E-weekly Issue 182

Message from Mrs Green 

This week the girls have been enjoying the festivities, with many taking part in Live Crib, one of our oldest, and proudest, traditions. If you missed the livestream, then you can still watch recordings of the three performances, each featuring a different cast, using the links below. Thank you to everyone who has donated to this year's Live Crib charity, the Cardinal Hume Centre (you'll find our JustGiving page here if you still wish to donate), and to all who brought in essential household items for the Hygiene Bank Christmas Appeal. I know your donations will be gratefully received by those in need.

On Wednesday the Lower School held their annual Christmas party and judging by the noise levels in the Concert Hall, a good time was had by all. Meanwhile, Middle School were showcasing their classroom decorations and I was very impressed by the creativity on display. On Thursday the girls were treated to a Christmas lunch, whilst today saw the inter-house song competition bring about a fitting end to the term.

Hopefully you will have seen in your email inbox an update from Miss Beary - please do check your emails if you haven't seen this yet. Finally, I wanted to take the opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year. I hope you have a relaxing and restful break and I look forward to welcoming everyone back to school in the New Year.

Watch Monday's Live Crib
Watch Tuesday's Live Crib
Watch Wednesday's Live Crib

Notices

Save the Date - Blue Stockings

The Drama Department has re-scheduled Caedmon’s postponed play ‘Blue Stockings’ for 19:00 on Thursday 20^th and Friday 21^st January 2022.

Badminton Club

Next term we will be launching a new Badminton Club and there will be a taster session for anyone interested on Friday 14^th January.

Christmas Music Concert

Mayfield’s Christmas Music Concert took place on Thursday 9^th December in the Concert Hall, with an audience consisting of the performers, their friends and some staff members, creating a warm and hugely supportive atmosphere.

The Lower School Choir began and ended the concert: Year 7 singing two lively numbers under Mr Dowgan’s direction, ‘Every Step is Moving Me Up’ and ‘O Abre-Alas’, and Year 8 performing ‘My Favourite Things’ with Dr Ward. The two year groups joined together to end with a performance of Dr Ward’s setting of ‘Love Came Down at Christmas’.

Between these performances we had chamber music and larger ensembles performing a wide range of music. The Jazz Collective and Mr Dowgan performed upbeat versions of ‘Satin Doll’ and ‘Let it Snow!’, while three chamber ensembles performed variously Mozart and Bloch trios, and a Schumann duet, all highly varied in mood and tone.

The Orchestra was back in action after a year, divided into string and wind groups, and played two dances under Dr Ward’s direction, by Mozart and Price, both featuring unusual instruments including chimes, swanee whistle and congas. It was a real pleasure to perform again with a live audience, and we hope that something of the atmosphere is captured in the recording.

Watch the concert
Thanks to all the girls who performed so well after working so hard this term, to their Music Tutors and ensemble directors, and to Miss Ainsworth behind the scenes. The recording and lighting was as always managed beautifully by Miss Clark. We hope to welcome you before long to a similar concert in person.

Dr M J C Ward, Director of Music

PE Department Update

Goodbye to Hockey
The U14s finished the season on a high with an excellent win over TWGGs, beating them 3 goals to 0. The girls played some fantastic Hockey with goals from Willow and Ruby. Well done team!

Christmas fun with PE!
Last week saw the return of the infamous 'Christmas Hockey'. Well done to all those who took part. Great outfits, great dancing, and most importantly great Christmas spirit was shown throughout!

The PE Department would like to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas, and thank you for all your efforts in sport this term. We look forward to welcoming you back in the New Year where we turn our attention to Netball. 

Miss Imogen Jones, Teacher of PE

Lower School Christmas Party

The Lower School girls enjoyed their Christmas party together on Wednesday afternoon. After an hour of dancing and games, they were treated to a selection of festive party foods (the pigs in blankets didn’t last long!) before rounding off the afternoon by watching a Christmas film together.

Father Christmas even made an appearance, delivering sweet treats and festive cheer. Many thanks to the Lower School prefect team, who organised the programme of games and to the Lower School tutor team for facilitating proceedings.

