Head's Weekly Review - Autumn Issue 3

REVIEW

Head’s Introduction

It has been very wet and windy at Roedean this week, but this has not dampened the girls’ spirits at all. The high winds meant that the School went into ‘lockdown’ for two days, so everyone had to remain inside – I am impressed with the way the girls remained positive and followed the necessary procedures. The silver lining is that our new students will, no doubt, have learnt the School’s layout much better, since the inside routes to subjects such as Science, Economics, and Design are all rather circuitous. Let’s all cross our fingers for better weather for the rest of the month!

The Scholars’ Teatime Recital earlier the week was a fantastic event, and musicians from across the School had the chance to showcase their musical talents. The sheer calibre of the performers is highly impressive, as is the range of styles and periods, from Handel to Debussy, and Paganini to Taylor Swift. Before the rain came in, a number of teams represented the School in Hockey matches, and I am pleased that the coaches are already reporting how the girls are improving their skills and learning from match-play. Well done to everyone who has dressed in something of cultural significance today to mark Culture Day at Roedean and to raise money for charity.

Looking ahead, I would like to thank everyone in the School community for your part in Open Day, next weekend, which really is a group endeavour to showcase the very best of the School to our visitors – thank you in advance. I am also delighted that Dr Tessy Ojo CBE will be the guest speaker at our annual Black History Month Lecture – I have no doubt that she will be an inspiration.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

A Spectacular Start to the Swimming Season!

BLACK HISTORY MONTH Guest Speaker –Dr Tessy Ojo CBE

Year 7 at Arundel

Music Scholars' Recital

During the Summer holidays, Megs and Molly danced in the EYB production of ‘Cinderella in Hollywood’, which took place in the Orchard Theatre in Dartford.

Megs said, 'I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to perform with so many amazing dancers. This is my second EYB production and I definitely want to dance in more in the future! I loved meeting new friends and performing with all the lights and props. It’s amazing to work with the professional dancers too!'

Molly added, 'The EYB has been a great experience as I have been working with professional dancers, as well as learning new skills and improving previous techniques. It was also great to learn fun and new ballet pieces, and to perform them on a stage in front of family and friends who get to witness the magnificent performance so many people have worked really hard on. I have definitely had a great experience with the EYB, and have made plenty of lifelong friends and memories.'

What an amazing experience – well done!

Megs and Molly in the English Youth Ballet Production BLACK HISTORY MONTH Guest Speaker –Dr Tessy Ojo CBE

We are looking forward to welcoming Dr Tessy Ojo to Roedean on Monday 2 October, as our guest speaker for our annual Black History Month lecture.

Tessy Ojo CBE is a passionate Civil Society Leader, who has spent over two decades driving change for children and young people in the areas of social justice, youth leadership, and social equity.

In 2020, Tessy was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list with a CBE – Commander of The British Empire – for her services to children and young people.

She is the Chief Executive of The Diana Award, the only charity which bears the name of Diana, Princess of Wales, and, through this, she has developed internationally recognised programmes that give young people the skills to thrive and create positive change in their communities globally.

Tessy has had the honour of working with Their Royal Highnesses, The Duke of Cambridge and The Duke of Sussex for over 20 years, both of whom support the charity. She was also privileged to be a Chapel guest at the wedding of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

With over twenty-two years in third sector leadership and expertise in redefining outcomes

for young people, Tessy played a founding role in the building and sustainability of the charity, bringing strategic clarity and innovative approaches, leading to a 360-degree turnaround of the charity’s growth and global industry recognition.

Her dedication to fostering social change extends beyond her professional commitments. She is actively involved in campaigns and philanthropic endeavours; demonstrating her passion for creating a positive impact. In 2017, she set up the first All Party Parliamentary Group on Mentoring to advocate for careers mentoring to be part of the Government’s plans for youth engagement and youth social action.

Her innovative approach to youth leadership and driving systemic change has been recognised internationally, resulting in Tessy becoming the very first British National to be honoured with The Prestigious Martin Luther King Award in Atlanta, in recognition of her innovative approach to leadership and humanitarian work.

In the same year, she was also named by British Airways, alongside other key notable leaders, as one of the top 100 British Leaders.

AMSP Year 10 Maths Event

On Thursday 21 September, twenty-four Roedean students joined 30 students from other local schools for a Maths enrichment event run by the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme.

The morning began with a talk about careers, during which students looked at probabilities in medical testing, calculations in sports science, and the mathematics of computer graphics.

They then teamed up to participate in a Dragon Quiz competition, before attending a talk about space maths, which concluded with them making their own helicopters!

Handling Success for Clara

Congratulations to Clara (Yr 11) who participated in her first-ever outing as a Young Handler at the West Grinstead Ploughing Match on Saturday.

