E-weekly Issue 210 - 21 October 2022

Message from Miss Beary

I can hardly believe that it is half term already! It seems no time at all since we were all returning to school bathed in the late summer sun, yet when I reflect on the last seven weeks so much has happened that it is no wonder everyone is ready for a break. The enthusiasm and positivity generated by Foundation Day has carried us through to today, and, I hope will help sustain us through the challenges facing the world outside Mayfield in the coming weeks.

It has been a pleasure to see so many things happening, and Cornelia’s adage: ‘you never know what you can do until you try’ is being lived out every day.  The rewards of this positive approach are increasingly obvious.  I would particularly like to congratulate Upper Sixth former Grace whose article ‘Our battle against radicals: an unknown cause of periodontitis, from a holistic approach’ has been published in ‘Mentor. The Art of Healthcare, Autumn 2022’.  It arose out of Grace’s CREST award research and was written by her, based on independent research. It is an interesting read – even if you are not a medic or dentist!

Our intrepid Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awarders are off on expedition over the holiday and at the other end of the spectrum, it was good to see Year 7 returning from their charity day walk this afternoon. Clearly, it is never too early to start training for DofE!

Yesterday after a meeting in London, I was privileged to visit the relics of St Bernadette, currently in Southwark Cathedral, but travelling to Worth Abbey this weekend.  We are hoping to reintroduce our pilgrimage to Lourdes this year, ideally working with HCPT. If anyone is interested in finding out more, further details will be available after half term.

I hope you are all able to enjoy a happy and peaceful holiday.

Lower School Charity Day

Today was Lower School Charity Day with money being raised for Children in Need. Year 8 pupils brought in a sumptuous selection of baked/sweet treats to sell at breaktime. The school's snack offering of fresh fruit this morning was unusually unpopular as a result! In the afternoon, the Year 7 pupils walked 5km around Mayfield, taking in the beautiful countryside that we're incredibly fortunate to have so close by. It's not too late to sponsor them and you can do so via the following link:

Donate here

Year 7 Festival of Spain

On Tuesday Year 7 took part in the “Festival of Spain” cross-curricular day. The girls worked in groups researching two Spanish regions: Andalusia and Catalonia. They learned about festivals, regional food, famous artists or architects, and music or dances of these regions. They worked collaboratively to present their findings in a PowerPoint presentation and showed a very competent use of technology. In the Art session, they made a fantastic mosaic creation, depicting different aspects from Picasso, Dalí and Miró’s artistic creations. With the unfailing enthusiasm of Mrs Le Riche, they explored the regional music and learned how to sing a famous Catalan nursery rhyme and a famous romance by Federico García Lorca called La Tarara. The girls also had a lot of fun learning some of the steps of the Catalan dance “Sardana” and “Sevillana”, the most popular form of flamenco.  In the afternoon teachers and students enjoyed the presentation of each group’s research and the art and they performed their song and dance.

Maria Criado, Head of Spanish

Year 8 Get to Grips with the Digestive System

Our fantastic Biology Technician, Miss Wolmarans, made a brilliant model of the breathing and digestive systems to help Year 8s understand how different organs and systems work together. We then "fed" the model a very substantial meal washed down with plenty of water and fresh coffee. In a hands-on and very messy session, the girls learnt how each part of the digestive system works, including considering what happens to the waste!

Mrs Rachel Davies, Teacher of Biology and STEM co-ordinator

Year 8 Geography Fieldtrip

On Thursday 6^th October, the sun was shining as Year 8 set off on their Geography fieldtrip to Ashdown Forest. The day started with a talk from a Ranger - from the Conservators of Ashdown Forest - about the importance of the forest and its ecology, the impact of wildfires and visitors, and how the area is managed. The girls then carried out fieldwork to investigate these issues further. They’ll have many more opportunities to experience the world in future Geography trips, both at home and abroad!

Mr Christopher Adams, Teacher of Geography

Year 9 Trip to Noises Off

On Thursday, the Year 9 pupils went to watch the farce Noises Off at Brighton’s Theatre Royal. A classic comedy about the trials and tribulations of a touring troupe of theatrical types, the play-within-a-play never quite lives up to the real drama occurring backstage! The pupils demonstrated exemplary audience etiquette and thoroughly enjoy their day out. Many thanks to Miss Allen, Ms Bell, Mrs Bunce, Mr Doy, Mrs Gerstmeyer and Mrs Santo for accompanying the pupils.

