Maidstone Grammar School for Girls Non sibi sed omnibus
The Newsletter December 2015
End of Term Message By Miss Stanley, Headteacher As I write Rag Week is ahead of us. However, by the time this is read by students, parents, carers and staff, Rag Week will or will almost be over. I am pleased that again this year half of the money raised from Rag Week will be going to our partner schools in Nepal. I was touched this autumn to receive a bundle of letters from the students in one of these school. In the letters they talk about their lives, the earthquakes earlier in the year, and how grateful they are for the support they have received from MGGS. We hope to send letters back to these students as well as aiming to use Skype to video conference with this school in the new year. MGGS has a very long history of supporting others in need. I was recently shown a copy, from our school archives, of the Headteacher’s Annual Speech for the school year 1915-1916. This record of Miss Kidd’s speech of 100 hundred years ago shows that what we continue to value now, was also valued then. Miss Kidd was writing during The First World War, and reflected on the impact the dark events in Europe were having on the nation. She was adamant that it was only right that MGGS should continue to maintain what it did, even under restrictions. She lists all the charitable events the school was involved in. The girls had dressed dolls to give to the poor children of Maidstone for Christmas, prepared hospital bags for those in need and held monthly house collections to raise money for the War effort. The amounts of money raised were significant, especially given the restrictions all families were under at that time. This Christmas, we have continued this tradition and have sent food to Maidstone Homeless Care and gifts of toys to The Salvation Army to distribute to children who otherwise would not have presents this Christmas. Miss Kidd in her speech also talked about the school House Cup, which we still have. In 1915-1916 the cup was awarded to Danes for the best all round conduct, work and games. A hundred years later we still have the same House Cup, though our House year runs from Easter to Easter. House Arts this autumn was Drama and was won by Saxons. It was a real privilege to be able to watch all six performances, something I have not ever had the opportunity to do before. It was part way through House Arts this year that I learnt that the building firm responsible for constructing the sports hall had gone into administration. We have been very fortunate that W W Martin have now taken this project over. They know the school well, given that they built Buckland House, and we are extremely thankful that there has been minimal delay in the construction. I will, though, be very thankful once it is completed at Easter. I am pleased to inform you that from January Mrs Binks will be Assistant Headteacher, with particular responsibility for KS4. Dr Doyle will therefore be taking over as Head of Science for the rest of the academic year. In term 5 we will be welcoming Mrs Ransom to MGGS as Assistant Headteacher with responsibility for KS5. May I take this opportunity to wish all students and staff together with their families a very happy and peaceful Christmas and my very best wishes for 2016.
a tradition of excellence Buckland Road, Maidstone, Kent ME16 0SF
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The Newsletter Governor News By Molly Tipples I hope that you will enjoy reading our new Governor article which will be a regular item in the school newsletter from now on. It is hoped that it will give you an oversight of the work the Governing Body does each term. We are a very active Governing Body and the work we do is often unseen and carried out behind the scenes. Having said that Governors have had two very busy terms since school started in September. We have attended many events in school, the 11+ and Sixth form Open evenings, Year 7 music concert, Speech Day, and the recent Carol service to name but a few. My vice chairman and I, along with several other Governors have attended numerous meetings in school supporting Miss Stanley in her new role as Headteacher and giving support to the Leadership team. We have helped resolve the issues surrounding the problems encountered when EPPS construction went into receivership. I am very pleased to say that the Sports Hall is still on track for completion in the spring of 2016. Following the completion of our annual skills audit in September, we have invited parents and alumni with skills in education, facilities management and finance to join us as co-opted Governor. We had a good response from parents and we will soon be interviewing all the applicants. I appreciate all the work that the Governors undertake during the year to assist in making the school such a wonderful vibrant place in which to learn and work. Parents, staff and students can contact the Governing Body at any time through our clerk, Mrs Hogan, at the following email address: clerk@mggs.org On behalf of the Governing Body I would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and all the very best for the new year. Mrs Tipples, Chairman of the Governing Body
House Arts 2015 By Mollie In keeping with the school’s long standing tradition, House Arts was the turn of Drama this year with the theme of Enchantment. The House Leaders worked tirelessly to put together some wonderful performances and magical moments for the rest of the school to watch. Students both old and new came together to represent their houses in a wide variety of plays – Maleficent, Peter Pan and A Midsummer Night’s Dream were just a few. The winning house, Saxons, performed its version of The Tale of the Three Brothers (photo above) which was very moving. We would like to thank our Adjudicator Angela Harris-Tanzer, a previous head of drama at MGGS, for returning to the school and giving her time to watch and judge the performances. It was a very special day.
