What a remarkable term we have had! – as a community, we have achieved so much. This week is a perfect example of this: last Friday, we had Staff-Student Hockey, then the postponed Christmas Fair on Monday, Candy Canes and Tape the Teacher on Tuesday, two Carol Services and the House Decorating Competition on Wednesday, and finally Christmas lunches, two Pantos, and two more Carol Services yesterday! Everyone in the School will have played an active part in at least one of these events, and some in more than one – it shows that what can be achieved as a shared endeavour is very powerful. Well done to you all!
The Christmas Fair on Monday was a great success – everyone was definitely in the festive spirit, and over £2900 was raised for our charities. This takes the total amount we have raised together this term to over £11,500, which is astonishing! I am sorry that the Parents’ Guild could take part as much as they wanted to because of the change of day, but I hope that there will be another opportunity later in the year. I am grateful to everyone involved in making the event such a success, and not least to the Domestic team, who waved their magic wands so that the School was back to normal by Tuesday morning! Thank you all.
The Christmas lunches and Staff Panto performances yesterday were all great successes – they are a wonderful way to help round off the longest term of the year. For me, the Carol Services symbolise the start of Christmas each year, and what a pleasure it was to be back in our own Chapel this year. I am always so incredibly impressed with the exceptional quality of singing, and the iconic Once in Royal David’s City solo was sung brilliantly by Ella and Amyra this year. Well done to Mr Rous, his colleagues, and the choirs for maintaining such energy and joy at this point in the term!
Well done to you all for a wonderful term, and I wish you a wonderful and restful Christmas and New Year!
Christmas Fair –
£2900+
Raised for our School Charities
Saturday Sailors
Staff Panto – Peter Pan
Tape the Teacher to the Wall
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.
Derin and Clara (Yr12) – for coming up with the Tape a Teacher to the Wall idea, and seeing it through to fruition [Dr Barrand]
[UNSUNG HERO] Desire, Josie, and Tilly (Yr7), Lily (Yr8), Niamh (Yr9), Evelyn and Athena (Yr10), Jasmine (Yr11), Derin and Sooyeon (Yr12), and Jasmine and Eva (Yr13) – for reading lessons with such confidence in our Carol Services over the past few days [Mrs Green]
Christmas cards in French for Years 7 and 8
This year, our Year 7 and Year 8 students had a lot of fun making Christmas cards as part of a cultural lesson, using French greetings to make them extra special. We loved seeing all the creative ideas and designs, and we hope you enjoyed receiving one. Joyeuses fêtes et bonne année à tous !
Ingrid (Yr13) – for spear-heading a hugely successful Candy Cane initiative [Ms Sturgeon]
Distinction for Ella in Musical Theatre
Singing Diploma
Congratulations to Ella (Yr13), who has just learned that she has been awarded a high Distinction in her ARSM Diploma in Singing for Musical Theatre – a thoroughly deserved accolade for an exceptionally talented singer!
Unsung Staff hero in the spotlight
Mr McWilliams – for stepping to oversee parking for the rearranged Christmas Fair to cover my oversight [Dr Barrand]
Galina, Fleur, and Ella (Yr13) – for directing this year's Staff Panto, and for being patient with the cast members who hadn't learnt their lines! [Mr Halsey]
Miss De Jesus
Tape the Teacher to the Wall
'Tape the teacher, as the name suggests, is when you tape a teacher to a wall, using duct tape – and it was all for charity.
After a very competitive race between six members of staff, the 3 with the highest student votes were Dr Barrand, Mr Lutwyche, and Mr Sampieri.
A few rolls of tape later, they were suspended by tape, each hanging on the wall for well over 1 minute. The award for the quickest to be taped up must go to Mr Sampieri, thanks to Mr Halsey and his team, and Mr Lutwyche lasted the longest before the tape gave way.
Thank you to everyone who voted and donated – all the money raised will go to the Sixth Form year-group charity, Project 125 Moldova.
Finally, a huge thank you to all the teachers who volunteered to help and be taped up. We can’t wait for next year! '
Derin and Clara (Yr12)
Christmas Fair –£2900+ Raised for our School Charities
This year's Christmas Fair did not follow the usual well-trodden path, but it was a great success nevertheless. The extremely high winds on the Saturday meant that we had to postpone the fair to the start of the week. It did not seem to matter at all that it was on a school day – in the afternoon, the classrooms were transformed, and it helped that it was also Christmas Jumper day!
The school stalls raised a magnificent £2900, which is only a little lower than the usual figure – given that far fewer parents were able to attend, this is excellent. Unfortunately, after months of incredibly hard work, the Parents' Guild stalls, including external stall-holders, were decimated because the fair was on a week day. We would like to thank them for everything they have done, and the planned Summer Fete for Roedean Day will hopefully make up for the Christmas Fair.
Well done, and thank you to everyone involved for making it such a success – it was truly an event which pulled everyone together!
Dr Barrand
£11,500+ Raised for Charity So Far This Year!
