18th November 2016 - Issue 9
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Head’s Introduction
There have been a wide range of activities in school this week, with sport at all levels, the inter-House hockey competition, music and drama rehearsals for the Gala Concert and the winter production, as well as the Young Enterprise masterclass for girls in 6.1 and the Lit Quiz for the younger girls. I am delighted that the girls have so many opportunities here at Roedean. Congratulations to our U14 Hockey team for their success in winning the East Grinstead tournament and to our two Lit Quiz teams in Years 7 & 8 who achieved a fantastic second and third place out of 22 competitor schools. I hope that the trial GCSE exams went well for the girls in U5; the experience of sitting
the papers in real examination conditions is so valuable. It is important to remember that there are still two terms to go before the actual papers, and the trials are part of the learning process not an end point. I am sure that they will highlight some areas which need extra attention or further revision before May, but that is exactly what they are designed to do, so embrace the opportunity to do something about it now. Alongside our girls doing their mocks, we had a group of external girls hoping to win scholarships to join the Sixth Form yesterday, and it was very good to welcome them to Roedean. I was very pleased to welcome Rose HudsonWilkin, our honorary Chaplain, to Roedean today. After leading prayers in Parliament, she travelled down to Brighton to sit in some
Mock Art GCSE Exams “There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who, thanks to their art and intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun.” Pablo Picasso
A Little Night Music Gala Concert Friday 25 November 2016 7.30 pm - Centenary Sports Hall Harlem Nocturne, Arabian Nights, Mozart Symphony No. 25 (Amadeus) and much more. Something for every musical taste in our highly diverse programme. This will be a charity event with drinks and snacks available. All welcome. Tickets: Online: www.roedeantheatre.co.uk Tel: 01273 667655 Tickets free - however please note that tickets must be booked in advance
Last week the sunlight was shining down into the Art and Design studio at Roedean. Year 11 Art GCSE girls were producing inspirational art work for their mock trials, coursework title – Collections. The girls were working in a variety of different mediums, from screen printing to detailed illustrations, embroidery and 3D design. Our budding artists were truly magnificent in their quest for creative perfection. Well done to all girls for exemplary planning and outstanding creativity. GRE
Remembrance Sunday at Rottingdean
classes and see what goes on in our classrooms. She also gave a wonderful address at this afternoon’s service of celebration for Sue Stanway, who retired last year after 46 years at Roedean, and Simon Rothon, who was Chair of Council for 5 years. The choir sang beautifully, and the girls were in very good voice too, singing with particular gusto in Jerusalem, one of Simon’s favourite hymns. The service was followed by a Reception for the guests who had joined us for the service and the staff, and it was a lovely occasion. I am looking forward to the Gala Concert at the end of next week. It will be December before we know it, so I am glad that the preparations for the Christmas Fair on the 3rd are well underway. I do hope to see you there. I wish you all a wonderful week.
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.
18th November 2016 - Issue 9
Young Enterprise Masterclass The Young Enterprise students enjoyed a masterclass this Tuesday lunchtime based on their role in their company. Phil Dean from Worthing High School gave a fantastic masterclass on leadership which involved the students making a machine in three minutes, Lara Squires from Consortium Business
Solutions led a session on marketing which had many students see business from a brand new perspective, and our own Mr Poffley introduced the students to finance in a Young Enterprise company. Thank you to our speakers and Mr Low for a very informative session! CCR
House 2 Shrek night and pizza-making!
Azzurra Smith (U3) for an outstanding amount of time and effort over each piece of Geography prep [HSM]
Charlotte Smith (6.1) for organising the sheep naming competition [KRH]
Last week, some girls in House 2 and I organised a movie night for anyone who wanted to come. The advertising posters we put up all over the school worked, and we ended up having a great turnout, with more than 20 girls from all different Houses gathered in the House 2 ODR to eat popcorn and watch over three and half hours of movies from the ‘Shrek’ franchise. While we only made it through the first two movies, we still had an amazing time, and somehow managed to eat our way through four whole bowls of popcorn. It was a great experience, and I can’t wait to host another movie night in House 2. Ndali Brume (U5) House 2 girls also enjoyed a fantastic pizzamaking evening last Friday. They loved the entire process, from kneading the dough to make the bases, to decorating the pizzas with various ingredients. We had heart shaped pizzas, mini pizzas, square pizzas, burnt pizzas(!), and a calzone. It was great!