a tradition of excellence Buckland Road, Maidstone, Kent ME16 0SF
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The Newsletter Salvation Army Appeal By Steph Woods, 11A On Thursday 10th December, several students, along with myself, had the chance to deliver all the kindly donated gifts for the Salvation Army's appeal. It was a truly heart warming experience as we could really see the extent of how generous members of the school are through the mass of gifts we were able to give. Members of the Salvation Army were truly thankful for all the donations and explained to us just how important these gifts would be to many this Christmas. They continued to tell us how there had been many appeals for gifts already so our donations would really make a huge difference. A huge thank you to all who donated, making the Christmas's of those less fortunate than ourselves a little brighter.
Charities By Miss Heppeler MGGS students have held numerous charity events this term and have raised so far a total of £7,741.14 for a range of good causes. Thank you to all students and parents for their donations and support. Non-uniform day
10N
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
£868.98
Poppy Appeal
Whole School
The Royal British Legion
£230.04
Halloween Fair
10C
£311.77
Christmas Fair
9C
£110.86
Cake sales
7A, 10F, 12/13R
Save the Children’s Refugee Crisis Appeal
£149.11
Head Students
Rag Week Charities
£2712 after 3 days of fundraising
Whole School
Rag Week Charities
£385.95
Salvation Army Christmas Present Appeal
Whole School
Salvation Army
Present donations for children
Campaign for the Homeless
10S
KM ‘You Can Help’ Christmas Campaign Homeless Care
Food Donations
Form Room Christmas Decoration Competition using recycled materials
Whole School
Rag Week - Rag Tickets, Rag Mag, Rag Ball and Fancy Dress School Carol Service Collection
Prize a delicious box of chocolates
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The Newsletter Last term brought the biggest challenge of all for us, House Arts. Our theme was enchantment and from that came our journey to Neverland. It was packed with adventure, laughter and of course, fairy dust but most of all, memories that we and the cast will always remember and treasure. We did amazingly well as a result of everyone's hard work. Each student gave their all throughout rehearsals, and on the day itself, from those working backstage, to the set maker and the cast themselves. We have never been more proud of our house, and couldn't have done it without them; it has truly made our last House Arts as memorable as ever. Thank you Danes! We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who took part in House Arts! All three of us are unbelievably proud of what you all achieved, whether you were involved backstage, in the performance or both. As House Leaders we would like to say how enjoyable you made this experience and well done for attending rehearsals, showing incredible enthusiasm and putting up with us when we were slightly (unbelievably) stressed! Winning two prizes (Best Programme and Best Interpretation of Theme) was an amazing achievement and we would like to give a special mention to Molly H for making our programme for us! We would also like to thank all the teachers who gave up their time to supervise rehearsals and organise the day, in particular the Drama Department and Mrs Wood. Have a great Christmas and look out for house events in the New Year; we would love to see you all again! Love Katie, Maddy and Kira :)
As the current term is coming to an end and the Christmas period is approaching, the Vikings House Leaders would like to say a big thank you to everyone who was involved in House Arts this academic year. From those who helped with our lighting and backstage to the ensemble to our main characters, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of those who worked towards making our last House Arts at MGGS a special and memorable one. We were utterly impressed by the performance and hard work of each and everyone of our actors/actresses and could not have hoped for a better production. Although the final few weeks of rehearsals leading up to House Arts were extremely stressful, throughout the process we were able to form friendships with many of our house members; friendships we will treasure for a long time and for this we are eternally grateful. We hope that as House Leaders we have made all Vikings proud to be a member of our house. We look forward to further upcoming house events and hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thank you! Rachel, Diana and Maddi
