Head's Weekly Review - Summer Issue 9

HEAD ’ S WEEKLY REVIEW

Head’s Introduction

What an amazing week it has been, with Mary Poppins, the Art Exhibition, and House Music all taking place just yesterday! These events underline the amazing breadth of our students’ talents, as well as their readiness to get involved and show off their House spirit. House Music was brilliant fun, and I enjoyed seeing Year 7s fronting House 3’s performance, as well as Year 11s playing key roles in a number of Houses.

Well done to all those taking GCSEs – the last papers were earlier this week, so their exam season is now over. I have been impressed with how the yeargroup has approached their exams, and their Prom yesterday evening in the marquee on the fields was a great way to celebrate together and draw a line under their GCSEs.

Everyone who has seen Mary Poppins has come out smiling – the amazing cast from Years 7-9 have done two performances, and have two to go. This show has a number of key roles, and the actors grabbed these opportunities with both hands. I am also delighted that so many students are involved, either on stage, as well as in the backstage crew or making costumes – well done. I would like to thank the Performing Arts departments, the Theatre team, and Mrs Sellers and Miss Clarke in particular. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Year 7 – the finale to their Wild Fridays programme has seen everyone in the yeargroup abseiling down the cliffs at Peacehaven to raise funds for their dedicated charity, Rockinghorse. This a brilliant group endeavour, and certainly an exciting way to round off the year. Thank you in particular to Mr Wilson, who has organised this event, and to all the staff who have supported the students in the challenge.

I am looking forward to Roedean Day tomorrow, and I am sure that it will be a fitting showcase of the School, with our parents and ORs visiting departments, watching Mary Poppins, and visiting the Art Exhibition. The whole School will then be down on the fields for Sports Day in the afternoon, and I am fully expecting a sea of green, yellow, blue, and red pom-poms, and mascots and House chants. I wish you all good luck for tomorrow, and I am looking forward to celebrating everyone’s achievements next Thursday at Speech Day in the Dome.

Sudan Bake Sale

Mary Poppins –a Triumph

Sarah's Built her Own Computer!

Well done to Sarah (Yr10), who has built her own computer! She researched all the components (including separate CPU, motherboard, RAM, drives, fans, casing & cabling etc.) – she was mindful of the need for each component to complement the others, and of the cost, keeping the whole project under £1500. She also loaded and configured software drivers for all components as well as the operating system. It is now her main source of computing at home – brilliant!

Ms Sturgeon

Graduate Fashion Week

On Wednesday, the Year 12s went to Graduate Fashion week in London.

There were a lot of different exhibitions we had the chance to have a look at, with different universities showcasing their students' talented works, which included mostly garments, shoes, jewellery, and embroidery. The experience was personally very emotional for me as studying A Level Textiles and Fashion design, I always knew I wanted to do something creative and expressive, But I wasn’t sure what exactly it should be. Yesterday I almost shed tears, because, as beautiful and intricate the designs were, I visualised me in that position and sort of tried to have a feel for how the designers felt putting something they worked so hard for out to the public eye, before starting their journeys into the real world straight from graduating.

It must have been so nerve-wracking, but yet such a satisfaction towards the end of the show for each and every one of them. I have an emotional attachment to the pieces I make, and I am sure they do too, so imagining something so personal to oneself becoming the centre of attention in front of many people feels exposing to me. But, that said, the experience was wonderful and we all got to learn so much from this trip. I highly recommend to anyone to go out there and see shows if you are considering fashion design, as it is completely different to what you see and feel compared to online.

Ms Strachan

Race for Life

As part of National Boarding Week, each day focuses on a different 'Be Active' theme. This Sunday, we are focusing on 'Be Active in Charity'.

We have chosen to Be Active in Charity by supporting Cancer Research UK and, this Sunday, 24 boarders and 3 staff will participate in the Brighton 3km Race for Life. This is an incredible charity and any support would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to sponsor the girls and donate to Cancer Research UK, please do so using the following link:

https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/team/ roedean-school

We thank you all for any support.

Miss Barnett

Sudan Bake Sale

In solidarity with two studetns in School who are directly impacted by the current situation in Sudan, Roedean held a charity bake sale this week to raise valuable funds. Thank you to everyone who baked, particularly the Houses (and Mrs Wilson who made these amazing creations!), and to all those who bought and ate and enjoyed the cakes! As a community, we raised £189.

