Head's Weekly Review - 22 March 2019 - Issue 24

22 March 2019 - Issue 10

HEAD’S

WEEKLY REVIEW

Year 12 Chemists have been studying Kinetics; this experiment demonstrates the effects of increased surface area on rate of reaction – Florence A and Sarah A

Head’s Introduction Inspection week is over! It is always a cause for celebration when the inspection team leaves, and this isn’t because we’re overjoyed by their departure, but because of how the inspection makes us feel about Roedean. The overriding feeling throughout has been one of pride - from the incredibly positive survey feedback and the enthusiasm and support of the girls, to the professionalism and commitment of staff, the School has been eager to showcase everything that is brilliant about Roedean. We will be able to share the results in due course, but the important thing was the display of strength and confidence across our whole community. You were all absolutely brilliant, so thank you.

Spring has officially arrived with the Spring Equinox, but even more poignantly with the arrival of our two new lambs, who have been named Gruffalo and Sox. Even more girls than ever have been visiting the Farm this week to meet our newest family members!

Our two new lambs are doing very well, and they are due to be joined by some more very soon. Thank you to all our Farm Prefects and to our brilliant farm staff team for a successful first lambing.

The Seasonal Spectacular Gala Concert Please see page 4

The fantastic Gala Concert was just one week ago, and I am still marvelling at the range of styles and musical combinations included. The quality, range, inclusiveness, joy, and ambition were breath-taking. It seems that the concerts get bigger and more creative every time! Congratulations to all our fantastic musicians, and to Ms Bartlette, Mr Rous, and Miss Fewkes – it must have been wonderful to be part of it! I do want to also acknowledge not only the quality but the sheer quantity of opportunities that the Music Department offers our musicians. In addition to the Gala concert, they are fully involved in rehearsing for ‘Cabaret’, have organised a phenomenal masterclass with the brilliant Sacconi Quartet, and are off today for a concert at St Peter’s, while continuing all their lessons and supporting Chapel with music and singing each week. A round of applause has never been more deserved.

A reminder, if one was needed, that next week, on Monday to Wednesday, the School Musical finally arrives. The show promises to be fantastic and deeply moving. I know, having seen some of the songs and the set, that this promises to be truly special, so do get your tickets early.

In a very busy week, I was delighted to see the return of the very popular and highly useful Careers’ Fair for Years 9-13. It was astonishing to see 66 exhibitors from a huge variety of fields and professions talking animatedly to our girls. The exhibitors were so impressed with the girls’ interest and questions that many have already asked if they can return for next year’s event. I hope it was useful and inspired many interesting conversations with parents and guardians.

Pi Day 2019

Please see page 5

Sacconi Quartet at Roedean

Last night was the Year 7 Parents’ Evening, which was very energetic and buzzing with enthusiasm. I hope it was both informative and reassuring for girls and parents alike. Our Year 7s have got through the challenges of adapting to their new School so well and they are really flourishing and enjoying all the opportunities here. I am also delighted that the first issue of OneRoedean, our joint review with Roedean South Africa has been published – it has been edited by some of the girls who went on the trip, and you can find it on our website.

Following the recent voting process, the interviews for next year’s Prefect body have started today, and decisions will be made and roles announced by the end of term. I hope the Sixth Form enjoy their Masquerade Ball in Keswick this evening, and I wish you all a lovely weekend ahead of the final week of term.

Please see page 3

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

22 March 2019 - Issue 10

Unsung heroes in the spotlight

Drama – from Page to Stage

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.

Asha R and Carlota M completed their GCSE Drama performances last week, and they have shared their experiences of creating pieces of drama and interpreting different characters and roles:

Amalie S-J and Nia S (Yr8) for being great team players in netball and always cheering loudly from the side-lines [Polly S (Yr8)] Mr Sheriff for helping with the RS displays, and for bringing in cake for the Humanities Faculty during Inspection [EEA]

Miss Vasquez, Hannah L-W, and Sorcha H (Yr13) for helping carry boxes to the Old Ref ahead of the inspection! [JHO]

Deepdene Little Farmers

Asha: ‘In our first extract of the play Girls Like That, I aimed to show the contrast between boys and girls and how they react to situations. My character in the first piece is named Tyler, a teenage boy who has received the photo of Scarlett and is now commenting on it. I rehearsed how some boys act when someone does not conform to their views on a certain topic. I wanted to show through my acting that Tyler is a very proud and masculine boy, who feels he is superior to others, and can therefore affect the mental health of others. My second character is an unnamed girl who went to St Helen’s with Scarlett. I wanted to show that boys are not the only people that can be quite dramatic when it comes to situations, and that some girls would not always be as nice as they seem to be.

