22nd September 2017 - Issue 3
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
The astro’s coming...
Head’s Introduction
Biking round the Downs
With four year-groups out of school for a few days each this week, Roedean has been a little quieter than usual. Year 10 had a very successful trip to Blacklands Farm, where the girls challenged themselves in the outdoors, and Mrs Robins was delighted with the way every girl got involved. In the second half of the week, the girls in Year 7, 8, and 9 have been to Bushcraft, PGL on the Isle of Wight, and Kingswood. I am very grateful to my colleagues for accompanying the girls on these residential trips which are so valuable for the girls. By taking them out of familiar surroundings, the girls have to adapt to problem-solve and work as teams in a completely different way.
Last Sunday, 20 Roedean girls from across the year-groups enjoyed a wonderful mountain biking excursion. The route took us over the rolling Sussex Downs behind and around the school, down to Ovingdean, and back along the seafront road to school. The weather was superb and everybody had a wonderful time, as well as plenty of good exercise into the bargain!
At the same time as these residentials, Roedean has also hosted two large-scale events this week. The first was in London, which we hosted with Cheltenham Ladies’ College and North London Collegiate School to celebrate the benefits of single-sex education for girls. The keynote speaker was Dame Mary Archer, and she led the audience through a list of ground-breaking women, who paved the way for our young women today to play key roles in 21st century society. The Careers Fair, run by Mr Taylor and his team in the Development and Alumnae Office, was a great success last night. The girls in the top four year-groups had the opportunity to talk face-to-face with representatives from the whole range of professions and a great many fantastic female role models. I hope that this experience helped the girls to develop a clearer idea of which career they might want to pursue in the future. I am delighted that work has begun this week on Roedean’s all-weather pitch. In a short space of time, the contractors seem to have moved a lot of earth, and suddenly it is possible to envisage what it will look like – it will be exciting to watch this project develop over the next few months. I hope that you all enjoy a relaxing exeat weekend, and good luck for next week!
Reflection on Reading This reflection was used in the Chapels this week: We should always remember that reading is a gift. In the 21st century, while nearly 15% of the global population still cannot read or write, many of us at Roedean are fortunate enough to be able to read and write in more than just one language.
Brighton Shoppers Look at our happy Brighton shoppers! 33 girls enjoyed the trip at the weekend. Unfortunately we did get wet! But it really didn’t seem to worry these girls as long as they could shop! It was a great afternoon enjoyed by all. JWL
Perhaps we owe it to those who do not have this ability to read as much as we can, for study, for pleasure, for fun. In a world which is so fast-paced, where time seems so precious and short, we should make space to lose ourselves in reading, if only for a short time each week. Reading challenges our minds, it broadens our horizons, it alters our perspectives, it gives us insights into different worlds and times – reading is a gift we must not ignore.