16th March 2018 - Issue 10
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Head’s Introduction Congratulations to the cast, crew, musicians, choreographers and directors of Oliver! The first night was such an incredible success with outstanding performances from the principals, an amazing ensemble, the band and the technical and stage crew. It is a mustsee show, so try to get one of the few remaining tickets if you can. The show is a very ambitious and complex piece, and with a huge cast involving girls from every year group who have all done superbly well. At the end of last week, the Sixth Form had a great time at the annual Casino Night, and some Year 11 Artists learnt about block-printing at BIP, with wonderful and beautiful results. I hope that many of you enjoyed the exeat weekend and sharing some time with your loved ones. This week, Roedean students gave a Lunchtime Recital at St Peter’s, which was very well received and hugely appreciated by the audience. The Roedean-St Mark’s ‘listening buddies’ scheme, overseen by Mr Wilson, got off to a great start, and everyone involved is excited about where this will lead. Also, 39 girls went on their DofE Bronze practice expedition, and 36 will be doing their Silver practice this weekend – good luck to them!
‘It was great that so many girls from different year groups were all in it together’ Phoebe H (Yr8)
Within School this week, we had a Mock Referendum about whether the voting ‘I loved age should be lowered, a Business second of every it Conference, and sporting fixtures for Will Buy’ – ‘Who Netball, Swimming, and Volleyball. The w favourite as my selection process for our new Prefect song.’ Miss Hy team has also taken place, and the ams appointments will be made before the end of term. We have a great Year 12 and every girl who is standing has already done a great job in the hustings, so they should all be congratulated for their commitment and passion for the School. For those with public examinations next term, it will be important for you this week to gather together everything you need to revise thoroughly over the Easter break. And finally, I wish you all well for the last week of term.
‘Breath takingly g ood’ Mr Blon
d
It must be hugely daunting putting on ‘Oliver!’ as a school play because it’s such a classic. You might think that the plot, songs, and characters are so familiar to us that it’s hard to do them justice, but everyone would agree that the Roedean production did not let us down. Full of energy and vigour, the songs were belted out confidently and the cast had the audience bobbing along in their seats. The baddies were bad, the goodies were good, the funnies were (absolutely) hilarious, and the Dickensian urchins danced, picked pockets, and asked for more with genuine poverty panache. Supported by the superb live band and the stealthy set movers, the whole ensemble was a complete success. Watching ‘Oliver!’ was like putting on a pair of comfy slippers and slurping a hot chocolate: heart-warming, satisfying and simply fabulous! In fact, it was so good: ‘Please, sir, can we some more?’ TW
est End ‘It was more like a W hool production than a sc es play – the performanc d d an were incredibly polishe ! it was truly spectacular Miss Boles
‘Ther simply e were some o perfor utstanding m an Fagin was amces – azing!’ Mrs R obin s
a and ‘Sorch were a Grace ouble act’ d great Ellis Mrs
16th March 2018 - Issue 10
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Unsung heroes in the spotlight
Year 12 Academic Poster Conference
Each week, many wonderful things happen at Roedean, about which many in the school are perhaps unaware; this section of the weekly review is dedicated to ‘unsung heroes’, in order to draw our attention to these people and remind us that our community is special.
After many months of research and preparation, the Year 12 girls finally had the chance to show their posters and knowledge to the rest of the school. The Sixth Form Centre hall was buzzing with questions and debate about a very wide-range of topics including ‘Cultural Differences and Psychopathology’, ‘The Deadly Twin Experiments’, ‘Sorcerers of Dobu’, ‘Gun Control in the US: why it won’t change’, ‘Can Computers Be Creative’, ‘Stereotypes in the Media’, and many, many more. Many of the Year 12 girls will use their academic projects as the basis for an EPQ qualification in Year 13. CC
Miss Ford-Senior for her invaluable help in organising House 2 Super Supper [MDC]
Mock Referendum – should the voting age be lowered to 16?
