20 March 2020 - Issue 10
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Head’s Introduction
Thank you to all our community – girls, staff, parents and friends – for your support, commitment, and understanding. These are unprecedented times. As you will already know, due to the current coronavirus pandemic, the UK’s government took the difficult decision to close all schools from today, and to cancel A Level and GCSE examinations this year. This was made known to everyone, including schools, in the Prime Minister’s daily briefing at around 5:00pm on Wednesday. As you will yourselves be dealing with the impact of the outbreak, and with many sudden and difficult challenges, you will understand the difficulties we face. To give this situation some context, the last time that Roedean was in this position was at the start of World War II. From today, Roedean will be providing education online and offsite for all the girls. The process of transitioning to online learning will come with a number of further challenges. We will all need to be responsive, flexible, and adaptable. I have no doubt, at the end of this, that we will be even more committed to the importance of schools and what they provide and achieve on a daily basis. We are developing new content daily, but also looking at different models of online learning to ensure that we can provide a challenging and inspiring curriculum at home.
Hairspray – what a triumph! hand-point-right
The most important message of all from me is that we all need to be as supportive, cooperative, and positive as possible. It is very easy in times of difficulty for each one of us to share frustrations or to move quickly to complain. We are all under pressure and I know many families will be under huge additional pressures. I would urge everyone to take a moment to consider how they can improve each and any situation, by recognising that everyone is doing the best they can under difficult circumstances. We know from experience that encouragement, understanding, and perseverance lead to the best learning experiences, and that is no less true in other areas of life.
materials for all classes, the PE Department has produced podcasts to encourage all to continue to exercise, and we are developing pre-A Level materials and pre-university materials for those in Years 11 and 13. The House Staff have been remarkable in making travel arrangements for large numbers of boarders, and making sure that they are able to return home to their families, sometimes at very short notice. We also realised late on Wednesday that today would be the last day at Roedean for some girls, and I am delighted that at very short notice we were able to have a lovely and poignant Leavers’ Chapel yesterday and Leavers’ Breakfasts today.
I am already incredibly impressed with the positive and mature way the girls have responded to the uncertain situation we find ourselves in – they have been outstandingly resilient, philosophical, and calm. I have been simply astounded by the response of those girls in Years 11 and 13 who will no longer be able to sit their public examinations this summer – they have been shocked and upset, of course, but have been measured and positive, even in the face of a lack of clarity about what exactly will happen with their qualifications and A Level or university places.
In the midst of everything, our brilliant performances of Hairspray for the girls illustrated the wonderful resilience of our community – despite reducing the number of shows, missing cast members, and changing roles, everyone who was involved with the show coped admirably and proved what it takes to ensure that ‘the show must go on’. Congratulations to each and every performer, musician, and member of the back stage team, and to the director and technical crew – you did an amazing job!
I am very grateful for the wonderful messages of support I have received from parents, my colleagues, and the girls. Things have moved very quickly at Roedean: to give a few examples, my colleagues have populated an online platform with
I want to reiterate that these are unprecedented times – on this, the last day in School this term, I am incredibly proud of Roedean. I hope that you all stay healthy and safe, and wish you all well for the coming weeks and months.
Year 13 leavers
Bath Cup in London hand-point-right
Year 12 Art hand-point-right
House Netball hand-point-right
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Hairspray – what a triumph! Hairspray is a big show, and the 48-strong cast from Years 9-13 started work on it in November. With over 20 musical numbers, costume changes galore, and a mammoth set, this was an ambitious and exciting show to take on. Before Christmas, we scheduled four public performances for this week. Fast forward to last week, and some anxiety started to surface about whether the show would be able to continue as we started to lose some cast members who, as the news of COVID-19 changed every day, understandably needed to fly back to their home countries. The girls, Ms Fewkes, the band, the tech team, and I immersed ourselves in technical and sitz probe rehearsals over the weekend, in the hope that the famous adage ‘the show must go on’ would prove to be true. The girls worked tirelessly, and without complaint, stepping into new roles, learning new choreography and dialogue, and remaining positive and humorous throughout! Monday saw the difficult decision to cancel all public performances, and instead do an open dress rehearsal for boarders, one performance for day girls and staff, and a second performance for riskassessed parents and immediate family members. This was difficult news for the girls, but they picked themselves up and prepared for what would be their only chances to show their fantastic work. With a rapidly changing cast, just 32 girls remained to see the show through to the end, but the other girls were absolutely with us in spirit. The cast produced the most incredible show, against all odds, and in the face of extreme adversity and uncertainty. They displayed a resilience far beyond their years, and it was inspirational to see them up on stage, giving their audiences a much-needed escape from the outside world. Thank you to Ms Fewkes, Mr Rous and the band, to Mr Wailes and the whole technical team, to Mr Blond and the Senior Team for their support throughout, but, most importantly, to the entire Hairspray cast, who created something so special that we will never forget. KM
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20 March 2020 - Issue 10
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Thank you for all the wonderful message of support which have been sent in to the School – here are just a few, which underline the strength of our Roedean community:
‘Thank you for a hastily prepared and yet quite wonderful celebration of both Years 11 and 13 in Chapel today.’ (Member of Staff )
‘Good luck and good wishes in cop what must be the most trying of ing with tim the school, and indeed, the cou es for ntry.’ (Year 11 Parent)
‘I applaud you all for being calm and allowing Roedean to retain some of the sanity not on display elsewhere.’ (Year 11 Parent)
your incredible ‘Thank you sincerely for in setting up t en diligence and commitm ls. Considering gir remote working for the e moment, this all that you have on at th appreciated ely enormous effort is sincer to you. We ks an and we extend our th staff for their e th applaud you and all of otecting the pr d focus on sustaining an passion and r ou Roedean community. Y d we are all dedication is incredible an you and the ort beyond grateful. We supp ly.’ ar team wholehe ted (Year 9 Parent)
‘I would like to offer some thanks to all at Roedean for the support provided to the students in recent days while managing significant uncertainty. My daughter and I have appreciated the efficiency of preparations for school closure in terms of academic preparedness. Additionally, as a parent based overseas, I have really appreciated the quick responses from key staff, as the situation has unfolded in recent days, to requests aimed at informing our decision-making.’ (Year 11 Parent)
Roedean Concert at Our Lady of Lourdes A musical lunchtime treat awaited those who attended last Thursday’s concert at this lovely ‘new’ venue. In a hugely varied programme, from CPE Bach to the Beatles (and beyond!), the students demonstrated their talents and conveyed a real sense of enjoyment throughout. There was vibrant, fresh playing from the string ensembles, skilfully directed by Ms Bartlette, solo performances from no less than 8 singers, 3 flutes, 2 clarinets, a trombone, and a violin, supported by Mr Rous’s expert accompanying, and a grand finale from the wonderful Senior Singers under Ms Fewkes’ inspirational direction. All the participants gave of their best, and they received the rapt attention of a beautifully-behaved group of children from St Mark’s Primary, who particularly enjoyed hearing Hedwig’s Theme from Harry Potter, played by the string quartet! It would be wrong to single out any one performance, and impossible to write about them all here, but during the crisp Vivaldi Concerto for Four Violins, which opened the concert, a rather unexpected challenge arose. At the end of one of her solo passages, the leader, Katarina, was faced with a broken string. Without disturbing the performance, she kept a cool head, swapped violins with another player, and moved seamlessly into her next solo passage without missing a beat – what a perfect demonstration of staying calm in a crisis! Warmest congratulations to all who took part in this most enjoyable concert. Miss Money (Singing Teacher)
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20 March 2020 - Issue 10 times we are in, but ‘What extraordinary re, communication what extraordinary ca school team are and work all of your huge thank you ya doing. I wanted to sa ne. We are very do g in be for everything atmosphere that lm ca e appreciative of th e past weeks and has been created in th g to keep the girls in the work you are all do as well as parents d, ge ga learning and en n’t praise Roedean fully informed. I could that our daughter ow more right now and kn hands.’ nt lle ce is in ex (Year 9 Parent)
‘It must be very pressured for everyone in education at the moment and I really feel for the boarders who can't see their familes too, so I hope you don't mind me writing to let me know how much you are all appreciated at Roedean.’ (Year 8 Parent)
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
20 March 2020 - Issue 10
Roedean-St Mark’s Partnership Thank you to everyone who has been involved in running activities at St Mark’s Primary this year, and in particular to Mr Wilson, who has been incredibly proactive about facilitating a whole range of opportunities this year. The impact of our partnership on those at both Roedean and St Mark’s is huge, and we are incredibly proud that the hours contributed by Roedean girls and staff and, most importantly, the hours of benefit to St Mark’s pupils in the first two terms this year has surpassed that for the whole of last year. This is just brilliant! RB
Roedean Student hours
Roedean Staff hours
St Marks Pupil hours
ACADEMIC YEAR SEP 2018 - JUN 2019
583
114.5
2245
ACADEMIC YEAR SEP 2019 - MAR 2020
638
140
2849
Year 7 Birthday Cakes Well done and thank you to Jamie, who made not one, but two animalthemed birthday cakes – one was for Nancy (who really likes pigs), and the other was for Clara (who is Farm Prefect and wants to be a vet) – what a lovely gesture! JC
Year 7 Easter Eggs Even though the end of term has come around a lot quicker than anticipated Year 7 have shown their determination and ability to think of others, even in challenging circumstances, by donating 31 Easter eggs to the local Rockinghorse charity. A week earlier than expected, the students have collected the eggs which will be passed on next week. Rockinghorse fundraises and supports local children's hospitals and so the Easter eggs will be delivered to the children and staff who will spend Easter recovering and working in hospital during the Easter period. Well done to Hettie and Amelia who helped to promote and organise the initiative and to all those who kindly donated. Someone, somewhere, will smile and enjoy their sweet treat on Easter day. What a great way to make a difference in the local community! GWI
Mr Wilson is Tutor to 7P and he always has loads of great ideas! Year 7 pupils were asked to donate an Easter Egg as a treat for local children. The selection of 31 Easter Eggs generously given will be taken to children who are spending this Easter in The Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton. We are confident many children will really enjoy these! JC
Drama Success for Rosa Lawrence Over the last two weekends, Rosa Lawrence (Yr7) competed in the Springboard Festival for Performing Arts in Hove. She won three 1st prizes (in Senior Improvisation, Improvisation Duologue and Duologue) and three 3rd prizes (Prepared Prose Reading, Monologue and Solo Verse), achieving six Distinctions and one Honour mark and winning two Festival Medals. She was also selected to compete in the Championship Finals where she won the Festival Shield for best performance of combined Prose Reading and Solo Verse in her age group. Here she is with the Festival Shield, and with her fantastic drama teacher, Kate Stoner.
