MGGS Spring Bulletin 2017

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls Non sibi sed omnibus

The Spring Bulletin March 2017

End of Term Message by Miss Stanley, Headteacher It is a challenge to summarise everything that the school has achieved since Christmas. It has been a busy term, in so many ways. This term always has a real focus on academic progress. It started in January with Year 9 and Year 12 examinations. Year 11 have been busy completing controlled assessments and finishing courses; Year 10 have had their examinations in March and Year 13 are also starting to see courses completed and the revision process start.

In addition, our students have continued to excel in their extra curricular achievements. For some, this is on a person level, for others as a group within school. Since Christmas we have seen the school production, dance show, music concert and STEM week. We have had a large number of school trips including theatre visits; numerous sporting fixtures; Geography field trips and trips overseas.

This newsletter gives a summary of a number of these events. I am always hugely grateful to all the staff who give up so much of their own time, for the benefit of students, to enable all these additional activities to take place on such a regular basis.

At the end of this term we are saying goodbye to a few members of staff. Having spent many years overseeing the school’s medical room Mrs Alcorn is leaving us to train with St John’s Ambulance and further develop this aspect of her job which she has enjoyed so much. Mr Tagg has gained promotion to Head of Government and Politics at Cooper School in Chislehurst and Mr Messenger moves to The Norton Knatchbull School in Ashford. I am pleased to inform you therefore that Miss Lewis will be taking over as Head of Study for Year 8 from the start of term 5.

Let me conclude by wishing all our students who are completing public examinations this summer the very best in both their revision and completion of their examinations. I look forward to celebrating their successes with them in August.

I do hope you all have an enjoyable Easter holiday.

MGGS U13 football team have just WON the Kent Cup Final!

The team beat Highworth Grammar School 3-1 to win the trophy and be crowned the best football team in Kent at this level.

It was a fantastic atmosphere with a crowd of family and friends to support our students at the Gallagher Stadium. The girls were outstanding, so please, if you know them, give them huge congratulations as they really deserve it. They are the first football team from MGGS to get through to the final and to win it was incredible; we couldn't be more proud of them.

Miss Stanley, Headteacher said, "I am hugely proud of the whole team. This is an oustanding achievement. I am looking forward to seeing their skills in football develop over their time at MGGS." Back row: Mollie W, Jessica A, Aysia C, Amelia B, Milly D, Brianna A, Hayley B, Gabi J Front row: Molly M, Ella W, Frieda T (broken wrist didn't play), Charlotte W, Katie S, Sienna L (dislocated shoulder didn't play), Emma H.

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The Spring Bulletin Governors’ News by Mrs Pilgrim, Chair of the Governing Body As we come to end of this term, I would like thank to all involved in the many events that have taken place.

Governors were incredibly pleased to be invited to the A level and GCSE prize giving events; it was so good to share such happy occasions with students, staff, parents and friends. Our students are a credit to their parents and teachers.

There have been other memorable evenings this term, the highly acclaimed drama production of Oliver and the excellent dance evening being just two. On these evenings it is so impressive to see how well students from across the years work together; the school really is a caring place.

Events do not happen without lots of time and preparation and I would therefore also like to acknowledge the hard work of the school staff in running after school events and extra-curricular programmes. We are also indebted to the PFA for its support in helping so many events run smoothly; thank you most sincerely.

As well as for public events Governors have been in school supporting departments and other activities such as deciding on new contractors for catering and cleaning. The school continues to move forward and I am sure that we will see further improvements over the summer term.

After this busy term I do hope that everyone can have a good rest over the Easter holiday and come back refreshed for the summer terms. I know that examinations will dominate life for many students for many weeks but do remember that there is life after exams!

Careers Update by Miss Rhodes As part of STEM week we were lucky enough to be visited by a former MGGS student, Jennifer Glover (left MGGS in 2013) who is currently studying Aeronautical Engineering at Loughborough University and is undertaking a work placement for her year in industry.

She came back to school to share her experiences of working in STEM and to help to promote Engineering careers to our students. Jennifer spent the morning speaking to various maths classes, showing them the real -life applications of the maths they are studying.

She then gave a detailed talk on Aeronautical Engineering at lunchtime for students in all year groups.

This was very well attended and students had the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about Engineering and about studying at University.

Tweet of the Week

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The Spring Bulletin PE Department Successes by Mrs Robbins, Head of PE This term we have seen great successes within the PE department at MGGS. We have had some outstanding results, which you can read about below, and a record number of pupils taking part in fixtures, extracurricular clubs and house competitions. The PE department has also been working hard within the curriculum to make adaptations to suit the new GCSE and A Level specifications. We have been working closely and collaborating with other PE departments in Maidstone to widen opportunities for our pupils. On Tuesday 7th March all Heads of Department within the Maidstone area were invited to a consultation session which was run and organised by the MGGS PE department. This was a real success and we hope that this will result in more sporting opportunities for our pupils. We have some very exciting sporting events coming up in the summer term which we are looking forward to the pupils participating in. These include sports day, sports presentation evening, interhouse hockey and the national schools’ sports week, which MGGS takes part in. Please do not forget to take a look at our summer extracurricular timetable and encourage your daughter/son to attend, as we would love to see them there.

It is also a great way to stay fit and healthy!

Netball Our netball academy has continued to benefit from the coaching offered by Medway Macklins coach Phil Harvey, and students have been making great progress. Teams have had regular matches against a good standard of opposition such as Benenden, Cobham Hall and St Lawrence College. Well done to all those who are working hard in training and those who have represented the school in netball.

Kent Schools Cross Country Championships On Saturday 21st January, 17 MGGS students competed in the Kent Schools’ Cross Country Championships at the Duke of York's Military School. Those who competed were: Agatha S, Lauren H, Natasha B, Caitlin B, Fern C, Millie R, Daisy A, Esme D, Daisy U, Kevina O, Summer R, Rebecca W, Jake B, Dan B, Luke J, Alex R and Emily H. Extra congratulations go to Jake B who finished second and Dan B who finished eighth in their respective races.

Hockey The MGGS Hockey Teams have had a successful season winning all but one of their matches. We have played against Invicta, Cobham Hall and Kent College, Pembury. Both the U12 and U14 teams have shown commitment and dedication to training and we have high hopes for the future. Well done to all the girls who have been selected to represent the school.

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The Spring Bulletin Route to the U13 Kent Cup Final This season the U13 football team has been amazing to work with. The students are extremely talented and have such drive, determination and passion for the sport. Their commitment to training is fantastic and this shows when they are on the field.

The U13 team won the Kent Cup. How did they get there?...

