E-weekly Issue 277 - 4 October 2024

Welcome

It has been wonderful to see so many of you at our parental breakfasts this week. These gatherings provide a great opportunity to connect and strengthen our school community.

We are looking forward to hosting our first Grandparents’ Day at Mayfield on Monday. Grandparents play a special role in their grandchildren's lives, offering support, wisdom, and love. We are excited to welcome those who can join us for what I am sure will be a joyous occasion.

Last night, I had the pleasure of joining our Year 9 students on their residential trip at Ashburnham Place. I sat around the campfire with them, roasting marshmallows and enjoying the sense of adventure and camaraderie that these trips so wonderfully foster. It was fantastic to witness the students’ bonding as they spent valuable time in each other’s company.  

Another highlight has been welcoming back our Model United Nations students from their trip to Poland. It is inspiring to see our students engaging in such thoughtful debates and developing their understanding of global issues. We are incredibly proud of the success our students and look forward to further MUN events in the coming months.

Finally, I wanted to let you know that I’ll be visiting Hong Kong soon, from October 16th to 18th. I would love to take the opportunity to meet with any parents who are based there. I hope we can come together to celebrate our shared connection to the Mayfield family. Please contact Luciana, my EA, on lfrangella-cramp@mayfieldgirls.org, if you would like to meet.

Warm regards,

Deborah Bligh, Headmistress

In the News This Week...

Dates for your Diary from The Friends...

Year 7
Coffee at The Deer Park Cafe, Sham Farm Road, Eridge, TN3 9JB - 9am on Friday 18^th October.

Year 9
Coffee morning on Friday 11^th October at 9am - 'The Sussex Gardener', Mark Cross, TN6 3PJ. Everyone is very welcome to pop in at any time.

Year 10
Parents' drinks and/or food at The White Bear, Tunbridge Wells (TN1 1YB) on Thursday 10^th October.

Michaelmas Fair - Saturday 12^th October

ToMUN Trip to Poland

Last week, six of us had the incredible opportunity to attend the 9^th edition of ToMUN in Toruń, Poland. The conference was excellent - themed after addressing the questions posed by our technological world with all the pragmatism and imagination it necessitates. The standard of debate was equally excellent, with much fruitful discussion on a diverse range of related topics. Across committees, questions involved cyberwarfare, autonomous weapons and the ethics of raising children in a post-internet world - with much time for fun (and, of course, dancing the Rasputin) in between. Through debating these topics, I know that we were able to not only improve our speaking, but to think even more critically about the emergently technological and ever complex world around us, and to, through the course of the weekend, work alongside our peers to draft resolutions that would hopefully do some good in solving them. 

Beyond our debates, highlights included a walking tour of the city's beautiful gothic old town led by one of our committee chairs and, of course, trying pierogies and Toruń's famous gingerbread. We are all hugely grateful to have had this opportunity - and know that, beyond the actual debates themselves, we have each made friends all across Europe and beyond for life. 

Many thanks to Mrs Kilvington, Ms Rakowska, all the organisers and our host families for making this possible. 

Katie, Year 13

National Poetry Day at Mayfield

On National Poetry Day, girls in Year 7 and 8 competed in our annual Poetry Eisteddfod. The girls performed some beautiful poetry which they had all learned by heart. We enjoyed a range of poems including ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, ‘London’ by William Blake, ‘Sick’ by Shel Silverstein and ‘The Russian Doll’ by Rachel Rooley.

While the judges (Mrs Blagden and Mrs Leslie) made their important deliberations, the girls participated in a poetry workshop on the theme of ‘counting’.

Congratulations to all the girls for a fantastic morning, and especially to the winners below.  