Catherine W-B (Yr8) for submitting a beautiful painted entry for the design a new book cover for the Margot and Me competition [SBL]
Crystal L (Yr9) for working diligently and consistently producing highquality work; she is so conscientious, superlatively polite, always completely focused in lessons and just a generally wonderful, intellectually curious individual [TW] Athena D (Yr7) for care and consideration toward others [JC]
House 4 Evening Meal On Wednesday 14 March many House 4 senior girls ventured to the Brighton Marina for a delicious evening meal with Mrs Wilson. SEW
Casino Night
Zoe T, Maria P, Francesca G, Jodie H and Ellie G (Yr13) for successfully completing their EPQ presentations, representing a year’s work of selfdirected and self-motivated work. Well done! [HBO]
The Sixth Form had a wonderful evening of live music, fun, casino tables, and the ever-popular chocolate fountain. The girls and their guests looked lovely in their beautiful dresses and suits. Girls and staff danced the night away and put their mathematical skills to the test. A special mention must go to Ms Alexander and Mrs Miller for demonstrating their skills on the dance floor so gracefully. Thank you to everyone who made CC the evening a special and fun event.
Nettie G. Amelia K, Rose O, Isabella P, Mimi D and Erin S (Yr7), Scarlett R, Sophia Clyde and Olivia Taggart (Yr9), Ella L, Jessica K, Lara S, Ami F and Demi A (Yr10) and Elsa H, Charlotte S, Melanie C, Alya MF, Pearl Y and Mavis Z (Yr13) for their invaluable help with the Netball and Maths Masterclasses [JCO]
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During Academic Week, Year 12 pupils of Government and Politics organised their very own mock referendum. The question put to the Roedean electorate was whether the voting age at general elections should be lowered to 16. All week both the ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ campaigns enthusiastically made their case to the voters of Roedean, both pupils and staff. Posters soon adorned the corridors and much debate ensued. On Friday the ballot box was placed by the fireplace in main school and votes were cast. Very well done to Katie C for leading the ‘No’ campaign to victory. It was a slim decision, with ‘No’ winning by only four votes. It was great to see so many pupils engaging with politics and was a fitting end to a week of enthusiastic debate. JHM
16th March 2018 - Issue 10
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
‘Listening Buddies’ at St Mark’s This week, six girls from Years 10, 11 and 13 started a new ‘listening buddy’ initiative at a local Primary School. Alina, Nell, Emily, Tiri, Victoria and Carla, who have all received peer-listening training at Roedean, will work one-on-one with a Year 5 or 6 student from St Mark’s Primary School in Brighton. Acting as role-model and being a supportive listener they will participate in various activities with the students to promote communication and interaction such as visiting the farm and beach, and using the facilities here at Roedean. This week the girls visited St Mark’s where they were introduced to their ‘buddies’. Next week, the St Mark’s students will be given a tour of Roedean and then share some cake and tea! The overall aims of the programme are to support the St Mark’s students and for our dedicated and caring students to develop their listening and leadership skills. Well done Emily, Carla, Alina, Nell, Tiri and Victoria on a brilliant start! GWI
Lunchtime recital at St Peter’s Church Thirty-four Roedean musicians from Year 9 up to Year 13 performed in a lunchtime recital at St Peter’s Church, West Blatchington on Friday. This is our third visit to take part in their series of lunchtime concerts and, as usual, we received a very warm welcome. An audience of parishioners, parents and colleagues enjoyed a delightful programme of solos, chamber music, and choral pieces. All the musicians performed very well indeed and particularly our chamber groups in
‘I’m really loo g forw ard to owing my buddy aroukin nd Roedean andsh as soon as he heard we have so excited to see the a farm he was bonded over our mut sheep! We also ual love of The Great British Ba ke Off drawing skills! I thinand our terrible k it’s a really positive initiative and St Mark’s, as ,weboth for Roedean get to spen time in the wider unity and theyd ge a chance to excopemriemnc t something new whilst gaining coe nfi dence’ Emily T (Yr13)
RUNNING ORDER THE INFINITE SHINING HEAVENS Vaughan Williams Senior Singers
THIRD MOVEMENT from CONCERTO IN G Heberle Marina B
SECOND MOVEMENT from CONCERTO FOR TRUMPET Haydn Trumpet: Anamika N-W
PAVANE POUR UNE INFANTE DÉFUNTE Ravel Violin: Katarina H Cello: Kamali M Piano: Coco A
SHE NEVER TOLD HER LOVE Hadyn Voice: Zarbanu M FIRST MOVEMENT from FOUR BAGATELLES Andrey Rubstov Flute: Sophia E Oboe: Charlotte B Clarinet: Gabriella K Bassoon: Sahar K
