Hello from Lagos in Nigeria, where, last night, Mrs Wienekus and I hosted a reception for Old Roedeanians, and it was wonderful to meet some incredible women and hear about their experiences. We were able to appreciate fully the strength of the connection between Roedean and Nigeria over many years. Today we will also be meeting prospective pupils including daughters of ORs.
On Tuesday afternoon I really enjoyed the first Teatime Recital of the year, particularly so because it was held back in the Old Ref. The musicians played beautifully, and I was impressed by their confident performances. I would also like to congratulate Ellen, in Year 12, who performed with the British Youth Music Theatre over the summer –it sounds like a wonderful experience.
We welcomed Alicia Drummond from the Wellbeing Hub to Roedean on Thursday. She spoke to three year-groups at the end of the day about managing anxiety and ensuring a positive approach, after which she addressed a group of parents. I understand that both sessions went very well, and I hope that our students can put some of what she said into practice over the coming year.
I am pleased to hear that the Year 7s ventured out on their first trip and had a lovely day at Arundel Castle yesterday. I am grateful to the History Department for giving them this experience.
I wish you all a restful exeat weekend, and good luck for next week!
Arundel
Natalie & Hayley (Yr12) on the Marimba on Open Day
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.
Hanna and Suraya (Yr13) – for playing the Piano so beautifully in this week's Chapel services [Dr Barrand]
Tara (Yr13) – for a fascinating Academic Lecture on ‘The ancient Greeks' perception of nature and how it has influenced a western view of the natural world throughout time.’ – thank you so much! [Ms Ibanez Barcelo]
Summer (Yr7) – for incredible effort in her summer transition work [Mr Bond]
Unsung Staff hero in the spotlight
Mr Hardy – for stepping in to troubleshoot how to get Year 7 to Arundel on Thursday when the coach had broken down! – and thank you to the drivers who transported them there by minibus instead [Dr Barrand]
First Teatime Recital of the Year
It was wonderful to hear music in the Old Ref again, after a hiatus for its refurbishment. The acoustic is lovely, and the audience was very appreciative of the performers.
The three youngest players in this recital all represented Year 9 – Tilly performed on the Lever Harp, Jemima sang a piece in Italian, and Amyra played Bolero on Violin. For all three, it was noticeable how mature their performances were, and how their musicality and stage presence have come on since last year: Tilly demonstrated excellent dexterity, the tone of Jemima's voice was rich and full, and Amyra played with great confidence and strong bowing.
Three Year 11s also performed, two on Piano, and one on Double Bass. It was clear that both Farwa and Charlie were enjoying the chance to play on one of our Steinway Grand Pianos – Farwa's piece was contemporary,
while Charlie chose to perform the iconic first movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Zyta showcased the warm tone of the Double Bass, playing a movement from Mišek's second Sonata, and she demonstrated a lovely melodic line. Hanna, in Year 13, also gave a lovely performance of Madeleine Dring's Blue Air on the Piano – she was in complete control of the changing tempi, and she certainly conjured up a cool jazz bar feel!
The star of this first teatime recital, however, was Ellen, who has just joined Roedean in Year 10. With great confidence and poise, she performed Sarasate's fiendishly difficult Zigeunerweisen on Violin. It was a stunning rendition of this virtuosic piece, which included florid passages encompassing the full range of the instrument, as well as double-stopping (when two strings are played at once), and sections where the player is required to bow with the right hand and pluck the strings with the left at the same time! It was brilliant, and the audience gave her a wonderful cheer at the end.
Thank you to Ms Bartlette for arranging the recital, and to Mr Rous, for his excellent accompaniment, and, of course, to all the players and audience-members!
Dr Barrand
Arundel
On Thursday, Year 7 ventured into Sussex for a History trip to Arundel Castle.
Linked to their current unit on the Norman conquest, our students were toured around the castle by expert guides.
They also took advantage of the September sunshine to have lunch in the grounds and explore the beautiful gardens!
