Head's Weekly Review - 7 December 2018 - Issue 13

6 December 2018 - Issue 13

HEAD’S

WEEKLY REVIEW

Head’s Introduction

A school full of an amazing variety of Christmas jumpers today tells us that December has truly arrived. The weather is certainly getting colder and wetter too, but not even this can dampen the girls’ spirits. The Christmas events are always wonderful, and I am really looking forward to the Carol Services next week and the Christmas Fair tomorrow, from which the funds raised will be used to build the Library at St Mark’s. I hope that you will come along if you are able to.

I am delighted to report that Roedean has been Highly Commended in the Boarding School category of the Independent School of the Year Awards. We found this news out yesterday, and I am proud that our impressive growth in recent years and our commitment to an all-round education has been recognised – the girls’ improving academic achievements, the fact that girls are coming to Roedean from such a wide range of countries, and the development of high-quality facilities will all have been taken into account, so I am very pleased indeed.

It was wonderful to have Helen and Kate Richardson-Walsh with us at the end of last week – the girls were excited by how much they learnt from them during their sessions, and the Year 7 Sports Scholars enjoyed chatting over lunch. This week, our A Level Drama students performed their devised piece to a full Theatre, a large Year 10 group went to the British Museum, one of the CAP groups hosted a very successful and entertaining Who Wants to be a Millionaire to raise funds for Beacon Hub, and the Year 10 girls who go to Downs View School each week welcomed some pupils to the Farm, which they loved, followed by festive refreshments in House 4!

Olympic Gold Medallists at Roedean with St Mark’s It was wonderful to welcome Roedean’s Olympic Gold Medal winning Sports Ambassadors, Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh, to the School at the end of last week. They are not only sporting icons, having become Olympic Champions in Rio 2016, but they are both outstanding role-models for young people, and they speak candidly about their incredible success being based on dogged determination, resilience in the face of disappointment, and honed selfbelief, all of which complement and strengthen their sporting talent. Helen and Kate spent time on Roedean’s newly opened flood-lit allweather pitch with girls from every year group at Roedean, and the girls thought that it was amazing to be coached by two Olympians – what an amazing experience for them.

Kate and Helen also worked with pupils from St Mark’s Primary in Whitehawk. 23 pupils from Year 4 had the fantastic opportunity to work with the Richardson-Walsh couple - some of the children had never played hockey before, and we hope that this experience has inspired them to try different sports and make sure that sport and exercise, the foundations of a healthy

life-style, are always part of their weekly routine.

Through our soft federation between the two schools, the pupils from St Mark’s and Roedean work closely together on a weekly basis on a variety of activities. These include Reading Buddies, Sports Leaders, and Listening Buddies, as well as joint work on a number of academic and community-based projects, and access to Roedean’s facilities and transport.

Roedean is also currently working hard to raise enough funds to build and stock a Library at St Mark’s, in order to provide the children with a space in the school which is dedicated to reading. Roedean is delighted and proud, as a result of this very rewarding partnership, to have been shortlisted for the national TES Independent-State School Partnership Award – the winner will be announced early next year.

It was my pleasure to welcome full Council to Roedean yesterday, and the Trustees were very pleased to see the School thriving. This was followed by our annual staff and Council supper which provided a welcome opportunity for staff and Trustees to chat informally about school life and enjoy the wonderful hospitality provided by our catering team.

Parent Survey: Share Your Views

Good luck to you all for the last week of term, particularly to our choirs who will be busy rehearsing, and I hope that the Christmas Fair goes very well tomorrow – let’s see which year group can raise the most for St Mark’s!

A reminder to our parents and guardians to please take a moment to complete our parent survey. This is a vital way for you to let the School and Trustees know what you think about Roedean, which will help us to develop and plan

for the future. Thank you to all those parents who have already completed our parent survey.

Your thoughts, ideas, comments and evaluation will ensure Roedean continues to provide a great holistic education for your daughters.

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

University of Sussex Maths for 4 Year 9 girls

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.

Atlanta S (Yr11) for giving a homeless person in London some of her lunch [DRO]

Flo IS (Yr9) for organising Christmas cards for all 7 classes at St Mark’s

Each week, a member of staff who has gone above and beyond the call of duty can be nominated by their colleagues or the girls.

