19 March 2021 – Issue 9
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
A fab location for a spot of evening skate
Head’s Introduction
The highlight of the week was our outstanding Headmaster’s Lecture given by Sarah Jenkins on Wednesday evening. Hers was the first in a series of termly lectures, which are intended to bring together the students, staff, parents, ORs, and Roedean Academy students. The lectures also have a charitable purpose, and we hope that donations can be used to support good causes. Sarah’s engaging, honest appraisal of her own story, and how to work with our own inner demons, could not have been more engaging and impactful. She is Managing Director of Saatchi and Saatchi London, and I would recommend watching her talk via the website, or by following the link in this review – it was truly inspiring. After processing over 6000 tests in School, the testing centre closed its doors today. It has run incredibly smoothly and efficiently, but everyone in our community will be doing home-testing from now onwards. I would like to congratulate and thank the testing team for their outstanding work during the period – the work requires a thorough approach, but this has to be matched with a warm and supportive manner, and the whole team achieved this. Thank you.
I would like to congratulate Year 11 and 13 for their positive approach to their assessments this week and next, and to all my colleagues who are supporting them. I am also delighted to read that a large group of girls in Year 12 are taking a number of opportunities to challenge themselves academically, by entering national essay competitions and registering for Cambridge masterclasses.
boarding...
Cricket in the sunshine
It is great to see the girls playing sport in the sunshine down on the fields, and there are also lots of lovely musical performances in the virtual recital, which has come out this week – congratulations to the Music Department for their work on this. We have also been very aware, as a School, of the tragic murder of Sarah Everard in the UK, and of eight people in Atlanta, USA. We currently only know the names Daoyou Feng, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan and Delaina Ashley Yaun. More than ever, as a community, we must support each other and stand together against crimes of hate against women and against people because of their race or ethnicity. We will be holding a memorial in Chapel next week, and will be holding a minute’s silence for the victims in our Final Chapel.
A truly inspirational lecture by Sarah Jenkins
What a location!
19 March 2021 – Issue 9
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Sarah Jenkins – Truly Inspirational Wednesday evening saw the first lecture in our new ‘Headmaster’s Lecture: In Conversation With’ series, and Sarah Jenkins, who is Managing Director of Saatchi and Saatchi London, was outstanding – we have had incredibly positive feedback from the girls, parents, ORs, Roedean Academy students from local schools, and prospective families, with words like ‘inspirational’, ‘engaging’, ‘awesome’, and ‘fantastic’ used repeatedly. The themes Sarah addressed in her talk were as relevant to the girls in the ‘virtual’ audience, as they were to the adults – it really was a wonderful talk for the girls, and Sarah showed such openness and integrity, and shared excellent advice on fighting inner demons. A key focus for her is always showing kindness to those around you, and the mantras she uses are so powerful: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Be Brave Set Standards Work Hard Be Kind Find your Tribe
Eden (Yr13) was inspired by Sarah: ‘When I found out that Sarah Jenkins, Managing Director of Saatchi and Saatchi London, would be the first speaker at the launch of Roedean’s new Headmaster’s Lecture series, I anticipated a fascinating evening. However, I could never have imagined just how inspiring and down-to-earth Sarah would be. She spoke to us about important matters, such as diversity in the workplace, as well as how to deal with salary negotiations and imposter syndrome as women, in a prejudiced world. We were incredibly fortunate to have Sarah with us for a Q and A session too, which meant that we had the opportunity to quiz her on her top tips and experiences. Her achievements, kindness, and words of wisdom, made her a role model to so many of us, who were lucky enough to see her speak on Wednesday evening.
to say how much ‘We just wanted admaster’s we enjoyed the He ening. It was ev y Lecture yesterda ins hear Sarah Jenk so fascinating to of her experiences speak and share y. vertising industr working in the ad ch how she put su We really loved dness. It was also an emphasis on kin sed she was with clear how impres and their very the Roedean girls a ns. She really is insightful questio ing az del and an am fantastic role mo woman.’
