E-weekly Issue 195

Message from Mrs Green 

Last week I attended the Catholic Independent Schools' Conference where we heard from a number of speakers and were reminded about our mission as educators in Catholic schools. Over the last year there has been much consultation about the values of a Catholic Education and ensuring that we continue our mission to educate our young with the right values and service.  We were reminded of Pope Francis’ words about the importance of listening; patient listening, listening to our young and reflecting on what we have heard. It is important to remember in our busy lives to listen to each other and take that time to actively listen and pause and focus on what is being said to us.

Over the last two weeks we have had the fortune to pause, listen and be inspired by the Mayfield Music Festival. It has been an opportunity for the girls to listen to aspiring musicians as well as be inspired by professional musicians.  Yesterday, our musicians took part in a lunchtime concert as part of the Festival and this gave the girls a chance to showcase their wonderful talents and for us to appreciate the gifts of our girls.

I hope everyone will have an opportunity to enjoy the sunshine this weekend.

Year 10 History Trip: Enquiring into Elizabeth I

To build on their GCSE studies on Queen Elizabeth I, on Thursday 28^th April, the Year 10 historians visited the National Archives and Westminster Abbey. At the archives girls had the opportunity to get hands-on with genuine documents from the time, including a letter sent to Mary Queen of Scots and another to Elizabeth’s cousin, written and signed by her own hand. The girls enjoyed deciphering the handwriting and old-English to unpick the general meaning of each document and were able to fit this into the wider context of Elizabeth’s rule from their own knowledge. The Archives’ educator commented that the girls came across more like A Level students than Year 10s so well done girls! As a special treat we were allowed to see the original Great Seal and some beautiful illustrations of the Queen. After lunch we enjoyed a guided tour around Westminster Abbey focusing particularly on the Tudor tombs and what they tell us about how each monarch was regarded by the successor. It turned into a wonderful cross-curricular opportunity with girls then spotting numerous other well-known tombs and memorials including Isaac Newton and Charles Dickens to name but two. Overall the day served to greatly enhance the girls’ understanding of this period and also as an ideal refresher to help them prepare for the upcoming end of year examinations.

David Warren, Head of History

Biology Olympiad

The Biology Department is delighted that all our Year 13 pupils who entered the Biology Olympiad were awarded medals this year. Jemima gained Gold, Ewa and Victoria D Silver, and Awujo Bronze.

The Biology Olympiad is a national competition that challenges and stimulates students with an interest in Biology to expand and extend their talents. It enables students to demonstrate their knowledge and to be suitably rewarded and publicly recognised by the award of medals or certificates. In 2022 more than 10,000 of the strongest biologists in Year 13, from over 700 schools across the country, entered the competition with only a minority of students receiving medals.

Both Ewa and Victoria were within 1% of winning a gold medal, which equates to less than 1/10th of a second, had it been a 100 metre Olympic race!

Mark Rich, Head of Biology

Mrs Rachel Davies, Deputy Head of Sixth Form, Teacher of Biology and STEM Coordinator

Performing Shakespeare Regional Finals

Good luck to the girls taking part in regional final of the English Speaking Union's 'Performing Shakespeare Competition' next week. Eliza and Ioanna will be performing a scene from 'Romeo and Juliet' and Alice will play Viola from 'Twelfth Night'.

This will take place at Sevenoaks School and judged by eminent figures in the academic and theatrical worlds. Winners will go forward to the Grand Final at the Globe Theatre in June.

Mrs Jane Leslie, English Teacher

Busy Bank Holiday weekend for the boarders

Gabs' and Leeds' girls had great fun over the Bank Holiday weekend. We travelled up to Alton Towers on Saturday to arrive in time for a couple of rounds of crazy golf to get in the swing of things for the weekend. After a buffet dinner the girls did a short picture quiz before getting some sleep ahead of a day of rollercoasters. The theme park of course was the highlight and with it being much quieter than we expected the girls got on a lot of rides with 'The Smiler' being a firm favourite. The arctic explorer themed rooms complete with polar bear were a highlight and I think the Leeds' girls will agree that the sweet shop at the entrance was also a big hit. All in all a good time was had by all and a lazy Monday followed. 

Pippa Whitby, St Gabriel's Housemistress

The Year 11 and Sixth Form boarders had an exciting afternoon of Clayzer laser pigeon shooting. Using real shotguns which were deactivated and modified with infra-red technology, the girls fired a beam at clays launched from a conventional clay trap. When the trigger was pulled a digital shotgun ‘bang’ was heard and the girls awaited with anticipation to see their score.

As the boarders became more familiar with the equipment, the points increased and so did the competitiveness! Yaa was the Year 11 winner and was awarded a medal for her skills. Natalie was the Year 12 winner, with a fantastic final round, achieving the highest possible score of 30! The boarders, as well as Mdme Testa and Mrs Bartlett, had a fantastic afternoon.

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

Sports Update

 Last Saturday, we ran an internal Cricket fixture here at Mayfield, with 19 girls from Year 8 to Year 10 attending despite it being a bank holiday weekend. It was an extremely beneficial morning for all involved, as staff were able to coach during the game and, most importantly, all the girls got some valuable game time ahead of a busy week of fixtures. Here's what happened....

A Lower School clean sweep against Brighton College

U12s
The Year 7 girls took part in their first Mayfield Cricket fixture on Wednesday against Brighton College and did not disappoint. Brilliantly led by Lucie H, the U12As lost the toss and were put into bat. Some brilliant hitting and shot selection saw us make our way to 321 after starting on 200 in a pairs game. Again, the girls bowled remarkably and were so impressive in the field that we managed to restrict Brighton to 244, resulting in a 77 run victory. Congratulations to the U12B Cricket team who also won, beating Brighton by 59 runs. The team demonstrated great bowling and were confident when batting. A special mention must go to Lizzie who captained the team very well and Emma who batted fantastically. Well done Lucie H and Imogen who were awarded players of the match by our opponents.