Round one: they played against St George’s and won 2-0 with some outstanding play by Frieda. Round two: they beat Oasis Academy 3-0 with some fantastic midfield link up between Emma and Mollie. Round 3: they really showed their flair and high level skills by beating Rochester Grammar School 3-0 at home with an excellent goal from Jessica. Next was the quarter final against Charles Darwin. It was a close match but with fabulous defending from Sienna and Gabi in goal the opponents couldn’t get past. We won the game 2-1. The semi final was an away fixture to Welling; the girls were excited and you could see the desire to win in their eyes. They all turned up ready to win this match. The girls knew it would be the hardest match yet but that didn’t stop them. The whole team worked brilliantly together, the best they had ever played, communicating, supporting and demonstrating how football is a passing game. The first goal went in courtesy of a wonderful free kick from Charlotte and then they kept on coming. It was a dream to the girls and their parents on the side-line thoroughly enjoyed watching their daughters play to a high standard. MGGS won the semi final 5-0. An outstanding result.

In the final, in front of a crowd of friends and family, the whole team played brilliantly throughout the match. At half-time it was goalless, so a tactical change was employed, moving Alner up front which clearly worked. Allen scored the first goal, then Highworth replied with a lucky shot that hit the post and went in. MGGS stepped it up with Alner showing her silky skills to score a great goal to put them back ahead. Driscoll added to the scoreline 10 minutes later. Final score: 3-1 to MGGS!

Kent School Games Rowing Finals At the Kent School's Indoor rowing finals on Thursday 2nd February, all 16 attendants representing Maidstone and Mid Kent came away with at least one medal. The Year 8 team of Izzy M, Niamh M, Anna H and Ruby K (actually Yr7) got bronze medals in their individual compilation, and silver medals in their relay. The Year 11s gold in their individual compilation, with Hannah R also getting gold and Grace M getting bronze for their own races. Their relay team of 4 also consisted of Louise J and Rhona L, and they came away with gold too. The sixth form girls of Rachael K, Katie LL, Alice M and Ella K got silver for their compilation and silver for the relay. Ella K also got a bronze medal for her individual. The sixth form boys (Alex R, Dan B, Ethan K and Luke J) got 2 bronze medals each for the compilation and the relay.

Great results and many personal bests across the board.

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The Spring Bulletin National Indoor Rowing On Friday 17th March the MGGS rowing team travelled to Lee Valley to participate in the National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships. The girls had an extremely successful day with the majority of girls gaining personal bests in their individual races - congratulations to all of these girls. Huge congratulations must go to Hannah R who won gold in the Year 11 Individual race and Ella K who came second in the Year 12 Individual race winning the silver medal.

The medal count didn’t stop there as the girls also won bronze in the relay boat race.

Well done!

Students received their medals from Andrew Triggs-Hodge OBE who is a British rower, triple Olympic Gold medallist and quadruple World Champion. He even stopped for a photo and gave tips to Katie and Ella as they were about to start their race. Well done girls, we are very proud of you and everyone who took part in the day.

Sports Leadership at MGGS This term our year 12 and 13 Sports Leaders have been lucky enough to work with pupils from Brunswick House Primary School, Five Acre Wood and Bower Grove School in a range of activities. They have planned and delivered exciting and challenging sporting activities that the pupils have thoroughly enjoyed.

Cricket We have been fortunate enough this term to welcome Kent Cricket Coach, Adrian Crust to MGGS to work with our Year 10 GCSE students. His enthusiasm and passion for the sport helped to inspire and encourage the girls to enjoy a variety of Cricket activities. We have also had success in the U15 Lady Taverners Indoor Cricket Competition with the team making it through to the finals in Canterbury. The team demonstrated excellent commitment and dedication throughout the competition and finished a respectable 4th in Kent overall. Well done to all those girls who have played cricket for the school so far this year.

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The Spring Bulletin Our Annual Dance Showcase On Friday 24th February the annual school dance showcase took place. Over 90 students were involved in this fabulous evening and performed a variety of dance styles with great confidence and stage presence. Pieces included Year 9 work that was choreographed in lessons for PE dance assessments, GCSE work that formed part of students’ final GCSE PE grade, and routines from our many extracurricular groups that run across all Year groups. We are very proud of all those involved, particularly our dance leaders who dedicate their time to choreographing and leading wonderful routines and inspiring so many younger students with their love of dance.

Dance In January, a number of Year 7-9 dancers participated in a workshop delivered by Loop Dance Company dancers who are also Kent outreach practitioners for Trinity Laban's Centre for Advanced Training. This was a brilliant opportunity that offered students the opportunity to experience high quality contemporary and creative dance.

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The Spring Bulletin The Sir Winston Churchill Public Speaking Competition 2017

by Annabel C, 12A Stephany W, Samuelis K, James M and I have entered The Sir Winston Churchill Public Speaking Competition of 2017, which entails students learning about Sir Winston Churchill’s life and speeches as well as developing the necessary skills in public speaking to do a speech in June.

The first part of this competition was having a workshop within our school on the 7th March which year 12 and 13 students alike were invited to attend. The two trainers there were very passionate about the history of Churchill and his life leading up to his famous speech ‘We shall fight on the beaches'.

It gave a starting point for Stephany, who created the speech ready for the trip to Chartwell, based on this quotation: ‘Personally, I am always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught.’

On Friday 10th March our team visited Chartwell, Winston Churchill's house and the estate surrounding it.

We were welcomed by Randolph Churchill, the great-grandson of Winston Churchill, who gave an entertaining speech.

Outside in the garden leading up to Churchill’s estate.

Following up were two workshops, the first one on content and structure of a speech and the second on its delivery. These were given by experienced speechwriters. After lunch, we had an in-depth tour around the Chartwell house, which provided a lot of information regarding Winston Churchill and his personal life.

Later on, James delivered the speech Stephany made through the inspiration of the aforementioned quotation from Churchill. Our team gained fantastic feedback from the workshop teachers, who are the judges for the competition in June, and everyone gained invaluable knowledge that we can use in future endeavours.

We are grateful to Mrs Pender for supervising us at the Chartwell workshop, and we are all really looking forward to the competition in June when we hope to deliver an incredible speech!

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The Spring Bulletin Reunion Event organised by the Development Trust Office in conjunction with the Old Girls On a perfect Spring day at the end of March 2017 our hugely supportive Old Girls held their annual AGM. The day has followed a format of noon AGM (including the singing of the old school song), a splendid buffet lunch plus a raffle and Barnados sale. This year we added a slightly different bent by creating a reunion event on the same day for former students who had left 10 and 25 years ago.

They arrived and walked tentatively through the front door - many not having stepped onto the premises since leaving! Reactions to being back were varied: one lady was really emotional, though most were just very excited and remembered their time here so fondly! We also had an Old Boy attending (who didn’t at all seem to mind being referred to as an “Old Girl”!).