Ms Benton-Stace
Ellen Performing with British Youth Music Theatre
Congratulations to Elllen, who performed in a show in Exeter in August with British Youth Music Theatre. The show they performed was called The Power of Camelot, and, as part of the show, she took Grade 8 Musical Theatre Performance and passed with Distinction!
Well done!
Dr Barrand
‘The
Bravest Thing’
To conclude the Prefects' Chapel service, Galina read this lovely poem, written by Amelia, Roedean's Diversity and Inclusion Prefect – what a brilliant way to encourage us all to have confidence in our ability and believe in ourselves:
The bravest thing to do is try your best, Wake up in the morning and start by getting dressed. Have your breakfast and pack your things, Brush your teeth and spread your wings.
It can be hard to fly with shaking feet That beg to stay grounded on the safety of the street, But if you steady your breath and take the first tread, Each step will soothe the shrinking dread.
You made the step, you made the flight Up in the clouds you feel alright, Because you flew the path you couldn’t run, And that’s the bravest thing you could have done.
Kaitlin – 'Good Morning everyone, my name is Kaitlin and, along with Galina, we are your Heads of School. We will be speaking with our wonderful Prefects about the year ahead of us. I’m really pleased to say that I have worked on the life skills and Personal Development curriculum to include more future and careerbased learning. I am also really excited to bring back the Halloween maze this year, and to organise more events and celebrations across the School. Personally, this year I would love to get to know everyone and establishing more interconnected-ness between the year groups to really build upon our Roedean community.'
Galina – 'Hello, I’m Galina and I am really excited about the year ahead. I am thrilled that the Big Sister programme is up and running, and I’m hoping that this will create strong safe bonds between the oldest and youngest students so that our inter year group relationships are strong as ever. Of course, this term, also brings the staff panto – with only 96 days till Christmas, this will fast approach. This year also marks the end of my 7 years at the School, and I hope that, as Head of School, I can make every student's experience as joyous and special as mine.'
Ella – 'Hello, I am Ella, one of the Senior Prefects. My team includes the Co-Curricular and Events Prefect, Kate, our Charity Prefect, Ingrid, the
Alicia Drummond from the Wellbeing Hub visited Roedean yesterday to speak to three year-groups about managing stress and understanding it, as well as sharing healthy coping strategies with them.
Alicia also spoke to a group of parents afterwards, outlining the importance of wellbeing and ideas for how to create a culture of success. Parents will have access to the Wellbeing Hub through their own portal, allowing the sharing of ideas and materials.
We are very grateful to Alicia, and we look forward to taking full advantage of the Roedean Wellbeing Hub!
Chapel – The Prefects’ Hopes for the Year Alicia Drummond from the Wellbeing Hub
Marketing Prefect, Trinity, and the Performing Arts Prefect, Fleur. Last term was already a success, with events like charity car wash for Moldova and Roedean's Got Talent. This term, we are hoping to organise more events for you to showcase your talents, as well as for fundraising. Last year, we raised an incredible £46,000 for charity – this year we are aiming to beat that total! Also, make sure to follow the Roedean Instagram account to keep up to date with the Prefects and upcoming events!'
Liv – 'Hi everyone, I’m Liv the Senior Prefect for Pastoral, and my team includes the Lower, Middle School and Sixth Form Prefects – Merla and Mairi, Mia and Gabriella, and Jasmine. We are hoping to increase the number of socials in every year group, and I am most looking forward to organising some pastoral workshops for all pupils to get involved, to help you balance school life. We are all really looking forward to attending some of your tutor times to get to know you all and help support you in every way that we can.'
