8 March 2019 - Issue 8
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Head’s Introduction What a brilliant week it has been! There has been fun, intellectual challenge, student-teacher rivalry, costumes, themed food. I would like to thank Ms Boobis and Ms Shillito for masterminding a week of academic and literary activities with something for every single girl at Roedean. It is only when you see it written down, with reports and reactions to it, that the sheer range and impact of this week on the School is clear. Both the girls and staff have really enjoyed taking part in these activities together, and I am grateful for all of the work which has gone on behind the scenes to make everything go so smoothly - thank you to all who helped, including the Theatre and IT teams, the Housemen and Estates teams, the Catering Department, the Librarians, the School Office and all the teachers who got involved. In the middle of the week, it was brilliant to be able to open The Secret Garden Library at St Mark’s. This is a project which will have a powerful and lasting impact on so many children at St Mark’s, and the unabashed joy and excitement on their faces when they saw their new Library and all its books was priceless. They loved seeing the Mayor cut the ribbon, and hearing from our own teacher and local children’s author, Helen Peters, about being a writer. I would like to congratulate the Roedean community for getting behind this project and driving it forward with your enthusiasm. We still have a little more money to raise to finalise the project and to go towards the on-going upkeep of the Library though!
Open Day Open Day was less than a week ago and the families that came were incredibly impressed with everything they saw and heard about Roedean. Here are a few examples of what they said:
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So much has taken place that it might be easy to forget that Open Day was less than a week ago! As ever, our visitors were incredibly impressed by the School, but most of all by the girls themselves - whether they were performing or helping in a subject-area, or touring, those who came to Roedean commented on how natural and happy the girls are. Well done to everyone involved. I am delighted to hear that our U12 and U13 netballers did so well in the SISNA tournament, which Roedean hosted on Wednesday. There were over 500 visitors on site, so congratulations to Miss Hyams, who ran the event brilliantly and thanks to all the teachers and support staff who helped. The fact that our teams made it through to the Final in both age-groups is excellent - well done!
St Mark's Library
At the end of such a wonderful week, I am delighted that, as a girls’ school, we can mark International Women’s Day 2019 with 15 inspirational and successful women addressing the girls. This is a brilliant opportunity, and I would like to thank Dr Barrand for organising such a broad range of speakers covering such interesting topics - these include Space Physics, animation, Muslim women in Britain, and round the world adventures on a motorbike, to name a few, and Helen Richardson-Walsh was interviewed by BBC Sussex at School this morning. I have no doubt that every girl will draw inspiration from something they have heard today. I hope that you have all had a wonderful week, and that you have a restful weekend!
We were very impressed with everything and, more importantly, F seemed to really like what she saw.
terday; F We had a fantastic day yes . The ool is very excited about the sch ne ryo eve d an t, igh girls were a del e at tim at gre lly rea a seems to have ve been the school. They couldn’t ha better ambassadors!
World Book Week - Please see
Please see page 3
ROEDEAN’S FESTIVAL CELEBRATING INSPIRING WOMEN
The Open Day was very informative, thoughtful and colourful. We were very impressed and absolutely enjoyed every minute of it. Roedean N is enamoured with ally re y Da and the Open take up to ion affirmed our decis is such it n; ea her place at Roed ol. ho sc a great
I have been to a lot of Open Days, and this one surpasses them all!
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
8 March 2019 - Issue 8
Unsung heroes in the spotlight
Tudor Lectures
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.
On 5 March, the A Level History students had the opportunity to watch a series of lectures on the Late Tudors in Bloomsbury, London. It was a fantastic experience for everyone, providing knowledge beyond the textbook from experts in their fields. It will surely give us the chance to add some flair to our essays now we have a greater depth of understanding about our period of study. Furthermore, the experience of sitting in a lecture was useful to those of us heading off to university, getting a feel for new styles of learning. Mia P-R (Yr12)
Deepdene Little Farmers This Wednesday, the Deepdene Little Farmers group visited our newly-installed lambing shed. Victoria and Baby J, two of our pregnant South Downs Ewes, are due in the next week or so. Millie, one of our Badger Face Ewes will follow suit and is due at the end of the month. The sheep are already feeling very looked after and quite at home in their new accommodation. JRO
Holly B & Jemma N-GS (Yr10) for being so wellmannered, confident and eloquent at Open Day that a prospective parent told them that she was so inspired by their demeanour that it made her want her daughter to come to Roedean to be just like them [DBA] Olivia P (Yr8) stayed behind after the Fishbourne Palace workshop to help staff clear up the Roman Feast that had taken place [RMI]
Wednesday P3 farm HHH group for helping us to set up the field shelter ready for lambing [LFI]
Unsung heroes in the spotlight 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.
