Heads Review - Spring Issue 3

Head’s Introduction

Well done to all those who have completed a full set of assessments last week. I hope that the experience has been helpful for them, particularly for all our GCSE and A Level students, as we know from previous years that this process can reduce the pressure of the actual examinations in the summer. Well done!

I’m looking forward to the School’s Lunar New Year fireworks on Monday. Students from a number of different countries have shared how they celebrate this festival in this review, and the school community has been hearing about Lunar New Year in assemblies and tutor periods this week. There will also be traditional activities taking place in the Library on Monday, such as paper-cutting, and calligraphy.

Year 9 enjoyed their Street Dance workshop this week, which was led by a celebrity of the style, JP Omari. It sounded like great fun, and everyone got fully involved. Year 7 also had an exciting time this week in Geography, when they were visited by a whole array of weird and wonderful insects and reptiles, helping them to understand how animals adapt over time to their environment. I am grateful to my colleagues for organising these enriching activities.

There have been a huge number of sports fixtures over the last week, and I am delighted to read about some brilliant matches, where the girls showed real grit and determination, alongside excellent team-work, to win against strong opponents. I am also pleased to read that the U13 netballers even fielded an F team, allowing even more students the opportunity to represent Roedean.

Thank you to the Admissions team, who have had a very busy start of term, with entrance testing on the first weekend, and lots of scholarship interviews and practical assessments over the last week. It is an  undeniably complex process, ensuring that every prospective family is looked after individually, but everything has run very smoothly, and I am sure that those who came felt very welcome.

wish you all a relaxing weekend, and I wish you all a Happy Lunar New Year for Monday!

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.

Geography Enrichment – Jaws & Claws

For the past two Fridays, Year 7 have enjoyed a visit from 'Jaws and Claws'. In their Geography lessons, the Year 7 students have been studying global biomes, including animal adaptations.

Sabrina and Queena (Yr12) – for preparing a video on Lunar New Year to share with the rest of the school community to explain their significance of the festival [Dr Barrand]

Sigrid (Yr12) – for planning and running acitvities in the Library on Monday 23 January to mark Lunar New Year [Mrs Bailey]

So, the Geography Department arranged for Phil from Jaws and Claws to bring an array of wild beasts from all over the world to Roedean, for the students to pet and hold. This collection included Cane Toads, Bearded Dragons, Tree Frogs, Pythons, Cockroaches, African Snails, and Red-Footed Tortoises!

As the photos show, the girls loved the opportunity to handle these exotic creatures and learn how each has adapted to survive in their ecosystems. There were squeals of both delight and fright as Phil kept introducing each creature from his seemingly bottomless bag.

Thank you to the Geography Department, and particularly to Mrs Finn for arranging these visits.

Mr Carter – for a fascinating Academic Lecture on 'The 8 billion ceiling is smashed – are we facing a population crisis on planet earth?' Thank you so much! [Ms Ibanez-Barcelo]

Book Now!

Teatime Recital

Thursday 26th January

4pm Old Ref

The first Teatime Recital of the year is next week! We have a range of music from Lutoslawski to Lennon &McCartney.

The box office is open but tickets are free https://roedean.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/ shows

If you are a Roedean student just pop along and support your friends.

They start at 4pm in the Old ref. Tea and cake provided.

Mr Carter

Ms Bartlette

Staff

Henna workshop in English!

One of the Year 10 English classes had a little break from the progress reviews with a henna workshop! The girls have been studying texts from the IGCSE anthology including An Unknown Girl by Moniza Ali, a poem which explores the idea of belonging and identity through personal narrative, repetition and cultural allusion. However, the ending is ambiguous, the speaker uncertain of who she is, wanting to retain that feeling she had when the henna design was fresh and the unknown girl and she were one. Many of the girls identified hugely with the idea of searching for cultural roots and found the henna workshop both soothing and educational. Thanks especially to Aishy for bringing in the henna and traditional Indian snacks!

Harmony's Won a Place on the KPMG's Black Heritage Insight Programme

Congratulations to Harmony (Yr13), who has won a place on KPMG's Black Heritage Insight Programme – the specific programme is Black Heritage Talent – Consulting Apprenticeship Insight, which takes place in London, and it is tailored towards black students in Year 13 to gain insight into the consultancy profession.

