Cundall Kite Festival
What a delightful morning we had on last day of the Lent term. Children, parents and staff took to the playing fields with the most creative and colourful assortment of kites. The huge majority of the kites were homemade and as such displayed a wealth of engineering and artistic talent amongst our pupil body. Despite less than perfect conditions (this was one of those rare days when we would have welcomed a strong wind) the children made a sterling effort to launch their kites into the skies, many to great effect. It really was a wonderful occasion; how lovely to see so many “children” (including those amongst our parent and teaching body!) enjoying such traditional and enchanting play. Congratulations to those who won a prize for design, decoration or flying prowess, and thank you to every single pupil who took part in the kite festival.
Easter Egg Competition
Thank you to every pupil who entered the Easter egg decorating competition at the end of last term. The range and standard of entrants really was amazing. Congratulations all the winners: “Creative” Winner: Murron O’ Neill Runner Up: Rosie Barker & Hannah Bilton “Egfort” Winner: Anna Edwards Runner Up: Oli & Ben Tomalin
Easter Concert
Congratulations and thank you to every single pupil who took part in the Easter concert on the evening of the last Thursday of last term. We have such a wealth of musical talent at Cundall and was no surprise at all that this last ‘sell out’ concert attracted such a large and enthusiastic audience. Parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles had all packed into the school gym to enjoy a wonderfully diverse programme of music making. Every single age group in the Main and Upper School, and every single category of instrument was represented, along with some beautiful solo and ensemble singing. Thank you to Mrs Ford, Mrs Reece and all the music teachers for staging such a fabulous concert.
D of E Bike Maintenance Course
The D of E bikers attended a bike maintenance course, kindly run by Paul from Chevin Cycles from Otley. The group got lots out of it, ready for their expedition that weekend. By the end Paul wanted to come out and see the group in action, as they had kept him amused throughout the session. But his knowledge and the session did its trick as all members of the team could fix any technical problem they had at the weekend.
D of E Practice Expeditions
The silver Duke of Edinburgh group went out on their practice expedition this weekend into the North York Moors. This year is the first year Cundall have let students bike their expedition as well as walk. Friday night was spent in Low Dalby with the luxury of having a bbq and homemade seats to sit on. Saturday morning both teams headed out, with both not having the greatest of starts, with one biker falling off 200m down the road from the campsite and the walkers finding more bogs than decent paths. But the day got better for both teams. The second night was spent in Goathland, which is truly a step back in time, into the Heart Beat series. We had perfect weather conditions on Sunday which led to a great day. Both teams did well throughout the weekend. Miss Whalley was particularly proud of the bikers who really stepped up a gear this weekend, working brilliantly as a team, sorting any bike problem that occurred and fighting any hill they came up against (of which there were plenty!).
Eldmire Trip To Nestle York
Eldmire GCSE Business Studies students enjoyed an enthralling and rather tasty visit to Nestle in York last week. Students were astonished to see how small a number of employees was needed to produce the thousands of Kit Kats produced every day. They satin a mock up kitchen and living room to see all of the nestle products on display – so many given that they are the biggest food and beverage company in the world. The PR manager, James, asked the pupils to represent a local supermarket and walk around a staged store with Nestle products stocked on shelves. All tummies rumbled and fingers were well and truly licked when they learnt how to temper chocolate and make their own Kit Kat.
Upper School Spanish trip to London
Last Thursday, the Eldmire and Thornton Spanish students boarded the train to London to visit The British Museum. As part of their intercultural learning they have been studying Colombia and learning about its history of gold and the culture that surrounds it. In London the pupils saw a stunning exhibition about Colombian gold and learnt about the history of Colombia. They then went to see a rather unusual German Art exhibition. After the exhibition, they all enjoyed lunch and a discussion of what had been seen that morning, in the glorious sunshine outside the museum. A big thank you to the staff that assisted on the trip, a fun and informative day was had by all.
Cundall’s new cookery room
There have been the most wonderful smells drifting across Cundall Manor School this week….chocolate, pancakes, cookies and buns. All made by the pupils in our beautiful new kitchen. We are the proud owners of a fantastic new space all thanks to the generosity of The Friends, Mr & Mrs Greenwood, a few other kind benefactors and, of course, the site team. The new kitchen is fully equipped with two hobs, two ovens (Bake Off style!) and a stunning range of colourful utensils. The pupils who have used the kitchen so far (and they range in age from our youngest Main School pupils to our oldest Upper School ones!) have been very excited. There is doubt that everyone who uses it will benefit enormously.
Rotary Club Technology Tournament
Early Tuesday morning a minibus of intrepid engineers set off for the annual technology tournament at Catterick Leisure Centre. This year saw the intermediate teams defending their trophy with much hope and optimism. With 6 schools represented by a number of teams the tournament started with the aim to build a working model of a cable car. With much pondering and scratching of pencils and heads, the Cundall teams came up with some excellent ideas, especially the team comprising Harry Hodgson, Tom Dicken, Josh Hall and Sam Youmans who came a very creditable 3rd in their competition. Well done to all of the competitors.
Debating Masters
Congratulations to the Upper School debating team who won last Wednesday’s heat of the English Speaking Union’s annual public speaking competition. James Gordon chaired proceedings with great authority, Ross Sullivan spoke very ably on the topic of whether minorities can ever be safe within democracies, and Edward Kettleborough questioned the speaker from St John Fisher’s School to great effect and . The team have won a place in the North of England finals at Leeds Grammar School in early March.