Winter Wonderland Ball The Winter Wonderland Ball last Friday was a great way for all the Sixth Form to spend time together before the Christmas holidays. It was organised by the Events Prefects, Katie and Nadia, as well as a small committee of girls in Years 12 and 13. With Christmas decorations, great lighting, amazing food made by the catering team, and a homemade photo booth, we all really enjoyed ourselves. I would like to extend a special thank you to Miss Carragher who helped us organise the whole event. We are all very excited about our next social in the winter term!

Sorcha H (Yr13)

This term, I have attended Royal Institute Maths masterclasses at the university on Saturday mornings, along with Issy H, Alice B, and Isla B. We were privileged to represent Roedean and attended with other Maths students chosen from schools all across the city.

The first day was fun-based, then it got a lot more challenging! However, difficult-looking topics and problems were explained so well that they became easy and we had the opportunity to learn skills we wouldn’t have had a chance to cover at school. A highlight for me was using their graphing calculators!

On the last day, we were very proud when the professors told us that we were the future of Maths, Science, and Engineering, and that they were very pleased to see so many talented girls in the group. We were told we would be very welcome back at the uni in 5 years’ time to study Maths!

Jemima V

Lennie gets a Christmas gift from House 4 Lennie is a ‘Pets as Therapy’ dog who visits House 4 every Saturday morning. The girls absolutely love having him; he gets them outdoors, is a calming influence, and has helped many girls overcome their fear of dogs.

Last Saturday was the last time Lennie will visit for the term. Therefore, House 4 decided to wish Lennie a very Merry Christmas by giving him a festive neck scarf (obviously in red!) as a big thank you. Lennie loved the attention and Martin, his owner, said he looked very handsome!

GWI

Miss Bergin Parsons for being an invaluable source of enthusiasm, hard work and knowledge in the HHH unit this term [HSH]

Mr Orys for excellent hosting of charity Who Wants to be a Millionaire [JHM]

6 December 2018 - Issue 13

Year 7 decorate the Chapel tree

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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

Poem by Ms Shillito

House 1

“The Kingdom of the North”

House 1 was full of festivity on Saturday night when twenty five girls arrived to marzipan, ice, decorate, and box a Christmas cake to sell at this week’s Christmas Fair on Saturday. The girls were very creative with their cakes, which will be on

Imagine it not as a point on a compass For all points are equal – Even South.

6 December 2018 - Issue 13

sale at the House 1 Stand on Saturday for £5.00 – they look wonderful and will make a lovely gift to add to any hamper.

JWL

Imagine it not as a grim grey landscape Where the rain always pours And the cold bites your bones.

Imagine it not as a place where Accents sound right funny And no one finishes school.

Imagine it not as a land of poverty and lumps of coal, cobblestones and back alley boozers.

Imagine it instead as a Kingdom For North is heavenwards And When you soar through the cold, And the rain and the grey And get to the heart of things Which the North loves to do – You are left with a place of people Who are proper proud and honest, Straightforward, direct.

So Imagine it instead As the home of people who always say hello to strangers Where the warmth doesn’t come from the weather, But from the characters of the people instead.

Imagine it as a place of culture, music and art, A hub of noise And chaos and grit and creativity.

Imagine it as place of stunning scenic countryside And rugged wild moors And Always imagine that ascent upwards as a journey straight into the kingdom of the north; the dark, the true, the tender.

Please help us to stock St Mark’s new Library!

F24 workshop We celebrated the first day of December by completing our CAD Training in the F24 club. For the second half of our Saturday session, we split into teams and focused on different sections of the existing F24 Electric Car. Our group was dedicated to creating the wheel covers of the car, whereas other groups focused on aspects of the car such as the throttle and the engine cooling system. We also had the opportunity to witness a live action 3D printer create a part of the car.

Overall, the experience last Saturday was intriguing and allowed us to explore our creative abilities. Being able to work in a team gave us a real insight to the steps we would have to take next in order to produce the final revamped electric car.

Janki P, Shan L, and Amirah M

Macbeth Trip Year 10 students attended a great Macbeth workshop on Tuesday run by the London-based Small Things Theatre Company. The actors helped to bring the text to life for the students, focusing on the ways in which Shakespeare uses a range of language, structure, and dramatic devices to present the transformation of the character of Lady Macbeth. Ideas from the workshop can be directly integrated into students’ coursework essays, and it was great to see them all enjoying a different approach to their learning.