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The Newsletter We would all like to thank you for all the effort you have put in so far this year! A massive congratulations to everyone involved in House Arts, we are incredibly proud of you! We were really glad to win happiest house and coming third was a huge bonus. We hope you enjoyed the process of House Arts as much as we did – we wish we could do it again! We hope you are working extra hard in your lessons to get us those house points! We cannot wait until the next house event. Wishing you a magical Christmas and a fantastic New Year. Love Aaron, Harriet and Cilian
House Arts 2015 was hugely successful for Saxons. Not only did we place 1st for the first time in 14 years, but our amazing technical support and commitment from our ensemble allowed us to win ‘Best Visual Effects’ too. We want to thank everyone who not only took part in the performance - including main parts, ensemble and non-speaking roles - but also those who helped backstage with props and set. These roles are often overlooked by the audience but they are an integral part of creating a really fantastic performance. It is safe to say that we House Leaders and the cast and crew all enjoyed rehearsals to the full. Though a lot of rehearsals were spent laughing and joking, this made for a much more enjoyable atmosphere. When approaching the more stressful days as the final performance drew nearer, our time allocated for rehearsals became much more productive and everyone contributed with excellent ideas that made our play so unique. We would like to thank everyone who was involved, including the teachers who gave up their time to supervise rehearsals, the drama Rosie G, Emma R, Sinead F, Rosie R, department who spent so much time with all the houses, Mrs Wood Sophie F, Maddie G, Jenny T, Henry B for taking over the job of organising the day, Mr Hilson for his assistance with lighting and tech, and everyone who supported us through all of House Arts (both on the day and throughout the term). However, there is no way we could have put on such a wonderful, emotional performance without our actors so thank you, thank you, thank
Britons have started this academic year with yet another success placing 2nd with our performance of Beauty and the Beast in House Arts. As house leaders we have had more fun than we could have ever imagined and want to thank all of our lovely cast members for all their hard work! A particular well done to Beth D and Scott W without whom we couldn't have done it! We have had a very busy term but we cannot wait for all the inter-house competitions that are still to come. 1st in rounders, 1st in Sports Day and 2nd in House Arts - we can't quite believe it! Keep smiling Britons and thank you for all of your hard work Ellie, Becca, Clara and Cam
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The Newsletter Music Round Up By Mr Chapman and Mrs Wood We have had a very busy and musical start to the new academic year. Our Year 7 students have enthusiastically joined the department giving a wonderful concert in November to parents and friends. 7S performed at our open events to prospective students and their parents, wonderfully demonstrating their love of singing and dancing, as did one of our accomplished Year 10 flautists. We are now in full swing towards Christmas, with the carol service on the 9th December and getting ready for our end of term celebrations in assemblies. This year we have a wide range of clubs on offer. Some new groups are our Wind Band led by Mrs Gooding on Monday lunch times and our senior student and staff choir Cantata led by Mr Hamilton and Mrs Wood. Forte is rehearsing for the fast approaching Young Voices concert at the O2 in January, and our Year 9 students are starting to plan their Oxjam concert in May. The Music Department would like to thank all of the students who have got involved in clubs and performances so far this year, but we would also like to thank parents. We know how many hours of practice you encourage and listen to, how many taxi service runs you do to lessons and clubs, and how many times you come and support your daughters and sons in concerts. We would not be able to provide the opportunities we offer without your support – so thank you very much. We wish you a Merry Christmas.
