Newsletter

Issue 36

Dear Parents

Our newsletter, yet again, highlights some of the many events and activities students have participated in during recent months.

I want to place on record my sincere thanks to all students for their hard work and commitment to the work of the school.

We are also extremely fortunate that staff at Mayfield Grammar School are prepared to devote many hours outside the classroom to support student activities from Foreign Language Exchange Programmes to Music, PE and Drama activities, as well as many other Curriculum trips, field trips, visits and journeys. I know students gain much from these activities and am also grateful parents are willing and able to support such initiatives.

As 2016 draws to a close I wish all students, staff and parents a very Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year.

Mrs. Wilson, Headteacher

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Autumn 2016 Edition

TERM 3

BEGINS TUESDAY 3 JANUARY 2017

ENDS FRIDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2017

TERM 4

BEGINS MONDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2017

ENDS FRIDAY 31 MARCH 2017

TERM 5

BEGINS TUESDAY 18 APRIL 2017

ENDS FRIDAY 26 MAY 2017

TERM 6

BEGINS MONDAY 5 JUNE 2017

ENDS THURSDAY 20 JULY 2017

DEVELOPMENT DAYS

FRIDAY 21 JULY 2017

MONDAY 24 JULY 2017

Each year, a design is chosen for the school’s Christmas Card

which is sent to contacts and associates of the school. This year,

it features artwork created by Phoenix Rain (now in Year 11).

New members of Staff In September we welcomed new teaching staff to our school. Mr Clements in English/Media,

Miss Bains in Maths, Mr Sharpin and Miss Mulley in Science and Miss Harrison in Languages.

To our support staff we welcomed Miss Webster to the Catering department, Mrs Spinks to the

Learning Supervisor team and Mr Wicks as ICT Network Manager.

We wish them all a happy and successful time at our school.

Staff Leaving for Pastures New On the last week of term, we say farewell to two members of staff. Mrs Israel, Teacher of IT and to

Miss Evans, Teacher of Technology who are both re-locating to other areas of the UK.

We wish them well for the future.

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The National Citizen Service run by Charlton Athletic Community Trust, allows young people to help their community by meeting and co-operating with other young people.

From my personal experience of NCS, I have been able to gain the confidence to talk to new people without having to rely on my sister to always be there for me. We also managed to get the Deputy Mayor and Mayoress of Gravesham to support us on our NCS journey, as well as the Mayor and Mayoress of Dartford. Everyone who has done NCS has taken home great memories and created amazing new friendships. The course comes with a lot of hard work and determination, but it is an incredibly fantastic experience which will allow you to develop and discover new skills.

The end of the NCS adventure is not always necessarily the end. We still meet up and NCS gives us the opportunity to be an ambassador for our school or to become a young leader and join CACT (Charlton Athletic Community Trust).

There are not only summer programmes, but spring and autumn ones too which allow all 15-17 year olds to take part in this life changing experience.

By Sabrina Ferrazza, Year 12

THINK – Have you got a water bottle that you could refill?

PLASTIC CUPS are not biodegrade-able, thus dumping them pollutes the environment – land and water. It destroys the quality of soil by preventing proper absorption of water and minerals and cannot be decomposed by microorganisms. It’s also very harmful for both terrestrial and aquatic animals, since these foreign materials persist in their natural habitat and put them at risk through ingestion, suffocation etc. Several other methods used for plastic disposal like incineration release harmful fumes and toxic gases like carbon monoxide into the environ-ment. Even the recycling of plastics consumes enormous amounts of energy.

Please help us protect our environment. We’ve been careless up to now with the way we’ve treated the Earth and it’s time to change; not just the way we do things but the way we think.

We are committed to helping the environment by re-cycling wherever possible. The new green pasta pots are recyclable. Please empty any leftover food and place them in the special bins provided.

David Dein – Speaker for Schools

On Friday 2nd December Years 11, 12 and 13 were given the opportunity to hear from David Dein, Arsenal Football Club’s previous Vice-Chairman and ex Vice-Chairman of the Football Association.

