9 November 2018 - Issue 9
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Head’s Introduction Hello from South Africa! It is absolutely wonderful to be at our sister school in Johannesburg, but almost surreal – not only are we having a wonderful time discovering our shared history and traditions, but it was also only a few days ago that we were back in Brighton watching the Dance Showcase! We are being hosted fantastically well, and I am delighted to see how quickly and easily the girls from both schools have gelled. Roedean South Africa is a beautiful school, and it really is a great pleasure to be here to build strong connections with a school which is incredibly similar to our own. Despite being very tired from the overnight flight, the girls are throwing themselves into every activity and they are exceptional ambassadors for Roedean. Thinking back less than a week, Speech Day was a wonderful event last Saturday. It was a great pleasure to celebrate the girls’ successes over the
Roedean in South Africa Sixteen girls and four members of staff are currently in Johannesburg in South Africa, as part of an ambassadorial trip to our sister school there, to forge a strong and lasting partnership.
last year, and also to welcome the Leavers back. It is very powerful for the girls at School to hear the stories of what they have been doing after they left and about their new university lives. I think that our Guest Speaker, Dame Carol Black, was an outstanding speaker, and what she had to say was directly relevant to so many girls in the audience who are trying to make decisions which seem huge at the moment, but they are not necessarily finite – I am sure that many took great heart from hearing such a woman who has been successful in so many fields describe how she made some wrong choices along the way, but was simply determined to change the direction she was going in, even if that meant going backwards a little to retrain. Thank you very much to everyone who made Speech Day a great success – it really is a team effort, with many groups within school working together seamlessly to get the School ready for a large event – congratulations!
The Dance Showcase was a wonderful display of a variety of dance styles, and I would like to congratulate everyone involved, particularly, of course, all of the Dance teachers. The range of styles and honed technique was really impressive – well done. I am also very pleased to hear that the visit of Lady Ritblat (OR) to Roedean was also a great success. From reading about her visit, it is obvious that she struck a chord with many girls, and they really enjoyed hearing about her career. I am grateful to Miss Cather for working hard to make strong connections between the School and the great wealth of experience and knowledge among the ORs. Good luck to all of Year 11 for their trial examinations next week! I hope that they go well, and that they help to show you where you need to focus ahead of your GCSEs in the summer. I hope that you all have a wonderful week.
Roedean South Africa was also founded by one of the Lawrence sisters, Theresa, along with her friend, Margaret Earle, in 1903. This is the first trip for students from Brighton to Roedean South Africa in many, many years, and we have already had the most wonderful experience. After the overnight flight from Heathrow, with very little sleep, we were welcomed with open arms, and had a brilliant first day, touring the school, observing some lessons, and in discussion groups. It really was wonderful to see how quickly the girls form the two schools bonded and shared experiences – it was if they had known each other for years! The grounds of the school are amazing, with tranquil courtyards, fragrant jacaranda trees and jasmine, wonderful Sir Herbert Baker buildings, and secret gardens to lose yourself in. Their traditions are deep-rooted, much like ours, and one is that the bell is rung 22 times on Founders’ Day to remember the first 22 pupils of the school. We are only in South Africa for a few short days, but our itinerary is full of fantastic experiences, both in school and out – we have no doubt that such a brilliant experience will lay the most solid foundations for a variety of exchange visits and joint projects over the coming years.
Further updates will follow in the next issue of the Head’s Review... RB