PP2’s All about Form 1 morning.
PP2 were all very excited to meet their buddies on Wednesday morning. They began by joining Form 1 and Mr Bayne for some outdoor singing before finding their buddies. The children then had the opportunity to ask questions such as ‘Do you get lots of homework?’ and ‘How do you know which lesson to be in?’ Next the Form 1s took PP2 on a tour of the school to show them where to find everything. Everyone enjoyed a play on the field and explored the classrooms before saying goodbye. All the PP2s and Form 1s are looking forward to their Summer party.
Skipathon fundraiser
The Form 4 girls completed a 5 hour skipping marathon to raise money for the British Heart Foundation last Wednesday. The girls organised themselves into teams to skip in shifts of half an hour, ensured that they had a good supply of sugary drinks and snacks, decorated T-shirts to promote their cause and finished the day off with a choreographed skipping display. Every single one of them participated, many having to learn and rehearse new skipping moves during break times. It was great to see them all pulling together, sharing their ideas and supporting each other. We were really impressed with their commitment to the idea and the responsibility that they all took for the organisation of the event. We are incredibly proud of what they have achieved and BHF will be very grateful for the donation, in excess of £570, that we will be able to make.
Lunchtime Concert
Last Friday we enjoyed another lunchtime concert in Cundall Church. Once again, we had some first time performers who had been very stressed in the days leading up to the concert, However, they performed brilliantly and actually really enjoyed the experience and the wonderful sense of achievement which follows such a performance. It is exciting to have another extremely talented boy chorister in Form 1 – well done Jolyon! It was lovely to have performances from across the age range and also a variety of styles and genres. For some, it was their last lunchtime concert at Cundall. Special congratulations go to Sarah Sullivan who sang a beautiful duet with Mrs Dunford (Panis Angelicus) and to the group of form 6 girls (Ellen, Francesca, Maya and Niamh) who had worked hard, learning and practising the song ‘Say Something’ which they performed so competently. We have some talented piano players and singers coming up through the school and it is great to hear the progress which our brass players are making. Henry also delivered a confident and musical performance on his clarinet. Well done to all of our musicians on making this another very memorable and joyous occasion. Many parents were in the audience and they thoroughly enjoyed the ‘oasis of calm’ which these concerts have become!
PP2 Sports Activity Afternoon at Highfield
PP2 had a fun-filled afternoon at Highfield. They took part in a carousel of activities which included running, hurdles, javelin and long jump. The hardest was the triple jump which was quite challenging to master. The children enjoyed making new friends and trying out all of the activities on offer. Before it was time to head back to school the children were all treated to a delicious match tea. The afternoon was great preparation for sports day as well as being great fun.
Boarding House News
It was a healthy combination of work, rest and play in the boarding house this weekend. Following the busy Open Morning, the boarders al headed down to the Summer Fair where they took part in every activity on offer. Then it was off to Thirsk for their supper; a delicious Chinese takeaway. Sunday was a mixture of rest and prep accompanied by a trip to Sugar Mouse in Easingwold, where they each bought a range of delicious energy restoring goodies.
PP1 visit Flamingo Land
Towards the end of April, PP1 visited Flamingo Land Zoo as part of their Animals topic. The children had great fun seeing lots of different animals and even got to hold and meet some creepy crawlies in their Meet a Creature workshop. They even saw a baby camel and a baby giraffe. The zoo staff haven’t named their newest arrivals yet so PP1 are going to have a think for suitable names for them. It was a great day out meeting lots of animals; PP1 came back bursting with useful information and further questions for their topic.
Cundall Election 2015
Election fever swept through Cundall Manor last week. At the hustings on Tuesday the seven candidates presented their policies to the whole school and the polls opened early on Thursday morning. Turnout was over 80% and all voters had a taste of how a polling station actually works. The result was announced to the whole school on Friday morning by the returning officers (James Gordon and Ellen Watkins) with Michael Jimmy’s Luxury Party sweeping to power in the senior school, whilst Hollie Potter led the Happy World Party to victory in the lower school. Congratulations to all the candidates who each demonstrated the value of communicating strong positive messages to the electorate.
The Ullswater Experience
Forms 3 and 4 all enjoyed an action packed and fun-filled weekend in Ullswater. Upon arrival the skies were starting to darken which led to two days of challenging weather that the children dealt with remarkably well. They took part in a variety of activities which encouraged them to step outside of their comfort zone and understand the importance of supporting one another with positive thinking. Activities included gorge scrambling, abseiling, rock climbing, canoeing, trapezium jumps and the annual jog and dip only an hour after their arrival. All in all, the children showed great resilience in tricky circumstances and still left with a smile on their faces.
Form 5 in Aberdovey
Form 5, with Mmes Cook and Hunzinger and Ms Ballantyne, arrived at the Outward Bound centre in in Aberdovey a bit later than predicted, due to a wrong turning near Birmingham (!) but soon settled in and enjoyed an evening of team building exercises involving various leaps and heights. Saturday saw all three groups take to the mountains for a hike and scramble. The force 9 gale necessitated lying flat on the mountainside at one point, but pupils coped brilliantly with both this and the freezing rain! It’s no coincidence that the theme for the weekend was ‘resilience’ and the pupils demonstrated almost limitless reserves of this life skill. Their teachers took note and are already identifying potential prefects and Head Boy and Girl! The day was concluded with an evening camp fire where pupils cooked mussels gathered on the beach during the hike. Sunday was the highlight of the weekend with the notorious jetty jump being attempted by nearly all pupils and even some staff! After a well-deserved ice-cream, a packed coach set off home, only to break down within the hour! Transport gremlins aside, it was a great weekend; plenty of fun was had and pupils’ resilience and stamina were tested to the maximum.
Leckby set sail for Cowes
What a phenomenal week Leckby had in Cowes! The journey, (thankfully shorter than previous coach drives to Salcombe) was painless and of course included a ferry trip across the Solent, instilling a taste of far-flung adventure. The UKSA centre in East Cowes proved to be a perfect choice with comfortable accommodation, an enormous range of sailing craft and fabulous instructors. The weather was the only bugbear: whilst it was always warm and relatively dry throughout the week, the heavy winds proved quite a challenge. After a very enjoyable first day on the water, the budding sailors were then left high and dry on the second day as winds reached over 50mph. Alternative forms of entertainment, in the form of an impromptu rugby match, football games and a very useful classroom session covering all the theory required for the RYA Stage 1 certificate, filled the day. The third day was just as windy but with a little persuasion, the instructors finally relented and allowed the groups onto the water in their larger sail-training keelboats for a half-day session. With just a foresail (the winds were too strong for a mainsail) the pupils experienced the exhilaration of a yacht in full heel and at high speed. The other half of the day was spent messing about within the marina in kayaks – all great fun! The final day at the centre saw the winds calm down enough for another day of dinghy sailing although the afternoon’s gusts did preclude the scheduled racing regatta. Suffice it to say conditions ensured that every single pupil had thoroughly mastered their capsize drill by the end of the day! The instructors all expressed their appreciation of the pupils’ enthusiasm and resilience through the week and were delighted to present them all with their Youth Stage 1 certificates. Indeed, such was their progress, the pupils were encouraged to set their sights not on Youth Stages 2, 3 and 4, but on the more demanding Adult Level programme which the instructors felt the pupils were all ready for. Well done Leckby on a very productive – if exhausting – week on the water. Further pictures are available to view on ourFacebook page (click to open).