Alice in Year 9 said: “We had a brilliant trip to see the play 'Noises Off'. It was a play within a play that progressed in a chaotic fashion and by the end of the show the characters had broken bones and almost died several times. Now, we have all heard the word sardines more times than we could ever have imagined! By the second half, we were all wheezing and laughing out loud and made plenty of memories. My favourite part was when they would get confused with the announcement times of when the audience had to get back to their seats (in the play!), with the joke being that the men would all rush to the loo when they announced the three-minute warning and then sprint back at the one-minute warning so as not to miss the play. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for a great comedy and a visit to a beautiful theatre!”

Year 11 Day of Recollection

From Ronan, our Lay Chaplain:
Yesterday I was privileged to finish the half term with the Year 11 girls on their Day of Recollection. Each year group has a retreat day during the year, which is based on their particular Cornelian principle. The principle for Year 11 is ‘Gratitude’.

I remember, when initially putting together the content of this retreat day, wondering how in the world I was going to fill an entire day with the topic of gratitude. I mean, remember to say thanks to people, job done. Right? That’s hardly 6 hours worth of material…

However when I began to look into the topic I was staggered by the scientifically proven benefits that gratitude can offer us: physical health, emotional wellbeing, resilience, life satisfaction, personal relationships and even (honestly!) productivity at work or school can all be demonstrably improved simply by practising gratitude. Crucially, one does not even have to say thank you, or express gratitude, to gain these benefits (although why wouldn’t you?), it is enough simply to acknowledge your gratefulness.

So, having handed the Year 11 girls the key to better sleep, better self-esteem and a better immune system, we spent the rest of the day working on our gratitude journals. Journalling is one suggested way of practising gratitude. Even 15 minutes a week, of noting things we are grateful for, can unlock the myriad benefits offered by gratitude. The girls took their journals home with them, with enough space for 16 weeks of gratitude journalling. I really hope that, particularly in an exam year, they’ll get into the habit of being grateful.

Perhaps that is something that we might all become a bit more conscious of - the need to pause, to acknowledge how lucky we are, how loved we are, how many opportunities we are faced with, and to feel grateful for all of it.

For me, I’m just really, really, really grateful it’s half term! Have a blessed and restful break, and safe travels to everybody.

Year 13 Art and Ceramics Trip to Oxford

Six Year 13 A level Art and Ceramics pupils travelled to Oxford last weekend, visiting the Pitt Rivers Museum and the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology in Oxford, as well as Worcester College and its amazing Chapel. The girls headed home inspired by what they had seen.

Sports Update

1XI v Burgess Hill  
On Monday the 1XI played against Burgess Hill. It was a fantastic display of teamwork and patience, with Mayfield dominating possession in the first half to lead  1-0. In the second half the team accelerated the speed of attack and began to play with more fluidity and freedom. This led to many chances being created in front of goal and the final score was 4-0 to Mayfield.

It was so encouraging to see the team end the first half of term with such a brilliant demonstration of everything they have been working on in training. Special mentions go to Amelie, who controlled the back line and to Lizzie for her calm decision making and distribution of the ball. Tilly attacked with purpose, and it was fantastic to see the off-ball positioning from Grace and Annabel. Well done Ladies - we are very much looking forward to the second half of the season.

Seniors v Brighton College
The 1st XI travelled to Brighton College last Saturday. It was a fantastic match with both sides creating chances. Mayfield were unfortunate not be ahead at half time, however they continued to press the Brighton back line as the match progressed. With a small squad and no substitutes, Jess from year 10 was called upon to step in and eventually Mayfield’s efforts were rewarded with a goal from Darcy to help Mayfield to a 1-0 win.

The 2XI and 3XI also played fixtures against Brighton College last weekend and with numbers low the squad played across both matches, filling in and rotating positions as needed. Zara played fantastically, anticipating the play well and distributing the ball with purpose and Cesca displayed an incredible work ethic, progressing the ball down the field then recovering to defend. Sadly, it wasn't to be a victory for either side despite creating chances and working well as a team, but the girls were determined and showed grit throughout.

