MGGS Spring Newsletter 2013

NEWS@MGGS Spring Newsletter

March 2013

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

1888

1938

2013

125th Anniversary 1888 - 2013 Term 5

Term6

Monday 15th April 2013

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Start of Term 5

Monday 3rd June 2013

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Start of Term 6

Friday 24th May 2013

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End of Term 5

Tuesday 23rd July 2013

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End of Term 6

www.mggs.org

Welcome

Dear Students, Parents, Carers and Friends Welcome to our spring newsletter. This time last year was a key moment in our school’s history as we prepared to move into our beautiful new building, Buckland House. It seems difficult to imagine now how we ever managed without it.

Our wider history is very much in our minds this year, of course, as we celebrate our quasquicentennial – or 125th anniversary – as a school and the 75th anniversary of our move from the centre of Maidstone to the Buckland site.

To celebrate the long and distinguished history of this school’s contribution to education in Maidstone, we are holding an Open Afternoon for all past students and staff on Saturday, June 29 th. If any of you are past students or staff yourselves, please do come along and meet up with old classmates and teachers, walk the building and view our archive. I would be grateful if you would advertise this event to anyone you know who has a previous association with the school. There is more information about this on page 3.

We would also be interested in any reminiscences from the past and anything to add to our archive. It is always interesting to hear about the school’s past. I spoke on Saturday at the Old Girls’ Association reunion with Margaret Amos who was a pupil at the school in the 1930s and then went on to teach here throughout her long career. She told me of the excitement that students felt when they moved into the then new building in Buckland Road in 1938. Each classroom was painted a different colour (interestingly similar in concept to our colour feature walls in Buckland House) and each classroom had a vase of fresh flowers (which we have not matched). Apparently, one girl in each form had the prestigious position of flower monitor. It is thought-provoking that almost all our current students will remember the day the school moved into Buckland House, and may be asked about it in 75 years time!

I would like to pay tribute to how well the students have looked after the new building. Its space and exceptional facilities are valued by all and this is reflected in the excellent way students have helped to maintain its pristine appearance. With the substantial refurbishment in the “old” building, there has been a very significant increase in space and quality of decor across the school and we are all benefiting from this. We now look forward to the proposed new sports hall development.

Terms 3 and 4 this year have been exceptionally busy but there have been many highlights. For me, two stand out: the breathtakingly energetic performance of “Fame” in which the exuberance and confidence of the students performing was a joy to observe, and the aspirational trip to Cambridge University for over 40 of our most able Year 10 linguists in which Dr Martin Crowley from Queens’ College gave students a language lesson and a fascinating insight into being a student at the university. At school, students are currently preparing for public examinations, and, where relevant, have made their choice of courses for next year. We are very pleased to report that the number of applicants to join our sixth form has risen yet again for the fifth successive year. We are delighted that for so many students MGGS is their preferred place of study for the sixth form.

I wish you all a peaceful and happy spring break – and even possibly some good weather.

Mary Smith Headteacher

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 2

125th Anniversary MGGS’s Quasquicentennial (125th) Anniversary

2013 is an important year for MGGS being 125 years since it started in 1888 and 75 years since it moved to its current site. Events to mark this anniversary are being planned for this year. A number of articles in this newsletter relate to the history of the school as well as news of events of this term.

School Boards - To mark this anniversary year two old boards, which came from the old school site in Albion Place, have again been put up on display. These can be seen near Miss Stanley’s office. The oldest board dates back to 1891 when Mary Wakefield is recorded as being an Associate of the Arts from the University of Oxford.

Whole School Photograph - In 1888 the school opened with 19 students and three teachers. At the opening of the school on the current site Lord Stanhope said ‘that the growth of the school was remarkable; there is provision made for 570 pupils and room for easy extension.’ How true his words were. In March 2013 the school roll stands at 1266 with 72 teachers and 43 support staff. To find a company that is able to take a whole school photograph is not a trivial task. However, a company has been found and weather permitting a whole school photograph will be taken in April.

Commemorative Mug - All students and staff at MGGS (including those who will join us in September 2013) will be receiving a 125th anniversary mug.

My MGGS Facebook page - This school has always been forward thinking as well as valuing its history and therefore MGGS now has its own Facebook page, called My MGGS. This can be used by current and previous students to keep up to date with MGGS. (www.facebook.com/mymggs) Open Afternoon 29th June 1pm – 5pm - All past students and staff, as well as current students, are very welcome to come and reminisce, meet some old friends, and view the extensive archive collection.

You will be able to wander the corridors of the old building and will also have a chance to see our beautiful new Buckland House. It will be a relaxed and informal event, with refreshments served throughout the afternoon. You are welcome at any time during the afternoon. If you are hoping to come please e-mail the school (central@mggs.org) or telephone 01622 752103. We look forward to seeing you!

Fire Drill at Albion Place was shinning down a rope. The most recent fire alarm practice occurred during speech day in January 2013. All students, staff and guests evacuated the building and assembled on the tennis courts.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 3

125th Anniversary Headteachers 1888 – 2013 MGGS has had ten headteachers, or headmistresses as they were called for the first one hundred years of MGGS’s history.

Miss Pope was the first headteacher of MGGS. She stayed for 4 years before leaving the school and England to become a missionary in North India. One old student stayed in touch until she died at the age of 67. When at MGGS Miss Pope had to do much of the teaching and all the secretarial work but ‘often had to provide assistance’ with domestic work.

When she was ill the school had a holiday.

Miss Hailey was headteacher when the school grew to 100 students.

All the students had a half day holiday to celebrate this event.

Every summer term the school acted a play in the open air, including on one occasion in Miss Hailey’s orchard.

In 1913 Miss Kidd in her annual report stated ‘I am thankful that the requests for leave of absence for your girls for purposes of mere pleasure have been quite few’ and ‘In a humbler rank of life than you represent, we hear a great deal of blind alley occupations, and I fear there is a tendency for some of your girls to drift in to similar ones’.

Miss Bartels was headteacher when the school moved to its current site and for the school’s 50th Jubilee. She wrote, ‘1938 is going to be a memorable year for us all, not only because we are moving from your old home to new quarters, but because it is our Golden Jubilee and I hope it will be marked by a great gathering and reunion of the school’s children. As I read the recollections of the earlier members I am struck by the little fundamental change which has taken place during the last fifty years - we have changed in outward form but not, I think, in spirit. I believe a school can no more get far away from its beginning than human beings can and it will, I hope, be with profound gratitude to our founders that we keep and mark our Jubilee’.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 4

125th Anniversary Miss Barnes in her speech day report of 1959 reported that the additions and alterations to the buildings, necessitated by growing numbers, had brought difficulties and interruptions to routine, but that these had been and were being overcome by the co-operation of architects and builders, by the efforts of teaching and domestic staff and by the enormous amount of organising work carried out by Miss Fanchiotti.

Miss Harvey was headmistress for the school’s centenary. She is still in contact with the school and we were very pleased that she was present with us for the o p e n i n g cere mon y of Buckland House.

It was during Mrs Judson’s time that the school again started taking students from age 11 , in what is now called Year 7. We entered a new millennium and the school celebrated it with the spectacular millennium mystery plays.

Mrs K.J. Judson 1990 - 2002

Miss T.M. Harvey 1971 - 1990

Dr. M. Kiely 2002 -2005

It was during Dr Kiely’s time as headteacher that the school became a specialist Science School, which has continued to this day.

As part of that, all the school laboratories have been updated for the 21st century.

Science Week has continued and a successful week occurred in March this year.

Mr J. Harrison 2005 -2006

Mr Harrison is the only male headteacher the school has had and was headteacher here for just over one year before moving on to become head teacher at Tunbridge Wells Boys Grammar School.

Mrs Smith came in 2006. The school has continued to grow during this time, rising from 1128 to 1266 students. Mrs Smith has been fundamental to ensuring that we now have, and significantly benefit from, Buckland House which has replaced the old mobiles and helps accommodate the increase in the number of students.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 5

Madrid Spanish Trip to Madrid

By Philippa Child and Zoe Moyler MADRID 2013!

On the 14th February, MGGS year 10 AS and Year 12 and 13 A level students travelled to Atocha, Madrid! On the first day, we were able to go to the Reina Sofia Art Gallery which was next door to our hotel. It had a variety of sculptures and paintings of modern art which were all very interesting. We also had the opportunity during the trip to go to the Prado Museum, Retiro Park but in our opinion, the best of them was the visit to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. It was amazing given that we were allowed to go into the dressing rooms, trophy rooms, physio rooms and the dugout as well as getting the opportunity to stand pitch side! As avid football fans, for us this was a once in a lifetime experience which we thoroughly enjoyed! After an exhausting few days everyone was sad to say goodbye to Madrid as it was a beautiful city but everyone has extremely enjoyed the trip. On behalf of all our peers who went on the trip, we would like to thank Mrs Howard for all of the organisation and preparation in order for us to have such a great time as well as Mrs Harrison, Mr Pinto and Miss Cork for giving up their time also to make the trip go ahead and making it so enjoyable. It was an amazing experience for us all!

Left - Students at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 6

Paris Paris trip February 2013 – Un voyage formidable!

On Sunday the 24th of February Mme Fourmy accompanied by Mr Cook and Mrs Devitt, took 10 year 10 AS French students, 6 year 12 AS French and 9 A2 French students on a four day trip to Paris. The trip included visits to the most famous landmarks and offered an invaluable opportunity for the students to practise their French language skills. The weather presented the intrepid group with bitter cold and snow but they braved the conditions and journeyed around the beautiful city of Paris. One of the highlights of the trip was the unexpected evening viewing of the Tour Eiffel lit up in golden lights. At the end of the four days, staff and students were tired but had an amazing time and truly enjoyed each other’s company. They returned with armfuls of souvenirs and wonderful memories.