Miss Pippin and Miss Nixon for their tireless dedication to Book Week and all the events that they have assisted and coordinated [HSH]
Enid Marx at Ditchling Ditchling Museum of Art & Craft are currently in the process of researching and planning an exhibition of the work of Old Roedeanian Enid Marx. Marx was a highly successful illustrator, printmaker, textile designer, and teacher who was at Roedean a century ago in House 1, from 1916 to 1921. Among her many professional achievements, Marx designed upholstery fabrics for London Underground trains. She also happened to be a distant relative of Karl Marx! Mrs Ellis and Ms Sullivan, our archivist, have been in touch with the curator at Ditchling Museum of Art & Craft recently to provide some information about Marx's time at Roedean. Watch this space for the dates of the forthcoming exhibition.
Miss Sanz Mateo, who stepped in at the last minute to deliver Mrs Ruiz’s mini lecture and was completely inspiring on the topic of Spanish Language and Culture [HBO] Ms for her absolutely incredible Alice in Wonderland Tea Party feast that showcased just how talented and thoughtful she is [HSH]
The Catering Team for putting on an amazing spread for Open Day [Mrs Spicer]
#IWD2019 Page 2
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
8 March 2019 - Issue 8
A New Library for St Mark’s for World Book Day! The children at St Mark’s Primary have just started a new chapter in their reading lives. The culmination of weeks of planning, building, and landscaping, and months of fund-raising and book-donating, is the fantastic ‘Secret Garden Library’ at St Mark’s. Congratulations to everyone involved! Roedean has been working closely with and supporting St Mark’s in a variety of ways in recent years, but one of the first joint projects was the ‘Reading Buddies’. Each week, 30 Year 9 girls go to St Mark’s to listen to the children read, but so far there has been no dedicated space for reading and books. So this was the catalyst for the idea of building a Library. St Mark’s Headteacher, Jane Fendley said, ‘The partnership we have with Roedean is so important. We are close neighbours and it’s a great example of how two schools can work together for the good of the community.’ In September, the Headmaster, Mr Blond, set Roedean a target of raising £25,000 to build the St Mark’s Library from scratch. Most of that money has been raised, through the girls’ incredible fund-raising and generous donations from the Roedean Mission and Parents’ Guild. Brighton children’s author, Helen Peters, spoke to the children in a special assembly about writing and stories, and she presented a set of her books to the children. She and the Mayor of Brighton and Hove, Dee Simson, cut
the ribbon, officially opening the Library, and it was wonderful to see the children’s faces as they rushed into it. Mrs Fendley, said: ‘This warm, comfortable library stacked with lovely books is an amazing chance for us to show the children the pleasures of reading a good book. They are so excited to get in and explore it and it’s wonderful to watch them. Who knows what this will ignite in them and lead them towards? It will certainly give them more access to literature and encourage a love of reading that I hope will stay with them all their lives.’ Mr Blond added, ‘The girls at Roedean get such a lot out of coming to the school to read with the children each week and always tell me it’s the highlight of their week. It seemed natural, as neighbouring schools, that we should work together to help create something that enables young children to have greater access to books. We asked the girls and their parents to buy a book that they themselves enjoyed as young readers for the new library and the reaction and array of titles that came in was wonderful.’ The Secret Garden Library is a wonderful addition to St Mark’s, and we all hope that it inspires a love of reading in the children for years to come! RB
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8 March 2019 - Issue 8
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Academic Week – Inspiring Muses Well, it's been a fantastic week where our students have engaged with the world of ideas in multiple ways on multiple days. I couldn't possibly describe all of the fantastic events, but here are just a few highlights from the week. You can read more detail on the World Book Week events in the Literary Supplement. On Monday, we had a Year 12 vs Year 13 University Challenge in Keswick Hall. It was a close run thing, with Year 12 looking like they would win, but Year 13 snatched victory in the end with a superb answering streak from Laura F in Mary's fiendishly nerdy Dungeons and Dragons round! In the evening, the Harry Potter Quiz was attended by approximately 130 pupils, with staff joining in too. It was a very difficult quiz, with audience members feverishly trying to play along and visibly straining to find the answers in their memories. Credit, therefore, must be given to the Ravenclaw team for their excellent victory. On Tuesday, we had the pleasure of an invitation to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. The Library was transformed and the central table hosted the most exquisite selection of cakes, created by our very own Ruth. Over 140 of you enjoyed the delicious treats and creative activities on offer. Then we had the ambitious feat of running 21 simultaneous lectures for 440 pupils during the prep slot. These lectures ranged in topic from Choreography to Chaos Theory, from Maths in Pop Songs to Memes to remember Of Mice and Men context (or 'Of Mice and Meme' as Ms Roberts called it!). The quality of lectures was excellent and pupils were buzzing afterwards with some saying how much they loved the topic, or how they had learned to see something in a totally new way. The day finished with an Academic Debate, with the case for Science vs Humanities being battled out by some of Roedean's sharpist minds, and tongues! 65 pupils came to watch and the motion was eventually tabled after the Science side were able to convert some, but not enough, of the floor to their way of thinking. On Wednesday, the lectures continued, along with an author talk for Years 9-11. This day of relative calm allowed the school community Page 4
