Christmas Fairs
The Friends of Cundall would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who supported their two Christmas fairs. Both the Thursday evening shopping extravaganza and Saturday’s Children’s Christmas Fair were a great success and it was lovely to see them both so well supported.
Mr Bayne’s Balloon Bike!
Is there no end to Mr Bayne’s balloon modelling imagination? This week his class enjoyed a very special treat in the form of a full size balloon motorbike! The whole model was formed around a child’s stool, meaning that the youngsters even got to straddle the bike and ‘ride’ it. Who knows what wonders will appear from Mr Bayne’s magical balloon studio next!
Well done Bev!
Hot on the heels of her recent accolade at the Hambleton Sports Awards, we are delighted to announce that Hockey Coach and Matron Bev Longthorne has now been selected as an Unsung Hero finalist in the Northern Echo’s Local Heroes Award for 2014. Bev will be attending the Awards Gala Dinner early next month and we look forward to reporting on the evening before the end of term. This is a wonderful accolade for Bev and testament to the enormous contribution she makes to the local sporting community. Congratulations from everyone at Cundall, Bev!
Children in Need
The whole of school was packed full of superheroes on Friday to raise money for Children in Need, nowhere more so than in Pre-Prep. Our youngest pupils particularly enjoyed Mrs Feeley’s Super TA costume – complete with tinsel clad pants and rubber gloves – as she prepared to “tackle anything on the mean streets of Cundall!”. We also held a competition to design a funky pair of superhero pants. There were some fantastic designs including plenty of sparkle and style. The winner of the competition was Alexander Reid with his ‘mince pie boy’ creation. The Pre-Prep children enjoyed a Children in Need assembly where they learnt about where the money they raised would go and PP2 counted the money to give a grand total of £141 to add to the superb total already raised by Form 6 (see below). Again, we would like to congratulate the Form 6 pupils for their excellent concert in aid of Children in Need. Led by fundraising veteran Henry Calvert, the Form 6 pupils treated their evening audience of family and friends to a delightful programme of song, dance, drama and poetry. Many parents had very generously contributed to the wonderful hampers that were raffled on the night. Thank you to everyone who supported our various Children in Need activities this year; we are delighted to announce that the total banked now stands at £1368.74.
Bonfire Night
Thank you to all parents, pupils, families and friends who supported our bonfire and fireworks part y this year. It really was a very successful evening. Special thanks go to Carl and the groundsmen for putting on such a fabulous display, and to Sylvia, April and the kitchen staff for their wonderfully warming bonfire supper.
Honours for our own hockey hero
We are delighted to bring news this week of a wonderful accolade for our matron and hockey coach Mrs Bev Longthorne. Bev’s commission and passion for hockey was formally recognised by Hambleton District Council at the recent Hambleton Sports Awards. Bev was one of a group of sports performers, coaches and volunteers whose contribution to their chosen sport deserves particular recognition; Bev’s involvement in hockey at county level is extensive and it is lovely to see it recognised by so many in the form of this award. Well done Bev. Bev, top left, is pictured with fellow Hambleton District Council Sports Award recipients
Pre-Prep Playtimes
This term we are putting out different activities each week to make playtimes exciting for the children. Last week the Pre-Prep children had lots of fun at playtime learning to build walls. They know how to make the cement mix, use a trowel and build a strong wall. The children can carry the bricks safely and always remember to wear hard hats and high vis vests!
A Ground Breaking Moment for Cundall’s Astroturf
Last week saw the start of work on our brand new Astroturf pitch, with a mini ‘ground breaking ceremony’. Accompanied by hockey players from Main and Upper School, Mrs Walkland dug out the very first patch of grass before handing over to the heavy diggers to clear the entire area. We look forward to bringing you updates of the work over the next few months.
Mr Ball’s Brass Demonstration
The whole school enjoyed a lively demonstration, by peripatetic music teacher Mr Ball, of the wonderful array of instruments available to learn at school. Mr Ball started with the smallest instrument of the family, the trumpet, before working through the cornet, baritone horn, trombone and tuba. His demonstration of each instrument showed how its role in an orchestra or ensemble can influence the decision which instrument to learn: the higher pitched trumpet, cornet and baritone horn often carry the melody of a piece of music whilst the huge and very deep tuba takes the bassline. The trombone is the loudest instrument of the brass family and lends itself perfectly to big band and jazz numbers. Mr Ball was ably assisted in his demonstration by Archie Powell whose super duet with Mr Ball showcased Archie’s wonderfully miniaturised ‘pocket trumpet’. Any pupil wishing to take up music lessons with Mr Ball, even just on a trial basis, should contactMrs Fordin the Music Department.
September Lunchtime Concert
What a great start to our concert series this year. Many congratulations to all of our musicians who performed on Friday. It was very early in the term to ask people to perform, but we were treated to a wonderful and varied programme and it was so exciting to see the enthusiasm and talent of so many of our children. It was lovely to have so many parents, grandparents and friends with us in the church and also to see quite a large number of children who came along to hear and support their friends. Once again, for some children it was their very first performance and the sense of achievement and pride afterwards was evident for all to see! We were lucky enough to hear a world-premiere of Hattie Attwood and Poppy Edwards’ own composition ‘Rings on their Fingers’ which was full of energy and joy! We also had an introduction to the amazing Chinese instrument the guzheng, with a virtuosic performance by Gabriella Lei. Well done and thanks to you all. The comments from parents and visitors afterwards were hugely complimentary and you made many people extremely happy!