Henriette Meyer, Samantha Wong, and Jean Dumrongjaroen (L5) for exceptional improvement in English Literature in a very short space of time [DWO]
Kids’ Literature Quiz
Maia Hobbs (U4), Senior Troubleshooter, for her invaluable and tireless help on Discovery Day [JCO]
Serena Clyde (L4) for making such a good effort when writing Elizabeth I’s obituary [RCH]
Miss Callow for organising two brilliant evenings in House 2 [LTA] Millie Hoffmann (U3) for rounding up our free-ranging ewe [KRH]
This week Roedean entered two teams (Year 7 and Year 8) in the Kids’ Literature Quiz. This is an annual literature competition for students aged 10 to 13. The girls competed in the Southern England heat of the quiz at The Duke of Kent school in Surrey on 17 November where the three-hour competition consisted of ten challenging genre rounds which included Amphibians, Fire, Witches, Animals and World War One. Questions ranged from ‘Who put a frog in his wife’s bed?’ to ‘What was the name of the White Witch in the Narnia series?’ The girls gave a brilliant performance, each Roedean team achieving top scores in many of the rounds, winning books and vouchers. Twenty-two teams participated in the Southern England heat and the final score was very close with the Royal Grammar School gaining the top spot with 75.5 points, our Year 7 team (Dorothea Blond, Sylva Crawley, Flo Inns Slater and Alma Samocha) coming second with 73 points and our Year 8 team (Esme Boden, Niah Salmon, Jane Simmons and Megan Turtle) achieving third place with 72 points. Well done to both Roedean teams! SBL Page 2
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
18th November 2016 - Issue 9
Maddison with Ethiopian orphans Last year, Roedean introduced the Air, Land, and Sea travel awards, open to members of 6.1, to help them to undertake a trip or challenge which will make a difference. This year, Amelia Balthazor, Emily Lyth, Tara McMaster, Maddison Murphy, Maya Conteh-McKay, and Laura Waterman have been successful, and their projects are as varied as they are exciting. Maddison Murphy (6.2) went to Ethiopia over the summer holiday to volunteer at an orphanage, and this is what she said about her trip: ‘When deciding on what I wanted to do over the summer, volunteering in Ethiopia did not originally come to mind. So why Ethiopia? Here are just a few statistics to give you an idea of what life is like there: ■■
with an estimated population of 86 million people, 78% of Ethiopians struggle with an income below US$2 a day
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for every 1,000 children five years old and younger, there are 166 deaths
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preventable diseases, including malaria, account for at least 60% of health problems in the country
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the UN estimates that the number of street children totals 150 to 200 thousand, with approximately 50 to 60 thousand in the capital, Addis Ababa.
It was this last statistic that really struck me, so I decided to find out about the conditions orphans face on the streets of Addis Ababa,
every day. Most do not have access to shelter or adequate food. They survive on what they receive from shining shoes, selling small items, and begging. There are also health risks, with data suggesting that some 30% are seriously ill with no access to any kind of treatment. These children see shelter as a way of reducing such risks, but it can only be provided by charities. One such charity is Shamida, which is an orphanage on the outskirts of Addis Ababa which takes in street children with the hope of finding them a permanent family. Its mission is to contribute towards the development and self-sufficiency of children in destitute circumstances. After hearing about the difference it had made in the local community, I decided I had to see it for myself. When I arrived at Shamida, I did not expect the warm welcome I received. With few volunteers, a team of 8 women look after 15 or so children at a time. Their patience and affection when caring for these children astounded me. They taught me how to make a bottle, weigh babies and even how to speak a tiny bit of Amharic, the Ethiopian national language. My favourite part of the whole experience was meeting the children. Every day, I got to learn more about each of them, whether this was their favourite colour or their background story. Through teaching them and reading to them, I got to know their individual personalities and see them develop during my time there. They were so full of joy and love that it was obvious what a difference Shamida had made
and I am extremely grateful I got to experience their amazing community. The following quotation is painted on a wall at the orphanage: “family is not about blood, it’s about who is willing to hold your hand when you need it the most”. I am sure this means something different to everyone, but to me this symbolises the work the Shamida community does.’ What a wonderful and invigorating experience Maddison has had - we look forward to seeing what trips next year’s award winners undertake!
SPORT
Netball
Another amazing win for Roedean in the BMW league Tuesday evening saw our BMW Netball squad continue the push for promotion in the league. Hollingdean Hearts are known for their physical style of play and, in the past, they have had the one up over Roedean. This year however, the girls are more experienced, more resilient, and have also had the consistency of regular players in the set up. We put our stamp on the game in the 1st quarter with a 9-1 lead. Our shooters were on fantastic form, with Gabriella Riley and Zarbanu Malekshahi clocking up a further 11 goals in the 2nd quarter to take the score line to 20-7. The game started to become highly charged in the 3rd quarter with some tough defence from our opponents. Roedean dug deep to hold their nerve, and, although Hollingdean put up a tremendous fight back in the final quarter, their mistakes were punished early on and Roedean held them off to win 36-29 in the league, and we will face Wasps next week.