to contemplate their costumes for Thursday, which erupted in a festival of book characters at Thursday's Character Catwalk. Over 60 Roedean pupils and 22 St Mark's visitors from Year 3 came to watch approximately 50 pupils strut their stuff in a joyous, colourful, celebration of literature. Prizes were given for style, group presentation and crowd favourites. On Thursday evening, our Year 10 team (who won our tutor group quizzes, dropping a mere 1 mark across both of them) took on our Year 13 team in the University Challenge. The competition was won by the Year 13 team (Molly, Bels, Laura, and Rosie J substituting for Martha). The Year 10 team (Malika, Camille, Holly and Tatiana) put up a valiant effort, but were ultimately no match for the Y13s, despite their superior anagram-solving skills! 65 pupils attended, along with several staff. Mr Orys was a super host as ever. Thanks go to the Academic Prefect team, the catering team, the housemen and the theatre team for all their support behind the scenes this week. And now, for International Women's Day to crown the week off! HBO
Harry Potter Quiz – 130+ students
Mini lectures – 440 students, in 21 simultaneous mini lectures
Alice in Wonderland Tea Party – 140+ students
The Big Debate – 65 students
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
8 March 2019 - Issue 8
LITERARY SUPPLEMENT WOW! What a week! Here at Roedean, Book Week mixed with Academic Week and International Women’s Day to bring us all an extravaganza of all things literary and fabulous. This is the first literary supplement for the Head’s Review and we are so excited to show you all that has been going on. Special thanks go to the Year 7 Answering Back Roving Reporters team (Merla, Mia, Delilah, Amelia, Katie) as well as Flo in Year 9 and Jane in Year 10, who covered all the events, along with their trusty photographers (Poppy, India, Merla) in tow. They all enjoyed the events and interviewed the participants, while learning incredible on-the-job journalistic skills as they went. To sum up the amount of events, there have been, to name but a few…. Monday’s Harry Potter Quiz, which saw our very own Ravenclaw team of Miss Best, Dr Hobbs/Xenophilius Lovegood, and Dorothea B scoop the Triwizard Cup victory. On Tuesday, the Library was transformed into the Alice in Wonderland Tea Party, complete with EAT ME cupcakes and flamingo meringues – many thanks must go to our incredible catering team and Ruth in particular, and the students and teachers were in absolute awe of the talent, time and effort on show. On Wednesday, we hosted the very lovely and wonderfully inspiring author Katie Webber, who talked to our Year 9s and 10s about all things teen-romance and ended with a book raffle, giving away 50 signed copies of her latest novel. Thursday was the big event, Dress as your Favourite Book Character for World Book Day – the library was transformed into a huge model catwalk, over 20 Year 3s from St Mark’s joined us, and we all strutted our fab stuff, as well as the super author Carina Axelsson (who handily used to be a catwalk model!) – she gave insightful workshops on Crime for Year 8 and Female Empowerment for Year 7. Last but not least, on Friday Year 7 and 8 took part in the Fabulously Feisty Fictional Female Challenge, creating their very own fictional females through a number of timed challenge tasks. Phew! A humungous thank you to the librarians, the truly glorious Ms Pippin and Ms Nixon, who have worked so tirelessly to bring you all the events this week, in addition to our amazing Housemen, IT team, and Catering. We are so lucky to be part of a community that comes together so incredibly well over exciting events such as these.
Monday – University Challenge University Challenge was won by the Year 13 team (Molly J, Bels A, Laura F, and Rosie J). The Year 10 team (Malika W, Camille C, Holly B and Tatiana C) put up a valiant effort, but were ultimately no match for the Year 13s, despite their superior anagram solving skills! 65 pupils attended, along with several staff. Mr Orys was a super host as ever. Thanks go to the Academic Prefect team, the catering team, the housemen and the theatre team for all their support behind the scenes this week. HBO
If you have enjoyed the Book Events on offer this week, fear not, there will be more going on throughout the year. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for exciting information in assemblies and the Student Bulletin, and don’t forget to read the advertisements at the end for the plethora of Book activities that are happening every week at Roedean. Make sure you keep adding to your Merit and Commendation tallies by completing your Bronze, Silver and Gold Reading Awards to encourage you to think out of the box and give different types and genres of reading a try. DON’T FORGET TO BE LIKE BRENDA AND READ MORE BOOKS! HSH Page 5
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
LITERARY SUPPLEMENT Monday – Harry Potter Quiz On Monday at half past four, eight teachers (Mrs Robins, Mr Carter, Dr Hobbs, Mr Burlinson, Miss Spence, Miss Best, Mr Chamberlain, and Mr Halsey) and four students (Sasha S, Jane S, Dorothea B, and Mary M) volunteered to test their Harry Potter knowledge in a series of well-thought out questions read aloud by a very appropriately dressed Ms Shillito. After being sorted by a custom-made sorting hat (thanks Year 9 HHH club!) into either Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin, each team was presented with a whiteboard, pen, and several animations of Daniel Radcliffe’s face. As the audience we were encouraged to join in, the teams were quizzed on a range of subjects, from the founders of Hogwarts to the translation and definition of “Poufsouffle”. Every team was enthusiastic and diligent (apart from Slytherin, of course, who nearly got minus points for complaining so much), but in the end it was Ravenclaw who pulled through with 21 points, just ahead of Gryffindor. They were presented with the Triwizard Cup, a round of applause, and more quiz questions, which were challenging even for the most dedicated of Potter fans.
