Head's Weekly Review - Summer Issue 1

WEEKLY REVIEW Classics Trip to Italy

Head’s Introduction

I am delighted to be the new Head at Roedean, and it is truly wonderful to be here. I was appointed to this position in June, and it has felt like a long wait before finally starting here. What is clear to me after just a few days is the strength of the school community, and how bright, dynamic, and positive you all are. It has been lovely to be welcomed so warmly by students and staff, both around the School and in Assemblies, and I enjoyed meeting many parents at the Year 7 Parents’ Evening. It was great to see so many welcoming faces in the Sixth Form’s brilliant video, and I really enjoyed their great performance from Hamilton, which they must have pulled together in a matter of days.

It was such a pleasure to meet the students and teachers from Roedean South Africa, who visited us on Tuesday. It was only my second day here, so it certainly started the term off with a bang! Their singing in Chapel was remarkable and just brimming with energy and positivity – they even managed to get me on my feet and dancing, although I didn’t realise straight away that I was the only one!

During their visit, I met with Mrs Dlamini, Roedean South Africa’s Executive Director – as we are both new in post, this is an excellent time for us to commit to a strong partnership and build more connections between our two schools, particularly as our shared history and traditions already bind us together.

There are three remarkable success stories in this week’s Review, and I would like to congratulate Jasmine for being selected to represent Great Britain in Showjumping, Galina for leading the National Youth Concert Band over Easter, and Charlotte who has been crowned World Champion in Taekwon-Do. These are all outstanding achievements – congratulations.

I am very pleased that our new Steinway pianos have arrived today, and they underline the School’s commitment to excellence in a variety of fields. I am very much looking forward to my first experience of a Roedean Brighton Festival Fringe concert in a few weeks’ time, when one of the Grand Pianos will feature in a concert movement played by Bernice.

I would like to wish 'Eid Mubarak' to those in our community who celebrating Eid al-Fitr. Thank you all again for the warm welcome I have received, and I am looking forward to meeting more of you over the coming days and weeks.

The Two Roedeans Come Together

Jasmine Showjumping for Great Britain

Sea Swimming Has Started Again!

Mrs Green, – A Brief Profile

Education: I studied at a European school in Luxembourg, then studied French and History at Trinity College, Dublin; after this, I took an MA in Public Relations at Sussex University

Early Career: after a short career in Public Relations in London, I studied for a PGCE in Cambridge

Career in Education: I have worked for over 20 years in leading girls’ boarding schools, initially as a French and German teacher, then Head of Department, Housemistress, Deputy Head, and more recently as Acting Head at Mayfield School

Why all girls’ education? For me, an all girls’ education is synonymous with an education to become a strong, independent, resilient, young woman, ready to face the world, by tailoring education to girls’ learning needs and preference – it provides a safe space for girls as they experience the most important years in their development

Sixth Form Welcome Song for Mrs Green

Double Success at AMSP Maths Feast

Eight students from Year 10 competed in a regional Mathematics competition this Thursday. The Maths Feast, run by the AMSP and held at Ratton School in Eastbourne, pitted our students against teams from other local schools. Our students had fun, working in teams of four, to solve a variety of challenging problems which tested their logic and mathematical skills.

Our two teams beat stiff competition, and, in an outstanding performance, took both the 1st and 2nd places overall. Well done to Abbie, Emma, Martha, and Sihu, who made up the winning team, and Claire, Elsa, Rachel, and Ronni, who won second place.

This is a fantastic achievement for everyone involved – we look forward to taking six Year 9 students to the similar AMSP Maths Picnic competition next month.

Mrs Hopper

St Mark's Weekly Enrichment

It was wonderful to welcome the new cohort, 21 Year 4s, to Roedean on Thursday for their first session of weekly sporting and academic enrichment.

They arrived in the glorious sunshine, had a quick trip to see the sheep and goats on the Farm, played some Volleyball with Ms Marek, and then enjoyed an introduction to Russian before lunch.

We look forward to seeing them next time!

Dr Barrand

Classics Trip to Italy

The Classics Trip to Italy began in Rome: the students spent the first day visiting the Vatican, and taking in the beautiful Trevi fountain. On the second and final day in Italy's capital city, the students went to the Pantheon, the Colosseum, and looked out over Rome from the top of Palatine Hill, and they finished the day at the Spanish Steps.

