Heads Review - 2024 Issue 6

HEAD’S REVIEW

Head’s Introduction

I hope that you all enjoyed a well-earned break over half-term, and it was a pleasure to welcome everyone back to school, ready and refreshed for the second half of term. I am very pleased to hear that the trips to Paris and to Iceland were such great successes – I hear that the students were impeccably behaved and were great ambassadors for the school. I am sure that everyone who went had a brilliant time, and the photos from both the trips are amazing. I am grateful to my colleagues who led these trips and gave the girls such fantastic opportunities.

This week has already seen a number of events, starting with the launch of this year’s Roedean Academy. It was great to see over sixty students in Year 10 from Roedean and four local state schools all together, ready to take part in academic discussion on a range of topics from Blake’s poetry, the Universe, and Hip-Hop Dance, to Economics and Stalin’s Russia. I have no doubt that all the students involved will relish the opportunity to push beyond the requirements of exam specifications. Some of these students also came back to Roedean on Wednesday to join with our students and parents at our Higher Education Evening, where they heard from experts and recent ORs about applying to university, both here and abroad, and their experiences of study beyond school. The evening was hugely informative, and I hope that it will provide our students with a solid springboard from which to explore the next stage of their education.

Congratulations to all those who took part in the Intermediate Maths Challenge earlier in the term –the results, which we received over half-term, were outstanding, with twenty students winning Gold awards, and there were many Silvers and Bronze awards too. Well done to Kelly in Year 11, who has won the Medefine Research Award for 2024 – what a remarkable achievement!

Good luck to everyone who is involved in this evening’s ‘Waltzing Through Time’ gala concert – I am looking forward to it very much. Ahead of tomorrow’s second anniversary of the start of the invasion of Ukraine, our thoughts are with those members of our community from Ukraine. I wish you all a restful weekend, and good week to come.

Geography Trip to Iceland 2024

Kelly – Winner of the Research Award 2024

U12A Netball vs St Oscar Romero

A French Cultural Extravaganza

Unsung heroes in the spotlight

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.

Alicia, Tamanna, Kate, Agnes, Mancy, Ingrid, Onose, Hannah, Mairi, Cheyenne, Liv, Gabi (Yr12) – for hosting a Peer Listener Cupcake Decorating Party for KS3 students and supporting our Year 11 Pre-A students with their English Language Development [Mrs Chamberlain]

Millie and Fatou (Yr10) – for giving a fantastic tour of Roedean and really impressing our visitors. [Admissions]

Kelly – Winner of the Research Award 2024

Congratulations to Kelly (Yr11), who has just been informed that she is a winner of the Research AWARD 2024, run by Medefine, following a research internship.

She received an email from Dr Popa, congratulating her on her amazing academic poster and patient leaflet. Her poster showcases her research about treatments and genes involved in non-small cell lung cancer, which she then adapted into a patient leaflet about the importance of genetic testing, deliberately using simple everyday language, to make it accessible and comprehensible for patients of any age to read.

Kelly’s poster will be displayed in a metaverse as a part of a virtual exhibition in UCL for patients and visitors, and the best posters or leaflets have been chosen to display in either the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute for Child Health, or at the Oxford Cancer charity.

Art Foundation at Kingston for Niamh!

Congratulations to Niamh (Yr13), who has successfully secured a place on the Art Foundation course at Kingston.

Niamh has spent the last term mastering the Art Department's new tufting gun, in order to produce an impressive 8ft x 4ft textile hanging

as part of her A Level Art personal investigation on 'Colour in the Natural World'.

It is an impressive piece, and we are looking forward to seeing Niamh's future creations and following what will, no doubt, be an exciting and promising career!

Mrs Alexander

This is a brilliant achievement, and Kelly has been invited to an Aspiring Medics and Scientists Student Conference in Hong Kong. Surely this will be a remarkable springboard to successful medical study in the future.

Well done!

Mr Halsey

Higher Education Evening

It was absolutely fantastic to see so many ORs at Wednesday's Higher Education Evening. We were joined by an incredible 13 ORs speaking in person and from as far away as Los Angeles and Australia via Teams link. Parents, and students in Years 10-13, listened to invaluable advice and experience from the ORs and consultants from Nottingham University and The University Guys, as well as having an opportunity to ask questions. The main messages from the evening can be summarised as follows:

■ Do your research so that you know what you’re applying for; what you need to do; and when the deadlines are – if in doubt: ask or visit

■ If possible, take masterclasses or tasters in subjects you think you want to study at university, especially if you are considering a subject you have not previously studied

■ It is never too early to use LinkedIn to make connections

■ Don’t be afraid to trust yourself and what feels right to you

■ Whatever path you take, you will either have a wonderful time, or be able to change course

It is always a real treat to see our ORs, and the women they have become. They were, without exception, articulate, good-humoured, confident, and, above all, ready to take on the world of work. If you want to get a head start on Careers advice, don't forget our Careers' Fair on Tuesday 5 March, where we have over 50 presenters coming to share their insights.

Ms Boobis

Year 7 Social Club

This week, Year 7 Social Club started with 5 of us making things out of playdough, and turned into an 18-person sculpting competition! The group were tasked with making a variety of things out of the dough, with special highlights being Elodie's pig in blanket and Ariella's hair styles! A huge thank you to our super Sixth Form helpers who came to join the carnage!

Miss Bamford

Remarkable Results in the Intermediate Maths Challenge

Congratulations to all those who took part in the Intermediate Maths Challenge – they have achieved some exceptional results. Twenty students achieved Gold, thirty were awarded Silver, and a further forty-four gained a Bronze award.

Eleven of the students who achieved a Gold award have also qualified for a follow-on round – this will be either the Grey Kangaroo (for those in Year 9) or the Pink Kangaroo (for those in Years 10 and 11).

Special congratulations go to Martha in Year 11, who achieved the Best In School award.

Mrs

Hopper

Gold Awards

Year 9 – Sophia

Year 10 – Angelina, Constance, Natalie, Zyta

Year 11 – Martha, Aimee, Ronni, Sihu, Emma, Abbie, Georgie, Clara, Sophie, Elisa, Anna, Abby, Rachel, Claire, Megan

Silver Awards

Year 9 – Coco, Natalie, Evelyn, Athena, Koi, Abbie

Year 10 – Darcey, Felicia, Daisy, Michelle, Audrey, Chloe

Year 11 – Vanessa, Poppy, Elsa, Rida, Kelly, Edelweiss, Orla, Izzy, Tasha, Sophia, Athena, Jola, Willow, Nancy, Lydia, Natalie, Naisha, Charlotte

Geography Trip to Iceland 2024

This year's Roedean Geography trip to Iceland was an amazing adventure. Over the three days, we were treated to clear blue skies with pristine wintery snow on the ground.

The forty Year 10 and 11 students experienced a hugely diverse range of activities and landmarks across the south of the island. The photographs tell the story better than I can in words, but the itinerary included an exhilarating glacier walk (with crampons and ice axes), swimming in geothermal pools, the impressive new Lava Show, spectacular waterfalls, wild black beaches, and a fascinating day trip out to the remote smaller island of Heimaey. The latter included a climb up through snowfields onto the sides of a volcano, a visit to their interactive museum, and then, on the return journey, the sighting of killer whales basking in the sunshine. A handful of students even managed to catch the northern lights at dawn on our last full day.

The students were a credit to Roedean and to their parents, and, as you can see, we had a wonderful time in the land of fire and ice.

Mr Carter

A French Cultural Extravaganza

Forty students has a wonderful time in Paris at the end of last half-term. This joint Art and MFL trip combined being immersed in French culture with the chance to see some amazing works of art in the French capital's museums:

‘I truly enjoyed the Paris trip, and it is by far the best school trip I’ve been on. I most enjoyed the museum trip to Musée d’Orsay, because I found it very intriguing and inspiring. I also enjoyed sightseeing, for example, visiting the iconic Eiffel Tower, shopping on the Champs Elysées, and going on the Bateaux Mouches along the Seine. From visiting and tasting different pain au chocolats from different bakeries to watching Les Trois Mousquetaires, I am very grateful and happy to have been able to experience this!’

Cartoon (Yr10)

‘During the trip to France, we had the opportunity to have a 3-hour speaking class with a native French teacher. We did lots of fun speaking activities, and the teacher created a comfortable environment for us to speak in, so I was able to talk with confidence and improve my speaking skill. It was a meaningful experience as it was in France, and I think it was a good time to learn, not only about speaking, but also about French culture.’

Sihu (Yr11)

‘It was truly an amazing and immersive experience into the French culture, art, and food. The best part was being able to enjoy it with friends, from the scenic bateaux mouches boat trip to learning how to play pétanque!’

Hettie (Yr11)

‘Exploring Paris and indulging in its culture was really amazing. Floating on the Seine River offered such stunning views of the city's architecture. Even just seeing the Eiffel Tower was mesmerising, let alone going up it. I also thoroughly enjoyed talking to people in French, going to the cinema, and taking part in the French lessons – I feel it really helped me with the language and gave me an insight into the life of someone who lives in France. To top it all off, the food was absolutely delicious, and I especially enjoyed the croque monsieur. It truly was a magical experience, which I will never forget.’

Maisie (Yr11)

‘Over half term, we spent 5 days exploring Paris, practising our French conversational skills, enjoying the many art galleries, and, of course, experiencing rush hour on the métro. On the fourth day of our trip, we watched a screening of Les Trois Mousquetaires, which had stunning cinematography and action scenes. It also gave me the chance to practise my French listening skills, while having English subtitles to refer to. This trip was made especially memorable by all the teachers – shout-out to Mr Sampieri and Ms De Jesus for their superb sense of humour!’

Athena (Yr11)

Computer Science Trip to Bletchley Park

'A group of GCSE Computer Science students visited Bletchley Park last half term to learn about the role of technology in the past and future.

We firstly attended a workshop about data protection by design, and how this applied to modern day products and scenarios, which expanded on what is covered in the curriculum. We were then told about the historical context of the park, and how it played a significant role in the victory of World War 2 during a guided tour. The many museums and huts showcased lots of complicated computer models, as well as interactive knowledge boosters which we all enjoyed.

For me, the highlight of the day was definitely seeing Alan Turing’s mug chained to a radiator in person! Many thanks to Mrs Hopper and Mrs Black for accompanying us on this trip!'

Elsa (Yr11)

U16As Travel Away to Sevenoaks

On Monday, our U16A squad travelled to Sevenoaks to play their U15A team. Last season, when these two sides faced each other, it resulted in a draw, so all was to play for.

We started off well, forcing errors and capitalising off them. We linked up through court well, with speed and excellent timing. At half time we were up by 3, so the team knew we had to keep pushing. We made some positional changes, and this pushed our performance up a notch, increasing our lead up to 9 after the third quarter.

We continued to push on and took the win 28-17. It was a great team effort, and well done to everyone on court. Special mention goes to Saffron, who was Opposition's Player, and Jasmine, who was named Coach's Player. Excellent work, team!

Miss Hammond

U13A Netballers Take a Steady Win over Hurst!

The U13A played Hurst on Wednesday, demonstrating some confident netball. This match allowed us to try out different structures and combinations ahead of the highly anticipated SISNA tournament next week.

After the first quarter we were 8-2 up, and had extended that to 17-4 at half time. The team worked effectively together, with slick timing of their drives and good pressure from all in defence.

The final score was 24-8 to Roedean – huge well done to all! Opposition's Players were Sorcha and Sophie, and Coach's Player was Matilda.

Miss Hammond

Netball vs St Oscar Romero

U13 Sussex Cup vs St Oscar Romero

On Tuesday, the U13s and U12s both travelled to play St Oscar Romero in the Sussex Cup competition.

The U13s had a slow start and were trailing by 3 after the first quarter. We re-grouped and went out determined to close the gap. They did exactly that and, after multiple turnovers in defence keeping us in game, we narrowed the score to one down at half time.

In the third quarter, we applied lots of pressure throughout the court with all areas making turnovers. We went into the final quarter level! It was all to play for. It was goal for goal throughout, and, unfortunately, we couldn’t get a turnover to goal to put us one step in front. The final score was 15-14 to St Oscar Romero.

Well done on such a brilliant game of Netball – it was so well-contested. Special mention goes to Sophie and Naomi, who were named Opposition's Players, and Andrea for being Coach's Player.

Miss Hammond

Saffron Won the Women’s G4

Well done to Saffron (Yr11), who won the Croydon Spring Open over half-term – here is the Tennis Sussex post on Instagram.

U12A Netball vs St Oscar Romero

On Tuesday 20 February, the U12A Netball team played against St Oscar Romero. As we had just returned from half term, the plan of action was to play it safe – we needed to look after the ball, make good passes, and shoot under the post. The team took all the feedback in between quarters in their stride and applied it to the next 8 minutes of play.

The first half of the match was very successful, and we were winning 11-0. We then made some rotations to the circle attack and mid-court. This allowed players to shoot who would not normally play there. It also gave the players the opportunity to appreciate what others do on court.

The final score was 18-2 to Roedean. Well done everyone!

Miss Walsh

U13

U12A

Sport Stars of the Week

Congratulations to this week’s sporting stars – and well done the U12A Netball team, which has been named the team of the week, for their fantastic performance in a Sussex Cup match.

Year 7

Dixie, for excellent progress in Netball this term

Year 8

Faith, for excellent development in Netball

Roedean Tik Tok

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our brand new TikTok account, where we'll be sharing glimpses of daily life, events, and the vibrant community at Roedean.

Stay connected with the spirit and energy that makes Roedean special by following our TikTok today!

Mr Campleman

Year 9

Poppy, for her fantastic attitude and effort in Netball this term

Year 10

Audrey, for her terrific approach to Netball this term

We welcome contributions from all parts of the Roedean community. If you have something you would like featured in the Head’s Weekly Review, please email: aws@roedean.co.uk

Year 11

Jasmine, for her incredible attitude and performances in Netball this term

Year 12 & 13

Erin, for the fantastic effort and attitude she has shown in Netball this term.