He provided an entertaining and motivating talk and students were given the opportunity to see ‘magic spray’ in action, albeit on the school stage rather than a football pitch. He provided many useful life tips including the importance of having the right attitude and behaviour for success and the motto of the turtle – ‘you need to stick your neck out’ to be successful.

Ms Cocks

Cashless catering update

The cashloader is still in significant use leading to lengthy queues and delays in the canteen. We really would appreciate it if you could pay for lunches online and keep the cashloader for emergency use rather than regular funding. When you pay online you get the added benefit of seeing the food choices which have been made in school. If you need a code to activate your online account please contact the finance office on finance@mgsg.kent.sch.uk The system does not automatically allow overdrafts and these are only available in an emergency. We would be grateful if you would ensure that accounts are kept in credit to avoid delays when buying food throughout the day. If you wish to complete a consent form for biometric registration then they are available to download from the website.

Canteen news We are currently looking at providing more “meal deals” which we will launch after Christmas. Suggestions for these and healthy eating ideas are always welcome. Please make your suggestions via the school council or speak to Mrs Walsh at a convenient time. We are also looking at providing a birthday lunch option so you can celebrate your day in style. More details will follow in the New Year.

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We awoke on the 14th July barely able to contain our excite-ment, with suitcases packed and cameras at the ready, we travelled to Heathrow to begin our journey to Phoenix, Arizona. We met our tour guide, Brenda, at the airport and were whisked away to our first hotel. Luckily this was opposite our first restaurant and so, jetlagged and warm, we traipsed across the road to the Texas Road House. Our first dinner was memorable, to say the least, as the waiters danced and we were served portions large enough to feed us all for the rest of the holiday.

On the first day we slathered on the sun cream and visited Montezuma’s castle and learned about rock formations from a ranger named Doug. The next stop was Sedona, a pretty little town in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. We also had the chance to go to Walmart that day, and so many of us stocked up on American delicacies, such as Poptarts and Twinkies.

The next day was what we had all been waiting for- the Grand Canyon. Stretching 227km long and 10-20 miles wide, the canyon was breathtaking. We spent much of the day taking in the views by walking along its rim, and at the end of the day went to an observatory to learn about the stars and our universe. With this theme in mind, we went to the Barringer Meteor Crater the next day. This crater was almost 170 me-tres deep and a mile wide and was literally in the middle of nowhere. With limited marvelling time, we jumped back into our coaches and drove to the Petrified Forest, which to many of our surprise is not actually a forest. We even saw some rain on our drive through the Painted Desert! Our next stop was the Canyon de Chelly, where we got to learn some of the Nav-ajo (Native American) language. We learned that yá'át'ééh (yah-tay) means hello and hágoóneeʼ (hag-oo-nay) means goodbye. The canyon was mostly orange and very pretty and was the perfect location for a group photo. After modelling our best poses, we were back on the coach and travelling to Page, Arizona, where we walked over the bridge above the Powell Dam and then went for possibly the largest order of ice cream in history. I think one of my favourite evenings followed

this, as we visited a family-owned restaurant called ‘Into the Grand’. We were treated to Navajo food and dancing and sat outside under a canopy of fairy lights. The next day, we rafted through the Glen Canyon although it was colder than we expected, it was an experience that none of us will forget in a hurry. The canyon was beautiful and we got to see some an-cient petroglyphs on its wall. We then journeyed over to the Bryce Canyon and later arrived in Utah- our second state!

The Zion National Park in Utah was beautiful and we hiked around some of it to get a good look at its waterfalls, rivers and nature. Then we embarked on what was probably our longest drive- Utah to Vegas. It was hard to believe that Vegas was actually real because of the huge, castle-shaped hotels with rollercoasters coming out the top, and with casinos, restaurants and whole shopping malls inside. We had the privilege of watching Cirque du Soleil while we were there and we sat transfixed through the whole performance. This was definitely a stand-out memory for me.