GCSE music visit to Glyndebourne By Mrs Wood On the 5th November GCSE Music students had the rare opportunity to watch the Glyndebourne Opera Company performing in Canterbury. The opera was Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, although not a well-known opera, one which brilliantly represents the idea of opera buffa (a comic opera). This was fabulously set up by Glyndebourne, with sets that included interlinking doors, windows and paintings, a bath tub full of bubbles, and even a park. The afternoon was thoroughly enjoyable, even with a broken down coach on the way home! We are now looking to make this visit a regular feature for GCSE students with future trips currently in the planning stage.
Religious Studies SACRE youth meeting By Charlotte S On the 4th November, I, two other Religious Studies Prefects and Mr Tomkins went to Maidstone County Hall to attend a meeting on SACRE, (Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education). We were welcomed by members of the team and shown into a courtroom that was very impressive in scale and style. There were around five or six schools there from in and around the Kent area, and our first activity was a group one, which was interesting and engaging. We were all in groups with people we had never met before so it was a good opportunity to meet people from different schools and backgrounds, and we worked well as a group. We discussed topics such as religion, politics and history, all relating to Philosophy and Theology. We found listening to other people’s views on religious studies enthralling and certainly enjoyed the whole trip. We had a break for cookies and orange juice half way through which gave us a chance to chat and socialise with other students and teachers. At the end of the day, each team presented its ideas to the rest of the whole group. Overall, the day was engaging and we learnt much about how and why religious studies is taught in schools, and also how important it is for student to learn about religion, especially in today’s society. We all enjoyed this experience and hope to be involved in other such visits soon!
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The Newsletter A level French exchange return visit to the Lycée Maillol in Perpignan By Eleanor D, Natasha L, Mr Cook and Mme Fourmy
What an adventure by Natasha L
On the 27th of September, some of the students studying A Level French got the fantastic opportunity to go to Perpignan and visit their French exchange students. Although we were all slightly apprehensive at the idea of spending a week in an unfamiliar house, after we had safely landed and gone to our respective families, these fears soon vanished! Every family was incredibly warm and friendly, and completely welcomed us into their homes. This gave us the fantastic opportunity to improve our everyday conversation skills in French – whether it was discussions over the dinner table or watching French television, being in a French environment meant we were constantly thinking about and speaking the language. As well as this, we were lucky enough to accompany our French exchange partners to several of their lessons throughout the week. Once we’d got over the initial shock of having to get up so early (the typical French school day is from 8am to 6pm!), we were able to immerse ourselves in a French Lycée and understand how the education system in France works. On top of observing lessons, we also worked on a joint project with the French students about immigration. Following the recent events in Syria, this topic proved to be extremely interesting and relevant, and we ended our week with presentations in French and English about the different aspects of the migrant crisis, and what we had learnt throughout the stay. Finally, we enjoyed a number of trips out, including a tour of Perpignan, a visit to the seaside town of Collioure and even across the border to Girona in Spain. These meant we could fully appreciate the beauty of Perpignan and the Pryenées – each place was full of art, culture, and history, and we would love to visit them again in the future. Overall, the French exchange was a truly incredible experience, and really opened our eyes to different cultures and ways of living. As well as this, everyone made so many new friends and formed close bonds with their exchange families –there were more than a few tears at the airport! We are all so grateful to Madame Fourmy for taking the time to organise this trip, and needless to say we will never forget the memories made and friendships formed.
A milestone in my progress by Eleanor D I must admit that before going on the exchange I was slightly apprehensive about the experience. I didn’t know how I would cope with a completely different country and a different language. However, looking back all I can say from my experience at Perpignan, is that I couldn’t have imagined it any better! The reward of conversing with young people in a secondary language is so great and it felt like a it was a huge milestone in my progress. As soon as we arrived it shocked me at how well I was able to sustain a conversation in French with someone I previously did not know! Languages have always been my passion and sharing this love with all the new people that I met was unbelievable. I feel assured that I have made friends whom I shall keep for a lifetime and we have already arranged for another visit! Each day I felt as though my language skills were improving and I think that the visit will have an everlasting positive impact. Not only did we get to experience life in the “Lycée Maillol”, we also got to experience the diverse town that is Perpignan.