Our alumni enjoyed browsing through some photos, year books, school magazines and speech day programs. The 2007 leavers had the pleasure of their former Headteacher - Mary Smith - being the guest speaker and they enjoyed catching up with her after the AGM. Her talk on her book “A Schoolgirl’s War” and accompanying trip down into the tunnels was appreciated by everyone present.

Jane and Rachel, who left in 1975 came back for their first visit. Telling hysterical stories of a school trip to Hever Castle which didn’t particularly interest them….they sneaked through a hole in the fence and spent a pleasant day roaming the orchards and fields of Kent. They were two hours late in returning to the school bus and were sent straight to the dreaded Red Chair on their return to MGGS! However, they also spoke of the beautiful behaviour of the girls whilst at school - there was ALWAYS silence in the corridors and no student would dream of speaking whilst walking into assembly! Jane was the chef behind the 4 stone (6.35kg) cake made in 1988 for the Centenary celebrations held at the school. We now have her on standby for a 130th anniversary cake for July 2018!

Our oldest “Old Girl” at the event left school in 1949…..and our youngest “Old Girl” left in 2007, some 58 years apart from each other. We will publish photos, as we get them, on our Facebook page. Thank you to all involved, particularly the committee of the Old Girls, led so brilliantly by Carolyn Christie, for making this such a special day. We look forward to many more.

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The Spring Bulletin Library News by Mrs Hewett It has been a busy start to 2017 for the library. We started with collecting in the sponsorship money raised by the Christmas Sponsored Reading Challenge. This money, when commission was added raised a massive £520.39 for the Library to spend on Usborne Books. A range of books was ordered and are in the process of being added to the shelves right now! A huge thank you to all of the students who took part, and of course to all of the people sponsoring them!

In January, the Library was delighted that we could open our Shelf Help section. This was something that we had been fund-raising for and it has been great to see the area stocked with relevant books, with some comfortable bean bags offering support to anyone who might need it. Thank you to everyone that helped with the fund-raising!

For our dyslexic students, I have just purchased some books that are Dyslexia friendly. I hope that these will help make reading a more enjoyable past-time. Please do come and see the new range of books in the library!

Towards the end of January, we were delighted to welcome back an ex-student, Alys Earl to talk about writing and publishing novels. Alys spoke to a group of year 12 students, and the session was fantastic, particularly when Alys read her work to us! Some of the feedback from the students is below and shows just how enjoyable and useful the session was: A great insight into the stages of publication and developing a novel. It was a really insightful and enjoyable experience on what it’s really like working as an author!

We have had a lovely donation of some leather bound classic books from a Grandmother of MGGS students. The books are already on the shelves or being borrowed. Thank you to Mrs Arnold for thinking of the School Library. The donation of the books is very much appreciated by students and staff here at MGGS. During February half term some of our students set themselves the challenge of learning two poems to enter the Poetry by Heart competition.

Three year 12 students competed on the 2nd March 2017 to become the MGGS Poetry by Heart Champion. The students learnt their two poems by heart and then recited them to a panel of three judges, Mr Pidgeon, Mrs Marsh and Mrs Hewett. The three Students, Ellana H., Styliana P and Rosie W. did a fantastic job learning and reciting the poems and all three judges enjoyed the recitals greatly. The panel of judges had a really tough job, but eventually it was decided that the winning recitals had come from Rosie and she was awarded the title of MGGS Poetry by Heart Winner 2017! Rosie was presented with a £10 gift voucher for Waterstones, and will now be put through to the County Level of the competition. Entries for the County level are completed via video, and the results of this should be announced during the Easter Holidays. We wish Rosie the very best of luck as she represents MGGS at County level!

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The Spring Bulletin Library News by Mrs Hewett (cont’d) World Book Day 2017 was also on 2nd March 2017 and was a delightful day in the library. We not only had the Poetry Recital taking place, but also a number of other activities. Students were invited to take part on a book related quiz in the library, with the possibility of winning a prize. The winner was Elizabeth K, 10S, who a book and some chocolate! Everybody who visited the library was encouraged to write down the name of their favourite book and Mrs Hewett was surprised at the small number of duplications. There was a great selection of books listed from classics to more contemporary books! The most popular books for each year were: Year 7 - Hunger Games, Harry Potter and Divergent Year 8 - Hunger Games, Harry Potter and Girl Online For Years 9 - 13, there were no duplicates, so no clear favourites!

World Book Day was also a great day to ask Key Stage 3 students to dress as their favourite book character. This lead to many wonderful characters walking around the corridors of MGGS. It also gave us an opportunity to raise £336.87 for Book Aid International. Thank you to everyone who took part.

Thank you to everyone who supported the Scholastic Book Fair. I am pleased to announce that we sold enough books to earn the school £78.49 commission to spend on books. I hope the students who purchased books enjoy reading them over the Easter Holidays.

Mrs Hewett would like to thank everybody who has supported the library and to wish everyone a happy Easter break.

Thinking Skills by Mrs Wood We have had a very busy few months promoting Thinking Skills. In November and February we have had 130 students from Primary Schools visit to do a series of workshops on thinking with our 6th form students.

The Thinking Skills Prefect helped oversee the day. She writes: “As a team of sixth formers, running thinking skills workshops for primary school children has been both an enjoyable and educational experience. We were able to create our own sessions on a topic and use our creativity to think of a few activities that would help the children from different primary schools think about things in different ways.

Thinking skills involve thinking differently and using different maps or methods to organise information in ways that may be easier to understand and take in, and we enjoyed being able to pull these activities together whilst also learning about our topic in greater detail ourselves. The feedback we have received from both the pupils and teachers from the primary schools that visited has been extremely positive and a lot of the children said they would love to come back and be able to take part in more workshops which is very encouraging.

We look forward to our final day at the end of April.”

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The Spring Bulletin Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards by Ms Starns, DofE Unit Leader This academic year is proving to be another good year for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at MGGS. We have 83 Bronze participants, 16 Silver’s and 41 Gold participants all going forward to the expedition stage of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Below is a summary of dates of expeditions for each level:

Bronze DofE

Day Walk: This took place on Saturday, 25th March 2017 starting at Snodland Community Centre. Groups had their first taste of putting into practice their navigation skills. The day was successful and groups learnt to problem solve along the route - what is on the map is not always what is on the ground!

Practice Expedition: Saturday, 29th April to Sunday, 30th April 2017 drop off at Sainsbury’s Ashford exact timings to be advised nearer the time.

Assessed Expedition: Friday, 23rd June (5.00pm) to Sunday, 25th June 2017. Details to follow shortly via ParentMail and Bronze Google Classroom.

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The Spring Bulletin Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards Silver DofE

The Silver Day Walk took place on 11th March 2017. All groups found the experience challenging and rewarding. The day started in thick fog and poor visibility and ended in wonderful spring sunshine with happy DofE faces everywhere! Here are some pictures from the day: Any new medical conditions or questions should be sent via email to me at mstarns@mggs.org as soon as possible prior to expeditions in order to prepare.

