On Friday 26th February our annual Dance Showcase took place.  In total 26 groups took part and all gave outstanding performances.  A huge thank you to our Dance Leaders who gave their valuable time to choreograph and lead dance clubs this year. These Students are: Emily B, Olivia B, Sophie C, Andi C, Eleanor D, Esme D, Elise F, Lucy G, Amy H, Tasfia K, Amelia K, Amelia Ki, Allanah M, Anna V and Abbie W.

Also special thanks to all staff involved in the evening, to Jennifer T, Tabii C, Sophie H for their support with lighting and sound and Sarah D for photography and finally to the dancers for their commitment and love of dance.  They worked brilliantly and we are so proud of each and every student.

MGGS STEM Week 2016 has been incredibly busy. The week began with the Inter-House Science Big Question Video Competition in assembly, with Romans claiming first place with their answer to ‘Is there Life elsewhere in the Universe?’. This was followed by the first round of the annual Inter-House Science quiz. The finalists, Danes and Vikings, battled it out a few days later, with Danes being the victors by just 1 point!

On Monday and Tuesday, the Maths Faculty held their annual Maths Challenge for all of Year 8, as well as a day for Year 7 on Wednesday. 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.  On Tuesday BAE presented an inspiring lecture on engineering which all students could attend.

Also on Monday and Tuesday, Year 8 visited the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. They were able to research the adaptations of plants from different habitats and they made links between their learning in Science and Geography.

On Wednesday, several of Year 11 and 12 competed in a Forensic Chemistry Challenge and spent the day gathering and analysing evidence of a crime scene. The winners, Olivia G, Chloe G and Isobel M in Year 12, included detail in their presentation which the leaders had never heard before! They have been invited to compete in a County Final on 17th March.

Year 10 experienced the ‘Big Reptile Show’ with Martin Rapley, The Bug Man on Thursday, with the chance to find out about the lives of many different animals and interact with them.  The focus was on reptiles and very popular was a young chameleon called Tripod (named because of her lost leg), which most of the students agreed was the cutest reptile they had ever seen. 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 animals.

Thursday also saw a local primary school, Roseacre, visit MGGS to take part in their own Science quiz and meet the reptiles. They made up part of the audience of our Inter-House Science quiz and enjoyed the audience participation!  Meanwhile, the A level Computing and IT students visited the Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) company. Here they experienced the use of computing in designing visual effects for a variety of productions currently in development, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2! They also visited King Games Developers, inventors of Candy Crush, where they got some insight into some new games soon to be released.

Our final day on Friday was a celebration of both Science Fiction and World Book Day with Years 7 to 9 coming dressed up as their favourite Science Fiction book character.  A fun end to a very entertaining and inspiring week in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Year 8 STEM activity By Mrs Gooding

One Year 8 student wrote: “I enjoyed the STEM activity as it wasn’t at all what I was expecting. It was interesting and I felt I was having to question myself. We designed and completed a scientific experiment to test the stretchiness of three different materials – string, elastic and an elastic band. When we had completed our experiment and refined it, we repeated it using a selection of jelly sweets. We made a poster to explain the method we used and displayed our results graphically.”

This year World Book Day was on Thursday 3rd March.  Throughout the day any visitors to the school library were asked to write down their favourite book. There was a steady stream of visitors and a plethora of books were mentioned.  The three most popular books were:

On Friday 4th March to mark the occasion of World Book Day whilst staying with our Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics theme for the week, Years 7 to 9 were invited to dress up as their favourite science fiction character.  There were many wonderful costumes.

The day has helped to raise some money for a variety of library projects, so a big thank you to all of the people involved in making this such a success, especially the students that joined in so whole-heartedly!

Congratulations to Jake B in Year 12, who came 4th at the English National Cross Country Championships at Donington Park at the weekend.  Jake was only 1 second off a national medal!