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The Newsletter Perpignan cont’d With a theme of “Les minorites d’hier et aujourd’hui” there was also an academic focus on immigration, a topic that is extremely current today. It was very interesting to examine this from both an English and a French perspective whilst working on collaborative projects. Throughout the week we had day trips to Spain, a French detention camp and a historic castle. In the evenings we met up with everyone and had a meal in a Tapas restaurant, a party at the school and even had a game of Laser Tag! I think the thing that I enjoyed most about my experience was meeting new people and getting to do lots of fun and interesting things with them during our stay. I don’t think I have ever laughed as much as I did that week and I am sure that everyone can say the same. From visiting Perpignan, I have learnt that an exchange is an invaluable experience and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who receives the chance!
A journey of learning by Mr Cook It was with some trepidation that I embarked on the MGGS French Exchange trip to Perpignan back in September. I was going to spend a week staying with Madame Laib and her family; me who failed his French O level back in 1976! However, my worries were completely unfounded. I could not have been made more welcomed by Madame Laib, her family, the other teachers at the school and the students. We had a great time: tapas was consumed (twice), we had a guided tour of Perpignan, a visit to the beautiful town of Collioure and a trip to Gerone in Spain. I ate figs straight from the tree, consumed courgette and Roquefort soup and was given some of Madame Laib’s own avocadoes to bring home! However, let me not fool “A fantastic opportunity to improve our you into thinking that this was just a everyday conversation skills in French” this was a journey of learning, for the holiday for a lucky few; students and for me. On the second day, after watching a very thought provoking film called “Welcome”, and taking part in a most informative preparatory session from one of the school’s history teachers, we travelled to the Rivesaltes Detention Camp. To see where first Spanish refugees from the civil war, then Algerian refuges from their civil war and then Jews, Gypsies and other people deemed undesirable by the Nazis had been detained, made a big impact on all of us. Why this visit? This was the focus for the whole trip: to study and discuss the plight of refugees and minorities around the world, particularly in relation to Europe. From the information gleaned from the trips out and research in the classroom, the students, French and UK, working together, produced presentations on a number of themes related to immigration and minorities. These were of an exceptionally high standard and most informative. The week was rounded off with a crepe party at the school. The crepes were fantastic although I couldn’t really say the same about some of the students’ choice of music! It was with many tears and fond farewells that we made our way back home. What were the memories I brought back with me? Eating the figs, how hard all of the students worked, how well behaved they all were (even the teachers!) and how well organised the whole trip was. I would like to say thank you to Madame Fourmy for allowing me to accompany the trip and thank you to the students, French and UK, for making it so worthwhile.
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The Newsletter Maths Challenge By Mollie Last week, Laura M, Alexandra H, Grainnie K and I took part in a Regional Final of the Senior Team Maths Challenge. This event was run by the UK Mathematics Trust and the Further Mathematics Support Programme and took place at Cobham Hall School. We thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon, which consisted of a series of rounds of mathematical problems against the clock. Many other schools from around Kent and Surrey attended, creating a competitive but enjoyable atmosphere. It was a great experience which allowed us to develop our problem solving skills in a fun and interesting way as a team. A particular highlight for me was the “crossnumber” round, which is similar to a crossword but with numerical answers. In this round our team was split into two, with one pair working on the across clues, and the other pair had the down clues. We had to work independently to complete the grid using problem solving skills, logic and deduction. Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable and informative experience and we would like to thank Mrs Wilkinson for taking us.