In extract 2, I play the role of the girl with the shoulder pads, which is my monologue. I recognised that my character is intelligent and is confident in her own skin – she will not let anyone try and degrade her. So I worked on how resilient my character is through my movement across the stage, but also staying in one place. My character is young and I wanted to show an assertive attitude in my voice.

During my performance, the audience could see that my character has a big personality and is someone who knows what she wants in life – I revealed that she has a humorous side to her, so she is portrayed as likable and more entertaining to watch.’

Spring has sprung! The Deepdene Little Farmers have been in to visit our lambs. With three more lambs due any day now, we encourage all of you to visit the farm before the Easter break.

JRO

Carlota: ‘I play the role of Scarlett, who is bullied and leaves the school, but comes back and does a ‘speech’. In the speech, she talks about women in her family, but then goes on to talk about how much the girls hurt her emotionally and mentally. I wanted to show anger in my monologue, but I also tried to look like I was about to start crying at any second. I wanted to do this because I imagine she felt betrayed by what were supposed to be her friends. During the performance, the audience empathised with Scarlett. In addition, I also wanted them to realise what being a teenager in the 21st century is really like, and how a little mistake can change your whole life, so you need to be careful.

Furthermore, I wanted the audience to know that words hurt just as much as actions.’

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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

22 March 2019 - Issue 10

Sacconi Quartet at Roedean On Monday, Roedean’s Chamber music day took place, and this year we were lucky enough to engage the prestigious Sacconi String quartet to come and work with our talented students. The day was spent in masterclasses with Roedean’s chamber musicians, where they spoke about communication and working as a team to interpret the music together. The girls were focused and excited to work with such talented professionals: Scarlett J (Yr11) said, ‘I was so inspired listening to them play and found all their comments so useful.’; ‘Breath-taking! The sound they produced was like nothing I have ever heard before, the way they worked together was mesmerising.’ – Lily L (Yr11); and Eva F (Yr10) said, ‘They improved our understanding of how to work in a String Quartet almost immediately.’

a Haydn quartet that they have been preparing for their GCSE performance.

The Sacconis then took to the stage to perform the first movement of Grieg’s first string quartet.

Their performance left the audience speechless, the sound they produced was spell-binding and majestic. It was a fantastic piece of music played with an incredible range of effects and musicality, and the atmosphere in the room was electric.

The day ended with all the groups performing, starting with the Piano Trio performing a Spanish piece by Granados, followed by a snippet of the very difficult Quintet with Oboe by Finzi, played beautifully by Martha W (Yr13). The Roedean String Quartet then performed a movement from

To finish the concert, the Sacconis then joined the String Orchestra to perform the first movement of Vivaldi’s Winter, with Freya S as soloist. This was a stunning performance, and it was wonderful to see the energy and concentration from each and every girl. Katarina H (Yr11) said, ‘To be part of a

masterclass with a world-class String quartet was an inspiration. To be honest, I was so star-struck that I was shaking the whole time!’

Many thanks to everyone who took part and to the Sacconis for a truly incredible day.

SOB

Lambs Roedean is delighted to welcome Gruffalo and Sox to the Farm – the two lambs were born to Baby J last week, and she is a wonderful mother. Both lambs are loveable and very mischievous!

We still wait with bated breath to meet Victoria and Millie’s lambs – hopefully we will have 3 more new lambs by the beginning of April!

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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

The Seasonal Spectacular Gala Concert Transformed by atmospheric lighting, the Chapel was the venue for Friday’s Seasonal Spectacular Gala, where a packed audience, drawn from across the Roedean community, gathered to enjoy a concert that certainly lived up to its name. The selection of pieces was pupil-led, and, while some were obvious choices, others were more subtle in their connection to the seasonal theme, resulting in a programme that demonstrated the wide range of musical genres that Roedean musicians perform. Here is just a flavour of the highlights of the ‘quattro stagioni’ we enjoyed.

