18 January 2019 - Issue 2
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Congratulations to all our Year 13 for their university offers
Head’s Introduction
‘Language Buddies’ at St Marks
This week’s Chapel services have been about friendship. As we continue to focus on relationships as one of our whole school foci, it has been a useful and timely reminder of the value of friendship: friends are people that you enjoy your time with, but they are also people who can give you support when it is needed. You need not have known a friend for a long time for them to add value to your life and this week’s Head’s Review is full of little moments of friendship, from the new Language Buddies scheme at St Mark’s Primary School, to the friends made in House 1, to the Y8 girls who have nominated their friends to be Unsung Heroes.
Congratulations to Kinsco (Y7) and Paula (Y8) who became Roedean’s first ever ‘Language Buddies’ last week. As ‘Language Buddies’, the girls will travel to St Mark’s Primary School every week to work with students who speak the same native language as they do: Hungarian and Spanish respectively. Kinsco will be working with two siblings from Reception and Y2. While Paula will work with a student from Y3. The aim of the initiative is to assist the St Mark’s students with their English skills and confidence. Furthermore, it is a fantastic opportunity for Kinsco and Paula to represent Roedean in the wider community and to make a genuine difference in the lives of others. GWI
The Year 11 and Year 13 trials drew to a close this week, and, whilst we wish the pupils the very best of luck as they receive their results, we know that these tests are formative and will highlight areas that they still need to work on alongside the success stories. We know that all our girls will do their best to keep these results in perspective and use them to plan how to move forward. Monday was a day for celebration as we welcomed our new scholars with an evening’s programme of entertainment, speeches and presentations from scholars across the school. The range of interests and ambitions of these pupils was impressive to see and it was great to watch them all addressing the audience with confidence and self-assuredness. We also celebrated those Year 13 pupils who have recently received conditional offers, including those offered conditional Oxbridge places. All these offers represent not only hard work, but the quality and talent of the girls and, in an increasingly competitive environment, represent an achievement worth celebrating. I will end on this thought from The Beatles, in honour of Claudette and Connie’s visit to Abbey Road studios this week: “I’m gonna try with a little help from my friends.” It is choosing to give something a go that creates the opportunities for success and that’s always easier with the encouragement of others. Have a wonderful weekend.
‘I found my first tim ‘Language Buddy’ reall e being a exciting, and I loved y fun and me and Ester. I am lookineting Daniel to getting to know th g forward em helping them with th better and eir English.’ Kinscö
to ‘I am really looking forward t gen elli it. Lola is very kind, int ion iat nc and her English pronu y is great. My parents are ver s thi in ed proud that I am involv program.’ Paula
18 January 2019 - Issue 2
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.
Onate O-D (Yr10) for exceptional netball playing (Wing Defence) against Christ’s Hospital in Saturday’s fixtures [HHY]
Ananya R (Yr9) for being consistently hard working and going the extra mile in English [DWO]
Maria V (Yr9) for always providing thoughtful and inspiring book reviews, and her dedication to reading [HSH]
Martha T (Yr7) for bravely joining in with the Year 9 chapel service as the only Year 7 [JB and JC]
Year 12 Art students take a trip to the pier On Monday Year 12 Art students went out on location to the beach and pier in Brighton to draw and gather source materials for their project which is themed ‘Space and Light’. The weather was kind with brilliant sunshine so we counted ourselves very lucky, given the time of year. Students eagerly filled sketchbooks and took photographs, which will be developed into textile experiments and screen-prints back in the Art studio - watch this space for the outcomes...
House 3 Record project The House 3 girls tried a new craft project last night by melting old records over Pyrex bowls to create storage trays for them to store their trinkets in. Lots of fun was had by all. Izzy B and Bella D (Yr8) for all-round generosity and many random acts of kindness, as well as always putting a smile on everyone’s face. [Tia L and (the other) Izzy B]
Molly T (Yr7), Izzy B (Yr8), Amelia M (Yr8) and Keira D (Yr9) for their tireless help during the Be an Artist for the Day experience day [JCO] The Year 7s and Year 12s who got up early on their Saturday off to help us welcome our visiting girls who came to sit their entrance exams; they did a wonderful job of supporting the girls and making them feel calm and relaxed [Admissions]
Here are the finished products after we had baked the vinyl! We know their parents will love these too as they are records from the 70s and 80s (!)