Amelia K year 10 and Anela G year 7, both performed at half time at the Gallagher Stadium Maidstone United vs Basingtoke game Saturday 5th March 2016.  Both students are part of the Starlight’s Cheerleading Senior Stunt and Senior Pom teams.   Well done!

Required for: September 2016
Contract: Full Time – TLR 2a – £6,385 per annum
Closing date: Noon on Wednesday, 23rd March 2016
Interview Date: Friday, 15th April 2016

We are looking to appoint a creative, enthusiastic and inspiring teacher of Geography to lead this important area of the curriculum from September. This is an excellent opportunity for the right person to join this outstanding school. The successful candidate will have the ambition and innovation to manage this already successful department. Applicants need to be able to teach Geography throughout the school, including to A Level, to able, creative and motivated students.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls is a very successful selective girls’ school of 1,220 students with a mixed sixth form of approximately 360. The post offers the opportunity to work with high ability young people in a supportive and friendly environment. Staff benefits include strong support for professional development, as well as the opportunity to further develop as a subject specialist and healthcare scheme.

Applicants should complete the application form and email along with covering letter to the Headteacher’s PA. If you require any additional information please contact Ms Starns, PA to the Headteacher via email: mstarns@mggs.org.

• Advert
• Job Description
• Person Specification
• MGGS Teacher Application Form (Word Format)

Applications should be emailed to mstarns@mggs.org

Year 7 Students were joined for a reading and writing workshop by fifteen Year 6 Students from West Borough Primary School on Tuesday, 8th March.  The session was led by Mr Pidgeon and Miss Calvert and was hugely successful.  The creative writing produced by the Year 6 students was of a very high standard and showed just how worthwhile the session had been.

Based around ‘Tom’s Midnight Garden’ by Phillipa Pearce, the students worked together to complete a variety of tasks from brainstorming to research, culminating in the creative writing piece, where the Year 6 students excelled in demonstrating all of their newly acquired skills.

The session was so successful that the next event, planned for the end of term 6, is being eagerly awaited by both schools.

We would love to see as many of you as possible as our Bake Off on Saturday 12th March 2pm to 4pm.

To enter your bakes (there are 5 different classes) you need to register by 5pm on Thursday 10th March via our donation page here http://bit.ly/1IVWsJ0.

We are unable to accept entries after this time.

On Saturday 12th March our judges will be sampling the bakes to pick a winner and runner up in each class and then one will be judged to be the overall “Bake Off Champion” for 2016.

Winning Bake in Class 4 (Tray Bake) will be replicated as the dessert for our Summer ball on July 9th.

You can all join in with this as from 2pm to 4pm we will have a Vintage Cafe setup in the Gym where there will also be live entertainment in the form of a Cockney sing-a-long with Tom Carradine.

What could be better than a cup of tea with a winning bake! A set afternoon tea with sandwiches can cake is also on offer with reserved tables for £5 per person. This can be booked via our PFA Events page on the website.

We need your support to make this a real community event for the school!

Students will also be aware there are some very large hampers of chocolate in reception waiting to be won as well. Our annual Easter Hamper Draw will also take place after 12 noon on Saturday 12th March (winners will be announced at the Bake Off). To enter the draw you just need to make a minimum £1 donation via this dedicated fundraising page http://tinyurl.com/h5v4lrc.

We also have this Charity Fund Matched by Barclays Bank up to £1,000 so if we raise our £1,000 target it means it is doubled. It has been hotly contested each year but you must make your donation by 12 noon on the 12th March to be in our virtual hat!

Well it was another hotly contested event, and with over 70 assorted bakes entered this year, it once again meant there was much to be consumed by our panel of judges.

From early Saturday morning, the Bake Off volunteers started to transform the Gym into a Vintage Café, while the cakes were displayed in 6th Form Central in the judging area. It was a busy morning that just seemed to rush past as one bake after another was delivered in readiness for judging.

The Judges then arrived from noon onwards to boldly chomp their way through what could only be described as a mountain of bakes and decide upon the winners and runner up for each class and the overall bake champion for 2016.