The programme lasts three days and Harmony will be able to network and receive personal feedback on her CV, as well as other pieces of advice. She will be paid for the duration of the programme, and sit a test – if she passes, she may be offered a consultancy apprenticeship with KPMG in September.

This is a brilliant achievement – well done!

Ms Shillito

Over the Christmas holidays, Year 12 Art students were tasked with filling a small sketchbook with their explorations into their set theme 'Light and Space'. These beautiful books record their experiences through a variety of media as students develop their own interests.  What they produced was wonderful!

Ms Strachan

Year 9 Dance Workshop

Last week, Year 9 students took part in a Street Dance workshop with JP Omari. JP runs Streetfunk in Brighton, and is a multi-award winning Hip Hop dancer, teacher, and choreographer, who has worked hard and extensively to become one of the leading and most widely-respected Hip Hop dance figures in the UK.

All six Year 9 groups learnt a different routine, developing their Street Dance vocabulary. Everyone performed excellently – well done, Year 9!

Sport Stars of the Week

Miss Abaza

Lunar New Year

The whole school will be gathering in the Quad on Monday for our annual Lunar New Year firework display.  Last year’s display included a thrilling digital presentation of a dragon dancing across the School façade, and this year promises more visual excitement! The buses will be leaving at 6.15pm to allow all girls to enjoy the celebration. Throughout the week girls will also be hearing about Lunar New Year in Chapel, and can look forward to some traditional activities that will see them decorating the library and our central fireplace with calligraphy, paper-cutting and block printing.

新年快乐

Lunar New Year – Korean-style!

In South Korea, Lunar New Year is the most magnificent holiday of all.

First, we start with a tradition called “sebae”, which is a ritual where the younger children wear traditional clothing and bow down to their elders, such as their parents, grandparents, and older relatives.

After sebae, we usually get “Lunar New Year money” from the elders and wish each other a good year without any troubles or bad luck. For food, the most commonly eaten food throughout Korea on this holiday is definitely “Tteokguk”, which is rice cake soup, with thinly sliced egg and dried seaweed on top. We say that one bowl of this soup will make you one year older as well, therefore many people eat it on New Year's Day too.

Many households also play folk games such as “yutnori” or “gonggi” – when I was younger, I remember playing those folk games with my relatives and enjoying this amazing holiday. Lunar New Year is truly the best time of the year for South Koreans.

Soyoung (Yr11)

Chinese New Year

In my family, we celebrate Chinese New Year by visiting our relatives, eating rice cakes, and putting up red posters with meaningful words. On the day before Chinese New Year, we put up red posters called ‘Fai Chun’ on our walls. These ‘Fai Chuns’ are known to bring good luck in the New Year. On Chinese New Year’s Day, we go to our relatives’ homes to wish them a good year ahead, and give each other red packets. Then we eat lunch with them. Our lunch consists of rice cakes (called ‘Nian Gao’), roast chickens and ducks, Chinese dumplings, fish, and most importantly, the sweet dumplings (called tangyuan). Then me and my cousins would have a competition called ‘Who can say the most phrases of prosperity’ – we each have to say as many phrases (like 恭喜發 財 and 萬事如意) as we can, and the person who says the most phrases wins! Chinese New Year is a time of fun and joy in my family!

Natalie (Yr9)

Lunar New Year in Singapore

In Singapore, Chinese New Year is celebrated primarily with our families, and begins with the annual reunion dinner on the eve of the new year.

Festivities last for 15 days, and often consist of visiting the houses of relatives, eating special food, and receiving and giving red envelopes with money inside.

It's a fantastic festival, and really important for us!

Iras (Yr13)

Korean Lunar New Year

During Lunar New Year, which is called Seollal in Korea, we visit family and perform ancestral rites with some Korean traditional foods, fruits, and other foods that our ancestors liked. There are certain foods that must be served on the ancestral table. After performing ancestor rites, we eat a traditional soup consisting of rice cakes, which symbolises getting one year older. We also play many folk games with our family and receive money from elders, after expressing gratitude to them by performing a formal bow.

