11 October 2019 - Issue 6
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Head’s Introduction Half-term is nearly here, and I want to congratulate the students and staff on everything they have achieved in the first half of term – well done! Open Day last weekend was an excellent event, and it was the girls who had a large part to play in its success – they were charming, confident, and completely natural, and quite simply exemplified what our visitors are hoping for their daughters. The comments included in this Review are just some of those we have received, but they give a strong sense of what our visitors felt. I am very grateful to all the girls and my colleagues whose combined efforts produce an event which is so impressive – thank you! I am currently in Hong Kong, visiting ORs, as well as meeting the parents of both current and prospective students, along with Mrs Banham. I am delighted to report that the profile of Roedean internationally is impressive, and, over the next month or so, a number of colleagues will be travelling to countries where our School has established links, including Ghana, China, Mexico, and Thailand. I enjoyed House Drama this week, and I was impressed with the girls’ hard work in producing pieces which told the story of influential women’s lives. All the Houses did well, but House 4’s combination of story-telling with music won over the judges – well done to them, but also to everyone involved.
Open Day and the Sixth Form Information Evening Following last Thursday’s Sixth Form Information Evening, which was for the current Year 11 and those considering joining the Roedean Sixth Form, Open Day on Saturday was the biggest we have hosted, and it was incredibly successful. We welcomed many families to Roedean, the majority with prospective students for Year 7 entry, but there were also a good number considering entry into Years 9 and 12. The School looked wonderful, the weather was kind, and the performances as part of the presentations were outstanding, particularly the iconic song from Les Misérables, 'One Day More', which, due to preparations for House Drama, was produced with about 4 hours’ rehearsal! Thank you to everyone who was involved in making these events such a success – the students always make such an impression on our visitors, and they really do sell the School. We have had wonderful feedback from the families who came, and here are a couple to give you a flavour:
wled ‘Mabel and I were bo gy er over by the en , t aspiration, and spiri ol. shown at the scho e The highlight was th Theatre presentation in the , at the end of the tour an ite qu e which mad ’ impression on Mabel!
‘What a day indeed! The girls were undoubtedly the stars of the show. Every pupil I spoke to seemed so well-rounded, confident, and welcoming. They really were the embodiment of ‘the spirit of Roedean.’
Soon after we return from half-term, we have Speech Day for all those in Years 10-13 – I am looking forward to seeing our leavers back, with stories of university and life after Roedean, as well as welcoming our Guest Speaker, Rachel Parris – I am sure that she will be incredibly engaging. Good luck for the residential trips over the coming days – it is amazing that six year-groups will be out at the same time, and Year 11 will be doing activities on site to prepare them for this busy year. I look forward to hearing all about what you get up to! I wish you all a wonderful break when half-term arrives!
International Day – 22 November After half term, on Friday 22 November, Roedean will be hosting our first ‘International Day’. It is a celebration of our diversity as a school, and it is important for the whole community to come together and wear clothing that represents all the different nations represented at Roedean. Over the half term, please prepare clothes that are representative of your cultural backgrounds – this includes national costumes, flag colours, face paints, sports jerseys and such. We are excited to see all the nationalities represented on the day!
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
11 October 2019 - Issue 6
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. Hettie H (Yr7) for playing the piano with such confidence in the two Chapel services this week [JHO]
Lottie M (Yr13) for stepping in as an ‘honorary’ prefect on Open Day, when others were on university visits [RB]
Grace R (Yr13) for compèring the House Drama so brilliantly [SW]
UCAS Congratulations to Year 13, who are making good progress with the process of applying to universities – well over a quarter of the yeargroup have already submitted their UCAS forms, well ahead of the main deadline, which is the end of term. The brilliant result is that three students already have an offer – well done to Lottie M, who has an offer from Kent, Kristine S, who has an offer from Manchester, and Rosie J, who has an offer from Exeter! This process is incredibly detailed and time-consuming, not only for each student, but also for Mrs Sharp and Mr Homer who have to process the applications, so they deserve a huge vote of thanks! JHO
Staff news
Biology Week This week, we celebrated the Royal Society of Biology's annual Biology week with a range of exciting practical activities. Students were able to carry out DNA fingerprinting as part of a Forensics workshop, investigate fish and mammal anatomy by dissecting some organ systems and yesterday, 20 new cauliflower clones were created using tissue culture methods! We hope they grow during half term and the students involved are excited to see how they are getting on after half term. Well done to all who got involved in these activities, it has been an interesting and inspiring week.
