mayfield

E-weekly Issue 264 - 3 May 2024

Welcome

I am delighted to share with you the news that John Doy will take up the position of Academic Deputy from September, working closely with Mrs Bunce (Senior Deputy Head) to ensure we maintain our culture of academic success and high expectations for our students. In his new role, Mr Doy will continue to work closely with the new Head of Sixth Form, the recruitment for which is now underway. Mr Doy will, of course, ensure a seamless transition.

This week, the corridors have been filled with the sound of music, as we are hosting the Tunbridge Wells International Music Competition, showcasing the talents of over 100 competitors from around the globe. It has been a true delight! 

Please keep our Year 11 and 13s in your thoughts as they approach the examination season. We appreciate how hard they are currently working, however, we hope everyone manages to find some time to unwind and enjoy the bank holiday weekend.

Warm regards,

Deborah Bligh, Headmistress

Bronze DofE Practice Expedition

Last Friday and Saturday, 48 of our Year 9 girls took part in their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Practice Expedition, the culmination of two terms of expedition training. All the girls did really well throughout the two days, being pushed both physically and mentally as they navigated their way around the Mayfield area and camped on the school grounds overnight. For some girls, Friday night was their first ever experience of camping and the pleasures of waking up to birdsong at first light!

All the teams are now more experienced at putting up and down tents, cooking on a Trangia and navigating. Although most teams got “a little lost” over the course of the two days, everyone made it back to Mayfield, a little sore, muddy, wet and very tired but extremely proud of their achievements.

"We really liked the independence we were given on our Bronze Practice Expedition. Having to solve problems as a team together such as working out where we went wrong on our route with a map and correcting ourselves was great fun. We enjoyed the freedom to walk in the countryside with our friends and choosing where and when to have our breaks on our journey." - Florence and Lettie

My thanks as always go to the DofE staff at Mayfield for their hard work and dedication looking after the girls over the two days.

Mrs Mary Saunders, DofE Manager

Drama Scholars' Evening


On Monday evening the Mayfield drama scholars delighted an audience with some spectacular monologue and duologue performances. It was breathtaking to watch the diversity of work, which ranged from classics from Shakespeare, Chekhov and Wilde to modern gems from Victoria Wood and Tatty Hennessy. There was even some original work performed by Breanna in Year 12 - bravo! A fantastic evening, showcasing the talent that we endeavour to nurture at Mayfield, splendidly hosted by Alice and Breanna. 

Ms Victoria Nash, Director of Drama and Media

Year 8 Day of Recollection

On Monday, the girls in Year 8 explored new ways of understanding their Cornelian principle of 'Compassion', as their Day of Recollection unfolded. From foraging to Hapazome fabric art to mindful woodland walks, each activity illuminated the beauty of empathy and our connection with nature around us. It was a brilliant day of laughter, walking, creativity, and prayers. A huge thank you to Closer to the Land and Ashburnham Place - a wonderful, reflective time was had by all.

Dance Success for Jess

Jess had an amazing competition on Saturday at the Hotshots Dance Competition in Canterbury, where she ended her dance season with an incredible set of results. She placed first in the eight categories: Jazz Solo, Acro Solo, Contemporary Solo, Lyrical Trio, Jazz Trio, Lyrical Group, Ballet Group and Open Group. Jess was also awarded the CYD Dance Scholarship Award and the Hotshot Overall Dancer of the Day for Excellence Award. All of her dances have qualified for the National Finals to be held in November. Jess received glowing comments from the judges, including “wonderful stage presence”, “a stunning mature performance, gorgeous!”, and “beautiful lines and execution”.  Congratulations Jess!

 

Congratulations Tabatha

On Tuesday 2nd April Tabatha sat an IDTA Level 3 Dance Teaching Assistant exam. She has just found out that she has been awarded the highest level of distinction! This is the first exam she has taken on her journey to becoming a Dance Teacher and she aims to continue with the next levels. It also enables her to be employed as a Dance Teaching Assistant for grades up to grade four.

Congratulations Tabatha, and good luck!

Lily Shines in Netball Tournament


Congratulations to Lily in Year 9 who represented Kent Netball in the prestigious U15 squad at a county netball tournament in Bedfordshire over the weekend. She was awarded 'Player of the Tournament' for her performance in this, and was the best player in Kent!

Tee-rific Fun at Planet Golf

Last Saturday the Year 10 boarders enjoyed a fun-filled afternoon in Eastbourne, playing crazy golf in the dark followed by ice-creams, waffles and pancakes!