The trip to Paris was an experience I will never forget! Having the opportunity to visit all the famous Parisian landmarks such as The Eiffel Tower, Le Louvre, The Notre Dame, was not only educational but really enjoyable. It was really well organised and the trip definitely brought the French class and teachers closer together. Eloise Douglas year 13 I really enjoyed the Paris trip and just wanted to take this opportunity to thank Mme Fourmy for taking us all! She did a fabulous job and it wouldn't have been anywhere near as good without her making it the best it could be! Every day was different but equally as good as we packed so much into each day so it was exciting all the time. Everything ran smoothly and was planned really well so I couldn't have asked for a better trip! It was also nice to mix with the lower years and chat to them, which I think they liked too as we don't really get that opportunity in school. Taking Mr Cook into Abercrombie and Fitch was definitely a memorable part of the trip and I think it was for him too! For me, one of the best parts of the trip was going to the Eiffel Tower at night. It was snowing and super cold but that didn't matter because the views were amazing, from the Eiffel Tower and also looking back at it across the river when we were at Trocadéro. The Metro trips were rather stressful, especially with our cases so I think I'll stick to the London Underground in the future, but it was an experience none the less! I wouldn't have changed it for the world and I'll never forget the trip. Thanks again. Sophie Marsh year 13 For me the school trip to Paris was a brilliant opportunity to learn about a different culture. It was really good to walk along the streets and really get a feel for the place, whilst visiting all the famous monuments. It also gave a good opportunity to practise day to day French speaking with the locals! Overall it was a really enjoyable trip! Pierre Flasse year 13 As well as having the opportunity to try out our French, we also visited many famous attractions such as the Sacré Coeur, L’Arc de Triomphe, the Notre Dame, the Louvre and even got to see the Eiffel tower lit up at night. From shopping along the Champs Elysées, hopping on and off the metro, to visiting a Parisian perfume factory, we all had a truly enjoyable time and were sad to leave the beautiful city of Paris but were very grateful for the opportunity to experience the French Culture and see some amazing sites. Many Thanks to all the Staff for organising the trip! Charlotte Daniels year 12

Right La Tour Eiffel illuminée

Left La belle équipe

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 7

125th Anniversary Our School Written in 1939 the year after the current building was opened.

At last a dream has come true, and we have a beautiful school to work in: a place built for peace, happiness and sunshine, and all that we can desire.

The entrance has a solemn and impressive air. It is cool and dim here, but a vase of flowers on the central table, and a glimpse of the long hall beyond, give it beauty, while the array of cups and honours boards impresses the visitor.

The library is the centre of our school life, and has the hushed atmosphere, which marks a place for quiet study. The soft combination of light oak panelling, chairs, tables and bookshelves, with cream walls, long red, black and fawn curtains, and red and cream doors, provides an appropriate setting for intensive reading.

The hall is an ideal place of assembly. The sunlight streams in from either side through the tall windows, and the green quadrangles outside give a feeling of space which was never experienced in the old school, with its view of the fire escape and brick walls. The simple, but dignified hall furniture of light oak and red leather, the magnificent, glossy grand piano, the wide dark-stained platform steps, and the light polished hall floor make an arresting sight.

The form rooms are bright in the dullest weather, with their cheerful red, yellow, or green paintwork, and flowers; the art room is one of the most beautiful rooms in the school, with its perfect blending of red and grey paintwork in soft blue light or streaming daylight; and the prefects’ room, in its commanding position at the top of the building, has the best view of the surrounding country and hills.

There are no dark dreary passages in this school. brightened by the coloured doors of the form rooms.

The corridors are half-open, light and airy, and

Nothing can illustrate the splendid equipment of the school better than the gymnasium, with its up-to-date apparatus and precious floor, the shower baths with a miniature laundry attached, the many laboratories with complete modern equipment, and the new, hard tennis courts.

Our new school is indeed “a fairy palace,” as Mrs. Best-Dalison described it on Sports Day this year, but it is certainly not inhabited by fairies. Its walls are filled with the sounds of voices talking, laughing, and singing, the ringing of bells, the tread of feet, the music of piano and violin, and the hum of work. It is a real building that will not vanish into air – and it is ours!

The T block was opened in 1956, C block was opened in 1968 and Buckland House was opened in 2012.

Mrs Smith Headteacher with Miss Harvey former Headteacher of MGGS.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 8

EPQ Extended Project Qualification Seventeen of our most able and motivated year 13 students have just completed their EPQ. This is an AS qualification offered as part of the Curriculum Extra programme. Students have completed a mini dissertation of 5,000 words, given a formal assessed presentation and conducted a Q and A session. Topics chosen included:Does the UK need a privacy law?

Who was Helen of Troy?

How did Concorde cope with both super and sub sonic flight?

Why did young soldiers volunteer to serve in the Vietnam War? How have potentially dangerous underlying chemicals caused problems in cosmetics, and has development within the industry faced its final frontier or is there still scope for further discoveries?

'Larsson and Lisbeth’ - The Reality of Swedish Crime Literature How has the treatment of lung cancer changed over the past 10 years and how is this likely to influence future treatments?

We are immensely proud of all our students (not all shown in the photo) who have worked tirelessly and with great enthusiasm. Many congratulations to them all. R Owen

Summer 1951 – the GCE arrived replacing the school certificate. Girls, the school magazine reported, felt like guinea pigs.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 9

Head Students 2012 –2013 “The past year being Head Students has been absolutely fantastic and something that we would not have changed for the world!”

It is safe to say that despite being one of the hardest jobs we have ever had to fulfil, the past year being Head Students has been absolutely fantastic and something that we would not have changed for the world! It has been so enjoyable, and has helped us all to mature and grow as individuals. Although coming from a wide range of backgrounds, we would all agree that we have truly bonded as a team, to complete every task to the very best of our abilities: from RAG week to other, smaller tasks for the student body, it has truly been an experience and we have represented the school with pride.

However, as with any competitive selection process, all of the applicants for the role were certainly put through their paces last year having to write application letters, be interviewed by the Sixth Form Management Team and make speeches to the year 11, 12 and 13 cohort; but we were all lucky enough to be selected – little did we know what we had let ourselves in for!

Once we had taken over from our predecessors in the summer term, we came to learn of the many tasks we had to complete. However, one that many people will recognise is the immense task of organising RAG week. This year, we decided to undertake 4 shows: Ads and Trailers, Top of the Pops, Total Wipeout, and the pantomime: The Wizard of Oz. However, it did not stop there…. There was Rag Ball, 4 days of dressing up and many more events to organise. Although it took up almost all of our time for 2 months, all of the hard work and dedication really paid off as everything came together to make for a week full of fun, excitement and laughter; a great contrast to the weeks running up to Christmas, in which, it is safe to say there were a few tears and panics where things would not go our way! But, the best part? We have managed to raise almost £7000 for our nominated charities, of which we are extremely proud.

This is the most obvious role we play, yet there are many others. At many different events and open evenings, we would stand and make speeches, sharing the student voice, as well as representing the student body at governors’ meetings to ensure that every one is heard. Student Forum has also been a great way to do this. We hope that we have helped them put forward their views and encouraged them to share their opinion, as well as being approachable so that anyone in the school can come and speak to us at any time. This is probably one of the best parts of the job, as being at the centre of the school community we have been given the opportunity to meet so many different people, students and teachers alike, and partake in so many different things that we will truly miss.

A message to everyone in the lower school: we would encourage everyone to put themselves forward for this role as it is a real privilege to represent Maidstone Grammar School for Girls. I know that the five of us are going to miss the school community, who like a family have given us so much, and to whom we now hope we have been able to give a little back. So as we all move on to the next stages of our lives, a little tear is shed for all of the fun that we have had at MGGS. We wish the best of luck to everyone next year and hope that with all of the changes happening, the school will only continue to grow from strength to strength!

The Head Students 2012/2013 Nicole Moy Grace Hayward Jack Knoll Sally McConchie Alexa Le Moine

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 10

Visit to Queens’ College

AS Level Languages Trip to Cambridge by Eleanor Swan 10N On 19th March 2013, the Year 10 fast-track AS Level languages classes went on a trip to Cambridge University. The day began with a visit to Dr Crowley, the Head of Languages at Queens’ College for a session focussing on the study of language. We were really privileged to experience university teaching.

The activities entailed our participation in translating and using the word “people” in the language we study to give us an understanding of the different words for “people” in those languages when they are used. I found this particularly interesting because I explored languages in a way that I had never thought could be possible and was given an insight to the plethora of opportunities that studying language creates.

Subsequently, we dined at Queens’ College in their canteen, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. After our delicious lunch we walked across the town, admiring the architecture in the tour and the Pembroke College gardens. Once we had arrived at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology we were given the task to answer questions on anthropology and archaeology, which linked to languages and their specific interest in them. In my view, the Museum further developed our knowledge of what language skills offer you, given that they were significant in these occupations. In general, I hugely enjoyed the trip and might consider coming to Cambridge in the future to study. On behalf of the AS Language students, I would like to thank Miss Cork for organizing the trip and providing us with this unique opportunity.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 11

House News Danes We would just like to say a massive thank-you to everyone who has got involved this year with all the house events. Sports day was a huge success as well as badminton and rowing.