this programme; they were a great credit to the school. An eminent local musician, Muriel Hart, was in the audience. She was for many years the Music Advisor in Brighton and, amongst many other musical responsibilities, she was the piano accompanist for the Brighton Orpheus Choir for seventy-one years! In a reflection following the concert, Muriel said, “That was absolutely perfect. Excellent standard throughout, professionally staged, and with some really outstanding singing”. Congratulations to all the musicians who took part! The programme is included here VF for your interest and information:
Year 13 Business Students visit West Pier Studios in Brighton During lesson time on Tuesday, the Year 13 Business students went to West Pier Studios in Brighton to have a talk about the importance of innovation. West Pier Studios are a leading games and software development studio creating high quality technology applications. Their directors are best known for their development with Disney on two games (Pure and Split/Second). We were briefed on some of their new innovations such as uTalk, a cross-platform language learning app and their virtual reality for architecture. We learnt how innovation impacts the business across all functions of the business and the need to develop products that make a difference. The students had great fun testing out the Virtual Reality headsets. SLO Page 3
LAUDAMUS TE from GLORIA Vivaldi Voice: Amelie S and Jacqueline L FIRST MOVEMENT from SONATA FOR FLUTE AND PIANO Prokofiev Flute: Freya S GAVOTTE Shostakovich Piano: Phoenix L SONG OF FINGAL Brahms Senior Singers
HUMORESQUE Absil Piano: Anne-Sophie L SECOND MOVEMENT from CONCERTO FOR CLARINET Weber Clarinet: Gabriella K HAVE YOU SEEN BUT A WHITE LILY GROW Anon Voice: Charlene Z HALLELUJAH Cohen ELEANOR RIGBY Lennon and McCartney Violin: Eva F and Scarlett J Viola: Katarina H Cello: Lily Liu SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW Arlen and Harburg Senior Singers
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
16th March 2018 - Issue 10
Chamber Music Masterclass At 4:20 on Monday, there will be a teatime recital in the Old Ref, where the girls taking part in the String Masterclass that day will be performing, along with the cellist Gabriella Swallow. Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity! Family and friends are also welcome. Tickets are available at www. roedeantheatre.co.uk or just come along on the day.
Martha S
Two Theatre trips in one week for the English Department This week has seen the English department taking two theatre trips. The Sixth Form went to see a new version of Greene’s Brighton Rock on Saturday as part of their study for the Year 13 Crime Texts unit, and enjoyed the performance a good deal, especially the presentation of the relationship between Pinkie and Rose, and of the Brighton underworld of the 1930s.
Kelly C
BIP Art
On Monday, all of Year 11 and the One Year GCSE Foundation students went to see Steinbeck’s Californian Great Depression-set ‘Of Mice and Men’, adapted for the stage (the version made famous two years ago with James Franco in the lead role of George). This was also a great re-telling and there were few dry eyes left in the house by the end. With the GCSE Literature final exams looming, this will have provided an invaluable revision opportunity, (though it is not a substitute for re-reading the text as well!).
Year 9 & 10 Sports Leaders As part of Roedean’s Primary School links, some students from Years 9 and 10 have been going to St Mark’s to deliver PE Lessons for KS1&2. The girls are enrolled on the Community Sports Leaders Award and to complete their accreditation they need to contribute 10 hours of their time to community sport. The children at St Mark’s always look forward to having the Roedean girls there leading an array of fun and challenging games and activities.
Last weekend, 6 Year 11 GCSE Art students went to BIP, which is a professional print studio in Kemptown. The students produced beautiful etchings and block prints. It is a fascinating process involving zinc plates and etching with acid to create wonderfully delicate images. The day was fantastically inspiring, and we would love to set up our own printing studio at Roedean… let’s see!
The Sports Leaders Awards are a great way for the girls to gain valuable leadership and communication skills and are very attractive on the girls records. At present, we run the Level 2 Award and, if there is sufficient interest, we can also run the Level 3 for our older students. Thank you to all the girls involved in the project.
Most recently, the sun finally decided to make an appearance and we were free to use the outdoor space the school has to offer. 30 children were running around in the fresh air playing and having fun and the Roedean girls did themselves proud by fully engaging with the group, being supportive and encouraging to those a little less confident.