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. Page 2
Miss Smith for juggling the running of Keswick house during trial exams, teaching great Geography lessons and for going the extra mile and completing the final arrangements for the upcoming Iceland Residential fieldtrip, which she is leading this coming half term [JS]
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
18 January 2019 - Issue 2
Friendship is House 1 by Hanna F (boarder)
Roedean is a great school! At the beginning of the year it felt quite difficult to understand everything and to manage my school day. The first week was very tough, but everybody was new friends so nice and helpful it helped me get through it. My out friends, With helped me as well - for that I`m very thankful. the time living here would not be as fun as it is; I really enjoy alongside live you here, and with them. I really like the idea that want. You can your friends and you can go to them whenever you you can act them; always talk to them and enjoy the time with in groups and however you want to. At the weekends, we often meet body here Every go to Brighton together, which is so much fun! people. This is is very nice, so you don`t always go with the same e and their interesting because you learn a lot about other peopl talk to them cultures. People are open-minded, so it`s easy to e 1 with all the Hous and make friends. I`m very glad that I’m in people here.
Congratulations to all our Year 13 for their university offers Four Year 13 girls have received the wonderful news that they have been offered conditional places to study at Cambridge University. This is an exceptional achievement, and everyone at Roedean is very proud of them. The girls applied for diverse courses, and their offers are the culmination of a lengthy and stressful application and selection process: Sophie H has a place to read Economics at Corpus Christi College; Paloma S and Chelsy Y have been offered places at Newnham College, with which Roedean has an historic link dating back to the Lawrence sisters, to study Modern and Medieval Languages (Spanish and Portuguese), and Philosophy, respectively; Alicia T has won a place to read Mathematics at Murray Edwards College. Well done!
from the list above. We are very proud at Roedean that the girls have the confidence to follow their interests and pursue their passions, rather than conforming to external expectations which may be projected into them. Well done to everyone in Year 13 for negotiating the UCAS process, thank you to all those members of staff and the Sixth Form team who have been involved in guiding and supporting the girls throughout, and, once all the offers are in, good luck with deciding which ones to accept! RB
The first term of Year 13 includes applying for university courses for the vast majority, and, while many apply for courses in the UK, undergraduate study at international institutions is a popular option for many Roedeanians. The 90 students in this round applied for 582 courses worldwide, including 34 who applied for courses in Australia, Canada, Holland, Hong Kong, and America. History, Mathematics, English, Law, Medicine, and International Relations remain popular choices, but the range of other courses that our Year 13 hope to pursue at university is incredibly impressive: this year, Roedean students have applied to read Philosophy and Social Policy, Automotive Engineering, Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science, Silversmithing, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Policy and Economics, and MORSE. Each year, bucking the stereotypical trend which seems to dictate that girls ‘cannot do’ Sciences, very many of our students apply for science-based undergraduate courses, and this year is no exception, as can be seen Page 3
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
18 January 2019 - Issue 2
A Badge is Just the Beginning… On Monday evening, we issued the scholars who started in September with their badges in an event that gave every pupil the opportunity to share what scholarship at Roedean means to her. The celebration began with a reception in the Dance Studio, which was absolutely packed with parents and guests. The atmosphere was buzzing from conversations with the Art and KS5 Academic Scholars, who were showcasing their work. Eden B created a live soundtrack for the occasion, improvising arrangements of well-known songs on the piano. We then moved into the theatre, where Mr Blond and Ms Boobis introduced us to the idea of scholarship as a mindset and a journey, rather than simply an accolade. In fact, we learned, we want all pupils to aspire for scholarship, with those who have badges taking a leading role in taking us there. We had fascinating speeches and presentations from girls in years 7-12, as well as some truly superb contributions from groups of scholars in all areas of the Performing Arts. But that’s enough from me, here are some of the things the girls had to say: “I have really enjoyed all of the opportunities Roedean has given me, such as when Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh came into school and gave us a speech and we got to hold their Olympic medals.” – Katie L, Sports Scholar “I am studying A-level Music, Drama and English Literature. From the age of 3, when I discovered
the film star Doris Day, I have been working towards my goal to bring a positive light and energy to the stage.” – Constance S, Academic and Music Scholar
Edinburgh in 1997. If this was true, wouldn’t we have a mind of our own? We wouldn’t be the exact replica. Would we?” – Roma T, Lawrence Scholar