Year 7
Solo winners: Romilly and Ella (runner up)
Group winners: Annabella and Isabella; Ina-Mae and Sophia
Highly commended: Leonie, Olivia, Sofia and Marcela

Year 8
Solo winners: Isla and Nancy (runner up)
Group winners: Aurelie and Emily; Janie and Alice
Highly commended: Helena, Edie and Amaya

Mrs Laura Parrett, Second in English

Ceramics, Art & Textiles Trip to V&A Museum

Last Saturday, a number of students were taken on a trip to the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The girls had lots of fun exploring themes and ideas that could influence their own work, and a few girls were spotted dressing up in some elaborate theatre costumes during their visit. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their time at the museum, and hopefully it has given them food for thought in where their own projects are heading this year.

Year 11 Geographers Investigate Tunbridge Wells

Year 11 Geography students went to Tunbridge Wells this week to carry out some fieldwork as part of their GCSE Geography course. They were investigating the hypothesis 'Is Tunbridge Wells a sustainable settlement?' and they carried out questionnaires, environmental quality surveys and land use surveys across the town centre. It was great to see the confidence and politeness that the students showed in front of the public, and the inciteful analysis that they gave in our discussion session back at school. We will now put this information together with some secondary data and information to provide evidence to see if our hypothesis can be supported.

Mr Christopher Adams, Head of Geography

News From Learning Support

As part of the NHS England South East All-age Neurodiversity Programme, a number of SENCos, including myself, took part in a virtual focus group last week.

The South East All-age Neurodiversity Programme’s vision is to support people across the South East in accessing the right advice, support, and services for their needs to be addressed prior to receiving an Autism and/or ADHD diagnosis, once a diagnosis has been received, and/or if they choose not to be assessed for a formal diagnosis.

One of their workstreams is to develop a South East regional case for change and an associated framework to support the development of a Strength and Needs Led approach for Children and Young People (CYP) across the South East, aimed at supporting individuals and their families with or without a formal diagnosis of autism and/or ADHD.

They would like to invite parents, for whom this may be relevant, to assist in completing this anonymous survey.

Survey

The survey aims to gather insights on:

• The main reasons parents and carers seek an autism or ADHD assessment for their child or young person.
• The challenges faced by families during the assessment process.
• Inequities that may be experienced in accessing services.
• Barriers to accessing ‘strengths and needs’ led support for young people with or without a confirmed diagnosis.

The deadline for this survey is Tuesday 5^th November 2024.

Mrs Emma Martin, SENCo

Year 9 Residential

On Thursday the girls had the opportunity to try Samba drumming and thinking about how they all need to work together, that this can happen in any language including through music. As an art project, they have created beautiful artwork from flowers around the estate and collaborated together, sharing their ideas and learning about each others strengths. Volunteering in the gardens at Ashburnham, thinking about how they can give back to the community they are in and looking at what they can achieve by working together. Each tutor group creating something for our evening feast; hummus, flatbreads, baklava, rhubarb and fig cordial. Finally, a letter to themselves, setting goals, thinking about who they want to be in the future; what would they like to achieve; how will things change on their journey through middle school. 

After enjoying our evening feast together, we took to the dance floor and tried some Ceilidh, before making our way to a campfire; for songs, hot chocolate and marshmallows. Mrs Bligh also joined us to reflect on our day together, using the poem 'Footprints':

One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You'd walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me."

He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you."

Friday saw Ronan join us for our Day of Recollection, thinking about our Year 9 Cornelian principal of Integrity, where we joined together to take a walk of the lake in the beautiful morning sun; created sushi as a community for our lunch and joined in with Samoan Circles, a way to think about our ethical compass and dig into the discussion of 'Is Good and Bad the same as Right or Wrong?' 

"My best thing was making sushi and taking a walk to find all the different mushrooms. I really liked the dancing as I did it with all of my friends" - Tabatha

"I really enjoyed the art project, as we could go outside to find the flowers; and then come together as a tutor group to see our ideas turn into art" - Vanessa

"I really enjoyed the residential as there were various activities like art, drumming and making sushi. It was a new experience for me and I really liked being with my friends and learning multiple things on this trip!" - Dilys

Thank you to all of the Year 9 tutors and those who supported the trip. Also, thanks go to Tim at Ashburnham and the fabulous team who welcomed the girls and cared for them during our time here. 