The Junior Strings’ performance of ‘Autumn’ from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons was received very warmly by the audience, as was the powerful solo of ‘Purple Rain’ by Eva P. The Roedean Band rocked the chapel with ‘September’ by Earth, Wind and Fire, and Eden W-N cast a spell with her soulful performance of Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’ that hinted at the languorous dog days of summer that lie ahead of us (we hope). The charming ‘Rain and Sun’ medley was performed with evident enjoyment of all involved in the Year 7 and 8 Singers, and ‘Colours of the Wind’ from Pocahontas, confidently interpreted in British Sign Language by Holly B and Jane S (Yr10), and

Come and hear YA author Kathryn Evans talk about her new book Tuesday March 26th

Beauty Sleep

Set in a school just like Roed ean, this is Sleeping Beauty with a modern Sci-Fi twist. Also hear about what inspires me and how I became a writer.

PM Reg/P5 * In The Old Ref * Yr 9 only

Clemmie H and Tara V (Yr7), was mesmerising.

‘Seasons of Love’, from the musical Rent, was so compellingly performed by the Senior Singers, with its introductory solo and building harmonies, that it immediately dispelled any inclination to check the arithmetic in its lyrics. However, the overall highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the String Orchestra’s performance of the first movement of ‘Winter’, again from The Four Seasons, the centrepiece of this Seasonal Spectacular. The familiar icicle-sharp chords at the start built the tension beautifully towards Freya S’s magnificent violin solo. It was a triumph.

The rousing finale, ‘Mr Blue Sky’ by Jeff Lynne of the Electric Light Orchestra, perfectly encapsulated the musicianship, teamwork, and energy displayed throughout the evening. It was a marvellous farewell for our Year 13 musicians, and a showcase for the depth of talent in girls who will take their place in seasons to come. Our thanks are due once again to Miss Fewkes, Mr Rous, Ms Bartlette, and everyone else involved.

JT

Kathryn Evans is coming to Roedean On Tuesday, author Kathryn Evans will be having an informal book signing in the Library during Activity 1 – this is open to all year groups, and books will be available to buy with a 15% discount. Kathryn would love to chat with students about creative writing and her new novel Beauty Sleep, which is set in a school just like this one (she even did her research for the book right here at Roedean!)

In period 5, she will be talking to all of Year 9 in the Old Ref about how she became a writer, what inspires her, and how the girls can use these same tools to improve and enhance their own work.

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22 March 2019 - Issue 10

22 March 2019 - Issue 10

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

Pi Day 2019 Mathematicians across the school participated in activities last week to mark Pi Day, celebrated on March 14th (3/14) around the world. Pi (Greek letter ‘π’) is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a particular constant – the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter – which is approximately 3.14159.

There was opportunity to contribute to the Maths Department’s recreation of Buffon’s needle experiment to estimate pi, and our many volunteers were rewarded by Pi Day cookies, kindly produced by Catering. By the end of the day, the departmental estimate stood at 3.130143434, not bad for a day’s work.

The challenge to memorise as many digits of pi as possible was very popular, and attracted those who wanted simply to set themselves an individual challenge, as well as those with a competitive streak. 2019 will go down as ‘the year records began’ since the annals of the department contain no mention of previous attempts. Congratulations to everyone who took on the challenge, but especially those whose names are now officially in the Maths Department record books:

Best in School/Year 9

Lucy H

301

Second in School/Year 9 Ella A

134

Third in School/Year 9

Jemima V

126

Best in Year 8

Suri G

44

Best in Year 12

Nicole C

66

Best in Year 13

Holly-Ann R

46

301 by Lucy is unbelievable! Roll on, Pi Day 2020!

Susan’s in the top 16 in the country!

Susan C has achieved a first for Roedean, in not only being awarded a medal in the first round of the British Mathematical Olympiad, but also for achieving a Gold medal. This highly prestigious award is only presented to the top 16 entrants in the country, from the approximately 1000 invited entrants into the competition. Her score would qualify her for the BMO round two, from which the UK Team would be selected for the annual International Mathematical Olympiad.

This is an outstanding achievement!

NEW FICTION IN THE LIBRARY Mysteries:

Fantasy:

Careers’ Fair SciFi:

Romance/Drama :

Sixth Form:

AND MORE!

Earlier this week, Roedean hosted a wonderful Careers’ Fair for the girls in Years 9-13. There were 62 contributors, representing 51 different industries – these corresponded to the girls’ interests.

Among the 62, there were 19 current parents, 17 ORs, 2 members of staff, 1 former parent – we are incredibly grateful to the wider Roedean community for sharing their expertise with the girls, who enjoyed finding out ‘from the horses’ mouths’ about what certain careers really entail. Thank you to Miss Cather (Head of Alumnae Relations) and Mrs Sharp (our newly appointed Head of Professional Guidance) for organising such a wonderfully informative event.

