PP2 Skype the European Space Agency
On Friday PP2 had the chance to talk to Kim Nergaard via Skype. He is a rocket scientist who works for the European Space Agency and is Head of Advanced Mission Concepts. He told the class about his job which includes designing Eurobot, a robot which can be controlled from space. British astronaut Tim Peake, who will be going to the International Space Station in November, will be one of the astronauts trialling this new technology. PP2 were able to ask lots of interesting questions like ‘How far into space have we explored?’ and were surprised to find that ESA has been beyond our solar system. They also found out about Rosetta and what it has told us about Comet 67. We now know that comets are not spherical and that the water on comets is different from water on Earth. There was only one question which couldn’t be answered which is ‘Where does space end?’ No one knows the answer yet! Being able to interview a real life scientist has inspired PP2 to design space craft (This takes about ten years) and to aspire to work in space (ESA picks 10 astronauts each year out of 20,000 applicants!) PP2 love learning about space!
Chinese New Year Celebrations in the Boarding House
The Termly Boarders were treated to early Chinese New Year celebrations this weekend as they welcomed in the Year of the Sheep. Tim, Gabriella and Lucy, alongside their Guardians and Mrs Conway, cooked up a feast including everyone’s favourite dishes of crispy duck with pancakes and Chinese hotpot! The super supper was served to twenty guests in the school’s library and entertainment, in the form of some wonderful piano playing, was provided by both Lucy and Tim. The evening was a great success and Mrs Conway and Mr Coates would like to thank everyone who got involved and supported the evening.
Francesca does it again!
Hot on the heels of celebrating her award of a musical scholarship to Stowe last week, we are, once again, delighted to bring news of Francesca Banks’ second Scholarship Award! This time the musical supremo has been offered a full Music Scholarship to Uppingham. Again, Francesca has had to practise and rehearse very hard for this award, and according to Uppingham’s Musical Director, gave a very good account of herself at her recent assessment and interview. Uppingham has a very well deserved reputation for excellence in all aspects of music and musical theatre and it is no surprise that Francesca has opted to take up this scholarship rather than the Stowe one, perhaps even less so since Francesca’s two brothers both moved on from Cundall to Uppingham. Congratulations Francesca on another remarkable award!
Our Open Day Scientists
Pupils from throughout the school were keen to demonstrate their scientific skills and knowledge during Saturday’s Open Morning through a series of experiments: Gabriella was extracting DNA from peas, strawberries and kiwi fruit; Lucy was testing indigestion remedies to see which was the most effective at neutralising acid; Freddie and Isobel were dissecting the heart and lungs of a sheep and Charlie had a great time observing many features of creatures under a microscope, his favourite being the fruit fly. Our younger visitors on the day were very keen to get some gloves on and get stuck into the dissection, whilst parents looked on and were fascinated by Mrs Roberts’ explanation of the anatomy. Thank you to the budding young scientists who helped demonstrate the Science labs on the day.
Lunchtime Concert
Well done to all pupils who performed in the concert last Friday. Once again, we had a wonderful array of music and a lovely combination of instruments and voices. Some children were performing for the first time and some were extremely nervous, but all gave a competent performance and there were a lot of smiles afterwards. It is not easy to perform to an audience – it can feel very lonely and stressful, but the audience thoroughly enjoyed the concert and people always really do appreciate hearing what our children are learning and how they are progressing. It was also extremely cold in the church so extra praise goes to the brass players who had to contend with the low temperature as well!
Emma Bridgewater Potteries trip 2015
Last Monday, Form 5 enjoyed a day trip to Stoke on Trent, the home of British pottery production. The first stop was the Emma Bridgewater factory where they had a tour of the factory to learn about the production of our favourite mugs, plates and jugs. It was fascinating to see that they are still hand-made and decorated, each pot passing through thirty processes before it is completed. The staff in the factory were incredibly welcoming and happy to explain how everything worked. After lunch the pupils had the opportunity to decorate their own piece of Emma Bridgewater ware using the sponges and underglazes to create their own design; the results are now hanging in the School Office. Form 5 finished the day with a visit to the Potteries Museum which houses a world class collection of Staffordshire pottery and gave an opportunity to see the history behind the industry and the work of all the manufacturers in the area. All in all a very interesting and fun trip!
