8th September 2017 - Issue 1
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Head’s Introduction I hope that everyone has enjoyed a good start to the new academic year. The transition from holiday mode to school mode can be a challenge, but there is a wonderful buzz of excitement, enthusiasm, and activity around the school. We have welcomed many new girls to the school this week and welcomed back many more. We hope that all the new girls are finding their feet and being looked after. It can take a little time to get used to a new school, but the friendly atmosphere should help everyone to settle. In particular, it has been a delight to see our new Year 7s in their smart new uniforms enjoying their time, after many months of anticipation!
Year 8
The Senior Staff and I have been observing lessons and activities every day this week, to see that all our new girls are happy and the new additions to the school day are working smoothly. We are also asking the girls what they are enjoying – and the answer is often ‘Everything’! I am pleased that the Sixth Form enjoyed their conference and trips last Saturday and are settling in to The Sixth Form Centre. Years 7 to 10 have their residential trips coming up which will be great fun, but also a great opportunity for the year groups to get to know each other and develop team-working and communication skills – good luck. We have also welcomed a number of new members of staff to Roedean. Each week, they are introducing themselves to the girls in Assembly and we will be featuring them in this review so that you can get to know them too.
Year 9
Whether the girls are making new friends, starting your GCSE courses, trying their hand at something completely new, applying to university, or just enjoying the lunches and afternoon teas, we wish them all the very best for this term at Roedean!
Year 10
Year 7
Year 11
The Sixth Form photos will be in next week’s Review.
Reminder: Summer Photo Competition – Water
Deadline: 22nd Spetember please email photos to Miss Boles on jbo@roedean.co.uk
8th September 2017 - Issue 1
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW 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.
Bea S (Yr7) for jumping to pick up Martha N’s folders when she dropped them out of the minibus [Martha N Yr13]
Eden WN (Yr10) for volunteering to work with new students in Chemistry and translate into German for them if necessary [JSI]
Liv in Nepal over the summer Liv H (Yr10) went to the Special Educational and Rehabilitation Centre in Kathmandu in Nepal over the summer. She collected 20kilos of educational toys to take with her. The school caters for over 120 children and 30 young adults with special needs. It is a very well-run place, offering basic literacy and numeracy tuition. What sets it apart from other places is that it concentrates on teaching kids and young adults the life skills they need to survive, and hopefully thrive, back in their villages. They also
learn Nepalese, Maths, and English. The school has set up a shop and a café, and is teaching the children to make smoothies, jewellery, and street food so that they can earn a living. The SERC employs several physiotherapists, speech therapists, and paediatricians (some paid, some volunteers), all focused on ensuring that the students get the best chance of getting a job when they leave. The teachers are all qualified and many of the paid teaching assistants are ex-students, which is a really lovely touch! It was a fantastic place and a wonderful experience for Liv – she left with a real sense of hope for the children there. What an amazing opportunity!
Jubilant Volunteering in Brighton Libraries
Atlanta S (Yr11), Paloma S (Yr12), Dorcas G (Yr13), Priya T (Yr9), Ashley W (Yr9), Elena S (Yr9) for being the first to speak, undaunted, in the Chapels this academic year [RB]
This summer, Year 9s Scarlett B, Eva F and Jane S volunteered at the Jubilee Library, helping children sign up to the Brighton and Hove Libraries’ Summer Reading Challenge, Animal Agents. Scarlett said that it was through this scheme that her Mum encouraged her to enjoy reading from the age of seven. Scarlett, Eva, and Jane are all enthusiastic readers, participating in the Roedean Summer Reading Challenge and Southern Schools’ Book Awards (SSBA). This is a great start to the creation of an all-school reading culture this year.
Shopping Trip for the Boarders
Mia in Delhi
Two full minibuses of Roedean shoppers headed to Churchill Square on Saturday afternoon. The girls all had a fabulous time, the sun was out, and Brighton was buzzing. The girls were a pleasure to be with, and we are all looking forward to next Saturday’s shopping trip!
Mia K-R (Yr9) had a wonderful experience over the summer of volunteering in an orphanage called Bal Sahyog, in Delhi, which cares for boys aged 6 to 18. Mia spent lots of time with the children, playing football with them in torrential monsoon rain, and distributing food. She also helped to organise a sports day event, played parachute games, and helped with various art workshops. This was Mia’s first trip to India, and she threw herself into it whatever she had to do – what an uplifting experience this must have been! Page 2
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
8th September 2017 - Issue 1
1st XI Hockey – pre-season training
New Staff Fact-Files
The Hockey season got off to a flying start on the first Saturday of term, and the girls threw themselves into their matches against two very strong hockey schools. Mr Carter was very pleased with their efforts, and Mr Burlinson (a talented player himself, and Assistant Coach for the day) was so inspired that he turned to poetry to express his thoughts:
Miss Elizabeth Roden
Just one day in and school had not really started, But the 1st team hockey girls had a tough challenge, for Epsom they departed. To face the hosts and Reed’s, two Premier League hockey schools, A pre-season tournament for each team to get back playing with hockey balls. For the Roedean girls it would be a massive step up in class, But they had good news for soon they would have their own artificial grass. The aim was to challenge themselves and look to improve, Their skills, their decisions, their pass and move. Reed’s were up first and they showed more finesse, Yet Roedean battled hard and the game remained goalless. The middle third was nearly over, with some excellent saves by Flo, But then Reed’s popped up with a goal with just two minutes to go. Two more goals followed in the final part, But the young Roedean team never lost heart. They soaked up the pressure, the defence got better, With some outstanding play from Martha and Loretta. The attacking got better, silky skills from Bea, Freya linking up the play, Eloise with some dazzling 3D. And the goal nearly arrived, Reed’s defence was fraught, But their keeper made a great save from Yelena’s powerful shot. A positive match but not long for the girls to revive, As Epsom were up next who had beaten Reed’s by five. So it was clear that the game was going to be an almighty test, Especially as the hosts had had a 90 minute rest! Clara was covering plenty of ground, showing lots of fire, But with only two subs you could see that the team were starting to tire. Yet the first third went well, Epsom only scoring one, Even though Roedean were starting to wilt in the blistering sun. Epsom were very skilful and looked much fresher, As Roedean’s defence came under constant pressure. The D was packed with attackers, a bit of a jam, Against a team who had just spent a week in Rotterdam. The highlight of the game came when the attackers moved in for the kill, And Flo cleared the danger with an audacious back heel. Loretta and Martha took some blows, suffering a fair deal of pain, But for them and Roedean it was a day of plenty of gain. Epsom ended up with seven but that’s not the main story, As it was all about learning, not about the glory. Playing against much better teams there was enough to cheer, And what was learnt against these teams will help throughout the year.