Los Angeles was another experience entirely. We toured the Dolby Theatre where the Oscars are held and saw the set for ‘America’s Got Talent’. We also got to walk the Walk of Fame, at which point we already felt like celebrities so felt entirely at home here. I think the fact we were staying in the hotel for the rest of our trip really was a highlight and we happily fell, relaxed, into bed that night. The next day we had our Hollywood tour. It was pretty exciting to see the sights in a topless car, wind blowing in our hair, in a city so far away from home. We even got to see the gate to Johnny Depp’s house! The afternoon was spent on the rides on Santa Monica pier and we ended the evening by watching the sun set. Universal Studios was definitely another highlight for me and I got to live my dream of becoming a wizard in the Harry Potter rides at the park. We all had a brilliant time and got to eat at Bubba Gumps in the evening. We aced the quiz as we had recently become Forrest Gump experts on the coach ride into Vegas. The last day was our last chance to spend our money, and spend it we did! So then with heavy hearts, and memories to last a lifetime, we boarded the plane home.

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On Wednesday 5 October, thirteen year 10 students and three members of staff (from the Science and Mathematics depart-ments) went on a school trip to Cranbrook, to attend a Women in Science and Engineering Conference. The event was hosted by Benenden School, an independent boarding school in Kent (which looks rather like Hogwarts!), in association with the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Campaign and the Royal Society of Chemistry.

The day was packed with information about pursuing careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathe-matics) – from what these careers can encompass, what subjects to study at A-level to get onto the most suitable university course or most relevant school-leaver programme - with a specific emphasis on improving the number of women and girls in these fields. The event allowed students to build on their knowledge of real-world applications of topics they are studying at school through lectures on topics in physics, stem cell biology, oil and manufacturing where the latter has links with engineering and technology. The day also consisted of panel sessions and panel questions with time for discussion and a speed networking event during the lunch-break. Renowned speakers, who were mostly women, at the confer-ence included academics from top Russell Group universities such as Imperial College London and King’s College London, and respected, successful professionals working in engineer-ing, biochemistry and coding to name a few industries. In addition, there were representatives from the Institute of Research in Schools, the Institute of Physics, Ada College London and Stemettes that students had opportunities to interact with, particularly during the speed networking event at lunch-time where students completed a science quiz to win some Amazon vouchers.

Although our MGSG girls did not win any prizes, the quiz was highly informative and students thoroughly enjoyed doing it, similarly to how they enjoyed the rest of the events that took place at the event. I am sure I can say on behalf of the students and staff who went on the trip that the free, surprise

snacks and lunch that Benenden School offered was an unex-pected but tasty addition to the day as well!

Reflecting back on the session, it is important for you, as students, to recognise that you can start to think about what career you would like to go into early on in your schooling. It is also important to emphasise that you should be open to a career in STEM. There are many successful women and girls in STEM courses at leading universities and in the workplace, and you can go into a career in STEM in the future too. No career should be limited to only males or females; both have different strengths generally speaking, but also individuals are unique and have their own personal talents which if put together can lead to wonderful improvements that will benefit society. Other reasons why women and girls should enter STEM careers is because the jobs are highly paid, there is plenty of opportunities for international travel and also quick progression in careers. Opportunities in STEM are varied and it is quite likely that there will be at least one profession that is of interest to you; you could become anything from a pharma-cist, researcher, information technology expert or engineer to a data analyst to name just a handful of these opportunities. To extend your knowledge and build on any interests in STEM that you may have there are numerous extra-curricular activities that WISE Campaign and its associates organise throughout the country that you can get involved with. Some of the projects that were discussed at the conference are ones that MGSG is trying to get involved with. Further details will be provided in due course.

More information about the Women in Science and Engineer-ing Campaign can be found on their website at https://www.wisecampaign.org.uk/. If you would like any further infor-mation please feel free to let a member of staff in either the Mathematics or Science department know. Miss Bains

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In Design and Technology, Year 9 have been work-ing hard on their industry set project for the Design Museum, Design Ventura. The competition is very popular within schools across the UK and students compete at national level. The theme of ‘Change’ has sparked lots of ideas amongst the year group and they have been completing some excellent research and designs of potential product ideas.

