E-weekly Issue 258 - 1 March 2024

Welcome

As we end the week, I am filled with warmth and hope for the future. I am delighted to report that we had unprecedented numbers of young women in Year 12 applying for the Head Girl role, showing how much they care about Mayfield and that they really want to contribute to - and serve - the School. Wednesday saw the swansong for our current pupil leadership team, with Prefects' supper in the Courtyard, and I was delighted to be presented with an 'up and coming' trophy award!

Last night, I had the pleasure of meeting our wonderful parents and Old Cornelians, who gave up their time to talk to our pupils about their careers since leaving School. It was a fantastic opportunity for pupils from Year 9 upwards to hear about the huge array of careers that our OCs have gone on to pursue and I am very grateful for the continued support of our OC community. They really are an inspiration.

This week has seen our Scholars deliver a series of talks to our Lower School girls at Mayfield’s Festival of Ideas. I had the pleasure of listening to one of the sessions yesterday - a Harry Potter themed MUN -  and was encouraged to see how engaged the girls were; this type of activity really helps to develop essential skills such as critical thinking, which will be vital going forwards.

Finally, this week we welcomed to Mayfield both Will Brooks, Headmaster of Brambletye, and the pastoral team at Cumnor House. Both commented that they witnessed a very strong sense of community and remarked upon the confidence of the girls they observed in class. They also paid tribute to our passionate staff and highlighted the quality of the students' work on display across the school. A heartwarming end to the week!

With very best wishes,

Deborah Bligh, Headmistress Designate

Biology Olympiad Success

In January six students sat the online exam for the prestigious Biology Olympiad award, an advanced problem-solving competition for A-Level students. Carolina, Sabrina, Iga, Joyce, Evangeline and Megan all did fantastically well and achieved Highly Commended or above. Megan, Joyce and Iga all achieved the very highest outcome of Gold award; more than 15,000 students globally sat the exam and only 5% reached Gold as an outcome, so this demonstrates their exceptional skill, application and knowledge. They have also been invited to attend a selection to represent the UK at the International Biology Olympiad held in Kazakhstan later this year. Well done, ladies!

Mrs Laura Lewis, Head of Biology

Cornelian Lecture

This week we were visited by Danielle Mulder, a sustainability expert who serves as the Group Sustainability Director at the BBC. In her talk, she spoke about her career in the BBC’s journey toward net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.  She discussed the BBC’s strategy for achieving this, including switching to renewable energy sources, using electric vehicles, reducing business travel, implementing sustainable production methods, and collaborating with suppliers to reduce emissions within their organisations. She also spoke about her previous jobs working on the 2012 Olympic Games and the Sydney Metro. Her message was double edged in so far as we as a species are in quite a fix when it comes to our relationship with nature, but we now have the knowledge and capability to do something about it - it really is up to us.

Mr John Doy, Head of Sixth Form

National Youth Theatre Workshop & Audition

Last weekend, the drama department welcomed Patrick Riley, associate artist at the National Youth Theatre. Patrick ran a ‘Devising Drama’ workshop with the girls, who were challenged by a variety of physical and improvisational challenges which resulted in some creative ensemble performances. In the afternoon, the girls auditioned to join the prestigious National Youth Theatre by performing a monologue followed by an interview with Patrick. Fingers crossed for 8^th May, when the girls will receive their results!

Ms Victoria Nash, Director of Drama and Media

Careers Information Evening

There was a buzz of excitement in the air at Mayfield on Thursday evening as National Careers Week got off to an early start with the annual Careers Information Evening. 

With over 100 girls signing up to listen to three career speakers of their choice, from a wide range of career sectors, the evening certainly inspired them and gave them the opportunity to reflect on careers they may not have previously considered. The evening also provided the girls with an excellent opportunity to network with professionals, allowing them to forge valuable connections and possible future work experience, as well as confirm career decisions for some of the older girls.

A very big thank you to all the old girls (OCs), parents, Friends of Mayfield and outside organisations who very kindly gave up their time to prepare and deliver the talks. 