Overall it was a magical, extremely entertaining evening, and a wonderful start to the week. Many thanks to all the staff and students who participated, our two lovely new librarians, and whoever’s idea it was to have it right next to Horizons – but most of all Ms Shillito, who has worked hard to transform World Book Day into a week full of a variety of fun and reading-related activities.
Flo IS (Yr9)
Tuesday – Classics Day Tuesday was a full Classics day at Roedean. For Year 8 girls there was an afternoon of food and clothing demonstrations from the education officers at Fishbourne Roman Palace, Chichester. The girls were treated to seeing and learning about materials and styles of clothing worn by rich and poor. In the other session, they were given Roman recipes to try at home, and allowed to help make and taste various interesting Roman concoctions. Having the Education officers come to Roedean is really special and enabled our girls to gain a far better understanding of life in Roman times. The ODR in House 3 provided the ideal setting for the food demonstration, lucky girls! Later the same afternoon we welcomed pupils from Hurst, Gildredge House, Brambletye and King Edward's to take part in our annual Sussex Classical Reading Competition. This competition
allows pupils to perform passages of Latin and Classical Greek to the audience. We were delighted to see children as young as 9 and as old as 18, take part. At times both hilarious and moving, it was wonderful to watch our girls join in. This year we were really pleased with our set which involved a 'Pompeian dining room' back drop and a 'mosaic' lino floor! Congratulations to Jemima V (Yr9) for winning her category, and to Onose B (Yr7) for also winning her category. RMI Page 6
8 March 2019 - Issue 8
8 March 2019 - Issue 8
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
LITERARY SUPPLEMENT ‘We loved the author talk with Katherine Webber. Listening to her personal story about how she became an author and how she kept going no matter what was so inspiring. It was a privilege winning a free book signed by her. We both really enjoyed this week because it was loads of fun and we learnt so much from it as well which is always a good thing. We are both determined to read more books and to learn more vocabulary. We are looking forward to next year’s Book Week already.’
Wednesday – Katie Webber author lecture On Wednesday lunchtime, the lucky Year 9, 10, and 11s got a chance to meet and listen to Katie Webber, the author of Wing Jones and Only Love Can Break Your Heart. Katie kindly came in and gave an empowering presentation on her books and her life. Her advice wasn’t just aimed at aspiring authors, but at anyone who wants to pursue their passions. It was wonderful hearing how such an incredible author followed her dreams, despite one hundred and twenty rejections from various literary agents and publishing companies, and how anyone can do the same. As well as that, up for grabs were fifty shots at winning one of Katie’s incredible books! All in all, her strong messages of resilience, perseverance, and passion will surely stay with us and we will be watching out for her next book which is set to become a motion picture! Amelia M (Yr7)
The Audience's Favourite
The Silliest
Lucia D and Stefanie F (Yr9)
The Cutest
Thursday – Dress as your favourite book character day We all look forward to World Book Week for one reason, the pinnacle and most exciting bit of the whole week; the day when the fancy dress occurs. In the days leading up to it, whispers spread around the school and girls try to hide their ideas so they won’t be stolen. Rumours swirl around about ‘twenty Year 8 girls all dressing up as something’ and inevitably rumours as to which teachers will be dressing up. But, despite all of this, the most exciting bit is when the actual day itself comes, the costumes are revealed, and girls strut their stuff on the designated library catwalk. Amidst all of the excitement, a winner for best costume was decided. It was definitely quite a sight watching girls and some of my favourite book characters walk down the runway. The audience really enjoyed the creativity and hard work put into the costumes! I even participated myself! After the show had finished a hubbub of whispers surrounded the topic of the final winner of best costume. Even though this particular person won everybody had amazing, creative costumes and whether they were made, bought or borrowed they still embodied the spirit of this week.
Katie J-A (Yr7) Page 7
The Most Stylish
The Best Group
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
LITERARY SUPPLEMENT Alice in Wonderland Tea Party What an amazing experience this was for everyone. The library was absolutely full of colour and the library team really managed to capture our imaginations and brought it to life! Excited whispers flew through the school a week before, but this was beyond what we had anticipated. There were beautifully decorated cupcakes labelled ‘EAT ME’ dotted around the place. The teachers were dressed up in fantastic costumes from this amazing book. The extraordinary entertainment livened up the party, and staff were all dressed up in costumes to make them look like Alice or The Mad Hatter or even The Queen of Hearts! Lots of people said that the flamingo macarons looked the most impressive. Everyone thought the library had completely been adapted into a wondrous magical wonderland! A few girls said, ‘the shortbread biscuits were the most amazing shortbread biscuits they had ever tasted!’ The designs of the food made the whole event come to life. We interviewed the Headmaster, and he said, ‘that it was the first time he had ever had one of these amazing experiences and that we should definitely have another one of these days again. Maybe a Harry Potter day where would convert the library into the Great Dining Hall!’
