E-weekly Issue 259 - 8 March 2024

Welcome

What a fantastic week it has been! Today marks International Women’s Day, and we were delighted to welcome OC Caroline Quill to school this week. Caroline shared her incredible 27-year journey in the male-dominated field of engineering, leaving our girls with invaluable advice. Her words resonated deeply, reminding us of the power of finding mentorship and ensuring our voices are heard.

In the spirit of celebration, we also immersed ourselves in the world of literature with World Book Day. Author Kate O’Hearn graced Mayfield with her presence, igniting the imaginations of our students with a captivating writing workshop inspired by Greek and Norse legends and mythical beasts.

Personally, I had the privilege of attending the SHCJ conference for headteachers in London this week. I have left feeling inspired, as we explored the remarkable leadership style of our founder, Cornelia Connelly. It reaffirmed my belief in nurturing our students to become compassionate and impactful leaders who will shape a brighter tomorrow.

Warmest wishes,
Deborah Bligh

International Women's Day 2024

We were thrilled to have OC Caroline Quill (1993), Tiger Team Project Director at Thales France, join us as our keynote speaker this week as we celebrated International Women’s Day. She took us through her incredible career journey, including balancing family and work life, and the challenges faced by being a woman in the male-dominated field of engineering. She concluded with excellent advice for the young Cornelians in the audience.

OCs Join the Celebrations
International Women's Day takes place globally on 8^th March each year to celebrate the achievements of women, raise awareness of discrimination against women and take action to drive gender parity. Today we have been celebrating the achievements of our OCs over the years and they have shared their own role models.

Mrs Rachel Davies, Deputy Head of Sixth Form

World Book Day Parade

This week we celebrated world book day, with an amazing array of costumes on display!

Author Kate O'Hearn Visits Mayfield

We welcomed middle-grade author Kate O'Hearn to Mayfield this week. Much to everyone's delight, she came in her 'Pegasus' costume, dressed as a Greek goddess. This created a fun atmosphere while she was speaking about her influences and inspirations for writing. Her books are based on Greek and Norse legends and also feature mythical beasts from folklore. The Year 7 girls enjoyed a short writing workshop where they had to weave together genres, settings and characters (including a fish and a parrot!). In a very short space of time, some inventive opening paragraphs were created. Even the extra challenge of writing in rhyming couplets was attempted by several girls - finding a rhyme for 'hospital' was tricky!

The children from Mayfield Primary School joined us for a later session with Kate, proving how well-versed they are in mythological characters. Some great questions were asked during the morning such as 'why did you start writing?', 'how do you choose the names of your characters?' and 'how much do you earn?'!

After the Q & A, girls were able to have books signed by Kate. For those who don't have a copy of Kate's books, there are a range of titles available to borrow in the Lower School library.

Ms Jan Blagden, Librarian

Bobby Seagull Visits Mayfield

On Friday 8^th March the Mathematics department welcomed Maths teacher and reality TV personality Bobby Seagull. He gave an entertaining and informative talk to Year 10 students about his life journey and his mission to encourage more mathematical literacy. He encouraged the girls not to be afraid of making mistakes in Maths, using an example of when he was on 'Celebrity Pointless' and said that three squared was 27 – a mistake that made it to the final edit. He showed them a 3D printed model of his brain that had been made for a TV programme. Following the talk, the students (and let’s be honest, the teachers too) were keen to get photos taken with Bobby, and some had their maths books signed.

Bobby visited the library, where he kindly donated and signed copies of his books 'The Life-Changing Magic of Numbers' and 'The Monkman and Seagull Quiz Book'. Year 12 and 13 maths students had a Q & A session with him, where he gave them encouragement for their upcoming exams and future careers. Bobby’s visit coincided with the World Book Day dress-up day, and as Mr Doy’s costume included a seagull this was a photo opportunity not to be missed!

The enjoyment and excitement felt by the girls by Bobby’s visit to Mayfield was evident in the number of students who stopped to meet him, and have selfies, at break. Thanks go to Mr Harrison, who bid for the talk in a charity auction, for enabling Bobby to come to Mayfield and inspire our girls.