Mrs H Campbell

Baking and Textiles club started in Term 1 and has been a great success so far. Subject prefects in the Sixth Form run the clubs and have been sharing their expert skills with Years 7-10. Students in Textiles Club made Christmas Stockings and in Baking Club, students follow a themed recipe each week. Both clubs run from 3.30 till 5pm every Thursday at the IN building. They are currently full but look out for updates on spaces over the next few terms.

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'Mnemonic' at Sevenoaks School 10th October

What is memory? Who are we and where do we come from? These were just some of the questions that were explored in an exciting theatre production - Mnemonic - at Sevenoaks School. A group of 35 students and staff from Mayfield enjoyed a thought-provoking and visually stunning production of this play, first created in 1999 by the physical theatre company, Complicite. Through movement, sound and a very simple set design, we were taken on a journey to the mountains where the 5,000 year old body of a man was discovered; we also followed a young man's search for his girlfriend who in turn was searching across Europe for her father. The inter-relatedness of events and chance hap-penings, the stories that we tell and the repetitions and ech-oes that we observe remind us that no matter who we are or where or when we lived, our desire to know and to under-stand our past is what connects us.

We are looking forward to our next theatre visit when we take year 7 and 8 students to see 'Peter Pan' at the National Theatre in London.

Mrs Jones and Mr Wellens

Peter Pan Trip

On 1st December, some of the Year 7s and 8s went on a trip to the National Theatre in London to see Peter Pan. Before we went into the theatre, each group ex-plored the South Bank and Christmas Market stalls. We saw Big Ben, the London Eye and the River Thames. We then went back to the theatre and ate our tea. When we started watching Peter Pan, we real-ised that it had a slight twist to it. Nana (the dog) was a human being, Tinkerbell was a man and Captain Hook was a woman. We all really liked it that way, as it was very funny. At the end of the show we were able to buy a programme and a few sneaky sweets. Overall everyone really liked the show and seeing London; we would really recommend this wonderful experience.

By Olivia Keenan and Katie Williamson, Y7

The LRC continues to be a vibrant hub of the School at break and lunchtimes, frequently filled with large numbers of students carrying out (for the most part!) intelligent discussion, as befits our students. Much use also is made of our long hours of opening, both before and after school with students coming down to finish (start??) their work. The Year 7s settled in well with their fortnightly library lessons in the LRC. It is pleasing to see how many are now actually borrowing books on a regular basis. Take advantage of the resources in your school LRC - it is there for you to use and we have also had a recent re-organisation of the fiction shelves to give better sight-lines and improve access. Competitions! There was an LRC competition to celebrate the centenary of the birth of the children's author, Roald Dahl, born on 13th September 1916. Dahl certainly needs no introduction as the author of numerous renowned children's stories and the LRC recently ran a fun poster competition in honour of the occasion. I am pleased to announce that the winner of the first LRC competition of the new school year was Paige Salter of 7D whose entry was the first drawn. Congratulations again to Paige who won a Waterstone's gift voucher. Many congratulations to Yasmin Lidder of 7R whose winning entry was the first correct one drawn in Mr Martin's recent LRC Literary Quiz. Yasmin wins a £5 Bluewater voucher. There were a number of correct entries received, which was gratifying to see. To everyone who entered - my commiserations go to those who were unlucky on this occasion but do not despair as I will be holding new LRC competitions and quizzes in the New Year with further chances to win prizes! Mr Martin LRC