Our very amazing new teaching assistant, Ms Emelumadu, has just won first prize in the Curtis Brown First Novel Award. Details of the award, but not the book, called Dazzling, can be found here. https://www.curtisbrowncreative. co.uk/first-novel-prize/
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Current Year 12 work in the Art Department
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
11 October 2019 - Issue 6
House Drama House Drama on Tuesday was an exhilarating evening, jam-packed with talent. Each House created a short drama by combining performance skills in acting, singing, and dance (and even puppetry from House 3!) to tell the stories of four extraordinary women who were the first to achieve prominence in their field of expertise. The girls had worked hard to create their plays as this was entirely student-led. The directors had to cast, rehearse, and write their scripts. They then had to put a technical team together in order to produce and operate a smooth running performance. The evening opened with House 3 taking us on a journey from factory to space – this earned them an award for Best Movement Sequence as they depicted Valentina Tereshkova’s factory co-workers dancing as they worked to the music of Little Mix! Next was House 1 who delicately told the story of Wangari Maathai, which earned them an award for Best Narrative. The penultimate performance was House 2 who brilliantly acted the marvellous adventures of Maria Mitchell’s scientific achievements. The evening was closed by the overall winners, House 4, who used spoken poetry and song to effectively reveal the herculean achievements of Junko Tabei. The judges were impressed with the girls’ performances, including our guest judge Emma Lowndes, who is an established film, television, and theatre actor. All the girls worked so hard right down to the last minute; I am very proud to have had the honour to be a part of a wonderful evening. SW
Best Narrative
House 1
Best Ensemble or Movement Sequence
House 3
Best Leading Actor
House 4
Best Overall Acting
House 2
Best Direction
House 4
Best Sound
House 3
Best Lighting
House 2
Best Costume
House 1
Overall Winner : Best House Drama
House 4
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11 October 2019 - Issue 6
STUDENT SUPPLEMENT
My first half term at Roedean
Greta Thunberg – what happens next?
Rosa L (Yr7)
Rosa L (Yr7)
During my first half term at Roedean, I have participated in so many amazing opportunities! Not only have we had a visit from a research scientist and future astronaut, but in these few weeks I have taken part in a book binding course, House badminton, a drama scholar play, European Day of Languages, and my very first Open Day! True, I have got lost a few times, but there is always a friendly face along the corridor and everyone will help as best they can, even if you don’t know them very well. I found the transition from waking up at 7:35 to getting on the bus at 7:35 very challenging – I was always running late and almost missing the bus pretty much every day. But then I discovered a useful system: instead of just setting an alarm for waking up and leaving the house and constantly having to check the time, I set an alarm for waking up, an alarm for starting eating, an alarm for finishing eating, et cetera. This helped me become much more organised and I’m not usually late anymore! I think the addition of HHH (Heads, Hands, and Heart) is a delightful touch to the week. You can learn anything from sign language to self-defence to cooking or philosophy, depending on what you choose. My advice for anyone who is considering coming to Roedean is to throw yourself into everything, because there are so many opportunities and your future self will thank you. One last thing, the cookies at Horizons café are amazing!
We all know who Greta Thunberg is, she is a climate change sensation. This girl is living proof that 16-year olds should have the vote and a say in all political events. But, what has she been up to recently? Let’s find out. Greta has recently travelled to America, but she did not wish to travel by plane or on a fuel-burning boat, because she doesn’t want to contribute to the large carbon footprint of unsustainable greenhouse gases. She went by zero carbon boat instead. But what did she do in America? Well… she attended a school strike and several other events at the United Nations, in Manhattan. Greta took part in a climate march of 500,000 people in Montreal, Canada. The activist has addressed UN member states at a UN net zero emissions summit. This girl’s journey went from sitting outside the Swedish government buildings on Fridays, by herself, with a little hand-written sign, to leading and inspiring enormous climate change strikes and marches. But the question on everyone’s minds is, where will it go next?
Fun Roedean Wordsearch
Joke corner 1. Why did the picture go to
jail?
2. What did one wall say to the other wall?
3. Why do bicycles fall over? ep
4. Why do dragon’s sle during the day?
5. What did Cinderella say when her photos did not show up?
CLIFF FARM FRIENDS KINDNESS
LIBRARY PUPILS ROEDEAN TEACHERS
THEATRE VIEW
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He was framed! I’ll meet you at the corner. They are two-tired. So they can fight knights! Someday my prints will come! It over-swept!
BOARDING BRIGHTON CARING CLASSROOM
late? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
6. Why was the broom
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Maria wins the Library’s National Poetry Day competition Well done to Maria V (Yr9) for winning the library’s National Poetry Day (3 October) competition. The girls could submit an original poem, in any style. Her prizes were sweets and a book token. This is her poem –
11 October 2019 - Issue 6
Art Trip to the Tate Modern Year 11-13 Art students went to the Tate Modern yesterday. They saw the Olafur Elliasson Exhibition. This was particularly valuable for those Year 12 students working on the theme of Light and Space. They were also able to explore different media, such as installations and moving image art. The other students had the opportunity to explore the permanent collection to find inspiration for their current independent work. Everyone was incredibly impressed by the huge water sculpture by Cara Walker which fills the cavernous Turbine Hall - what a brilliant trip!