House Arts was amazing and we love everyone for the participation and the support, The Beauty Manifesto was the winner in our hearts.

Danes have had such an amazing year and we have had the time of our lives being House Leaders for all you Danes. It is something which we will never forget. You Danes will always be in our hearts, and we hope the next three house leaders enjoy everything just as much as we have. We are so proud of you all and will miss you all so much when we leave.

DANES FOREVER! Love Catherine, Chelsea & Laura

Saxons Thank you Saxons for an amazing year! We have had so much fun getting to know you all and you are all amazing! To all of those who took part in House Arts: You were fantastic and the hard work was worth it because you pulled off a great show! And to all you sporty people thank you for working so hard! 2nd place in Sports Day was very well deserved! You continued to make us proud for rowing, badminton and also your individual achievements throughout the year! We will miss all of you and again just a massive thank you for making our year the best it could be, full of laughter and fun. Lots of love, Fran, Jess and Poppy. Your House Leaders!

To all our lovely Britons,

Britons

Being your House Leaders this year has been such an important part of our last year at MGGS and we wouldn’t have done it any differently. This is our goodbye to you, to wish you luck in your futures together and hope you have as much fun with your new house leaders as we had with you! Although being House Leaders was the most stressful thing for us, we also really enjoyed our role working with everyone and creating experiences that we will never forget. We’d like to thank you all for being there through the stressful times, whether it was making us laugh or having a shoulder to cry on, but most importantly supporting not only us, but everyone involved. Although we haven’t had the MOST successful year, we are so proud of ourselves, including all of you, for coming third in House Arts! You really helped all our hard work pay off. And a big thanks to everyone who participated in everything else!

We really hate having to give up our role but again, a big thanks, good luck and goodbye.

WE LOVE YOU BRITONS, WE DO! Lots of love, Hannah, Kayleigh and Ross.

The earliest school magazine which we still have is from 1927. It includes house reports from Danes, Saxons, Britons and Normans and an account of a school trip to Paris.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 12

House News Romans So we’ve reached the end as House Leaders and we could not have had a better time. As Romans we know how to remain in high spirits, through good times and bad. Sports day was promising with high expectations on the field. Interhouse rounders and interhouse badminton - whilst unsuccessful - were entertaining days for us all.

Being the creative house that we are, we managed to craft a sunflower out of pipes and paper – really taking the ‘eco’ theme to the extreme. Finally, we cannot thank everyone enough for our victory in House Arts. Our whole house worked so hard and were extremely supportive and dedicated, they could not have deserved it more. So, to the future: We love you Romans – we do!

Normans Hi guys, we just wanted to say, thank you for being such a good house this year and we’ve loved being your house leaders. We know it will be hard to live up to our standards next year.....only joking, I’m sure you will do great, we have complete faith.

Thank you for putting up with all our shouting and whingeing and moaning and Sammie’s abuse on the sports events, but it all paid off in the end.

We’ve actually done quite well this year for once! Coming second in house arts was genuinely one of the proudest moments for us so well done! And third in Sports day was great, and if Joe hadn’t fallen down a rabbit hole we may have been 2nd, but we’re still amazed. And he did make up for it winning all the matches in Badminton, so well done Joe & Sally!

Sammie, Alex and Kieran P.S. A tip for future house leaders, buzzy bees is a great game to play in house arts rehearsals (ask the lower years) though you may not actually get much rehearsing done because of this.

Vikings Welcome back to school from your Vikings House Leaders! Recently the Vikings took part in the Science Quiz, and got through to the final! A huge thank you goes to Helen (yr 11), Chloe (yr 9), and Becki (yr 13) who got us through to the finals. On the actual day, Miss Mackie proved a true Viking in being our last-minute teacher for the event, and whilst we unfortunately didn't win it was a brilliant atmosphere! We Vikings aren't a particularly sporty house either, though in the Interhouse Badminton competition we still managed to come 2nd for 2 year groups which was fab! Sadly, our time as House Leaders has come to an end, and we really want to say thank you to the most supportive, fun-loving house ever. I (Alice) just want to thank Tanya and Holly as well, for providing laughter, tissues, and by working together to be the best leaders that we could be. We have had the best year of our lives, and we have learnt so much about each other, and wish all of you the very best of luck in the future! To our successors, good luck in your new time as House Leaders, and remember to always have fun, you'll be fabulous! Tanya is off to do a dance foundation course at a fantastic dance school in London, Holly to study Architecture, and I am off to UEA to study English Literature. We love you so much, you're the best. Loads of love, Alice, Tanya and Holly

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 13

Science Science Week By Mrs Binks MGGS Science Week 2013 was the busiest we have ever had. The week began with an inspiring assembly on the wonders of nature from Mr Harris, followed by the first round of the annual inter-house Science quiz. The finalists, Normans and Vikings, battled it out a few days later, with Normans being the victors! Well done!

On Tuesday, the Maths department held their annual Maths and Science day for all of Year 7. You can read about this elsewhere in the newsletter. The first of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) Aspire careers events took place in Buckland House on Tuesday evening and this was well attended by many speakers from the scientific world as well as many of our students. The RiskIT enterprise challenge also took place in Design Technology, involving teams of year 8, 9 and 10 students.

On Wednesday, both Year 8 and Year 9 students had the chance to take part in enrichment activities. A team of Year 8 students from each form did the STiXX challenge with Mrs Summers and each Year 9 form found out more about sustainability with a hands-on talk about recycling. They even got to take home a purse they had made in the lesson out of a juice carton! Year 11 students were able to watch a Psychology film screening after school.

Year 10 experienced the ‘Big Reptile Show’ on Thursday, with the chance to find out about the lives of many different animals, hold them, and find out that they are not as scary as they look. This day also saw three primary schools visit MGGS to take part in their own Science quiz and meet the reptiles. They made up part of the audience of our inter-house Science quiz and enjoyed the audience participation!

Finally, on Friday, the whole of year 11 took part in a Psychology or Triple Science day to extend their learning in these subjects.

I would like to thank everyone from MGGS and beyond who took part in Science Week 2013 and made it such a success. We aim to enthuse our students about Science in order to make them the informed citizens of the future that this country needs and of course we hope that many of them will go on to become exceptional scientists so that we can say “she used to go to MGGS”!

Big Reptile Show

By Hannah Wood 10A On the 7th of March the Big Reptile Show came to MGGS. Year 10 took part in this show, which had reptiles and amphibians ranging from tiny frogs to massive snakes. We learnt about how the small frog warns off its predators with bright warning colours and how it can climb huge trees in the wild. We even watched it scale the main hall! Next we looked at the chameleon and in fact they only change colour when under threat, so this one stayed an obvious green.

Some of us got to hold him. And lastly the snakes, some of us weren't too keen on these but everyone got a go at holding them. We learnt loads and it was a really fun experience!

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 14

Science Year 8 STIXX challenge Six year 8 students from each form were chosen to represent their form in the STIXX challenge during Science week. Together we had to build a shelter using only newspaper STIXX and 100 cable ties. We made the STIXX by rolling up newspapers, putting glue on them and then using a machine to roll the newspaper really tightly. Twenty seconds later we had solid sticks! We then had to join them together with the cable ties to create a 3D shelter. All six of us fitted inside our shelter, with room for more, and it managed to hold an impressive 6kg from its roof! We had fun on the day, developed our teamwork skills, and handled working to a deadline. We were all glad as 8F won overall!!

Sujita Gurung 8F

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 15

125th Anniversary Account from Mrs. Adlington an old girl who came to MGGS in 1888 - 1892 recounted when she was 102 in the school’s centenary year.

School:

How many teachers were there?

Mrs. A: Well in the whole school, when I first began there were 19 of us and 3 mistresses so we had plenty of attention. While we were waiting for the Grammar School to open in 1888 I went to a little school when I was seven and then after that my eldest sister taught us and then the time came that the headmistress was appointed and I remember my eldest sister read out of the newspaper - the new Headmistress is Miss Pope.

Yes; a grand new school, we thought a lot of it. And then the day came when we all assembled and I remember seeing Miss Pope standing, she was tall, in a doorway and I just fell absolutely in love with her straightaway.

Well I remember her dress, it was a lovely soft black with cuffs and a collar with red on, with lace over – very beautiful – well she received us all and then the next day I suppose it was we all assembled, the three mistresses and 19 girls. Would you like to know the names of the girls? Well in the top form, the third form, there was Agnes Howard, who was the Head Girl afterwards, Ella Wagon who lived in Aylesford, Edith Ellis and another Edith.

I have forgotten the surname and then the middle form where I was there was Laura Solomon, Minnie Ring, Ethel Pine, Constance Snape, 5 in each of the top forms and then I can remember just two of the little ones, one was Theodora Scarth. She was the daughter of the Canon who lived out in the country and then the other one was – names go – anyway she married Dean Inge afterwards School: What were your favourite lessons, which lessons did you like best?

Mrs. A: I remember those Miss Pope taught, she was a wonderful teacher. She used to come in like a breeze and be so full of life. She was very fond of Botany and I began Botany with her and then we had St. Mark’s Gospel and she had some special lessons. One was on the 10 Commandments and another series on the Beatitudes and this one was quite fresh to me, the Virtuous Woman – do you know it? – the last chapter of Proverbs. That was very wonderful. She was a very wonderful woman and Miss Cripps used to take part of the Book of Genesis.

When Mrs Doris Ayres (Head of English 1927 – 1962) wanted to get married she had to have official permission. The governors voted on the issue and one actually voted against!

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 16

125th Anniversary School:

Did you learn other things like Mathematics?