Miss Allen

Year 10 Business Trip –Drusilla's Zoo

On Monday, the Year 10 Business students went on a trip to Drusilla's Zoo. The trip included an educational presentation on Drusilla’s as a Business and Marketing entity (with specific links to the AQA GCSE specification). Drusilla’s is a thriving independent business, and a fantastic example of how a small business can grow through successful marketing with a strong focus on the customer experience.

The students had some free time to explore the zoo and complete a ‘Marketing Fact Finding’ task. Finally, the students and staff got to join in on a ‘meet and greet’ with a few of the smaller animals. Fun was had by all, and we got to understand the zoo from a business point of view.

We will certainly be able to draw on these examples back in the classroom.

Mr Low

Year 8 get a view of Space

On Thursday 8 June, Year 8 travelled to Chichester to visit the South Downs Planetarium. They had learnt about space earlier in the year, but most didn't know what to expect! After arriving, we quickly settled in to the comfy seats in the dome-shaped theatre.

When the lights went out, there were a lot of oohs –particularly when we found out what the sky would look like from Brighton without the light pollution! We learnt a lot about the night sky and the missions that are taking place to explore it.

After some fantastic questions from students, we had lunch in the park, before returning to learn about meteorites. The students had the chance to hold rock from space and learn about the most famous meteorites which have been found.

The students had a great day out and learnt a lot from the volunteers.

Miss Byrne

Year 7 Charity Abseil – 160 feet!

Our fearless Year 7s and some members of staff have abseiled 160 feet down Preacehaven Cliffs today – they are raising money for their yeargroup charity, Rockinghorse, and this is the icing on the Wild Fridays cake, rounding of the year in style.

If you would like to donate to congratulate them on this endeavour, please do so here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ roedeanschooly7

Dr Barrand

Mary Poppins – a Triumph

From the moment the curtains open, anyone who has seen this fabulous show before is transported into the show. The Banks’ children’s nanny resigns in the first scene, and the search begins for a replacement. The children, played expertly by Jemima and Alex, write their own job advert, and Mary Poppins flies over the rooftops and arrives at their door!

Daisy’s characterisation of Mary Poppins’ clipped, matter-of-fact manner is fantastic – her timing and her poise are brilliant. She appoints herself to the role, and immediately wins the children over, as if by magic, pulling a 6-foot hatstand and a plant from her capacious bag!

Even the set changes were perfectly choreographed with the music. The scene in the park with Bert, Mary Poppins, and the children was lovely, with passers-by licking huge lollies and carrying balloons. The dance numbers with the chorus were great, with a stage full of actors performing wonderfully stylised steps.

The mechanical movements of the sixteen black and white bankers are in stark contrast to the chimney-sweeps, and Freya’s initially cold and business-like portrayal of Mr Banks sets the scene for his realisation later in the show.

Lola’s voice is strong as the Bird Woman in the famous ‘Feed the Birds’. This leads on to Bert joining Mary Poppins and the children, and they come together with the large chorus to sing ‘Supercalfragilisticexpialidocious’. The dance number when the chorus spell out the word has a wonderful feel-good factor.

While the children sleep, Charlie, playing Bert, dances on the rooftops with Mary Poppins, before she flys off. The new nanny, acted by Sonia, is terrifying, and the children, whose interplay throughout is perfect, decide to run away.

They bump into Bert, and together they fly kites in the park. Then, as if by magic, they pull the kite down and Mary Poppins is on the end.

There is then a stand-off at the Banks’ house between the two nannies, but there is never any doubt who will win!

The band of 26 chimney-sweeps are great in ‘Step in Time’ – you couldn’t help but smile, and the audience loved it. As the show draws to a close, Mary Poppins leaves and the children come to the realisation that they do not need her anymore – they miss her, but they have grown under her guidance.

This was a brilliant show, all the more impressive because the entire cast is from Key Stage 3 –some of the audience members were overheard saying how amazed they were by the high standard. Congratulations to the brilliant cast, as well as to all those who work so hard behind the scenes, those who made costumes, the crew, the set-builders, and the technical team. And, of course, well dome to the co-directors, Mrs Sellers and Miss Clarke – it was a triumph!