ZooLab Visits Pre-Prep
As part of the Early Years’ Animals topic, the whole of Pre-Prep enjoyed a visit from ZooLab. The children learned about the animals’ characteristics, their habitats and their life cycles. They also had the chance to get up close and personal with Ed the Madagascan Cockroach, Roy the Giant African Snail, Petunia the Corn Snake and Tracey the Tarantula!
Francesca wins coveted Scholarship
Stellar singer Francesca Banks has been awarded a full music scholarship to Stowe School. The award marks a huge achievement for Francesca and the pinnacle of her amazing musical journey whilst at Cundall. Francesca first came to the attention of the Music department when she was in Year 3 and already showing strong musical potential. Joining Cundall on a music scholarship Francesca has worked with Mrs Ford and the Music department ever since to develop that potential. The school has been able to provide many opportunities for Francesca to showcase her talent and enhance her performances; she has played Maria in the Form 5 production of the Sound of Music, sung solos in various concerts and Carol Services, of course, featured as a soloist at the Stowe Choral Festival. Over the last 12 years the school has formed a very strong relationship with Stowe School’s Music Department, Mrs Ford taking the choir down every year to take part in the Stowe School Choral Festival. When Stowe announced they were seeking a soloist for their festival, Mrs Ford submitted a recording of Francesca who then had to compete against choristers from around the country to be awarded the coveted role. Francesca’s performance of the solo in Mendelssohn’s ‘O For The Wings Of A Dove’ at the Festival was truly outstanding; clearly attracting the attention and interest of Stowe’s Director of Music and other staff. When invited in front of the Stowe scholarship board, Francesca was assessed by the Director of Music and other members of the school. She had to do a performance in each of her three studies – Francesca is a talented pianist and flutist as well as singer. She also had to endure a Viva Voce (an oral rather than written exam) and obviously performed very well in that. Francesca has always been totally committed to music. She practises hard in her three disciplines, which often involves getting up very early in the morning in order to fit it in before school! She attends Chamber Choir rehearsals and takes her responsibility as Head Chorister at Cundall very seriously. She sings as a member of the Cathedral Choir in Ripon attending weekly rehearsals and services and is a member of the school wind band. She has had to put in extra time to study music theory to gain grade 5 and has worked hard on the background musical knowledge to enable her to interview well as an all-round musician. All in all, Francesca combines a marvellous work ethic, incredible talent and enormous potential. This scholarship award is well deserved and we wish her well on the next stage of her musical journey.
Form 6 Revision Techniques Workshop
Form 6 were released form their normal timetable last Monday morning for what could potentially be the most important lesson of their whole Common Entrance career. Working with Miss Stroud and Mrs Hall they were given expert instruction in how to prepare themselves physically, emotionally and mentally for the next few months of revision and ultimately the CE exams themselves. The pupils discovered what type of learner they each were – visual, auditory or kinaesthetic, and experimented with different revision activities and techniques to see which way of revising best suits their own learning style. The pupils were guided through devising a realistic revision timetable, allowing for concentrated periods of work and essential rest periods, as well as holistic matters such as the role of healthy eating, physical fitness, relaxation and stress busting techniques in the lead up to important exams. The session was complimented on Monday evening by a Teach-In for parents, offering them the opportunity to learn some of the techniques for themselves as well as guidance on supporting their children’s revision and preparing them for the exam period.
Silly Hat Day
Perhaps it was something to do with the weather but there was certainly an abundance of wild and wacky head gear on display last Friday as pupils and staff from throughout the school entered into the spirit of the Woolly Hat/Silly Wig Day to raise money for St Mungo’s. Some won compliments, some raised a chuckle, some – not least Mr Sample’s offering – definitely prompted a double take!