Staff Panto –Peter Pan
Roedean's annual Staff Panto for 2024 was Peter Pan. Galina, Fleur, and Ella took on the considerable challenge of managing the cast members, numbering more than 25, when rehearsal time is very difficult to find. They maintained their cool, and the faith that 'the show would go on', and the entire school enjoyed the two performances on the last Thursday of term. It was great fun, both for the actors and the audience, and some were overheard saying that Staff Panto is one of the highlights of the year! Well done to everyone involved, and particularly to the Year 13s who directed the show!
Candy Canes – £1170 for Charity
Congratulations to Ingrid in Year 13, who came up with a plan to sell candy canes to raise funds for charity. Both students and parents had the opportunity to buy a festive candy cane and add a message.
I don't think that she realised how popular it would be, and she was inundated with orders. Ingrid hand-wrote all the messages on luggage tags (it was huge job), and the candy canes were delivered earlier this week, causing much excitement around the School.
£1170.50 is an impressive total to raise for charity, and we are proud of Ingrid for making this initiative such a success – well done!
Dr Barrand
Academic Lectures –Autumn Term
'The Academic Lectures this term have been packed with fascinating topics and engaging speakers, offering something for everyone. Whether it’s learning about the ancient world, cutting-edge science, or current events, there’s always something new to discover. Mr Marchant’s lecture on the US Elections was a particular highlight of mine, drawing such a large audience that additional chairs had to be brought in! The lectures are a brilliant way to spend an hour learning for the sake of learning, and I’d highly encourage you to come along –you never know what might spark your interest!'
Gliding into the Holidays: A Cool End to the Term with Tonbridge
Despite the slippery conditions of the wet weather, the girls skated circles around the boys with their impressive skills on the rink. It was a perfect way
to wrap up the excellent first term, with everyone gliding into the holiday season with big smiles and memories of a fantastic evening.
A huge thank you to the Year 10 and Year 11 tutor teams, who supported the event!
Mr Halsey
Lydia (Yr12)
The Year 10 and Year 11 social at Tonbridge School was a chilling success, as the students headed to Tunbridge Wells for a fun-filled ice skating adventure.
House Decorating Competition
The annual House Christmas Decorating Competition is always closely fought, but this year’s was particularly impressive. The storytelling was excellent, and each House had a clear theme which was maintained throughout! Congratulations to everyone involved.
House 1’s wonderful candlelit carol created a magical atmosphere, with strong solos and harmonies led by younger boarders. The elf workshop in the ODR, along with a ‘real’ fire, was great; they won the prize for the Best Looking Tree - it was beautifully decorated, and was crowned by the house mascot.
In House 2, the Home Alone theme was fantastic! Senior Team had an immersive experience, which conjured up the film brilliantly, with props replicating the pranks on the burglars in the film. House 2 were awarded the prize for the Best Tree-Topper, which was a lovely handdrawn representation of Kevin and the burglars.
House 3’s theme was Willy Wonka, and the script, about how Willy’s sister was spoiling Christmas, had lovely poetic elements. House 3 used their spaces excellently, including the hospital in the JPR with sick elves. They won the prize for Most Festive ODR/Common Room, which included a chocolate river flowing from the fireplace
The theme in House 4 was the Nutcracker, and we were met by a ballerina and the Nutcracker Prince, who danced and then engaged in a sword-fight. We were treated to a lovely rendition of Silent Night, contrasted with a great performance of My Snowman and Me. Their Nutcracker-themed joke earned them the prize for the Best Christmas Joke.
In Keswick, the ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ story was narrated brilliantly, and this year there was not one but two inflatable Santa suits. Accompanied by a range of musicians, their performance of Carol of the Bells was outstanding, earning them Best Carol, and this was complemented by the whole house singing Fairytale of New York.
Lawrence presented the story of the Grinch, and this was compèred slickly. A small group sang ‘Where Are You Christmas?’ before the party really started, with everyone dancing and singing to Rocking Around the Christmas Tree –Lawrence definitely won Best Christmas Cheer!
Overall it was a lovely evening, and it was clear that masses of preparation and work had gone into every presentation – thank you.
The Overall Winner, for their seamless storytelling and use of House spaces, was House 3.
Christmas in Boarding...
All of the Houses have been busy filling the boarding floors and communal areas with Christmas cheer and festive spirit!
The girls have been making decorations, gifts for friends and family, and enjoying House Christmas parties, as well as getting ready for the House Christmas Decorating Competition!
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Miss Barnett
MeDeVet+ Team Up with Debating Society
On 26 November and 3 December, Debating Society teamed up with MeDeVet+ to present a debate on the motion 'This House Would Make Vaccinations Compulsory'.
The preparations were thorough and there was fabulous team work. The debate itself was lively, with some fantastic use of medical terminology and reference to medical ethics to give more weight to the points made, and some fiery points of information and rebuttal. Medical progress, the autonomy of the patient, and utilitarianism became significant points of clash, with the overall decision made by the audience to pass the motion.
A particular well done to Rukhshona, Mairi, and Iman for winning the debate!
Next term our intrepid debaters have signed up for the Oxford Schools and International Competition for Young Debaters, and they will be taking part in a debating workshop beforehand to get them ready!