Fantastic U14 Netball victory versus Blatchington Mill On Monday, our U14A squad played against Blatchington Mill at Roedean. This was the first time these teams have met since the National Schools, where Roedean narrowly won to take the last regional place into the next round of the competition. It was a highly charged game from the start, with strong defence from both teams. We went into half-time up 18 goals to 9, thanks to an amazing display by both our shooters, Liv Henderson and Beatrix Wright. Fatigue started to play a part for both teams in the final quarter and Blatchington Mill made a strong comeback, but the damage had already been done and Roedean came away winners with an impressive 32-15 display. The player of the match was awarded to Liv Henderson, whose shooting was exceptional, but the whole squad made an impressive contribution. The hard work in training continues, to prepare for the regional round of the National Schools’ tournament, which takes place in Hampshire in January.
BMW Netball
U14A
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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
18th November 2016 - Issue 9
SPORT
Hockey
Great wins for the U13 and U14 Hockey teams The U13A team had one of their most exciting games of the season and secured an excellent and well deserved win of 4-1 against Worth. It was a truly brilliant game which saw the result of weeks of training all coming together nicely on the pitch. Every player demonstrated secure tactical understanding and great skill, as well as excellent fitness levels throughout. The players’ player was Sophia Clyde for her consistent play and excellent goal, and the coaches’ player was Liv Taggart for her outstanding performance in midfield and what would have been the goal of the season if the quarter had been just 1 second longer! It was great to see a mixed U14/U13 team take on Hurst. The poor weather didn’t dampen the team’s spirits and the girls rose to the challenge in front of their supporters. We were dominant from the first whistle, and the girls made several runs down both wings to put pressure on their keeper and defensive pattern. The first goal took a while to come, but Sophia Clyde took it well from the back post. The game continued in
this vein and the girls scored again close to half time. Unfortunately, sloppy defending allowed Hurst to score just before half time. The second half was even wetter and this affected the quality of play from both sides. Nevertheless, we kept the ball in their half and remained dominant. The result was a 2-1 victory for Roedean, and the players of the match were Abigail Briault and Sophia Clyde. House Hockey On Wednesday, the Junior girls battled it out in the indoor Junior House Hockey tournament. The hockey was very competitive with all of the girls getting involved. The U3 final was between House 2 and House 3, and was a very close game, but House 2 were victorious. The U13 final was between House 3 and House 1. Both teams had plenty of opportunities to finish the game, but House 3 took their chances and won the final. Here are the final standings: U3 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
House 2 House 3 House 4 House 1
L4 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
House 3 House 1 House 4 House 2
Hockey vs Hurstpierpoint On Saturday, Roedean turned up to a wet and windy Hurstpierpoint College. The 1st team got the ball rolling with a fantastic win, where they played some great hockey, especially round the back which stretched Hurstpierpoint’s team, creating goal scoring opportunities. The final score Was 5-1. The 2nd team had a tough first half and were 3-1 down at half-time. However, after an inspirational talk from Mrs Robins, the girls fought back in to the game, however lost 4-3. The U15 hockey team played a fantastic game against Hurst. After an equal first half, the girls knew they needed to find some goals from somewhere. The team worked together and their determination paid off, scoring two well drilled goals. Each player knew their role on the pitch and played their part effectively, coming together for a wonderful team performance. The final score was a 2-0 win - well done girls! The player of the match was to Ellie Flavin. Over half of U3 played hockey vs Gildredge House Yesterday, over half of the girls in U3 travelled to Gildredge House for hockey matches. It was great to see so many girls playing and enjoying their hockey on a Wednesday afternoon, and all the teams won convincingly. The A team won 5-0, B team 4-1, C team 3-1, and the D team 1-0 JJ WHAT’S
COMING UP IN THE WEEK AHEAD?
U13A
U12
U14
Mon 21 Nov
Piano masterclass with Noriko Ogawa Swimming Gala v Moira House & Mayfield (A)
Tues 22 Nov
U14A Hockey vs St Paul’s Catholic School (A) BMW Netball league vs Wasps (A)
Wed 23 Nov
U13A,B,C&D Hockey vs Gildredge House (A) U12B&C Hockey vs Windlesham (A) U15 Football vs Burgess Hill (H)
Thur 24 Nov
U14A Hockey vs Seaford College (H)
Fri 25 Nov
Music Gala Concert
Sat 26 Nov
1st, U15A & U14A Hockey vs Mayfield (A)
U12
Swimming
30 girls swimming for Roedean Swimming at Roedean continues to go from strength to strength, and we have strong swimmers at all levels. We have had several close fought contests against Farlington over the past two years, with Roedean coming out on top. Unfortunately, Monday night was not our night and the girls lost by just 4 points. We were missing a few swimmers due to exams and illness, but our girls swam hard, and we just lost out within the relays. It was great to have over 30 swimmers competing, meaning that we can continue to put out both an A and a B team. We deserve to be very proud that our swimming club is extremely strong, and the girls train hard on Monday evenings to earn their success - well done to all! 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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