Practice Expedition: Friday, 7th to Sunday 9th April 2017. Arrival 8-8.30am at Folkestone Lidls, car sharing is requested. Collection on Sunday is approximately 3.30pm from Chartham Village Hall, Nr Canterbury. Details to be advised shortly via ParentMail and Silver Google Classroom.

Assessed Expedition: Friday, 7th to Sunday 9th April 2017. Arrival 8-8.30am at Folkestone Lidls, car sharing is requested. Collection on Sunday is approximately 3.30pm from Chartham Village Hall, Nr Canterbury. Details to be advised shortly as above.

Gold DofE Gold participants this year are going on expeditions to the Brecon Beacons during the Easter break and then completing their Assessed Expedition in Snowdonia during August. Participants have already completed a weekend on training and now are working on their routes for expeditions.

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. Good luck to you all on your expeditions!

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the DofE Team for their support of students through the DofE Awards. There are many staff involved in delivering DofE at MGGS: Mr Hamilton, Assistant Unit Leader for Bronze, Mrs Harding, Assistant Unit Leader for Silver, Mr Hilson, volunteer training and expeditions, and our expedition volunteer staff: Mr Ansette, Mrs Bassett, Mr & Mrs Cocker former members of staff, Miss J Hyland, Mrs Ryan, Mrs C Smith and Mrs Wright.

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Music News Young Voices at the O2 by Mrs Wood Forte went to sing at the O2 again this January, taking part in a choir of 7,500 students. The girls had rehearsed very hard since September in order to be ready for the big night. They sang and danced with energy and enthusiasm and were a real credit to the school. Parents came to watch the performance in the evening and gave really positive feedback. Thank you to Forte’s parents for all the support.

We hope to see you at another concert in the near future!

Wicked The Musical In February Year 10 and 11 GCSE Music students went to London to see Wicked. This forms part of the Year 10 set works and fits with the Year 11 music for voices area of study. It was a fantastic day, with an entertaining musical. The Year 10s will now be studying Defying Gravity in detail in lessons with a great sense of enthusiasm. We hope to make this a yearly trip whilst the song remains on the GCSE syllabus.

Aladdin The Musical Continuing on the Musicals theme, 90 of our Year 9 students have had the rare opportunity to complete a performance workshop with cast members of Aladdin, followed by attending a matinee performance. This opportunity linked to their study of Musicals in earlier terms, as well as how to present themselves for the forthcoming Oxjam performance, giving plenty of tips to feed back to the rest of the year group.

Oxjam Oxjam, which involves all of Year 9 putting on their own concert, will take place on 2nd May this year.

Tickets will be available through +Pay. We hope this year to raise more than £700, taking the grand total the school has raised for Oxfam over 7 years to the £10,000 mark. If you can donate in any way to this excellent cause, or come and support on the night, your help would be much appreciated by the Music Department and Year 9. We will update you on the grand total made after the event.

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Drama News Drama News by Miss A-M Stanley In December Splendid Productions visited MGGS for the second time and performed a creative adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The dagger-sharp cast of three retold the classic tale of ambition, betrayal, murder and manipulation through physical theatre and song to our GCSE and A level groups. Year 11 and sixth form students then had the opportunity to take part in workshops led by the actors. Working with professional actors is such a great experience for our students; it not only helps to inspire their own practical work but it gives them a real insight into the process of putting a production together.

In January we took 100 key stage 3 students to see the award-winning production of The Railway Children at the Kings Cross Theatre, London. The family tale was brilliantly performed, enhanced by the beautiful set – including the entrance of a steam engine into the theatre. The girls had a fantastic time, with the icing on the cake being a photo opportunity with Justin Fletcher aka Mr Tumble! We hope to run more events aimed specifically at year 7, 8 and 9 students so keep your eyes peeled!

Then of course there was the annual school production. On Wednesday, February 8th and Thursday, February 9th over 70 students took part in the MGGS production of Oliver! Students brought to life some of Charles Dickens’ most well-known characters with this ever-popular story of the boy who asked for more. Oliver! began back in September 2016 with auditions and culminated in two very successful performances.

We received a number of extremely positive reviews with one member of the audience commenting “My family and I watched Wednesday’s performance of ‘Oliver!’ and I wanted to tell you how professional we thought the production was – from acting and singing, musicians, set design and costumes to make up.” One member of the backstage team also said “It was so much fun and I really enjoyed every second of it, thank you all so much!!”

A big well done and thank you again to all of those students and staff who were involved in two brilliant performances of Oliver! Audiences were certainly left wanting more!

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Drama News A selection of photos from our school production, Oliver!

Finally I would like to take this opportunity to say well done to our year 11 GCSE Drama students who (by the time this is published) will have completed their final controlled assessment. Their practical exams make up 60% of their GCSE grade. For each controlled assessment students have to stage a piece of theatre. Not only do they create, rehearse and then perform something but they must design their set, lighting, sound and costume. Congratulations to all those involved, just the written examination to go!!!

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The Spring Bulletin Number Day by Victoria W, Year 11

Tuesday 24th January was the Number Day and at lunchtime there was the Inter-house Number Quiz which I competed in for the second year running. There were several rounds involving a countdown round and a Who Wants to be a Millionaire style round. I am part of Saxons house which was the winning team. It was especially exciting as we were not winning until the final round when we got the maximum points available and took the lead!

Each team required a member from all of the Key Stages in order to form a team of three and the questions were designed to get everyone involved especially with the final round which concluded with a KS5 standard question. I really enjoyed taking part this year and representing my house. Thank you to Mrs Thomas for organising it as it was a very enjoyable event for the houses to compete in!

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STEM Week STEM Week by Dr Doyle STEM week is a national celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and was celebrated at MGGS during the week of 27th February to 3rd March this term.

The week began with Year 8 visiting Howletts. They were able to research a huge variety of different species, including giant anteaters, the largest herd of African elephants in the UK, as well as gorillas, tigers, leopards and monkeys, and their adaptations and habitats.

On Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th February, the Maths Faculty held their annual Maths days for all of Year 8, as well as a day for Year 7 on Wednesday 29th. These involved Year 8 modelling the stretchiness of sweets and year 7 designing and building different structures with marshmallows and spaghetti. The inter-school Maths feast for Year 10 was held on Friday 2nd March. Also, on Tuesday, twelve students in each of Years 9 and 10 took part in the 'Gamewagon'. They worked in teams of four to programme a ‘Mars Rover’ drone on a mission to navigate obstacles, take pictures of a crashed Mars landing, and arrive back at base pad.