Future Careers in STEM By Mr Hamilton On Friday 4th December, 15 students along with Mr Hamilton and Ms Williams went to London to visit Accenture as part of a STEM in a day experience. Hosted by the STEMettes organisation, which promotes women in STEM, the students were able to discover more about Accenture, a technology innovation and consultancy company and build an app using online software. Their brief was to create an app for a current or made up music festival. At the end they had to present to the app to the judges where 'CoachAnnie' app won the judges’ vote and 'Van Warped Tour' app won the people's choice vote! The students also got the chance to visit the innovation hub where Accenture showcases its new innovations through rapid release prototyping; students were able to try out a virtual reality simulator and learn about how Accenture technology is currently being used in everyday situations. A great day was had by all with the students being able to come away with valuable experience of how they could get into STEM careers. A big thank you to Ms Williams for driving the minibus into central London! You can follow what the STEMettes get up to and what events they have planned for students by going to their website or following them on all common social media platforms.
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The Newsletter Careers By Miss Rhodes It has been a busy couple of terms for careers, as we have had careers focus days for Year 8, 9 and 11, an ‘Aspire’ Careers Fair, Year 11 careers interviews, and for Year 13 the ongoing excitement of UCAS applications as well as other post-18 options. In November we hosted our ‘Aspire’ Careers Fair in the Main Hall; we had a great turn-out from students and parents including students from MGS, Oakwood, Invicta and Maplesden Noakes. We were joined by representatives from a wide range of careers including the NHS, HSBC, Sky, various different legal professionals including solicitors and a judge, The British Museum, Engineers, Accountants and Construction. The event was a great success and we look forward to hosting similar events in the future. Year 11 have had a particularly busy couple of terms; we started off in September with a focus day looking at work experience, CVs, and job applications to provide students with the tools to enable them to find themselves an interesting and relevant work experience placement for 2016. Year 11 have also been making some important decisions about their future - they have been deciding on their post-16 options and making applications to sixth forms and colleges. Every year 11 student has had a one-to-one careers interview with either me of Bethan Gorvett (our CXK advisor) to discuss their future plans and to make sure that they have had support and guidance in making these choices. Year 8 and 9 students have also had careers-related focus days, getting them to start thinking about their skills and interests and how these can link to their future careers. Year 9 will be seeing more of me in January as they will each be having a one-to-one careers interview before they choose their GCSE options. Year 13 have been having an exciting and nerve-wracking couple of terms sending off their UCAS applications and waiting for their offers! Myself, the sixth form management team, and the sixth form tutors have all been on hand to help with personal statements, advise on applications and give help and preparation for interviews or admissions tests. We hope everyone will be able to have a well-deserved rest over Christmas! We look forward to hosting more careers fair, talks and events next term. As always if you have any questions about any of the careers provision, events or information at MGGS then please get in touch with me at arhodes@mggs.org and I will be happy to help. Best wishes and have an excellent Christmas break!
KS3 Forensics Day By Mr O’Sullivan & Beatrice F We greatly enjoyed our time at Canterbury Christ Church University, for the STEM Forensics Science Day on Wednesday 2nd December. It was a great experience to see a university during term time. The day started with a briefing explaining that we were going to look at evidence from a murder. Three other schools, including a sixth form college were there for the day. We became detectives for the day as we tried to solve who murdered Kirsten Stewart! We researched and learnt about blood patterns in Forensic Biology and saw 2 T-Shirts – one from the victim and one from the alleged perpetrator (her boyfriend Robert Patterson!). We discovered that the victim had a nose bleed previously and Robert had an impact pattern on the T-Shirt that he was wearing – showing he had hit someone at least twice! We then separated ink samples from a note found at the crime scene and pens found at the scene and on Robert. We investigated further and went to the crime scene to find more evidence – including the note and more impact blood patterns. It was a fascinating and information day and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
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The Newsletter Year 8 Hever Castle visit By Connie L and Kajal K The enrichment groups doing French and Spanish had a trip to Hever Castle on the 3rd of December. We were split into groups, and had a tour of the castle in French, to develop our vocabulary and understanding of French. The castle was surprisingly small; one room took up the whole width of the building! The guide showed us lots of peepholes where there were hidden items...these were explained to us in detail. After this, we were put into different groups, and did the same tour but in English, with audio guides. This helped us get any information we’d missed. We then had time to explore the vast grounds, and go through the maze! There was a small gift shop in which we could buy souvenirs. The day was fun and interesting, and we feel it has helped us a lot in languages. Thank you for this opportunity! iFue guay!