Thank you very much to all those who have already donated books – the children at St Mark’s will love them – but the library is not even half full yet! Please help to support St Mark’s Library by following this link: https://roedean.wufoo.com/forms/book-donation-for-st-marks-library/ You can also purchase a book at the Christmas Fair and put the cost on your daughter’s bill.

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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

6 December 2018 - Issue 13

News of Friends This new feature of the Head’s Weekly Review is a space where we can celebrate the successes of our OR community.

If you have something you would like us to shout about, please email Grace Cather on glc@roedean.co.uk.

This week we are excited to feature Sarah Davis, and old girl of St Mary’s Hall and therefore an Honorary OR. Sarah has always been passionate about sport and, after realising that she had a need within her to achieve something big, she chose to attempt to become the first woman to paddle the length of the Nile. As well as aiming to achieve something incredible for herself, Sarah is also using this opportunity to raise money for charity and to try to encourage and inspire other women to embark on their own adventures, whether big or small.

A festive week in House 4 To celebrate Thanksgiving, the House 4 family all enjoyed a delicious and traditional roast turkey dinner, followed by scrumptious pumpkin pie!

During our Thanksgiving meal we had some time to reflect on the things we are truly grateful for in our lives and to conclude, our House Captains led a game of bingo for all to enjoy! It was a wonderful evening.

The House 4 girls are getting creative this Christmas – they loved making their very own homemade sewn Christmas tree decorations!!

They also made and decorated their own saltdough Christmas tree decorations!

After two years of planning, paddles finally hit the water on 27 October at 11.32 am and so far they have made it as far as Uganda. You can follow progress on paddlethenile.com, on Instagram (@paddlethenile) or Facebook (Paddle the Nile).

Downs View performance Downs View visited Roedean for this first time last Tuesday. Downs View made the short trip from Woodingdean, bringing eight of their students.

They spent time on the farm, getting to know the animals, and feeding the goats and sheep. After that, they went to House 4, where they enjoyed mince pies and juice! Niah also performed some solo songs on the piano which got the students

up and dancing! The students really seemed to enjoy the visit and were sad to say goodbye.

Thank you to Mr Fieldsend, Niah S, Darcey P, Gowri P, Chloe N and John Cawte for supporting the visit.

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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

6 December 2018 - Issue 13

Skype with Private Peaceful actor Miss Whiteson’s Year 8 English class have just finished studying the incredibly moving novel about World War I, Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo. On Wednesday, the students had the amazing opportunity to have a Skype talk with George MacKay, the actor who played the part of Tommo in the film version. They really enjoyed asking him questions about Tommo’s character and his relationships within the novel, as well as finding out about George’s experience of acting such a difficult and emotional role set in such challenging times.

Brighton Rock trip A few weeks ago, the Year 13 English Literature students studying the ‘Elements of Crime’ unit went on a walking tour to support their reading of Graham Greene’s novel, Brighton Rock, which is set in and amongst the seedy underbelly and mob culture of the 1930s’ razor gangs of Brighton. The tour took students to the pier, the sea front, and Brighton’s back streets, stopping to look at the locations and buildings mentioned in the novel. The aim was to bring the novel and its settings to life. The whole experience, finished off with a tasty cream tea at The Ship Hotel, was both educational and enjoyable.

Speed Skating Success for Alex Alex S (Yr7) spent last weekend in Paris, competing in two national French Short Track Speed Skating competitions held in Fontenaysous-Bois. In the Challenge de France on the Saturday, Alex won the Gold Medal and had the fastest time in her group of 19. She is now only half a second away from qualifying for ISU Star Class – she needs to complete 500m in under 57 seconds, and her time is 57.512, which is fantastic. It is through the Star Class that Alex will be able to qualify for the Europa Cup (Junior European Championships). On Sunday, Alex competed in the Trophée de France, but she did not make the podium unfortunately, due to two falls; she did however manage to shave 3 seconds off her 700m time, so she came home with an improved PB. Next weekend, and the weekend after, Alex is competing in The Hague, as well as training all weekend with the UK Long Track team at the same rink. On 2 January, she will fly to Berlin to train with the Junior Danish team. Good luck, Alex!