Mrs Le Riche, Head of Year 9

Biology Week Photo Competition

To celebrate Biology Week 2024 - 7^th to 11^th October - we are running a Wildlife Photography competition which is open to all staff, students and parents. The submitted photograph can be of any aspect of wildlife you choose. The photographs will be on display in the Biology corridor throughout Biology Week and the winners will be announced in the e-weekly on Friday 11^th October.

Mrs Rachel Davies, Teacher of Biology

Mentoring at Mayfield

Our mentoring programme is well underway and our Sixth Form mentors are already being well utilised for both listening and subject support.  All our mentors have had the relevant safeguarding training and are ready to help in any way they can!

Izzy, our Mental Health and Wellbeing Prefect, works with a number of Sixth Formers who have been trained to be listeners and are willing to chat and be a sounding board for any girls who need someone a little older and possibly wiser to talk to.

Breanna, our Teaching and Learning Prefect, leads the subject mentors. Subject mentors are a great means of support for any student who is struggling in a particular subject and could do with some 1:1 support. 

If you would like your daughter to access the mentoring programme, please email Mrs Stone on jstone@mayfieldgirls.org or Mr Warren on dwarren@mayfieldgirls.org

Teatime Concert - Thursday 10^th October

On Thursday 10^th October at 16.45 in Gresham, we will be hosting our first teatime concert of the year. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available, and the concert will consist of performances on violin, piano, cello, clarinet and voice. If you would like to attend, please email rallen@mayfieldgirls.org to advise how many seats are required by the end of the day on Monday 7^th October.

Where in the World?

Well done to Emma in Year 9 who got the correct answer in first for last week's competition, getting a house point! The answer was Essaouira in Morocco. It was used for some of the scenes in Games of Thrones for locations in 'Slavers Bay'. 

This week's place is in the photo below. The first correct answer sent to Darcy, gets a house point!

Clues:

• It's in Asia

• It appeared in an Indiana Jones film

Justice and Peace 'Sleep Out' Fundraiser

Join Justice & Peace in supporting the Cardinal Hume Centre, a non-profit organisation, which helps families, children and young people to overcome poverty and avoid homelessness in London.

Cardinal Hume Centre
A group of Mayfield girls are going to sleep outside, in the Chapel entrance, in November to experience a glimpse of the reality of what homeless people go through. Without phones, access to creature comforts or the general privileges of our daily lives, we hope to create an experience that is as authentic as possible.

We aim to raise even more money than last year! Please support us if you can. Thank you.

Donate here

On the (Eye) Ball

Year 11 have been learning about the eye for their GCSE Biology topic on homeostasis. This week we dissected cow eye balls to explore the structure and discuss the role of each part. Gabi particularly enjoyed this activity and made hers into a work of art, delighting in the contrasting tissues she found.

The photo is linked below - just in case anyone is squeamish!

Gabi's cow eye

Mrs Rachel Davies, Teacher of Biology

Jemima Continues Her Riding Success

After Jemima and Barney's recent success competing in the British Dressage Petplan National Championships, on Wednesday they delivered another outstanding performance in their Advanced Medium Music class to come 4^th place, and were also awarded the highest placed under 21 rider and the highest placed senior horse for Barney.

Unfortunately the venue in Lincolnshire has been subject to torrential rain over the last few days and the outdoor arenas are completely flooded, so Jemima and Barney will have to wait until Saturday to compete in their second class. 

Congratulations Jemima, and good luck with the event this weekend!

Photo of the Week

Many thanks to Martyna for her photo of St Dunstan's church through the foliage of Mayfield School.

We would love to receive submissions for future 'photo of the week' stories. Please send your chosen photos to jtompsett@mayfieldgirls.org.