Being and Nothingness Philosophy and Ethics Conference By Victoria R, Year 12 Philosophy and Ethics Student
A group of Year 12 Philosophy and Ethics students recently attended an intensive one day lecture in London with Dr Peter Vardy (Previously Vice-Principal of Heythrop College, University of London) and Dr Steven Law (Lecturer in Philosophy at Heythrop College,University of London), focusing on whether or not God exists, questioning the reason for our existence, if any, and whether or not the universe has a creator or designer. The sessions covered various topics such as the cosmological argument, the design argument, the probability of a god, the nature of god, and atheism and the evil-god challenge, which led us to a debate in favour of and against the statement: ‘This house believes that God is the most probable explanation of the universe as we find it’. The conference allowed us to experience the knowledge and opinions of academics in the field of philosophy today, and allowed us to broaden our thoughts and understanding and see beyond our own point of view, leading us to question what we believe and why we believe it. The aim of the lecture was to extend, enrich and enthuse our current studies of philosophy, and give us a deeper insight into areas of philosophy we are not able to cover in such an in-depth manner at school. The lectures put forward new arguments that I hadn’t previously considered, and left me inspired and engaged with current philosophical questions allowing me to express in greater depth what I think about the proposed ideas.
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The Newsletter Speech Day We held our annual Speech Day on Monday, 14th December and welcomed former Year 13 students back to MGGS to celebrate the successes of this year’s sixth form leavers. They were joined by Parents/Carers and other distinguished guests. Councillor Daniel Moriarty, the Mayor of Maidstone, honoured us with his presence.
Pictured above Year 13 prize winners with (centre left to right) Mrs Tipples, Chairman of the Governing Body, Miss Stanley, Headteacher, Professor Ames, Guest Speaker and the Mayor of Maidstone Councillor Moriarty.
We were very pleased to welcome Professor Jenny Ames as our guest speaker. Professor Ames was herself a student here at the school. She is now Associate Dean for Research, Innovation and Partnerships at the University of the West of England, having had a career in academia which has taken her from Reading to working at different academic institutions in this country, Belfast and in the USA. We were very pleased to welcome her back to her alma mater. Miss Stanley, Headteacher commented, “I was very pleased to see last year’s Year 13 students back at MGGS to collect their certificates and prizes.”
Pictured above: Current Head Students (left to right) Emma R, Anna W, May A and Aidan H with Miss Stanley, Professor Ames and Councillor
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The Newsletter British Indoor Rowing Championships Georgia B in Year 7, representing Invicta Rowing Club, won a silver at her first ever British Indoor Rowing Championships at the Olympic Velodrome on Saturday. Grace H in Year 9 also attended the British Indoor Rowing Championships finishing 7th in the 500m sprint and 8th in the timed 4 minute race, making this the third year running that she has finished in the top 10 for her age group in England.
A recap of some of the student successes since September Irish Dancing World Champion Gold Winners Abigail F, Maya H, Rebecca N and Sophia M all in Year 9 and Amelia J in Year 7 all part of the Fryday’s Academy of Irish Dancing took Gold medals at the World Championships.
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The Newsletter Kent Athletics Success Connie L in Year 8 competed in the U13 Kent Athletics Championships, winning the 70m hurdles in 12.24 seconds and receiving a medal and a trophy. Connie also won another gold medal, after taking part in the Kent Relay Championships at Tonbridge School and the Girls U13 Medway and Maidstone AC team. She took gold in a club record time of 54.89 seconds.
Top Scout Award Jessika E in Year 7 was invited to attend the Malling District Scouts Annual awards ceremony and was named the proud winner of the "Top Scout" in the district award.