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8 March 2019 - Issue 8
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
8 March 2019 - Issue 8
LITERARY SUPPLEMENT
BOOK REVIEW – reviewed by Kelly W (Yr9)
The Magician’s Nephew by CS Lewis I have recently finished The Magician’s Nephew by CS Lewis. This book is part of the Chronicles of Narnia and it is the very first book of the series. This amazing story was set in the 1800s and tells a tale about two children, Polly and Diggory. These children have magic rings and go through mystical dimensions where they find a newborn world, Narnia. Lewis’ writing in this book is so phenomenal that every single detail can be pictured in your mind. In this book, Lewis also makes many connections to the Bible, for example the apple garden in Narnia, which links to the Garden of Eden. This book is also a perfect introduction to how Narnia was created, the origins of the lamppost, and how evil entered it. That is why I think that this is worth a read because it has all the key information about the history of Narnia. If you are new to the series, I would suggest you read this book first as it gives you the idea of the world and how it was created.
BOOK REVIEW – reviewed by Olivia W (Yr9)
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne The main character of this book is a little boy called Bruno, and he lives with his family in Berlin when he was born. He has friends there and they made trouble everywhere, having fun. Due to his father’s job, they move to Poland, to a place called “Out with”. In the house where the family live, there are no other children for Bruno to play with…until one day when he finds a boy in striped pyjamas on the other side of the barbed wire fence in his backyard. The book is set during the Holocaust in Poland, the story of a Jewish boy and a German boy. I love this book a lot because every time I read it, I am touched by the innocent friendship of the boys, but I also felt a bit depressed that because of their backgrounds, they have totally different lives. The purity and the innocence of the boys are shown in the story, making older readers felt warmhearted and affected by the book.
BOOK REVIEW – reviewed by Jamie (Yr9)
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt This is a breath-taking book, filled with utterly beautiful words, extraordinary imagery, and exhilaration. Tuck Everlasting is a classic children’s fantasy novel by American writer Natalie Babbitt, published in 1975. Set in Treegap, New Hampshire, the story follows Winnie Foster, who is a ten-year-old runaway who discovers the Tuck family and their secret immortality, gained from drinking from a secret mystical spring in the middle of an esoteric forest. Full of excitement, Winnie struggles to understand the Tucks’ attempt to explain how immortality is not as much of a blessing as it seems. While all of this chaotic disarray is taking place, a mysterious stranger in a yellow suit hides in the shadows, beginning to track the movement of the Tucks. This fiction novel though it might be brief, leaves you with great delight. The book itself I would say, is a great piece of artwork. In fact, Tuck Everlasting won a Christopher Award for Books for Young People in 1976 and a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1978. I definitely recommend this book for anyone as it will always remain one of my favorites.
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8 March 2019 - Issue 8
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
LITERARY SUPPLEMENT What’s next? At Roedean, reading never ends! We are so passionate about delivering the best books to the Library and engaging you outside the classroom to simply get lost in a book and savour every literary minute! Being a reader opens up your mind and your imagination more than you can ever imagine, taking you to whole new worlds you may never get to venture to in person. What’s not to love about that?! There are already many activities that you can take part in – here are a few:
Write a Book Review for the Head’s Review Have you read a wonderful book recently and need to tell the world about it? Write a short review for publication in the Head’s Review and win Merits! Send it to Ms Shillito hsh@roedean. co.uk
Student readers at St Mark’s – Wed
Ms Shillito and the library team are always thinking of new exciting reading ventures for you all, so please don’t be shy! Get in touch and let us know if YOU have any ideas and we will do our best to make them happen!
nesday lunchtimes
Book Club – Year 10 Book Club coming soon!