Clare Vardon, Head of Mathematics

'Taste of Spain' Cross-Curricular Day

On Tuesday, Year 7 had their cross-curricular day, ‘Taste of Spain’. They worked in their tutor groups to research and create a presentation about festivals, music, famous artists, and typical food in Cataluña and Andalucia.

In the art sessions, students produced a lovely mosaic creation depicting work inspired by Picasso, Velázquez, Dalí, Miró and Gaudí, with the help of Mr Rees-Moorlah and Mrs McFadyean. With the guidance of Dr Ward, they learnt two traditional songs from these regions, as well as the basic steps of ‘sardana’, a typical group dance which is performed in the streets in Cataluña. The girls enjoyed learning how to create the rhythm in flamenco by clapping and playing ukuleles. They also had a go at learning a small piece of flamenco choreography with Mrs Criado. In the afternoon, the girls presented their work and performed their music and dance; the prize for best performance was awarded to Cataluña’s group (7JZW).

Mrs Mario Criado, Head of Spanish

Performing Shakespeare Competition

‘Suit the action to the word and the word to the action.’

On Tuesday afternoon, four of our best actors took part in the second round of this national competition at Lingfield School; the final of the competition will be held at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.

Michelle and Hester were outstanding as Beatrice and Benedick from ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, skilfully depicting the ‘merry war’ between the two characters. It was a dynamic but tender portrayal of the scene.

Aurelie and Isla charmed the judges with their wonderful performances as Viola and Olivia, clearly and delightfully bringing the beautiful language to life in their chosen scene from ‘Twelfth Night’.

Aurelie and Isla were chosen to progress to the next round! Michelle and Hester also did the school proud, many congratulations to them all.

Mrs Jane Leslie, English Teacher

Caedmon Performance

On Wednesday evening, Caedmon presented 'A Variety Performance of Theatrical Delights' to an invited audience of friends and family. The performers - girls from Years 11 and 12 - delivered classics from Shakespeare, Anouilh and Bernard Shaw to modern gems such as Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Tatty Hennessy. There are too many highlights to mention - what a staggering amount of performance talent we are blessed to have at Mayfield!

Ms Victoria Nash, Director of Drama and Media

Year 12 Trip to University of Surrey

On Tuesday afternoon, Year 12 attended the University and Apprenticeship Search Fair at the University of Surrey. This exciting and informative event provided Mayfield students with the opportunity to speak to a wide variety of universities and apprenticeship providers as well as attend a range of seminars on topics such as student finance and UCAS personal statements.

Mrs Saunders, Head of Careers said that attending the fair is just one of the many ways that we help the girls to make informed choices about their future, enabling them to choose which course or pathway is right for them.

The girls enjoyed chatting to - and quizzing representatives from - different universities as well as picking up plenty of university prospectuses and free goodies. We all agreed that Dr Kasina won the prize for collecting the most tote bags! 

"The fair was useful as it was a way of communicating with a lot of universities that I was interested in in one place." - Coco

"I enjoyed the university fair as it was very useful to learn more about universities that I hadn't considered before, and I got to find out more about everyday life at university outside of the academic side." - Sophie

"It helped me build a better understanding of what each university has to offer." - Georgia

Teatime Concert

On Thursday afternoon, on what was almost the first real day of Spring, we were treated to our first Teatime Concert of 2024.

The concert began with the Guitar Ensemble playing a gentle arrangement of Lennon and McCartney’s ‘Yesterday’ and continued with a varied series of performances from girls across the year groups. Several girls played pieces in preparation for their upcoming ABRSM examinations, namely Audrey (Year 10) on guitar, Greta (Year 12) on violin and Florence (Year 9) on flute. We heard some popular styles in the form of the jazzy ‘Sometime Maybe’ on cello by Ivana (Year 10), two songs by the artist Birdy - ‘Wings’ sung by Annette (Year 9) and ‘Not About Angels’ by Nicole (Year 12) – and a lively musical theatre number from Livia (Year 8). A Level candidate Clare (Year 13) gave an atmospheric performance of Franz Strauss’ ‘Nocturno’ on the French horn, and the concert was brought to a rousing finish by Emma (Year 10) who played a showstopping concerto movement on her violin. The girls were accompanied by Dr Ward and Mrs Schlenther, and Mr Hards directed the guitar ensemble.

Well done to all the girls involved, and thanks to all their tutors for the hard work they put in preparing them for performances and examinations.