"I found that the careers evening was really inspiring, I particularly found the entrepreneur talk very powerful because I felt that she got her message across very nicely, in a way that was not just bullet points and facts but her experiences and the things she has done in her life to explain how she has been in the entrepreneur side of life. Plus, she's an OC!" - Jemima, Year 10

"I was really inspired from all the careers talks I attended yesterday and I am very grateful for this opportunity to get an insight into careers I want to enter, and I was able to ask specific questions to learn more about the career." - Charlotte, Year 12

"I found the Careers evening very informative, all of the talks were very helpful and it gave me a new perspective of what I might want to do in the future. The engineering talk was very interesting as I found out a lot more of the creative side of the field that I wasn't aware of before." - Anna, Year 11

"I was particularly inspired by two quotes from two of the talks that I listened to. In the talk about media apprenticeships, the speaker said that the most important thing to take away from the talk is that we shouldn't be ashamed of our differences and should embrace them instead. In the entrepreneur talk, a great quote that resonated with me was 'My teacher told me that we were not here to become secretaries. We were here to become the type of women that businesses would fail without'." - Breanna, Year 12

Public Speaking Competition

On Wednesday, Angela and Ayomide travelled to Arundel to take part in the Public Speaking Competition, hosted by the Catenians. Here is what the girls took away from the experience:

"Going to Arundel was a wonderful experience, as I was able to listen to inspiring speeches and converse with other candidates. I really enjoyed being able to present my speech, titled 'Is it Advisable for Humans to Relocate to Mars?', to an audience in a topic which I am passionate about. It helped to improve my public speaking skills, and through participation we were able to earn a certificate of excellence." - Angela

"I loved the trip to Arundel, it was an experience that I am very grateful to have been a part of. The title of my speech was 'Embarrassment is an Illusion' and several audience members felt that this resonated deeply with them, which was delightful to hear!" - Ayomide

Dance Show 2024

This year's dance show will be taking place on Thursday 14^th March and Friday 15^th March 2024. Doors will open at 6:45pm, and the show will start at 7pm. Tickets are now on sale at £3 per ticket, with all proceeds going to the school charity ‘Maggie’s’.

Once purchased, tickets will be available for collection from reception from Monday 11th March. Due to limited seating in the concert hall, tickets will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Order your tickets

Justice and Peace Challenge

This week, the Justice and Peace Group have launched our Lent to Pentecost 12-week challenge to raise money for CAFOD, who support refugees, and we wanted to extend the offer to participate in this challenge to parents as well as students.

The challenge start date is Monday 26^th February and the final deadline is Saturday 18^th May, just before Pentecost Sunday.

Effective Ongoing Revision

Over the past few weeks, girls in Years 7, 8, 10, 11 and 12 have received additional training on how to conduct effective ongoing revision (with Year 9 due in the coming weeks). We have covered how memory works and the most, and least, effective revision strategies to use. Teachers are encouraging girls to make use of these most effective strategies and are developing girls' use of them in lessons.

Parents - for more information that might promote interesting and fruitful conversations about revision with your daughters, please see the Parent Handbook which was circulated after last week's Parent Workshop all about revision. I would welcome any feedback on both of these.

Handbook & Workshop Feedback
Mr David Warren, Director of Teaching and Learning

Teatime Concert 

You are warmly invited to attend our teatime concert on Thursday 7^th March.  The concert will be held at the school in Gresham hall, starting at 4:45pm.  Tea and coffee will be available, and the concert itself will feature a variety of performances on the cello, flute and more. If you would like to join us, please RSVP to rallen@mayfieldgirls.org to advise how many seats you would like by Monday 4^th March.

Dr Matthew Ward, Director of Music

Save the Date – Alicia Drummond Talk

The next parent workshop with Alicia Drummond is scheduled for Wednesday 24^th April 2024. She will be speaking about worry, stress and anxiety throughout the teen years. Please save the date.

National Careers Week

Next week, we will be celebrating National Careers Week (NCW) at Mayfield.

This year, we started early with our annual Careers Information Evening for Years 9 to 13, which helped the girls to build awareness of career opportunities and understand the world of work so they can make more informed decisions about their future career ideas.

