E-weekly Issue 255 - 2 February 2024

Welcome

This week has been eventful to say the least! Our girls have been performing The Addams Family School Edition at Trinity Theatre in Tunbridge Wells. The reviews have been ecstatic, so I'm really looking forward to seeing tonight's final performance!

Earlier in the week four of our girls returned from ski racing in Flaine - read all about it below. And on Tuesday we welcomed Lord Moore, former editor of The Daily Telegraph, to Mayfield for our latest Cornelian lecture. We were also delighted to hear that two of our pupils, Cosima and Herlin, have received Oxbridge offers. Huge congratulations to the girls for this outstanding achievement.

I can hardly believe the half-term holiday is nearly upon us - the days really fly by at Mayfield. Have a wonderful weekend.

With very best wishes,
Jonathan Forster

Oxbridge Experience Trip

Last weekend, we took 12 Scholars from Years 10 and 11 on an ‘Oxbridge experience’ trip. The girls had the opportunity to meet a number of Old Cornelians (OCs) studying at Oxford and Cambridge. A special thank you goes to our six wonderful OCs who gave up their time to show us around their colleges. Inés, Yueshi, Avery, Elizabeth, Genevieve and Hettie were our fantastic tour guides. It was a unique opportunity for our girls – they asked really pertinent questions whilst learning about Humanities and STEM courses. Hopefully the girls will be inspired by our Old Cornelians!

Marie-Sophie Reijers, Teacher of French

Here’s what the girls and teachers had to say about the experience:

“Initially, I wasn’t too keen on visiting Oxford and Cambridge, as I had reservations about the nature of the universities and assumed that the culture would be purely academic. However the insight I gained in the trip was invaluable, and I learnt so much that has really inspired me to want to apply to the universities. I would definitely recommend everyone to visit and most importantly speak to people there before deciding on whether to apply or not. I was definitely pleasantly surprised by the experience, and really appreciate the opportunity we were given.” - Onnae

“It was a wonderful experience as we could question the older girls with our queries, view these potential universities, and get a feel for each different college. It was also a fun one - spending free time in the ‘Covered market’, ‘Open market’, bookshops and The Giggling Squid (for a scrummy supper!) made the trip extra enjoyable.
Additionally we were lucky enough to visit the Ashmolean Museum, the Oxford Union, the Bodleian Library and a attend a lovely Mass at Fisher House. Thank you Dr Reijers and Mrs Kilvington for the most amazing weekend!” - Rose

“It was really useful to get a better understanding of both universities, the application process, living accommodations and the overall transition from Mayfield to university! We were toured around each college by Old Cornelians who answered all of our many questions and showed us all of the beautiful buildings, libraries, gardens and more. As well as visiting the colleges, we were also able to explore Cambridge and Oxford, with my highlight being the church service that we went to and the market afterwards. Thank you so much to all of the Old Cornelians, Dr. Reijers and Mrs. Kilvington for making this trip happen!" - Alice

“The trip was a rare opportunity to ask questions and discover what university social life, courses, and application is like while taking in valuable interview tips from the students themselves. After an eventful day at Oxford, including visits to three colleges and the Ashmolean museum, we were all glad for the drive up to Cambridge and the Giggling Squid for delicious food as well as discussion of our favourite exhibits at the Ashmolean. A massive thank you to Dr Reijers and Mrs Kilvington for organising the trip and ensuring that everyone gets the most out of it!” - Alexa

"I’m immensely grateful for the opportunity to visit both Oxford and Cambridge for the first time and I definitely loved the entire experience. The guided tours, led by our OCs were particularly fascinating, providing a great exploration of the different colleges and the Q&A sessions allowed us to engage with the Oxbridge students and gain insightful advice about future decisions which I found extremely helpful." - Leona

Cosima & Herlin Receive Oxbridge Offers

We are delighted to announce that Cosima and Herlin have both received Oxbridge offers. Cosima has an offer to read Classics and French at St Johns College, Oxford, while Herlin has been offered a place to study Theology at Cambridge.

Cosima
Cosima is our 4th Oxbridge linguist in five years. Taking this joint degree at Oxford means that Cosima will have the opportunity to study at the largest Classics Faculty in the world and read French at the largest French Faculty in the UK. This is a wonderful opportunity for her to pursue her knowledge and love of both languages and immerse herself in their literature at the highest level.

Cosima said: "I’m delighted to have received an offer from Oxford University to study Classics and French at St John’s College. It’s an exciting opportunity and I’m very grateful for all the support from my teachers during the application process. The Modern Languages and Classics departments at Mayfield have both really allowed me to extend my learning and deepen my appreciation of language and literature, and I look forward to continuing this further at university!"

Mrs Elizabeth Aherne, Head of Classics: “For Cosima to be offered a place at Oxford is a great achievement as there is intense national and international competition. Not only did she face the challenge of very stretching Latin tests, Cosima also had to analyse language live online as one of her interviews. It is testament to her abilities as a linguist and her commitment to a very rigorous preparation programme that she has achieved this goal. I would like to thank all of the Classics department who have each contributed to this. We hope that Cosima will be the first of other future Oxbridge Classics students."