On Wednesday 29th February, A Level Chemists visited the University College of London and enjoyed numerous lectures, learning about the elements, nanobots, perfumes and poisons.

Year 10 experienced the ‘Big Reptile Show’ with Martin Rapley, The Bug Man, on Thursday 1st March, with the chance to find out about the lives of many different animals and interact with them. The focus was on reptiles and one that was very popular was a young chameleon called Tripod (named as such because of her lost leg). After a discussion on reptiles, and what makes them uniquely adapted to their environments, there were lots of opportunities to get up close with many of the creatures.

Thursday also saw local primary schools, Roseacre and Brunswick, visit MGGS to take part in their own Science quiz and meet the reptiles. They also made up part of the audience of the MGGS inter-house Science quiz at lunchtime and enjoyed the audience participation! Romans, Vikings and Danes featured in this year's final with Romans claiming 1st place. More detailed reports and photographs of some of events below.

‘Gamewagon’ STEM Week Event by Mrs Williams Twelve students in each of Years 9 and 10 took part in this activity aimed at promoting STEM subjects at A Level. The event was funded by the ‘Your Life’ charity, a government and industry backed organisation, chaired by one of the leading women in technology, Edwina Dunn (best known as the brains behind the Tesco Clubcard).

The girls discussed some of the personal and social advantages of a STEM based career, before being introduced to the work of NASA entry, descent and landing scientists. By way of simulating the kind of career they might aspire to, they then worked in teams of four to programme a ‘Mars Rover’ drone on a mission to navigate obstacles, take pictures of a crashed Mars landing, and arrive back at base pad. Each position in the team had a clearly defined role: Coders and Testers were ‘earth based’, while the Analyst made calculations on Mars surface (aka the Small Hall…), all directed by the Project Manager. Success depended on good teamwork, innovation, and above all being prepared to experiment, test and refine the course being plotted.

This was an enjoyable and stimulating experience and we are very grateful to the ‘Your Life’ charity and to the Gamewagon company for making this event possible.

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STEM Week Y9 Civil Engineer Building Event by Grace H, Year 9 On Wednesday, 1st March, Year 9 attended a civil engineering event in the main hall as part of STEM week. This session taught the students about what a job in civil engineering could lead to, what projects civil engineers work on, and how to use strategic, educated ways to design bridges. During this event, the guest speaker, a civil engineer, gave the students a talk about her experiences, what projects she had worked on in the UK, which included many bridges, and what different structures need civil engineering to be built. Then, the students were tasked with the challenge of building a freestanding bridge out of four pieces of paper and a metre of sticky tape. The bridges would then be tested to see how many Mars bars (which were representing cars), each bridge could hold. The team who built the bridge that was able to hold the most Mars bars, would be able to keep the number of Mars bars that their bridge could hold. So, the students had to think logically, and use their knowledge of STEM to complete the task in the most effective way. As the supply of paper and tape was limited, the students had to think of the best shapes and creases to make out of the paper so that the bridge would hold more Mars bars. The most successful bridge was made using two tubes, each made from two pieces of paper, taped together. This bridge managed to withstand 42 Mars Bars in total! Another successful bridge design was made by folding the pieces of paper along small 2 cm intervals, this made the paper more sturdy and stable, making it able to hold more Mars Bars.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable session, which taught the students all about the career of a civil engineer and allowed them to think in a more logical way and apply the teachings of STEM into the activity.

Chemistry in Action, UCL by Ibtihal L and Chloe W, Year 13 On Wednesday, 1st March Chemistry students from Years 12 and 13 travelled to University College London to experience five exciting talks from some of the leading chemists in industry and academia. The talks included various topics ranging from how nanoparticles could one day be used to treat cancer to ‘Gods, devils and alcohols’ which gave students an interesting insight into how the elements of the periodic table were given their names. As well as this the students also attended sessions on the science of scent, the mysterious element Mercury and the chemistry behind four of the best known poisons. This was a really fun and informative day and, at times, slightly horrifying (some former medicines proving to have some horrendous effects on the body with some killer case studies!). The programme was described by students as engaging, challenging and entertaining. A special session was also given on examination techniques and was successful in ensuring the students are equipped to excel in their coming exams.

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STEM Week The Reptile Show by Jane T and Katie D, Year 10 On Thursday, 2nd March the whole of Year 10 had the time to hold many different types of reptiles, such as: terrapins, rat snakes, tree frogs, bearded dragons, chameleons, phylliidae (leaf bugs), heteropteryx dilatata (stick insects) and a red kneed american tarantula. They all had fun and exciting names, for example the terrapin was called Shelley, the bearded dragon was called Beardy and the rat snake was called Snakey. The chameleon's name was tripod because when she was born her leg was just a piece of skin, eventually it fell off leaving her with three legs.

All of the different reptiles felt different. The tarantula felt very soft and very furry; it also tiggled your hand as it walked across it. All of the insects were prickley on there feet and one of the stick insect's legs felt as if you were getting pricked but a rose petal thorn. The bearded dragon, Beardie, was the best feeling reptile as it had a rather smooth belly but at the sametime it had a spiky back. The chameleon, Tripod, felt very differently to what we thought it would feel like she was smooth but quite bony and her claws were fairly sharp.

After we had seen all of the different reptiles we went away and researched some interesting facts about them.

Here are some of our favourites:  Terrapin - the shell makes up 30 % of its body weight; males have thicker tails than females; their eggs are incubated at 29℃-32℃ for sixty days before hatching.  Rat snakes - they are not venomous; a corn snake is a type of rat snake; the black rat snake is the most common type of rat snake.  Tree frogs - they close their eyes when they eat to make it faster; females are larger than males; their group name is called an army.  Red kneed american tarantulas - it’s scientific name is Brachypelma smithi; it is commonly used in movies due to it’s large size and colouration; they can live up to 30 years old.  Bearded dragons - they are native to Australia; their scientific name is a pogona; they can enlarge their throat to look like a beard which is where their name comes from.  Chameleons - they can use their tongues to reach their prey in 0.7 seconds; half of the world's chameleon species live on Madagascar; they can move their eyes separately.  Leaf bugs (Phylliidae) - they belong to the order Phasmatodea; they eat the leaves from fruits such as raspberries and blackberries; they do not have to drink water as they get it from the plants.

Malaysian stick insect (heteropteryx dilatata)- its us normally kept in captivity; they are the heaviest stick insect in the world; they lay eggs 8.5mm by 5.5mm.

Jamie Bird from 10A said “The Reptile Show man Martin was very nice and let us hold all of the animals he brought with him. Having a snake wrapped around my neck was so scary but cool at the same time. The Red Kneed American tarantula was very scary to hold but I felt proud to face my fears.”

Hadiqa Akram from 10F told us “It was a exciting experience and I had a great time, facing my fear and holding a snake.”