There was everything from a much envied Cheese Mushroom & Courgette Bread to a plethora of cupcakes and a much admired Sacher Torte. Some show stoppers were exactly that with clever designs and demonstrated some advanced baking and decorative techniques.

Some clever looking Earl Grey flavoured biscuits were made to look like a tea bag on a string and a range of tray bakes kept local chef Jason Boswell and Miss Tucker well occupied, as they sampled one after the other and copiously discussed each bake as to whether they would make an ideal dessert for the Joint Summer Ball with MGS on Saturday July 9th.

Judging completed, we all then moved into the Gym for the Vintage Tea with the Cockney Sing-a-Long. The gym had been transformed with newspaper covered windows and bunting, gingham clad tables and a myriad of vintage crockery. The upper sixth form volunteers greeted the attendees and served the set tea of finger sandwiches and an array of cakes, whilst Tom Carradine with his waxed moustache, starched collar and patent spat shoes looked the veritable part to lead the attendees down memory lane with a wide ranging medley of old and popular songs. It was magical to hear young and old voices sing-a-long as one with true gusto and joy.

As Tom completed his set and he dashed off on British Rail’s finest to the big metropolis (Mayfair to be precise), the 2015 Bake Champion Oliva L came up to the front and helped draw the winning raffle ticket for the Easter Chocolate Hamper and was then herself presented with a trophy as a winner of last year’s bake off. The winners for 2016 were then announced with first the runners up and then the class winners and then finally the bake off champion who was presented with their own trophy to take home.

As well as the trophy each class winner was given a copy of the “Baking Tube Map” for future inspiration plus the 2016 Bake Champion picked up an extra prize of a meal for two at The Bell Inn at Bearsted that was kindly donated by judge Jason Boswells employer.

This wrapped up the 2016 Bake Off … We hope to see you for the 2017 Bake Off so get practising!

Class 1 – 6 Small individual cakes or 1 large cake
Winner – Mrs Aleksandra Wright – Sacher Torte
Highly Commended – Freya Waring – Chocolate and Hazelnut Cupcakes (The Ferrero Rocher of cupcakes!)

Class 2 – 12 Sweet or Savoury Biscuits
Winner – Marion Westby – Sugared flower shortbreads
Highly Commended – Kathryn Heathfield – Chocolate Whirls

Class 3 – 1 loaf of Bread or 6 Rolls
Winner – Mark and Abby Heathfield – French Christmas Loaf
Highly Commended – Westby Family – Sourdough loaf with rye

Beth Gilmore – Cheese Mushroom & Courgette Bread won a special prize of a Madeline bake tray

Class 4 – Traybake
Winner – Theresa Ferguson – Peach Melba Squares
Highly Commended – Alice Godden – Date and Walnut Traybake (The Queen Mother’s favourite cake)

Class 5 – Showstopper
Winner – Karen & Sophie Ring – Happy Easter cake!
Highly Commended – Amy & Chloe Farrington – MGGS Easter Chocolate Hamper Cake

2016 Bake Champion – Mark and Abby Heathfield – French Christmas Loaf

On Sunday 13th, Megan B-R 8G, and Claudia R 8N competed in a trampolining competition representing both MGGS and the Satellite Stars Trampoline Club of which they are both members. They enjoyed it thoroughly, and had a lot of fun, eventually placing 6th and 10th in a field of 20. Their coaches were very proud and said that the girls’ training had definitely paid off!

As it is an annual event Megan and Claudia are now looking forward to hopefully competing next year and to having enough people to qualify as a team, which requires 3 or more competitors.

Megan commented, “I had a great day and it was an amazing experience to watch and compete against other schools/clubs. It was even better as it was my first school competition, and Claudia and I both helped each other with our nerves!”

Claudia said, “I had competed at Benenden School before, so I knew what the atmosphere was like! We both had nerves but I think that comes with every competition. Having Megan there made it much more fun as we helped each other with our routines! I’m looking forward to next year and competitions in the future!”