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GCR
A Peter Pan themed visit for students from the Steiner School On Wednesday, a Year 9 HHH group invited 15 children aged 3-6 to enjoy colouring activities and a treasure hunt from the Steiner School. They were greeted by Sophia C and were taken to House 1 ODR for a Peter Panthemed event. They all enjoyed colouring in Peter Pan characters such as Tinker Bell and we then took them on a treasure hunt around the houses to collect stickers as a prize, which they loved. Everyone enjoyed participating, and a special thank you to Ms Alexander for helping us organise the event, and to Ms Blackman who helped us with snacks. Molly M & Lucy P
16th March 2018 - Issue 10
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Swimming Victory! On Monday night, the swim squad competed against Burgess Hill in our last major gala of the season. Both schools entered two teams which resulted in over 40 girls competing. I was really impressed with the younger girls who showed that their fitness levels have improved a lot since the start of the year. Phoebe H, Izzy B and Olive A did extremely well in the relays to catch the Burgess Hill swimmer in the adjacent lane. Our A team were overall winners and the Bs just missed out by a few points. Our swim squad are an outstanding team and I have enjoyed working with them this term. We continue training next term to maintain fitness levels and also as a stress relief.
their movements and getting in front of their opponents; this enabled them to pull ahead in the second quarter. It was an excellent example to highlight how much the girls have progressed this season and I hope they can continue this into their last game of the season next week. The final score was 12-3 to Roedean. Well done, girls!! Sidney O and Issy H were chosen as the Opposition’s Player and Coach’s Player respectively. Sidney worked incredibly hard on the feedback points she was given at quarter time and, as a result, she was passing the ball into our shooter with accuracy and confidence. Issy H had a knockout performance as well! She had beautiful movement which was timed really well and, as a result, was consistently making herself available to get the ball into our attacking third. TSP
Good luck to the swimmers who are competing at the Brighton Schools’ Competition next Wednesday. KAN
Netball
U13B
U13B
U13A
U13A win 12-3 vs BHHS
The U13A Netball team performed incredibly well, under some tough weather conditions against BHHS on Wednesday. After a slow and low scoring start, the girls picked up the work load and refocused their efforts into timing
Netball Masterclass Over 40 young and aspiring Netballers from local schools came to Roedean last Wednesday to experience a masterclass led by Surrey Storm player Georgia Lees. The day consisted of 2 coaching sessions working on driving into space and movement off the ball, a Q&A session with Georgia, and match play in the afternoon. There was also the chance for the girls to use our lovely swimming pool to let off some steam and relax with their friends. A selection of Year 9 and 10 students helped during the
With only 7 players the U13B team worked hard on Wednesday afternoon against BHHS. Playing against many students in the year above, the U13B team continued to put pressure on the BHHS squad. Tavi P created some wonderful opportunities throughout the centre court and was awarded as POTM for her efforts! As the Netball season progresses, huge improvements are continuing to be seen from all girls - keep working hard and well done to everyone involved! Final score 11-6 to BHHS. Well done everyone! SEW
Volleyball
Senior Volleyball
The Senior Volleyball Team had their 3rd match of the season against Farlington. In the first set Roedean were working brilliantly as a team and successfully setting the ball to others, so that we could perform an attacking spike shot. It was a close first set with Roedean winning 25-22. The girls were confident in the 2nd set making sure that they were performing strong digs and communicating well. Farlington were showing determination with strong deep serves and this meant that Roedean were trying to defend the ball the best they could. This game was neck and neck until Farlington just took the lead with a score of 25-17. After a final team talk Roedean were ready and raring to go for the final set. The girls kept their heads up and performed some lovely competitive rallies. Ines performed some fantastic serves which were unreturnable throughout the game. Roedean worked hard to turn the game around, but Farlington were strong and were able to successfully spike the ball down. The final score was 25-12 resulting in Farlington taking the win. Roedean performed fantastically in the game throughout and showed true determination. A huge well done! SCH JJ WHAT’S COMING UP IN THE
day to ensure everyone was having a great time, as well as picking up tips for their own Netball skills from Georgia. It was a wonderful day for Netball and we look forward to hosting another next year. GCR
We welcome contributions from all parts of the Roedean community. If you have something you would like featured in the Headmaster’s Weekly Review, please email: marketing@roedean.co.uk Page 5
Mon 19 Mar
WEEK AHEAD?
Year 12 Business and Year 13 Economics Revision Trip Chamber Music Masterclass and Teatime Recital
Wed 21 Mar
Year 13 Geography Conference, London U12C&D & U13C&D Netball vs Bedes Prep (H)
Thur 22 Mar
U15 Football Indoor 7-a-side vs Bedes (A) Year 13 A2 Drama Text Exam Performance
Fri 23 Mar
Bay of Naples Trip Final Chapel and Handshaking END OF TERM
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