Role: Head of History University: MA and BA in History (Liverpool) - Previous school: Subject Coordinator History at Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate Interests: White water kayaking, visiting museums, and National Trust heritage sites - You’d never guess... I worked at Walt Disney World in Florida as a game show presenter
Mr Leland Fieldsend
Role: Head of Experiential Learning - University: BSc in Building Studies (Brighton) Previous school: Educational Leadership Team at Bowden House School (SEMH) - Interests: Anything adventurous or outdoors - You’d never guess... I like to brew my own beer!
Mrs Jane Sharp
Role: Teacher of Geography University: BSc in Geography & Geology (Manchester), MSc in Geophysical Hazards (UCL) - Previous school: Head of Geography at Burgess Hill Girls Interests: Travel, but my son’s arrival last year curbed some of that! - You’d never guess... I’ve lived in Fiji, Australia, and the Maldives.
Mr Oliver Morris
Role: Teacher of History University: BA in Modern History (Oxford), MSt in Medieval History (Oxford) - Previous school: Teacher of History at Brighton College - Interests: Travelling and the theatre - You’d never guess... I chose my college at university because I saw it in a James Bond film, I think Germany is an underrated holiday destination, and I know Brighton’s 3 best coffee shops
Miss Elise Davidson
Role: Deputy Housemistress House 4 - University: BA in Textiles Design (Weaving) (Glasgow School of Art) Previous school: Housemistress at Buckswood School, Hastings - Interests: Music, ice-skating, and shopping You’d never guess... I did student exchange in Japan for 4 months at Kyoto Seika University
Mr Mark Ebden
Role: Head of Chemistry University: MSc in Chemistry (Bristol) - Previous school: Head of Science at St Lawrence College, Kent - Interests: Cricket, running, and cycling - You’d never guess... I love nature and conservation – I once volunteered in South Africa where we were herding game and de-horning rhino Page 3
8th September 2017 - Issue 1
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Roedean’s Archive Photos with a Modern Twist! A group of Sixth Formers, led by Loretta, Tash, and Martha , are taking some of the fantastic archive photos taken of school life at Roedean over a hundred years ago, and re-shooting them today.
Sixth Form Activity Saturday – swinging through trees, skidding around corners, and paint-balling bruises! The Sixth Form ended the first week of term with two conferences on Saturday – the first for Year 12 covered independent learning and the study skills required for success at A Level, and the second for Year 13 was entitled ‘Qualifications are not enough’ and dealt with the extra skills which will impress on a university or job application and in interview. The afternoon saw the girls taking part in a variety of different activities off-site, and it was wonderful to see the girls working together with others they had only recently met. 50 girls went Go-Karting in Crawley and Lancing, and they all had a great time speeding through the exhaust fumes and negotiating the very tight corners – some started off a little risk averse, but they quickly learnt to put their foot down and get skidding around the bends. An intrepid group of 42 girls also had a thrilling and, for some, daunting afternoon at Go Ape, swinging
Each week, they will be setting any budding Roedean photographers the challenge of doing the same, and the best reproductions will feature in a calendar which will be sold to raise money for charity – we hope that lots of you will get involved, and have great fun doing so!
through the trees and overcoming all manner of obstacles while suspended high above the ground. There were some who seemed completely at home with everything that was thrown at them, whilst others definitely confronted their fears, especially with the final Tarzan Swing! The ziplines were superb and everyone
thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Another 40 girls spent the afternoon paint-balling – the red and the blue team each won a game, but the blues came out victorious overall at the end. The girls have some amazing bruises to prove that they threw themselves into it, but quite a few might not choose to put themselves in that same position for a while!
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 Page 4
All of the girls are already really enjoying being together in the ‘Sixth Form Village’, with excellent facilities for working, relaxing, and socialising, and we look forward to everything they will achieve during the year – good luck to you all! JJ WHAT’S COMING UP IN THE
WEEK AHEAD?
Wed 13 Sept
U12A&B Hockey Tournament v Lingfield Notre Dame (A) U13A&B Hockey v Seaford Prep (H) U12D&E Hockey v Seaford Prep (A)
Fri 15 Sept
U15 ISNC Netball v Benenden (H) Bowling
Sat 16 Sept
1st Team & U14A v Bede’s (A) U14B & U15A&B v Bede’s (H)
Sun 17 Sept
Yr10 Blacklands Farm Residential Follow us @RoedeanSchool