U13s
The U13A and B teams travelled away to Brighton for their fixtures, and brought back with them two excellent wins. Both teams fielded first and were able to restrict Brighton College to attainable targets. We started our innings strongly, scoring boundaries consistently and running well between the wickets. Both teams came out victorious. Congratulations to Maggie and Hebe who were players of the match for the A team. For the B team, Allegra delivered an excellent bowling display, with a great batting innings from Ava and Eleanor, who scored a total of six 4s after being told they needed 20 runs to win the game!

Well done Lower School, an excellent way to start the Cricket season!

Over to the Hard Ball

U15A
On Tuesday the U15s were looking to build on their positive performance last week against Roedean. The girls lost the toss, which saw them take to the field. Brighton College got off to a quick start, and despite some gutsy fielding from our girls, scored an impressive 161 runs. Mayfield showed good progression with their batting, however with such a large total to chase their backs were always up against the wall. Mayfield scored 104, however they ended the game with plenty of wickets still in hand. Onwards and upwards, as the nets are now officially open. 

U14A
The U14s travelled to Brighton College for their first hard ball fixture of the year. Having won the toss, they decided to bowl first. They bowled with confidence, and fielded really well as a team. With special mentions going to Mia and Siena for some great wicket keeping. In batting, they played with control, losing only 4 wickets, but sadly were unable to reach the Brighton’s score. Well done to Julie who opened the batting and stayed in until the 19^th over. A promising start.

On your marks! Diamond League kicks off
A small group of athletes attended the first of the Sussex Independent Schools’ Diamond League athletics events at Eastbourne track. For some, this was their first competition of the year and against stiff competition. We even had three Year 8 girls contending in the Year 9 age group, who all demonstrated a very positive approach. Strong performances were given by all our athletes, and it was great to see high placings for Allegra and Siena in the 100m, and Darcey in the Hurdles and 300m. 

Staff and Parents take to the field
Good luck to those playing in the Mayfield Staff vs Parents fixture tonight. With a mixture of beginners and experienced players on both teams, it should be a fun and perhaps competitive game!

Isabel qualifies for Triathlon Elite Super Series

Congratulations to Isabel, who qualified for the British Elite Youth Super Series at the National British Elite Trials, held in North Wales over the Easter holidays. Isabel qualified in 10^th place and will now compete in a series of Triathlon events across the UK over the summer, starting in Llanelli in just under two weeks. Each event comprises an open water 400m swim, 10km bike and 2.5km run. Good luck Isabel!

Welly walking in the Bluebells

This week members of the Welly Walking Club enjoyed a stroll in the bluebell wood, along with the dogs of course!

Gospel reflection: John 10:27-30

This Sunday’s gospel reading is a very short one from the gospel of John – only three verses – but it reminds us of our unique relationship with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Shepherd.

‘The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice;
I know them and they follow me.
I give them eternal life;
they will never be lost
and no one will ever steal them from me.
The Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone,
and no one can steal from the Father.
The Father and I are one.’

Despite its brevity, this passage is an important reminder to us about what it means to follow Christ. Last Sunday, Jesus warned Peter of the death he would suffer as a result of following Christ. This week, Jesus promises us ‘eternal life’ if we follow him.

The passage brings to mind one of the most well-known, and beautiful, psalms – Psalm 23: ‘The Lord is my shepherd’. There the psalmist reminds us that despite the hardships of life and death we might face, Christ is there beside us to comfort and reassure us. We are not alone, nor are we ever lost. Even if we stray from the path, Christ still comes to find us in our darkest moments.

In our moments of trouble and sorrow, it can be difficult to remember Christ’s presence beside us. When life seems cruel, it is easy to forget Christ’s love for us. But he is there. He walks beside us during times of difficulty, bearing our cross upon his shoulders. When we feel adrift or abandoned, let us listen to his voice, the voice of our shepherd, and remember that we are never truly lost or alone.

Miss Kathleen McCulloch, St Dunstan’s Assistant Housemistress

Celebrating the Platinum Jubilee in books

The Mayfield School library has a wide range of books available for loan, however, these treasures are not like the usual ones the girls may find on the shelves. Mrs Gabriel located a small collection of books covering the Queen’s coronation and early life as a mother and monarch.

 Due to the condition of these coronation resources, they won’t be on general display, however, if staff would like to borrow them to support their class teaching, please contact Ms Blagden or Ms Koteveska.

Look out for a display of books linked to the theme of 70 Years of Reading, that will take form over the next couple of weeks, in the library, showcasing great literature published during the reign of Elizabeth II.

Notices

Year 12 Parent meet up
A dog walk around Scotney Castle on Monday 16 May at 10.30am.
Coffee in the cafe afterwards. RSVP to Meredith Porter at portermeredith@hotmail.com

Year 7 Lunch
Lunch at The Middle House, Mayfield, Friday 20 May at 12.30pm.
RSVP by Fri 13th May to either Helen Hunt (helen.l.hunt@gmail.com) or Caron Williamson (caron77@hotmail.co.uk)

The Friends' Peacock Ball - Saturday 18th June

The Friends of Mayfield Peacock Ball will be taking place on Saturday 18 June - please book your tickets using the link below - it promises to be a fantastic evening and a wonderful opportunity for us to come together as a School community. 

Book tickets for Peacock Ball 
If you would like to donate an auction item or smaller gift for the Wishing Tree please contact Susie Pepper at susiepepper10@gmail.com.

Book now – The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Bookings are now open for Mayfield Theatre Company Seniors’ production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on 19^th and 20^th May at 7pm!
Book tickets