Amelia Smith from 10C said “ I thought it was an amazing experience and it was good that I got to face my fears and hold animals I have never seen before. My favourite was the chameleon because it was so cute and like something out of a film.”

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STEM Week Year 10 Maths Feast by Mr Woolacott

On Friday 3rd March, a group of 16 MGGS Year 10 students and 5 Sixth Formers were involved in the 2017 FMSP Maths Feast, which took place in the Main Hall. There were teams from 8 local schools participating. We fielded 4 teams of 4 students, which included two extra teams who stepped in at the last minute to replace schools that were due to attend. Students tried to solve a wide range of interesting, challenging maths problems across five rounds.

These included traditional ‘Countdown’ style problems as well as more involved problem solving questions – all completed against the clock.

Although they found the maths difficult in places, students reported that they enjoyed the event and said it was a refreshing change to normal maths lessons. One of the participants, Hebe Clarke, said “Although all the problems required high levels of skill and determination, it was still fun and the element of competition made it exciting!”

The students were a credit to the school and themselves and one of our teams (Tayla H, Angel J, Georgia R and Amy C) even managed to come in third place in the event!

Congratulations to all those involved and specials thanks are due to the Sixth Form students for their help in ensuring the event ran smoothly.

Here is a sample question from the event: Paul has a fair die and a coin. He firstly rolls the die. If he rolls an odd number then he tosses the coin. Decide whether each of these statements is true or false: The probability that Paul rolls an even number is 0.5 The probability that Paul rolls an odd number and a tail is 0.25 The probability that Paul rolls a prime number and a Head is 0.25 The probability that Paul rolls a 2 and a Head is 1/12.

UK Intermediate Maths Challenge Marks by Mrs Squibb Eight students were awarded a Gold certificate and all eight have been invited to sit papers in the next round. Our top maths sets in Years 10 and 11 sat the Intermediate Maths Challenge in February and students achieved the mark for a silver certificate and sixty five that required for a bronze. Well done to all our Maths Stars! Here is a link to the UKMT Maths Challenge website. You will find past papers here.

Year 7 Maths Day STEM Week by EN and CB, 7G On Wednesday 1st March 2017, all the year 7s took parts in a Maths Day. On maths day, we did many fun, yet competitive, challenges in our houses, as well as in our form groups. We started with a house competition where we had a number each and when a question was said and you were the answer, you had to run up to the front. It was great fun, resulting in lots of hectic screaming and chanting. For 2nd period, we focused on graphs and making a cone with a picture inside it. For some people it was a struggle with lots of frustration, but for others it was fun. If it wasn’t for the teachers, we would still be puzzled about what to do! Throughout the day, we had to use our maths skills and think of possible solutions for many activities, like the marshmallow challenge. In groups of 4, we had to make a structure out of marshmallows and spaghetti, but the catch was that a chocolate egg had to be balanced on it for at least 40 seconds. Many groups reached a height of 20cm and above.

One group managed to get an impressive height of 32cm, unfortunately another group only managed to create a sticky mess of spaghetti bits, placing their egg in the marshmallow mess. In period 5 we all gathered in the hall to do a multi-choice game called the Runaround. We would be asked a question and 3 teachers would hold up possible answers and we had to go to the one that was correct. If we didn't, then we were out of the game and had to wait to start again. Overall, the Maths Day was a huge success, with lots of great activities which made us all think of maths in a deeper way and made us focus.

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STEM Week Year 7 Maths Day STEM Week Cont’d

Science Back in October all Year 7s were given the opportunity to plant a bulb from a variety of plants including; daffodils, crocus, iris and tulips, provided by the PFA. The daffodils were planted by the sports hall with a mixture of all the other bulbs being planted in the inner quad. They have now started to bloom in the early spring weather, as seen in these pictures. Well done to all the Year 7 students, Mrs Sherwood-Farnfield, Miss Heward and site staff who helped.

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STEM Week Year 8 Geography Trip to Howletts by Mrs Cakebread As part of STEM Week Year 8 visited Howletts Wild Animal Park. Below is an extract from Jess P in 8F outlining what she found out.

On Tuesday 28th February Year 8 went to Howletts wild animal park. We walked around the park in our groups, filling in our booklets as we went. Each group also had an adaptations and habitats talk. This focused on the adaptations, habitats and Howletts’ conservation work of each animal. These included African elephants, black rhinos and gorillas.

We learnt about the adaptations of the animals and how the park has adapted its enclosures to fit the needs of the animals they hold. One of the adaptations we learnt about was the rhino. We learnt that their lips moved independently so they can strip leaves off branches. They are called ‘prehensile’ which means they are specially adapted to be good at grabbing and holding leaves and branches and can select the leaves the rhino wants. We also learnt about one of the habitats howletts have significantly changed. This was the gorilla enclosure. It had been specially designed so that the gorillas didn’t get bored. They had also designed it to mimic the structure of the rainforest. I thought that it was a highly educational trip that helped expand our knowledge of animal adaptations. I found it very interesting and a very worthwhile trip to go on.

Year 8 Stem Activity - Stretchiness by MW, EW, AJ, ES & IM On Tuesday, 28th February we had a Maths morning for STEM week. We did an experiment testing the largest mass a sweet could hold before breaking. The experiment was definitely very enjoyable for all of us as we got to use edible equipment and that encouraged us to do more work. Of course working in the lab was hard to cope with as we are not allowed to eat in there but while we were working in the maths rooms, after we did our data collecting, we were allowed to eat some. To find out which sweet was stretchiest - Peach Loops, Sour Suckers or Strawberry Laces - we attached the sweets to clamps and added 100g weights until the sweets broke. Our Sour Suckers performed best holding a mass of 1800g.

We left the lab and returned to a classroom to watch videos showing why stretchiness might be important; these gave us lots of ideas and we imagined that we were engineers making a bridge out of sweets. This gave us a simplified idea of what some engineers do as it uses a lot of maths; this kind of practical maths is great fun and can help in the future if any of us want to be engineers. Our second experiment involved measuring the sweets, stretching them and measuring again, to see by what percentage they increased in length. Again it was the Sour Suckers that performed best.

Finally we displayed all our findings and the processes of the experiments on a poster.

We had an interesting and enjoyable morning.

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The Spring Bulletin Art by Mrs Pacifico During term 3, A Level Fine Art and Graphic Design students participated in weekly, after school Life Drawing sessions. The sessions were run in collaboration with UCA as part of their outreach programme, and enabled the students to develop and stretch their observational recording skills. The students involved produced some fantastic work which will support and enrich their studies. Many thanks to all staff who were involved, especially Mrs Francis for organising the experience for our students.