Eva – 'Morning everyone, my name is Eva and I am the Senior Prefect for Academics, Art, and Sport. My team includes the Academic Prefects, Solari and Hannah, the Sports Prefects, Zara and Elodie, and the Art Prefect, Alice. We are very excited to announce that the University Challenge is all set up, and the competition
dates are 10 and 14 October, so do sign up with the form in the Student Bulletin. The Sports Prefects are looking forward to forming a Sports Council. And this year, we are also hoping to organise charity sports events with other schools. Alice has already set up a Fashion Society, which is running on Thursday Activity 2 this year. Lastly, we are also looking forward to organising a Science Fair and strengthening our study buddy programme between year groups.'
Onose – 'Hello everyone, I am Onose, the Senior Prefect for Boarding, Diversity and Inclusion, and Sustainability. My team includes Mancy and Mbali, the Boarding Prefects, Amelia, the Diversity and Inclusion Prefect, and Martha and Haewon, the Sustainability Prefects. Last term, our exciting boarding socials were a great success! This year, we are really looking forward to the upcoming Culture Day and also achieving our Eco School green flag status.'
Kaitlin – 'We are very excited for the new academic year and everything it will bring. I hope we have inspired you to think about the year ahead and everything you will learn within it. For me, these first few weeks have helped me to reflect on what was successful last year, but also how I can improve this year.'
Miss Orrells
Year 13
Ceilidh with Tonbridge
'Year 13 had a great time at Tonbridge Boys' School for an evening of Scottish dancing, a Ceilidh.
After music and singing (and an impromptu bathroom stop) on the way up, we arrived at Tonbridge and had drinks and snacks.
The caller of the Ceilidh, Liz, was very enthusiastic and excited to get going, so we got into pairs/ groups and started dancing. It was slightly chaotic but really fun, and, as the night went on, we settled into dancing, learning things like the do-si-do and American Square dance, among others.
The night went far too quickly, and we'd all have liked to stay longer, or go back again!'
Trinity (Yr13)
This Week in Boarding... Exciting Times!
House 1 and 2 junior boarders came together to create beautiful recreations of their respective mascots, the House 1 Dragon and the House 2 Tiger! The girls brought out their competitive side, with a House 1 vs House 2 paper airplane competition in Main School corridor... who do you think won?
House 2 girls got crafty, making lanterns ready for Mid-Autumn Festival. The girls marked the celebration with bubble tea, moon cakes, and an evening walk to admire the bright full moon! Keen bakers made a delicious banana bread for all to enjoy! They had fun making homemade body scrubs, using coffee granules, which smelled amazing! Boarders had a wonderful evening at a House 2 social, visiting Yellowave to play volleyball with friends under a glowy sunset!
House 3 and 4 junior boarders enjoyed a sunset walk to Asda on Friday evening to stock up on snacks for the week ahead! House 3 got baking and made an apple and blackberry crumble, with choice of custard, ice cream, or squirty cream, perfect for a chilly Autumn term evening! The girls used long lost laundry and odd socks to create personalised laundry bags for the year ahead, with the help of Mrs Allen's sewing skills! The sun has been welcomed back with open arms... and a dog walk! An evening indoors brought a pizza masterclass, with an array of flavoursome toppings to choose from! A lovely evening was had as the whole House came together to listen to the House Captain speeches. The speeches were wonderful... and now the wait for the results! The girls enjoyed making and decorating colourful lanterns to adorn the House and sharing homemade hot pot and mooncakes ready for the MidAutumn Festival.
House 4 celebrated National Wildlife Day by creating mini animal models with airdry clay, all accompanied by some delicious hot chocolate and marshmallows. The girls have loved Saturday evenings with Miss Romani, cooking up some tasty homemade pizza! They even made adventurous pizza-base shapes, including
stars, butterflies, and hearts! The boarders have also burnt off some energy in CHall, playing badminton with friends. They have been making the house sparkle with beautiful crystal sun-catchers – who knew a Roedean sunset could be even better than they already are! All the boarders got messy, making papier-mâché lanterns for the MidAutumn Festival. These colourful creations looked wonderful on our moonlit walk with mini candles in each one! The House 4 boarders even presented colour-coordinated lanterns to the other Houses!