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Feast and other themed literary events…
Answering Back
of school since en the craziest week was absolutely be r fa by s ha ek we ‘This esday . The tea party on Tu the beginning of term ry was miraculously transformed into delightful – the libra rs such as Alice, the Mad Hatter, and acte Wonderland and char there, serving the most delicious desserts all the Cheshire Cat were and so much more. The best part was that from cakes to cookies the tea party and I am sure that every to everyone was invited had enjoyed every minute of it. single one of us eryone was awesome to see ev from It t. an illi br ely lut so ite characters Thursday was ab stumes as their favour e the Pooh, Charlie co g in az am eir th in e inni com From tales such as W their favourite books. ctory, Harry Potter, and so on, everyone and the Chocolate Fa ked fantastic.’ loo Pat (Yr9)
‘I came into school on Thursday mo woken up from a dream. Everyo rning and felt like I had never ne in their favourite book character was dressed up glamorously s more colourful than ever! At lun and the hallways just looked ch, a catwalk was created in the Library – the old-fashioned bookshelves were transformed into a chic modern catwalk and the usually slightly gloomy sense of effort was filled with excitem ent cheering louder than ever for the . People sat around the stage the contestants confidently wa real-life book characters. As lked if I had entered a new world wh down the catwalk, it felt as characters were dancing right ere all my most familiar book in of it all was the feeling of belong front of me. But the best part ing to a community where everyo can actually become their favour ne ite fantasy characters. There has never been any event that had made me I honestly hope that we could do feel this way before, and this again next year!’ Lily W (Yr9)
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8 March 2019 - Issue 8
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Galina at the Hastings Music Festival Galina B (Yr7) competed in the Hastings International Music Festival Junior Concerto Competition, entering on both her instruments, clarinet and piano. The competition takes place on stage at The White Rock Theatre and the pianists have the opportunity to play on a stunning Yamaha Concert Grand Piano. She played the Rimsky Korsakov Clarinet Concerto, and the 2nd movement of the Shostakovich Piano Concerto No.2, accompanied by a second piano playing the orchestral parts. The standard of the young musicians was incredibly high, and Galina was awarded 2nd place with honours for her piano concerto performance, and the judges commented that her playing was ‘musically impressive’, ‘mature’, ‘performed with skill and sensitivity’, and that she is a ‘promising young player’. National Children’s Orchestra 4th Year Galina is also playing in the National Children’s Orchestra for the fourth year. She has recently
started rehearsals, following her successful audition in the autumn. She is also currently rehearsing with the London Senior Regional Orchestra for a concert in June, and she will be rehearsing with the National Under 12 Orchestra during residential weeks over Easter. Congratulations, Galina!
House 4
Monday’s Teatime Recital The standard of this week’s Teatime Recital was exceptionally high, and a wonderful selection of music was delivered by all the students involved. Particular highlights included a flamenco guitar piece from Ellen L, and a flamboyant Tango from Eva F on violin. Congratulations to all the girls who performed – you all played with great confidence and flair. It was particularly wonderful to see so many Year 7 girls involved – well done to Maddie S, Galina B, Charlotte K, Suraya B, and Claude H-L for performing so well.
After a recent activities survey, House 4 girls were asked to list activities which they would love to participate in during the evenings and weekends. Making cookies and learning origami were highlighted as top favourites for the girls! On Saturday evening, the House 4 girls produced some delicious Smartie cookies for the house to share. Being aware of food intolerances, the girls also made some egg-free cookies so that everyone in the House could enjoy a sweet treat. However, the girls didn’t feel too bad indulging as this was followed by their favourite Just Dance! The girls showed off their dance moves and tried their luck against the unbeatable Bangy Mwiko! The excitement of Saturday night was followed by a relaxing Sunday spent trying out some origami; the girls made beautiful origami boxes, flowers, and even a dragon!
Intermediate Mathematical Challenge success Congratulations are due to our top mathematicians in Years 9 -11 who participated in the UKMT Intermediate Mathematical Challenge in February. This is a national competition intended to stretch the problem-solving skills of students, and they faced 25 tough questions to solve in an hour. Our students gained a total of 11 Gold, 17 Silver, and 34 Bronze certificates. Particular congratulations go to Lareina Y (Best in Year 9) and Victoria C (Best in Year 11), and to Chloe K (Best in School and Best in Year 10) who has qualified for the Hamilton Olympiad round. A further 11 students have qualified for the European Kangaroo competition later this month. Well done! Page 11
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
8 March 2019 - Issue 8
Reading Spots Global Literacy Conference 2019
Team Maths Challenge at Lancing College
Year 10 Maths Feast at Dorothy Stringer School
Last Sunday, 8 Roedean girls and Ms Boobis set out to Sevenoaks School in Kent to attend the 2019 Global Literacy Conference, which was started through the charity Reading Spots, an NGO that encourages literacy throughout Ghana by setting up libraries in small communities. We enjoyed a series of TED-talk style lectures from representatives of Book Aid International, Mandela Group, and Caucus for Children’s Rights, as well as having Daniel Dotse, who is the founder of Teach for Ghana, Skype us from Ghana. We were inspired to find that all of Reading Spots’ work has been driven, and fundraised, by students our age. Later, we heard from Cat Davison, the charity's founder, who presented findings from her MA research thesis focused on literacy as a social practice, which allowed us to learn more about the challenges she faced when surveying the rural communities in Ghana about what libraries mean for them. To avoid potential concerns, Ms Davison ensures she works closely with her Ghanaian partner, Francis Yeboah, who had flown from Ghana to speak to us about the impact the charity is making.
