Pre-Prep Summer Concert and Speech Day
The gym was adorned with flowers for the Pre-Prep concert and prize giving. Mrs Ford put on a lovely concert with renditions of Sing a Rainbow from Nursery and Reception and Bare Necessities and Supercalifragilistic from PP1 and PP2. Mrs Sample was extremely proud of her recorder group who gave an impressive performance which was a credit to their hard work in recorder enrichment. There were many lovely individual performances on a wide range of instruments including Andrew Sturdy on the saxophone and Harvey Mercer on the trombone. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Reception performed Gary Barlow’s Sing and everyone enjoyed the grand finale when PP1 and PP2 gave an enthusiastic rendition of Reach for the Stars. Well done the staff and pupils of Pre-Prep. You always ‘reach for the stars’. It was a lovely celebration of the pupils’ achievements and during the year all Pre-Prep pupils have received a prize. We said goodbye to PP2 as they begin their adventures in main school by giving them a shield as a memento of their time in Pre-Prep.
PP2 Parents’ Lunch
PP2 had a busy day on Thursday leaving the classroom to become event planners, chefs, waiters and waitresses. They began the day by learning how to lay a table correctly. Some children made beautiful table decorations with Mrs Wick and Mrs Majewski using flowers from Mrs Wick’s garden. Then the children prepared a delicious lunch of salmon with lemon sauce, green salad and potato salad, with meringues, cream and summer fruits for dessert. The children worked really successfully and carefully to produce 33 plates of beautiful food complete with garnishes. Finally it was time for the parents to arrive. Each child met their guests welcoming them with a menu before seating them and offering drinks. The parents were all impressed by the children’s waiting skills and are hoping they will be served at home in future! Well done PP2 for looking after your parents so well.
Summer Ball
On a fittingly balmy evening last Saturday, Cundall Manor hosted their Midsummer Night’s Ball. To the serenades of Mr Simpson’s ragtime band, the guests assembled on the the lawns for a champagne reception before entering the marquee for the wonderful three course meal. Rodney Tennant presided over the auction which featured some incredibly generous lots including a ski chalet holiday, salmon fishing trip, golf days and fully catered private dinner at Ripley Castle. The live band kept the dance floor busy whilst the blackjack tables and photo booth provided endless thrills and giggles in the bar area. Many thanks to the ball committee for laying on such a wonderful party, and to all those who supported the event so generously.
Form 3’s Castle Adventure
On Tuesday 16th June, the students in Form Three visited Conisbrough Castle near Doncaster as part of their Medieval topic in History. They have been learning all about what castle life was like during the medieval era and a ‘Meet the Medievals’ workshop at the castle helped to consolidate their learning in a fun and interactive way. The children were divided into groups and had to give short presentations after working out what would have happened in different rooms within the castle using a bag of clues. The peasants group discovered how smelly and unpleasant the dungeons would have been with rats scuttling around in the sewage that would have leaked from the overflowing toilet. The lords group had the chance to tell everyone all about the banquets in the great hall and the kitchens, with its great fireplace, was investigated by the final group. With rotten meat disguised by adding extra herbs and spices, it is no wonder medieval health was not good! The children also enjoyed exploring the castle keep and learning about each of the rooms inside it. The garderobe (toilet) was a particular attraction and the children learned how young children got the very unpleasant job of being lowered down the chute to clean them. The last hour of the day was devoted to developing the children’s art skills as they drew the castle from a lovely sunny spot on the hill. The magnificent cylindrical keep at the heart of Conisbrough Castle is one of South Yorkshire’s most striking landmarks and as they drew, the children were able to imagine the busy bustling place it would have been eight hundred years ago.
Form 2 Harlow Carr
Form 2 visited Harlow Carr in Harrogate and were Woodland Explorers for the afternoon. On arrival at Harlow Carr, the children enjoyed a picnic in the beautiful gardens before heading off to the educational room to discuss what our tour of the woodland would involve. After our briefing we set off looking at the trees and working out the names with the help from the leaf guides and learned which trees are of the same family. The children also learned how to age trees. The day may have been a little chilly but the children were ready for the adventure with the usual Cundall gusto.
Speech Day 2015
Last Saturday saw the whole school come together to celebrate the achievements and successes of the last academic year. In a packed marquee Upper School Head Laura Aspinall gave a brilliant and amusing opening address before handing over to Chair of Governors, Sir Thomas Ingilby, and then Headmaster Mr Sample. Main School Head Boy James Neilson-Clark entertained us with his reminiscences about life at Cundall before welcoming the guest speaker The Rt Hon Lady Justice Eleanor King DBE to the floor. Dame Eleanor offered the pupils some sound advice about finding and following their own particular star in fulfilling their personal and career ambitions, before presenting this year’s prizes and trophies to their deserving recipients from throughout the school. Main School Head Girl Ellen Watkins took the unique and all too apt theme of mud, in all its various guises, to sum up her experiences so far of life at Cundall Manor, before Upper School Head Boy James Gordon, with eleven years of material to draw upon, an abundance of charm and mastery of comic timing, brought the day’s proceedings to a hilarious close.
Pre-Prep Sports Day
Every single pupil in Pre-Prep (and some parents!) joined in the fun of Friday’s magnificent Sports Day.
Sports Day in Main and Upper School
A hugely enjoyable and successful day of athletics for pupils in Main and Upper School.
GCSE Art and Textiles Exhibition
Last Wednesday saw the staging of this year’s GCSE Art and Textiles Exhibition in the School Gym. The Art Department transformed the room into a wonderful gallery space that really showed the students’ work off to full advantage. Visitors were able to peruse the portfolio books laid out on the tables, chronicling the development of the students’ work from conception through experimentation and on to finished product. The final pieces hung around the room and gave a clear indication of the wealth of diverse and inspirational talent our Thornton pupils have.
Reception’s Good Work Assembly
The pupils in Reception thoroughly enjoyed showing their parents and other visitors on Friday morning what a vast array of learning they had been involved in this term. The highlight of their Good Work Assembly was Mrs Tulloch’s wonderful video compilation of everything the children had got up to this term.