Sihu and Siyun (Yr10)

Lunar Festival in Thailand

In Thailand, the Lunar New Year’s festival is almost identical to the one in China due to the influence of trading between China and Thailand (and the geographical factors as well).

Many people in Thailand have Chinese ancestors, so we celebrate it as well. This is usually in famous places like Soho (which Thailand has as well), otherwise known as the เยาวราช (Yaowarat), and it includes street Thai food and Chinese food.

In households throughout Thailand, many often go to Yaowarat to buy incense and other offerings to make to the Chinese gods and warriors, and the Buddha (both the Hindu-buddhist buddha and the Eastern buddha), as it is also regarded as a sacred day.

Celebrating Chinese New Year Away From Hong Kong

Celebrations in the UK are massively different to those in Hong Kong. There, we would spend each day visiting each member of our extended family: usually partying until late at night. Due to the obvious lack of family living in the UK, my mom and I have decided to celebrate the Lunar New Year with neighbours and friends instead!

Before all the celebrations start, my mom and I make sure to clean our flat thoroughly, as it symbolises sweeping away the bad luck from the year before.

We usually make traditional Chinese carrot cake and distribute it around the neighbourhood – just the thought of the cakes is enough to make me salivate...

At school, my friends and I hang red banners and signs with messages of good luck and fortune around the boarding house. It’s nice to see my friends of different cultures participating in the celebrations with me. My favourite would have to be folding origami decorations, and my friends love it too. Although all of us aren’t quite as adept as we think we are (my rabbit looked like a crab), it's still great fun gathering and attempting the more complex patterns as part of the Lunar New Year celebrations.

Sigrid (Yr12)

Seniors usually give the family red packets filled with money, called angpao. After that, the family receives the prayers of the seniors. In the early morning, monks often walk the streets for food – this is called Binthabaht, as monks are not permitted to cook and therefore must rely on the kindness of the villagers. So, the family usually wakes up very early in the morning to prepare food for the monks. Similarly, families also go to the temple to pray, as it is a festival and a ceremony usually occurs.

Companies and houses may also wish to bless their house or buildings by asking a monk to perform a ceremony there, and this can last up to three hours. You can donate to the temple using an envelope (which most Thai kids give to their peers to gain donations for certain ceremonies they hold), and in return the temple will pray in your name.

This festival is significant because friends and families gather together and most Thai people place a heavy importance on religion (Buddhism), and therefore they regard such a large ceremony being held as an extremely sacred day. This is also important for the Thai-Chinese relationship politically, as this shows that the relationship between Thailand and China is strong.

Yujin

This Week in Boarding

Assessment week did not stop our boarders creating amazing artwork, playing games, and solving puzzles. There was lots of baking too, with cookies and cupcakes, as well as a birthday celebration! We topped off the week with a spectacular sunset over Roedean.

Mrs Diplos

Netball vs Dorset House

U12C – a Jaw-Dropping Draw

The U12C team managed to stretch their unbeaten run to 3 matches, following a well-fought draw against Dorset House U13B team.

The girls were dominant in the 1st quarter, managing to go 4-0 up with some excellent shooting from Rosa and Martha. In the second however, Dorset House disrupted and foiled our defensive play and managed to score 4 of their own, meaning the game was tied at 4-4 at half time. In the 3rd quarter, both teams knuckled down and were searching for an edge into the last quarter. The 3rd quarter ended 6-6. The final quarter was a whirlwind affair, with both teams having opportunities to win the game and going down to the last few seconds of the match.

The match ended 8-8, which was a fair result considering both teams' performances.

Mr Campleman

U13C

The U13C travelled to Dorset House, who are a new opponent this year.

With this team being an unknown quantity, the girls were nervous. Roedean started slowly, not realising they had a huge height advantage. After the first quarter, Roedean started to get the ball up high on release and drive forwards. This meant Roedean managed to claw the score back. With Roedean leading in the final quarter, Dorset House applied more pressure, searching for the goal to get the draw, and they did this in the final second of the game.