Dr Barrand

Roedean Symposium

On Wednesday, Year 12 welcomed students from Lancing College for our third annual Symposium. This year, 50 students presented papers on a vast range of topics, in which they explored their individual research passions. Taking place across ten rooms, there was an atmosphere of collaboration and exploration, as the students then discussed the issues and ideas posed by the presentations.

Prior to this, Cora Chalaby (OR) delivered a keynote speech on her current doctoral research into female artists in the USA in the late 20th Century, generously sharing her experiences of the ups and downs of pursuing a career in academia, and encouraging the students to be persistent and strategic in following their dreams. Cora is currently undertaking a PhD in History of Art at UCL, having studied her BA at Cambridge, and her MA at the Courtauld Institute, so she had a wealth of experience to share.

In the afternoon, Cora held two informal talks with Year 12 students. The first was with a small group of art students, and was an introduction to studying History of Art. During the session, Cora encouraged the students to share their own thoughts on some artwork shown to them, and to start interpreting the pieces. The students shared some fantastic ideas which were brilliant to hear. Cora also held a Q&A session with pupils interested in applying to Oxbridge. The questions were very varied, from discussing top tips for the application process, to what it is actually like to be a student at Oxbridge. Cora’s answers were wonderfully honest and insightful, with some great tips to help the students with their applications next term.

The Symposium aptly culminated in a wonderful buffet provided by Roedean’s Catering team, an impromptu game of cricket, and a team quiz. With new connections made with others hoping to study similar subjects at university, we look forward to a return visit to Lancing in the Autumn term.

The symposium was a fabulous way to learn more about specific topics within the subjects we were interested in. For example, I learnt about some of the economic difficulties in South Africa, from a wonderful speech by Matilda, which really changed my perspective of how economic policies work in different countries. Aside from the actual lectures, we really enjoyed meeting the students from Lancing College and even played a quick game of tennis ball cricket with the them! It was lots of fun and I've definitely made some new friends and have some new interests from the talks which I heard.

Here are some of the titles of the research papers presented, to give an idea of the breadth of students' academic interests:

■ Alex – NASA Needs a Serious Rethink

■ Alina – The Role of International Law In Preventing Illegal War: A Peek Into the Ukraine Conflict

■ Charlie – Is Space Architecture the Future?

■ Eni – All teeth are equal, but some are more equal than others — Racial Disparity within Dentistry

■ Eric – The Importance of F1’s Technology and Hybrid Systems for the Automotive Industry

■ Hebe – The Physics of Electric Guitar Techniques

■ Janice – The History of Death Penalties and Their Future: Should it be Legal in the UK?

■ Jeremiah – Funerary Architecture

■ Joseph – How Far Can it be Said that a One-Child Birth Policy would Benefit Society?

■ Juha – How do Algorithms show the Connection between Computer Science and Mathematics?

■ Kate – Is Opera a Dying Art and is Musical Education to be Reserved Solely for the Most Wealthy?

■ Katie – The Role of the Alter Ego in Jane Eyre

■ Marnix – Musical Therapy for the Heart

■ Mubanga – How do Neurodegenerative Conditions Affect Cognition?

■ Olly – 'Guns and Butter': How and Why did the Soviet Union fall?

■ Phoebe – Queer Theory on Human Sexual Activity Examined through a Comparison of Essentialism and Social Constructionism

■ Portia – Was the Witch Craze in 17th Century England Purely a Result of Misogyny?

■ Sigrid – The ethics of Archaeology: the Consequence of European Colonial Ideologies in the Field of Archaeology

■ Tiffany – Exploring the Role of Love within Medicine

■ Yoyo – Xenotransplantation - a Solution to the Organ Shortage Crisis?

■ Zain – The Future of Building Skyscrapers

■ Zara – Animal Minds vs Human Morality

Roedean Teacher Colloquium Marketplace

The atmosphere was very supportive, and everyone did so well.

The Symposium was a meaningful evening and I gained much insight into various fields linked to Psychology, such as Crime and Queer Theory. I was also able to train my networking and socialising skills, through an unique window to meet new peers from Lancing College. Overall, I had a very memorable evening and am looking forward to more inter-school academic events in the future!

