The return of live theatre! CUMNOR NEWSLETTER AUTUMN 2021 Nursery Pre-Prep&NewsInside editionthis How we marked Black History Month Glyndebourne TogetherGrowing Sporting Success
a termly celebration of our achievementschildren’sand a spotlight on school life.
As always at Cumnor, our motto of ‘Aim High, Be Kind, Dare to be Different’ sits at the heart of what we do and this term’s articles show how our young people, inspired by the staff around them, have truly aimed high in whatever sphere they have been working. You will see how we endeavour to be kind to each other, not least through our ‘Growing Together’ week, and our desire to give each and every child the opportunity to find and develop their unique passions and interests through the sheer range of activities offered, only a fraction of which appear in these pages.
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A huge thank you for your incredibly generous donations to our Book Drive – we donated over 500 books to the Children’s Book Project who work closely with local primaries.
An enormous amount of work went into the Year 8 summer projects ranging from jewellery and dog biscuits to computers being built and horseboxes refurbished. Everyone should be really proud of their achievements and Year 7 have certainly been inspired.
Year ProjectsSummer8
A Spotlight on Reading at Cumnor
Yet it was a comment made by a new Cumnor pupil who met a visiting education consultant that really caught my eye. The consultant reported that pupils who have joined from other schools were very happy to be at Cumnor and one described his experience in terms of making friends as “the door opened”. That phrase, ‘the door opened’, is exactly what we are trying to achieve in all aspects of life here - academically, personally, experientially and socially. I hope that ‘As One’ opens a door for you, so that you can see and share in all that we do. I wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Fergus Llewelyn
toWelcomeAs One ,
Headmaster
We pride ourselves on our big-hearted community and core to our community life is celebrating our achievements with each other. Despite the challenges that Covid continues to present, there is much joy and encouragement.
We were delighted to be the lead sponsor for the Cuckfield Bookfest’s children’s day of events, as well as the Poetry Competition, which saw F. DeignanMacleod, S. Farrell, A. Stack and S. Leeming take home prizes for their age category.
e have a strong reading culture with a hugely enthusiastic and skilled English Department who continuously reinforce the value and importance of reading. We want to be an outstanding reading school and our children are demonstrating a hugely positive emotional attitude to reading. This term has seen us celebrate the much anticipated re-opening of the Library, junior and senior book clubs have returned and we look forward to supporting parents and children with different comprehension strategies at our Twilight Forum with Mrs Kemp next term.
The Nursery Butterflies and Pre-Prep enjoyed Science Week activities in the STEM building.
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ur art scholars welcomed Sussexbased, luxury wallpaper designer Elizabeth Ockford to explore her work and process with the lucky Year 7’s treated to their own wallpaper design workshops.
• Congratulations to Mrs HeywoodWaddington who received her Level 3 Accreditation and is now a fully qualified, inspirational Forest Schools Leader.
Our Growing Together programme was a huge success, bringing older and younger year groups together to decorate rocks with positive messages in recognition of anti-bullying week, culminating in year group tree planting.
To mark Black History Month, the achievements and struggles of African and Caribbean people were celebrated and remembered in lessons across the school, children participated in drama and dance workshops giving them a deeper sense of African geography and culture, while African inwereCaribbeanandauthorscelebratedtheLibrary.
Growing Together
We are thrilled that we could celebrate our Nursery Nativities and Pre-Prep Christmas Play, Prickly Hay, with parents this Term; the children excelled in telling a story of how every act of kindness is important.
Creative Flair
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Year 8 also returned to Osmington Bay in Dorset after a Covid-enforced sabbatical in 2020 for their CE fieldwork, team building activities and team pursuit games.
• It’s not magic, it’s science!
Meanwhile, Year 8 have been designing abstract art inspired enamelled jewellery.
Out and About
Nursery & Pre-Prep
Egyptians to Romans, Brighton seafront to Hampton Court Palace; our annual Trips Day brought the children’s studies to life.
Black History Month
The return of live theatre!
Year
The Year 5 Play in a Week Treachery at Traitors’ Key was a huge success with the excitement of a live audience lifting performances ten-fold. The cast were all strong in their parts with clear and uplifting singing.
• Our U13 girls’ hockey 1st VIII came 3rd in their pool and went on to win the Plate at the IAPS Nationals with our Colts B team tournament winners at Hurst.
From Sunday roasts to staff suppers and the Cumnor Bake Off, we thank all the duty staff who continue to make boarding at Cumnor such a success!
3rd! Over 180 pupils attended our Junior XC meet with O. Parr finished 3rd in his race.
Autumn WeekendBoarding
• Our XC squad had its first fixtures in 18 months with an individual win for S. Farrell, Junior boys placing second and Senior girls finishing
Huge thanks to Mrs Wicks and her staff band, to our resident dance teacher Mrs Coleman for her Jitterbug choreography and to Mrs Webster for directing the children in a very successful production about evacuees.
Over 30 children joined the Boarding Weekend at the end of November, kicking off with Brighton v Leeds at the AMEX and followed by an assault course in Eastbourne!
• Our boys’ football 1st VIII took home the plate at Charterhouse and we look forward to our girl’s football team competing next term for the first time.
• Congratulations to B. Hayday who has been selected for the U12A Squad for The Prep School Pumas and will represent England in the Gothia World Youth Cup this summer.
• Our equestrian team continues to go from strength to strength, riding in great style against much older children. At the NSEA South East show jumping championships, the ‘Red’ Team secured first place in the 40cm class, the ‘Black’ team came 4th and there were individual wins for A. Azimi and D. Dunford.
CharitiesAccoladesSportingofthe
• The rugby U13As played phenomenally well, placing 4th at the Nationals.
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We have selected three hugely worthy charities following all of your nominations. We look forward to our Spring Fayre and Silent Auction in the New Year.
In October the ‘Class of 2010’ returned to Cumnor. They wandered the school grounds, revisited old haunts and explored all the new buildings constructed since their departure, enjoying Cumnor at its very best on a sunny Autumnal day.
S. Bradbury Flute / Grade 2
M. Boileau Cello / Grade 4 (Merit)
www.cumnor.co.uk @cumnorhousesussex @cumnorhouse
utumn 2021 has been busy, kicking off with SING! at Eastbourne College, while back at Cumnor we welcomed a live audience for our fabulous annual Piano Concert, giving every child learning the piano the chance to perform on stage.
S. Brierley Piano / Grade 2
A. Lindsay Cello / Grade 1
I. Pepper Piano / Grade 3 (Merit)
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Before the half term break, 45 lucky pupils from Year 6, 7 and 8 enjoyed Don Pasquale at Glyndebourne and our annual Music Practice Challenge clocked up over 3,000 minutes of dedicated practising from both White and Black House.
Congratulations to our musicians who excelled at this Term’s ABRSM exams.
S. Farrell Alto Saxophone / Grade 1 (Distinction)
Old Cumnorians
NewsGreen
Last year’s Year 3 class all won Blue Peter Green Badges for their environmental work last term – the first whole class to have done so in Blue Peter history!
E. Presler-Jones Violin / Grade 4 (Merit)
H. Stockman Trumpet / Grade 4
The Music Barn
Last summer, during Green Week, some of the then Year 5 pupils wrote to local Wealden MP Nusrat Ghani about their concerns over plastic pollution. This term they heard back from her and each received a Green Guide leaflet. We love how their voices were heard.