Keswick got to work with their brand new air fryer, making mini pizzas! They also hosted a mega bingo night for all boarders, and there was real competitive spirit!
Lawrence had a wonderful afternoon tea, and even mascots Boo and Cha Cha joined in! They also had a special visit from Elaine, from Pippa's Guardians, who brought cookies for a lovely cosy social evening.
Miss Barnett
U13A Netball Go Through in the National Cup U13C Hockey vs Bede's U16A
On Monday, the U13A Netball squad travelled to Royal Russell for the first round of the National Cup. It was a fiercely contested match from start to finish.
At end of the first quarter, we were leading by 2 after some excellent defensive pressure earned us a valuable turnover. We continued to focus on steady play and working effectively as a team.
Royal Russell kept close, and we were leading by 3 going into the final quarter so it was still all to play for. We kept our cool and increased our movement into the D, which opened up more space. We secured a 19-16 win!
Well done to everyone who played – it was a good game to start the season off, and there's lots to take back to training, but we're through to the second round of the National Cup!
Miss Hammond
Congratulations to the U13C team, who had a great game against Bede's. Valerie and Shahdi loved it: 'We started off the game strongly with an early goal from our amazing forward, Jess. After that, Bede's managed to get good control of the ball and managed to take it up right to our defensive D, only for it to be quickly intercepted by our brave defenders, Zara and Aisha. Soon, we got the ball back where we wanted it, and Shahdi sprinted up right into the attacking D, pushed it over to Jess, who took a quick shot on goal, which hit a defender's foot, meaning we won a penalty corner. Aisha took the ball, and did a 'slap' pass to Jess, who scored. After the short corner, Bede's managed to take 2 successful shots on goals, but we did not let that shake our team spirit and knock confidence, and we continued to pressure the ball. May controlled the ball brilliantly, and passed it to Valerie, who then made an impressive pass over to Jess, who scored a fantastic goal. At the end, Bede's took a centre pass, but Valerie quickly ran to the ball and dribbled it through the defenders, and passed it to Jess and scored! At the end of the match, the Roedean U13C team won 4-2, and Valerie was named Girl of the Game!'
Miss Hayman
Betsy’s plays for Sussex in the National Tennis Cup
Congratulations to Betsy (Yr8), who was recently selected to represent Sussex County for Tennis. This is a brilliant achievement, because there are just 6 places available.
She spent a gruelling but satisfying weekend representing Sussex in the National County Cup last weekend – Sussex was playing in a Division 1 play-off with Hertfordshire, Avon, Berkshire, Devon, and South Wales. The team battled valiantly, and narrowly lost third place in a tie-break to come fourth overall.
The standard was extremely high – the girls are pretty much all national players, so it was a real honour for Betsy to have been selected for the team. They only pick 6 players to represent each county, and this achievement underlines how all the hard work that she’s put in is paying off. She played some spectacular tennis, and her family and Roedean are very proud of her!
Miss Patching-Jones
We welcome contributions from all parts of the Roedean community. If you have something you would like featured in the Head’s Weekly Review, please email: aws@roedean.co.uk
In a highly contested triangular fixture, the U16's A team felt positive heading into the fixture, after previous strong performances against Brighton College and Ardingly.
The team faced the Eastbourne College 2nd XI and 3rd XI in a triangular. The team played a very strong thirty minutes, possibly the best half so far this term. However, they couldn't convert all the chances created. Thankfully Alice converted a chance in the second quarter to go in 1-1 at half-time.
In the second half, the team started slowly, and unfortunately made some crucial errors to concede two goals in the third quarter, but the fight within the team is undeniable. In Quarter 4, the team created several huge chances in which Kayla snuck one under the opposition GK. The pressure continued and the team had a short corner on the full time whistle – Eastbourne stood strong and the final result was 3-2.
It was a great performance from the team, but we just couldn't get the ball over the line to draw.