Mrs. A: Yes, I began Algebra and Geometry – do you call it Geometry or Euclid? I used to find it very hard to get in my preparation at night. I can hear my mother coming along the passage. She went to bed at 10 pm and she came along to see if I had finished my preparation – “I have not finished yet” – “I must finish” and I used to struggle on until I was cold – I had let the fire out.

School:

How many years were you at school?

Mrs. A:

I was there from January 1888 to July 1892.

School: What other lessons did you do then apart from Mathematics? Any other subjects you liked? Did you do things like Geography?

Mrs. A: School:

Yes, Physical Geography and ordinary Geography – it was all very new. I was not very good at that.

Were your favourite lessons the ones that you did with Miss Pope?

Mrs. A: Yes, she made them so interesting. Well, of course, the others – Miss Cripps was very enthusiastic on the genealogical table. We were taught to trace William the Conqueror down to Victoria. I do not know that I could do it now. I used to be able to do it with all the dates and then there was one great day we had when Princess Louise came to the town. She stopped outside our school and Miss Pope went and spoke to her and the Head Girl, Agnes Howard, presented a drawing of the school that Miss Rankin, the art mistress, had done and one of the younger children presented her with a basket of roses and the day before we had all to practise curtseying and got through that.

School:

Did you say that you finished school at 1.00 pm? Did you have lessons in the afternoon as well?

Mrs. A: Only drawing and needlework and those of us who took music lessons. The afternoon teaching was nearly optional. We ended at 12.55 and then we began again at 2.30 but my home was rather too far away so I just had dinner there.

School:

How much preparation did you have, how many hours?

Mrs A: You could hardly time them. You see in Geometry we had to work it out ourselves so you could not time them. I suppose the other lessons should not have taken much more time than ½ hour. 4 half hours.

School:

What did you make in needlework? What sort of things?

Mrs. A:

Buttonholes and darning and babies’ frocks.

School:

Did you have any embroidery samplers?

Mrs. A: No, it was long past that time . We used to have one worked by my grandmother.

I remember I worked terribly hard one term. I took the St. John Ambulance and another time home nursing and that went on after 4.30 pm and I used to be very eager to do this.

School: Thank you very, very much.

It has been interesting to listen and hear about the school such a long time ago.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013| Page 17

Thinking Schools Brace yourself for Bubble, Double Bubble and more!

By Mr Harris

Over the next few weeks teachers and form tutors will be introducing Year 7 to 10 students to what are known as Thinking Maps®.

These are a really good way of helping students think about their learning. Thinking Maps® have been used all around the world from children at primary schools all the way through to the sixth form at secondary schools and beyond.

There are eight Thinking Maps® each with a special name and purpose. They are as follows: The Circle Map: for defining The Bubble Map: for describing The Double Bubble Map: for comparing & contrasting The Tree Map: for classifying The Brace Map: for analysis of ‘whole to part’ relationships The Flow Map: for sequencing The Multi-Flow Map: for analysing cause and effect relationships The Bridge Map: for seeing analogies Our students will be shown how to use each type of Thinking Map ® and how to apply this in a very practical way to their learning within a range of subject areas. The thinking and information that goes into the maps can be quite complex as it is the student that is deciding what to include.

All the teaching staff at MGGS have received special training on how to use the maps. The idea is that using these maps will become second nature to students so they will know which map to use and when. Students will not be asked to use them all the time but to try them out and add them to their other thinking and learning techniques like the ‘six hats’ and habits of mind.

We are confident that the maps will help students not just at school but in later life too - at University and in Employment.

Boys were accepted in the MGGS Junior department until the 1944 Education Act. The sixth form started to take boys in 1995. There are currently 48 boys on roll at MGGS.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

See the video about Thinking Maps from the website http://thinkingmaps.com/

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 18

Thinking Schools Thinking Globally Mr Harris

We were delighted to receive a visit from Mrs Mary Williams (Executive Headmistress) and Dr Sonja Vandeleur (Head of Cognitive Education) from Roedean School (South Africa) in March of this year. Our guests had travelled to the UK to find out more about becoming a Thinking School and as part of their itinerary visited MGGS. Roedean SA is a private boarding school for girls based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

During their time with us Mrs Williams and Dr Vandeleur were able to observe a range of lessons and meet with staff and students. Dr Vandeleur says this about their visit: Mrs Williams and I would like to thank Mrs Smith, Mr Harris, their teachers and students for so generously giving of their time to show us how thinking skills are implemented at MGGS. The enquiry based approach with a 'big question' focus was of particular interest to us as the lessons we observed challenged and encouraged the students to think deeply about issues and open-ended topics. In lessons, both teachers and students could draw on a variety of thinking skills strategies to improve and enhance their teaching and learning. Our visit was both worthwhile and valuable.

Thinking Schools have become popular across many parts of the world as both schools and governments recognise the importance of equipping students with the necessary skills of being able to think creatively, critically and develop good habits of mind for successful learning throughout their working lives. In Malaysia the Prime Minister has announced the need for thinking skills to be central to student learning and the i-THINK project is a major initiative in that country to help to help address this.

The website Thinking Schools International http://www.thinkingschoolsinternational.com/ gives more information about the work of schools around the world in connection with thinking skills and if you click on http://www.thinkingschoolsinternational.com/the-tsi-approach-and-training/research/case-studies/ you can find an article about MGGS and our journey to becoming a thinking school.

Finally, I would like to say a very big thank you to our Year 13 Senior Students who have worked on the school’s thinking skills initiative this year. They are Becca Brenton, Jaimee Mallion, Felicity Noakes, Louise Watts and Dominic Whaley. Between them they have delivered assemblies, prepared a range of resources, assisted on sixth form induction day and presented to the Student Forum. Their help has been much appreciated and we wish them all the very best in their forthcoming examinations and for the future.

Mrs Mary Smith, Headteacher with Mrs Mary Williams (Executive Headmistress), Dr Sonja Vandeleur (Head of Cognitive Education) from Roedean School (South Africa) and Mr Paul Harris, Deputy Headteacher

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 19

PE Visit from an Olympian

On 31st January MGGS students had the fantastic opportunity of spending a day with Olympic hockey bronze medallist Alex Danson. Not only did she deliver a truly inspiring assembly to Key Stage 3 students, but she also led presentations to our GCSE PE and A-Level PE students, as well as a hockey master class with the Years 7-9 hockey squad.

Mrs Cass

GCSE PE students Molly Shuter and Emma Flory Year 11 have shared their experience with us below.

On the 31st January GCSE PE students were lucky enough to be able to attend a brilliant and informative session with the Olympic bronze medallist hockey player Alex Danson. The students were treated to an insight into the pre, during and post events of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The session started with the Olympian introducing herself and everyone immediately warmed to her due to her friendly and welcoming personality. There were three stages to the presentation: first she told us about her struggles in the Beijing Olympic Games, and the goals she and her team members set. The goal that Alex and her team members decided on was to win a gold medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games; this then became the beginning of the English hockey team’s gold mentality, meaning you must strive for the gold in everything you do.

Alex then used probing questions to get us to discuss what physical, emotional and mental assets are needed in relation to life. She then linked all our ideas to the team’s own journey and told us what building blocks we would need in any challenges that we were to face in life.

The session progressed into how she felt the London Olympics games helped not only her, but also changed Britain’s view on hockey. She told us about how the games went for her and informed us on the steps she took and sacrifices she made in order to become an Olympian, such as: giving up her love for chocolate and other sugary treats.

One thing led to another and soon we were discussing the nutritional aspects of being an elite performer which links closely to the GCSE PE course.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 20

PE

“inspired many people to think about their life goals and what they ultimately want to achieve.�

Penultimately, she discussed with us her training routine and how she coped with it.

This included a 6 day a week training plan waking up very early in the mornings, and carrying out a variety of workouts. She participated in weight training, speed training and also skilful hockey training. Although she said this was very hard work and she had to sacrifice a lot, it was all worth it to be able to present to students such as ourselves, a bronze Olympic medal.

Overall, the session was a massive success and the number one thing we learnt was that you don’t have to be special to become an Olympic athlete; you just need hard work and determination to achieve your gold mentality.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 21

PE Year 7 Netball Report The Year 7 Netball Academy have been training hard on a Wednesday night after school. They have played a number of matches against local schools with the A team consisting of Sophie Clarke, Olivia Brame, Sanchia Morse-Wolfe, Louise Jones, Megan Edwards, Grace Macmahon, Charlotte Alner, Liah Brown and Lily Hammond have won all of their matches bringing home scores of 16-1 against St. Augustines, 13-0 against New Line Learning and 14-2 against Cornwallis. The B team players are Lottie Cane, Melissa Phillipson, Rhona Logue, Abbey Gibson, Lily King, Amelia King, Hannah Harris, Aisha Warner have won all but one of their matches with their best performance being against New Line Learning where they won 11-0. Both teams performed well in the District tournament hosted by MGGS with the A team finishing 2nd and the B team third. Well done to all of the players;you have shown great commitment and determination.

Volleyball Success MGGS Volleyball Success at at MGGS The Allstars club had the privilege of receiving some specialist The Allstars PE clubPE have hadhave the privilege of receiving some specialist volleyball volleyball coaching every Wednesday lunchtime from Luke a coaching every Wednesday lunchtime from Luke Thomas a NationalThomas volleyball volleyball entered the U14tournament and U16 District coach. National MGGS entered the coach.

U14 andMGGS U16 District Volleyball held at tournament held atstudents MGS onplayed Wednesday 13th March.