Thank you so much to Sarah Jenkins and all the organisers of the event. This looks like the beginning of a truly fantastic programme!’ It was a wonderful evening, and we were all so lucky to hear from such a speaker who exuded positivity – but, not only did we love it, Sarah did too, and she sent this message: ‘It was honestly an absolute pleasure. Some incredibly smart questions too, you obviously have a very intelligent cohort of young women about to enter adulthood and make the world a better place.’ This will certainly be a lecture which will stay in our memories for a long time. RB
Here are just some of the fantastic comments which have come in following her lecture:
‘She’s awesome.’ Year 8 Parent
‘Sarah is a very enga ging speaker and ‘pitc hed’ the topic really well to an audience of young women. Great question s afte rwards and insightful responses – her anecdote about the different gendered approaches of asking for a pay rise really resonate d!’ Roedean Academy parent
‘I just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed last night’s lecture. Sarah Jenkins was absolutely brilliant – inspirational, funny, interesting, humble... I could go on. What a simply fantastic role model for our girls. The Q and A session was really good too – the girls asked such good questions. Thank you very much to all those involved .’ Amanda Atkins
‘What a fantastic talk… so inspiring and empowe ring. I particularly liked he r comments about ‘impo stor syndrome’.’ Year 8 Parent
´I liked Sarah’s use of the term ‘leaning in’ as an alternative to ‘stepping up’ as it suggests that you are already at the level required and just need the confidence to go that little bit further whereas ‘stepping up’ implies that you are somehow at a lower level and the jump upwards is huge and daunting. Her presentation was understated and super slick whilst also conveyi ng a really strong message with the key facts and figures taking centre stage.’ Megan (Yr12)
Year 10 Parents
‘What an excellent, encour aging experience for the girls. The back story that she delivered beautifully was inspirational, refres hing to hear, and on point, plus, findin g your tribe in life for us and our dau ghter really resonated within us as our journey with the Roedean family blosso ms. I found myself saying omg, omg, she ’s so cool, I want my daughter to mee t her, and just added Sarah to our list of powerhouse women we admire, who use their platform to make the world a richer place to live. Great talk, she brought amazing energy, we loved it and her!’ Year 8 Parents
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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
‘It was an enlighte ning experie nce to hear Sarah Jenkins talk about her career in and reflections on such a unique industry like advertising. I especia lly enjoyed hearing her thoughts on success and the essential points, including finding a ‘tribe’ of people and always expressing kindness. I also found her advice surrounding dealing with imposte r syndrome and assertiveness to be fascinating. Despite not being able to see audienc e membe rs, I know we all smiled, laughed, and related to the insightful case studies and anecdotes Sarah so engagingly presented.’ Lara (Yr12)
‘I found Sarah Jenk ins’ talk extremely inspiring , and learning about her personal background and her career progre ssion was great, especially the role of mentors in guiding her throug h. If this lecture is anything to go by, I am already looking forward to next te rm’s lecture by Eugenia Cheng.’ Venetia (Yr13)
‘Very inspiring. Sarah Jenkins is a great role model.’ Year 8 Parent
19 March 2021 – Issue 9
illiant event. ‘Congrats Roedean! Brr the girls. I Such a role model fo pouses and love the values she es s, and was so es attributes to her succulated them for tic pleased that she ar of Roedean.’ the young women Year 13 Parent
‘I particularly liked the examples of successful campaigns that Sarah discussed and how diversity has played a role in this creativity, as it showed that diversity within a company is something to really be desired and embraced, rather than just a box to tick.’
Olivia (Yr12)
´It was lovely gett ing to know Sarah Jenkins and learning from her experiences in the ad vert is ing ind ustr y. Her engaging talk inv ited furt her thought on the dive rs ity and evolving nature of advert is ing, and what we could expect from th e future of this sector. I am pleased to have learnt these empoweri ng les so ns from such an authentic and warm woman.' Jane (Yr12)
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19 March 2021 – Issue 9
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.
Eden and Victoria (Yr13), and Jane, Lara, and Sophia (Yr12), for their part in Wednesday’s Lecture with Sarah Jenkins – they were brilliantly composed throughout [RB]
Holly, Lily, and Gabi (Yr13) for their contributions to this week’s Chapel [MEB]
Staff heroes in the spotlight 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. Mr Homer for giving additional support to Year 12 parents and guardians regarding Higher Education and UCAS [JSH]
St Patrick’s Day St Patrick's Day celebration from our Academic Data Manager.