MESSy News

MESSy would like to encourage students and their families to attend the following events taking place, organised by Mayfield Climate Action, which MESSy has been working with. Mayfield Climate Action is a local group that campaigns on various environmental and sustainability projects in the local area. They're currently campaigning to reduce light pollution. They have the following events coming up:

• There will be a night time walk on Thursday 17^th October, in support of Mayfield becoming an International Dark Sky Community.
  
  Night Walk - Thu 17th Oct

• There is a lecture on Monday 4^th November at 7pm in the Concert Hall, entitled 'Why Dark Skies Matter'. Dan Oakley is an expert on dark skies and led the South Downs National Park's successful application to become an International Dark Skies Reserve. As parishes across High Weald, including Mayfield, band together in seeking to protect their night skies, who better to explain why this is more than a vanity project, with crucial implications for our health and the world in which we live.
  
  Why Dark Skies Matter Poster

In anticipation of Dan Oakley's talk on 'Why Dark Skies Matter on Monday 4^th November, MESSy looked at light pollution in Mayfield and what we can do to maintain our dark skies.

The good news! We have heard back from Mayfield's Climate Action group who carried out a recent investigation into light pollution in Mayfield village. They took light meter readings in different locations within the village and overall they show that the parish is seriously dark, with some good, high (i.e. dark) readings even in the heart of the village.

Mapping light pollution in Mayfield from Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE)

Darkness is essential for life. Light cycles affect human health and are crucial to the survival of many animal and plant species. Approximately 70% of mammals and 60% of all known species are nocturnal. The ecological destruction from artificial light at night severely affects ecosystems.

So as dark skies are healthier for humans and wildlife, we should do our bit to keep our starry skies in Mayfield. A few suggestions:

1. Use Outdoor Lighting Responsible: Should only be used when necessary and should be directed downwards to minimise the spread of light. Installing shielded light fixtures helps focus the light where it is needed and prevents it from illuminating the night sky unnecessarily.
2. Opt for Low-Intensity, Warm-Coloured Lighting: While LED lights are energy-efficient, many emit harsh blue light, which is harmful to wildlife and disrupts human sleep patterns. Choose warmer-coloured lights (below 3000K) for outdoor use to minimise these impacts.
3. Install Motion Sensors and Timers: Installing motion sensors and timers on outdoor lights can significantly reduce unnecessary lighting. These ensure that lights are only on when needed and automatically turn off during hours when they aren’t in use.
4. Turn Off Lights When Not Needed: A simple but effective way to reduce light pollution is to make sure lights are switched off when not in use. Encourage your neighbours to do the same and work together to reduce the overall amount of light in your area.  And don’t forget to close your curtains!
5. Advocate for Dark-Sky Friendly Policies: Local councils and organisations can help reduce light pollution by adopting dark-sky-friendly policies. These may include regulations on outdoor lighting, encouraging the use of shielded fixtures, and implementing light curfews in certain areas.

Written by Chloe in Year 13.

Chaplaincy News

'Give Me, Good Lord' - Thomas More
Glorious God, give me grace to amend my life, and to have an eye to my end without begrudging death, which to those who die in you, good Lord, is the gate of a wealthy life.
And give me, good Lord, a humble, lowly, quiet, peaceable, patient, charitable, kind, tender and pitiful mind, in all my works and all my words and all my thoughts, to have a taste of your holy, blessed Spirit.
Give me, good Lord, a full faith, a firm hope, and a fervent charity, a love of you incomparably above the love of myself.
Give me, good Lord, a longing to be with you, not to avoid the calamities of this world, nor so much to attain the joys of heaven, as simply for love of you.
And give me, good Lord, your love and favour, which my love of you, however great it might be, could not deserve were it not for your great goodness.
These things, good Lord, that I pray for, give me your grace to labour for.

Amen.

Next Week's Daily Prayers

Next Week's Daily Prayers

Mass Times
Mass this weekend is on Saturday at 5:00pm. All members of the Mayfield community are welcome to join us.
Please note that there is no Mass on Tuesday evening.

