astronaut their own questions and pose for a photo with Rick.
ABRSM Exam Success for Cundall Musicians
Cundall musicians have once again secured an outstanding set of music exam results from Grades 1-6, including five distinctions awarded by the exam board. This was the first set of exams taken here at Cundall rather than visiting an exam centre, and being in the familiar surroundings of the school library certainly seems to have helped our pupils perform at their very best. Good luck to the next set of musicians who will take their exams on the last Saturday of term.
Chocolate Cake Race ’18
Another year, another amazing Chocolate Cake Race and Vale Run. A superb set performances from across the years with Normans coming out victorious. Thank you to all who came to support our athletes. Read the full story on the ISA website.https://www.isaschools.org.uk/2018/03/13/sweet-returns-for-x-country-runners/
World Book Day Celebrations
Scores of pupils from across Cundall Manor School embraced World Book Day celebrations and this year a magical theme cast a spell on all staff and pupils alike. Pupils embraced the magical theme with youngsters from Form 1 being inspired by Harry Potter, even transforming the cloak room into a version of Platform 9 ¾. Elsewhere, a ‘drop everything and read’ event was held, giving pupils the opportunity to pick up their favourite book and read for ten minutes. Prizes were also given as part of a school wide best dressed competition. Paul Swalwell, Marketing Manager at Cundall Manor School, said: “Our World Book Day celebrations are always a superb celebration of the power of reading. This year’s magical theme was certainly embraced by pupils from all across our year groups, capturing their imaginations and encouraging them all to become avid readers.” World Book Day 2018 marks 21 years of the event and has seen thousands of children across the country join in the fun. To find out more about all the latest news and updates from World Book Day 2018, visitwww.worldbookday.com.
Staff v Thornton Hockey
Well done to all involved in the annual Staff v Thornton Hockey match. In a hard fought and fun game, the staff narrowly clinched a 1-0 victory. Thank you to all who came along to watch and we hope you all enjoyed the game.
Henry Tuned in for National Children’s Orchestra
Congratulations to Henry who is trumpeting his own success after receiving an invite to play with the National Children’s Orchestra. Henry Porter has secured his place at the Under 10s National Children’s Orchestra playing the trumpet following a successful audition. As part of the NCO Henry will join his fellow young musicians for a residential course in Dorset during the summer. Henry hopes the experience of playing with the NCO will help him gain his Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) Grade 5 in the next few months. The invite to participate in the NCO will also see Henry rehearse with the Northerlies NCO at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester every month up to November when he will be playing in the Northerlies NCO concert under the direction of composer Verónica Urrego. Jenny Porter, Henry’s mum, described how Henry first heard of the orchestra. She said: “Henry heard an advert for the National Children’s Orchestra on Classic FM on the drive in to school one morning and really wanted to audition for it.” Adding: “Henry has only been playing the Trumpet for just under 3 years and for the audition he had to play a couple of contrasting pieces and compete sight reading which he got an excellent report back for and thankfully secured himself a place.” Jenny said: “It is all big steps for him and lots of hard work ahead but he is really excited about it.” The NCO was formed in 1978 and is celebrating its 40thAnniversary this year. As part of the celebrations across the NCO, children will be celebrating the music of Debussy and Bernstein as both composers have centenaries in 2018. The NCO is recognised as a leading training ground for professional classical musicians of the future with children as young as seven benefiting from the world class foundation in orchestral performance and musicianship. To find out more about the opportunities to see the NCO in action, visit their website athttp://www.nco.org.uk/
A Trip Through Time
Recently Form 4 visited York – a trip designed to support the project work that the children are studying on ‘The History of York’. Our first visit was to the York Minster Education Centre where the children attended a workshop and were able to learn about how the Minster building has changed over the centuries. This was followed by an interesting tour of the Minster itself. After a quick lunch, we then ventured the short distance across the city to the Yorkshire Museum. Here the children were able to explore the various exhibits before meeting ‘Morca, the Earl of Northumbria’, who was our guide to the intense struggle for York between Anglo-Saxon and Viking invaders between 866AD and 1066AD. The workshop concluded with a sword and shield drill to determine which children would be suitable for recruitment into the Anglo-Saxon army! We await his decision!
NSEA Challenge Accepted
Well done to Team Cundall who competed well in the NSEA last Sunday at the Northallerton Equestrian Centre. The team put in some promising performances and recorded some strong results, in particular Amelia B who achieved 2nd as an individual. We can’t wait to see your progress over the year and keep up the good work.
Choirs in Harmony at Durham Cathedral
20 members of the Cundall Manor Choir recently joined Barnard Castle School Chapel Choir to sing choral evensong at Durham Cathedral, as part of the Durham Vocal Festival celebrations. After rehearsing all morning, the choirs travelled up to Durham Cathedral, one of the greatest buildings in Europe and a World Heritage Site. To sing in this amazing venue was an absolute privilege, and the choirs certainly rose to the occasion, singing with beauty and precision. A host of invited guests attended, including the Lord-Lieutenant of County Durham, the Mayor of Durham, the head teachers from both schools and many proud parents. Director of Music Sarah Reece said, “I am thrilled that choral singing at Cundall is going from strength to strength, and that we are able to share talent and experience through partnerships with other choirs. We are already looking forward to singing another choral evensong at Ripon Cathedral in June.”