The MGS onVolleyball Wednesday 13th March.

The matches against Aylesford students played matches against Aylesford and St. Simon Stock.

The and St. Simon Stock. The U14s played well and won all bar one of their games to U14’s playedRunners well andUp. wonWell all bar onetoofMillie their games be placed District be placed District done PalmertoPilc, Morgan Syers, Runners Up. Well done to Millie Palmer-Pilc, Morgan Syers, Megan Megan Fuller and Hannah Wallace. The U16 team won every game to become and Hannah Wallace. The team won every game to become DistrictFuller Champions.

The Winning U16 U16 Volleyball Team: Molly Shuter, Laura Champions.

Winning U16 Volleyball Team: Molly Shuter, Morton,District Rosie Galligan, HollyThe Bradford.

Laura Morton, Rosie Galligan, Holly Bradford.

Cross Country MGGS had a fantastic cross-country season with all three teams winning their category in the Maidstone schools district cross country championships at Mote Park. Congratulations to all who took part and ran incredibly well.

The winning Year 7 girl’s team consisted of Rachael Batt, Katharine Brenton, Emily Etheridge, Katie Knight, Louise Jones, Freya Pearce, Hannah Read, Jodi Webb and Rosie Westhrop. Special mention goes to Rosie, Emily, Katharine, Katie and Freya for finishing in the top ten.

The winning Junior girl’s team consisted of Alex Ferdinando, Lucy Fitzsimons, Stephanie Gunner, Catrina Hayes, Millie Isaac, Jenna Parkin, Jasmine Prebble, Rebecca Rootes, Morgan Syers and Hannah Wallace. Special mention goes to Rebecca, Alex and Millie who finished in the top ten.

The winning Intermediate girls consisted of Danielle Bills, Holly Bradford, Emma Brenton, Harriet Day, Laura Morton, Cicely Rice-Wilson, Rebecca Pagden, Daniela Pilfold and Jace Simpson. Special mention goes to Laura, Emma, Daniela, Holly and Rebecca who finished in the top ten and Cicely who achieved a fantastic Silver medal, running 4km in 17minutes.

Katharine Brenton, Freya Pearce, Jodi Webb and Katie Knight achieved bronze team medals for representing the Year 7 girls Maidstone team at the Kent Cross Country Championships which finished third overall in the county. Very well done!

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Inter House Badminton Overall Results 1st – Danes 100 House Points 2nd – Saxons 75 House Points 3rd – Britons 50 House Points 4th – Vikings 25 House Points 5th – Normans 25 House Points 6th – Romans 25 House Points

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 22

PE Sports Leaders Report

Once again MGGS sports leaders have been working hard planning and running a variety of events, with many more due to take place in the summer. Year 12 CSLA students ran a successful inter house badminton tournament with Danes being the overall winners - congratulations to them - and are currently teaching Tri- Golf to pupils from Brunswick House. Year 10 sports and dance leaders have their primary school events fast approaching as do Year 13 HSLA students with inter house netball at the end of this term and their mini Olympics day on the 30th April.

MGGS Sporting Success In Futsal The Futsal county finals were held in February at Medway Park. MGGS were successful in gaining qualification to the county finals in the U12, U14 and U16 age categories. All teams were split into 2 pools then the top 2 teams went through to play in the semi-final then the final to see who would be crowned the best futsal team in Kent.

The U12 futsal team overall came 3rd in the county narrowing losing by 1 goal in their semi-final. Congratulations to all players who were fantastic throughout the whole day. Special mention must go to Charlotte Alner who kindly volunteered to play in goal throughout the competition and was superb.

Team: Louise Jones, Grace Smith, Rosie Westhrop, Charlotte Alner, Seren Asilonu, Niamh Hynes.

The U14 futsal team overall came 5th in the county. They were struggling for players due to injury; however the girls played their hearts out throughout all matches but were unfortunate not to progress through further. Congratulations to all players. Team: Beth Wood, Katie Startup, Megan Gill, Tish Smith, Dani Arney

U16 Futsal The U16 futsal team came runners up (2nd) in the county. The girls were brilliant.

They played their hearts out and unfortunately narrowly missed the crown on penalties. Rowena Squires kept the team in the match by pulling off some amazing saves. Amanda and Annie were dominant in attack with Jude scoring some vital goals. Laura was outstanding at the back demanding the play. Overall a fantastic achievement for all players. Congratulations to the team: Rowena Squires, Annie Ruler, Jude Shorter, Laura Howard, Amanda Beeput.

U13 Kent Cup Semi Finalists The U13’s football team had a very successful season and excellent run in the Kent Cup. In round 1 they beat Rainham School 12-1. In round 2 it was a tougher match; however the girls were superb and beat St. Simon stock 4-3 to progress through to round 3. They faced Highsted away and won 5-0 to get into the quarter finals. In the quarters they played against Mayfield Grammar School and successfully won the match 5-0 to get into the semi-finals. This is the second year that MGGS have entered the Kent Cup and to get through to the semi final was an amazing achievement. The girls were drawn against Highworth in the semi-final away. It was a thoroughly entertaining end to end match to watch for the neutral! The final score was 4-2 to Highworth; however that did not reflect the match as it could have gone either way. Miss Relph is extremely proud of all the players and can’t wait until next season to hopefully reach the final. Congratulations to all. players.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 23

125th Anniversary Wartime At the outbreak of the second world war, girls from Kings Norton School in Plumstead were evacuated to Maidstone and shared the school with the MGGS girls. This is an account of that time written by one of their teachers.

The Girls’ Grammar School was a beautiful new building only opened in 1938 and with extensive playing fields around it. Nothing had been done to provide air-raid shelters so the education authorities decided that, until trenches were dug large enough to take all the Maidstone girls plus King’s Warren girls, it would not be safe for us all to attend school at the same time, so morning lessons were arranged for one school while the other attended in the afternoon. We varied the days so that sometimes we were in during the morning and sometimes we were in during the afternoon. The teachers from both schools shared the staff room and the lockers were marked MGGS or KWS. We were very surprised to find that the girls of both schools wore a brown uniform. Maidstone was brown and blue, KWS brown and red.

When we had all met together for the first time since we had left Plumstead, we knew that we must now regard Maidstone GGS as our school building for the foreseeable future and the people who had welcomed girls into their homes on Saturday must now be regarded as foster parents responsible for their welfare. For each child evacuee a householder received 7/6d a week from the Government. This was not considered a large amount to feed a growing child and private arrangements were made between the child’s parents and foster parents to supplement this amount.

Gangs of men arrived to dig trenches to act as air-raid shelters. These were underground passages where we could walk round and where classes could be held. In the meanwhile, girls could only be in school for half of each day and arrangements had to be made so that they would be occupied for the rest of the time. It was now September and hops were ready in Kent for picking so children joined the local people in the hop gardens. Gradually the trenches were finished and the Maidstone girls and the KWS girls were all able to come back to full-time lessons.

School gradually settled into a routine and children settled or didn’t in their billets. Nothing seemed to happen on the war front, no battles no air-raids, no sirens, and when Christmas came quite a lot of children went home and did not return to Maidstone in January. Many foster parents were tired of having other children in their homes along with their own families. Then with the spring things began to happen in France and we realised how near our coastline was to the French coast. When Calais was being besieged we could hear the rumble of the guns and clouds of smoke drifted across the Channel and could even be seen in Maidstone High Street.

Dorothy Richards (nee Blacknell)

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls 1938 Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 24

125th Anniversary 1940 During the air-raids in the second world war, all girls and staff filed into underground air raid shelters called “The Trenches” . These are three drawings depicting this experience created by the art teacher. One entrance to a shelter can still be seen near the canteen.

A popular song during lessons in the shelters c.

1940: Down in the trenches on hard little benches We spend the live long day With stew on our knees and a nasty cold breeze Above: Photograph taken just after the Second World War. Do you recognise anyone in this photograph?

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

The weather’s cold and grey Chorus: The siren goes - we all go down We’re the safest in the town

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 25

STEM Year 8 Risk It Challenge On the 21st of March, Tabitha Cook, Regan Goodwin, Kiera Flinn and Jenna Parkin accompanied by Mrs Marrs went to BAE systems in Rochester to take part in the Risk It regional final as part of National Science and Engineering week.

The aim of Risk it! is to promote STEM subjects, STEM being Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. We qualified for the regional final after successfully winning the in-house qualifying event held on the 5th March. We had to create a useful gadget for a scientist or engineer to use in a challenging or hostile environment. The four of us thought of 10 different ideas including a GPS walking stick, windscreen wiper glasses and light up shoes.

We decided that we would develop our idea for the ‘Sand-aid’.

The function of ‘Sand Aid’ was a portable laptop protector that could be used in sand or dust storms to protect the various delicate elements of a laptop. We had to design and make a prototype of the ‘sand aid’ and prepare a presentation within a certain time frame and budget. We were supported and helped by facilitators from BAE. The best part about it was when we made the actual product. At the end of the day we had to present our idea to the rest of the seven schools at the event. Unfortunately we didn’t win; however we did all achieve our Bronze Crest Award. It has certainly made us think of our future and the subject choices we make.

Intermediate Maths Challenge By Mrs Squibb In February all of year 10 along with the top sets in years 9 and 11 sat the UK Intermediate maths challenge. It is a nationwide competition to find the maths stars of the future. The questions are designed to determine whether students are able to use their mathematics skills to solve problems and to think about the skills that they have developed in class.

We are delighted that students were awarded 8 gold, 38 silver and an amazing 83 bronze certificates between them. Three students have been asked to participate in the next round, the Kangaroo, and we eagerly await their results.