“Having a scholarship will allow me to expand my knowledge through the various opportunities available to me over the next two years such as academic lectures on Fridays and Top Universities Programme on a Monday . I have travelled since the age of 3 and have lived in 5 countries, including Zimbabwe and India, which has stemmed my interest and love for geography and politics, specifically geopolitics, which I hope to pursue at a top university next year.” – Sophia E, Academic Scholar
“I chose ‘T is for Tree’ by Greg Fowler, because it’s a book about love and friendship, and it showed me that you have to keep going, even when it seems all is lost.” – Mairi D, Academic Scholar
“I have really enjoyed the first few terms here at Roedean. There are so many wonderful opportunities, like the Thursday lunch time Art scholar session I do; we get to do so many new and fun types of art.” – Mollie T, Art and Sports Scholar Our KS3 Academic Scholars donated their favourite books to the St Mark’s Library at the event. Some of the girls explain the books they have chosen: “One of my favourite books is Blood Ties by Sophie Mackenzie . This book gave me the idea that cloning could be done in humans, as it was with Dolly the sheep, who was cloned in
“The book I have chosen is called ‘Boy: Tales of Childhood’, by Roald Dahl. This book has inspired me, with humorous stories from Roald Dahl’s life, to see the world with a positive perspective and to always find the good in things.” – Suraya B, Academic and Music Scholar “The book I have chosen to donate is called ‘The School for Good and Evil’ by Soman Chainani. This book is based around two girls who get taken away to a magical world where fairy tales are real. I enjoyed reading this book because it has made me realise that good and evil can be seen in different ways depending on how you look at them.” – Fleur F, Academic and Drama Scholar The evening was a wonderful celebration. Congratulations to all who took part on presenting yourselves so well. We look forward to seeing what’s next on your adventure! HBO
New Staff Maria Marchant Piano Teacher MM Tina Diplos House Assistant TDI
Sarah Howson EAL Teacher SLH
Julia Nixon Assistant Librarian JNI
Chelsey Pippin Librarian: Fiction Specialist CPI
Kate Wakeling Director of Sport KWA
Page 4
Susan Woodbridge Director of Drama SW
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
18 January 2019 - Issue 2
Sussex Schools’ Cross Country
Personalised Medicine
Elsie B wrote this speech and delivered it from memory on Monday evening. Impressiv e!
My name is Elsie. I am hoping to apply for medicine at university after finishing at sixth form. Before coming to Roedean, I had an interest in genetics, although an admittedly limited knowledge of the area. As part of the Year 12 academic poster project, I was able to further my understanding of the topic, in regards to personalised medicine. The poster project is a chance for all of year 12 to research into an area of their choosing, outside of the A-Level curriculum. Research is collected individually and presented on a poster; behind me is the poster that I produced. The rest of the school were invited to a poster conference where they could view everyone’s work and ask us questions. ‘Personalised medicine’ refers to a new approach to medical care in which illnesses are split into subgroups and patients are treated according to which group their genome is most like. Similar symptoms can be presented by a wide variety of causes. Using the current healthcare procedures, it would not be uncommon for every patient presenting with the same external issue to be prescribed with identical healthcare plans. This is because they are based around treating physical symptoms , rather than identifying underlying genetic issues. One of the main aims of personalised medicine is to use a patient’s genome to pinpoint the exact cause of their symptoms and create a care plan based upon this information. The system will be streamlined so that illnesses are divided into categories according to how previous patients with similar genetic sequences have responded to different types of treatment. Current patients will be assigned to a relevant group using their own genome and will receive a plan designed around this vital information. I chose to research personalised medicine because it links together both medical technology and genetic research – two areas that I have a growing passion for. I began my research on the NHS website. They are one of the leading researchers surrounding the development of personalised medicine due to their involvement with the 100,000 Genomes Project, along with an organisation called ‘Genomics England’. The project was able to map 100,000 genomes by the end of 2018. This is an incredible achievement considering the first human genome was only sequenced in 2003 and took 13 years to complete. Every genome mapped as part of the project corresponded to a person with a type of rare disease, cancer, or a close relative of someone with either of these conditions. From this preliminary research, I found that personalised medicine and cancer treatment were closely linked. To find out more, I read a research paper from the British Medical Journal – a resource made available to me through Roedean’s subscription. Already, breast cancer has been split into subgroups according to genetic markers that clinicians are able to identify within a patient’s genome once it has been sequenced. The effect of chemotherapy on patients in different subgroups has been tested. This means that for patients in a category within which chemotherapy has previously been successful, doctors can focus their care plans accordingly. For those who are not, treatment can be centred around other methods and time will not be wasted administrating a therapy which would not have been optimal for the patient. Without the opportunity to complete an academic project, it is unlikely I would have researched this topic in as much detail. This will be a valuable asset when applying for such a competitive university course. Page 5
