E-weekly Issue 237 - 30 June 2023

Welcome 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Mayfield Day proved to be a wonderful occasion last Saturday, with over 1,000 members of the Mayfield Community coming together to celebrate the girls’ achievements over the last year. A day to remember!

This week we said goodbye to our Year 13 leavers with speeches and dinner on Monday for the girls and their families, before the girls headed to One Warwick Park in Tunbridge Wells for their 2023 Leavers’ Ball. We wish them well in the next step of their journey and look forward to welcoming them back as Old Cornelians.

Next week is Activities Week and the girls can look forward to a busy week with trips to Bushcraft Penshurst Place, the South Downs, Battlefields, Bewl Water Aqua Park, Shakespeare's Globe, Brighton, Eastbourne and Thorpe Park! We end the term with a whole School sponsored walk on Thursday.

Have a lovely weekend.

With very best wishes,

Jonathan Forster, Interim Head

Mayfield Day

Last Saturday we hosted over 1,000 people in our marquee for our Speech and Prize Giving ceremony. Congratulations to all our prize winners, as well as to all those who performed on the day. It was a wonderful occasion, and followed by a delicious BBQ, before the girls took part in track and field events in the afternoon as part of our Inter-House Athletics. We look forward to welcoming everyone back next year!

Farewell to our Year 13s

This week was one of fond farewells to the Year 13s. On Monday night we had the Leavers' Mass and celebration, with speeches from Miss Beary and Group Captain Jake McAllister, father of Elizabeth, our outgoing Head Girl. Staff and students were joined by parents for a wonderful evening meal provided by our, as ever, superb catering department. On Wednesday night, we moved off site for the Year 13 Ball at One Warwick Park in Tunbridge Wells, a fitting end for a wonderful year group who have worked extremely hard during their time in Sixth Form, and especially in these last months on their A Levels. We wish them all the best for results day and whatever lies beyond. I am sure they will stay in touch and we feel very proud to be sending such strong, capable young women into the world.

Mr John Doy, Head of Sixth Form

Summer Music Concert

This year's Summer Concert took place on Tuesday in the Concert Hall. It was a special event including final performances from our leading Year 13 musicians and the first performance of the newly-formed Guitar Ensemble.

Year 7 Choir kicked off proceedings with a sing-along performance of The Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" and a lively repeat of their Mayfield Day number, "Cover Me in Sunshine". They were followed by the Junior Flute Group dreaming a dream with ABBA, and then the Guitar Ensemble took the stage in their inaugural performance, holding the audience spellbound with an enchanting mixture of electric and acoustic instruments. The Schola Cantorum sung two items, a haunting folksong arrangement by Imogen Holst and John Rutter's touching 'A Clare Benediction'. The Chamber Ensemble took us to the strange world of Schubert's second piano trio, after which we were treated to some baroque elegance by the Senior Flute Duo.

Our Sixth Form leavers were the stars of the Orchestra's segment. First we had the world premiere of 'Starfish', a compelling undersea sketch composed by Mia for her A level coursework. Christina and Yueshi then took the limelight with a vocal duet from Hector Berlioz's late opera 'Beatrice et Benedict', based on Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing'; this was a beautiful Romantic number featuring rippling strings and lyrical woodwind. Finally, Mia took up her clarinet and gave a finely-crafted performance of the famous 'Adagio' from Mozart's beloved clarinet concerto.

The concert ended in style with the Jazz Collective's version of George Michael's "Careless Whisper". This enthusiastic performance was fronted by Harriet (Year 12), with the famous saxophone riff played by Mia (Year 13) and Pippa (Year 8). It was an upbeat way to end a very enjoyable concert showcasing musical talent from girls across the year groups.

Thanks to Mrs Le Riche, Mrs Crowley, Mr Hards, Mrs Baranauskiene, Mr Benians and Miss Tompsett for their contributions to the concert, as well as to all the Visiting Music Tutors who do so much to support the girls in their musical journey, and Miss Allen and Mrs Maslin for their invaluable help behind the scenes.