Well done to everyone involved. The Girl of the Game went to Claudia and the Coaches’ player went to Flo.

Mr Borsoi

U13A – Hurst Tournament

This Wednesday, we were at the annual Hurst U13 tournament. There were 4 groups with 6 teams in each, and you had to come in the top 2 in order to go through to the quarter finals.

We started off very strongly against Brambletye, securing the win 9-2. Our shooters, Liv and Izzy, were very accurate, which gave them the confidence to take on long range shots effectively.

Our second match was against Hurst B team, We went out strong and were up 8-1 after the first half. We were as clinical in the second half, and, although we were turning over the ball defensively, we could not transfer it down to our shooters. However, we still managed to take the win, 11-2.

Our third game was against Copthorne. We came out firing, turning over their centre pass and capitalising off it. It was end to end throughout the first half, with the score 2-1 to Roedean at half time. Unfortunately, Roedean could not calm their nerves and panicked on the ball. This enabled Copthorne to take advantage of our errors and take the win 5-2.

In our fourth match against Great Walstead, we knew we had to get the win to secure a place going through. Great Walstead were firing from the first whistle and took an early lead. Roedean started to respond towards the end of the first half, but it left us a lot to do in the second half. We were clawing it back, but ran out of time and they took the win.

In our final match of the day we played Cottesmore. This was a comfortable game to finish the day off with Roedean taking the win.

The U13As have been working extremely hard in training and it has been brilliant to see their progress show on court. They are using the whole court effectively and balancing it throughout a transition. We have more to work on before our next tournament, but the girls are showing promising improvements and are determined to get the wins. Keep it up, I am really impressed!

Miss Hammond

Honours' Book

Honours' Book nominations are made by members of Roedean and are for exceptional achievement in any area. The students below have done incredibly well with various achievements, and they are invited to sign the School's Honours' Book, which will be a lasting record of their achievements.

Rhea (Yr9), for achieving full marks in the BEBRAS challenge, which is a worldwide computing challenge run by Oxford University. It has just under 330,000 entries globally, and Rhea was one of just 207 pupils in the UK to achieve this feat.

Mollie (Yr11), for a huge number of swimming accolades, including winning 39 Sussex Gold Medals, being unbeaten in her age group at breaststroke since 2017, and qualifying for the British and English Nationals in 2021 and 2022.

Alice (Yr9), Gabby (Yr13), and Joy (Yr8), for winning their categories in the international Modern Foreign Languages poetry recitation competition, Poesiae, in 2022.

Meghan (Yr9), for winning her age category in an annual international specimen drawing competition, the Nancy Rothwell Award. This is a prestigious award run by the Royal Society for Biology and the Royal Veterinary College.

Lucy (Yr10), for achieving Bronze medals in two team synchronised ice-skating events in London. In addition to winning the Bronze medals, Lucy and her team also set personal bests.

Eden (Yr10), for achieving her karate black belt over in October. In addition to this Eden also gives up her time to train the younger belts a few times a week.

Netball Triangular vs Eastbourne and Cranleigh

U15A

This weekend, the U15As played their first Saturday fixture. The team was slow to get going, with the score at 7-1 down at half time to Cranleigh. The girls struggled to get the ball out on our own centre passes, which Cranleigh were quick to capitalise on. There were moments of stunning netball through the court, as Clara dominated the defence at the back, and supported the team in transitioning from the back into the shooting circle. Saffron and Fen worked the shooting end well, but we couldn't claw back quick enough. 19-7 was the score at the final whistle – it was a tough start.

The team were determined to fight back for our second match versus Eastbourne. The game was end to end, with attack working hard to get the ball through the court and into the circle. Another calm performance from the shooters, with Polly stepping in. Georgie and Clara linked up at the defensive end, and Alice brought some feistiness to the attacking end and turning over ball. We were up the whole game, but in one last effort, Eastbourne stepped on the gas and clawed it back. 11-11 on the final whistle.

Saffron was awarded Coaches' Player of the Weekend, after her excellent movement and shooting. We're ready to take on Ardingly next week – watch this space!