Planet Golf in Sovereign Harbour was the indoor venue for the mini golf, and this was greatly appreciated given the inclement weather last weekend. The girls went round the course in groups of three or four and despite the golf balls being neon colours, many still ended up lost! There was an interesting variety of techniques on show and despite varying degrees of success in actually putting the golf balls into the holes, the girls all seemed to have great fun.  Once the girls had enjoyed a couple of rounds, they were then able to treat themselves to waffles, ice-creams and pancakes in the ice cream parlour nearby, before returning to Mayfield late afternoon.

Mrs Rachel Testa, Head of French

Delicious Creations in Food & Nutrition

Last Saturday, girls from Leeds and Gabs tried out a new recipe - cinnamon swirl cookies! They looked and tasted great, so we can add that one to our repertoire.

 

In Culinary Skills, it was "Choux" week for the Year 12 girls, and they got creative with a range of flavours including elderflower and rose, raspberry and rose, mocha, and classic vanilla and chocolate.

Mrs Sue Smeaton, Head of Food & Nutrition

Year 9 Boarders Visit Thorpe Park

Last Sunday, Year 9 boarders had a fun-filled day exploring Thorpe Park. Lots of smiles and laughter were shared throughout the trip, especially since the weather had vastly improved from the day before! 

Geography News

The Year 13s recently handed in their completed Geography coursework (NEAs). This gave them an opportunity to investigate an area of interest from the Geography A Level specification. We had a range of topics covered, including:

  • Investigating how football clubs in London create a sense of place (this student hopes to become a sports journalist)

  • Investigating the quality of life in Hong Kong

  • Comparing redevelopment projects in Hong Kong (from a budding urban planner!)

  • A study into environmental and quality of life in communities in East Sussex

  • An investigation into how desirable living on St John's Road in Tunbridge Wells is

  • An investigation into the impact of wildfires in Ashdown Forest

  • Comparing the character of new and old parts of Marden

  • An investigation of the psammosere (sand dune ecosystem) at Holywell Bay and Perran Sands in Cornwall

There was such a great range of studies carried out which were fascinating to read. We encourage the girls to find aspects of the A Level course that are of a particular interest to them, or have a clear link to something they wish to study or work in as a career. The process starts again later this half term with the Year 12s!

Mr Christopher Adams, Head of Geography

Neural Activity in Psychology 

Year 12 Psychology students have been exploring some creative methods to support their understanding of some important concepts. Their knowledge of the brain was displayed in the making of pipe cleaner neurons and neuronal pathways. Play doh neurotransmitters were then used to show how communication is possible between neurons. Students commented that the tasks were not only fun but importantly helped them grasp some challenging ideas and demonstrate the benefits of active revision.

 

 
Miss Charmaine Noyes, Head of Psychology

Mayfield Riding Dinner 2024


This week saw Mayfield's riders gather for their annual dinner in Cloisters. It was an opportunity to celebrate another successful year for Mayfield's Equestrian teams!

Sports News

It was another busy but exciting sporting week for Mayfield this week, with some warmer weather arriving at last! 

U13 Cricket vs Brighton Girls
The U13A team started their season off with a bang! Flo won the toss and elected to field, and what a start we had, taking frequent wickets to bowl out the opposition for 29. We then managed to knock off the runs for the loss of just two wickets. A fantastic effort from all the girls, but a special mention must go to all the girls who played in their first hard ball game, as well as Flo for taking three wickets and conceding only six runs in her four overs.


The U13B made a good start to their cricket season on Wednesday with a tense game against Brighton Girls. Mayfield batted first and after some good partnerships throughout the innings, they made 78 from their 10 overs. Brighton Girls began their chase well, but some impressive fielding and tight bowling restricted Brighton to 73 - a victory for Mayfield by 5 runs. An impressive start with plenty of positives, well done girls! 

Batter of the game - Valentina; Bowler of the game - Amenze; Coaches player of the game - Katya

The U13C team played well against Brighton High on Wednesday. For many, it was their first experience of a full match, and it was great to see everyone give batting, fielding and bowling a go. All the girls played well, but a special mention to Christina for her scoring with the bat and Charlotte for her excellent bowling stats. In the field the girls applied pressure well and it was a close game, coming right down to the last couple of overs. Sadly we lost by eight runs, but a great game was played by all.

Diamond League Athletics 
On Saturday 27th April the girls headed to Eastbourne sports park to compete in the Diamond League. Despite the wet and soggy conditions, the girls' efforts were excellent and there were some great performances. The full report and detailed breakdown can be found on SOCS. A special mention must go to Emily in Year 7 who competed outside of her age group and managed a great time of 2.45.46 over 1500m.