At the end of the school’s first year an examiner from Oxford found that Form II knew the Book of Genesis very fairly, but that the Upper Forms had not mastered Jeremiah, Ezra and Nehemiah. The inaccuracy of the lower forms in arithmetic was disturbing. Students are no longer examined in Jeremiah, Ezra and Nehemiah but the GCSE Mathematics results in 2012 placed the school in the top 4% of all schools for Mathematics.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 26

Tech Challenge Tech Challenge By Alexandra Hadaway and Anna Norman 9G On the 22nd March 2013 a team of year 9s from MGGS went to Canterbury College to undertake a tech challenge. The day was designed to push people out of their comfort zones and this was started by putting different schools together to make a team.

The first challenge was E-Fit where we had to recreate a student’s face after seeing them for no longer than a minute. The technology suggested face shapes, hair types and even how menacing the criminal looked. The interesting thing was that the software is used by real police forces around the world and we were very lucky to get to experiment on it.

Another one of our tasks was to build a robot. We were given components such as a programming box that acted as a brain, a laser, two motors, two wheels and various other Lego building blocks. We fitted all the parts together, placing the laser at the front and fixing gears together so the motors could power the wheels. We also had to place Lego around the gears so they were secured. Eventually we got the robot to work and it used its laser to follow a black line of tape which was on the table. We even managed to fix a moving arm with a toy on it to the top of the robot.

There was also a speed based challenge where we had to build a car using axels and various other tools.

The challenge was to make your car go faster than any of the other teams’ cars. The aim of the session was to learn about how you place cogs to get either speed or power.

Overall we had a great day and we learnt lots of things. It was a good experience and taught us a lot.

Trips and Visits Since the start of term, 64 trips and visits have taken place at MGGS, ranging from art trips to the Tate Britain, overseas trips to Milan, Madrid and Paris and theatre visits to London’s West End. There’s an exciting range of excursions already confirmed for the summer term, including the year 9 visit to Normandy and the AS Business Studies visit to the Coca Cola Education Centre in Sidcup. Please note that electronic versions of current trip letters can be found on the Sims Learning Gateway. +Pay is the school’s preferred method of payment for school trips and items, and provides an easy and convenient way for parents and carers to make online payments using a credit or debit card, and to keep track of their payment history.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 27

Careers Careers Advice from 1939 By Wallace Attwood End of the term! How many will heave a sigh of relief? No more school; no more lessons; no more books!

And now, what then? A job! That, unfortunately, seems the aim of every boy or girl on leaving school. A job, never mind what, anything that will bring in a few shillings a week, and impart a feeling of independence. The pity of it! Year after year, thousands of boys and girls drift into jobs. The years pass, some are still in these jobs, face to face with a blank wall, with no hope, no way of escape – just a job.

Others, even more unfortunate, are in and out of jobs. Periods of unemployment punctuate their lives, and they seem endlessly to be hunting – a job.

You don’t want a job. You want a career. A few shillings a week now, with penury and uncertainly in the future, is a poor prospect for a boy or girl who has laid the sound foundation of a secondary school education. And a career can be yours if only you have ambition, perseverance and grit. Look a few years ahead. What is your picture of yourself? Do you see yourself struggling along in a poorly paid job, or can you see yourself going steadily forward, every year seeing you more prosperous than the preceding one? Upon the decision you make at the end of term – if not this term, then some other- will depend into what category you will be placed.

To help you choose a career is the object of this little talk. In this first one, only the Civil Service as a career will be dealt with – in future ones, accountancy, secretarial work, engineering, commerce, industry, etc, will be dealt with.

The Civil Service Do you realise that the government is the largest employer of labour in the country? Do you know that every year over 20,000 people, mostly boys and girls, enter the Civil Service? Of course, these posts are not obtained by merely wishing for them – but they are within the reach of every secondary school boy or girl who strives for them.

Now compare, for a moment, the advantages to be found in government service with those in private employment.

The commencing salary is reasonable, and increases are obtained regularly, year after year. No need to ask for a “rise.” Fluctuations of trade have no effect on your progress. There is no fear of unemployment – that fearful spectre of the man in a “job.” Sickness is robbed of its terrors – no one is discharged while there is the slightest chance of recovery. Old age is free from worry – an adequate pension ensures peace and comfort. The hours of work are short – in most offices only seven a day.

The holidays are long - even some of the junior posts have four complete weeks a year. Can you think of any private employer who could afford, even if he wanted, to offer such conditions to his employees? But office work does not appeal to everyone. Of course it doesn’t. But the Civil Service caters for all tastes. The vast majority are of a clerical nature, but the boy to whom an office desk is distasteful can turn his attention to the Customs and Excise, where the work is largely out-door, and is concerned with the assessment of duty, or the preventive service, where the prevention of smuggling is the chief concern. Engineering attracts many boys, and the engineering posts in the Post Office offer a career than can seldom be found in industry. The big advantage of this last post is that the technical knowledge is gained while the boy is on full salary – no poorly paid apprenticeship here.

Girls can adopt clerical work, shorthand typing, or even manipulative work such as is to be found in the telegraphist’s post.

Economic conditions may, of course, compel a boy or girl to seek immediate employment which will bring money to the home, but even in such cases, the Civil Service offers a way of escape from poorly paid jobs. If leisure time is put to the best use, success at Civil Service examinations can be secured.

Don’t then, be satisfied with a “job.” advantages of the Civil Service.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Plan your career, and in planning it, consider carefully the many

Spring Newsletter - March 2013 | Page 28

Careers Careers News By Miss Cork Well, what a fascinating insight into the world of careers advice from 1939! If anything the ‘get a career not a job’ message demonstrates that the questions posed by young people in the 21 st century have evolved beyond our imagination. Do I get a job? Do I get a career? Do I go to university and do a year in industry or spend a year studying abroad? Do I take on a higher apprenticeship or take a gap year? Should I take the sciences and then convert to law or pick up a qualification in drama to improve my speaking skills? Is work experience more important than a hobby? How can I improve my CV? Should I do the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award or take on more responsibility at school? These questions present themselves at my door on a daily basis. Students at MGGS are proactive and thoughtful with regard to their future and yet the future is still unknown. Many of the careers that may exist in the world in the next ten years have not yet been conceived of let alone given a name or training programme.

So how can we prepare for the unknown? Our CEIAG (careers education, information, advice and guidance) ethos remains clear; supporting young people to learn how to make confident decisions about their future through focus days; one to one careers interviews; experience of the working world; access to books, online resources and expertise in and outside of school; and crucially a focus on aspiration. This term has seen the beginning of our Aspire Events programme with two successful open house careers events (The Medley in January and STEM in March). Each event was supported by local and national employers and universities demonstrating high calibre links between the school and the wider community. We hope to be able to expand and embed this style of event in the coming years and will be finishing the 2013 programme with the final event ‘ME16’ on Thursday May 23rd 2013. This event will be aimed at year 9 students but will also be open to year 11 students and year 13 leavers who are taking a gap year or not planning to attend university.

We hope to attract local employers from a range of sectors and other opportunities such as apprenticeships or training schemes. If you are a local employer and would like to be involved I would welcome your support!

This term we have also sent students to the Trevor Gibbens unit as part of an insight to psychology and adult mental health nursing. Year 10 AS Level language students have attended a day trip to Queens’ College Cambridge where they received a language lecture from Dr Martin Crowley and a taste of Cambridge life. We also heard from Mr Richard Dove on the topic of careers in the Media as well as Husnara Begum who came from the College of Law to talk to students. A former student of MGGS, Hilary Steel, contacted the school to see if any budding journalists would be keen to write an article for the launch of her new publication “Kent Women in Business Magazine.” A group of our year 12 and 13 students worked proactively to produce an excellent article that will feature in the first edition to be launched during the Kent Women in Business Awards held at the end of March 2013.

The summer term is, as always, the run up to year 12 work shadowing (10 th – 12th June 2013 or 11th-13th June 2013) and year 11 work experience (1 st -5th July 2013) programmes. Please can I urge all students and parents with queries or concerns about this to contact me sooner rather than later – the sooner I know about changes or problems, the more effective I will be in ensuring that your daughter or son has a worthwhile and enjoyable experience! Making sure every placement is suitably health and safety checked can be a time consuming task as I’m sure you can imagine!

A selection of guests at our first Aspire Event

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

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News Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards This academic year is proving to be a bumper year for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at MGGS. We have 104 Bronze, 52 Silver and 19 Gold participants all going forward to the expedition stage of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Bronze expeditions will take place in Cranbrook and Canterbury during May, June and July. A Bronze Day Walk is planned for 11th May 2013 for all 104 participants. Dates for expeditions will be issued shortly.

Silver participants will go on expedition at the start and end of the Easter holiday period around the Elham Valley area of Kent. Students have been working exceptionally hard on their route and expedition planning and have produced some outstanding work.

Gold participants this year are going on expeditions in Finland and North Wales. Good luck to you all!

I would like to encourage students who still have books to be submitted to contact me directly. The success of the award is, of course, entirely due to you participating in the DofE award through the training, activities; volunteering, physical and skills elements, but also submitting books for approval and getting the award confirmed.

If you have not already done so, please come to see me for advice about submitting your book, or as many of you already know, I shall contact you to ensure books are submitted.

The DofE experience is demanding and adventurous; it has changed many students’ outlook about the world around them and highlights what is possible through effort and determination. Well done to everyone, I am sure you will have fond memories of your DofE experience for the rest of your lives.