The Music Department congratulates all the girls on a successful year in music, and we look forward to more memorable performances in 2023-24!

Watch the Concert

Click on the 'chapters' tab to select individual performances.

Olympics Cross-Curricular Day

On Wednesday Year 7 took part in their final Cross-Curricular day of the year themed around the Olympics. 

After learning about the ancient Olympic games, the girls looked at the origin, and influences of, the modern Olympic games. Using the case study of the Tokyo games in 2021 Year 7 explored the events, mascots and values underpinning the Olympics. They were then treated to a breaktime snack of dried figs, cheese and maltbread, to try and mirror what the ancient athletes would have been eating! 

Each group was allocated their own country to research, before being set the task of designing their own mini Olympic games for Mayfield. They each produced a mascot, chant, event and their own kit to be worn at the afternoon games where everyone had the chance to compete in all four of the different countries’ events. 

The overall winners on the day were Team Mongolia, however success was also celebrated with the following awards: 
-Best Mascot Design: credit to Millie, Olivia and Benedicte-Rose for their beautifully drawn Mongolian Marmot! 
-Best Event: Peru 
-Best Chant and Team spirit: Niger 
-Best Team Kit Design: Mongolia 

Congratulations to all the girls who took part, they were great fun and put a lot of thought and effort into all their designs and events. A special mention to the three girls who were awarded our Olympic Values Awards: Amelia (for Excellence), Layla (for Respect) and Rose (for Friendship). 

Mrs Fletcher 

Shakespeare Off by Heart

Monday was the 2023 Year 7 and 8 Shakespeare Off By Heart final.

After some very competitive heats in lesson time, we took to the Concert Hall for the Lower School finale.

LAMDA teacher Jen Junemann was the judge. We started the session with a lively workshop, in which we learned about the importance of warming up our voices and bodies before taking to the stage. Thank you, Mrs Junemann!

The performances were excellent, with a great range of scenes, and the audience felt all the emotions. We were very impressed by the understanding, sensitivity, theatricality and memorising powers shown by all participants. There were prizes for best comic and tragic scenes, best group and duologues, and best individuals.

Special congratulations to Year 7 Saskia, and Year 8 Hester, for their standout performances as Malvolio from ‘Twelfth Night’ and Beatrice from 'Much Ado About Nothing'. Well done to everyone who participated and especially to all finalists.

Mrs Laura Parrett, Second in English 

Sports Update

Mayfield Day 
What a wonderful afternoon of Track and Field on Saturday. The PE department would like to take this opportunity to thank all the parents, officials, ground staff, and of course the participants, for their contribution to the undoubted success of Inter House Athletics. 

Athletics has really taken off this season with great turn outs to all extra-curricular activities - many girls committing week in week out to track training and individual events. The good spirits and healthy competition between the Houses was clear to see. It was fantastic to see so many girls taking part this year, including our seasoned athletes as well as those competing for the first time. 

I will not leave you in suspense for much longer, however this was the closest House competition to date, with the final race deciding the overall winner.

1^st - Glennie 
2^nd - Curie 
3^rd - Bronte 
4^th - Astor 

We would also like to recognise this year's record breakers, both in Year 8! Emilia R broke the Long Jump record, with a 4.2m jump. Deborah equalled the High Jump record at 1.4m and broke the 100m Sprint with a time of 13.72s. What a bright future these two have in Athletics!

Inter-House Cricket
This week saw well over 100 girls represent their House in Inter-House Cricket.

The competition started with Lower School on Monday. The standard was incredibly high throughout - which was huge credit to the girls - with some tight bowling and a lot of runs. Well done to Curie who were victorious!

Middle School signed off our Cricket season on Thursday and once again, the standard was very high. The games were played in a competitive - but fun – spirit and in the end it was Astor who won the tournament. A big well done!

It was good to see so many students involved in Inter House Cricket this year, whether that be watching, playing or helping to score/umpire. 

Inter-House Tennis
This year’s Inter-House Tennis included four different competitions; Lower School, Year 9, Year 10 and even a Year 12 event as they did not want to miss out on the action! The final results will be shared next week - well done to everyone who took part!

