E-weekly Issue 155

Welcome back!

Welcome back to the second half of the Spring Term! With the bulbs blooming and the sun shining, there is much to look forward to, and we are very much looking forward to having the girls back in School again from 8^th March.

Cricket news

 

Remote PE

Weekly Challenges 
Well done to all the girls in Lower School who have wholeheartedly thrown themselves into virtual PE, particularly the weekly challenges. Every girl in Lower School has entered at least three of the five weekly challenges. These have included: ‘The Plank Challenge’, ‘Go the Distance Part 1 and 2’, ‘Takeaway Challenge’ and ‘Train like a Pro’. Each time they entered, they received 5 House Points, and each time they sent in a picture or video of themselves taking part, they received an extra 5 House Points. The girls have not only embraced these challenges, but have also pushed themselves out of their comfort zone and should be very proud of themselves. We as a department certainly are! 

The results for the first 5 challenges are as follows:

Year 7  

Year 8

There are still two more weeks of challenges left, starting with a ‘reaction challenge’ via an app called Home Court. The challenge is to achieve the highest score possible - can you beat Miss Starr's score of 746? We then finish with a ‘catching challenge’ set by Lydia Greenway, former England Cricketer. We look forward to seeing the results for the next two weeks, keep up the good work! 

Also, there is a lot of live women’s sport on TV at the moment. The Netball Super League is shown every weekend on Sky Sports/Youtube, and the International Women’s Cricket Series between New Zealand and England is being shown on BT Sport. It has also just been announced that 'The Hundred' tournament will be shown on the BBC this summer. A fantastic opportunity to watch some cricket on free to air TV. 

Miss Emily Starr, Assistant Director of Sport

 

News from the Chaplaincy

This Sunday’s Gospel: Mark 9:2-10
Gospel Reflection:

Transfiguration; noun: a complete change of form or appearance into a more beautiful or spiritual state.

This Sunday, the 2nd Sunday of Lent, we hear the Gospel of the Transfiguration, and it causes us to ask the question - what will be transfigured in my life? What will be transformed, made new? And Lent is the perfect time to ask that question, as we continue our journey towards the incredible news of Easter. Now is also a very good, if slightly uncomfortable, time to ask that question as we dare to look forward to the end of the pandemic lockdown.

I remember last year, when lockdown was new and everything uncertain, I had many conversations with people about how society would be changed in the aftermath of this experience. Some argued that humanity has a short memory, and things would go back to ‘business as usual’ almost immediately the restrictions were lifted. Some looked forward to a more compassionate, cooperative and loving future.

Here in School, we are preparing to joyfully receive the students back on Monday 8th March. Like Peter, James and John, we must come down from the mountain, back to ‘reality’ as it were. Our mountaintop experience is almost complete. For me, I hope this past year has been a Transfiguration experience in some way - an opportunity to change into a more spiritual state. I hope I have been made new, and I hope we, as a society, emerge into our new reality a more forgiving, a more loving, a more Christ-like people. I hope and pray that we, all, have been transfigured.

Opportunities to join the School in prayer during this Lenten season:

Rosary:
Every weekday afternoon, at 13:45, we gather at the foot of Cornelia Connelly’s tomb, to pray the Rosary. The prayer is live-streamed each day on Teams, and usually takes no more than 15 minutes. Please join us if you can. If you have any prayers or intentions you’d like to pray for, please email our chaplain Ronan, at rlavery@mayfieldgirls.org. (You do not have to be specific with your intentions.) Here’s the link: DAILY ROSARY

Adoration & Quiet Prayer:
Straight after Rosary each day, between 14:00 and 14:30 (beginning on Monday 8^th March), the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed in the Chapel. Join pupils, staff, family and generations of OC’s for a time of quiet prayer - a beautiful and powerful Lenten observance. The meeting will be the same as the Rosary meeting on Teams, but here’s the link again: DAILY ROSARY

Planned Lenten Talks:
This season, Lenten talks will begin on Tuesday 9^th March. Guest speakers will give short presentations on aspects of the charism of Mother Cornelia Connelly, and her continued impact on us as individuals, as a School, and as a Christian community. Talks will take place in the School Chapel at 18:00 precisely each Tuesday evening, followed immediately by a brief, intimate celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. More details to follow.  LINK

Mr Ronan Lavery, Lay Chaplain

News from the History Department

Richard III; evil child killer? The Year 12 historians have been learning about the famous hunch-backed King Richard III in their Wars of the Roses topic. In the final week before Half Term, they researched the evidence to support and challenge the idea that Richard was the murderer of the Princes in the Tower in 1483.

The girls did a great job of presenting their evidence in a virtual debate, with Bronwyn arguing that Richard was guilty of the murder, Tatum arguing that Richard had co-ordinated someone else to commit the murder, and Tabby arguing that Richard III was innocent of all charges. Tabby was declared ‘Queen of the Debate’ after she presented excellent counter evidence to challenge Bronwyn and Tatum. I was very impressed by the evidence presented and the enthusiasm of the debaters.

Mrs Lucy Lawson, Teacher of History

In Food & Nut this week…

The girls in Years 7, 8 and 9 have enjoyed making a range of different pancakes this week. It is surprising to see how many different varieties there are, and those unable to cook have been researching a variety of international pancakes. We have been very impressed with the attractive presentation of the pancakes made, and we hope this has been an enjoyable recipe for the whole family to enjoy! Back to thinking about healthier treats next week!

Miss Emily Theobald, Head of Food and Nutrition

Write On Art Competition

ARTiculation Challenge 2021