Good luck to all the athletes competing this weekend at K2 Crawley! 

Upcoming Fixtures 
Tuesday 7th May - U18A and U15A Tennis vs Roedean school (Home)
Wednesday 8th May - U13 Cricket vs Lingfield (Home) 
Thursday 9th May - Athletics Diamond League (Hurst) 
Friday 10th May - Staff vs parents netball! 
Saturday 11th May - Cricket block vs Kent College 

Sports Dinner 2024
We are really excited to be hosting our annual sports dinner on Tuesday! We are at full capacity and how amazing to see so many girls participate in sport over the past year. We are looking forward to welcoming everyone and celebrating everything the girls have achieved.

Magic of Mayfield - Book Your Free Tickets

Get ready for an entertaining evening as Mayfield School presents 'Magic Of Mayfield', showcasing the talents of students from across the school. From captivating singing performances to sensational dance routines, and even a sprinkle of magic, this event promises to dazzle and delight. Mark your calendars for Thursday 16th May, and join us in supporting the whole school charity Maggie’s. Don't miss out on this unforgettable night of entertainment! 

Book your free tickets

OC Reunion

The annual Old Cornelian reunion is on Saturday 18th May 2024.

If you are a past pupil of Mayfield or St Leonard’s, we would love to welcome you.

Register Here

Next Wednesday, we will be welcoming our next speaker in the Cornelian Lecture Programme. Sigrid Koerner is a graduate of Jesus College, Cambridge and currently a doctoral student in the English Faculty at the University of Oxford. Her research addresses the intersection of visual arts and poetics in the late Middle Ages, with a particular focus on animated sculptures of Christ crucified. Sigrid is a visual artist and a graduate of City and Guilds of London Art School. She also has an active interest in regenerative farming.
 

Book your place

STEM Hero - May 2024

Many thanks to OC Colina Slade (1974) for providing us with this month's STEM Hero.

First page of the PDF file: STEMHeroMay2024

 

Mayfield Festival's Upcoming Performances

Next week, we are hosting a lunchtime concert given by our students on Wednesday 8th May and Liz Grand’s one woman play about the life of Enid Blyton on Thursday 9th May.

The Festival’s closing concert on Sunday 12 May features the School's Schola Cantorum as well as the delights of Puccini’s Messa di Gloria and Elgar’s Cello Concerto. This event is dedicated to the memory of Miss Beary.

These events are free to attend for our students (select a ‘25 and under’ ticket).  

Full details of all events are available at www.mayfieldfestival.co.uk and tickets can be purchased online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/mayfieldfestival

Mayfield Michaelmas Fair 2024


Save the date: Saturday 12th October 2024

If you, or anyone you know, would like a stall at this year’s Michaelmas Fair, please get in touch with Narelle at michaelmasfair@mayfieldgirls.org.

Calendar

Date Time  Event
07/05/24 08:20- 16:30 Year 8 History Trip to National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
07/05/24 18:15 - 20:45 Sports Dinner
08/05/24 13:40 - 14:30 Lunchtime Concert - Concert Hall
08/05/24 16:30 - 18:30 Inter House Food & Nut
08/05/24 19:00 - 20:00 Cornelian Lecture - Gresham - 
09/05/24 09:00 - 09:55 Whole School Mass - Ascension - Y10 and 12
09/05/24 11:15 - 12:10 Whole School Mass - Ascension - Y7-9 & 13
09/05/24 13:10 - 19:00 Diamond League Athletics, Hurstpierpoint College
09/05/24 15:00 - 17:00 Enid Blyton Play - Noddy, Big-Ears - Concert Hall
10/05/24 09:00 - 13:10 Study Leave starts for A Level - normal lessons P1-4
10/05/24 13:30 - 16:30 Y13 lunch/BBQ in Sixth Form Garden
10/05/24 - 12/05/24 3 days ROYMUN 2024 - Royal Hospital School, Ipswich

Mayfield Social Media Accounts

Instagram: 
Mayfield School - www.instagram.com/mayfieldschool
Mayfield Sport -  www.instagram.com/mayfield_sport
Mayfield Food and Nutrition - www.instagram.com/mgfoodandnut

Facebook:
School - www.facebook.com/mayfieldgirls
Alumnae - Old Cornelians | Facebook
Spark - www.facebook.com/MayfieldSPARKCamps

Twitter:
Mayfield School - @Mayfieldgirls
Mayfield Sport - @Mayfield_Sport
Mayfield Geography - @MGeographers
Mayfield Economics - @MayfieldECON
Mayfield Spark Camps - @MayfieldSPARKCamps                                   
Mayfield Library - @MGLibraries