On Friday 1 March, our intrepid team of Year 8 and 9 pupils (Rose 0, Joy Z, Selina J, and Lareina Y) headed to Lancing College to take on teams from 23 local schools in the annual Team Maths Challenge, organised by the UK Mathematics Trust. The team faced four high-pressure rounds of problem-solving, and made a solid start to the competition in the Group Round and the Shuttle Round. Fortified by a pasta lunch in the Hogwartslike dining hall, they then swept aside the Crossnumber Round, taking all the marks available. Next it was the Relay Round, a frantic dash from pair to pair, in order to solve as many problems as they could in 40 minutes. Suddenly all four team members, usually so mild-mannered, were overcome with a ferociously competitive spirit. In the final reckoning, they came a very commendable 9th place out of 24, a fine end to an exhilarating and exhausting day.
Eight Roedean mathematicians were guests at the Year 10 Maths Feast on Tuesday 5 March, accompanied by Mrs Thomas and Mr Halsey. This competition for local schools is organised by the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme and consists of four rounds, or ‘courses’, to satisfy the appetite for problem-solving. The most challenging round was probably the comprehension round, in which teams had to assimilate new knowledge (in this case, Prim’s and Kruskal’s algorithms for minimum spanning trees, usually encountered in A Level Further Maths), then answer problems on it. One of our teams (Esme B, Sophia C, Fleur R-R, and Olivia T) were the winners of the relay round, gaining prizes and a certificate; they were placed 5th overall in the competition. Our other team (Camille C, Eileen D, Chloe K, and Melanie W) also acquitted themselves well, and all eight girls had a challenging but enjoyable afternoon. JT
Finally, we had the opportunity to work in groups with students from other schools to come up with either an educational strategy that could be applied in Ghana, or a fundraising strategy that could be used in the UK. The winning entry (proposed by a group including Dasha P and me) was a scheme called ‘Dance to Learn’, where each library would have the opportunity to create an action or movement associated with a letter. This initiative will now be spread throughout the library network in Ghana as a way for the community to start getting engaged in the alphabet. Overall, we had a fab day and it really opened our eyes to how actions and schemes set up in the UK, even by people our age, can have a real impact in other places around the world!
Sophia E (Yr12)
The Mathematical Association Problem Drive Roedean once again hosted the annual Problem Drive on Monday evening, with almost 70 competitors from our own Sixth Form and from Lancing College. Run by the Sussex Branch of the Mathematical Association, competitors pitted their wits against the problem-setter, working with lots of other students throughout the evening. We were not victorious on this occasion, but will return next year with added resolve! ALU
Pancake Party Houses 1 and 2 joined forces on Saturday night to see who could come up with the most imaginative yet delicious pancake toppings at our annual Pancake Party. We had everything from the seriously indulgent, with Lotus biscuit spread and squirty cream, to the more nutritious 5-a-day pancakes, with blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. Girls from both Houses had a wonderful evening, which was confirmed with over 100 pancakes being consumed, some even made and flipped by the girls themselves. We can’t wait for our next joint House party! AFS Page 12
8 March 2019 - Issue 8
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
OR Spotlight on Jasleen Kandhari (No. 4, 1990-92) Over the weekend, OR Jasleen Kandhari featured on the iconic BBC programme The Antiques Roadshow. Jasleen is the first Asian or BAME female antiques expert on the show. The episode was filmed at the Piece Hall in Halifax, Yorkshire, and had 6 million live UK viewers. You can catch up on the episode on the BBC iPlayer: https:// www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00031l6/ antiques-roadshow-series-41-10-piece-hall-1. Jasleen was chosen to feature as a specialist in Indian and World textiles, dress and fashion, the subject about which she teaches courses at the University of Oxford. She has been researching, lecturing and working with Asian antiques and textiles for over 20 years, so is eminently qualified for this opportunity. Jasleen says: ‘I was honoured to join the Antiques Roadshow in Halifax as the first Asian female Antiques Expert. It is fascinating for people to discover what treasures they may have at home that have been handed down through the generations whose value or cultural importance they may not be aware of yet, especially in Asian families. I would be interested to hear from those with Asian textiles or Asian antiques at home that have an unusual story.’ If you would like to get in touch with Jasleen to talk about any hidden treasures, you can do so via Grace Cather on glc@roedean.co.uk.
Tati’s Flying Dream Tatiana C (Yr10) enjoyed an absolutely amazing experience last weekend when she flew a Piper Warrior 4. She could not have wished for better weather or a better fly path – she flew very low over Roedean as a special fly-by treat, until her instructor learned she should have been at school!
Netball U16B vs Lingfield
The U16Bs had a good match against Lingfield. It was a really enjoyable and positive match for everyone who took part. The girls kept improving as the game went on and only narrowly lost the final quarter 3-2. Their defence in particular was very good and there are some areas we can go back and work on in training, but overall it was a good performance - especially considering they do not all normally play together. Congratulations to Jemima who received opposition’s player. The final score was 23-8 to Lingfield.
