23rd March 2018 - Issue 10
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Head’s Introduction There is definitely a sense that Spring has arrived at Roedean, with the warmer weather and the daffodils in bloom. We have had a fantastic term, full of such a range of activities and achievements that I never cease to be amazed by the students’ and staff’s commitment and dedication. I look forward to next term, and I am very pleased that we will be hosting fifty girls from Roedean South Africa, our sister school, in the first week back which we hope will be the beginning of an exciting new relationship.
monologues very well in front of the external examiner yesterday. I have to say a word of thanks for all those aspects of a performance that happen in advance and behind the scenes. In addition to all those who make the shows run so smoothly, I am very grateful to the Parents’ Guild for their enthusiasm and commitment in running refreshments and to our own team of bar staff. An enormous thank you and hats off to Mrs Petit for designing and making the costumes; they were really superb and the dedication it must have taken to hand-make so many different costumes is truly astonishing.
The three performances of Oliver! last week were brilliant, and I am so pleased that the actors and crew played to packed houses every night. The buzz around School has been really noticeable and although we are sad that the show has ended, it was remarkable to see that the Drama Department were auditioning for the next show on Monday. That is quite an impressive commitment. In addition, I want to congratulate Esmee, Jade, Jess, and Grace who performed Metamorphosis and their A Level
This last week continues to be busy. We have had fun raising money for Sport Relief this week, and there have been Easter-themed House events, academic successes, karate assessments, Enterprise talks, and a Year 9 Social too. There was also a great deal of excitement in the corridors of Roedean yesterday, as we appointed the new Prefect team. It was great to see how much the community cares about their Prefects and I know they will do a great job for the School in their new roles. It is also the time when we say
Sports Relief On Tuesday 20 March, PE hosted a Fun Run for Years 7-9. All students took part in a 1 mile run followed by a cake sale, all in the name of Sports Relief. We raised £89 for the cause; the girls approached the fun run in great spirit and the bake sale with even more! Everyone showed a great awareness and passion for the cause and there were some great times achieved. The best fancy dress award goes to Nia Simpkins.
goodbye to a wonderfully committed group of Prefects who have led the student body for the last twelve months. They will receive our congratulations and thanks today. I really enjoyed yesterday’s fund-raising event in the House of Lords, expertly organised by our Development Director, Mark Taylor, and his team. A huge thank you to them for all their hard work; it was lovely to meet so many ORs who are keen to support the School’s ongoing development of its facilities. The Pitch Perfect appeal is going very well indeed, but we still need support, and the appeal film, produced by an OR, gives a wonderful insight into its progress. So do take a look. I wish you all a wonderful Easter break. We will continue for a week with our revision programmes for Year 11 and 13, so thank you to all the staff who will be here helping to ensure every girl does as well as she can. And good luck to those who will be revising for public examinations next term.
Top 3 runners:
1st
2nd
3rd
Yr7
Rania K
Isabella P
Rose O
Yr8
Sophie N
India H
Alice B
Yr9
Sophia C
Tatum W
Esme B
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
23rd March 2018 - Issue 10
Unsung heroes in the spotlight
Sussex Classical Reading Competition 2018
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.
A competition for Years 5 to 13, involving both state and independent schools, and all in the ancient languages of Greece and Italy has to be a good thing! Despite the dreadful weather in the lead up to the event and the plethora of competing activities for pupils, we welcomed Brambletye, Hurst Prep and College, Gildredge House, Priory School and Lancing College to Roedean Theatre on 6 March during ‘Academic Week’ for our annual Sussex Classical Reading Competition. Highlights included Emily Townsend reciting Propertius’ poetry to the accompaniment
of a ‘star’! Congratulations go to Tilly Llyod, Marianna Leonardos, Dorothea Blond and Phoebe Hawker for winning 1st prize in the Junior group Latin class. In addition, Jemima Venturi achieved 1st prize for her solo performance in the Junior solo competition. Further up the school, Scarlett P, Alina Z and Ava Z in Year 11 all achieved a ‘Highly Commended’. Well done!
RMI
House 3 Easter baking Freya S and Martha W (Yr12) for playing so well alongside the professional orchestral musicians in the band for ‘Oliver!’ [VF]
On Monday evening, after Prep, Hannah L-W, Head of House (Yr12) and Molly J, Deputy Head of House (Yr12) arrived in House 3’s ODR to make Easter nest cakes with the girls.