Dr Matthew Ward, Director of Music

Inter-House Quiz

The Inter-House General Knowledge quiz took place on Monday. This was the culmination of the individual rounds of the quiz which took place last term. House teams made up of girls from Lower, Middle and Upper Schools competed across 10 rounds of individual and team questions on topics including maths and science, art, history, insects and fashion. It was a fiercely fought contest and ultimately Stein House were victorious with 266 points. Congratulations!

Mrs Elizabeth Aherne, Quizmaster

Primary School Retreat

On Thursday we welcomed Year 5 students from St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School to have a retreat day at Mayfield.

"I was very fortunate to be involved in helping St Wilfrid’s on their retreat day. They were a great group, and we all had a great time doing all sorts of activities, like a blindfolded walk around the school, where half the students were guides for the blindfolded. They showed great spirit and teamwork throughout the whole day, and I was super happy to be involved." - Amelia, Year 12

Here is the feedback we received from their staff after their visit:

"I just wanted to say a huge thankyou for giving the Year 5 children such an amazing day. They all had such a wonderful time and today they are full of chatter about the activities, beautiful buildings and amazing lunch. Thank you for your meaningful words during our reflection; the children loved the Footprints in the Sand poem and are thrilled with their copy. 

Everyone involved was so accommodating, the drivers made the journey such a fun time and thanks go to the kitchen staff were all so helpful. In addition to this, the girls, who were all so  kind, added to the incredible day; the children have all commented on how lovely they were. 

It really was such a treat and we are incredibly grateful to you for inviting us all to spend the day at your beautiful school."

Mayfield Festival of Ideas 2024

Last week the Scholars ran the second annual Mayfield Festival of Ideas in Lower School during A1s covering a wide range of topics of their choosing, ranging from semantics, ethics, forensics, concentration strategies, the state of Britain and gendered toys, and cryptocurrency, to name just a few.

We also ran a special Model United Nations simulation based on Harry Potter as a fun taster session for the whole of Year 8. The girls had a keen audience among the Lower School girls and both the presenters - and the audience - gained from the opportunity to explore ideas outside and across the curriculum through the interactive workshops. The whole school was invited to join in, and we would encourage anyone unable to attend this year to join us next year.

“I appreciated being able to work independently to create a presentation on a topic that I was interested in. I enjoyed the academic discussion and different perspectives that I was able to listen to and partake in. I found the Festival of Ideas to be a valuable experience, where I was able to explore ideas outside my subject area.” - Angela, Year 12

“This was my first year of presenting for the Festival of Ideas and it was really fun, as we could be as creative as we liked while learning new things! I look forward to presenting the Festival of Ideas next year.” - Emma, Year 9

“This year was my first year making a presentation for the Festival of Ideas, as I am in Year 9. I really enjoyed working together with my friends to create a presentation. We each made our own slide, which meant while focusing on one main idea, we could be creative and use our interests to change the topic into our own.” - Lucie, Year 9

Primary Team Maths Challenge

Last Friday, we were very pleased to welcome Year 5 pupils from 13 local prep and primary schools for the annual Primary Team Maths Challenge. The pupils arrived a little wet from the rain but full of competitive spirit.

After working on some starter questions as a warm-up with a cookie and squash, the day started with the group round, where all the teams had to work together to answer 12 questions. The second round was a logic round, which proved to be quite a challenge. The ‘Make 24’, where pupils had to use four given numbers to arrive at an answer of 24, was a popular round. After a delicious pasta lunch came the big relay which involved both pupils and their teachers. This helped everyone to work as a pair to solve problems, as well as running back and forth with the answers. Our little mathematicians departed happy and fulfilled, after a short presentation of prizes by our Headmistress, Deborah Bligh. This year Holmewood House came first with Marlborough House and the Mead School not far behind. We received some very positive feedback from the schools involved who were particularly impressed with our Year 12 helpers and are all keen to participate again next year.

Here are some of the comments we received:

“Many thanks for hosting such a fantastic day. The opportunity for our young mathematicians was amazing and they all had a wonderful time. They all want to do it again next year!”

“Super day- thank you so much for organising!”

“Thank you for hosting us! The learners loved it and so did I!”

“Relay race was awesome and the make 24.”

