9th December 2016 - Issue 12
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Head’s Introduction We are all so excited about the imminent start of the Christmas holidays, but there has simply been no let-up in the last week of term. In fact, that is an understatement. The three performances of A Christmas Carol have been wonderful, with so many girls involved – I would like to thank and congratulate them all, and Mrs Carolyn Rigby and her team, on their impressive achievement. The play was also enjoyed by members of Council, who were in school for a meeting on Wednesday, and then had dinner with members of staff before the watching the last night of the show. The play performances were followed swiftly by two stunningly beautiful Carol Services in the Chapel yesterday. The girls sang with gusto in the congregational carols and this was matched by the wonderful musicality of the three different choirs (or four if you include the staff choir), and the readers presented the story of the nativity with great clarity and poise.
We must also not forget that this week was hot on the heels of the Christmas Fair last Saturday, which was a brilliant example of the entire Roedean community pulling together to achieve something wonderful which will ultimately make such a difference to so many lives. I would like to thank the Parents’ Guild, led admirably by its Committee, for their huge efforts, and, of course, the girls and staff. The event overall has raised in excess of £5600, which is a remarkable figure – thank you to everyone and well done.
Candy cane-grams!
of this term, and I would like to wish them all the very best of luck in their future endeavours - it was fitting that we were all able to say goodbye to them with our tradition of handshaking straight after Chapel, which marked the end of the term. I wish you all a wonderful and restful holiday – Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
The success of all the events this week is testament to the girls’ wonderful abilities to push themselves and get things done. The term’s ‘last hurrah’ was Final Chapel, which was quite a raucous affair in comparison with the polished performances of the preceding days, but the girls let their hair down and threw themselves into the inter-house Carol Challenge, which was great fun. We are saying goodbye to four members of staff and to six girls at the end
£5600 raised at the Christmas Fair Santa’s Grotto, a tombola, carol singers, mulled wine, a raffle with great prizes, tinsel galore, and a huge array of stocking-fillers to buy - the moviethemed Christmas Fair last Saturday was a wonderful event, and the Roedean extended family pulled together brilliantly. The Parents’ Guild ran a whole range of stalls and the café, as well as organising external stall-holders, but most of their work was actually in the preparation for the event, and they did an exceptional job! The girls transformed the classrooms on the Main Corridor into a winter wonderland, with carols
playing, paper chains, candy-floss, henna tattoos, and lots of Christmas games and challenges. We also had Young Enterprise companies selling their products, and 6.1 CAP groups raising money for their charities. In total, the Fair raised over £5600, double last year’s figure; the lion’s share of this will go to the school’s main charity for the year, The Malala Fund, and we will also be making valuable donations to two local charities, St. Wilfred’s Hopsice and CLAPA, to support their work in the local community. Congratulations to everyone involved - the fair’s success is down to the contributions of every single one of you!
9th December 2016 - Issue 12
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.
Vivian L (6.2) for spending hours putting together the wonderful Do They Know it’s Christmas videomontage, which raised £85 at the Christmas Fair [RB]
Leaving Staff and Girls This term we have four members of staff leaving Roedean. They have all had a great deal to do with the girls in different ways, and we wish them well in the future. Amongst the many tasks which she deals with every day, Debbie Swales in the School Office is probably the first port of call for girls who have missed Registration for whatever reason and need to be signed in or cannot find a classroom, so almost every girl in the school has had some dealing with her at some point! Florie Fournol is also based in the School Office, and she has most recently been working as Miss Keller’s Assistant. Sian Rossjohn oversees the Weekends’ Programme, which provides so many varied trips for boarders and day girls alike, and Caroline Donald works as an Alumnae and Development Officer, maintaining close links with many ORs and strengthening our relationship with others who may have lost contact with Roedean. Jade Cataldo is also leaving the school, but only temporarily, to travel the world and explore and she will return to Roedean in September.
Holly B (L4) for her tireless work at the Photo Booth [PG]
Marianna L and Ella K (U3) for rescuing a webbound butterfly from a very high window and using plenty of initiative [JC]
Poppy A and Eleanor S (U4) for excellent work in English [DWO]
The Grounds department for their swift anti-bird flu measures [KRH] Davina Y (6.2) for her excellent photography work at the Christmas Fair [MC]
A Christmas Carol at Roedean What better way to start the season’s Christmas cheer, than with the finest of productions – Roedean’s version of ‘A Christmas Carol’. The cast represented the largest we have seen at school, with 68 girls on stage and a talented back stage crew of 10 girls (our own unsung heroes). Congratulations to Mrs Rigby, and to everyone who was involved! The stage was set magnificently both in style and imagination. The costumes displayed a period of time and the acting was breathtaking from the first scene to the last. The story line was so elegantly delivered; every word carefully spoken with poise and clarity, fit for any London stage. The thread of the story was intriguing where actors allowed their passion for performing to flow and the Page 2
audience were captivated in moments of time travel. A real sense of reality swept through the auditorium when Scrooge awakens on Christmas morning with joy and love in his heart. He spends the day with Fred’s family and anonymously sends a prize turkey to the Cratchit home for Christmas dinner. The following day, he gives Cratchit a raise and becomes like another father to Tiny Tim. A changed man, Scrooge now treats everyone with kindness, generosity, and compassion, and now embodies the spirit of Christmas. The finest and best moments were delivered on stage in a full production and when the snow fell on performers and audience alike, as the cast gathered for a final time, Christmas was really upon us! JC
9th December 2016 - Issue 12
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Roedean Shoeboxes
Christmas Tree House awards
Through the initiative of tutor group 10S and Miss Wynne, and with the support of Eunice Yuen, we managed to collect 46 shoeboxes from students and families across the school. The scheme has been a great success thanks to generosity of the contributors. These were collected on Tuesday by the Salvation Army, who will send them on to their next destination: children and the elderly in need. Well done, 10S!