Ms Shahab
Roedean's Eco Council Plastic Free Schools achievement plaque from Surfers Against Sewage
Roedean’s Eco Council has successfully completed the Surfers Against Sewage Plastic Free Schools programme, earning our accreditation as a Plastic Free School, complete with a commemorative plaque!
Through this initiative, our students have gained valuable insights into the impact of single-use plastics, identified them within our school, and eliminated them for good. They have also held businesses and the government accountable, calling for their active role in tackling the plastic pollution crisis. Achieving meaningful change requires a cultural shift, and there’s no better group to lead the way than the next generation of young people, showing us how it’s done!
Surfers Against Sewage advocates for comprehensive policies that drastically reduce the production and use of non-essential, polluting plastics, while promoting a circular economy. This would ensure that plastics are not discarded into the ocean, but instead designed for reuse, repair, and recycling within truly circular systems.
These passionate young ocean advocates have used their voices to challenge major industries and the government, creating ripples of positive change in both our school and the wider community. We couldn’t be prouder of their achievements. But this is just the beginning; our journey towards a plastic-free future continues. Power to the pupils!
Mrs Pashley
Sixth Form Snow Ball 2024
The Sixth Form celebrated a successful term with an evening of music and dancing at our annual Snow Ball. The Sixth Form Centre was transformed into a twinkling delight! All the guests and students took the opportunity to dress up and make some wonderful memories. Thank you to all of the students who helped with the organisation and decorations for the event, and to the staff who supported the event.
Miss Carragher
House Hockey
A tantalizing House Hockey this year took place where we saw each house winning a respective age group and ensuring every goal scored or saved made a difference to the final standings. Well done to all the girls who took part and played brilliant hockey.
Year 7 House Hockey was dominated by strong and consistent House 2 performances on both pitches. Both teams in House 2 remained unbeaten and racked up an impressive +8 goal difference. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th places were all within 2 points of each other, highlighting the tight matches we saw throughout the tournament.
In Year 8, House Hockey was a much tighter affair at the top of the table, with the winners edging their nearest competitor by 2 points. House 4 was victorious, beating House 2 in their match to take the win for Year 8 House Hockey.
House Hockey in Year 9 saw the most girls taking part in this competition, with 3 teams from each House competing for glory and the bragging rights for the next year. House 3 absolutely dominated every match they played, winning each bar one, and achieving a goal difference of +17. 2nd place was far closer between House 1 and 4, with it being determined by 3 points.
Year 10 House Hockey saw an even battle for first place heading into the final match, with House 1 prevailing over their rivals House 3 by 1 point. 3rd place also saw Houses 2 and 4 displaying a competitive competition this year, with just 2 points between them.
In Year 11, this inter-House competition was incredibly tight, and the winners were decided by goal difference, after finishing on 12 points each. House 1 took the victory with a +9 goal difference, ahead of House 3’s +4 goal difference. Special mention to House 4, who were only 3 points back in 3rd place.
Well done!
Mr Wriglesworth
Weekend Boarding Activities –Autumn Term
This term has been filled with exciting and memorable weekend activities for our boarders. The programme has featured a mix of brand-new experiences and beloved favourites. From adventurous pursuits like Clip 'n Climb, Tubing, and Go Ape, to culinary delights, such as pizza workshops and Afternoon Tea at The Grand, to trips further afield, including Bubble Planet and the iconic Harrods shopping mall, there has truly been something for everyone. All the activities have been extremely popular and enjoyed by students of all ages. Thank you to all the members of staff who have dedicated their Sundays to support these events. Look out for next term's equally exciting programme!
Mr Wilson
Wild Fridays Sailing!
Congratulations to 7WF1 on completing their Wild Friday Sailing block – all were presented with the Roedean Wild Fridays Certificate of Achievement in Water Safety and Dinghy Sailing.
During their last session, we finally named our Roedean Fusion Sailing Dinghies – after much discussion, the Saturday Sailing group decided on a bird theme, and we have chosen to call them Robin, Kestrel, Swift, and Jay.
Ms Carr
Saturday Sailors
Congratulations to our Saturday Sailors! We were delighted to present Mia (Yr10), Charlotte (Yr8), and Soraya (Yr8) with the RYA Level 2 Dinghy Sailing Certificate. Their skills were seen clearly demonstrated in some very close single-handed racing in very light winds. I am very proud of them!
Ms Carr
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
Sports Stars of the Week
Well done to the last set of sporting stars for the term!
Year 7
Sela, for fantastic effort and progress in PE
Year 8
Maisa, for always having a brilliant attitude, and for her effort and support of her peers in PE
Year 9
Luciana, for her fantastic effort in PE lessons
Year 10
Poppy, for the excellent progress she has made in Hockey
Year 11
Tiah, for excellent performances in Hockey against Christ's Hospital
Year 12
Fiona, for superb effort in Games this term
Year 13
Onose, for the great attitude and effort she has shown in lessons this half-term
Well done – have a great holiday, and keep exercising!