U12A Semi Final Victory over Brighton College in the Sussex Cup
Congratulations to the U12As, who have won their place in the Finals of the Sussex Cup, which will be played next week – this is a huge achievement. The U12As had a fantastic semi-final Cup Game against Brighton College this week. They had a tense start, with their nerves showing, but they soon pulled away. The girls have excellent team cohesion and determination, and they were all flying for intercepts all the way down the court. Their patient feeds and movement round the D really helped settle the shooters. Congratulations to Ruby and Atlanta who were awarded Opposition’s Player and Tayla who was named Players’ Player. The Coaches’ Player award went to the whole team, as every girl played such a big part in getting the win.
A valiant effort from the U13As against Brighton College in the Sussex Cup
This week, the girls competed against an extremely tough and physical Brighton College Prep team for the semi-final of the Sussex Cup. The girls started with lots of energy and were making strong drives for the ball; however, a few minor errors were made and Brighton capitalised on this early on. With a change in our attack by bringing Izzy B into the WA, the girls were starting to make some good connections going into our shooters who were working tirelessly trying to get away from Brighton's fast and prestigious defence. Unfortunately, Brighton's shooters were on point and this enabled them to pull away by 10. In the 3rd quarter we put Amy N back into WA with a focus on making strong, well-timed drives and feeding into the space for our shooters, which she did very well. Erin S was doing a really good job at tracking her player and therefore, dropped back into GD. Her and Isabella P were contesting everything and made it difficult for the Brighton shooters to settle. In this 3rd quarter, the girls completely raised the bar and nearly doubled their score! The girls were focused and had a goal for the last quarter to keep the peddle down, and that was exactly what they did. Opposition’s player was Ava L and coach’s player was Erin S. A great team effort from all of the girls.
The final score was a comprehensive 22-8 victory, meaning we are one of the top two teams in Sussex! This is a huge achievement for the girls and the school, the girls should be super proud of themselves. We are now looking forward to the Sussex Cup Final next week, Good Luck girls!
U12A
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8 March 2019 - Issue 8
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Brilliant speed-skating for Alex - #31 in the world!
Roedean teams make history by aking the final of the SISNA tournament The U12A and U13A squads made Roedean history this Wednesday at SISNA with both teams reaching the final!
U12A
The U12s stormed through their pool finishing top. This took them through to the Semi-Final which they smashed 9-2. They then went into the final unbeaten. The final was close with Roedean starting off strong, but, unfortunately, Hurst just pipped us for the win 5-3. Every single member of the squad made an impact on the day and the girls were a pleasure to coach. Coach’s player of the tournament goes to Ruby A for her amazing interceptions and determination. The girls have fantastic team cohesion and fluidity down the court. All of the girls worked relentlessly to get an interception and their passion on court was lovely to see. This is a massive step for Roedean Netball and these players. We are so proud of them and cannot wait to see what happens in their Cup Final next week and their future at Roedean. Thank you for all your hard work girls, keep going!
score. The girls should be extremely proud of what they achieved. They made Roedean history and put forward an exceptional performance in the final against Hurst. Unfortunately, they were unable to steal the win but they should be proud of the fight they gave Hurst. Coach’s player of the day was Bella D and players’ player was Erin S. Well done, girls!
U13A
What a great day at SISNA for the U13A Netball team this week! The girls were absolute superstars and just proved how much hard work they have put in and how far they have come over the last 2 years. It was a tough day of competition and the girls knew that it was going to demand their top performance and complete focus to take on board what was being asked of them. The girls listened attentively to the instructions and applied it to their performance which enabled them to achieve great success. The girls performed incredibly well and showed great determination. Ava L and Sasha H worked tirelessly in the shooting circle to shake off some incredibly tough defence, Amy N and Izzy B both focused on composing their pass into the circle, Amelia K was effective at supporting our defence bringing the ball down the court, Erin S did a fantastic job at marking the ball which forced a number of errors by the opposition, Tia L improved her control when receiving the ball under pressure and both Isabella P and Bella D were phenomenal at shutting down their opponents and limiting their opportunities to
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After two days of competing last weekend at the Viking Race, Alex S (Yr7) finished in 8th place overall out of 24 skaters in the Junior D category. She and her coaches were hoping for a top 12 finish, so clearly everyone is thrilled with 8th. Alex also has a new 500m PB (47.50) which puts her at number 31 in the world for the most popular distance, and she competed brilliantly against the best in the world, including the current #1 and #2. In two weeks’ time, she will skate at the British Long Track Championships, and she has very high hopes of success. The following weekend is the British Short Track Championships and again Alex is fully expected to be crowned British Champion. Anything can happen of course, but if all goes well, Roedean may have a triple British Champion by the end of March – how incredible!
JJ WHAT’S COMING UP IN THE
ACADEMIC WEEK
WEEK AHEAD?
Mon 11 March
GCSE PE Football vs 1st Team
Tue 12 March
Hockey U13A In2Hockey Regional Finals
Wed 13 March
U12A,B & C & U13A,B&C Netball vs Brighton College Prep (H)
Thur 14 March
YEAR 12 PARENTS’ EVENING
Fri 15 March
Seasonal Spectacular Gala Concert
Sat 16 March
Exeat weekend
National Indoor Rowing Competition
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