Not to be outdone by our Year 12 students, on 21 June, our staff body also engaged in an afternoon of sharing their research into teaching, learning, and school community issues that they had carried out in colloquia across the academic year!

This year, there were six colloquia, which met twice a term to discuss themes such as inclusivity within the curriculum, methods of reporting, and stretch and challenge within teaching. The presentations shared with colleagues at the marketplace offered all the opportunity to reflect upon their individual teaching practices, as we look ahead to a new academic year.

Dr Hannan

Emily

It was a really lovely opportunity to share fascinating research and hear the passion people had about the topics they presented on.

Maria

Elodie

Year 10 GCSE Drama Devised Practical

The Year 10 Drama students completed their Drama GCSE Devised pieces last week, with a wonderful range of performances from the 36 students, presented in the Theatre last Tuesday and Wednesday.

The stimulus for this year was a passage from a climate change novel entitled ‘The Age of Miracles’, written by Karen Thompson Walker. The book follows the story of an 11-year old, who wakes up one morning to find that the earth is slowing.

The students used this poetic and intoxicating language to explore the consequences of the slowing earth and imagining how the world would change.

Each group of the 7 groups took a different perspective – one group involved a father obsessed with reading about the changes in the planet from his Newspapers to the disadvantage of his family. Another group set their piece in a factory where the animals were injected with products that passed down the food change. Alarming and exhilarating, each group used their dramatic techniques to an excellent level depicting the full range of emotions.

Well done to Year 10 GCSE Drama students, for completing their devising projects!

Mrs Woodbridge

This Week in Boarding...

Keswick girls have been soaking the time up with their friends before they head off for their summer adventures. The girls have made such strong bonds that will surely last a lifetime! Year 13 and Year 11 girls have all done so well with their exams and we are incredibly proud of them all.

Lawrence House Year 12s enjoyed attending the Symposium with Lancing College – they enjoyed a buffet, music, and a quiz.

House 1 made some delicious cupcakes on Tuesday evening – they didn't last long at all before they were devoured by the girls. They also loved their Bingo session on Wednesday evening. Prizes this week consisted of mini bubble wands and summer games.

House 2 enjoyed Miss Housden's famous waffles on Monday night – check out all of those delicious toppings.

House 4 had their House outing this week to the Arcade and Bowling Alley. They enjoyed playing basketball, air hockey, car racing, virtual games, and more! Of course, an Arcade trip wouldn't be complete without the girls getting some ice slushies. A brilliant night was enjoyed by all!

Miss Roe

House 4 Victorious in House Music

The last House competition of the year was House Music – it was an extravaganza of different styles, following a brief of one large-group sung item and one small ensemble. Each House picked a Disney film out of a hat which had to play a central part in their performance.

House 3 got the show off to a bang – their theme was Moana. Together they sang How Far I’ll Go, with everyone playing a full part, followed by a song from High School Musical, which had Mr Halsey dancing in the audience! It was great to see the Year 7s taking a strong lead, and really owning the performance.

House 2 came out next, and their small ensemble performed Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik, on Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello. Their Disney film was Frozen, and they sang Some Things Never Change. There were some lovely solo voices, and one highlight was an enormous singing Olaf. Christophe and Sven were brilliant, and, of course, Elsa and Anne showed off their great voices!

House 4 were up next and their theme was Encanto. It was great to see some staff participation, and the costumes were great too. A mysterious Bruno appeared from the back of the Chapel – in true Roedean style, his green robe in the film was replaced by a green dry-robe! Onose took centre stage and did brilliantly.

Next on were House 1 – they sang Under the Sea from Little Mermaid. There were some amazing cameos from Year 11s, and some mixed-media interludes, with some dance included. They were clearly having a great time! Their Queen close harmony Bohemian Rhapsody was the most challenging piece of the afternoon, and there was a great Violin solo in the middle.

The results for the different categories were as follows:

For the largest participation from House members House 3

For originality and innovation in their performance House 1

For their presentation and entertainment value House 4

For the variety of musicians involved House 2

The overall winner was House 4 – congratulations!