Miss Amis for all her invaluable help behind the scenes. We wish her good luck for her Masters and hope she enjoys her travels! [JHO, RB and the Admissions Team]
There was a lot of chocolate to melt so all of a sudden the ODR was filled with girls from all year groups who helped Hannah and Molly make the cakes and cool them off in the fridge, before all the girls enjoyed a cake before heading to bed. MMU
Enterprise talks
Dr Blood for offering to help with the Year 9 social after noticing a member of staff was not in school [HHY]
On Tuesday, the girls, parents and staff were privileged to have five successful entrepreneurs from The London Guild of Entrepreneurs talking about their business journeys. We were joined by students from Roedean Moira House and Bellerby’s International School. The evening consisted of a range of talks from the importance of protecting Intellectual property to the need for perseverance, as well as tops tips to be a budding entrepreneur. After the talks, the audience had an opportunity to chat to the entrepreneurs over refreshments. The talks were inspiring and put across well a very clear message. We can achieve what we want from life as long as we are willing to work hard.
Mr Wilson for organising Easter egg donations for the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital and for cowriting a recent C hapel service involving Year 7s reflecting on International Women’s Day 2018. [JC]
HHH Textiles Well done to Year 7 HHH textiles for their cute mice made this term, each with hand-printed fabric, embroidered faces and all stuffed with wool fleece sheared from the Roedean sheep! Each mouse was a truly unique creation from start to finish and they were adorable! Year 8, meanwhile, have excelled themselves wth their sewing machine work; each girl has appliquéd their own design using zigzag, then completed the stitching of a very useful (and reusable) tote bag. Their really creative designs have shown me how Roedean girls have bags of style! Well done to all! Handiwork = Happiness. Page 2
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
23rd March 2018 - Issue 10
New prefect body appointed Congratulations to our new prefects, who have been appointed following a rigorous selection process, involving the girls and staff voting, interviews, and an observed task. We are delighted with the group, and are confident that they will make their mark on the school. HEAD OF SCHOOL TEAM Head of School Lucy B Deputy Head (Academic) Mary M Deputy Head (Students) Sorcha H
Deputy Head (Boarding) Molly J Deputy Head (Day) Zarbanu M PREFECT TEAM
SENIOR PREFECT TEAM Senior Academic Prefects Hannah L-W Ishika A Senior Pastoral Prefects Laura F Dara A
Events Prefects Nadia C Katie C Charity Prefects Prim N Bijou B-A Games Captain Freya F
Academic Prefects Adila MH Natasha Y
KS3 Prefects Georgia A Teddy C
Sport Prefect Bryony I
Library Prefect Chelsea Y
KS5 Prefect Sophie H
Sustainability Prefect Anya I
KS4 Prefects Fisayo B Amber P
Music Prefect Freya S
Pitch Perfect appeal films launched! As part of the Pitch Perfect appeal, the girls, staff and an Old Roedeanian have worked together to produce two wonderful films highlighting the difference our Pitch Perfect development will make here at Roedean. A number of the girls were involved in filming, both in front and behind the camera, with some senior girls working behind the scenes to learn more about film as a possible career path. You can watch the Pitch Perfect films here: http://www.roedean.co.uk/Pitch-Perfect--Roedean-needs-your-help?returnUrl=/Latest-News We would like to note our huge and most sincere thanks to Rebecca Long (No. 4, 1982-91) and her company, Boudica, for generously sponsoring and producing these fantastic films to promote the appeal. We will not be able to complete this transformational project for our girls without help from our wider community. Please help us build our sporting future and provide inspirational facilities for our girls by supporting the appeal. If you would like more information on how you can name your own pitch plot, a bench on the pitch and more. Please contact Mark Taylor on mta@roedean.co.uk or via 01273 667588.
Roedean Academy – remembering why we love learning The newly-launched Roedean Academy has run throughout this term, bringing together fifty girls in Years 10 and 11 from three schools. The aim of the Academy is to challenge and inspire the girls from Roedean, Blatchington Mill School, and Longhill School to think beyond what they learn in the classroom, and beyond what is prescribed in GCSE specifications. Everyone feels the pressure of public exams, but Sumaiya from Blatchington Mill said, ‘it has made me think that GCSEs are not all about stress, but a journey to success.’
unquestionably stimulating – Abby from Longhill believes that the Academy has broadened her outlook, and she wrote, ‘it made me realise that the best opportunities for me are not in my comfort zone.’