From Rome, the students then travelled to Pozzuoli, visiting a beautiful amphitheatre, and then on to the fabled site of the underworld at Cuma. Despite adverse weather conditions, the students were amazed at these Classical wonders on the way to Sorrento.

On the final two days of the trip, the students visited Pompeii and Herculaneum – two incredibly preserved archaeological sites that were buried following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The students were definitely moved by what they saw, and learned so much from the two towns. That evening, the students made their own pizzas, guided by experts, and enjoyed the delights of Sorrento. The following day, despite the rain and wind, the students had a lovely time visiting the island of Capri, and one group even climbed up the top of the island to visit Villa Jovis.

The trip concluded with a hike up Mount Vesuvius on the final morning; this was a fitting end to an amazing tour of Italy's main Classical sites and a lovely goodbye to Mrs Miller.

Miss Saville

The Two Roedeans Come Together

What a privilege it was to welcome 56 students and 5 members of staff from Roedean South Africa to Roedean in Brighton.  They are in the middle of a literary and cultural tour, which has taken them to Edinburgh, Warwick, Windsor, Oxford, and London, and it was wonderful for them to spend the day with us!

This visit was a repeat of a visit to Roedean in Brighton in 2018, which was followed by a return trip to Johannesburg for a group of 12 students and four staff.  Since then, our two schools have enjoyed lots of joint projects, including Mrs Dlamini, the Executive Director of Roedean South Africa, speaking at our International Women’s Day festival last term, lots of corresponding between studetns via social media, a joint virtual ‘race around the world’ during Covid lockdowns when we collectively walked or ran over 40,000 kilometres, and, most recently, a former Roedean student on a gap year spent 5 weeks volunteering at the school in South Africa.

The students were outstanding ambassadors for their school – they were engaging, funny, interested, and, most of all, desperate to see our school, and see what is the same and what is different.  There are lots of similarities still, despite the distance between the schools:  the most obvious one is that our holistic ethos is absolutely fundamental to the education provided – Roedean is celebrating 125 years on the current site this year, and was founded in 1885 by three Lawrence sisters, and Roedean South Africa was founded in 1903 by a fourth sister and her friend, and their vision, that girls and young women deserve access to the very best all-round education to prepare them to make their mark in the world, remains at the very heart of what we do. On a more lighthearted note, other similarities are that both schools also have the tradition of hand-shaking at the starts and ends of term, which does not appear to happen anywhere else, and female teachers are called ‘Madam’ in both schools too!  There were also some differences, and it was fun to see our visitors creating a ‘wish list’ for their school from what they saw, including having a Farm on site, which they loved!

Our visitors enjoyed a tour of the School, they attended lessons to see what teaching in the UK is like, and we held a Chapel service, at which our new Head, Mrs Green, and Mrs Dlamini both addressed the students and staff, as did students representing both schools.  A highlight was hearing the Roedean South Africa students singing Malibongwe to us all – the unbelievable wall of sound and sheer sense of enjoyment simply shone out.  It was brilliant!

The visit ended with the students going down through our ‘secret’ tunnel to the sea, and walking along to the marina, from where they could look back at our school on top of the cliffs.  It was a great pleasure to welcome such a brilliant group of students and staff to Roedean, and we are already thinking about when we might go back to South Africa.

Dr Barrand

Miss Orrells Took On The Brighton Marathon

'It was a beautiful sunny day, with a light, cool breeze. Perfect running weather. I gathered on the start line in Preston Park, with over 12,500 other runners to attempt the Brighton Marathon.

I have been training since October, and had run over 280 miles in training before embarking on the 26.2 miles ahead of me on 2 April. A shout out must go to the "Running is Fun Club" team, who have made it fun to train after school, and the Year 11 RISE runners, who kickstarted my training back in October.

Having never run a marathon before, I was nervous but determined. It was an incredible atmosphere, and seeing friends and family along the course was a huge lift each time it felt really hard. It was amazing to wave to colleagues as I ran by Roedean, and be cheered by the students on the water station on the way back to Brighton.

I was met by my family as I crossed the line and felt elated, but also shattered!

Thank you so everyone who has sponsored me, enabling me to raise £486 for Amnesty, a charity that does such important work for human rights, especially in the current climate.

Mr Pocklington is running the London Marathon this Sunday!