Butterfly! Thine beauty stirs me Butterfly! Thine beauty stirs me in ways galore – Thine splendid spectrum of colours renders me Full of grace, admirat ion and awe, As in wondrous nature, I gaze upon thee. Fluttering and frolicking, my heart soars At the sight of thy velvety wings.
Oh how I wish eternal life could be yours! How dost though feel when the universe brings Sorrow and despair?
When I feel, dear creature, the pain of lost love, To go to the depths of my soul I do not dare – Wouldst thou like me, rise above? Amongst the disorder of light and shade Let us together the shadows evade.
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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
11 October 2019 - Issue 6
Chapel – Inspirational Sea-Swimmers Gracie: Gertrude Ederle was another swimmer in the 1920s. She grew up by the sea in New York. Her father taught her to swim by tying a rope to her and dropping her over the side of a rowing boat. Despite that or perhaps because of that, swimming became her all-consuming passion.
Dr Hobbs led this week’s Chapel services, talking about sea-swimming, which is becoming popular at Roedean again, and Sophia (Yr13), Gracie (Yr12), and Jemima (Yr10) introduced us to three incredible women in the history of swimming: JHO: As you may know, Roedean has a proud tradition of sea swimming. The tunnel to the sea was built specifically to allow girls easy access to the beach to swim. And this year, to celebrate this and reconnect Roedean with the spirit of sea, we are training to swim across the Channel to France. So far, 35 girls have been involved and, from this, a team of 6 will be selected to swim in the cross-Channel relay in June 2020. Today’s Chapel will be led by three of those swimmers, Sophia, Gracie and Jemima who will each share with you stories of inspiring women. Each of the women you will hear about broke new ground. Each one accomplished things that no human being before them had achieved. Their exploits span across time going back almost 100 years and stretching forward right to the present. To begin the story, we need to go back to the early 1900s, when women were not allowed to enter the sea with any part of their body uncovered. Women wore full-length woollen suits or bloomers and woollen leggings to get in the sea. To protect the modesty, they sat in covered carriages and were towed into the sea by horses. Men even believed that if women exerted themselves and swam too much they might die. One young woman who was determined to prove this wrong was a girl named Mercedes Gleitze. Whilst Roedean was busy building its tunnel to the sea, she was a ten year-old girl in Brighton. Sophia: Mercedes was born in Brighton in 1900. The family lived by the beach and Mercedes grew to love swimming in the sea. In 1913, when tensions in Europe were high, her mother, who was German, decided to move the family back to Germany. So at the age of 13, Mercedes who loved the sea was hundreds of miles away from the shore. Her solution to that problem was simple but naive. She decided to walk to the north coast of Germany, over 500 miles, and swim to England. Literally. It was a mad idea, but she was so desperate that she went ahead. She made it to the coast and walked into the water and swam. Luckily, after a few miles and on the verge of drowning from the cold, she was pulled from the water by a fisherman. Amazingly, that experience didn’t make her give up on her dream of returning to England or swimming across the channel.
Gertrude was a different kind of trailblazer to Mercedes. It is thanks to her that women now have the freedom to wear modern swimsuits. She designed and tested a two-piece costume made of silk. Through constant small tweaks she effectively created the first modern bathing costume – the forerunner of the bikini. Many men, considered this positively indecent, but she ploughed on nonetheless, and used the scandal to publicise her role as a ground-breaking swimmer. But, what really set her apart was the speed and power of her stroke and her phenomenal powers of endurance. She could outswim any man of her generation over long distances. At age 16, she broke her first world record and over the next 4 years she held 29 world records. Then, at the age of 22, she became the first woman to swim the channel. She smashed the record for the fastest swim set by a man by over two hours. She hit the front pages of newspapers worldwide and her record went on to stand for 24 years unbeaten by man or woman. Jemima: Imagine swimming alone in the dark, in one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. You, plus about 600 tankers and 200 ferries per day. Imagine doing this in just a basic swimsuit, hat and goggles – in water temperatures that can plummet to 6 degrees. You can’t stop, no matter how tired. You take in liquid carbohydrate mix from a water bottle thrown to you on a rope. The pain from jellyfish stings takes your breath away. You throw up any food you manage to take in from seasickness. Now imagine doing this for more than 54 hours straight – no stops, no sleep – four consecutive crossings of the English Channel – a total distance of 130 miles in strong currents. And that is exactly what 37 year old American Sarah Thomas did in September this year. Just one year after completing treatment for breast cancer that comprised of surgery, 20 rounds of gruelling chemotherapy and 25 rounds of radiation therapy. She did it for ‘all the survivors out there’. She said, ‘I would say 90% of it is mental. You have to believe in yourself that you can do it first, and just really train your mind to push through all those barriers when your body says stop and to keep going even when you want to quit.’ JHO: For their amazing powers of strength in adversity, for their unswerving commitment to their dreams, for their selfless support of others and for giving everyone the right to believe that anything is possible, let us be thankful to Mercedes, Gertrude, and Sarah and let us all adopt the spirit of these trailblazing women and take into the world our own dreams and ambitions and make them real.