Each year, we have an inter-house Christmas tree decoration-off! Mrs Ellis was appointed chief judge, and these are the results: Best Welcome
A wonderful stairway Choir
Keswick
Best Atmosphere
Great dancing & Father Christmas himself
House 4
Best Tree
Beautiful tree with handmade decorations
House 2
Best Decorations
Fantastic hats and huge snowflakes
House 1
Best Food
Exceptional homemade mince pies
House 3
Best Unique feature
Lovely decorated doors
Keswick
Overall Winner
Keswick
Fantastic hats and huge snowflakes
Social Enterprise at Roedean The Year 11 Business students were lucky enough to be visited by three local Social Enterprises in the past two weeks. They all shared the important ‘why’, ‘how’ and ‘what’ information about their respective organisations. Last week, we welcomed Joel Lewis from Emmaus, which works towards minimising homelessness by providing opportunities for people to gain valuable skills by working in an Emmaus-run charity shop, café or garden centre within the city. The sense of purpose these people gain hugely supports their development. Next up was Nathan Jones, from A Band of Brothers. This charity is run by men, for men, and works to curtail the escalation of self-destructive and anti-social behaviour among young men from every section of society; the way they do this was fascinating to hear. Lastly, we were visited by Simon Hughes, from the Brighton Housing Trust. This umbrella organisation provides a wide-range of services across Sussex, such as counselling, mental health services, and housing advice. The talks were absolutely excellent; they were all engaging, passionately delivered, informative, and, perhaps most importantly, opened all of our eyes to the major social issues upon our doorstep, and what these inspiring organisations are doing to curb these issues. The Business Studies students would urge everyone to explore what these Social Enterprises are doing even further!
Father Christmas himself
Beautiful tree with handmade decorations
Exceptional homemade mince pies
£240 for Roedean calendars for CAP This term, one of the 6.1 Community Action Programme groups has been fundraising for the Clock Tower Sanctuary. This amazing charity runs a day centre for homeless young people in Brighton. The girls visited the centre and wanted to help provide funds for Christmas decorations and an outside light. They decided to create a Roedean calendar to sell at this year’s Christmas Fair, which they designed and made themselves, included organising and taking photographs, as well as manufacturing the finished product, with some amazing support from Mr Burlinson. So far the girls have raised an amazing £240. Should anyone wish to purchase a calendar, please contact Hafsah Butt at hb38@roedean.co.uk Page 3
A wonderful stairway Choir
Lovely decorated doors
9th December 2016 - Issue 12
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
6.1 Christmas activities in Horizons
Brain Day Roedean’s Psychology and Biology 6.2 students came together for a day of learning with Dr Guy Sutton, (Nottingham University and Medical Biology Interactive). Dr Sutton explored themes normally present in the second year medical degree course. We went way beyond the normal A Level syllabus and into the future of cognitive neuroscience; robotic prosthetic limbs that can be manipulated using mind control, neurocriminology with case studies of criminal behaviours that have resulted from brain abnormalities, and an insight into the future of disorders such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s were just some of the fascinating themes that we discovered. We also had the privilege of exploring inside a real brain, with a sheep brain dissection. With regards to neuroplasticity, we can confirm that the experiences of our day were quite literally brain shaping!
Roedean’s Canine Partners Here are some photos of the canine partners, Fennel, Jonah, and Hednrix, whose training your donations at the Gala Concert are helping to support.
Holiday Photo Competition – Light
JRO ‘Guy Sutton gave an amazing presentation, it captured my attention throughout and his enthusiasm was contagious. I loved every bit of it and I hope to attend another of his talks because I learnt so much!’ – Bianca O (6.2) ‘Dr Sutton’s lecture was packed with intellectually stimulating information, combined with Humour. It was a genuinely amazing session.’ – Emily Y (6.2) ‘I really enjoyed the entire day. Guy Sutton is just so interesting and I’ve never met anyone so passionate and enthusiastic about brains!’ – Lili B (6.2)
Are you a budding photographer? The termly Roedean photo competition is back, and the theme for this holiday is ‘light’ – you are free to interpret this as you see fit. The entries for the Easter holiday competition were excellent, and, having seen them displayed on Main Corridor this term, I have no doubt there will be even more entries this Christmas. The deadline for your submissions is Friday 6 January. Please email them to Dr Barrand on marketing@roedean.co.uk – the best entries will be displayed for all to see along the Main Corridor.
Roedean Mission supporting the local community On Friday evening, we attended a party at Monkey Bizness, organised by the Seaford’s Down’s Syndrome and Special Needs Support Group, using money that had been donated by the Roedean Mission. At first, we were afraid that we were not going to fit in because the party was filled with young children. Fortunately, Sam Carragher, Rory Hobbs and Fraser Hobbs came along to the event along with their mothers, Miss Carragher and Mrs Hobbs. They made us feel welcomed by asking us to play with Fraser – the three of us agreed that playing and taking care of Fraser represented a week’s worth of trips to the gym! It was lovely to see so many children having such fun. We particularly enjoyed our trip to see Santa! We would like to thank Miss Carragher for allowing us to take part in this event as we were able to see how the funds of the Roedean Mission are used to help the local community. Natasha T, Sophie E and Albee Q 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
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