Form 4 Music and Poetry Evening
Congratulations to every member of Form 4 who took part in the Music and Poetry evening just before the half term break. The evening offered a wonderful opportunity for these young performers to showcase their talents across a range of arts: the audience of families and friends were treated to virtuoso musical performances, beautiful singing, crystal clear poetry recitals and hilarious comedy sketches.
Form 5 French dans la salle de bain!
Form 5 had a very practical and fun lesson learning vocabulary about their morning routine and how to use reflexive verbs in French. Mme Cooke took her class to the boarding house where pupils used props and acted in very amusing sketches in a bathroom environment. In some of the sketches, boys can be seen wearing dresses (je m’habille), girls putting on make-up (je me maquille) and others singing in the shower (je me douche et je chante). A lesson to be remembered!
Form 3 Trip to Easingwold
Form 3 spent a lovely, sunny morning in Easingwold carrying out research to support their local area studies. After doing a traffic survey, the children then went on to ask local residents their opinions by carrying out surveys from which they were able to gain lots of important information about the area. One group also completed a land use map to see the variety of ways that buildings were used. Although it was a beautiful morning, it was rather chilly so the children finished their trip with a much welcomed hot chocolate and slice of cake in Tea Hee. Lots of useful information was gained that the children can now use in future lessons.
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.
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!
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!
Form 1 travel through the Ages
On Thursday, the Form 1 children kicked off their topic on the ‘Stone age to Iron Age’ with a workshop. The children were treated to a whole host of artifacts and activities that brought the era to life. Weapons were wielded, boar skins were studied and cave art was drawn as the children became young archaeologists for the day. The children are looking forward to unlocking the mysteries of Stonehenge, looking at settlements and of course the advances in tools and weapons as metal became a useful resource.
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!