Michelle Starns DofE Unit Leader

The Big Bang Fair 2013

By Kiera Li and Magda Fox Year 7 Ten members from the MGGS Science Club were selected to exhibit at The Big Bang Fair held at London Excel on the 14th and 15th March. The lucky 10 were very excited.

Thursday 14th Everyone couldn’t stop talking about the trip. We were all so excited as it was the day everyone had been waiting for. There was lots of singing on the way.

We were all amazed with all the exciting things around us on the way to our stall. It wasn’t just us exhibiting at the Big Bang Fair. There were lots of others there! Our project was “Mission to Mars”. We had two fabulous space rockets, one amazing Mars rover and an awesome Mars model (but they were fake). Some of us went exploring whilst the others stayed at the stall. So many things to see, so little time! The first half had found many freebies around the exhibition. One even won 3 chocolate medals! Teachers also got many freebies.

Judges came to our stall and it was quite scary talking to them. They asked lots of questions. Some, we didn’t know the answers to. Maybe because we were all year 7 (except our teachers). The first day was very exciting and went very quickly. We all knew that Friday would be another great day.

Friday 15th Friday was sadly the last day of the Big Bang Fair for us. We were all very sad so we made the most of it. There wasn’t much singing on the way, instead, some of us made a comic relief video. We got more freebies today which was great as we had more to remember the fantastic trip. The lucky person who won 3 medals on Thursday won two on Friday. There weren’t any judges which was a great relief but here was a huge robot there too!

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

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Department News Author Cathy Cassidy Visits On Friday 8th March we were delighted to welcome author Cathy Cassidy to the school to talk to Year 7 students.

Her books were on sale in the Library during the days leading up to the visit and Waterstones provided a bookstall on the day. As a result the queue for book-signing by Cathy stretched around the hall. She was happy to sign books new and old as well as pieces of paper and bookmarks! Many students also had their photo taken with Cathy either at lunch-time or after school.

The talk was enjoyed by all and included lots of inspirational advice on how to write and an insight into the characters in Cathy’s books.

Cathy likes to keep a note of the first names of the students she meets to use as potential characters in future books. MGGS students may well see their names in print in the future!

Mrs Brooker, Librarian

MFL Sixth Form students teaching at Brunswick House Primary School

By Eleanor Arbury Year 13 This term a group of sixth students have been visiting Brunswick House Primary school every week to teach French and Spanish. Having not done this before we all were slightly apprehensive as to how the children would respond to having new faces teach a completely new language but it has turned out not only to be extremely enjoyable for the Year Rs, 1s and 2s but also for the A Level language students here at MGGS. We have been teaching the children basic skills such as numbers and the alphabet through the medium of songs and games. The children seem to have remembered every week what they have been taught and they are extremely enthusiastic which is what makes us look forward to the next lunchtime teaching session.

Not only has this experience been very enriching for the young children, as learning a new language is such an important skill to have, but it has also tested our own abilities and therefore been a rewarding experience for everyone involved. The feedback has been amazing so we hope that this programme can continue for years to come!

RS Department On 28th February 28 AS and A2 students attended an Ethics Conference at King’s School, Canterbury. The lecturers were Dr. Peter Vardy, formerly vice-principal of Heythrop College in the University of London and his wife, Charlotte. Topics included: Kantian ethics; utilitarianism; goodness and God; and a stimulating lecture on the World Market in which Dr. Vardy outlined the factors that led to the banking crisis of 2008. The emphasis here was on the need for ethical reflection upon the human greed that collectively brought about this crisis. He also presented us with the views of the American utilitarian philosopher, Peter Singer, who argues that moral issues are frequently the outcome of what human beings do not do rather than what they actually do. Students were asked to question the rightness of purchasing an iphone as opposed to a second-hand Nokia phone when the differential cost of around £300 could be used to feed a child in a poverty stricken area of the world for a year: something, perhaps, for all of us to ponder.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

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Rowing District Indoor Rowing Competition On Tuesday 26th February 2013, the Maidstone District Indoor Rowing Competition was held at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls. Other schools that joined us were MGS, Aylesford, Oakwood Park and St Simon Stock.

Andi Clough took 1st place in the year 7 girls’ race rowing a total of 457m in 2 minutes, closely followed by Emily Etheridge and Grace MacMahon who took 2nd and 3rd place respectively. Ceilidh Monaghan put in an outstanding performance and claimed 1st place in the year 8 girls’ race managing 753m in 3 minutes. Ella Knight came 2nd with 712m and Gabrielle Mould secured 3rd place with a very respectable 676m.

The year 7 and year 8 indoor rowing clubs have grown from strength to strength in the past few months and these results reflect the hard work and commitment that the students have shown week after week.

Everyone enjoyed the day and some students went on to attend the National Junior Indoor Rowing Competition on 15th March. This is one of the world’s largest indoor rowing competitions and students had the opportunity to meet the Oxford Rowing Team and gold medallist Katherine Grainger.

Sophie Taylor came 5th in the year 10 girls’ heats but unfortunately for MGGS she was rowing for Medway Towns Rowing Club on this occasion. Ceilidh Monaghan put in another outstanding performance securing first place in her round of heats and taking 16 th place overall in the country! This proved to be a very successful day for all our students and to top it all their behaviour was exemplary.

Well done MGGS!

Jubilee Thanksgiving Service - This took place at All Saints’ Church on 19th October 1938. The school magazine recorded, ‘In an atmosphere of reverence and tranquillity the life of the new school was fittingly dedicated’. The centenary service took place on 20th January 1988, again at All Saints’ Church. The first hymn was Lord of the Dance during which the 3rd years (Year 9) tumbled and danced in the aisles to set the celebratory atmosphere.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

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Drama 84 students took part.

11 weeks of rehearsals.

3 sold out performances.

An hour performance filled with vibrant acting, singing and dancing.

‘Fame Junior’ was the Drama Department’s spring production this year and all the students involved made us incredibly proud. The high levels of commitment and dedication that we asked of the students were achieved above and beyond our expectations. The 69 strong cast were selected from over 150 auditionees in October last year. We were impressed with the number of students who put themselves forward for a part and with the quality of performers who emerged.

The 13 crew members ranging from Years 7 - 10 were led professionally by Harry Deards and Lily Beaumont in Year 13. The stage-management, lighting and sound skills developed by the team were honed during technical rehearsals and the smooth running of the show was in no small part due to the team’s ability to work together with a calm efficiency.

The opening number of the show ‘Hard Work’ effortlessly sums up the weeks of rehearsals we have spent together, culminating in the triumph of the performances. Mrs C Smith’s choreography added flair to the show and Mrs Wood’s help with the music rehearsals was invaluable. The support we have received from students, staff and parents has been gratefully received. Planning for next year’s production is already under way...

Reflections from a few cast members:

Jack Knoll Year 13 - ‘Nick Piazza’ When rehearsals began last November, I don't think anybody quite realised how much hard work would need to go into putting together the extravaganza that Miss Johnson, our director, dreamed of. With the attitudes of a professional theatre company firmly impressed upon us, the cast and crew began work on ensuring that 'Fame Jr.' would be a success and a smash hit. One of the biggest challenges for me during the rehearsal process was perfecting the performance of my character's song, "I Want To Make Magic". Acting in front of an audience was something I could handle, but at first I did not feel singing was something I was comfortable with. Through perseverance and a lot of practice, I was able to give a performance of the song which I felt incredibly proud of. I am extremely grateful to the drama department for giving me such a good opportunity to perform in 'Fame Jr.' as it will be my final performance at MGGS before leaving to study English and drama at university. Thank you to everyone involved for making it an unforgettable experience!

Jessica Kiddie Year 12 ‘Serena Katz’ From the word 'go', everybody involved knew that 'Fame' was going to be something special. The production gave MGGS an opportunity to shine, as students’ talents were discovered in acting, dancing, singing, stage production and so much more. The rehearsal process created a community of friends who all had one thing in common- the enthusiasm that made 'Fame' the success it was.

Miss Johnson, Mrs Shand, Mrs Smith and Mrs Wood worked tirelessly to ensure that Fame obtained the professional standard that was showcased on the performance nights. The cast and crew were treated like professionals, and we thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. Not only did we collectively thrive as an ensemble, but we all gained precious experience in the performing world that we will never forget. On the nights of the performances the atmosphere was buzzing with energy and excitement, almost resembling what the atmosphere would have been like in the ‘Fame School’ itself.

Parents, friends, teachers, and the cast and crew themselves should all be proud of what MGGS has achieved through this production of 'Fame Jr'. We are sad it is over and cannot wait to see what next year may bring.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

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Drama Drama Eloise Ball Year 11 ‘Dance Swing’ ‘Fame Jr’ has been a very strong reminder as to why I chose to come to MGGS and why I love attending our school. As a “dance swing” I was required to work in a team with seven other dancers, all from a variety of year groups ranging from year 9 to year 12 most of which I had never met before. It was amazing how quickly we all got to know one another, and I can honestly say towards the end of the production we were more like a family. In fact this applies to the whole cast - the whole production brought all age groups within the school together as one. We all shared the same goal - to pull off the most amazing show we could and, together, we achieved that goal. It showed us that we really can do anything we put our minds to and I think that is an extremely important belief we have here at MGGS. We didn’t just stick to the set rehearsal schedule - we planned and ran rehearsals ourselves in our free time, some of us even choreographing sections of the dances. This involvement gave us even more of a sense of achievement when the show was such a success! I thoroughly enjoyed every single second of being on stage alongside the rest of the cast. ‘Fame Jr’ has not only been an amazing experience performance-wise but through it I have met some amazing new friends, in different years, across the school who I know will stay with me for the rest of my time at MGGS. I would like to thank Miss Johnson, Mrs Shand, Mrs Smith and Mrs Wood on behalf of all the cast for giving us all such wonderful memories and this amazing opportunity. I really hope there will be many more school productions to follow this huge success!

