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!
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!
Form 6 Geography Fieldtrip
Form 6 braved the elements last Monday as they travelled to the North Yorkshire coast to fulfil field work elements of their Geography Common Entrance coursework. The pupils are studying coastal erosion so were required to take readings from three different locations along the Holderness coast. The three sites, Flamborough Head, Bridlington and Fraisthorpe Sands, each feature a different type of rock and as such manifest different effects of erosion. The pupils were able to draw sketches, investigate defences and take measurements of the cliffs, in preparation for the coursework they will be starting in class before the end of this term and completing over the Christmas holidays. The weather was less than perfect for the fieldtrip, especially by the time they reached the final site, and the pupils are to commended for their resilience and determination to complete the task before returning to the relative warmth and comfort of the minibuses.
New Form 6 prefects
Congratulations to two young men who this week joined the ranks of Form 6 Prefects. Well done to Ben Earley and Cameron McAlpine.
Friday’s Lunchtime Concert
What a wonderful atmosphere there was in the church last Friday for our Lunchtime concert. Many parents and friends gathered to hear our young musicians performing (some of them for the first time) in an informal and friendly environment. It was lovely to see so many of the performers’ friends in the audience offering their support. There were some very fine performances and, for a few, it was good preparation for their music exams which take place this week. The visitors who met in the library afterwards were extremely appreciative and had thoroughly enjoyed all of the music. It was rather cold in the church which added to the stress for some! Others coped well with sore throats and colds, which is not easy when singing!
Form 6’s Literature Quiz
Last week a group from Form 6 took part in the Yorkshire heats of the International Kids’ Literature Quiz hosted by King James’ School in Knaresborough. Congratulations to Sarah Sullivan, Annabel Hartley, Ben Earley and Henry Calvert for coming seventh out of a field of over thirty schools. Not considering themselves a sporty bunch, the Cundall team were shocked to win the round on Sport in Literature for which they were awarded a bundle of books.
Form 3 Egyptian Morning
Form 3 took part in the second of their Egyptian mornings, this time run by Catherine Conyard from Historical Interpretations. Children got the chance to handle artefacts and had to try and work out what they were – the most difficult ones are pictured in the photograph. The long wooden artefact is in fact a drill and the dark wooden artefact on the bench is a wooden pillow! Children also played Egyptian games and mummified a body in preparation for its journey to the afterlife. It was a great morning and children learnt lots of new facts about the period.
Form 4 visit to the Crucial Crew
On Thursday 13th November the whole of Form 4 enjoyed a visit to Crucial Crew at RAF Leeming. Taking part in Crucial Crew involved the children being taught about everyday dangers around them and how to keep safe. Various organisations such as the Police, Fire Brigade, Npower and Taylor Wimpey construction presented a variety of scenarios to emphasise dangers which we may come across in life. The children learned what to do in the event of an emergency and had lots of practice in dealing with scenarios that put them in danger. These scenarios included ringing the Emergency Services and performing first aid. The morning proved to be a great learning experience for Form 4 and produced lots of areas for discussion on return to school.
Form 1’s Science ‘High Flyers’
As most of Form 1B went off to play rugby for the afternoon, science got a little creative for the three boys that remained. It began with a trip to the roof of the main building, looking at supporting shapes and structures. The boys soon realised how triangles could be used to make things stronger and spotted other examples around the school. Whilst in the eaves, the boys spotted a large kite and asked if they could build it. As a box kite, it used rods and triangles to strengthen it and so the answer was of course yes. Once built and briefly discussed, the boys tested it on the field. The wind was rather strong and the lesson ended with a sprint across the field, chasing the runaway kite which eventually got caught up in the cricket nets. Once rescued, the boys returned to the classroom to have a go at building their own supportive structure. Great fun.