Mr Daniel Smith, Deputy Head of Lower School

Digital Literacy and Technology (DLT):  Hour of Code from Code.org

This week, Years 7 to 10 have taken part in a worldwide celebration of coding.  The Hour of Code is a global movement reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries. 

The girls have tried out some of the 500 tutorials including coding a dance party using block code, Code Combat using Python, and exploring Artificial Intelligence - machine learning, training data, and bias, while exploring ethical issues and how AI can be used to address world problems. A fun lesson has been had by all.

The tutorials will be available over the Christmas break - visit Hour of Code (select grades 6-8 or 9+) to have more fun!

Mrs Lucy Bartlett, Key Stage 3 & 4 Digital Literacy and Technology Coordinator

Year 7 DLT

A very Merry Christmas from all of Year 7!  In our Digital Literacy and Technology (DLT) lessons, the girls have started the Physical Computing module. Using Micro:bits together with the Make Code app has enabled the girls to code the LEDs to brighten up the class with a festive light show! They have also coded amazing micro computers to play festive tunes such as ‘Jingle Bells’ and ‘We Wish you a Merry Christmas’!

If you think this sounds fun, would you like to have a go? You do not need to have a physical Micro:bit to join in, why don’t you finish this tester version here (click edit code to start).

We are looking forward to returning after the Christmas holidays to dismantle 10 PC units! 

Mrs Lucy Bartlett, Key Stage 3 & 4 Digital Literacy and Technology Coordinator

News from the English Department

There was an excellent Oxford Union British Parliamentary-style debate in Miss Staunton’s Year 11 English lesson on Wednesday. The motion was ‘This House believes that children on the Naughty List should only get a piece of coal for Christmas’ and a range of superb arguments and rebuttals were made, focusing particularly on the benefits of poetic justice, the extent to which firm punishment in childhood might negatively affect the adult psyche, and whether this danger is greater than the threat to society resulting from over-indulged naughty children!

Despite the light-hearted seasonal subject matter, the debaters took a very sincere approach to this motion and certainly deserve to be on the ‘nice list’ for their efforts this year.

Well done to everyone who took part but in particular to Lizzie M and Echo for their particularly strong debating skills.

Miss Joanna Staunton, Head of English

Geography Fieldwork Trip to Stratford

On Thursday 9th December our Year 12 and 13 Geographers undertook urban fieldwork in East London. The contrasts between the older parts of Stratford and the regenerated East Village were stark. The girls collected data on the Quality of the Environment and undertook questionnaire surveys as part of the A Level 'Changing Places' unit.

Mr Steve Gough, Head of Geography, Educational Visits Co-ordinator

Food and Nut News

The girls have been getting into the Christmas mood in Food and Nutrition, creating some lovely festive products. 

The Year 7s have made Christmas pudding for everyone to enjoy at the Christmas lunch and one to take home; the Year 8s have demonstrated their pastry skills by making mince pies; the Year 9s made good use of the Christmas cutters to make some spiced Christmas biscuits; Year 10 developed their skills by making homemade puff pastry for cinnamon Christmas trees; and Year 12 used their culinary skills to make a festive sausage plait, snowflake "share and tear" bread, and a ‘Scandi style’ chocolate and gingerbread Christmas cake; while the Sixth Form Enrichment Group made a yule log from scratch, including the Swiss roll.

The girls have also been busy in Clubs with the Lower School Cookery Club making and packaging some very tasty Christmas truffles; Middle School Cookery Club had great fun decorating their homemade biscuits with melted snowmen; and the Saturday Boarders’ Cookery Club got creative making savoury Christmas crackers last week. 

Mrs Sue Smeaton, Head of Food and Nutrition

News from the Chaplaincy

Gospel Reflection for the Fourth Sunday of Advent~
Luke 1:39-45 “Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
In this Sunday’s gospel, the final Sunday before the Nativity of the Lord, we are brought into the home of Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin, and we witness a moment between the two women which is at once human and heavenly. We are told that Mary, upon hearing of her cousin’s pregnancy, rushed to be by her side. These two women, one the Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ and one the Mother of St John the Baptist, are human like us, with their own hopes and fears just like us.