Academic Challenge for Year 12 Ten girls in Year 12 have entered the Newnham College Essay Competition this year, following Venetia’s success last year. They have all relished the challenge and academic rigour that this national essay competition has provided, and this is all the more remarkable since they have chosen to do this largely independently, with some guidance from members of staff. The essays have been submitted, and we look forward to hearing how they fare in due course. Also hugely impressive is the range of subjects covered by the girls, as can be seen from the titles of the essays they have undertaken: Anamika – Engineering: The power of biomimicry and its use to create sustainable, no-waste solutions to environmental issues. Lucy – Biological Sciences: A win-win situation: mutualistic relationships Jane – English: ‘Hundreds of women began [...] writing the innumerable bad novels which have ceased to be recorded even in text-books, but are to be picked up in fourpenny boxes in the Charing Cross Road’. How should we decide which books deserve to be studied at school or university? Jemima – History: 'Revolutions don’t repeat, but they do echo.’ Discuss. Megan – Engineering: Is biomimetic architecture the answer to a sustainable built environment? Molly – Computer Science: Has the tech industry narrowed or widened the gap between opportunities available to citizens of rich and poor nations? Page 4
Olivia – Mathematics: Will artificial intelligence one day make human mathematicians obsolete? Sophia – Mathematics: What role has mathematics played in understanding the COVID-19 pandemic? Stella – Classics: 'Ancient myths have subversive power precisely because they can be told – and read – in different ways’ (Helen Morales, Antigone Rising). Do recent retellings of Greek myth support this claim? Thea – History: Should historians pay more attention to objects? Furthermore, seventeen students have also registered for virtual Cambridge masterclasses, also covering a wide range of subjects, as preparation for high-level university study: Bronwen (Engineering); Ellie, Anamika, and Olivia (Chemistry); Chery, Jemima, and Trinity (Human, Social, and Political Sciences); Bella, Malika, and Sophia (Medicine); Stella and Eva (Classics); Thea and Tuhina (Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic); Molly (Geography); and Serena and Jemima (Creation and Cosmology, as part of the Department of Theology and Religion). It is wonderful that these students are being so proactive about delving deeply into challenging academic study, and this will, no doubt, stand in very good stead when they apply for university places at the start of next academic year. Well done! RB/JSH
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
19 March 2021 – Issue 9
6000 Test Milestone!
New Teacher Profile
The testing team, overseen by Mr Chamberlain and Mr Wailes, has done a brilliant job in difficult circumstances, and, at the end of this week, as the testing in School has come to an end, they have completed over 6000 tests – this is an outstanding achievement, and the team deserves our congratulations!
Although Mr Carter joined us in January, it is only recently that many in our school community have actually seen him, so here is his profile so that you can get to know him a little better: Name: Mr Guy Carter Role: Head of Geography University: BSc and PGCE (Brunel University) Previous school: Geography Lead for GLF Schools (across 7 Secondary and 25 Primary schools) and Head of Geography at Rosebery School, Epsom Interests: cycling, skiing, rugby, meteorology and international travel You’d never guess... I have visited over 70 countries, taught in Sri Lanka, Indonesia & France, and have completed the Brighton Triathlon in recent years
Roedean’s Virtual Teatime Recital I hope you enjoy watching this wonderful feast of music provided by so many Roedean students. Thank you to everyone who took the time to record themselves, and thank you to all their music teachers for motivating and nurturing their confidence. Music has been a vital part of keeping mentally healthy through the lockdowns, and it has been a real joy to watch how much each student has progressed during this time. Many thanks to Mr Rous for his beautiful piano accompaniments, and to Mr Wilson for editing the recordings. SOB
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19 March 2021 – Issue 9
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Literary supplement
Library Easter Egg Hunt
New Books in the Library this week! Maggie Blue and The Dark World – by Anna Goodall
It Ends with Us – by Colleen Hoover
Easter Selfies
A thrilling tale of friendship and courage – Maggie Blue, strong-willed and isolated, sees her enemy from school taken through a window to a parallel world by one of their teachers, and determines to follow, whatever the cost. With the help of irascible cat, Hoagy, they discover a world where happiness is being stolen – and they must do everything they can not to be caught up in its web of destruction.