The outstanding work and commitment of Louise Tucker, who teaches at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls, was recognised at the 16th Design and Technology Association Excellence Awards, held on Friday 11th March at The Institution of Engineering and Technology situated on the banks of the River Thames in London.

Louise was presented with the Subject Leadership Award by Prof. Mark Miodownik, Professor of Materials and Science at UCL and a regular presenter on BBC TV’s “Everyday Miracles” and broadcaster and writer involved in productions – including the award-winning “Stuff Matters” – relating to science and engineering issues.

Richard Green MA, Chief Executive of the Design and Technology Association, says:  “Louise is to be congratulated on her well-deserved award.  She and other winners on the night are to be celebrated for their contributions to furthering teaching and learning in the subject of Design and Technology in the classroom, which can often be the catalyst for students wanting to be engineers and designers.”

The glittering Awards night saw presentations made under 8 categories, a number of which were sponsored, with delegates from Britain and overseas in attendance.  Louise comments:  “I am delighted to have been awarded the Subject Leadership Award, especially with so many equally deserving peers.  D&T has been and continues to be my life.    The materials and technology we use in D&T continually evolve but what remains constant is the enthusiasm of the students and their creativity.  I would like to thank my Headteacher, Miss Deborah Stanley for supporting the subject.”

The 16^th award ceremony follows on from the recent launch of the D&T Association’s 10-minute video “What is D&T – and why do we need it?” that can be seen at www.data.org.uk.  Aimed at students, parents and employers, the video demonstrates the importance of the subject of D&T in a balanced curriculum and how it is a modern, creative and challenging subject.  It also reveals why – with the current skills’ shortages in the creative, manufacturing and engineering industries – it is a valuable subject for all young people to study.

“Parents, at the very least, want their children to undergo a positive education experience so they can make something of themselves,” continues Richard Green.  “Louise Tucker and her fellow award-winners have gone above and beyond what might be expected in delivery of D&T teaching and, in raising the bar high, they have equipped their pupils to not only make something of themselves but also to design and make other things too.  The youngsters in her classes will have been inspired by Louise’s commitment and vision and learned D&T skills that many employers in the design engineering and manufacturing sectors will find very attractive.”

Elite industry names from the “Best of British”, including Dyson, JCB, Williams F1, Brompton and a host of other household names, are supporting the D&T Association’s ongoing “Designed and Made in Britain …?” campaign, which highlights the importance of the subject in a 21^st century curriculum.   All are at the pinnacle of their respective industries and are crying out for the next generation of school leavers who will be capable of problem-solving and delivering innovative skills.

Miss Louise Tucker has worked at MGGS since September 2008 as Head of the Design Technology Department.  Her specialism is Product Design and Food Technology.  Louise studied at Greenwich University completing a BA (Hons) in Design Technology and a HND in Food and Consumer Management at Birmingham College of Food.  Miss Tucker  is an Accredited Lead Practictioner  with the SSAT Specialist Schools and Academies Trust. In addition to having work published shortly for Zig-Zag Education, Louise also writes exemplar exam papers and works extensively for the examination board AQA.

Last Friday, the MGGS rowing teams competed in the National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre, London, which this is now the World’s biggest indoor rowing competition.

A summary of the results:

Boat Race Relay (Yrs 10-13 racing for 16mins 19secs being the fastest Boat Race time)

We managed to “borrow” an entry from Putney High School so although not eligible for the medals our team was able to race against everyone else.

Our team of Sophie T, Kate M, Ella K, Katie L, Grace M and their team mates from Maidstone Invicta RC of Harriet T, Yana K and Lucy W came third out of 21 teams.

Tegan, R and Hannah were invited to join a Highworth team and despite all being Year 10’s came seventh.

Following their recent successes and commitment, the following MGGS girls have been selected to represent the Thames South East Region at the upcoming JIRR event in April.