Art Hat Parade Year 7 pupils participated in the Art Department’s annual Hat Parade. Students were set a theme of “Architecture” and had to create a headpiece that somehow reflected this theme. They had three weeks to put their creative skills to the test before showing off their imaginative creations in a special assembly. There were some absolutely fantastic headpieces produced this year. A huge well done to Year 7; an amazing visual spectacular as always!

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The Spring Bulletin Head Student News by Beth, Alexandra, Freya, Ellie and Hannah It seems almost impossible to believe that it has been a whole year since we were elected Head Students; it feels more like yesterday that we stood on the stage in our handing over assembly, being welcomed by Miss Stanley and the former Head students into our new position. Now that same assembly is happening this week, but this time we are the ones handing over to our successors which for us is both a celebration but also a time of sadness at saying goodbye to a role which has been so fulfilling.

We have all been overwhelmingly impressed by the quality of Head Student candidates this year, and would like to congratulate all who applied on the poise and capability they have shown. The process has resulted in the selection of five individuals who are so wonderful that we feel (slightly) less sad about handing over our roles.

What a year it’s been! In October we were all fortunate enough to watch the House Arts dance performances on the theme of ‘global citizens’ which were all completed to an incredibly high standard. In February we saw a huge amount of hard work come to fruition in the school production of Oliver, which showcased many of the fabulous singers and actors of MGGS. Without a doubt our highlight has to be Rag Week, the annual charity week in the Christmas term organised by the Head Students. It featured fancy dress themes each day, the Rag Ball and of course the shows at lunchtime, which this year saw some spectacular dances and the critically acclaimed pantomime Cinderella. We can safely say that bringing this event together was intensely stressful, highly educational and exceptionally rewarding. All the lunchtimes and evenings spent rehearsing, editing, filming, printing tickets and generally panicking were definitely worth it, including seeing the school enjoy themselves and raising over £5000 for amazing causes, our twin school in Nepal and Maidstone Homeless Care. We have to reiterate our immense gratitude to all those who helped us, especially the presenters and choreographers, the tech team, the site team and of course the teachers, who we never expected to indulge us to the point of covering themselves in golden syrup and wotsits on stage! As many of you know, these events and more have been traditions in the school calendar throughout its history and one thing that ceases remains constant is the community spirit that we have here at MGGS, something that we feel very privileged to have been a part of.

2017 has brought new challenges for us such as the organisation of the Leavers’ Ball and the designing of the Yearbook. Both are reminders that our 7 years at MGGS will soon be drawing to a close, and we hope that they will help make the last year special for all of Year 13. We also enjoyed a Student Leader trip to see the ballet Red Shoes in January with the House Leaders and Ambassadors, who have also worked incredibly hard this year to keep MGGS running! Equally, the subject prefects have served their departments and been instrumental in planning and implementing some of the school’s priorities for learning and we’re grateful for their creativity and commitment in doing so. They are also the people running surgeries, clinics, clubs, revision sessions and more that so many other students have benefited from.

As Head Students we know that we are visible to younger years and we want to promote the tradition of excellence at MGGS. The range of subjects covered by the five of us is pretty inclusive, and we feel so grateful to have been able to find our passions and interests in such a supportive environment. As exam season approaches, we are prompted to remind all those in sixth form and Year 11 to work hard, persevere and aim for excellence. For those of you choosing or starting GCSEs or A-Levels we encourage you to benefit from the expertise of your teachers and to love your learning.

Our time as Head Students has been memorable and has taught us so much - about taking initiatives, about orchestrating the magic behind things which usually happen magically, and vitally about the spirit of MGGS. As we prepare to leave we have many thank you’s and goodbyes to say, but we would like to wish all of you the very best of luck and we hope we have done you proud.

New Head Student Announcement We are delighted to announce that, following a gruelling application process, including a letter of application, an interview and a presentation, the following 5 students have been selected as Head Students 2017/18: Steph G Katie LL Beth McP Bradley S Eleanor S Congratulations to all students who took part in the selection process.

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The Spring Bulletin Development Trust Office News by Mrs Meaders So many ideas “spring” to mind for this Spring Newsletter! Let’s start with this one:- the Development Trust Office THINKS it may have found a way round the old saying “There’s no such thing as a free lunch”. It’s called easyfundraising and it really does EXACTLY what it says on the tin. With a simple set-up you can raise funds for MGGS just about every time you shop online. It costs you absolutely nothing and with approximately 1,000 families at school, even if we only received back £1 from easyfundraising per family, that is still £1,000 we would not have otherwise received.

The retailers and businesses who are registered with easyfundraising donate a small fixed amount or percentage of your spend every time you use them and it is incredible how quickly the amounts add up. We have run a trial of easyfundraising in the DTO, just to make sure it really is as “easy” as it claims, and one of our team managed to raise £80 in a very short time! Sometimes, you don’t even need to make a purchase - maybe just get some car insurance quotes (as I did and suddenly £2 plopped into our MGGS pot)!

Just click on this link www.easyfundraising.org.uk and follow the few simple steps to register. Our school is listed as Maidstone Grammar School for Girls (rather than MGGS) - if you type in “Maidstone” under the “search for charity”, our name should be the first one that comes up. Make sure you click on the “Get the Donation Reminder” green button once you’ve registered, (shown below in the picture) - this means that every time you do a “Google Search” for anything you wish to purchase online, if there is a company registered with easyfundraising, it will be flagged up to you. Download the app to enable easy use from your phone too and see how much you can raise without even thinking about it! I have to warn you, according to our trial team member, it can become quite addictive as you see the money you have raised tick up! Let me just repeat, this will cost you NOTHING, you won’t be inundated with junk or spam email and MGGS stands to gain - we really think we have found that elusive “free lunch”! We will put funds towards improvements that your child will benefit from - a new minibus; a bench in the quad garden; resources for the library, music or PE department; equipment for the science labs or language departments….our shopping list is endless.

Are you a Facebook user? We all have so many social media platforms in our lives but at MGGS, we use Facebook as a great way to stay in touch not only with our current parents but also with our alumni too. You can see all the stories and news about what happens in school on our website, but we update Facebook with information too. The main school Facebook page is www.facebook.com/MyMggs , but the DTO also uses it to let you know about projects that we have successfully raised funds for and upcoming events and reunions. Do go to our page and “like” us - (we all need more friends!). Enjoy scrolling, liking and sharing.

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House News Normans what a great year we've had with so many of you getting involved! We want to say a massive thank you for all of your efforts and how amazing you have been to allow us to get 3rd place in the House Cup! There have been so many highlights recently like competing in the Maths Quiz and placing 2nd and getting into the finals for the Science Quiz!