Miss Imogen Jones, Teacher of PE 

Eastbourne Tennis Trip
We took our Tennis teams to the south coast on Wednesday to watch the Eastbourne International tennis tournament. Despite having ground passes, all the girls managed to get into Centre Court where they were able to watch the top players in action; Coco Gauff being amongst the big names! Everyone had a great day, and we are looking forward to going again next year.

Siena shines for Kent County Team

We are delighted to let you know that Siena’s U16 Kent County team had a great end to their season, winning the Regionals - with Siena scoring two goals in the final – and coming runners-up in the Nationals, losing out on penalties after a 2-2 draw. 

Siena has also made it through to the final trials for the ISFA Girls U16 National Representative Team, which will take place in September. Good luck Siena!

Ceramics Masterclass

Last week Brambletye’s Head of Art, David Holden, brought 18 Art and DT scholars to Mayfield for a Ceramics Masterclass. Throughout the day the students created 3D relief work in clay, closely observing elements of the human skeleton. Mr Rees-Moorlah was highly impressed with their skill and dedication throughout the day. Some fruits of their labour can be seen below. We look forward to welcoming Brambletye back next year!

Tim Rees-Moorlah, Head of Ceramics

Lower School Diploma Creativity Task

Year 8 girls studying Food and Nutrition were inspired by the Creativity In Education Talk given to the School by Professor Bill Lucas earlier this year, and undertook a creative collaborative task, designing their own finger buffet, including sweet and savoury dishes. They used the skills developed over the year to come up with their own recipe ideas, which they then worked together in teams of three or four to make in just an hour. The results speak for themselves – well done girls!

Mrs Annabel Bunce, Deputy Head Academic

Mayfield Day 2023 Cake Competition

Congratulations to all our participants in this year's Mayfield Day Cake Competition. As always, you managed to WOW everyone with your creations to celebrate the School’s 150^th Anniversary.

Many thanks to all the bakers for their superb effort and to Mayfield's own Pastry chef, Jay, for judging this year.  It's a tough job tasting 10 samples of cake, but somebody has to do it! 

The winners included: 

1^st Prize - Imogen (Year 8) 
Best Flavour - Mabel (Year 10) 
Most Technical - Ellie, Charlotte and Katrina (Year 11) 
Best interpretation of Theme - Lana and Annette (Year 8)
Best Teamwork - Daisy, Onnae, Leona and Mya (year 10) 
Best Adult Entry - Mrs Maimi 

Meet the Lower School Prefect Team

Congratulations to our new Lower School Prefect team, comprising Head Girl, Brianna, and her deputies, Amelia & Nicole. Well done girls!

Ready, Steady, Cook!

Over the course of this term, the boarders in St Dunstan's have been having informal cooking lessons with Milena, one of our resident tutors. The aim was to help them to learn how to cook meals or snacks that are less time-consuming, but still healthy and delicious, in preparation for going to University in the near future. They tackled; nachos, including making their own salsa and guacamole; pizzas, with bases made from scratch; tzatziki, with carrot, cucumber and celery sticks; fajitas; and finally, this week, we have asked the kitchen to provide us with a mystery box of ingredients to provide a fun and creative challenge! 

Miss Jessica Tompsett, Assistant Housemistress

Trip to Thorpe Park

Last week, after finishing their GCSEs, St Michael's boarders were able take one final trip out as a House, to let off some much-needed steam at Thorpe Park. A good time was had by all, on what was a very hot day, with some managing to cool off on the tidal wave ride. Thank you, girls, for a wonderful year in Micks.

Mrs Hannah Robertson, St. Michael's Housemistress

Sophie Wins Scholarship to University of Iowa

Sophie in Year 13 has won a 100% full scholarship to the University of Iowa. Congratulations Sophie!

30 mile radius lunch

Whilst we always try and use local produce where possible, for this Thursday’s lunch, our Head Chef, Jenny, visited local producers and farmers to create a lunch menu where all ingredients were sourced within 30 miles of the school.