Design & Technology – V&A Trip

Our GCSE Design and Technology students have been busy collecting photographs of products from the V&A collection. The pictures from both the main exhibitions and the specialised product exhibition "1900-Now" will be a great resource for their GCSE portfolios. The weather was perfect, and everyone had a great time exploring the exhibition. It was a wonderful day !

Mrs Quirk

Cricket –U12D vs U12E

Wednesday afternoon saw the Year 7 D and E Cricket teams battle it out in a “friendly” match, to claim bragging rights in glorious sunshine on the Astro.

In a game that demonstrated how much their cricket skills have improved over the past 9 weeks, both teams showed fantastic determination, sportsmanship, and teamwork. In a very close game until the final over, the E team was victorious, with a winning score of 293 vs 265.

The girls picked the Opposition’s Stars of the Game with Hazel (Fielder), Lily (Bowler), and Georgia (Batter), being selected for the D team and Faith (Fielder), Flo (Bowler), and Anna (Batter), were selected for the E Team.

It was an awesome effort by all girls, and I’m sure that those brownies tasted extra sweet after the match!

Mr Pocklington

Cricket vs Great Walstead

U12A

The U12A team took to the field against Great Walstead in their last match of the term. Great Walstead got off to an absolute flier, scoring 57 runs with the first two pairs. Roedean managed to bring the runs back with some accurate and pacey bowling by Sophie, Lili, and Erin.

Great Walstead finished strongly, with 288 runs in their 18 overs. We were looking for a lightening start too, but Great Walstead's bowlers were ready and fired up limiting our opening pairs. We got up a bit of a head of steam through Yasmin and Maddie and end well with Martha and Yasmin. Unfortunately, we finished 221 runs short of their total.

Well done on a great term's work!

The U12C team have had an excellent season, characterised by continuous good vibes within the team, support for each other, and outstanding progress week after week. Thank you for your contagious enjoyment for the sport, and making every Monday and Wednesday a complete joy.

Bamford

'On Wednesday, the modified C team travelled to Great Walstead. Opening the bowling was Captain Paloma, who took a wicket in the first over. Then it was my turn to bowl the second over, only conceding 6 runs. Some notable highlights were when Zaina, Alma, and Rosa took great wickets when bowling. I opened the batting scoring 2 runs, and Captain Paloma managed to get a 6! There was also lots of support coming from Sofiia!

Unfortunately, we lost too many wickets and couldn't chase down the GW score, meaning we finished the season with a rare loss for the team. I was proud to be named Bowler of the Match, and Batter of the Match went to Rosa! Miss Bamford gave her Coach's Player to Paloma for her all round performances when batting, bowling, and fielding!

Well done to everyone who played.'

Georgie

Campleman

Miss

Mr

Roedean 125 Umbrellas –Available on Roedean Day!

To celebrate the 125th Anniversary of our school buildings, we have created a wonderful Roedean 125 Golf Umbrella.

The umbrella is button controlled to put up, and has a beautiful and user-friendly crook handle.

U14B Cricket Fall Short vs Hurst

The U14Bs took on Hurst in their final match of the season. Roedean won the toss and put Hurst into bat. Hurst started well, and had 20 runs for 1 wicket after 3 overs. The middle overs were dominated by Hurst, and they finished on 98 for 3, after their elected 14 overs.

Roedean got off to a poor start, with some top quality bowling removing Chloe in the first over. Hurst managed to take consistent wickets until Maya and Issy put on a middle overs stand of 41 runs, to keep us in the game. After some good bowling at the end, Roedean managed 74 in their allotted 14 overs, falling 24 runs short.

Mr Campleman

It will be available to purchase for £15 from the Roedean Merchandise Stall on Roedean Day, alongside the rest of our fantastic merchandise range.

Sport Stars of the Week

Well done to this week's Sports Stars of the Week – congratulations!

Year 7

Bella, for an excellent batting performance in Cricket against Hurstpierpoint, scoring 43 not out

Year 8 Almen, for her effort and commitment to Athletics training before Sports Day Year 9 Sophie, for her superb progress in Cricket this term

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: aws@roedean.co.uk

Mr Campleman

Year 10

Jamie, for her excellent effort and attitude towards Cricket this term

Year 12

Erin and Izzy, for their proactive and hard-working approach to Sports Day organisation

Mrs Chaston