MGGS Development Trust Christmas Newsletter 2019

BY LILA BREWER ALUMNI RELATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT TRUST OFFICER

The Return of the Tunnels An update from our Headteacher, Miss Deborah Stanley

Our current students as well as many of our alumni are aware of the Second World War tunnels that we can access at the rear of the school, together with Miss Helen Keen’s contemporary art work from that time, which has become more widely known through ‘A Schoolgirl’s War’ written by Mary Smith. The last picture in Miss Keen’s collection of Second World War paintings at MGGS dates from 1948 and is entitled ‘The end of the trenches’. Those who are observant will have noticed that this painting is not from the rear of the school, but the front, as the land is clearly rising.

In summer 2019 we were privileged that the Kent Underground Research Group rediscovered the entrance to these tunnels and we were able to explore underground. The tunnels at the front of the school are a mirror image of those at the rear of the school and are in better condition.

As with the tunnels at the rear of the school, the walls have been used by teachers to assist learning. These have all been documented by the team from Kent Underground Research Group, and in due course we hope to make more widely available. Of most interest, was the drawing below. At the bottom of the drawing is written the name, Marion. If anyone knows who this might be we would be interested to hear from you.

If you have visited the school since summer 2019 you will not have noticed these tunnels.

For

health

and

safety

reasons

we

refilled

the

entrance.

The

school’s

Development Trust have agreed to fund the opening of these tunnels so that we can take groups of people down. We know so many MGGSA (MGGS Alumni) and others are very interested in the school’s history and we are now working to make the tunnels more widely accessible. In order to do this we are planning to build an extension on our current Sports Hall to create a visitor centre to be open to the public during school holidays. There clearly is a cost to this project and Lila Brewer, our Development Trust Officer, is currently leading on our fundraising campaign called ‘A Step in Time’ to generate the funds needed for this project.

If you would like to learn more and find out how you can help support this project you can email Lila directly on dto@mggs.org or look at our website:

https://www.mggs.org/connected-community/development-trust-office

The school’s motto: 'non sibi sed omnibus': ‘not for oneself but for all’, is something we firmly believe in. We are privileged as a school to have such a fantastic historical resource, which we believe we should share with the wider community. We hope you will join us in making this a reality.

Miss Deborah Stanley Headteacher

In a world that is so busy 'doing', this garden can be a space to 'be' rather than 'do'.

THE WOODLAND GARDEN OUR SPACE TO REMEMBER AND REFLECT The MGGS Development Trust was delighted to welcome The Mayor of Maidstone, Cllr Marion Ring as the guest of honour on Tuesday 9th July 2019 to officially open ‘The Woodland Garden ~ our space to remember and reflect’.The project was born from an idea of Mrs Green, our School Counsellor, who wanted to create a safe space where students, staff and their families could mark significant milestones in their grief and where, as a counsellor, she could work with students to support them. It is a sobering statistic that 1 in 29 young people have experienced the death of a parent or sibling and many more will have experienced the death of another loved one, such as a grandparent, a friend or a pet. Mrs Green commented, “I am pleased that the project has grown to be so much more. Nature can be calming and grounding. In a world that is so busy 'doing', this garden can be a space to 'be' rather than 'do'. A space to remember a loved one but also a space to reconnect to nature, to others and to ourselves, and a space to reflect on what is important in life in the midst of the stress and busyness.

A space that the whole MGGS community can use. I look forward to using

Everyone wouldn’t

at

MGGS

have

been

is

thrilled

possible

with

the

garden

without

the

very

and

it

generous

donations from Headstart Kent, Bovis Homes, the MGGS Parents and Friends Association, current students and staff as well as our beloved alumni.

this garden to support students, for example, by creating memory stones that

can

be

placed

here

as

part

of

their

counselling,

or

outside

of

counselling at a time that is important for them to mark, to being able to take our work out of the counselling room into this beautiful space where

The garden has provided a place for the friends and family of MGGS to leave a legacy. Mrs Lila Brewer, The MGGS Development Trust and Alumni Relations Officer said, “It has been wonderful to work with families and see their joy

they can reconnect and reflect."

in having their own bench, sculpture or an area of the garden

'The Woodland Garden’, designed and created by Greenwood Landscapes, has a theme of circles. Circles have strong symbolic meaning and have been

used

throughout

the

garden

to

represent

inclusion,

wholeness,

nurturing and unity. We ran a competition to design sculptures for the garden and the winning entries have been brought to life by a local blacksmith. Each form group takes turns in looking after the garden to ensure that it is well maintained and there is a real community feel about it.

This garden is not only for the students to enjoy, but also for them to take ownership of, with a sense of responsibility and dignity.

in memory of a loved one." Former MGGS student, Pauline Unwin,

contacted

the

Development

Trust

because

she

wanted to create a memorial at the school for her mother.

Susan Rosier was a much loved and well respected maths teacher at MGGS until she retired due to ill health in 1997.