In fact, refusing to give up became a consistent feature of her life. She became the first human being to swim across the straits of Gibraltar from Africa to Spain – succeeding after 5 attempts. She attempted to swim from Scotland to Northern Ireland 7 times in two years, finally making it to within a mile of the Irish shore. Nobody – man nor woman – had ever done it before and she paved the way for people to believe it was possible. In 1927, she also achieved her dream of swimming across the English Channel. Page 6
11 October 2019 - Issue 6
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Netball
Hockey
1st team vs Gordon’s School
U15A vs Burgess Hill
The 1st team travelled to Bracknell on Tuesday to play in their second match of the national cup. The girls worked unbelievably hard the entire game, losing narrowly 45-51 to a strong Gordon’s side. They came back from being 10 down after the first quarter, to winning the second quarter 16-11. They demonstrated strength throughout the court with Demi A and Ella L picking off interceptions and tips to the Gordon’s shooters who hardly missed. Georgia H put pressure on the wing throughout the game and Jess K and Sophia C worked the ball with patience and vision into the circle. The shooters for the Roedean side had their work cut out for them and they were able to deliver. Carla F created some great opportunities in the circle for Liv H and Scarlett R to score some beautiful goals. Scarlett took home a welldeserved opposition’s Girl of the Game with her impressive 82% shooting stats. Coaches’ Player of the Match went to Jess, who was relentless at Centre, working tirelessly in attack and defence!
The U15As had a highly competitive match against Burgess Hill. Great driving runs from Sophie and Sylva down the flanks allowed Roedean to get back into the game in the second half. Despite injuries, Roedean kept fighting, with some last-ditch tackling and some glorious saves from Nicole. The final score was 5-4 to Burgess Hill. Well done girls!
Liv’s made the GB Water Polo Squad Congratulations to Liv H (Yr12) who has been selected for the Great Britain Women’s Water Polo Squad. She recently attended a GB training camp, and her talent and commitment have resulted in this selection, which is an outstanding achievement!
Constance is ‘flying’ in the pool! Amazing successes again for Constance at an open meet in Aldershot on 5 and 6 October, Constance medalled in all 6 events she competed in. She won 4 gold and 2 silver medals. Well done, Constance!
Sussex Hockey for Alice and Elodie Congratulations to Alice M and Elodie N who have also been selected for the Sussex County Hockey U13 Junior Academy Centre this year! Well done!
Roedean Swimming Gala – winners! The girls did exceptionally well in their 2nd swimming gala this term. They beat Burgess Hill, Roedean Moira House and Hurst in the Junior, Intermediate, and Open categories. 1st Roedean: 66 points 2nd Hurst: 46 points 3rd Burgess Hill: 37 points 4th Roedean Moira House: 31 points Well done to all those who participated, and good luck at Wednesday’s gala.
1st team
U13A victory vs Reigate Grammar
The U13A had a phenomenal match against Reigate Grammar. The girls went out desperate for the win, after being knocked out by the same school this time last year. They had a fantastic start, pulling ahead early which helped the girls settle into the game. Reigate came out stronger in the second quarter, but Roedean clung onto the lead they had built up. All the girls made fast drives to the ball, with the defence linking up to the attack nicely. Grace T played excellently, reading the game brilliantly. This game showed how hard the girls have worked all year, showing a 20 goal improvement from the last game. Roedean took the win 29-21. Well done girls!
Introduction to our Guest Speaker for Speech Day – Rachel Parris Speech Day on 2 November will be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the girls’ successes over the last year, and to welcome back our Leavers, many of whom have already embarked upon the next stage of their educations at university. Our Guest Speaker is Rachel Parris, the English musical comedian and improviser, and star of BBC2’s The Mash Report.
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
JJ WHAT’S COMING UP IN AFTER
HALF TERM?
Tue 29 Oct
Aquathlon Competition (H) Dance GCSE & Scholars’ Trip to see Giselle at Brighton Dome
Wed 30 Oct
U13C & U12A,B&C Hockey vs Brighton College Prep (A)
Thur 31 Oct
Halloween Fright Night Maze
Fri 1 Nov
1st (H) and U15A (A) Hockey vs Brighton College
Sat 2 Nov
SPEECH DAY
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