Cundall Ski Trip 2015
An early start on Saturday 3rd January saw 40 students begin their trip to Serre Chevalier, in southern France, for the annual ski trip. An epic 4 hour transfer from Geneva to the resort, anticipation was high for the following day’s inaugural ski. Having been greeted at the hotel door by our instructors the following morning, the more advanced groups headed straight up to find some more challenging slopes whilst those new to the sport began perfecting their snowplough. After the full day of skiing there were already stories bouncing around the tables at dinner and everyone had clearly enjoyed their first day. Progress was rapid through the week with all groups honing their skills and becoming increasingly adventurous and travelling further afield. Some made it to the very top of the resort, others as far as Briançon; the highest town in France. Some tackled the resort’s black runs, recording the highest speeds of the week, whilst for others the calling of the snowpark and boardercross couldn’t be ignored. There were inevitable crashes, many of which were caught on film but none of which caused serious alarm or injury. In true Cundall spirit, our skiers were pushing their skills and their daring to the limits and everybody made outstanding progress. Special mention must go to Ed Lake who moved up through three groups, Sam Youmans and Harry Hodgson who achieved speeds of 90kph, and the whole beginner group who learned to ski backwards!. Everyone was rewarded for their efforts through the week with an ESF ski school badge that should be worn on blazers with pride. A huge thank you goes to Mr Kirby, Miss Reah, Miss Baggaley, Mr Coates and Mr Liley for accompanying the trip and giving up a week of their holiday. Also to the fantastic instructors for teaching and entertaining us all week; Eric, Christophe, Stéphane, Gaspard, Sanna and Mannou.
Staff v Thornton hockey
In front of a capacity crowd (the whole school were invited down to watch) and on our brand new all-weather pitch, the Games Department’s end of term was marked with a hugely entertaining three way tournament between the girls and boys from Upper School and a dozen plucky staff. Not only was this a fabulous opportunity to show off the new pitch to the whole school, it also proved a genuine showcase of superb sportsmanship. The girls and boys found themselves equally pitted (drawing their match 1-1) and even outwitted by the staff (who won both their games 2-1); at all times though their attitude was positive and courteous, as exemplified by Ben Mewes’ compliment of Mr Woods’ tremendous save of one of Ben’s goal attempts. The tournament was also a chance for our new Hockey coach Mr Couttie to meet pupils and to demonstrate the level of skill and tactical hockey he looks forward to passing on to them henceforth.
Pre-Prep Nativity
As always the Pre-Prep nativity proved to be one of the highlights of the year. Every child from Nursery to PP2 took part with PP1 acting as the narrators and PP2 playing the various parts in the nativity story. This year the production was entitled ‘Angel Express’ and was told through the eyes of a paper boy. Joseph Horn made an excellent paper boy introducing the audience to each part of the story. Our lovely angels conducted by Gus Living learnt a song to sing for the baby Jesus and we enjoyed their fabulous acting as they transformed from terrible to terrific singing angels. In traditional style we also had Joseph played by Thomas Barker, Mary played by Xenia Nettleton as well as Shepherds, Kings and Innkeepers. All of the children did a marvellous job singing beautifully and speaking in lovely clear voices. Special thanks to Mrs Majewski and Mrs Feeley for designing and making the scenery and to all the Pre-Prep ladies who work so hard to put on a great production.
Form 2 Christmas production
Form 2 gave a sparkling performance of the musical Jack Frost on stage at the Galtres Centre in Easingwold. The children worked hard all term to learn their acting parts with Mr Vale, and to perfect their singing with Mrs Ford. The musical is an extremely ‘Christmassy’ one. Isla Wadsworth played an exuberant Santa; Robin Redbreast, played by William Abbey, found friendship with the ‘bird living next door’, and Hattie Attwood sang soulfully as the sunbeam who became Jack Frost. All the children revelled in their parts and radiated Christmas joy and excitement across the audience. We loved the penguins, the beautiful Koochichoos with flowers in their hair, the brilliant sunbeams and the gentle shiver of snowflakes. The performance included solo singing from many members of the cast, and the courage of these soloists gave the production even more magic. It always amazes us how confident such young children can be on stage, when given the right balance of encouragement and instruction from their talented directors. The children made this musical their own, and are so proud, as are we, of their achievement. Well done Form 2!