Inter-Regional Mountain Bike Championships Matilda C in Year 11 and Megan M Year 9 both competed in the Inter-regional Mountain Bike Championships held at Hadleigh Farm in Essex, the host venue for the Olympics. It was a national competition and their team of 8 competed against 14 other regions including Ulster and Scotland.
Olympic Qualifying in Swimming Rosie A in Year 10 at MGGS achieved not only one but two qualifying times to compete at the Olympic trials following successful races at the ASA Nationals Summer Championships this year.
a tradition of excellence Buckland Road, Maidstone, Kent ME16 0SF
T: 01622 752103 F: 01622 681947
E: central @mggs.org
www.mggs.org
The Newsletter Junior Female Triathlete of the Year Agatha S in Year 7 was awarded "Junior Female Triathlete of the Year 2015" by Ocean Lake Triathlon Club for her continued achievements and attitude to training in the sport. She was selected to represent the South-East for a second consecutive year, and has competed in UK, Estonia and France.
IDO World Tap Dance Champions Lydia K in Year 7 and her duet partner, Harvey, S qualified for the semi-finals and finals this week in the IDO World Tap Dance Championships 2015 in Riesa, Germany. Lydia represented the England Team in the children's duo section with her partner Harvey S. They were in the last 7 couples to compete in the finals for this prestigious title. Lydia and Harvey raised their game and performed outstandingly, taking the gold medal.
Cadet British Judo Champion - Bronze Winner At the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, Jasmine S in Year 10, competed in the Cadet British Championships for Judo. Jasmine put on some exceptional performances winning her fights by a maximum score in the British Judo Cadet Girls (born 1998-2000) category. Jasmine came away with a bronze medal, losing one fight to the eventual gold medallist and having moved up to a higher weight group fighting established players.
Send Us Your News If you have news about student achievements, please send these to central@mggs.org. We are always delighted to hear from you.
a tradition of excellence Buckland Road, Maidstone, Kent ME16 0SF
T: 01622 752103 F: 01622 681947
E: central @mggs.org
www.mggs.org
The Newsletter Splendid Splendid! By Miss A Stanley, Head of Drama On Friday December 11th Splendid Productions spent the afternoon at MGGS performing their latest production The Odyssey, a creative adaptation of Homer’s original text, to KS4 and 5 Drama and Theatre Studies students. They then ran Physical Theatre workshops with year 11 and 12. The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus and his famously inconvenient journey home from the Trojan War. Packing a decade of adventures into just over an hour, Splendid’s heroic cast of three created a mythical world of hungry monsters, devious sorceresses and frequent shipwrecks as the resourceful Odysseus battles to return to his family. Full of audience interaction, clowning, physical theatre, structured storytelling, Brechtian and Greek theatre conventions with minimum props and scenery it was an entertaining and inspiring piece for students and staff. Splendid’s version of The Odyssey was a perfect example of what can be done with minimum design elements but maximum performance skills and imagination. Our year 11 and 12 students then had the opportunity to take part in workshops with the actors which focused on exaggerated physicality and a sense of truth, all things that had been apparent in the performance earlier on in the day. All students were pushed and challenged and were able to take something away from the workshop that they could apply to their own work. It is so important that our students are able to experience live theatre as it is these kind of experiences that will help them to develop as performers and directors.
Term Dates 2015 -2016 Term 5 - 2016
Term 3 - 2016 4th January 12th February
Start of Term 3 for Students Last Day of Term 3
Start of Term 5 Last Day of Term 5
Term 6 - 2016
Term 4 - 2016 22nd February 23rd February 24th March
11th April 27th May
INSET DAY (no Students in school) Start of Term 4 for Students End of Term 4
6th June 21st July 22nd July
Start of Term 6 INSET DAY (no Students in school) INSET DAY (no Students in school) End of Term 6
a tradition of excellence Buckland Road, Maidstone, Kent ME16 0SF
T: 01622 752103 F: 01622 681947
E: central @mggs.org
www.mggs.org