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News from the English Department Spooky Story Competition In October a short story competition was held, inviting students across the school to write an original ‘spooky’ story. Many entries were received, largely from girls in Years 7-9 and featuring varying degrees of atmosphere and suspense, ghostliness and plain gore! The winner of the competition was Anjleen Devgun in 8L for her story, ‘The Rope around our Necks’ and the runner-up was Beth Howe, also in 8L, whose story was called simply, ‘Tick. Tick. Tick.’ Year 7 and Year 8 Reading Challenge We encourage all the students in the school to read widely and regularly, not just as a means to improve their written and oral English skills and their knowledge of literature, but also, importantly, as a way to relax and ‘switch off’ to the bustle of everyday life. To promote their reading habit, girls in Years 7 and 8 take part in the Reading Challenge, which offers bronze, silver and gold awards for those who complete the various tasks at each level. It gives the girls ideas for exploring different genres of literature and then for reflecting on what they have read, by producing their own book reviews, quizzes etc. The following girls in 7W are to be congratulated on completing the bronze award since September: Jodie Wallace, Zara Halliday, Isabelle Northern, Nisha Sidhar, Karam Sian, Marsella Asadi. Further congratulations to Jodie Wallace, who has also already finished the silver award – a real achievement. Year 7 Year 7 students have been using their creative skills to write their own free verse, based upon the theme of the poem, ‘This is Just to Say’, written in 1934 by the American poet, William Carlos Williams. Some interesting poems were produced and two of the best are included here:

This is Just to Say I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox and which you were probably saving for breakfast Forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold William Carlos Williams

This is Just to Say I have robbed your house when you enter to your left you will see a cracked mirror I cracked it. On your right broken plates, turned up drawers and no jewellery I am wearing it. As you go upstairs you will see shattered photo frames, pulled up carpet and your money missing I am spending it. This is just to say I have robbed your house. Ella Ryan 7D

This is Just to Say I have torn your pillow that is on the sofa and that you were probably going to sit on I’m sorry it was fun it was so soft and so relaxing. Meeow. Chrystal Touch 7D

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On the evening of 24th November, 47 Year 9 students and five teachers embarked on a six hour coach journey to Aachen. As we travelled through the night, everyone managed to at least, have a snooze during the journey. We arrived in Aachen at 5am, allowing us to get much needed sleep in the coach and we actually slept better in a stationary vehicle (thanks to our driver keeping the heating going). We sadly had to wake the students at 6.30am and we then made our way to Café van den Daele where we had a breakfast of Brötchen (bread rolls, and croissants with jam and chocolate spread), hot chocolate and coffee. The next step of our visit was a quick guided tour of the city of Aachen where students learnt about the history from the Roman settlements due to the hot springs to Charlemagne in the 9th century, who made Aachen the capital of his empire. We also saw many of Aachen’s fountains (including an inter-esting one with moveable brass puppets). The tour finished in Aachen Cathedral where Mr Wellens, who is a tour guide of the cathedral for life, fought his way past the other guides to give our students a closer look at this impressive building. After the tours the students could spend some time on the Christmas Market where they could sample some Printen

(Aachen’s ginger bread speciality), other German foods and buy some presents for their friends and families – which they all enjoyed greatly. We then ate lunch in a traditional Brauhaus, allowing us to warm up over Bratwurst, Schnitzel and Pommes (chips!). After lunch, the students visited a grammar school in the city centre (the Kaiser-Karls-Gymnasium) and met some German students for a language exchange. They also were given guided tours through the school to get a better feel for what attending a grammar school in Germany is like. After saying goodbye to new friends, the students had anoth-er opportunity to visit the Christmas Market to have food for dinner and to do some last shopping - all the while it was getting dark and the lights were on, giving everyone a warm, Christmassy feeling. After an exhausting day, the students walked back to the coach park with impressive pace - mostly due to the Lindt factory outlet store being next to the coach park, where we were able to stock up on our chocolate reserves for the Christmas season. Well done to the Year 9 students who were very well be-haved and thank you to all the teachers for giving up their free time to join in to make this trip so successful. Mr Lobo

Kaiser Karls Gymnasium

French Exchange

On Friday 25th November we welcomed students from our partner school in Pontarlier, France. Everyone who participated enjoyed the experience with their new friends and were sad to say good-bye a week later. Most of our students will be making the return visit to Pontarlier in February 2017 and we look forward to reading about their experience.