Sadly, Susan never got to enjoy her retirement as she passed away shortly after leaving us. Staff and students collected money for her family, who wanted to use it to create a memorial. The Woodland Garden has provided Pauline, her father Brian and her family with the opportunity to do just that. They have sponsored the beautiful Moon Gate and a rose in Susan’s memory, as well as a bench which will be positioned next to a cherry tree at the entrance to the garden.

MGGS Alumni (MGGSA) Update

Alumni Focus Would you like to feature in our next newsletter? Please do get in touch to tell us what you have been up to since you left MGGS. We'd love to hear from you!

We also want to inspire our students by creating some posters to go up around

Upcoming events December 2019

the school, highlighting the career paths that our alumni have chosen. If you are happy to feature in a poster, please get in touch.

Y13 Careers Interviews

Spread the word!

January 2020

Please help us to to trace as many MGGS alumni as possible; we want you all

A Step In Time ~ 10,000

to feel part of the MGGS community. The aim is to hold regular reunions and we are also looking into mentoring schemes and networking events. In order to

Steps A Day Challenge

get these up and running, we need as many alumni on our database as possible.

Alumni can sign up using this link:

March 2020 https://www.mggs.org/connected-community/development-trust-office

Head Students 2000-2018 We are planning to add the names of all MGGS Head Students from the last 2 decades

to a board in the Main Hall. If you are in contact with any Head

Students from 2000 onward, we would be grateful if you would you ask them to contact us.

A Step In Time ~ Keep Calm and Dance Show

Spring / Summer 2020 Head Student board unveiling

Careers Update It has been a busy Term 6 for Careers, our Year 13s are in the process of sending off their UCAS applications for university with some already receiving offers! This year we have had 164 applications to process, with a range of courses applied for from Medicine to Graphic Design. After applications are made, universities request to meet the students in person and hold interviews; therefore, we have had many requests for practice interviews from the students. The alumni response to the initial request to help chair the practice interviews has been amazing, and we are incredibly grateful to those who have already volunteered their time and expertise. There is still time to help out as interviews will continue into the New Year. If you'd like to chair a practice interview, please email Miss Hodges (amyhodges@mggs.org) with your availability and area(s) of interest (e.g. Healthcare, Law, Art and Design etc). The feedback received from the students about the value of having a practice interview is always positive, as it helps them build confidence before the big day.

We couldn't offer such a diverse range without alumni help and support, so thank you.

Amy Hodges, Careers and Higher Education Coordinator.

MGGSA Reunions

MGGSA 2009, 10 year reunion.

The MGGS Development Trust were delighted to welcome back a group of alumni who left MGGS in 2009. Bethany S, our Head Student for The Development Trust, and Izzy B from Year 9 took the group on a tour of the school before

they

gathered

refreshments

and

to

in

Buckland

share

House

for

with

one

stories

another from the past 10 years. There was much excitement school

and

as

the

group

reminisced

travelled about

around

their

the

time

at

MGGS. It was wonderful to hear about their experiences and they enjoyed the opportunity to see both which traditions have remained and where

improvements

have

been

made.

The

MGGS Development Trust would like to hold more reunions for our alumni.

We'll meet again?

A

note

from

Alumna,

Christine

Warne

(nee

Armstrong):

1949 will seem a long time ago to many people, but,

seventy

years

on,

a

group

of

MGGS

old

(literally!) girls still meet up every year for lunch, to chat and to reminisce about our school days. We have held a separate reunion of our class of ’49 for over twenty years now and most recently, the venue has

been

where

we

The

Horseshoe

met

2019.Hopefully

this we

Pub

year shall

in

East

on

18th

meet

up

Farleigh,

September again

next

September and we extend a warm welcome to any others of the class of ’49 who would like to join us.

Please contact lbrewer@mggs.org if you would like to get in touch with Christine about joining them.

Supporting MGGS The MGGS Development Trust Office has raised over £100,000 since 2017 from the generosity of parents, alumni and friends of the school. This has allowed us to replace the failing power distribution system in the main hall, which prevented the use of the stage lights, the refurbishment of the school library and the creation of ‘The Woodland Garden ~ Our space to remember and reflect’ In order to sustain Maidstone Grammar School for Girls’ successes, it is important that the MGGS Development Trust continues to grow. This ensures that the very best facilities are available for our students, supporting them academically and pastorally.

WE NEED

YOUR

Alumni HELP

The MGGS 1888 Society

Update

We are delighted to be launching The MGGS 1888 Society in January 2020. As you know, MGGS was founded in 1888, at its original site in Albion Place in Maidstone. The MGGS 1888 Society is an exclusive group of alumni with two tiers of membership.

Level 1 - Alumni who pledge to donate at least £18.88 per month to The MGGS Development Trust.

Level 2 - Alumni who pledge to donate at least £18.88 per year to The MGGS Development Trust.

Each level will come with its own member benefits which will be announced in January 2020.

In order to join, please complete and return the standing order form (and Gift Aid form if applicable) at the back of this newsletter. If you already donate, you will be automatically enrolled at the applicable level.