Although this was her first competition, Clara performed brilliantly, and she won the following categories:

■ Young Handler 14-21 – Calf under 18 months

■ Overall Champion of Champions Young Handler – Calf

■ Overall YFC Young Handler – Calf

Well done, Clara, and good luck in future competitions!

Mr Halsey

Mr Marchant – for another enthralling Academic Lecture on 'What next for Donald Trump? President or Prisoner?' – it was brilliant, thank you so much!

Ms Ibanez-Barcelo

Mrs Hopper

Unsung Staff hero in the spotlight

Music Scholars' Recital

The first teatime recital of the year was a splendid showcase of our Music Scholars’ talents, and everyone really enjoyed hearing our musicians playing again after the Summer holidays.

The opening performance was of two movements from Handel’s Sonata No 3 in C major for Recorder, played by Elspeth in Year 11. Not only was it lovely to hear an often under-rated instrument played so well, but she was able to show off her dexterity in the quicker elements, and her trills were particularly effective.

The next piece was a jazzy rendition of ‘Almost There’ by Sorcha in Year 8, who sang with great confidence, capturing the style of the piece very well. This was followed by one of Brahms’ Hungarian Dances, played on the Violin by Amyra, also in Year 8. She tackled this challenging piece with gusto, exhibiting strong vibrato and a full sound.

In a change of style, Jemima (Yr8) sang Taylor Swift’s ‘Fearless’, accompanying herself on Piano, which is a feat in itself. In the next piece, I enjoyed the running quavers and relentless tempo of Kuhlau’s Allegro, played by Lux in Year 9 – she was in complete control of the Piano, and is clearly a talent.

Molly (Yr9) sang Rihanna’s ‘Stay’ beautifully – she controlled the power of her voice wonderfully, and I felt that there was genuine pathos in her rendition of this fantastic song. The next piece was Gigue on the Violin by Bach, performed by Isla in Year 9. It is always difficult to perform unaccompanied, as there is absolutely nowhere to hide, but being so exposed did not faze her at all, and she played with impressive control.

Indigo in Year 11 sang ‘Once You Lose Your Heart’, by Noel Gay – her performance was very engaging, and she maintained the high quality all the way to the very last high note. Returning to Handel, Alice (Year 11) sang ‘V’adoro pupille’, and she was able to show how much her voice has developed in recent months, with strong breath-control and a lovely tone.

Our next singer was Charlie in Year 10, who showed off her remarkably mature style, belying her years, performing Erroll Garner’s ‘Misty’ with great aplomb. In stark contrast, Galina (Yr12) played Rachmaninov’s Prelude in G# minor on the Piano. She oozed the confidence which only comes from a combination of relentless practice and a great deal of performance experience – it was excellent.

Ella in Year 12 sang Richard Strauss’ ‘Du meines Herzens Krönelein’. Not only was her voice beautiful, but singers often have an additional challenge, which is performing in a different language, and she coped with this brilliantly. Tiffany (Yr13) was the third singer brave enough to accompany herself on the Piano, and her version of ‘You’re So Pretty’ by the Wasia Project was lovely.

The next performer was Holly in Year 9, who played Anton Eberl’s Allegro on Piano. She demonstrated strong playing, with the tempo maintained throughout. Alicia (Yr12) then played Debussy’s iconic Clair de Lune. I really enjoyed how she dared to pull the music around, waiting for just the right moment to place the next chord.

The penultimate piece was ABBA’s ‘My love, my life’, performed by the established duo of Alissandra and Niamh, in Year 13. Although each of their voices has a very different timbre,

and their harmonies are just wonderful. The finale was Rachel’s performance of Paganini’s Caprice No 17. She is a consummate performer, and clearly relished the challenge of the fiendishly difficult running scale passages and double-stopping. It was a great way to end a thoroughly charming recital.

Well done, and thank you to everyone involved –I'm already looking forward to the next one!

Dr Barrand

Hockey vs Eastbourne College

U14A Battle in HighScoring Draw

The U14A team set off for their first away fixture of the season to the sunshine coast, Eastbourne!

After a good warm-up and team talk, the girls started well, scoring in the first few minutes from a penalty corner, with Sorrel smashing it through the keeper. Eastbourne came back and scored after some determined attacking play. The play swung to and fro, with both teams looking threatening on the attack.

After a solid 2nd quarter, the girls managed to be 3-1 up through Poppy's brace, showing some excellent attacking skill. The next quarter, however, saw Eastbourne return with two goals of their own, and, going into the final quarter, the score was level 3-3.

The last quarter was an absolute battle, with both teams having chances to score and narrowly missing, and getting blocked by defenders and keepers. Roedean managed the game better and were more threatening in the final few minutes, but we were just unable to get the 4th goal. The match ended 3-3, and both teams were shattered after all the effort they had put in.

Mr Campleman

A Nail-Biting Match for the U14Cs!

This weekend, the U14Cs travelled over to Eastbourne College, for what turned out to be their most exciting hockey match yet!