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Ms Sayers, Subject Leader of Music

Music Examinations The following students passed their ABRSM / Guildhall Trinity Music exams. Well done! Name Year Instrument Grade Iesha Agnihotri 8 Piano 1 Maria Jarvis 8 Singing 1* Olivia Roper 8 Piano 2* Harleen Mudahar 10 Violin 3 Emma Bullimore 10 Violin 3 Priyanka Ramchunder 11 Violin 3

Individual Success Hannah Runting in 9A has been offered a place in the Kent County Youth Orchestra as a harpist following audition. This is a huge achievement for someone so young, well done Hannah. Music For Youth Schools Prom Trip On 16th November 25 students from Years 8 to 13 participated on a trip to the Royal Albert Hall where we were treated to a concert featuring 1000 young people. The music performed included a steel drum band, rock band, a Roma orchestra and a full symphony orchestra. Our students really enjoyed seeing and hearing the performers. Christmas Concert On Tuesday 29th November 40 performers took to the stage and performed a wonderful variety of music to a packed audience. We saw excellent performances from the Choir, Glee, Lower School Orchestra and Concert Orchestra and were treated to high level solos and small group items. Our soloists were: Ellie Burns, Chierika Emeka, Neda Moosavi, Grace Oputa, Alex Orchard, Nisha Sidhar and Jodie Wallace (Year 7); Kitty Boston, Mia Cooper, Maria Jarvis and Katie Purvis (Year 8); Ellie Nixon (Year 10); Beck Alcock, Harmony Chapman and Isabelle Raby (Year 11); Lauren Lynn, and Jaw Nopphawing (Year 13). Well done to everyone who took part.

Music Clubs Choir The School Choir, directed by Miss Orton, is going from strength to strength and members are have been working on The Music of the Night from Phantom of the Opera and The Heavenly Aeroplane. New members are always welcome, Choir is open to students in all years and you do not have to be able to read music. Also, there are no auditions.

Lower School Orchestra We have been working on the theme music from the original James Bond movie and music for the Christmas Concert. Lower School Orchestra is for anyone in Years 7 and 8 who plays an instrument and new members are always welcome. There are parts for all standards of player, from a beginner to grade 3 or 4 standard.

Concert Orchestra We worked on a medley of famous tunes from Carmen by the French composer Bizet and some festive music. Concert Orchestra is for students in the Upper School and Sixth Form and any student in the Lower School who is grade 4 and above. New members are always welcome.

In Glee we have had the topics of female singers, male singers, R ‘n’ B and Disney, giving a wide range of students an oppor-tunity to use their voices. We also had a session where we improved a musical story, working on lyric writing, rhythm and tune. I hope to see more people taking on even greater challenge next term.

* with merit ** with distinction

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There have been many fixtures played already this year with MGSG experiencing many successes. Credit goes to all the girls for their hard work and effort whilst in training and during fixtures. I would also like to take this time to thank the staff and parents who also spend hours supporting and helping our students achieve their potential. The FA Girls’ Football Week (w/c 10th October) Mayfield Grammar School was invited to take part in an afternoon on 13th October to celebrate Girl’s Football Week which was held at Strood Leisure Centre in Rochester. Schools from across the country arrived and took part in a variety of activities relating to football.

CHARLOTTE LADE – Football freestyling world champion The students got to meet Charlotte and have a freestyling masterclass from the world champion. Charlotte is widely regarded as one of the top female football freestylers in the world. Charlotte has worked alongside some of the biggest names in Football including Cristiano Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand and most recently featured alongside Wayne Rooney in the hit Sky One TV show, Wayne Rooney's Street Striker.

The students also were able to take part in a goal keeping masterclass and a refereeing course. All this was followed by a tournament.

Emily wins gold at the Hertfordshire Pentathlon On Sunday 26

th June, Emily Frimpong took part in the

under 13 Hertfordshire Pentathlon at Hemel Hempstead. Out of the 5 events her results were as follows:

High Jump – 1st place with a jump of 1.42m 70m Hurdles – 1st place with a time of 11.9 seconds Long jump – 1st place with a jump of 4.64m Shot Putt – 2nd place with a throw of 7.67m 800m – 4th place with a time of 2m 49 seconds That gave her a total of 2426 points which easily secured 1

st place. Even more impressive, is that her

performance now ranks Emily the Number 1 Pentathlete in the whole of the UK for her age group!