We have had so much fun being your house leaders and it is something we will never forget! GO NORMANS. Georgina, Jack, Lucy and Maddie Many events have occurred recently including Interhouse Netball, the Numbers Quiz, Science Quiz and Badminton. We’re proud to say that Danes have done considerably well during all these event and we couldn't be prouder as House Leaders. Every single member of our House has given 110% in all the events as well as being extremely supportive of the students who took part in these adventures. We have really stepped up as a House these last few terms and it has been wonderful to see so many different people get involved in events. As Danes we pride ourselves on our determination, persistence, inclusion and ability to find the fun and joy in every activity we do either as individuals or as a House. Being a part of Danes means being a part of family that will always be there for you.

Unfortunately it is time for we three House Leaders to say our farewells to this unbelievable House as we start the next chapter of our lives. We will always remember our time with the Danes and will look upon the memories created fondly. We will remember every single tear, stress and smile and we wish the new House Leaders the best of luck. We all feel so privileged to have gotten to work and lead such amazing, intelligent and talented people and we will miss you all - Danes forever and always!!! Lots of love, Izzy, Morgan and Ethan In terms 4 and 5, a few inter-house events have occurred. One example was inter-house netball.

Romans did well showing their determination through all year groups. Alongside this we also did well in inter-house Badminton. All years were enthusiastic and played extremely well. Leading on from this, in Science Week and Maths week, there was an inter-house quiz for both academic weeks. For each quiz one member from KS2, KS3 and KS4 took part in the quiz. Unfortunately, in both of these events Romans did not place. However, it was the taking part that counts and the girls’ team spirit was high. Our year as house leaders is nearly over, so we would like to thank everyone who has taken part in all house events this academic year from Sports Day, to House Arts and all the small inter-house events. We wouldn’t have done so well this year without you! We are all so very proud of you all and we will truly miss the team spirit and the warmth of our house. This year has confirmed that the Romans are one big family and when we leave, we will still feel a part of it. We’ve created loads of wonderful memories this year and we hope that everyone will create many more. We hope that in years to come Romans will take over and rule MGGS. We will miss you all; keep up the good work guys! White Army Forever! Abbie, Chelsea and Summer xxx

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House News It's been a challenging term to say the least for Vikings house. Over the last few months we have taken part in various house events, striving to win at least one competition this year!

Firstly came the inter-house maths quiz, then the science quiz and inter-house badminton. We won the science quiz and we would like to say a massive thank you and well done to the girls who took part from each key stage.

Sadly our role as house leaders is coming to an end. We have really enjoyed leading this wonderful house and would like to say a huge thank you to everyone for having us as your house leaders. It has been a privilege.

We'd like to say a final thank you to Katie G our Deputy House Leader, as she has been amazing and we wouldn't have been able to do everything without her. We wish everyone the best. Lauren, Tish & Liberty

Hi Saxons! This term hasn't been a big one for House activities but we've still been giving our all. We won the maths quiz, and there was a great performance during the science quiz and Badminton.

Unfortunately, this is our last term as House Leaders and we want to thank every single one of you for joining and supporting us, from your cheers on sports day to your participation during House Arts; you've all made us so proud. We also want to thank Amelia Kelley for being the best deputy we could have asked for and we want to wish you guys luck in the future; this is obviously the best house and we will carry on winning!

Love Emily, Aiden and Charlie x Our job as a house leader has continued past the Sports Day of last year and House Arts and as we entered in 2017, we have had the opportunity to experience the academic capabilities of members of our house. With equal enthusiasm for our sports and creative arts activities, Britons has lent itself as a house to the science and maths quizzes, which really showed that our participants are talented all-rounders! As house leaders, we have been immensely proud of the dedication shown by our members and would like to take this opportunity to thank all the Britons for their help this year.

Being a house leader can be stressful at times but the sunny attitudes of our Britons made it so enjoyable for us. Without their positivity and enthusiasm, we would not have been so successful this year in the maths quiz or inter-house badminton competitions. Although we are quickly approaching the end of our time as the house leaders for Britons, we are still looking forward to the activities yet to come and are thankful for the lessons in leadership skills and teamwork, which we have all been taught by taking on this role. We wish the best of luck to our successors and are grateful to all our Britons, students and teachers, so thank you everyone for your help this year. Good luck for next year, and goodbye!

Beth, Em and Eve xxx

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The Spring Bulletin Our Wonderful Magnolia Tree - Past and Present From a book presented to Miss M Johnson, MGGS Secretary, dated 1930-1958 we found a delightful picture of our wonderful magnolia tree.

The inscription in the book reads, “Flowers are a perpetual source of pleasure.�

Pictured here is the magnolia tree this Spring in full bloom.

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The Spring Bulletin Information from the School Office by Miss Green Student hatch times This is just a reminder to students that the office hatch is open at the following times for students: Before school: 8.30am to 9.00am Breaktime: 11.05am to 11.25am Lunchtime: 1.30pm to 2.25pm Afterschool: 3.30pm to 4.00pm

Late in to school Please can parents/carers remind students that if they arrive in to school after 8.40am then they must come straight to Reception to sign in (Years 7 to 11) so we are aware they are on the school site.

School barrier/drive way Please can parents/carers ensure that they are not coming through the school barrier to drop students off first thing in the morning and also avoid turning around near the school entrance. Parents/carers can still enter the school site when collecting/returning students for appointments during the school day.

PFA Easter Hamper Prize Draw The PFA are delighted to announce that the lucky winners are: Andrea Cahill (Ticket No: 177) and Lorraine Smith (Ticket No. 305). Congratulations to them both!

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Keep in touch with all our news and events of the school on the school's website or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. We would love you to start following us @ https://www.facebook.com/MyMggs and https://twitter.com/@MGGS_ We would also like to hear of student successes and achievements please email central@mggs.org.

Year 5 Taster Days Masterclasses Year 5: Tuesday 6th or 13th June 2017 Booking Required These are for Year 5 girls considering joining us in 2018.

Student will have a unique opportunity to discover what life is really like at MGGS by enjoying taster lessons, meeting our Year 7’s, exploring the school during a normal school day and experience the canteen. Parents will also be invited along to share the experience with a talk and tour of the school at the end of the day.

Term Dates 31st March

End of term 4

Term 5 - 2017 18th April 26th May

Start of term 5 End of term 5

Summer Open Mornings Years 4 & 5: Tuesday 11th & Wednesday 12th July 2017 arrive for 9am start, finished at 11am, No Booking Required

Summer School Experience Years 4 & 5 Girls and Boys: Monday 24th, or Tuesday 25th July 2017 Booking Required Booking NOW at http://www.mggs.org/onlinebookings

Term 6 - 2017 5th June Start of term 6 21st July End of Term 6 September 2017 4th September - INSET DAY 5th September - Start of Term 1 for students

A Tradition of Excellence Buckland Road, Maidstone, Kent ME16 0SF

T: 01622 752103 F: 01622 681947

E: central @mggs.org

www.mggs.org