On Tuesday, Year 12 will be visiting a university and apprenticeship search fair at the University Of Surrey, providing the girls with the opportunity to speak to a multitude of universities including Russell Group, red brick, specialist and modern universities, and engage with university admissions staff in-person. This will help them to learn more about universities and specific courses that they are interested in and get any questions about the admissions requirements answered. 

From Monday onwards, all girls and parents will have access to the NCW online careers fair. Some time has been allocated in tutor time for the girls to explore the virtual careers fair together. There is also a free parents' guide which features lots of interesting articles and links to further parent guides as well as the opportunity to sign up to a free fortnightly parent newsletter packed with ways you can help your teens throughout GCSE and Sixth Form. 

Parents' Guide to NCW 2024

Finally, please remind your daughter that she is always welcomed to "drop in" to Mayfield's new Careers Hub for any career information, support and advice.

Mrs Mary Saunders, Head of Careers

STEM Hero - March

Our  inspirational STEM hero  for this month was chosen by Abigail in Year 13 to coincide with the Mayfield Dance Show, as well as combing her own passions of dance and physics.

Sports News

Swimming Gala
The swimming team enjoyed another trip to Roedean on Monday, but to swim against their full squad this time. There were plenty of close races with Kitty winning both of her individual events and the squad generally putting in some great performances. We are waiting for the results to come through whilst preparing for two more galas - on Monday against Burgess Hill and then the following week away at Benenden, with a Swimathon planned for the final week of term. It's a busy time in the pool!

Cross Country
Last Friday, the U13A team went to the Sussex Schools Cross Country County rounds. The girls all ran brilliantly in tough conditions; a special mention goes to Emily in Year 7 who finished 10^th overall. This qualifies her for the Inter County round. Congratulations Emily!

U13 SISNA
Our U13s always start SISNA somewhat on the back foot, given that a lot of the schools are established teams from Prep Schools. Nevertheless, despite the persistent drizzle and howling winds they had a delightful day out at Roedean. Building on from their U12 experience, the team's target for the day was to score in every match. Izzy T, Gigi S and Anya L have all been down on the courts, working hard on their shooting techniques come rain and shine and I am delighted to say that this is something they achieved. It proved to be a great experience for our girls and has provided us with lots to work on for next season. 

U14 SISNA
The U14s were drawn in a very competitive pool, nevertheless, they remained "unphased" and displayed courage, drive, respectful competitiveness, and much needed humour throughout the torrential rain (at one point the courts were like the shallow entry of a swimming pool!).

Scores: (please see SOCS for individual results) 
Won- 2, Drew-1, Lost- 3

This saw Mayfield finish in 9^th place out of 13 schools. This was a tough, yet positive and productive lesson learnt, that in tournament Netball, it is all about the small margins, and that every second, every goal, every turn over really counts.

A special mention must go to; the squad's shooters Emilia and Savannah and centre court / defence Lily who all share the coach's player(s) of the day; Emilia and Savannah for their relentless and persistent practise pre-tournament on rotation in the circle, holds, split landings and shooting technique - their shooting statistics were phenomenal, and they hardly missed a shot between them all day; Lily (U14A Captain) for her outstanding interceptions in GD and C, and her competitive drive and intense work rate throughout the day, helping the team "stay in it" until the end. 

We are extremely excited for what the future holds for this squad. SISNA 2024 over and out! 

Upcoming Fixtures and Events
Monday 4^th March - Swimming Gala vs Burgess Hill, U13, U15, U18
Thursday 7^th March - Netball vs Lingfield College, U15A, B, & C
Friday 8^th March - Cross Country, Thomas Trophy, U13A
Saturday 9^th March - Netball vs Ardingly Block Fixture
Saturday 9^th March - Dance Show Technical Rehearsal 1pm - 5pm 

Update from Catering Department

On Tuesday 27^th February 2024, the Catering Department had a visit from an Environmental Health Officer. These visits are undertaken periodically and with very little notice.

All catering premises nationwide are subject to visits from an EHO and are rated under a Food Hygiene Rating Scheme from 1 to 5 (5 being the highest) depending on the level of hygiene found.