If anyone would still like to donate, you can do so through my Justgiving page – www.justgiving.com/KOR

Thank you!'

Miss Orrells

i360 Charity Abseil

Next Thursday, 27 April, thirty brave Year 9 students, and a few staff, will be undertaking a breath-taking challenge to raise money for the Year 9 charity for this year, Raystede.

The staff and students will be abseiling 165 metres from the top of Brighton's iconic i360!

Raystede aims to alleviate animal cruelty, rescue, rehabilitate, rehome, and provide sanctuary for animals in need.

On Sunday 23 April our very own Head of Swimming, Mr Pocklington will be swapping the water of Brighton for the tarmac of London as he runs the London Marathon.

Mr Pocklington will be running in memory of his wife, Michelle, for the Martlets Hospice based in Hove, where she spent her final days. He would love it if you could spare a few pennies and donate via the link below, but, of course, only if you can! https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/weloveyoumichiemoo

Mr Pocklington, we wish you all the luck in the world! Run well!

So far, 141 people have donated to support this event, raising £6739 for the charity. Impressively, Charlie has individually raised nearly £700, and, as a result, has won the right to choose when she would like to descend and the order of the staff! She has 'kindly' requested Mr Lutwyche to be the first to participate, which is especially apt as he really does not like heights!

Congratulations to everyone taking part, and we look forward to hearing all about the experience and seeing the pictures.

We set ourselves a target of £7500 pounds, so, if you would like to donate to support this incredibly exciting event, please follow the link below.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/roedeanschooly9

Thank you for your support!

Mr Wilson

Galina Performs with the National Youth Concert Band

Over the Easter holidays, Galina spent a week with the National Youth Concert Band (NYCB) – this is her second year, and she was honoured to have been appointed to the positions of Principal Clarinet and Leader of the Band. The band is formed of almost 60 young musicians, aged between 14 and 18, who play brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments to a very high standard, selected through a competitive audition process.

This year's repertoire focused on some very challenging music for symphonic wind orchestra, and included the 40-minute 'Lord of the Rings Symphony' by Dutch composer Johan de Meij. As Principal Clarinet, Galina undertook a number of solos, leading the section of 15 clarinets. The week's rehearsal culminated in a performance at the Bradshaw Hall, the beautiful concert hall at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire of Music.

Looking ahead to the summer holidays, following a successful audition, Galina will once again be performing as a musician with the National Youth Music Theatre (NYMT) at the Leicester Curve Theatre. This year, she will be 'trebling' on Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, and Flute, for a new musical 'The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair',  which will involve working with the Musical Director of the West End production of 'Cabaret', who is the musical supervisor and orchestrator for the production, providing further opportunities to understand the creative process of creating a new show.

Congratulations, Galina! Page 6

The Festival Fringe Concert is always an amazing concert in our school Chapel, featuring some of our finest musicians. However, this year we are presenting a semi-staged performance of Purcell’s opera, Dido and Aeneas, with a wonderfully talented cast of Roedean students in the solo roles.

The concert will also feature a great line up of soloists, performing with orchestra, and is a highlight of the School's musical year. This event sells out quite quickly, so please book your tickets here:

https://roedean.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/ shows

This year's soloists include the following:

■ Karena (Yr13) – the first movement of the Double Bass Concerto in F-sharp minor, op. 3, by Serge Koussevitzky

■ Natalie (Yr8) – Zigeunerweisen, on the Violin, by Pablo Sarasate

■ Alma (Yr13) – singing Blute Nur, from St Matthew's Passion by JS Bach

■ Bernice (Yr10) – the second movement of Piano Concerto no 2, by Dmitri Shostakovich

Summer Term Music Events for your Diary:

18 May – Open Mic Time! – 4pm in the Roedean Theatre

If you have a band or a group and would like to jump up and perform, please email Ms Bartlette or sign up in the Music Department sob@roedean.co.uk

6 June – Year 7 Musical Showcase

This is a chance to hear all the Year 7 perform from the Instrumental Project, and join forces with the Junior Orchestra – this is always a memorable event!

15 June – Summer Evening Recital

A chance to hear some of our talented Roedean musicians perform in the Chapel.

Hastings Music Festival Success

Galina (Yr11) enjoyed great success at the Hastings Music Festival, which took place on stage at the White Rock Theatre at the end of last term. Not only did she win two prizes on the Piano, but she was also awarded the second highest mark in the festival for her performance of the first movement of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto.