Our commitment to sustainability extends beyond reducing food waste and reducing the amount of meat which we consume; by carefully selecting locally produced ingredients, we minimise our carbon footprint, support local farmers and ensure the freshest, highest quality produce reaches the plate. By sourcing within a 30 mile radius, we reduce transportation emissions and support the local economy.

With thanks to Jenny for going to great lengths to produce this meal and for all the fantastic meals which she and her team consistently create throughout the year.

Christopher Moore, Director of Hospitality
 

Ronan's Reflection

This week has seen, among many other ‘lasts’ of this school year, the last weekly liturgy in the Chapel. Miss Tompsett led us in a beautiful reflection, which focussed on the theme of Reconciliation, and asked us to look back over the year, to see if we could identify moments in which we felt God was present.

It was a beautiful liturgy, and so I’m going to steal Miss Tompsett’s idea, and pretend it’s mine for the purposes of this last (yay!) e-weekly reflection of the school year. I’m going to suggest that we each spend some time over the days and weeks to come, reflecting on the year that has just passed. There’s a tool called ‘the Examen’, developed by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, and I find it to be a wonderful and simple way of identifying the movement of God in our lives. While it’s usually a daily prayer,  Debra Mooney of Xavier University has written an Examen which helps us to look back over the whole school year and see where the Lord has touched our lives, and be grateful for that:

The Examen is simply a set of introspective prompts for you to follow or adapt to your own character and spirit. Begin with a pause and a slow, deep breath or two; become aware that you are in the presence of the Holy.

As I review the past 12 months, from a year ago through to the present moment -
What am I especially grateful for this year?

An event that took place
Courage that I mustered
Love and support I received

I ask for the light to know God and to know myself as God sees me.

Where have I felt true joy this year?
What troubled me this year?
What has challenged me?
Where and when did I find an opportunity for renewal and pause?

Have I noticed God's presence in any of this?

In light of my review, what is my response to the God of my life?

As I look ahead to the coming months, what comes to mind?
With what spirit do I want to enter the next few months, the next year?

I ask for God's presence and grace, for this spirit, as I enter the next year

Amen

For me, I saw God absolutely everywhere this past year. Everywhere. His Spirit definitely indwells this School. In the humility, selflessness and sacrifices I saw being made every day - often in quiet and mostly overlooked ways. In the love and respect with which every member of this community treats each other. In the countless ways my daughters were welcomed and embraced (and spoiled!) by everybody. In the friendships I saw growing day to day. In the girls who blossomed, and grew, and then left to go on to the next exciting chapter of their lives. I saw God, too, in the quiet places, the places of pain, hurt, loneliness, anger, heartbreak and pain. He does not abandon us in difficult times - instead, He suffers with us. I was overjoyed to see Him many times in reconciliation and healing, in forgiveness, compassion and outreach. I saw Him in the quiet of the Chapel, and the mayhem of the Boarding Houses, and even in the anarchy that is Muck Up Day.

In short, where didn’t I see God this year? Only one place in fact, on the entire campus, in the entire year, did I fail to feel the presence of God: the staffroom on days it’s fruit for breaktime snack…

To the girls who are leaving at the end of this term and not returning to Mayfield, I mean this from the bottom of my heart: you will be missed.

To those girls who are returning in September, hurry back!

To all members of the Mayfield family, have a wonderful, safe, happy and holy Summer break.

God bless.

Mr Ronan Lavery, Chaplain

Menu for Next Week

Menu w/c 3rd July

From the Friends

Year 10
End of term brunch/coffee on Thursday 6th July, 10am onwards, at the Middle House, Mayfield.
Please let Fiona W know if you will be attending - 07742 279264.

Year 12
Summer Drinks on Wednesday 5th July, from 7.30 pm, at The Middle House. 

End of Year Coffee on Thursday 6th July, from 11.00am, at the House Cafe (formerly the Pink Cabbage), Mayfield High Street.

Please could you let laurascriven@btinternet.com know whether you would like to attend either of these events.