The MGGS Legacy Society 2020 will see the launch of the MGGS Legacy Society, which will allow participants who are perhaps not able or willing to donate during their lifetime, an easier way to benefit the School and reduce the tax burden on their family. Inheritance tax-efficient, legacies can be left in a variety of ways to suit individual circumstances. More details will follow in due course.

One-off or regular gifts We are very grateful for all donations, big or small. You are able to donate to The MGGS Development Trust via our Virgin Money Giving page www.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/astepintime, by cheque made payable to the MGGS Development Trust or by BACS .

Please pay: Account Name: The MGGS Development Trust, Sort code 40-31-06, Account Number 32495813

Easyfundraising Help raise funds for MGGS whenever you shop online, without costing you a penny! Use easyfundraising to shop with over 3,300 big name retailers including Argos, John Lewis and ASOS – when you shop, you’ll raise a free donation for Maidstone Grammar School for Girls every time, it’s that easy! This video will show you how: https://youtu.be/CiTr2doXM_o. We have so far raised over £850 from 111 supporters. Just imagine how much we can raise in 2020 with more friends of MGGS signing up!

Volunteering We would love to hear from you if you are happy and able to get involved with organising fundraising events and/or various administartion tasks for The MGGS Development Trust.

Grants If you hear of any grant making trusts who you feel would be able to help us with our projects, please do get in touch with us.

Fundraising Ideas Do you have any experience of successful fundraisers? Do you have fundraising ideas to share? If so, it would be wonderful to hear from you.

WWII at MGGS Here at MGGS we are very proud of our history and are pleased to be able to share it via 'A Schoolgirl's War and our primary school tunnel visits programme.

Alumni Update

A Schoolgirl's War A

Schoolgirl's

War,

written

by

Mary

Smith

-

former

MGGS

Headteacher, is an evocative record of school life in wartime bringing together an exquisite and unparalleled set of paintings of girls at school during WW2, and first-hand recollections of pupils who

experienced

the

disrupted

schooling,

the

air-raids, the

doodlebugs and the lessons in underground shelters. MGGS art teacher Helen Keen set out to record the life of the school as the war unfolded. Her paintings have never been published before.

Those pictures and the vivid memories of the old girls, now in their 80’s and 90’s, will move you and surprise you. The material will be a rich read for anyone with an interest in the history of the home front in WW2. The selling price is £10 (plus P&P), with profits going towards various school projects. Copies can be ordered via the following link:

http://www.mggs.org/latest-news/its-here-a-schoolgirls-war-bymary-smith-the-story-of-a-kent-school-during-world-war-two

Primary School Tunnel Visits We host visits to our WWII tunnels experience for primary school students. Interested primary schools can request further information by contacting Lila Brewer via dto@mggs.org.

MGGS Today Head Student, Bethany S and our team of Development Trust Ambassadors (DTAs) share their views on the work of the MGGS Development Trust.

Working

MGGS

Since the opening of the refurbished Mary Smith Library last January, the Development Trust would like to

Development Trust is a new

with

share with you the impact it has had on students’ learning and school life. Below are some student

role

perspectives on our Library.

this

year

the

for

the

Head

Students and I was more than ready

to

take

it

on.

I

love

How have the students at this school benefited from the new library?

working with the Development

"I think that students have benefited from the library as there are many new seating areas which makes it feel

Trust

more welcoming and you feel comfortable to go there to take a break from school work and just pick up a

as

about

I

am

so

passionate

enhancing

the

school

book." Rachel C

community but also because it has

taught

me

so

many

What do you like most about it?

valuable skills, such as project

"I’m new to the school so I don’t know what it was like before but I as soon as came into the library I

management

immediately felt at home as there was such a wide range of books and the whole place seemed so modern and

creatively. opened

and

thinking

Recently,

up

a

I

have

Trust Ambassador programme where

people

inviting. I love going there at lunchtime!" Emily D.

Development

in

the

lower

years can get involved with the

What difference have the changes made?

"More students are choosing to go to the library at lunchtime because of the changes that they have made."

Rachel C

projects that we are working on.

Working

Development very

with

Trust

rewarding,

looking

forward

and to

the

has

been I

the

am next

few months with the launch of

How have the changes affected Year 11 students?

"The increased number and range of books has made it easier to find lots of interesting books to read and having all this choice is a great way to de-stress and pick something that I know I will enjoy. The environment of the library is very peaceful and easy to concentrate in and I enjoy working and revising there, especially before my GCSE exams." Katie L.

‘A Step in Time’!

From a Sixth Form perspective, how have the changes in the library impacted your learning?

Bethany S, Year 13 Development Student

Trust

Head

"The library has changed a lot since the refurbishments. I think the changing of the old chairs to modern sofas and beanbags gives a more comfortable atmosphere to the library as a whole, especially when the younger years have their English reading lessons here. As a volunteer I see a lot more students taking books to read which is a positive impact as the library is being used more. I also find it easy to work in here when I have free periods

because

it's

a

quiet

place

where

you

can

easily

complete a good couple of hours of revision. "Sujata G.

It is great to see that the work the MGGS Development Trust does has such a positive influence on the work and wellbeing of all students.