The students really enjoyed working with different people, learning from different teachers, and developing different skills. Academic challenge, in a safe and supportive environment, is
In addition to the weekly programme, we are delighted that the Academy girls were also able to join us for the Roedean Festival Celebrating Women on 8 March, at which they heard a variety
All the girls took part in masterclasses in English, Maths, and Science, and they also attended a series of weekly enrichment classes, chosen from Classics, Data Science, English Literature, History, and Russian. The girls responded very well to the variety of academic topics on offer, and Flo from Roedean really enjoyed the chance to go beyond the curriculum, surrounded by like-minded individuals.
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of speakers, including Virginia McKenna OBE and Dame Mary Archer. The Roedean Academy has been a great success, and it will run again in the near future for girls in Years 9 and 10. Programmes like these build great confidence, and Nicola from Longhill said, ‘it has made me think that everyone has so much more potential than we think.’ It is great to hear that, as a result of the Academy, some of the girls have been thinking more about where their future education might lead them, and that it has rekindled their passion for learning and knowledge; Shakti from Blatchington Mill wrote, ‘it has been a wonderful experience for me to enrich my learning further, without feeling pressurised to memorise everything for tests, and to remember why I love learning.’ RB
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
23rd March 2018 - Issue 10
Easter eggs for the children at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital 7P made the short trip to the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital on Wednesday to kindly donate Easter Eggs to the patients and staff. The girls managed to collect 67 Easter Eggs in total which is a massive achievement! Along with the eggs, a gigantic flowery card was presented to Alice, who is member of the Play Therapy team, which had been signed by the whole of Year 7. The staff at the hospital were overwhelmed with the act of generosity and couldn’t wait to hand them out to all the patients. We hope the children at the hospital enjoyed their treat and are able to enjoy their chocolate despite being in hospital during the Easter holidays. A massive thank you to all of Year 7 for pulling together to donate such an impressive amount of eggs. GWI
5 girls pass their Brown belt
Year 8 have got the bug!
On Sunday, Roedean hosted the Brown and Black belt karate grading. Students from Roedean, Lancing College and Charterhouse attended. 5 girls from Roedean attended and all girls passed their 3rd Kyu (Brown belt). Katie C achieved a 1st in her Brown belt grading which is equivalent to a distinction. It takes on average 3 years to reach this grade. All students, male or female, grade together; there is no allowance for gender.
This term, in their Art lessons, Year 8 have been drawing bugs and insects. The Art Department has quite a collection of insect specimens and students have developed their drawings into blockprints. This large-scale collaborative collage was created by 8ST. SEL
Year 9 Social at LaserZone
Oliver! review by Teddy C As the spring term winds to a close, we are left with the Drama Department’s newest extravaganza, Lionel Bart’s musical adaption of ‘Oliver!’. With an impressive set and superb lyrical performances from girls from all years, the play showcased the capabilities of the whole department, backstage and all. ‘Oliver!’ had joy, sadness, humour and wonderful choreography woven throughout, demonstrated by the opening number ‘Food Glorious Food’, with it welcoming the audience into the playful world of ‘Oliver!’. The young dancers and singers displayed admirable confidence in their first real performance of the song, alongside mature performances from the older girls as well. A special mention must be made to Jade M and Isobel S for their masterful and hilarious portrayals of the characters Bill Sykes and Fagin, respectively. Jade held the fierce and threatening attitude of Sykes throughout and demonstrated great skill and sophistication, even getting a
