On Thursday, parents from Early Childhood came together for a clothing swap in the canteen. Look out for future events and your chance to grab a bargain!

Class 10's Burns Night was a sell out success with 95 people enjoying a three course meal, address to the haggis, toasts and dancing to incredible music and calling from Folkadelix. 

This was the 25th anniversary of an event started by Claude Coote who brought many of us to Michael Hall when she ran admissions and was also a marvellous French teacher. It was fantastic to have Claude and Philip with us for the evening. 

The photos include a beautiful portrait of Robert Burns by class parent Erica Mallory-Blythe. 

The surplus of £100 has been sent to the Trussell Trust which operates food banks in our area. 

Class 10 parents and students

We are preparing to place an order for centenary products, so if you'd like to purchase a stylish school hoodie or tote bag, please make sure to place your order online by Monday, February 3rd at 12:00 PM.

Additionally, we still have a selection of other centenary products available – feel free to explore our offerings!

To place your order, please follow this link: School Products

It's a busy time for our sports teams and we would like to celebrate everyone who is taking part in our clubs and matches.

Congratulations and well done to the U18 girls Volleyball team who played a match on Monday (in their new volleyball kits!) and came home with a big 3 set win against Burgess Hill! Working together and trusting each and every member of the team is essential in volleyball and our teams are coming together beautifully!

Last week, Class 7 and 8 netballers joined forces for their first netball match of the year. Supported by a home crowd, the girls played incredibly well as they came together as a team and found their flow on the court. It was a very close game ending in a 1-point lead for the opposition. 

This week, Class 7 and Class 6 pupils travelled to Burgess Hill. Class 7 got off to a flying start and kept the momentum going throughout the match, culminating in a well-deserved win. Special mention to Bibi for her excellent shooting and Gaia for her midcourt energy. 

Class 6 played remarkably well for their first ever match- it was a pleasure to see them transfer what they have practiced at club, into action in a match environment. Special mention to Charlotte for her epic interceptions and Kitty for her excellent shooting and defence. 

Basketball

The basketball fever continues with fixtures at U13, U14, U15, U16 and U18 coming thick and fast:  Here are a few highlights:

The Upper School squad are working with Sussex Storm coach, Leo Granstrom on some more sophisticated team plays, while refining their individual skills.  They are currently 5^th place out of 8 in the Sussex league and have had some strong wins against Worth and close battles versus Lancing and Ardingly (two much larger and well-resourced private schools.)

The U15 development squad are learning to apply training to matches and have improved their confidence and communication in defence and their attacking drives.  They take every game as a learning opportunity regardless of the result.  Please do come and watch them play local rivals, Imberhorne on Thursday 6^th February at home 4pm tip.  It promises to be an exciting match.

Congratulations to the U13 team who are unbeaten so far with two big wins against Imberhorne (26-12) and Ardingly (26-4)!  The squad play beautifully as a team and encourage each other on with the help of coach Tom Davis (Class 10) and some tough match play against our U14s.  Yesterday, an U13/U14 mixed team pitted themselves against Imberhorne U14s and kept their heads up and fought until the end despite being fairly beaten.  

It is wonderful to see the sporting play, determination and comradery of the players in all these sports as they grow as individuals and feel themselves as part of a team and strong community.

It's Imbolc and Candlemas this weekend, the midpoint between Winter and Spring!

In my experience, the quality of light changes now and there is a renewed vigour in nature, particularly expressed in the emergence of the spring bulbs.

In autumn I planted bulbs around the apple trees in the walled garden, over time they should naturalise and spread. These include Thalia and tete a tete daffodils,  snake's head fritillaries, anemone blanda and grape hyacinth. My favourite autumn planted bulbs are the alliums, I find these grow better in flower borders than in grass.

If you'd like to receive regular lists of available biodynamic plants and produce from the walled garden, then please join the WhatsApp group through this invitation link-

https://chat.whatsapp.com/DtQWUb7h3ZB1HaIHvJ1FaR

Darshan Robson
School Market Gardner

Dear Alumni and Old Scholars, 

We warmly invite you to our Alumni Tea & Talk session with Ingrid, on Saturday 22nd February, a special gathering to reconnect, reminisce, share ideas, hear your suggestions and celebrate our shared history. This year marks 100 years of our school's legacy, and we would love for you to be part of this milestone. Join us for a delightful morning of conversation over tea as we reflect on the past and look forward to the exciting Centenary celebrations and events ahead. We can't wait to welcome you back to celebrate together! 
RSVP: [email protected] 

3 Bed cottage to rent in an AONB with far reaching views on edge of the Ashdown Forest in Chelwood Gate, 5.2 miles (12 min) from school. £2500 per month ono. Landlord is an old scholar from Michael Hall. Please find full details here or contact Vin Burnham: 07973 343739 / [email protected]