Leckby’s London trip
Earlier this month, the whole of Leckby, accompanied by Miss Baggaley and Mr Kirby, spent three fun-packed days taking in the bright lights of London. After an early start in York train station, the group tackled the tube and made it to the hotel. A walk to Buckingham Palace and The Mall was followed by lunch in Leicester Square before a quick shopping trip to Oxford Street. The evening entertainment was War Horse which everybody thoroughly enjoyed and only a few tears were shed! After a filling breakfast on Tuesday morning we headed off to the Natural History and Science Museums for the day. These were both informative and great fun and they certainly provided plenty of table talk in the evening. After a hearty tea at Pizza Express, we went to see Matilda which everyone agreed was absolutely fantastic! Wednesday morning was spent exploring the history of The Tower of London where we caught a glimpse of the Crown Jewels; there was much debate amongst the girls as to which crown was the best! Lunch at Borough Market followed where we all succumbed to the temptation of the giant cookies! We all agreed it was a super three days, the children were fantastic company and great fun was had by all.
Astroturf handover
Last Monday was a big day for Mrs Walkland: after years of planning and pestering, her dream of an AstroTurf on Cundall grounds became a reality. Just 10 weeks after the start of work on the site, the contractors effectively handed over responsibility of the pristine pitch to the Games Department. After a quick photocall, (Mrs Walkland’s and the players’ eagerness to get going hastening the formalities!) Mrs Walkland blew the whistle for the start of the first ever game on the carpeted pitch. It was an emotional moment for Mrs Walkland, and a very exciting one for the players who certainly seemed in their element.
Form 3’s Rainforest Café
The jungle drums had been beating and word had certainly got out that Form 3 were hosting a Rainforest Café last Thursday. Every form from Pre-Prep all the way to Thornton had the opportunity to visit the Form 3 corridor where they were invited to take a seat and peruse the menu in the café, whilst their hosts brought them all manner of delectable treats ranging from tropical fruit smoothies, to monkey brownies, to a very popular home-made chocolate ice-cream. The café and its ‘staff’ were kept busy throughout the school day, (and in the massive clearing up operation afterwards!) but their efforts were certainly well rewarded. The takings from the day – which totalled £370 – are going to the World Land Trust.
French Enrichment Christmas Play
Parents of those children who take part in Mrs Cooke’s French enrichment club were treated to a seasonal surprise last Thursday evening, when they were invited in to watch the club’s Christmas performance that they have been working on this last half term. The performance told the story of two reindeer who were reluctant to venture out into the snow. Whenever the third reindeer asked for a daily weather forecast in the days leading up to Christmas, the news from the Elves in the Meteorological Office, was less than favourable, causing the two reindeer to insist on ‘rester ici’ (stay right where they were!). The children’s performances were animated and engaging, their costumes were very festive and they had worked hard to learn their lines – all in French – perfectly. A truly heart-warming performance!
GCSE Certificate presentation evening
We were delighted to welcome so many of last year’s Thornton pupils back into school last Thursday evening for an evening of celebration and presentation of their hard earned GCSE certificates. The Library buzzed as former pupils and their parents caught up with one another and brought their old GCSE teachers up to date with the latest news of their A level studies and Sixth Form adventures.
House Singing
What a diversity of themes we had in this year’s Christmas House Singing competition. First on stage were Stuarts whose unique take on the highly popular and ‘of the moment’ song ‘Let it Go’ from the Disney film Frozen included a stunning performance from Charlie Wild in a rather fetching ice blue satin full length frock! The Tudors managed to follow that very successfully, with an uplifting song that brought a flavour of both South America and the Mediterranean to the gym. We were treated to sombreros, flamenco dresses and even a rather frisky young bull! The Normans took a more traditional approach with a lovely rendition of the Drummer Boy song, with the added ‘aw’ factor of a full nativity scene performed by the youngest members of the house. Last to perform were Saxons who, like Tudors, brought a bit of sunshine into the gym with a song that combined summertime wishes with festive costumes. Judging this year was in the hands of our peri music teachers Mr Simpson and Mr Ball who, following the traditional criteria of musicality, costume and fun, deemed the winners to be Tudors! Well done everyone, especially Tudors, for treating us to such an entertaining and humorous house singing competition. (You can catch the highlights of their performances on our school YouTube Channel)