The Sussex Schools’ Cross Country event was a great occasion with the Junior Girls up first. The course was 1 lap of 3km. Roedean girls set off to a strong start and paced themselves throughout. Special mention goes to Sophie N, who had a fantastic race and came in fifth, resulting in qualifying for a place in the Sussex team at Intercounties. Congratulations to Rania K, Sydney O, Nia S and Rose O who all performed brilliantly and had a strong race. The Inter Girls’ race was up next and the course was 3.5km. Roedean started strong and all our girls had a great race. They paced themselves during the first lap and increased their pace during the second. All girls managed to dig deep on the last hill, with strong sprint finishes. Huge congratulations to Sophia C, Luella B, Hanna F, Esme B and Annie X. Well done to both Junior and Senior Teams!
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Teatime recitals The music department programme of masterclasses and teatime recitals recommences this term with a String Masterclass run by the fabulous Cellist Zoë Martlew on Monday 28th January. There will be a chance to hear some of the girls and Zoë play afterwards in a short recital in the Old Ref at 4:20pm. Tea and cake will be provided. This is followed by two in-house events in March: an informal Teatime Recital for all on Monday 4th March (please start signing up), and on Monday 18th March we are visited by the incredible Sacconi String Quartet, who are here to run a Chamber Music day and have also kindly agreed to perform for us. http://sacconi.com/ All students learning in or out of school are invited to sign up for these events. Please check the sign-up sheets and email sob@roedean.co.uk with the pieces you wish to play. Tickets are available at www.roedeantheatre.co.uk. Attendees should arrive at Main Reception.
BOOK REVIEW OF THE WEEK – by Maria V (8D)
The Extinction Trials by S.M. Wilson The Extinction Trials is tense, gripping and unputdownable. The novel is set in the poorest corner of a harsh dystopian world, and features a trial that involves people competing - in an environment packed with aggressive dinosaurs and determined competitors(!) - for a prize of much needed food and medicine. It was great to see a strong female character, Stormchaser, who was inspirational in her drive to succeed. This book has so many surprising twists and turns, which make the reader feel riveted and, at times, frightened. The Extinction Trials has often been described as The Hunger Games meets Jurassic Park. I literally could not turn the pages fast enough. The good news is that there are two more books in the series! I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes an absorbing and exciting read. Catch S.M. Wilson, along with the other authors on the SSBA shortlist, at next Friday’s SSBA event in Roedean Theatre.
A Visit to the Iconic Abbey Road Studios Claudette H-L and Connie S went to Abbey Road with the Brighton Festival Youth Choir on Saturday 12th January. Below, Claudette tells us about her experience: We travelled by coach from Falmer, Brighton, to London as a group of 30 from my choir (Brighton Festival Youth Choir) and arrived in London about midday. We had our photos taken on the famous zebra crossing and on the steps of the studio entrance then had lunch in the cafeteria and garden of the studio. There was a lot of waiting around, but we were called into Studio 2 (the most iconic of the studios, it has been the site of recordings by The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Oasis and Adele, to name but a few!) at 1.30 after the 100 piece orchestra (!) had done their part. Pete Townsend (of the rock band The Who) was in the control room when we arrived. He came into the studio, introduced himself and explained what he does and what his new opera is about: he told us that he was influenced by the current trend of taking stories and tales
from neighbourhoods. He explained that he had asked people who live in his area what they think about, what worries them, and what concerns them - the majority of answers included global warming, Brexit and Donald Trump. He is using these concerns as the basis of this new piece: ‘The age of Anxiety’. We were told to put on our ‘cans’ (headphones!) and then we listened to the introduction to our chorus and ran through it, learning where our cue was. We spent an about 30 minutes doing a few takes and then we were done! It went by very quickly... Afterwards, we had time for a quick visit to the shop - I bought 2 badges, a key ring and a cap before getting back on the coach to head back to Brighton. It was an amazing experience and I feel really honoured to have been part of the day. Page 6
18 January 2019 - Issue 2
Be an Artist for a Day 17 enthusiastic Year 6 artists joined the Art Department on Tuesday for a day of artistic explorations. The girls were able to experience what it is like being a Roedean Art student. They spent the day exploring the theme of sweets and cakes in lots of different media, including printing and painting. Each girl made her own sketchbook, which was featured along with their paintings in an end-of-experience exhibition.