Miss Bamford

U15D

Leaving the horrific Roedean weather behind, the U15Ds embarked on their first netball fixture of the year, with a triangular away at Cranleigh. Fortunately, the weather was much milder up in Surrey for some quality netball.

First up was our match against the hosts, Cranleigh. The first half was a difficult start with a few girls having to play out of position and the opposition being very well drilled and showing more physicality. Despite this, all the girls were really positive at half time, looking for goals they can try to achieve to have a positive outcome out of the game. This showed in the second half with Derin playing really well at GK, her first time playing that position, and Kelly, Amy, and Grace creating some great passing play. Unfortunately, this didn't have much effect on the final result, but there was still another match to play.

On to Eastbourne, the girls had great positivity going into this game despite a heavy defeat in the first. They continued the positive changes from the last game with beautiful passing play up the court and Holly, Indigo, and Maya were clinical with their shooting. At half-time, we were 11-1 up so, with a few changes, the team continued to play excellently. They gelled more and more as a team, and Maya continued to score from anywhere in the D.

The game finished 21-1, which was an excellent second game and showed great potential for the rest of the season.

Mr Meardon

U15B – a Solid Start with a Win and a Loss

The U15B team took to the court for their first game of the term after their first game was cancelled due to horrific weather. The side was slightly depleted due to a couple A-team players being unavailable this weekend. Nevertheless they started against Cranleigh with spirit and heart, going head to head in the first half.

Cranleigh came into the 1st half strongly and managed to get 10-2 up. After a quick refocus on tactics and what to improve, Roedean came back in the second half to stop the Cranleigh shooters and narrowly lost the half 4-3. The game ended 14-5 to Cranleigh.

The second match in the triangular was against Eastbourne, and the girls were fired up for it. The first half was a close affair with both teams defending well, ending 4-3 to Roedean. Step up Tilly... she was on fire in the second half, scoring from all over the D, close, far, out of the D even (of course not though...!). Anyway, the resolute defence and free scoring Martha and Tilly meant that Roedean stretched their lead and took the game, ending 13-5.

Mr Campleman

Netball Triangular vs Eastbourne and Cranleigh

U15C

On Saturday, we left the torrential rain and gale force winds of Roedean and made our way up to Cranleigh. Greeted by drier, but nevertheless challenging conditions, the stage was set for our U15C team in a triangular against Cranleigh and Eastbourne.

The first 12-minute half against Cranleigh was a challenge, with their team getting off to a flying start. Cranleigh were quick off the mark and played well to score some early goals. Going into our team talk at half-time, positions were changed and adapted; the spirit of the team shone through. Eva was quick off the mark and we started to build confidence and pace in our passing. Soon Bella and Dot were being fed some extremely swift passes from team and the goals came thick and fast in the second half. Whilst Cranleigh continued to play well, it was very much end to end.

Defensively, Veronica and Becca worked particularly hard to ward off Cranleigh’s advances. It was very much a game of two halves, but the damage had been done in the first half, and unfortunately Roedean was not able to close down the deficit. The final score was Roedean 7, Cranleigh 22.

With confidence high from an excellent second half against Cranleigh, Roedean was determined to build and take their positivity into the Eastbourne match. The game flowed, the passes were fluid, and the team came together to create chances. We accurately scored a number of goals in increasingly difficult conditions, which led to an impressive 15–1 victory. Altogether there were many positives to be taken from this season’s opener, and the team is looking forward to playing again soon!

Miss Marek

U14B Netball vs Cardinal Newman

The U14B team played in the Sussex Cup away to Cardinal Newman. The team arrived at peak lunch time, with the whole school awaiting their arrival. It was like playing away on a rainy day at Stoke or Burnley in the premier league!

The team started the game slowly, allowing Cardinal Newman way too much space, resulting in us going down 9-2 in the first quarter. In the second, the team picked it up and were fantastic in defence with a special mention to Layla for being awarded with Player of the Match.

U14A

The U14s were meant to play a triangular against Cranleigh and Eastbourne at home on Saturday, but unfortunately the weather had other plans. Due to high winds, the game was forced inside at Sussex University and the matches were shortened to allow both the U16A and U14A to play all their matches.