Ice Skating at the Pavilion To conclude a wonderful first term, all senior House 3 and 4 girls had the opportunity to get into the Christmas spirit with ice skating and candy canes at the Brighton Pavilion this week!

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6 December 2018 - Issue 13

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

Hockey U13As victorious against Seaford

Yesterday was the U13As last game of the season and the girls finished in style.

In the first 10 minutes, the match was quite scrappy, with a lot of play going down the middle. However, once Roedean started to play down either side, goal scoring opportunities began to happen. In the second half, Roedean continued to pile on pressure, making a number of circle entries, winning short corners, and overloading the right-hand side with some excellent vision by Amelia K and superb positioning by Amy N and Nia S. Roedean won their final match 4-0, making them the most successful hockey team in the school. This is a huge achievement and we are so proud of every player in the team. Not only have they improved individually, but they have developed so much as a unit. In their first match of the season, they lost 4-1. After this result, this team has not lost a Wednesday friendly match and also progressed in to the EGHA semi-final plate.

It has been a fantastic season and I look forward to seeing their progress as a team in the future at Roedean.

U13C vs Seaford

The U13Cs had a fantastic end to the season, winning 2-0 against Seaford. It was a well fought match by both sides, with Roedean 1-0 up at half time. The girls put everything they’ve worked on all season into this final game, with some outstanding performances by all. Well done to Dawn and Amelia who scored our two goals, both with great finishes. Congratulations to Stella who received the opposition player of the match. A great game to end the season, well done girls!

Who Wants to be a Millionaire On Thursday, Mr Orys reprised his role as gameshow host, treating a packed theatre to a charity version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Jessy C, Ellie F, Rosie J, Scarlet P, Mia P-H, Mint W, Rata W and Annie Z from Year 12 organised the event brilliantly. Two teams reached the third of eight questions, earning the estimable prize of three Freddos in the process. Miss Hindle and Sorcha H made it to the penultimate question, proudly departing with 6 mince pies. However, it was Mr Lutwyche and Mary M that reached the final question, answering correctly and earning the much-coveted box of Celebrations. £77 was raised on the door, with more money due for collection next week. All proceeds will be going to the Beacon Hub, a community project trying to bring the disused Rottingdean Windmill golf course and kiosk back to life by creating a visitor centre rooted in eco-education. Many thanks to all those who attended and donated.

U12C vs Seaford

The U12C team had a tough game against Seaford College. In the first half, the Roedean girls were trying to apply pressure where possible, although Seaford were using the channels effectively, which resulted in 2 goals in the first half. After a half-time talk, we were prepared and ready to go. Roedean tracked well and made some strong passes, allowing Katie L to finish with a strong goal. Overall, the girls played well and they should be proud of what they have achieved this season. A huge well done to all and especially Elsie F for her brilliant goal keeping!

Amelia M achieves top marks in the Bebras International Computational Thinking Challenge All of Key Stage Three took part in the Bebras International Computational Thinking Challenge (organised by Oxford and sponsored by Google) a couple of weeks ago. Results were announced this week. Amelia M in Year 7 achieved the top mark not just in the school, but in the county for her age group. Her score was so high that she has been invited to the final round which is at Oxford University in February. Honourable mention to Tabitha A-P for the top mark in her age group (our Year 8 and 9s). Forty of our girls were in the top 10% nationally and have been invited to take part in another online challenge in March next year.

Galina B supports Brighton Food Bank with the help of her peers

JJ WHAT’S COMING UP IN THE

Sat 8 Dec

CHRISTMAS FAIR

Last week, Galina spoke to girls in her year group and her peers in Year 7 responded brilliantly to her suggestions in supporting our local Food Banks.

Mon 10 Dec

HOUSE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT COMPETITION

Tue 11 Dec

ROEDEAN ACADEMY LAUNCH

Wed 12 Dec

CAROL SERVICES

Thur 13 Dec

FINAL CHAPEL AND HANDSHAKING

So, this week, tins and tins and more perishable goods arrived totalling 203 items! As you can imagine we are all delighted with this response.

Galina and her Mum are delivering these items this evening to Brighton’s Food Bank collection.

Well done, Galina!

Thank you to all of you who have dropped off donations for the Christmas Fair raffle and tombola! – we are very grateful!

The Parents’ Guild

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

WEEK AHEAD?

CHRISTMAS LUNCH

TERM ENDS AT 12:00

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