The team had worked hard in training all week, and they stepped onto the pitch with a renewed desire to put the pressure on and get the win. The teamwork throughout was excellent, with improved communication and better positioning on the pitch aiding some excellent attempts to get the ball into the D and score. Abbie did a spectacular job of tackling the opposition and going to the ball, with Coco getting some excellent intercepts as well.

The Eastbourne College attack was extremely strong, but, with a united front in our defence and numerous incredible saves from Anya in goal, the U14Cs managed to hold them off and didn't concede a single goal.

The match finished as a 0-0 draw, but it was a hotly contested battle right until the end. The team really pulled together when they needed to, and should be proud of themselves for such brilliant play and effort from everyone. Great work!

Miss Donovan

U14B

The U14B played their second hockey game of the season on Saturday against a well-oiled Eastbourne team. It was very competitive and very balanced. With the girls more aware of their structure this week, they had much more time on the ball, and were therefore able to attack the opposition's half with more confidence. Sohana, Polly, and Amari were strong in the midfield, and looked to distribute the ball well in the first half.

The second half was more challenging, with the girls tiring and Eastbourne pressing hard. A short corner saw the opposition score despite the valiant efforts from Beth in goal. The defenders worked extremely hard to keep any more goals out, and special mention goes to Liv who was named Coaches' Player for her determination in her role, and to Michelle who was Opposition’s Player. The final score was 0-1, but it was a very good game.

Miss Kirby-Jones

U15B

The U15B team lost 3-1 to Eastbourne, but they showed much potential for the remainder of the term. Some inexperience, including trying to pass the ball left across the pitch, led to two first half goals for Eastbourne, and only the heroics of Emilia in goal saved the team from conceding more.

The second half was much better, with excellent contributions from all the players, notably Charlie, Iris, and Sienna. Eastbourne scored a late third, on the counter-attack having defended a short corner, but there are definitely positive signs for this team.

Mr Smethurst

U16C vs Eastbourne U18D

Defensive domination is the phrase that encapsulated this match. The U16Cs came up against a strong Eastbourne side, who seemed to create a fortress around us whenever we had the ball, making it almost impossible to get the ball into our attacking half.

Their attacking players were doing a good job of keeping possession in our half and making numerous attempts on goal. However, we fought back, in particular in defence, who must have stopped about 8 potential goals from going in. Rosa made some incredible saves and definitely was a lifeline for us. Becca and Jess were seeing off any attempts on goal, and Hettie and Kelly, who were playing for the first time in defence, stepped up and did a great job of clearing the ball away. Defence really were worked to the bone, and all of them put in an amazing effort.

We had a few breakthrough moments where we got the ball into our attacking half and almost had a couple of shots on goal. Aarushi, Bella, and Isabella worked well together when we had those breakthrough moments, making some lovely crosses to each other.

In Midfield, Millie, Maisie, and Inky were also working hard, often supporting in defence to keep our opponents away from our goal. Maisie made some lovely interceptions and displayed some nifty stick work to get around her player.

Well done to the girls for working super hard throughout the match, against a strong skilful side. Coaches' Player of the Match was Becca.

The highlight of the match was Rosa saving a goal by batting the ball away with her hand after it had flicked up into the air!

Miss Patching-Jones

U13A Breeze past Bede's

The U13A took to the Astro in their first match of the hockey season.

Roedean started well, with Alex scoring a brace to put the Bede's team on the back foot early doors. We passed the ball well and managed the game in order to play some quality hockey and be slightly more dynamic in attack. The half-time score was 6-0 – this led to discussions about tactics for second half and playing in different positions to get some well-needed practice in different positions on the pitch.

We kept the momentum up, with Alejandra scoring a hat-trick in the second half and Alex finishing the match with 4 goals. Sophie also managed to get on the score sheet twice, and Paloma once too, all of which was thoroughly deserved after a really good match!

The end score was 10-1 to Roedean, and we look forward to the next fixture in two weeks.

Mr Campleman

A Spectacular Start to the Swimming Season!

On Wednesday, we took 12 squad swimmers to Pavilions in the Park in Horsham, for a very exciting relay gala. It was a qualifying meet to get to the National Finals, which will take place in November in Birmingham, where the Commonwealth Games were held in 2022.

Our Junior, Inter, and Senior teams all rallied together to cheer each other on and help reduce the nerves leading up to the races. We had some excellent performances, with the Juniors achieving second place in both of their events, and the Inters achieving also second place in their medley relay. Our Seniors swam strongly

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

too, and some very promising times were achieved for so early in the season.

Our newly appointed swim captains, Clara (Yr11) and Katarina (Yr9) kept spirits high and motivation strong, and we had a couple of stand out swims from Maisa and Alice (Yr10) in their relay legs.

Overall, the team did themselves proud, and we have our fingers crossed to hear whether they will qualify over the half term.

Miss Donovan and Ms Marek