Mr Ronan Lavery, Lay Chaplain

Sports News

Saturday Block v Ashford 
The 1^st XI defended well for the majority of the first half but after a momentary lapse of concentration, they found themselves behind. Ashford won the game 6-0 but Cordie, playing in goal, was girl of the game.

The U15A squad made the journey to Ashford with just 11 players due to injuries. Despite this, the girls put in a good shift but sadly the game finished 4-0 to Ashford. However, the girls continue to develop and improve which is positive.

The U14A were beaten 4-0 in a game which was a lot closer than the scoreline reflects. Ashford took their chances, but on another day it could have been a different result.

Full match reports for the above games can be found on SOCS.

Swimming Relays
The Inter Team travelled to Pavilions in the Park in Horsham on Wednesday to take part in the annual county round of the swimming relays. They swam well and the team, consisting of Amelia, Kitty, Erin and Savannah, who have been swimming together for many years now, were placed fifth in their heats in the freestyle relay and fourth in the medley relay (narrowly missing out on third!).

We now look forward to a full squad gala against Benenden on Monday.

Hockey Block v Roedean
The U13A girls played brilliantly and were rewarded with a 4-0 win over Roedean on Wednesday. Another solid performance as they look to build on a promising start.

The U13B team went down 5-0 against Roedean, but were able to learn an incredible amount from the first half to the second, so this is an extremely encouraging sign for the season.

The U13C team consisted of a few students who have only played Hockey once before. They narrowly went down 1-0 to Roedean, but a special mention must go to Olivia who worked incredibly hard throughout the game.

The U13D team learnt an incredible amount in their fixture on Wednesday. Again, a first fixture for many; they defended immensely well but in the end, lost the game 1-0.

The U13E team had a tough game against Roedean and were unable to attack with purpose. There was a big improvement in the second half but unfortunately, the girls lost 7-0.

The U13F team worked immensely hard to defend their goal in the first half and were able to offer more of an attacking threat going forwards in the second half. Despite this, we couldn’t draw level and lost 2-0.

Full match reports for the above games can be found on SOCS.

U13 Somerhill Cross Country
U13A Winners! The girls in lower school continued their success this year as they attended and won the Somerhill Cross Country event. A special mention to Emily who finished sixth overall. Well done girls, a truly remarkable effort that you should all be proud of!

A full report from the day can be found on SOCS.

U15A Hockey v Bede’s
The U15A team continued to make progress without the results (or goals) to show for it as they went down 5-0 against a good Bede’s side. The girls will get their rewards soon enough as their work rate and effort is faultless. Again, a match report can be found on SOCS.

Upcoming Fixtures
Saturday 5^th October - U18 National Schools (Netball) @ Roedean - 9:00am start.
Monday 7^th October - 2^nd XI Hockey Fixture v Bede’s @ Mayfield - 16:45 start.
Monday 7^th October - U13, U15 + U18 Swimming Gala @ Benenden - 17:30 start.
Tuesday 8^th October - U14A Hockey Fixture v Bede’s @ Mayfield - 15:00 start.
Tuesday 8^th October - U14B Hockey Fixture v Bede’s @ Bede’s - 14:00 start.
Wednesday 9^th October - U13A + U13B Hockey Fixture v Lingfield @ Mayfield - 14:30 start.
Wednesday 9^th October - U13C Hockey Fixture v Lingfield @ Mayfield - 15:15 start.
Wednesday 9^th October - U12A + U12B Hockey Fixture v Lingfield @ East Grinstead Hockey Club - 14:30 start.
Wednesday 9^th October - U12C Hockey Fixture v Lingfield @ East Grinstead Hockey Club - 15:15 start.
Thursday 10^th October - 1^st XI Hockey tournament @ Marden Hockey Club - 10:00 start.

The Wellbeing Hub - What's On This Week