The EHO takes into account:

• How hygienically food is handled, prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored.
• The condition of the structure of the building - the cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and pest control.
• How the business manages and records what it does to make food safe.
• Cleaning techniques and schedules.
• Methods used for preventing contamination.
• Food labelling to include validity of product/menu descriptions and correct allergen labelling.
• Personal hygiene practices by staff.
• Equipment maintenance.

We are very pleased to announce that the EHO inspector was very impressed with our facilities and the way we operate the Catering Department, saying “Wow! You run a very tight ship, all paperwork is up to date and well organised and the kitchen facilities are exceptionally clean”.

We are very pleased to say she awarded us once again with our previously held rating of 5.

Janet Clarkson-Hope, Catering Manager

Leeds Get Stitching

Last Saturday, boarders from Leeds House enjoyed doing embroidery on calico. We had selfies of the girls’ younger or actual selves as well as a selection of cartoon characters and animals for them to try and recreate on their hoops. 

Lent in St Gabriel’s House

We have been exploring Lent in St Gabriel’s House, including discussing how we practise the three pillars of Lent - Praying, Fasting and Almsgiving. Many of the girls have made small, achievable goals for Lent and we have displayed them anonymously as a commitment for each girl and to help inspire others. We have also designed a focal space in the house to help with prayer or just a bit of quiet time or reflection for any girl who wishes to use it.

Those not giving up chocolate for Lent whipped up a rich chocolate cake on Sunday which they enjoyed as an evening snack. On Sunday evening, our Year 10 boarders were treated to a Chinese takeaway which was enjoyed by all.

Mrs Helen Lavery, Assistant Housemistress

Culinary Skills

Year 12 Culinary Skills students have been excelling themselves again since half term, making gourmet pizzas and a meringue roulade with homemade lemon curd - light and delicious!

Sue Smeaton, Head of Food & Nutrition

News from the Library

On Friday 23^rd February the Carnegie Book Club attended the Southern Schools Book Award Presentation evening, held at The Hurst School. Along with over 35 other schools, we had read and discussed the five nominated books and cast our votes in January.

As in previous years there was a warm welcome at Hurst by their student guides, and it was an entertaining evening. Each of the shortlisted authors addressed the audience, followed by a short Q&A before the winner was announced. Throughout the evening, author and illustrator Chris Riddell responded to the talks with his humorous cartoons.  The winner was Ravena Guron with her school-based murder mystery 'This Book Kills'. The girls were then able to receive a free book of their choice and have it signed by the author! Special thanks to Mr Skehan who gave up his Friday evening to accompany us.

World Book Day
Just in case anyone hasn't heard, it's World Book Day on 7^th March and we have a week of literary activities planned for both staff and girls. Of course, there will be prizes!

Monday 4^th March – Masked Reader & Library Quizzes
Can you work out who is behind the mask and which book are they reading? The Mayfield Masked Reader quiz goes live for the week via Forms link. Also running through the week is the Literary Quiz, which can be accessed via Forms and on paper in the libraries. The Forms link to both and the 'reveal' video for ‘The Masked Reader’ will be emailed out by Ms Blagden.

Wednesday 6^th March – Author Visit
The author Kate O'Hearn will be visiting Mayfield and speaking to Years 7 and 8, and classes from Mayfield Primary School. The catering department have also entered into the spirit of the celebrations with themed dishes on the lunch menu.

Thursday 7^th March – Literary Pairs Challenge
Thank you to the staff who have volunteered to wear a red luggage label all day. How many red labels will you spot through the day? Each label bears the name of a book protagonist or their nemesis. Match them up on the entry sheet and pop it in the special boxes in either the main school library or the lower school library by the end of the day. There will be points awarded for correctly naming the staff and their label, and for matching the pairs. Prizes will also be given to the staff members who are the first to find their book partner and come to the main school library.

Friday 8^th March – Dress Up as a Book Character
Please remember your £1 donation for BookTrust.  All staff and students are welcome to join in. The Year 7 and 8 girls will have a parade in lower school during A1 where prizes will be given for best individual and best group costumes. Remember: be creative, be inventive and reuse/recycle where possible!

Ms Jan Blagden, Librarian

Next Week's Menu

Menu w/c 4th March