In Term 3 we also took our Year 10 and 11 GCSE classes to see ‘Goodnight Mr Tom’ at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End. After a tumultuous start to the trip due to slight travel issues our students managed to enjoy the heart-warming story of how one, young boy could change the lives of many during the Second World War. We would like to highlight the girls’ impeccable behaviour and patience throughout the day. They were a pleasure to take to London and a credit to the department and MGGS.

An account from Lucy Ryell Year 11: 17th January 2013. The day had finally arrived. Year 10 and 11 drama students were buzzing with excitement for the production of Goodnight Mister Tom at the Phoenix Theatre in London. We sat chatting and laughing in the fresh new studio, impatiently counting down the minutes until Mrs Shand or Miss Johnson waltzed through the door. And they did. But not for the reason we were expecting.”Girls, there’s been a problem.” And simultaneously, every heart in the room sank from a delightful high to a pitiful low. The coaches hadn’t shown up. At first, we empathised. They could just be running a few minutes late, they could have a flat tyre, or the driver has fallen asleep or…or this could just be a complete disaster. Then we forgot about empathising and panicked instead. What if we missed this trip? What if we couldn’t get there in time and they slammed the doors in our horrified faces?

Cue the superwomen in the finance office! They quickly managed to call another coach company to pick us up, and we were bundled on to the vehicle as speedily as possible. The race was on. The clock was ticking, and the traffic was congested. But finally, we arrived. Panic-stricken we rushed to the doors, were we too late? “Yes, yes you can come in.” As we passed through, beaming with gratitude at the man who had been so generous, we sat in newly assigned seats, feeling a huge wave of relief sweep over us. And then this magnificent story unfolded on stage, bringing salty tears to our eyes, and stinging rounds of applause. Despite the frustrating mishap with the travel arrangements and the dreadful possibility of missing the play, it was truly excellent.

Every actor was an exceptional ripple of movement, every sound was a mesmerising echo of war, and every detail was perfected. Stunning lighting, immaculate vocalisation, Dave Littlewood’s stage adaptation of Magorian’s novel was simply breathtaking.

Clambering back onto the coach in the silent darkness and bitter cold, a smile was etched upon each face. We had triumphed over a dilemma, and enjoyed an outstanding play. All thanks to our teachers, for saving the day.

Thank you once again for all the support you have given the Drama Department over the past few terms. It is very much appreciated.

Mrs Shand and Miss Johnson Maidstone Maidstone Grammar Grammar School School for for Girls Girls

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Drama

The cast and crew of ‘Fame Junior’

Music ensemble

Above: Jack Knoll Year 13 as ‘Nick Piazza’ and Jessica Kiddie Year 12 as ‘Serena Katz’

Above: Rosie Galligan Year 10 as ‘Carmen Diaz’

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Left: Jess Manley Year 13 as ‘Miss Sherman’, Dani Startup Year 11 as ‘Tyrone Jackson’ and Courtney Rosemeyer Year 12 as ‘Miss Bell’

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School News Kent Adult Education is holding the following course at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls starting on Tuesday 16th April 2013 Feng Shui and Modern Flower Designs, 10 week course, 7-9pm, Tuesday 16th April until Tuesday 25th June 2013. Cost - £92 If you are interested in enrolling for this course please do so using one of the following routes Tel: 0845 606 5606 www.kentadulteducation.co.uk In person at the Maidstone Adult Education at St Faiths Street Centre during the following office hours Mon-Thurs 8.00 – 21.00 Friday 8.00 – 17.00 Please quote MAI/00691/A/LC when booking.

Please note bookings cannot be taken by the school and must be processed by KCC Adult Education Department.

Are you eligible to claim free school meals for your child?

Parents and students sometimes may feel that there is a stigma associated with receiving Free School Meals (FSM). Please be reassured that as parents if you apply for FSM the school is not notified unless your daughter is eligible to receive them. If the application for FSM is successful the school is then notified. This information is given only to those who process this in school. As students use the sQuid cashless system in the school canteen, funds are allocated to their sQuid card directly and no other student in school would know that the student is receiving FSM. The school receives Government funding via Pupil Premium when a student receives FSM. This means that by applying for and then receiving FSM for your daughter you will also be helping to provide funding via Pupil Premium which will go towards helping both your daughter and other students in school. More information about Pupil Premium can be found on the school website at the following link http://www.mggs.org/aboutmggs/public-notices Your daughter may be entitled to receive free school meals if you are entitled to receive one or more of the following: Income Support (IS); Income Based Jobseekers Allowance (IBJSA); An income-related employment and support allowance Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999; or Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed

by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) that does not exceed £16,190.

Note: where a parent is entitled to Working Tax Credit during the four-week period immediately after their employment ceases, or after they start to work less than 16 hours per week, their children are entitled to free school lunches.

The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit.

If you think you may be entitled to free school meals, please request a form from the school or download and print-off the Free School Meals form. Once completed return to: The Assessment Team, Kent County Council, St Peters House, Broadstairs, Kent, CT10 3JJ

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

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Charity Events News Charity Events 2012—2013 So far this year students and staff have raised the following amount for charity. Charity events include rag week, non-uniform days, Christmas fairs, cake sales etc. £175

British Heart Foundation

£175

Kent MS Therapy Centre

£6,791.35

Divided between SUDEP and Pahar Trust for our link schools in Nepal

£870

Leukaemia Fund

£129

Children in Need

£233

Heart of Kent Hospice

£364

Marie Curie

£233

Save The Children

£179

Cardiac Risk in the Young

£729

International Women’s Day

Let’s Get Cooking Year 13 Cookery Club

By Alice Cachia year 13 Upon receiving funds from the National Lottery, MGGS has been lucky enough to hold afterschool cooking sessions for year 13, in order to help them prepare for University life in making quick yet tasty meals. So far, we have made a selection of curries, a variety of beef dishes, omelettes, pancakes and pasta dishes as well as different soups, and haven't had to pay for any of the ingredients.

Surprisingly, the recipes we have been given have all been much simpler to follow than we originally thought and it's great to see that you can make healthy, affordable meals whilst budgeting your money effectively. A huge thank you goes to Mrs Meek and Mrs Seabrook who have given us top tips whilst cooking such as how to dice an onion without crying, as well as given up their spare time in order to help us become ‘masterchefs’. It's been brilliant as well to sit down and try what everyone else has made, although there have been a few burnt dishes here and there but that's only to be expected! As our time at MGGS is coming to an end, we are incredibly grateful to have been given the opportunity to develop our culinary skills, and hopefully this will continue at University, although the odd pot noodle and takeaway will most likely still be devoured every now and then!

We share our quasquicentennial anniversary with The Financial Times which also started in 1888.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

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Textiles Henry Poole Tailors and the Hollywood Costume exhibition In January the Year 12 and 13 Textiles students had the fantastic opportunity to attend a trip to Henry Poole Tailors in Savile Row, London. There we were given a tour of the shop and workshop to see the processes involved in making a bespoke suit. The students were able to speak to pattern cutters and machinists to gain a better understanding of what it is like to work in this area of the Textiles industry.

Following this visit, the girls then went to see the amazing Hollywood Costume exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Here we were treated to an amazingly presented collection of hundreds of famous costumes from many famous Hollywood films. Everyone agreed that the trip was highly inspirational and has given many of the girls an idea of potential future careers in the creative industries. Miss Croney

Girls in the Henry Poole showroom

Year 10 textiles students in their dresses

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

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Focus Day First Aid 4 Life – Focus Day Here at MGGS we have been teaching first aid to students and staff for the past five years. We are an affiliated British Heart Foundation ‘Heartstart’ centre and during this time have provided full day training courses to over 200 sixth form students studying for a Community or Higher Sports Leader Award (CSLA and HSLA) and over 35 members of staff. Also, all our year 7 pupils (approximately 180 per year) are taught how to put a casualty in to the recovery position, give cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and correctly use a defibrillator.

Pupils practising putting a casualty in to the recovery position.

Not only do we have our own resuscitation dolls but we are fortunate enough at MGGS to have both an actual defibrillator and one used specifically for training. We hope we never have to use it but it is reassuring to know that the majority of our pupils now know how to use the defibrillator if required. In addition, approximately 150 Duke of Edinburgh’s Award participants at all levels are taught first aid every year as part of their expedition training.

A year 7 class being taught how to give CPR during a recent Focus Day

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

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125th Anniversary Open Afternoon 29th June 1pm – 5pm All past students and staff, as well as current staff and students, are very welcome to come and reminisce, meet some old friends, and view the extensive archive collection. You will be able to wander the corridors of the old building and will also have a chance to see our beautiful new Buckland House. It will be a relaxed and informal event, with refreshments served throughout the afternoon. You are welcome at any time during the afternoon. If you are hoping to come please e-mail the school (central@mggs.org) or telephone 01622 752103. We look forward to seeing you!

Do you have information for our archives? We would love to hear from you.

MAIDSTONE GRAMMAR SCHOOL FOR GIRLS

Buckland Road Maidstone Kent ME16 0SF Tel: 01622 752103 Email: central@mggs.org Fax: 01622 681947 Website: www.mggs.org

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

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