In addition, following her concerto movement performance on Soprano Saxophone, the festival adjudicator, Ken Roberts, has invited Galina to perform the full Concerto in C minor by Marcello in a forthcoming concert of Baroque music; she will be accompanied by the strings of the Sussex Concert Orchestra –what an exciting opportunity!

Congratulations!

Library Now

The Library team have been busy setting up the Old Ref as a temporary library space, while the main Library undergoes refurbishment. As you can see from the pictures, we started the week with a room full of boxes, and now we have a welcoming study space complete with sea views!

A large section of stock from the main Library was transported over during the Easter holidays, and the temporary library space will offer the following:

■ latest fiction books

■ subject specific non-fiction books

■ computers

■ journals

■ study spaces

■ research support

We look forward to seeing you there!

Page 7 21 April 2023 – Issue 1 HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

This Week in Boarding...

It has been a delight to welcome back all of our boarders, who all seem refreshed following the Easter break and ready for the Summer term! We've all missed the spectacular sunsets that we get to admire from our wonderful location, but this week's sunshine has been amazing. The Houses have been diving head-first into activities, including a quiz night and plenty of tasty treats!

Miss Barnett

Charlotte is World Taekwon-Do Champion!

Congratulations to Charlotte (Yr9), who made a trip to Finland over Easter, to compete in the Black  Eagle Open in Tampere. Over 200 competitors were involved, from a wide variety of countries.

Charlotte competed in the 13-17 year old first Dan category. She won three of her five round matches, and was knocked out of the pattern competition in the quarter finals, narrowly missing out on a medal. The experience she gained was excellent, as she was competing against much older girls. In sparring at the same event, she fought well until she caught a side kick to the nose (not a recommended blocking technique!). There was fortunately no lasting

damage, and she learned a good lesson on the importance of keeping your guard up.

Charlotte also had the opportunity to train, one-on-one, with Master Meyour, who is a worldleading coach, as well as spending time with his star pupil, the amazing Mira Svojall (a European and World Champion in both patterns and sparring). Charlotte's highlight from the trip was to be complimented on her patterns by Ariella Figueroa, who is an outstanding competitor and World Champion in the senior ladies division.

Charlotte also had the opportunity to compete in the World ITF Taekwon-Do Council's World Championships. This competition was run

Sea Swimming Has Started Again!

online, with competitors submitting video recordings of their performance, for evaluation by a panel of international judges. Again over 200 competitors from 20 countries took part, and Charlotte performed exceptionally well, taking 1st place in the 9-13 year old 1st Dan female category – this means that she is World Champion!

This coming weekend, Charlotte will be attempting to grade for her 2nd Dan belt on Sunday – we wish her the best of luck!

Year 12 Classical Civilisation Drama Workshop

It was an outstanding morning for the first sea-swimming session of the year. It was cold, and this was the first acclimatisation session for everyone. The atmosphere was added to by a saxophonist nearby who played as the girls entered into the calm waters! The sea reflected the rising sun like a mirror – it was great!

On Thursday 20 April, Mark Katz, from the Actors of Dionysus, came to Roedean to deliver a workshop for those studying Classical Civilisation in Year 12. The workshop dealt with the three selected plays the pupils have studied for their Greek Theatre module: Oedipus the King, the Bacchae, and the Frogs.

They warmed up with some cameo impersonations of the hero, Heracles, before designing freeze frames to represent different themes within the plays. By the end of the workshop, they had staged their own

performances of different scenes from the plays – one of a part of the epic ‘poetry contest’ between the playwrights, Aeschylus and Euripides, in the Frogs, and one of a crucial moment from the Bacchae when the Bacchant Agave discovers that she has torn her own son Pentheus to shreds, in a moment of untold bloodlust.

Thank you to Mr Katz for delivering a workshop, which brought the plays to life so vividly and which got us thinking about the three dramas in lots of new and interesting ways!

Mr Barber

Ms Marek

She has also been invited to compete as an individual at the FEI Jumping Youth Nations Cup of Lamprechtshausen, which takes place . The competition takes place between 3 and 7 May 2023 at Horse Riding Club in Austria.

Ms Marek

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21 April 2023 – Issue 1 HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW