As One Cumnor Newsletter Spring Term 2023

Welcome to AsOne

, a termly celebration of our children’s achievements, and a spotlight on school life.

The term began with the fantastic news of our ‘Excellent’ ISI Inspection report, where, quite rightly, our children were the stars of the show. From there, despite it being the shortest of terms, we have gone on to see our children excel in all different areas, perhaps best exemplified by the 15 Scholarships won to top Senior Schools by our Year 8s in Art, Drama, Music and Sport.

In and amongst all of this, it has been especially rewarding to see our children grow in assurance. Whether it be our Year 6 pupils stepping confidently into their Senior School interviews; our Year 3 to 5 children perform so brilliantly in Noye’s Fludde, our community music event in Arundel Cathedral; or our ‘Sustainability Squad’, made up of children from Year 3 to 7, presenting so well in Assembly about their designs for an upcycled plastic greenhouse, these are just some of the ways in which we can give our children opportunities to grow and see them flourish.

So I hope you enjoy this edition, and get a genuine taste for the fun, variety and excellence that a term at Cumnor provides.

Nursery & Pre-Prep

The ‘sprung’ element of this term is finally in full flow for us all! All the hard work and hunkering down has paid dividends, rewarding us with achievements to shout about. There is so much to celebrate in this season of change. In Reception, our first Love and Kindness Tea provided the perfect opportunity for children to appreciate the care they receive at home and to thank a very special person in their family with bespoke hand-crafted cookies and sandwiches, not to mention a beautiful bouquet and the finest rendition of ‘Kind Hearts are the Garden’ by HW Longfellow. Barely a dry eye!

The best changes also include an element of preparation, therefore our Curriculum Day focus was Life Skills! As a result we are now increasingly proficient at putting on seat belts, crossing the road safely, laying the table, zipping coats and tying shoelaces, and memorising parents’ phone numbers. Year 2 even learnt to make beds in the dormitories. Parents take note: practice makes perfect, make the most of it!

Concepts such as diversity and disability are important for young children to understand yet sometimes difficult to communicate. We were therefore incredibly fortunate to have Alison Wright from ‘Accept Listen Learn’ share her story. Alison was born with short arms and works hard to encourage people to accept others, no matter their ability. This was a truly inspirational and thoughtprovoking experience which considerably enhanced the children’s grasp of equality for all and what it really means in practice.

Finally, with Easter upon us, the Pre-Prep embarked on an ‘eggstravaganza’ (apologies) on the last day of term. The wonderful Meg from Danehill Church visited to teach us about the Easter Story which kicked off our Easter trail and scavenger hunt in Woodpeckers, courtesy of the Easter Bunny (aka Mrs Davis!). Can you guess what we found? Happy Easter, everyone!

Fergus Llewellyn Headmaster

Mrs Freeman Head of Pre-Prep

• Reception have been erupting volcanoes and creating fossils as part of their ‘Fire & Ice’ topic, drawing meerkats in chalk pastels as they explored ‘Amazing Animals’ and celebrated Chinese New Year with creative activities, baking and singing in Mandarin. They have also been busy spreading ‘love and kindness’ at a very special tea party.

used aerial photographs to identify human and physical features, learnt about the world’s oceans and penned diary entries about a day in the life of Katie Morag. We’ve also been exploring sea creatures with a fantastic trip to The Sealife Centre helping us in our fact-finding missions. We have all had a very exciting term full of fun, learning, teamwork and friendship.

• The Butterflies have continued to learn about ‘People Who Help Us’ with some very exciting visits from our emergency services and impressing the audience with their rendition of ‘I’m a Little Firefighter’ in our Spring Coffee Concert. Bravo!

• The Nursery children have welcomed to some special visitors to read this term including Mr Llewellyn and author Jane Hissey, who lovingly created the Old Bear stories.

• Year 1 have had an action packed term! Alongside some absolutely whizzy Maths, superstar reading and wonderful writing we have had a lot of fun learning all about different Explorers. We have been to the South Pole with Captain Scott, aboard a ship with Captain James Cook, visited the moon with Neil Armstrong and deep sea dived with Erika Bergman! A real highlight was our visit to Wilderness Woods where, despite the torrential rain, we had a super time building animal shelters, hunting for minibeasts and creating natural art work.

• Year 2’s topic of ‘An Island Home’ has been bought to life through the fictitious Isle of Struay. We have focused on mapping skills,

• We were also delighted to celebrate Isaac D’s success in the Young Art Competition. Huge congratulations for an excellent portrait of another Cumnor child at rest, reading a book.

A Spotlight on Reading

Now, more than ever, we need to nurture our children’s love of books. We must inspire them to engage with the written and spoken word, and to cherish the wonder and power of stories. We should encourage our reluctant readers to persevere, and, by our example, show them that reading can be empowering, comforting and great fun.

Reading is a life skill. It helps children to navigate the complexities of modern life and to develop empathy. With greater empathy, they can aspire to a gentler and kinder world. Children who read, understand the world better, and learn to express their ideas and thoughts effectively; they can write with greater confidence; they can make their mark. The hugely talented and committed teachers in our English Department are passionate about sharing a love of reading. As role models, they have the support of all teachers at Cumnor; they all play their part in developing reading skills in their subject areas and together they have put reading at the very core of our curriculum. Children have an increasingly wide and varied range of reading material; there is something exciting and engaging for everyone. If children cannot find what they want, the team will do their best to find it for them! Our library is full of avid readers every day; it is a sanctuary, and a friendly meeting place for many of our book-loving children.

These are some ideas for how you can help your children develop and maintain a love of reading.

• Prioritise reading – carve out the time

• Surround your children with a wide variety of books

• Reading at bedtime – nobody is too old for a bedtime story!

• Watch films and TV shows based on books

• Visit libraries, bookshops and charity shops

• Remember that not all reading for pleasure has to be fiction

• Talk to your children about books

• Listen to your children read and talk to them about what they’ve read

• Experience books beyond the page

• No need to ban screens!

Finally, don’t forget to check out Cumnor’s Must Reads on the Parent Portal.

The DT Lab

Creating keyrings or pendants inspired by Ghanaian Adinkra symbols, Year 7 have been busy pewter casting. Donning their protective clothing of leather gauntlets, leather apron and heat proof goggles, they are also learning to describe in their sketch books how to work safely with molten metal. Meanwhile, Year 6 have almost finished building their go karts ready for next term’s big race.

Noye’s Fludde

On Saturday 4th March, we held our first ever Cumnor Community Music Day within the stunning setting of Arundel Cathedral. This was an intensive and enjoyable project in which we rehearsed and staged an opera by Benjamin Britten in one day. The project called for three professional opera singers, twelve child soloists (including current pupils, OCs and Arundel choristers), one hundred young voices spanning Year 3 to Year 5, an orchestra of forty-five players (including guests from the Hampshire Recorder Sinfonia), fifty adult singers, and a ballet dancer. With Sir John Tomlinson CBE as our very special guest Voice of God, we were in for an amazing day.

While undoubtedly a challenge at the end of a long week, a project like this an unforgettable bonding experience for our young performers. As well as showcasing Cumnor’s musical talent, it was the engagement and enjoyment of our pupils in high-quality music-making that is the most important thing to me as Director of Music.

I would like to thank the children for singing so beautifully and being great fun to work with, and to our parents for their support. This was a truly collaborative project including the Art Department who created the beautiful animal masks with the children and the Drama department who assisted with stage-building. This really was a big team effort for Cumnor, and something that we hope to build on over the next few years with even more Old Cumnorians, parents and pupils involved.

Mr Jelf Director of Music

Cumnor Fundraising

A huge thank you to Year 3 for their initiative in organising a bake sale and toy drive in addition to the book swap. Over £1,200 has been raised for the Red Cross Turkish & Syrian Earthquake Fund, thank you!

The Pirates of Penzance

As a Director you never know how a production will turn out during early rehearsals. The Pirates of Penzance was a challenging choice to say the least, but with hard work from an amazing production team and the enthusiasm of our Year 7 children, I could not have been more pleased with the result! I know that myself, Mr Jelf and Mrs Harris were hugely impressed to see the children grow into their roles and give a performance that we, and the audience, will always remember.

Sporting Accolades Netball

This term has seen fantastic performances and great achievements from our girls. Our 1st team have demonstrated real strength and depth during the season, playing a wide range of schools and culminating in the SISNA (Sussex Independent Schools Netball Association) tournament where, after winning all games in the pool stages, we won the quarter finals with confidence before a semi-final win against St Christopher’s. Despite a close final against Copthorne, we finished as runners up. We are really proud of the team’s achievements and the girls’ commitment to fighting for the win; congratulations!

At the younger end of the Prep school, Year 5 have been developing an exciting brand of Cumnor Rugby! Fast ball, strong runners, agile players and great support play have all helped to give a really positive feeling about the game. Year 3 have gained valuable experience, demonstrating a love of running with the ball in hand and showing off their dodging skills, while Year 4 have completed their first term of contact rugby and shown a real appetite for this extra dimension; they have supported each other with this learning journey, developed the correct technique and built in confidence with contact. An exciting future ahead for Cumnor rugby!

Hockey

The rollicking band of orphaned pirates, the bevy of beautiful young maidens or the clumsy, but brave, police squad had the audience in tears of laughter with every entrance. There were stand out performances all round including the ‘slave of duty’, Frederick, played by Lana C, the heroic Mabel, played by Eliza B and the comical evil duo of the Pirate King and Ruth played by Sophie F and Bo K. The pompous and quick tongued Major General, played by Alice L, impressed the audience with her double fast version of the Modern Major General song and who can forget the hysterical portrayal of the Sergeant of Police, portrayed by Oscar E. Special mention goes to the second in command pirates, Leo H and Sam B and, of course, the unsung heroes, the stage crew!. Thank you to everyone involved in this highly entertaining production – a memory and performance that will last for a very long time!

Year 3 and 4 have had a great season, starting off playing 4-a-side games that provided lots of opportunities to throw and catch the ball, shoot, move into space, defend and develop good team work skills. They are competitive, supportive, and enthusiastic to play and improve their skills; we’re excited to see how they develop!

Swimming

During this Spring term we hosted both Senior and Junior galas, welcoming Hurst, Burgess Hill School for Girls, Copthorne and Great Walstead. Facing tough competition, the children achieved some super PB’s. In January, four of our pupils represented the school in the swimming IAPS regional rounds, held at Eastbourne; we await the overall results which are finalised after the Easter break.

Rugby

Outstanding team spirit and commitment has been the overarching theme to the season. Year 6 have thrown themselves into training, showing through their performances on match days that they have a real thirst for the game, Year 7 have built their team confidence alongside their individual skills, and Year 8 have demonstrated a mature mind-set, leading from the front and setting a great benchmark for team culture.

For Hockey, it has been a term of consolidating skills and for many, it has been their first foray onto the Astro. Fixtures have been hard fought with team spirit clearly evident, giving our senior teams the opportunity to show-case their skills.

Parents v Staff v Girls

On Saturday 4th February, we hosted our annual netball matches between girls, parents and staff. As ever, these were greatly supported by parents who were either keen to demonstrate their netball prowess, or keen to get through the morning unscathed having not played netball since their own school days! We had a new format this year, with lots of rotation between players and in honour of Mr Mockridge’s last year at Cumnor, he graced the court for a first – and last – appearance. Hoping his height would be of a great advantage, Mrs Park took great delight in penalising him for breaking footwork, contact and obstruction rules! A thoroughly enjoyable event and we were delighted to see so many involved; thank you.