Intermediate Mathematical Challenge

Last month, students from Years 9, 10 and 11 took part in the Intermediate Mathematical Challenge.

The Intermediate Mathematical Challenge is a 60-minute, multiple-choice competition aimed at students across the UK. It encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems. The problems featured in the challenge are designed to make students think. Most of the questions are accessible, yet still challenge those with more experience.

Below are the first five questions from this year’s challenge - why not have a go? Answers at the bottom of this newsletter!

Well done to the girls who took part. This year 20 bronze, 14 silver and three gold certificates were awarded. Three students also qualified for the follow-on round which takes place later this month. Congratulations and good luck to Flora, Fiona and Sherene.

Mrs Sally Howie, Teacher of Mathematics

Sports News

Swimming Gala
In our penultimate gala of the season our squad swam brilliantly in some close races against Burgess Hill. A big win for the Seniors bumped our scores up, but not quite enough as Burgess Hill took the overall win by just one point! We are now looking forward to our final gala of the year against Benenden on Monday for our Inter and Senior team; let's hope for some more PBs.

Netball Primary Bee Tournament 
On Friday 23^rd February, Mayfield's Year 12 and 13 Sports Leaders organised and led the biggest Primary Netball tournament we have here held to date. We had over 120 Year 5 & 6 children from 11 Local primary and prep schools take part in a Netball workshop that consisted of shooting practices, decision making games and footwork drills. They then took part in a fun versatility Netball Tournament, following the England Netball 'Stinger' programme.

After winning all their games in their respective pools, the final saw Frant Primary School take on Skippers Hill. It was an end to end game,  but Skippers Hill came out victorious. A huge well done to all the Sports Leaders (Maddie, Georgia, Francesca, Martha, Emma, Rachel and Darcy) and a big thank you to the Mayfield Marketing, Catering, Grounds and PE departments that all came together to make this event happen. 

We are already looking forward to next year's event! 

U15 Netball vs Lingfield
The three U15 Netball teams took on Lingfield this week. With the sun shining and both squads in good spirits, it turned out to be a fantastic afternoon of sport. Special mention goes to the U15C team who won their match 26-4! What a brilliant game. 

Upcoming Fixtures and Events
Saturday 9^th March - Netball Block Fixture vs Ardingly
Monday 11^th March - U15 Football vs Forest School
Monday 11^th March - Swim Gala vs Benenden Away
Thursday 14^th March - Lady Taverners U13 Indoor Cricket County Finals
Saturday 16^th March - Netball Triangular vs Worth and Seaford

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

Bakhita Charity Day Information

Bakhita's big charity fundraiser is starting on Monday.  Raise £1000 and you'll see your teachers changed for the better, with green hair, green nails, green beards or no beards at all! Cash buckets and card readers will be around school. Donate to help us reach our goal of £1000!

From the School Shop

New Mayfield Pyjamas
Please see pictures of the new pyjamas we have introduced. There has been a lot of interest, so we have now sold out of the pink and blue pairs and only have a couple of the green pairs left. I will be re-ordering them next week – they take six weeks to arrive as they are custom made here in the UK for us. The pyjama bottoms are 100% cotton with pockets on either side and a fly button. The elasticated waist says 'Mayfield' all around it.

Please note – orders will be placed on Wednesday 14^th March. Please either pre-order or give me feedback before then.

Sister Jean’s Marmalade
We took another £25 over to Sister Jeans this week for the sale of her marmalade. Thank you to everyone that purchased a jar; this money all goes to the Mary’s Meals charity that feeds hungry children. Sister Jean has a new batch ready and waiting in the school shop – if you are making up Easter baskets, perhaps a jar of homemade marmalade would be a nice addition!

Thank you to those that return their empty jam jars, it is much appreciated – if you have any, then please send them into the school shop and I will ensure they get to Sister Jean. The cost of the marmalade is £2.50 per jar – cash only please.

Lost Property
Please see below pictures of lost property not claimed. Any items still here at the end of term will be given to charity or disposed of. These pictures have also already been sent to all girls. Please come to the school shop to claim any jewellery and other small items, the larger items are on the shelf opposite the school shop.

Mrs Susan Bowles, School Shop Manager

Next Week's Menu

Menu w/c 11th March

Maths Challenge Answers