18 January 2019 - Issue 2
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Netball
Making a Real Splash! Last weekend was a busy weekend of swimming for Mollie T. She swam at Brighton’s Tom Handley gala and won gold in the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke. Mollie is now preparing for the Sussex County Championships, which are held over two weekends in February. She is aiming to retain her County title in all three breaststroke distances. From there, she will compete for the first time in the Regional Championships in May. Well done Mollie – we hope it continues to go swimmingly!
U12A vs Brighton College
The U12As had a fantastic game against Brighton College. Both teams worked hard through the windy weather, this made the shooting particularly tricky. A great first quarter from Roedean settled the team into the game nicely. With some excellent defence from both teams the next 3 quarters were a lot closer. Well done to Ruby A who received Opposition’s Player, Ella B who received Player’s Player and Pearl P who received Coach’s Player. The final score was 8-3 to Roedean, well done girls! U12C
U12B vs Brighton College
The U12B had an exceptional game under some very windy circumstances against Brighton College on Wednesday. The girls started a bit manic in the first quarter and consequently made some rushed decisions, however, after a talk at quarter time, the girls went back on composed and, as a result, managed to maintain better possession. I was extremely impressed with all of the girls’ effort and attitudes as they all tried to take on board and apply the instructions given. Some stand out performances from many, however, deservedly, the Opposition’s Player went to Tabitha K and Coach’s Player to Elsie F. The final score was 6-3 to Roedean.
U12C vs Brighton College
The U12C had a great game against Brighton College Prep in the windy conditions. Both teams were fighting hard to keep the ball in play and keep possession. In the first half, Roedean were applying pressure well and Brighton College were using the space well. In the second half, Roedean
showed great determination throughout, making sure that they were spaced out when receiving the ball and that the ball was being played effectively into the D towards our shooters. It was a close game and well done to all! The overall result was 2-0 to Roedean. A special mention goes to Jamie H, who played some fantastic midcourt play and received Girl of the Game.
U13D vs Worth
The U13D had a challenging game in some challenging conditions against Worth on Wednesday. A huge well done to Beatrice S who played her first ever game of netball. We worked on our process goals in attack and defence, and at half time the score was 5-0 to Worth. Our main aim was spacing in the second half and this focus gave us the opportunity to score three goals, however the final result was 3-10 to Worth. Player of the Match was Dani C.
House Hyacinth Challenge Way back in September, all six Boarding Houses were given a hyacinth bulb to grow. First prize would go to the first flowering bulb. House 1’s is coming along nicely, but nowhere near in flower. We are not sure what happened to House 2 and 3’s! First prize goes to… House 4! Well done! Yours looks absolutely amazing! Thank you to
all the houses for their participation and green fingers! JWL
Going for Goals Bryony I has been selected to be in the Independent Schools Football Association (ISFA) U18 England squad to play against Scotland on Sunday the 3rd of February. This is a very prestigious event and we all wish Bryony the very best for the game.
JJ WHAT’S COMING UP IN THE
WEEK AHEAD?
Mon 21 Jan
Staff vs Pupils Football
Tue 22 Jan
U13A County Cup Netball vs Davison CE High 3FALL Dance Company workshops and performance
Wed 23 Jan
U13A Netball tournament at Hurst (A) U13B,C&D vs Lingfield College (A) U12A,B,C&D vs Lingfield College (H) Year 9 GCSEs options fair
Keswick 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
House 4
Fri 25 Jan
SOUTHERN SCHOOL BOOK AWARDS EVENING
Sat 26 Jan
Exeat
Follow us
@RoedeanSchool
@RoedeanSchool