The following verses, not included in this Sunday’s gospel reading, are the beautiful words of the Magnificat, the great song of rejoicing of Mary towards God. But the words which conclude this Sunday’s reading are beautiful too: “Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

The word “believed” is translated from the Greek πιστεύω meaning to believe or trust. Sometimes we forget what we mean when we say, “I believe”. Perhaps by believe we mean that we think, or that we hope, or perhaps even that we wish. But belief is something more profound. To believe is to trust.

It is not always easy to trust. We all have doubts and anxieties. Belief is not the absence of these doubts; it is trusting despite our doubts.

This Fourth Sunday of Advent, as we grow ever closer to the Nativity of Jesus Christ, let us pray to God that we may grow in confidence and trust. When God calls, let us be ready, like Mary, to say yes and to trust in God.

Miss Kathleen McCulloch, St Dunstan’s Assistant Housemistress

A Christmas Prayer
Not gold, nor myrrh, nor even frankincense
would I have for you this season,
but simple gifts, the ones that are hardest to find,
the ones that are perfect,
even for those who have everything (if such there be).

I would (if I could)
have for you the gift of courage,
the strength to face the gauntlets
only you can name,
and the firmness in your heart to know
that you (yes, you!) can be a bearer of the quiet dignity
that is the human glorified.

I would (if by my intention I could make it happen)
have for you the gift of connection,
the sense of standing on the hinge of time,
touching past and future
standing with certainty that you (yes, you!)
are the point where it all comes together.

I would (if wishing could make it so)
have for you the gift of community,
a nucleus of love and challenge,
to convince you in your soul
that you (yes, you!) are a source of light
in a world too long believing in the dark.

Not gold, nor myrrh, nor even frankincense,
would I have for you this season,
but simple gifts, the ones that are hardest to find,
the ones that are perfect,
even for those who have everything (if such there be).

(Rev. Maureen Killoran)

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to people of good will! We wish you all a happy, holy, and peaceful Christmas and New Year!

 Mr Ronan Lavery, Lay Chaplain

DofE Successes

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a very popular extra-curricular activity at Mayfield, open to girls in Year 9 and above. Many congratulations to the following girls who received their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award certificate and badge this week. They have each worked very hard, in sometimes extremely challenging conditions, to complete their Volunteering, Physical, Skills and Expedition sections, and achieve their full DofE Award. I am also delighted that many of these girls are currently working on their next Award level.

Bronze Award
Julia, Lara, Darcy, Katie, Scarlett, Isabella, Mere, Edith, Eva, Olivia, Zara, Ayla, Eloise, Charlotte, Anais, Olivia, Izzy, Sahana, Phoebe, Lucia, Coco, Lydia, Scarlett, Erica, Tilly, Annabel, Georgina, Lucy, Abigail, Phoebe, Sophie, Rachel, Alice, Yaa, Matilda, and Francesca.

Bronze & Silver Awards
Lizzie and Sissy.

Silver Award
Madeleine, Bella, Isabel, Mia, Maddie, Charlotte, and Alice.

I am aware that there are several girls who are very close to completing their Awards. If that’s you, I really encourage you to use the coming Christmas holiday to contact your assessors and get those last sections signed off.

Mrs Amanda Glubb, DofE Manager

British Sign Language Club

Well done to Mayfield’s British Sign Language Club for signing two hymns – ‘Away in a Manger’ and ‘Silent Night’ - at Live Crib this year. Marcel, our BSL teacher, taught us the hymns during our lessons and four girls from the Club bravely signed at each performance. These were Evie, Isla, Eleanor and Charlotte on Monday; Megan, Phoebe, Alice and Eleanor on Tuesday; and Sophie, Ines, Lottie and Mofe on Wednesday.

The Club has taken off this year after a successful launch last term and 16 girls from across all year groups are undertaking a 20-week course to learn one unit called ‘Introduction to BSL (young People)’. This course is part of the accredited Level 1 BSL Course with Signature, and if the girls pass this unit, they will get a certificate. The Club is run as part of Mayfield’s Actions not Words Programme with Ronan and the Learning Support Department.

We are really proud of all the girls who took part and did a fantastic job signing in real time in front of an entire year group every night. Well done all!