The games against both opposition teams started strongly, with the Roedean girls quickly getting into their stride and pulling ahead. At half time, we were up 13-2 (versus Eastbourne) and 11-4 (against Cranleigh). Although both teams were able to come back at the start of the second halves and we lost our rhythm a little, Roedean maintained these leads, and finished 13-2 and 21-5. The Coaches’ Player for the first game was Bella for her great shooting, and Minnie in the second match, for her patient and controlled mid-court play.

Miss Kirby-Jones

U16A Victorious

It was great to see the U16As back on court last Saturday, taking on both Eastbourne and Cranleigh. The team started off extremely well against Eastbourne. With some strong player on player defence all through court, and some fast transitions from defence to attack, we capitalised off all turnovers made.

Despite a big lead in the first half, they pushed on, kept motivated and disciplined to take the win 21-0. We later took on Cranleigh, who started off quicker than us. Fortunately, we were able to adjust to their style of play and took control of the match. Pearl controlled from the middle, dictating play and feeding the shooters effectively. The shooters were extremely accurate, and defence communicated effectively to secure the win 19-3.

This was another solid performance from this squad, I am looking forward to the rest of the season. Well played all!

Miss Hammond

Overall, the team struggled with the ball and looked a bit rusty in their first game of the season. The final score was 28-8 but, there were lots of positives to take from the game and lots to work on. With a training match on Friday night versus Fiveways, they are working hard to take on Burgess Hill in their next match. Well done, team!

Mr Perry

Netball vs Ardingly

U13F

We welcomed Ardingly to Roedean this week, for what was some of our players' first ever fixture. There were some nerves ahead of the game, but once the first whistle blew everyone was in full flow.

We took a lead early on, and ended the first quarter 4-1. A slower second quarter meant the first half finished 7-3. Despite the cold we continued to get better and better – Mia, Lyla, and Evelyn were consistently linking well to provide our sharpshooters in Zoe and Modesire plenty of chances to score. Gaby was a fantastic utility player, playing in 4 different positions throughout the game and keeping high standards throughout. This allowed us to double our score in the second half.

Thanks to the strong physical defending of Bea and Sabrina (a last minute replacement), we stopped Ardingly from scoring in the second half. This was a great match by the girls who worked really well as a team, and Modesire won Player of the Match too.

Mr Meardon

U13D

The U13D team won 8-7 against Ardingly in a tightly contested game.

There were only ever 3 points between the teams, and Roedean’s performance in the second quarter was what ultimately decided the game. Ardingly were a much more physical and proactive team, regularly looking for interceptions, moving the ball quickly, and applying pressure all over the court. Nevertheless, Sienna and Stella worked well together at GS and GA, Lily was sound in defence on her debut, and the centre court players brilliantly managed the balance between attack and defence.

Well done!

Mr Smethurst

U13E

On Wednesday 18 January, the U13E netball squad braved the freezing temperatures to play against Ardingly college. The team started strongly, leading by 2 goals at quarter time, Argingly fought back and were winning by 4 goals at half time.

Every single player in the U13E netball team dug deep to challenge every ball, and the intensity was high; the defenders stuck close to their players and the attackers worked hard to bring the match back to even. In the final few minutes, Roedean took the lead and held on to win the match by one point! The final score was 7-6. Well done to the Roedean U13E Netball team – you were fantastic!

Mrs Wilson U13E

U13B Win

The U13B Netball team played an exciting match against Ardingly College on a frosty Wednesday afternoon.

After having last week's match cancelled due to poor weather, it was time for the team to put their training into practice. With the two key principles as our focus, the players started strongly, looking to deliver the ball accurately to the shooters, and the defenders to put pressure on to make turn overs. With some great shooting

from Sophie and Bella, we finished the first quarter 7-3 up. Ines, Sorrel, Iris, and Lois had strong control over the centre court, while Maud and Natalie were a force to be reckoned with in defence.

After a shaky 3rd quarter which we lost, the team came back in the final quarter to win the game 14-8. Well done!

Miss Kirby-Jones

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: abw@roedean.co.uk

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