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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Year 12 CAP Programme The Year 12 Community Action Programme (CAP) was due to be concluded this week with our annual CAP Exhibition. Unfortunately, due to the current circumstances, this wasn’t possible, however, the girls produced some wonderful posters in preparation for this event; I would like to share these with you, as they highlight the many and diverse experiences this year, as well as the success of the programme. We had girls working with young people from a variety of educational organisations (St Mark’s, Deepdene, Saltdean Primary, The Whitehawk After School Project (WASP), and Chailey Heritage Foundation), whilst others helped out with the older members of our community, at places such as St Vincent de Paul Community Centre and Blind Veterans. Other groups, such as our Sustainability Group and Ocean's 8 Group had an environmental focus, whilst our BSL, Textiles, and Music groups developed practical skills and took these out into the community. From looking at their posters, it is clear that the girls embraced these opportunities and found them both rewarding and enriching. ‘My favourite part of CAP was to be able to interact with a different age group, and to be able to develop my skills. I loved seeing the children develop and practise their social skills. It was a great experience.’ Hannah (Saltdean Primary) ‘I have loved my placement at Chailey Heritage this year, and I have finished it feeling more accomplished and fulfilled.’ Jess (Chailey Heritage Foundation) Although you may not be able to read the fine detail on all of the posters, many talk about benefits of CAP, including:
developing leadership skills developing confidence improving patience enhancing creativity improving listening skills improving time management and organisation ■■ improved teaching and communication skills ■■ understanding the importance of effective teamwork ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■
We hope that there may be another opportunity in the future to celebrate the achievements of the girls and the success of the programme. In the meantime, however, I would like to congratulate all of Year 12 on completing the programme with such enthusiasm and commitment. I would also like to thank all of our wonderful CAP supervisors for their hard work, support, and fantastic ideas! It’s been a pleasure to work with you all this year. FK
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20 March 2020 - Issue 10
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
20 March 2020 - Issue 10
Year 12 Art The Year 12 Private View planned for today was not able to go ahead, so we thought that we’d share some of the amazing work the girls have produced this term – as you can see, it is as diverse as it is brilliant! SAL
Years 7-9 Project – Houses The pieces pictures have been made by girls in Years 7-9, and they will be part of an exhibition in London – one of the fundamental criteria is that each one must ave a very personal connection to its creator. APH
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20 March 2020 - Issue 10
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
The Bath Cup in London Congratulations to the U18 girls who travelled up to the London Olympic Aquatics Centre to compete in the Bath Cup. This is an ‘invite only’ event, with only the best swimming schools in the UK attending. The girls achieved a time of 2.00.80 for their 4x50 freestyle, placing them 13th out of all the British schools entered. After lunch, the girls competed in the 4x50 medley relay, winning their heat in 2.13.5. This put them through to the ‘A’ final, where they swam incredibly well after a long day, finishing in 8th place, in 2.13.7.
Year 7&8
We are very proud of the girls for representing the school so wonderfully in Roedean’s debut at this prestigious event. A special mention must go to the Swim Captains, Gracie and Liv (Yr12), for their motivation throughout the day, and to Mollie (Yr8), Rose and Tallulah (Yr9) for stepping up and swimming in the U18 age group.
Year 7&8
Year 7&8
House Netball Congratulations to everyone who took part in House Netball this week – it was a brilliant tournament, so well done! AHD Year 7&8
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
1st
House 2
House 1
House 2
House 3
House 3
2nd
House 1
House 3
House 1
House 2
House 4
3rd
House 3
House 2
House 3
House 4
House 1
4th
House 4
House 4
House 4
House 1
House 2
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
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