5 October 2017
Marden girls spent their THRIVE Day focusing on the importance of our community and the service of others, beginning with a short liturgy from Father Gerry on the topic. In Houses, girls either helped our Groundsmen with some gardening or contributed to a Marden Tea Party as a thank you to our Support Staff for all that they do. Some girls decorated cupcakes, others served tea and coffee, some decorated the dining room in preparation for the party, and others made thank you cards and little gifts for our guests to take away with them. What a delight to see our Mardeners make our Support Staff feel appreciated and welcome! Following on from this, the girls got their hands dirty (literally) in the Art department, where they were assigned the task of creating a doll of themselves to express who they are and their cultural background. The Art department plans to display them in school so that we can see the various communities of girls that we have at Woldingham.
Year 9 worked in Houses to research and produce hampers for four charities: The Pastens Children’s Home, Young Epilepsy, Duchesne House Care Home and the Trussell Trust Food Bank. The girls had been collecting money in the week leading up to the event and at the start of THRIVE morning, each House was allocated its particular charity. The girls made contact with their charity and researched the type of goods that would meet its needs. Each House then sent out a team of shoppers to buy the selected goods, whilst the remaining girls created an awareness-raising presentation about their charity to deliver to the rest of the Year group at the end of the morning. Each of the hampers will be delivered to the charities, along with cards and letters written by the girls.
Year 10 students undertook useful tasks at several local churches: St. Mary’s and Sacred Heart, Caterham and St Paul's and St Agatha’s. They turned their hands to many things, including gardening, cleaning, data inputting and helping make wreaths and Christmas decorations.
Year 11 visited Hayes Primary School, helping all classes (from Reception through to Year 6) with reading, numeracy and games, as well as helping out at lunchtime and playing hide and seek at outdoor play.
The company African Activities taught our Lower Sixth students African printing, drumming and dancing. They learned the cultural and historical meanings behind the symbols sounds and moves.
The Upper Sixth took part in a Mock Assessment Centre run by Inspiring Futures. They completed a range of challenging activities, including an in-tray exercise, a situational judgment test and a collaborative task, before reflecting on their work. "I learned valuable skills, grew in self-confidence and had a fabulous time" was one neat summation of the morning.