Rachel Testa, Head of French: “It is gratifying that languages at Mayfield still remain such a popular and successful option for those girls wishing to continue their further education at illustrious universities. Over the last couple of years, we have been especially grateful to Dr Reijers for her bespoke coaching of the Oxbridge linguists, and her expertise in this field has been instrumental in helping our French students achieve their dreams of reading languages at Oxford. Huge congratulations to Cosima for her offer to read Classics and French at St John's, she's a credit to the department.”

Herlin
Herlin: "I was first attracted to theology through literature - the works of authors such as Hugo and Dostoevsky sparked my fascination with the notion of a metaphysical God who embodies the human perception of ultimate power and moral perfection. However, it was coming to Mayfield that allowed me to engage further with the subject; in Mayfield’s environment, I found myself constantly hearing interesting topics of discussion, and being around people with diverse opinions on the matter of ontology, eschatology, and such. I decided to apply to Cambridge because it offers Theology, Philosophy, and the Philosophy of Religions as an interdisciplinary course, which would allow me to study literature, philosophy, and history, while focusing on a deeply fascinating theme. The offer from Fitzwilliam has been a happy surprise; I am planning to give my best effort to achieve its conditions."

John Doy, Head of Sixth Form: "I am delighted that Herlin has been offered a place to study Theology at Cambridge - this is all the more impressive given she isn't taking RS as an A Level! I can personally testify to the fact that the skills she has displayed in her English A Level show a very astute analytical mind and extremely strong written expression. The fact that she came out of her interview having thoroughly enjoyed herself (apparently there was a lot of laughter) underscores how important genuine enthusiasm and enjoyment of the subject is when applying for top courses. Interestingly, Herlin had originally thought about applying for Law, but found that she couldn't stop reading books about early Christianity; I think this was probably a sign that Theology was the right path for her. I wish her all the very best."

Gaelle McGovern, Head of Religious Studies: "It is wonderful that Herlin has been offered a place to read theology at Fitzwilliam College Cambridge. We are all delighted. This is the first offer for theology at Mayfield in recent times. Herlin has explored theology through her other A level subjects English, History and Politics with some additional help from the RS department in terms of mentoring and discussion of her independent reading. Her greatest interest lies in St Augustine; Herlin expanded her thinking by entering two academic essay competitions, one where she discussed what God could have been doing before he created the cosmos, and the other with the question “Artificial intelligence:  Gift or Peril to the Christian?", and Herlin argued it could be a gift by its call for a universal moral consensus which could be established through a study of theology. Her EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) was on the topic of 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Salvation?'. It has been a real pleasure meeting with Herlin since the end of year 12 to discuss her wide range of independent reading and exploration of theology and preparing her for interview. Her intellectual curiosity for theology and all the questions is raises has been a delight to share. I am sure she will thrive at Cambridge."

Cornelian Quote of the Week

"I find my mind changed."​

​Cornelia was human, just like the rest of us, and at times she would make mistakes, disagree or misread a situation. However, she always took time to listen and reflect on what others said to her and her phrase 'I find my mind changed' became well known amongst her fellow sisters.

Faith Wins Photography Awards

Faith and her family had a wonderful evening last Thursday at the 'Day in your Life' photography competition with artist Alison Jackson at the Cadogan Hall. Faith won in three categories: Model Prize Winner; Portrait Prize, Photographer Highly Recommended; and The Shannonann Agency Winner. 

Day in your Life

Flaine Ski Competition

Last week four Mayfield girls - Emilia & Amelia (Year 8), Siena (Year 11) and Darcy (Year 12) - headed to Flaine to compete in the annual British Schoolgirls' Races competition. Emilia secured a fantastic 3rd place in the U14 combined event, bringing home a well-deserved medal for Mayfield! In the slalom, Emilia shone, coming 4th in her age group, while Darcy impressed with the 11th fastest time, and Siena came 46^th (out of 138) over the two runs. In the giant slalom, Darcy claimed 9^th place and Emilia took 5th place U14. In the team slalom competition, Mayfield started strongly, winning their first round tie against City of London School, before bowing out in the last 16. Finally, a special shout-out to Amelia, who joined us for her first outing to Flaine. 

The girls all should be very proud of their racing and they represented the school well. It was a fantastic competition and well hosted by the wonderful volunteers at the Ladies Ski Club. 

Sports News

Badminton 
Last Friday, five of our Badminton players travelled to Roedean for a fixture. Brooke, Amelia and Elaine competed as part of their GCSE course and it was fantastic to see their progress. Janis and Sabrina were a force to be reckoned with as a doubles pair and played some lovely matches. Results were evenly shared with some wins and some losses, but most importantly the girls gained great experience of competitive play. We look forward to our next fixture!

Dance Workshops
In recent weeks we have been very fortunate to welcome two stars to the school to deliver workshops for our gifted and talented dance scholars. Two weeks ago, we welcomed Lewis who has recently returned from being a lead vocalist on Aida cruises; he delivered a musical theatre workshop to our girls.