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22 March 2019 - Issue 10

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

Roedean won the Brighton Swimming Champs for the 6th time in 8 years! – and Mollie is County Champion for the 11th time!

Congratulations to all of the girls who competed at the Brighton & Hove Senior Schools’ Swimming Championships (Girls’ Secondary Schools) – they all did brilliantly, and we won it for the sixth time since 2011.

The first race was 50m backstroke, and all the Roedean girls had strong starts and managed to maintain a strong pace throughout. Tayla, H, India B, and Gracie B finished in 2nd place in their age-groups. In the 4 x 25m relay, both our Junior and Senior teams managed to come 1st and 2nd, which is brilliant as they demonstrated quick change overs and showed true speed when performing. 50m breaststroke was the next event and well done to Mollie T who managed to come 1st – her total of county titles now stands at an impressive 11. Rose O was 3rd, and Josie F 2nd in her race.

The 4 x 25m relay was up next and again we came 1st and 2nd. The results were looking close between Roedean and Cardinal Newman. However, the last 2 events of the evening were 50m Freestyle. All the girls performed fantastically! Holly G, Rania K, & Liv H came 1st and in the 8 x 25m relay our girls placed 1st which was superb!

an extremely strong swimming programme at School, and the girls train 4 times a week in order to be able to compete at this level – they really deserve this success, and it is the result of their outstanding effort and dedication.

SCH

Well done to Holly G, Jamie O, Mollie T, Talya H, Rosa F, Rose O, Tallulah H, Rania K, India B, Phoebe H, Freya T, Gracie B, Josie F, and Liv H. We have

A muddy Cross-Country course for Sophie Sophie N (Yr9) competed on Saturday in a super muddy cross-country race, representing Sussex in the English Schools' Cross Country Championships in Leeds and the weather was horrible. She came 269th out of 351 and she was really happy with this result.

2 Roedean Hockey players representing Sussex Well done to Marianna L (Yr9) and Amelia K (Yr8) who represented U14 Sussex County Hockey this week. Marianna was the Vice-Captain and played Left Back, strongly defending against teams from Berkshire and Surrey. Amelia played on the Left Wing, working tirelessly from defence to attack.

They worked seamlessly together and did themselves, their school, and club proud.

They are looking forward to playing again over the forthcoming weeks – they will play six more counties in the South, including Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Middlesex and Kent.

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22 March 2019 - Issue 10

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships at the Copperbox

2 Golds for Matilda in the Pool

Roedean girls from Years 7-10 participated in the National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships held at the Copperbox, and it was an incredible experience. All girls were nervous prior to their race, but with some reassurance and having watched others they were raring to go.

Matilda R (Yr7) competed in an inter-club Championship Swimming Gala on 1st December and all her races were over a distance of 50m.

She took part in four events which were butterfly, back-stroke, breast-stroke and front-crawl. She won backstroke, breaststroke and frontcrawl and finished in second place for butterfly! In her recent club gala on 19th March, she managed to win a gold medal in breast-stroke and back-stroke and finished in silver place in the butterfly and front-crawl. In her next gala, she is hoping to get ‘all golds’. We are very proud of what she has achieved – well done, Matilda!

First up was Year 7, and they had to row for 2 minutes. Both Grace J and Madeline E performed fantastically in their heats, rowing over 460m.

Grace came 36th overall and Madeleine came 48th.

Year 8 had to row for a total of 3 minutes.

Roedean girls set off at a strong pace and managed to maintain it throughout. Bella D managed to come 84th overall, Isabella P 69th, and Nettie G 35th. Roedean were so supportive of one another throughout the individual races which was fantastic to see.

JJ WHAT’S COMING UP IN THE

Mon 25 March

Year 9 had to row for 4 minutes, which meant that the girls had to pace themselves. The results for this race were: Isla B 95th, India B 69th, and India H 11th which was a fantastic result.

Tue 26 March

Last but not least were the Year 10s. They had been waiting patiently, soaking up the atmosphere, and watching the relay teams which was really entertaining. Throughout this race, the crowd were supporting from the side and all Roedean girls performed brilliantly showing true resilience and determination to maintain such a strong pace. Poppy T came through 55th, Lara S 57th, and Sophia C 76th. All girls should be extremely proud of themselves as they all performed brilliantly! A huge well done to all!

Wed 27 March

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: marketing@roedean.co.uk

WEEK AHEAD?

Cabaret

Cabaret

Cabaret

Thur 28 March

Classics Tour of Greece

Fri 29 March

Final Chapel and Handshaking END OF TERM

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