The Art Studio

The school walls are adorned with artwork demonstrating the creativity, imagination and technical skills of our children. From exquisite sketches in charcoal to volcano collages and beautiful still life paintings created by Year 3 to 8 for mothers and loved ones, we have been blown away by the exceptional standard of work. Our young artists have also been inspired by the meticulous drawing style of visiting illustrator and author Jane Hissey, who created the best-selling ‘Old Bear and Friends’ series.

We are so proud that 27 of our entries to 2023’s Young Art Competition in aid of children’s cancer charities have been chosen to be exhibited at the Royal College of Art between April 26th and 29th. Among the work selected, we received three commendations in the Year 4 to 6 category (Daniel S, Daisy D, Ophelia O’M), one Highly Commended In Year 2 to 3 (Nico M) and a notable 3rd Prize in the Year 4 to 6 category for Tom R. This is a prestigious, national competition receiving over 7,000 entries with just 10% of those entered being chosen to exhibit. Our children’s creativity interpreting the theme of ‘Looking Out’ was highlighted by the judges and we are incredibly proud of them all!

Fantasy Maps

Turning daily Form Time into a creative outlet, Year 6 have been designing their own fantasy maps. After tracing rice to create imaginary continents, islands and oceans, staining their paper with tea and burning the edges, the children have been adding character with mountain ranges, palm trees, rivers and valleys. Garnering attention across the school, the maps have been used across the curriculum, from supporting role play in drama to history and English where Luca B was awarded a Distinction for his creative writing, inspired by his map. This immersive activity is now an Occupation and we look forward to seeing the maps continue to evolve!

The Music Barn

It has been a busy term for the Music department as we welcomed Mr Jelf in his new role as Director of Music. Year 6 kicked off with a bang as they headed to the O2 to sing in the largest youth choir concert in the world, Young Voices, swiftly followed by our House Music Competition which demonstrated the strength of our instrumentalists and singers across the year groups through a fantastic selection of songs on the theme of ‘weather’. A fantastic clash of fierce House competition was balanced with respectful and supportive behaviour towards each other; the spirit of Cumnor in action. Well done to everyone that participated!

Off the stage, many of our children enjoyed new practical music curriculum projects including Year 6 who have been studying Gamelan music, Year 7 who have been studying Samba music, and Year 8 who have been undertaking a ‘music for film and television’ composition project. Year 3 and 4 have been introduced to the new class sets of xylophones and djembe drums now available and Year 5 will be learning to play the new steel pans in the Summer term!

Greek Day

‘Portals to the Past’ joined us for a fabulous day, filled with all things Greek in support of Year 3’s study of Ancient Greece in History. The children had a chance to re-enact the ancient Olympics by throwing foam javelins, acting out myths, playing traditional board games and practising war formations. In true Cumnor style, we also took our learning outside, making Greek soldiers down at Woodpeckers.

Book Week

Our biggest Book Week yet, the children experienced writing workshops and engaging talks from talented writers.

• The costume parade was spectacular! This year, more than ever before, the children, and staff, used their talents and creativity to create some truly amazing costumes.

• Giles Abbott, the UK’s only blind storyteller, told stories steeped in folklore and captivated every child.

• West End in Schools performers used dance and drama to bring Fantastic Mr Fox to life with the younger years.

• Mimi Thebo, an author long-listed for the prestigious Carnegie Medal for Writing for children and young teens, taught them how to look at the world differently and inspired the children to write in a way they have never tried before.

• Australian Poetry Slam champion, Philip Wilcox, engaged Year 8 for a day, inspiring them to write and perform thought-provoking and powerful poems; the atmosphere was electric, and energy and enthusiasm of the children was tangible...

The children stood out as the most creative and confident that I’ve worked with!