Please send us your reading selfies with an Easter theme – Books and chocolate – the perfect combination!
The Gilded One – by Namina Forma
Love in English – by Maria E. Andreu
Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in Otera, a deeply patriarchal ancient kingdom, where a woman's worth is tied to her purity, and she must bleed to prove it. But when Deka bleeds gold – the colour of impurity, of a demon – she faces a consequence worse than death. She is saved by a mysterious woman who tells Deka of her true nature: she is an Alaki, a near-immortal with exceptional gifts.
A fresh, breakout YA novel that is layered with themes of immigration, cultural identity, and finding your voice in any language.
Next week, you will see some Easter eggs pop up around School, each one containing a clue to the name of a classic piece of literature. Solve three, and head to the Library to claim some Easter chocolate!
A Gold Award for Asmitha! Asmitha (Yr7) has completed her Gold Reading Award! This is an amazing achievement, and Ms Shillito and Mrs Bailey are extremely impressed and very proud. Asmitha is an avid reader, and she writes wonderful analyses of each book she reads. She has been really committed to completing her reading challenges, and she is a daily visitor to the library. If you would like to start a Reading Award, please speak to Ms Shillito or Mrs Bailey.
Lily hasn't always had it easy, but that's never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She's come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up – she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily's life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.
Sixteen-year-old Ana is a poet and a lover of language. Except that, since she moved to New Jersey from Argentina, she can barely find the words to express how she feels.
Forever Ends on Friday – by Jason Reynolds What if you could bring your best friend back to life – but only for a short time? Forever Ends on Friday weaves together loss, grief, friendship, and love to form a wholly unique homage to the bonds that bring people together for life – and beyond.
Easter Cake Design Competition Congratulations to Chloe (Yr7) for winning the Easter Cake Design Competition! Her design will now be turned into a real cake and presented to the Children's Hospital next week. A big thank you to everyone else who entered! We had some fantastic and creative designs; and here are a few:
? Chloe: to be revealed…
Izzy
Victoria
Poppy
Asmitha
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Daisy
19 March 2021 – Issue 9
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Race Around the World – 12500 Kilometres! Wow! We have made it to South Africa, and are now in Zimbabwe on our way to Zambia.
UK
Well done to everyone who has logged their distances via wufoo – we’ve already been to 9 countries where Roedean girls live, 22 countries in total! Here is the breakdown of the four different groups taking part: Students
Bel
m
Parents
2998.45
Hu
y
ar
ng
nd
It
a
ly
834.70
eria
It might be trickier to keep measuring your distances, but hopefully you can still do so at the weekends – it would be amazing to see how far we can get before the Easter holidays!
Mali
Please follow the relevant link to log your distances – as this is like a New Year’s Resolution, you can include distances back to 1 January!
Nigeria Ghana
Alg
ORs
Israel
ny
erla
itz
Sw
4019.24
ly
ma
Ger
giu
4637.02
Staff
Ita
Race Around the World 2.0 STUDENT Race Around the World 2.0 STAFF Race Around the World 2.0 PARENT Race Around the World 2.0 OR
Nigeria Ghana
Archaeology and Climate Change Ang
Saturday 17 April 2021: Conference Online via Zoom
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Organised jointly by the Council for British Archaeology South-East (CBA SE) and the Sussex Archaeological Society (SAS) Z
an a
im
tsw
To make it easier to log your distances regularly, you can pin the wufoo link to your browser by clicking on ‘Bookmark this tab’ or similar, depending on your browser.
Bo
If the country where you currently live does not appear on the route because you also have a UK address on the school database, please do let us know before we reach that country by emailing Miss Boles on jbo@roedean.co.uk.
Well done, and thank you for getting involved! RB
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 7
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If you’re quick, places are FREE – CBA SE and the Sussex Archaeological Society are offering a number of students free tickets to the 'Archaeology and Climate Change Conference.’ This offer is open to students in full time education and will be awarded on a first come first serve basis. Simply send your name, school/institution and course details to cbasoutheast@hotmail.com to apply.
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