“wow” from a gentleman in the audience; and Isobel presented bounds of humour through the many numbers she was in and a mild sense of insanity that wrapped it all up. Another mention must also be made to the impressive vocals of Molly Johnson, who stepped in only recently to play Nancy; her rendition of ‘As Long as He Needs Me’ was memorable and stunning. One part of ‘Oliver!’ that astounded me was the incredible work of the live orchestra hidden away behind the set. They played beautifully and added to the already amazing atmosphere, making the show even more authentic. Congratulations to the musicians for a fabulous job and Miss Fewkes for her great conducting, seeing her on the screen in the Theatre was a highlight of the evening. Overall the audience enjoyed this rendition of ‘Oliver!’ and I believe a massive well done and congratulations is in order to Mrs Rigby, the very professional crew and of course the fantastic cast for pulling off a brilliant performance. Page 4
53 girls from year 9 hopped on a coach down to LaserZone in Brighton for an evening full of Pizza, cake and lots of running around! The girls were split into two groups and ventured into the LaserZone to see who would be the ultimate laser champion! This was followed by Pizza and squash and a lot of chatting and laughing about the events of the evening! Thank you to Mr Woodhouse, Miss Roden, Mrs Robins, Mrs Calcutt and Dr Blood for supporting the trip; a lot of fun was had by all! HHY
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
23rd March 2018 - Issue 10
A few words on leaving by Meret Koch... ‘I have thought long and hard about what I would like to say to all of you on my last proper day here at Roedean. And every time I have tried to put into words what I feel, I have just failed miserably and it never sounded right. So, finally, I think, everything I want to say fits into a couple of words. First and foremost, I want to say thank you. And I don’t mean thank you to one person in particular or a group of people – I mean all of you. Pupils, teachers, staff. You have all been so kind and welcoming to me from my first day onwards. I have always enjoyed working with all of you, girls and other teachers alike, and I am so grateful to have met so many wonderful and helpful people in this place. I feel very honoured to have been part of Roedean for two terms and I hope you all know that I will miss it dearly. And that is especially because of you. I have made so many positive memories here that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Thank you for making the past seven months such special ones.
Lastly, I just want to say that, when I return to university to finish my degree I will take with me the inspirational outlook on learning that I have encountered at Roedean. You all have made me realise how much I love learning and how much is still out there for me to experience. So even though I am leaving, I will take Roedean with me in that respect. So, thank you. Or as I should say, since I am returning to Germany: dankeschön!’ This term we are also saying goodbye to Liv VB and Constance S who have also been with us for two terms. We wish them luck, and here is what they had to say:
‘I am very gratef for having ha d the opportunity to attendulRoe dean for two terms. I have met a lot of new y kin d people that I hope to stay in contac,tver h for a long time. My English has improvedwit lot thanks to all the qualified and caring teaache had lots of wonderful experienc rs and I have such as being House Dance Captain d orges, anising House 1’s dance performance an the House Dance Competitions. In additionfor me at Roedeisan ti y m to d ye jo en Captain for our wonderful andthat I was Dance ‘I have reallysad that this experience new am de production Oliver. I have also enjsuccessful school and I new things,Imtraied out t oyed some of the n ar le I . great co-curricular activities, suc ow n . over t of fun tivities, lo a d a h d an lessons, private dance, and ten h as cooking friends the co-curricular ac nis lessons. lly many of ally interesting; I especiake I wo uld y like to re tha oc e nk H er eve ne here at Roedean, which w ing for Roedean’s first ped who has made this time soryounf orgettable for me. enjoyed playy time at Roedean has hel d my Constance S (Yr11) team. M new skills and to exten ade me to develop as very inspiring and m d knowledge. Itdewpendent. The teachers an me more in ly motivated, kind and caring. staff are real rtunity had this oppo I t a th l fu te a ople, who I’m gr ank all thedpeam th to d te azing. ’ an w d n a ique an un so e m ti is th made v VB (Yr11)
House 4 Easter Hunt The House 4 girls absolutely loved the Easter arts and crafts egg activity and celebrated the end of Term 2 in style with a full House Easter egg hunt, whilst enjoying a delicious Chinese themed evening meal made by our wonderful catering team and many beautifully homemade Easter desserts by the brilliant Ruth! Thank you from everyone in House 4! Happy Easter!