WJ14 coxed quad – Grace H
WJ15 coxed quad – Hannah R, Grace M, Tegan G and Georgia B (Hannah and Grace also selected in doubles but have foregone this to concentrate on other events)
WJ16 double sculls – Ella Knight, Katie Le Lion
WJ16 coxed eight – Katie Le Lion, Ella Knight, Hannah Read, Grace MacMahon, Tegan Gumsley-Read, Rhona Logue, Grace Moore

This event is a national level event held for 13 to 16 year olds at the National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham. Each of the 12 regions of the UK selects a team from their regional trials. At the event, the crews race over 1500m in two heats. The fastest 6 crews then race the A final (with Gold, Silver and Bronze medals awarded) and the next 6 crews the B final. Each crew scores points for their region depending on overall placing and there is a Victor Ludorum for the overall highest region and a shield for the highest boys’ and girls’ teams.

Maya H and Sophia M form 9F took part in an appearance with their dance school, the Linda Fryday Academy of Irish Dance, on BBC Radio Kent this week.

They taught one of the BBC radio presenters a bit of Irish Dancing as it was St Patrick’s day.  Maya and Sophia were interviewed about St Patrick’s day and all things Irish and touched on their dance school’s many achievements. The students talked about participating in the Dance World Cup again in Jersey this year. They came home from last year’s Dance World Cup with 2 golds, 2 silvers and a bronze medal. Team England won the Dance World Cup overall, and it is hoped that they will achieve as well this year.

Maya and Sophie said “It was a very enjoyable and memorable morning.”

On Friday 4th March History students in Year 12 were given the opportunity to attend a Symposium on the Third Crusade at the Royal Institute for Historical Research. Among the many esteemed scholars was Thomas Asbridge, a key historian in our studies who offered us an unprecedented view of a key component to our course, enriching our knowledge of the Third Crusade. Throughout the day, we were granted the privilege of listening to a multitude of fascinating scholarly papers that were inspiring, offering a valuable depth to our A Level course. Not only did we get to experience a new perspective to our course, but we were also able to experience the level of academia at university level, something that was a really positive eye-opener for us all. Although the content of the day was somewhat of a challenge, I can safely say on behalf of year 12 that we were all very grateful for the opportunity to meet such esteemed scholars who really showed us the relevance of History and the depth at which it needs to be studied.

Amelia K year 10 and Anela G year 7, both performed at half time at the Gallagher Stadium Maidstone United vs Basingtoke game Saturday 5th March 2016.  Both students are part of the Starlight’s Cheerleading Senior Stunt and Senior Pom teams.   Well done!

Every year since 2008 basic lifesaving skills have been taught to new year 7 students at MGGS as part of their focus day activities. Today all 1,230 students at the school have undergone this training.

Students learn how to put a casualty in the Recovery Position, administer CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) and how to use the school’s defibrillator.

MGGS has been affiliated to the British Heart Foundation during this time and are very grateful to them for the donation of eight resuscitation dolls which enables this valuable training to take place. We are also extremely grateful to the school’s PFA for funding our defibrillator.

Pupils practising putting a casualty in to the recovery position.

PE teacher Mrs C Smith teaching a year 7 class how to give CPR

In addition to these lifesaving skills, students studying for the Community Sports Leader Award (CSLA), the Higher Sports Leader Award (HSLA) and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at all levels undergo more advanced first aid training which includes; how to treat serious bleeding, burns, broken bones, choking, poisoning, heart attack, and someone suffering from a stroke, as well as several medical conditions experienced by some of our students including diabetes, allergic reactions, asthma, and seizures.

Programme director Andy Browne said, “With more and younger people suffering from heart attacks it is essential that these lifesaving skills are taught to every student in every school”.

It is with great sadness that I am writing to inform you that Mrs Molly Tipples, Chairman of Governors, passed away on 6th April 2016. Mrs Tipples had been unwell for some time and her last time in school was in February of this year.