U15s  
The U15 team put on a valiant display against Brighton College, with the girls fighting hard to the end, but unfortunately they came out second best. They should be so proud of the progress they have made this term and how well they have implemented all that has been taught to them.

U14s
A fantastic morning last Saturday for our U14s who gained their first wins of the season against Brighton College. The U14Bs were up first, with Maia scoring an early goal from a counter attack which saw her running from the 25 line straight to goal, before adding a second following a well worked move by our attacking players. Well done to everyone who played, a great 2-0 win! A special mention to Kitty for playing up and doing a great job in defence, and to Sofi and Zara who both had brilliant debuts.

Up next were the U14As who had a lot to live up to. With a lack of subs and last minute changes, the team responded incredibly well and ended up winning 2-1.  Some fantastic positional play, and even many positive signs of setting the press. Their hard work and determined performance paid off, with the two goals coming from Eleanor. Special mentions go to Erin and Lucy for playing up, and Alex for getting MOM!

U13s
On Wednesday the U13A team came up against a tough opposition in Sutton Valance. Despite going 1-0 up, it was not to be and Sutton Valance came back with a strong display. Our girls fought hard until the end, but sadly could not find a way through. Despite this, there was lots to take away from the match and the girls were able to develop their own physicality and problem solving skills on the pitch. Mrs Nixon & Mrs Jones are very much looking forward to the second half of the season and continuing to work with the squad as they develop their understanding of the game.

The U13B team had a hard-fought match with Sutton Valence and created several opportunities to score, although a very strong opposition defence prevented us from doing so. Our team worked hard throughout, sending the ball out wide and defending well on free hits.

U12s
A challenging game for our U12s on Wednesday as they came up against Sutton Valance. The A team lost 3-1, however they showed signs of some lovely hockey, particularly when carrying the ball up the right wing. Well done to Flo who got MOM, and Lola D who scored our goal.

The U12B team had a good game against Sutton Valence, but unfortunately the score did not reflect the game. Sutton Valence took an early lead with the score being 3-0 at half time. Mayfield came back strongly and scored a goal, but the final score was 5-1. Well done to Izzy T who gained POM for the second week in a row.

The PE department wishes everyone a restful half term. See you all in a couple of weeks!

Curie Win Inter House Music

Last Friday we held the annual Inter House Music competition 2022. It was wonderful to see so many girls taking part, the passion, the enthusiasm and most definitely the competitiveness!

I was joined by Sofiia Matviienko to judge the competition. She is a Ukrainian flautist, who won the Wind Prize at the Tunbridge Wells Competition earlier this year. We discovered that she can also beatbox whilst playing the flute!

Astor started the afternoon with a dramatic rendition of ‘Do you hear the people sing?’ from Les Misérables as their ensemble piece. They were followed by Brontë, with Sissy performing a rendition of ABBA’s ‘The Winner Takes it All’. Curie performed third with Daphne stunning the audience with a performance of ‘Nigun’ by Bloch on violin, quickly followed by Nina taking to the mic and singing ‘Chaotic’ by Tate McRae. Glennie took to the stage last, with a harmonious performance of ‘Viva La Vida’ by Coldplay.

Our winners for Inter House Music 2022 were Curie!

During my time here at Mayfield, Inter House Music has improved each and every year. It was an absolute delight to spend my afternoon listening to the girls perform and see how they are growing in confidence.

Mrs Le Riche, Teacher of Music

Lower School Book of the Week

A big thank you to Tabatha, who created the background poster for the Book of the Week display in the Lower School Library.

This week, Martha has chosen the very moving book The Last Paper Crane, the story of a young girl who wants to know more about her grandfather’s life. Her Grandfather survived the Hiroshima explosion, but not without lifelong emotional scars. Martha showed other librarians how to fold paper cranes and added several more to enhance the display. If you want to make an origami crane try this website:Make an origami crane   

Don’t forget - renew your library books for the half term, or borrow an audio or e-book from our e-library.Renew or borrow a book

Ms Jan Blagden, Librarian

Boarders’ Trip to London

Last weekend the whole boarding community travelled up to London to visit a variety of sights. Gabs’ girls spent their time walking around Westminster, taking in Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament, Downing Street and St James' Park. The girls enjoyed buying tea and cakes in Fortnum and Mason before heading over to Leicester Square, Chinatown and Covent Garden for various food treats and some obligatory shopping. 