Here is what some of the girls had to say about their experience:

Year 10 Megan: “I enjoyed performing with BSL members in the Live Crib because it gave me the opportunity to make others see the powerful impact of sign language in a day-to-day situation such as music. Live Crib gave me the confidence to raise more awareness for the deaf community, and to show people that it is important to help others around us and be more aware of the importance of learning a few words to help communicate with the deaf community, so they can be included in conversation. Live Crib also helps showcase that it is important that those who are hard of hearing can overcome challenges and complete daily activities, just as a normal hearing person would be able to, as they are no different to others.”

Year 9 Isla: “I enjoyed signing BSL for the Live Crib because it was a good experience and a way to practice signing in real time. This term we learnt about meeting and greeting, finger spelling and numbers up to 31. I like BSL Club because I enjoy meeting people across the year groups.”

Dr Marie-Sophie Reijers, Specialist Learning Support Assistant

History Society

An enthusiastic and dedicated team of Sixth Form students helped celebrate our new History Society which has already hosted a number of student speakers on a wide variety of topics. These have included ‘Animals in War’, ‘Medieval Spain’, ‘The Watergate Scandal’, ‘Evolution’ and ‘Art in History’. The Society has been extremely well supported by Mr Warren and we have been lucky enough to have a keen group of Sixth Formers to introduce an overview of such interesting and diverse subjects.

We are already planning for next term where we will welcome a guest speaker, Old Cornelian Sally Franks who will be talking to us about History at university, as well as hearing from more girls in the Society. We look forward to next term and to welcoming any other keen Sixth Form historians who would like to join us!

Tabitha, History Ambassador

Chill Out Club

This term in Chill Out Club, Lower School girls have got stuck into a range of relaxing craft activities, including making friendship bracelets, origami and mindful colouring. Since Half Term, they have been working on a project making felt Christmas characters to take home. The girls have enjoyed following patterns and putting their own touches to their felt characters. They have made gingerbread men, owls and angels, which they will be able to use to adorn their trees or decorate their bedrooms. They are all feeling proud of what they have achieved and have made the most of the opportunity to sit and chat with like-minded people while enjoying some creative 'me-time'.

Mrs Anna Maimi, Head of Year 11, Teacher of Spanish and International English

Congratulations to..

… Year 9s Ioanna and Erin have both been selected to join the The Shakespeare Youth Theatre Group! We are all delighted for you, and hope we will get to see you in action in the near future. 

Miss Sophie Auer, Head of Year 9

 

Ceramics News

Mrs McFadyean’s Ceramics Class have had a wonderful time decorating their Christmas lanterns this week!

Festive Fun in Tunbridge Wells

Last Saturday over 80 boarders went to Tunbridge Wells, accompanied by the PE Department, where the girls enjoyed ice skating and Christmas shopping on the Pantiles. Despite the wet weather, they still had fun and made the most of their afternoon out!

Miss Imogen Jones, Teacher of PE

News from the School Shop

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and I look forward to seeing you all in 2022.

Account Information for Parents/Guardians
Please note that the invoices you receive from the School Shop at the end of this term will run from 1^st September to 30^th November 2021. Any purchases made from the School Shop in December 2021 will appear on next term’s bill in April 2022.

Naming Clothes
We are receiving an increasing amount of un-named lost property that we can only put on the shelf outside the School Shop in the hope that the right person claims it. Please remind all students to use the naming service if they have it as a lot of girls are buying items and declining to leave them for naming. If you do not have the naming service – please name items as soon as they arrive home.

Thank you.

Mrs Susan Bowles, School Shop Manager

Reminders

Car Park
A one-way system now operates in the Car Park.  To ensure that traffic flows freely and for safety, please do not wait for your daughter in the line of traffic but park in a space and wait for her there. Thank you.

Absences
If your daughter is going to be absent from lessons, please email absence@mayfieldgirls.org

Contacting Staff
If you need to contact a member of staff, please do so by email. If you do not have the member of staff’s email address, School emails follow this format: first initial and surname@mayfieldgirls.org  e.g abunce@mayfieldgirls.org
Please do not come into School unless by appointment. Thank you for your understanding.