Molly was an old girl of the school and represented the Old Girls’ Society on the Governing Body. She was a governor for 12 years, with most of that time as Chairman. She was always a staunch ally of the school, and understood its values and ethos. I am personally very grateful for the support she gave me over the time I have been at MGGS, and in particular in the last 12 months as Headteacher. Molly was always determined to achieve the best for the school and she fought hard over many years to secure funding for Buckland House and more recently the sports hall. It was, therefore, a fitting tribute that at the end of 2015 the Governing Body decided that the sports hall should be named after Molly, with Molly herself having been a PE teacher, and someone for whom sport was a true passion.

Molly had been determined in her last weeks to see the opening of the sports hall. Sadly, that was not to be. I had the privilege on the last occasion I saw her to show her pictures of how the finished sports hall would look. She was thrilled, and so pleased that students at MGGS would at last have the sports hall they deserve.

This school has lost one of its greatest friends and strongest advocates, and our deepest sympathies go out to Molly’s family at this very sad time.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls held the grand opening of its new Sports Hall on Monday, 11th April when Olympic gold medallist and former head student, Lizzy Yarnold – who attended MGGS from 1999 to 2007 opened this brand new facility. The new sports hall will be called ‘The Molly Tipples Sports Hall’ in recognition of Mrs Tipples’ role as school governor for over 12 years, with most of this time spent as Chairman of Governors.

Sadly, Mrs Molly Tipples, passed away on 6th April 2016. She had been unwell for some time and her last time in school was in February of this year. Molly was an old girl of the school and represented the Old Girls’ Society on the Governing Body. She was always a staunch ally of the school, and understood its values and ethos. Headteacher, Miss Deborah Stanley said, “I am personally very grateful for the support she gave me over the time I have been at MGGS, and in particular in the last 12 months as Headteacher. Molly was always determined to achieve the best for the school and she fought hard over many years to secure funding for Buckland House and more recently the sports hall.” It was, therefore, a fitting tribute that at the end of 2015 the Governing Body decided that the sports hall should be named after Mrs Tipples, with Mrs Tipples herself having been a PE teacher, and someone for whom sport was a true passion.

Mrs Tipples had been determined in her last weeks to see the opening of the sports hall. Sadly, that was not to be. Molly was able to see photographs of how the finished sports hall would look. She was thrilled, and so pleased that students at MGGS would at last have the sports hall they deserve. The opening ceremony was attended by the Tipples family, KCC officials, governors, several local primary school Headteachers, staff, and members of the PFA and Old Girls’ Society, along with friends of the school, parents/carers and guests. A number of students performed in various sporting activities at the ceremony.

Guests were shown the new sports hall by some of MGGS’s national sports performers and were able to observe performances by MGGS’s very own dance group G-Fix (students from year 10-13), a contemporary dance routine, netball and rowing exhibitions, and a finale of a Year 7 Charleston dance.

Work on the sports hall began during the second week of July last year. The school is very grateful to WW Martin for taking over the contract from the original contractor which meant that there was a minimal delay in completion and was handed over to the school on 4th April 2016. The sports hall is equipped for the following sports: badminton, basketball, netball, 5 a side football, gymnastics, rowing, volleyball and trampolining.

The sports hall has a Taraflex™ sports flooring which has been used for 10 Olympic Games since 1976 and most recently at the London 2012 Games. Leading sports events organisers and national governing bodies believe this specialist flooring offers the highest levels of performance, comfort and safety.

The main sports hall can be divided into 2 discrete floor areas to enable two classes to have indoor PE lessons at the same time. In addition to the main sports hall there are two additional rooms, a small office and a viewing gallery on the first floor and a large storeroom, reception area and toilets on the ground floor. Stairs and a lift connect both floors. These facilities are also available to hire out of school hours and details can be found on the school’s website: http://www.mggs.org/connected-community/lettings.

Students and staff are very much looking forward to utilizing this wonderful new facility.