Mrs Whitby, St Gabriel’s Housemistress

Emilia wins U12 Regional Ski Championships

Many congratulations to Emilia in Year 7, who was crowned ‘U12 girls Regional Ski Champion’ at the conclusion of the LSERSA race series last weekend. Going into the final race of the series she could have ended up anywhere between first and fourth in the overall standings. She rose to the challenge, achieving a personal best time to place second in the race, ahead of her three key rivals.

Emilia said: “It was super competitive but I managed to beat somebody I’ve never ever beaten before in the race. I thought it was over when I lost my first head to head but I sneaked another unexpected win to steal an important extra point and in the end I won by three points!”

Grace Authors Article for Mentor magazine

Grace in Year 13, an aspiring dentist, has written an article for Mentor - a magazine for aspiring medics, vets and dentists – on how oral health affects your wider health. Congratulations on having your first article published!

MESSy Facts and Tips

Something easy to do at home!
Instead of buying single use baking paper/grease proof paper, which is not recyclable, look to buy a reusable silicone baking mat. They are perfect for baking and cooking and are also dishwasher safe. These mats can be used up to 3,000 times before you need to consider replacing them. Use, wash, and reuse!

What is going on in the world? The Ocean Clean Up Project
Over 100,000kg of plastic has been removed from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch! This is a huge milestone for The Ocean Clean Up, which was founded in 2013 by 16-year-old Boyan Slat. The mass of rubbish, initially three times the size of France, is expected to be reduced by 90% by 2040! The new clean-up system (System 03) is three times the size of the previous system, and once deployed, will have a span of approx. 1.8km.

The Ocean Clean Up is also cleaning rivers. Boyan Slat said, “We found that rivers are the arteries that carry the plastic from land to sea… just 1% of rivers are responsible for almost 80% of all the plastic going to the ocean”. Efforts are going towards stopping rubbish getting into the ocean, along with cleaning up what is already there. ‘Interceptors’ are placed into the mouths (where the river meets the sea) of the heaviest polluting rivers in the world and catch the rubbish before it enters our oceans.

Fundraising Update

We are delighted to have raised over £3,000 this term for our amazing whole School charity, the Sandra Jones Centre. Thank you to everyone who has donated!

Talk on The Old Palace

On Friday 28 October Dr Joanna Weddell, Head of History of Art, will be giving a talk on 'The Old Palace, Mayfield' to the Mayfield Local History Society, after their 19.30 AGM.
Further details on Dr Weddell’s talk 

School Shop

Christmas Shop
After half term the Christmas Shop will be set up, with all items on sale under £5. We also offer a wrap service, where you can leave your purchases with us and we will gift wrap them for you. There will also be a small selection of decorations for dormitories or classrooms to purchase, as well as Christmas cards, and bags and tags for you to do your own wrapping. Please remember to obtain the bill payer’s permission if you wish to put items on the bill. We also accept cash and cards if you prefer.

Lost Property
Last call for the first five pictures – this is lost property we have had in the school shop for some time. Items not collected in the first week after half term will be donated or sold for the school charity.

The last three pictures are lost property found this week and items will be available to collect after half term from the school shop.

News from the Friends of Mayfield

Year 7
Date change for the Year 7 Christmas coffee morning - it will now be on 7 December.

Year 8 
Friday 11 November @ 1.00pm - Lunch at the Middle House, Mayfield
Wednesday 30 November @ 9.00am - Coffee at Mark Cross Garden Centre 
Friday 9 December @ 7.30pm - Christmas drinks at the Middle House, Mayfield
Please contact Vic Davison on vix_davison@hotmail.co.uk if you would like to attend. Thank you.

Year 9
We have really good numbers for the Year 9 Christmas Dinner at The Middle House in Mayfield on  Thursday 1st December at 7.30.pm. If you still fancy joining please contact Joanna Healing on wandj.healing@hotmail.com

Year 11 
Coffee - Wednesday 16 November
Dinner - Wednesday 30 November

Both will be in Tunbridge Wells, locations to be decided once we have confirmation of numbers. Please email Emma (emmathered@me.com) or Helen (charlie.helen@btinternet.com).