Li
Year 9 visit Downs View School
preciated ‘I have really ap ople’s learning that pe are not eas pre-conceived id is down to It y. it always real e facts’ us to find out th )
Gowri P (Yr9
Niah S, Gowri P, Chloe N and Darcey P from Year 9 have been visiting Downs View School once a week for over eight weeks. Downs View School in Woodingdean provides specialist education to children and young people with learning difficulties, from 4 to 16 years old. During the eight weeks, they have all shown initiative and used their personalities to develop positive relationships with the teachers and most importantly the students in the classes they support. They have enjoyed the challenge of supporting and getting to know the students who can sometimes have difficulties communicating and expressing themselves. Whilst the girls have certainly made an impression at the school, they have learnt many life skills from the students and staff at Downs View. What is immediately evident at the school is the caring natures of the staff and the sense of teamwork between them. They show daily an integrity that is extremely admirable. This sentiment is shared by the Roedean girls. GWI Page 5
Gold for Melanie! Well done to Melanie C who achieved a Gold award in the British Biology Olympiad with a score so high that she was selected to go through to the next round to take the UK Team selection paper (a UK team takes part in the International Biology Olympiad). Unfortunately, Melanie was not eligible to be part of the UK team as she has not been at a UK school for long enough, but this is a wonderful achievement and testament to her academic ability and application to her studies. PCH
23rd March 2018 - Issue 10
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Swimming Victory!
Staff vs Student Football
On Wednesday evening the swimming team competed at the Brighton and Hove Schools swimming championships and won! We achieved 10 first places, two seconds and a third, resulting in us being outright winners. Looking at the cup, Roedean have won the competition 10 times since 1995! What a fabulous way to end a great season. Thank you to Nigel and all of the girls who have represented Roedean in the pool.
Last Monday, there was a spirited and competitive 7-a-side football match between the staff and students. The skill and team work were outstanding and the students really gave the staff a good run for their money. Some excellent passing and great shooting backed up by some solid goal keeping from Onate allowed the students to take the draw after the staff took an early lead. The overall score was 3-3, so a summer term re-match will be scheduled. Well done to all involved. Player of the Match was Bryony I. CSI
House 1 Craft Evening House 1 enjoyed an ‘Easter Craft Evening’ on Saturday night. We made rabbits and decorated eggs to take home to our parents. House 1 girls and staff would like to wish everyone a lovely Easter. JWL
Rugby Masterclass Last Tuesday, Roedean welcomed Lewes Rugby Club who ran a masterclass for several groups in Years 7-10. Two well qualified coaches came to demonstrate the beginnings of full contact rugby and the students loved working with the tackle bags and progressing under the supervision of the coaches. This was a great opportunity, as it was in-line with the womens’ rugby team playing in the 6 Nations. We would like to thank Lewes Rugby club and encourage any students that wish to participate in rugby to come to the PE office for more information.
IWD in the Art Department A big thank you to everyone who visited the Art Department on Open Day and in the weeks that followed to complete our giant Frida Kahlo collage to commemorate International Women’s Day 2018. SSN
Pitch Perfect at The House of Lords On 22 March, Maria V (Yr7) travelled to London with Mr Blond, Miss Andrew, Mrs Chandler, Mr Taylor, Miss Cather, and Maggie EB (Head of School), to visit the House of Lords with the ‘Pitch Perfect Appeal’! I was so excited to see such amazing history, and I got a picture with a statue one of my heroes, Emeline Pankhurst, (she would have made an amazing Roedeanian)! We met in a beautiful lounge overlooking the river Thames and there was a gorgeous afternoon tea set out on all the tables. Let’s just say I definitely had more than one cake! It will be something I will remember all my life. I did a speech, and here it is:
‘Good afternoon! My name is Maria and I am in year 7 at Roedean. I am delighted to be here to talk to you about this wonderful project “Pitch Perfect”. I must say that I am particularly happy to be in Year 7, just in time for the Astro to be built. This means I am one of the lucky ones who will benefit most from the Astro pitch – I can look forward to many years of great practice, great fun and great competition, and hopefully lots of great victories! There are many advantages of the Astro to Roedean school. They will include: • Not having to travel so much. Recently, roughly 30 girls went to East Grinstead Astro for a hockey training session. We spent an hour and a half on the coach... time that would be better spent on the pitch!
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• Secondly, imagine the saving we could make as a school, on the cost of fuel, if we cut out all the bus and coach journeys to astros at other schools and venues. Not to mention, the saving on the cost to our planet with less damage to the environment. • Thirdly, a huge part of this project is being able to play in the evenings under floodlights. This will mean that, in the winter our training sessions and games can take place at home, later into the evenings. Finally, I would like to conclude by saying, I always hear my PE teachers saying “In six months time...” And I think it is safe to say, they are looking forward to this big opportunity as much as us girls! Our Astro pitch will fill us all with a great sense of pride. We will be proud to welcome our visitors to the new “Jewel in our Grounds!”’
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