Last Friday, we welcomed Kirsty, a West End star who has just finished performing in Grease. The girls thoroughly enjoyed the session as well as the opportunity to ask a professional from this industry lots of questions.

Both workshops delivered were with a view of having a performance in the Dance show so watch this space!

U16 Football Tournament
At time of reading, our U16s are competing in a Football tournament at Buckswood school - good luck girls!

Saturday Block
We end a quiet fixture week for us on Saturday with a block of Netball against Roedean. Please see below the fixtures and timings and be sure to check on SOCS for results and match reports.

U18A, U18B, U16A + U16B - Away @ Roedean – 9:30am start.
U15A, U15B, U15C + U15D – Home v Roedean – 9:30am start.
U14A, U14B, U14C + U14D – Home v Roedean – 10:45am start.  

SISNA Week!
We have three teams representing the school at SISNA (Sussex Independent School Netball Association) next week. The very best of luck to our U18s who get us underway on Tuesday before our U14s and U15s attend Hurst on Thursday.

Mr Jordan Walser, PE Teacher

News from the Library

Two students, volunteering as pupil librarians for their DofE award, suggested the next promotions in the main school library should be Chinese New Year, and romance, to tie in with Valentine's Day. Come and borrow from the displays and keep reading over half term. Thank you to Olivia and Issie for your hard work.

In Lower School, our new librarians, Elsie and Mckinley, have both chosen a Book of the Week. Both books are graphic novels by the very popular author Raina Telgemeier.

Both books are available to borrow from the lower school library. They can be found in the Book of the Week area on the windowsill.

Jan Blagden, Librarian

STEM Hero - February

Mass This Weekend

We are looking forward to our Boarders’ Mass on Saturday evening at 5pm, as Anna will receive the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist, and be received into full communion with the Church. All members of the Mayfield community are, as always, welcome to attend. (This is instead of the Sunday 11:30am Mass.) You are also welcome to join us for Mass at 6pm on Tuesday, and 1:45pm on Wednesday.

Ronan Lavery, Chaplain

National Apprenticeship Week

Next week is National Apprenticeship Week. Launched in the UK in 2015, degree apprenticeships allow students to earn a Bachelor’s (Level 6) or Master’s (Level 7) by combining employment with part-time study at university. 

Just like other types of apprenticeship, there are no tuition fees and students will be paid a wage. This means that a student could achieve a full bachelor’s degree without any student debt.

More details about degree apprenticeships

I will also be hosting short 15 minute information sessions next week for students in Years 11 and 12 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to learn more about degree apprenticeships. Sign-up sheets will be on the Careers Board from Monday if your daughter wishes to attend a session during breaktime on the above days.

Great Leeds Bake Off

Last Sunday we held our annual ‘Great Leeds Bake Off’. The result was a variety of delicious biscuits which were shared and enjoyed by everyone afterwards!

Petra Kotesovska, House Mistress, Leeds House

Update from Catering Department

Even though we are in the middle of winter, the salad bar at Mayfield School remains a firm favourite. We always offer the basics such as salad leaves, tomatoes, cucumber, grated carrot, and coleslaw. You will also find on a regular basis: olives, beetroot, mixed beans, seed mix, pasta salad and various salad dressings. Protein elements are provided in the form of hardboiled eggs, grated cheese, and a selection of sliced cold meats. 

Each day we provide a compound salad, this week we featured a roast carrot and couscous salad. 

The carrots are great for eye health due to the beta carotene which is converted into vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is also good for your skin, it helps prevent premature aging, acne, dry skin, and uneven skin tone. Carrots are high in fibre for good digestion and assisting the liver to flush out toxins. Vitamin C to keep your immune system functioning properly and no cholesterol, which means better heart health! 

The couscous is a wonderful source of protein, which is responsible for structure and metabolism in the body. Protein is essential for growth as there is a continual turnover of body tissues and structural maintenance throughout life. Couscous is low in fat and makes a fantastic salad ingredient.

Janet Clarkson-Hope, Catering Manager

Live Simply Days

We have changed our family fast days to  'live simply days'. This is in response to parents and student feedback which supports the idea of giving to charities but does so in a way that does not restrict nutritional intake. Our first 'live simply day' took place on Monday and the menu included two types of pasta with different sauces, jacket potatoes, basic salad bar, soup, and fresh fruit.

The money saved from this day is going to Warming up the Homeless and we are delighted to be welcoming a volunteer from the charity to speak about how the money will be spent in assembly next term. This will allow our students to really connect with the difference they are making to others.

Warming up the Homeless

We have one final 'live simply day' this academic year - this will take place during the season of Lent with proceeds going to CAFOD.  I am looking into organising a CAFOD speaker to come in and speak to our students about the difference this donation will make.

Mrs Deborah Bligh, Senior Deputy Head

From the Friends

Year 7
Saturday 2^nd March, social - drinks at The Rose & Crown, Mayfield.
April (date tbc), social - coffee & cake at Juliet’s, Tunbridge Wells.

Year 10
Coffee morning at the House Café in Mayfield, Friday 9th February at 8:30am, RSVP: gisele_otter@hotmail.co.uk

Next Week's Menu

Menu w/c 5th Feb