23rd February 2018 - Issue 7
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Head’s Introduction
The pitch is really taking shape!
Welcome back after the half-term break. I hope that you all enjoyed spending time with your family and friends.
We are delighted that work on our new flood-lit all-weather pitch is making excellent progress. It really has been amazing to see how quickly this has happened, and the girls are excited to get on the pitch and try it out. Having a facility like this on site really will transform the sports provision for the girls in so many ways. This time-lapse video will give you just an impression of the development of the site: https://vimeo.com/256436862
Earlier this week we had Higher Education Evening for over 250 students in Years 10-12. They heard from specialists in this field about how to make a competitive application to a variety of higher education institutions. I am sure that everyone learnt a great deal, and that it will stand them in good stead when they come to apply. Thank you to all the staff and girls who made the ski trip to France over half-term such a huge success. Mrs Pittingale and the girls themselves report that it was a brilliant trip. The updates on Twitter were entertaining to follow during the week, and everyone had a great time. I am very grateful to all of my colleagues who gave up their half-term to accompany the girls in France. I am extremely excited about this evening’s Movie Magic Gala Concert. We are so fortunate at Roedean to have such a remarkable Music department and such remarkable musicians. Collectively, they inspire and entertain us every term with a brilliantly imaginative and broad programme. The sheer number of musicians performing tonight is remarkable, and I wish everyone involved the best of luck – I am sure it will be spectacular!
Black Lives Matter – the mural’s developing! In Black History month, Martha is delighted that her mural in the Art Department is really coming along – in these photos, you can see the progression over the week…
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
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. Rose O (Yr7) for being quietly wonderful and repeatedly demonstrating kindness and courtesy [LPO]
Maggie EB for always being happy and willing to do tours for us [LCR]
Higher Education Evening at Roedean On Tuesday evening, students from Year 10, 11, and 12, and their parents took part in an informative and inspiring evening, where they looked ahead to their different options for higher education and learning. A representative from King’s College London outlined what Russell Group universities look for in their students; Alan Bullock, our independent careers advisor, gave tips on what you need to do to make the most competitive application; and a panel of our own Year 13 students were joined by Wendy Smith, who advises on personal statement writing, and answered questions on their experience of completing their university applications, art portfolios, and preparing for interviews.
Half-term skiing in France! 42 Roedean girls and 6 members of staff had a brilliant week skiing in the south of France over half-term. As ever, the girls were excellent ambassadors for Roedean, and it was a pleasure to lead this trip to Super-Dévoluy, north-west of Marseilles. Thank you very much to the staff who accompanied the trip – it was fantastic! Natasha R and Martha N were the most talented in the group, and it was also fantastic to see the remarkable progress every single member of the beginners’ group made over the week. Olivia C (Yr10) made the most improvement, Mubanga M (Yr7) was the slowest, most safety-conscious, and most comic skier in the party, Abi B (Yr10) and Miss Walker both injured themselves, and Miss Hyams’ ear-piercing screaming and laughing while skiing could probably have been heard throughout the entire resort! School trips, whether they are abroad or in the UK, are wonderful experiences which complement school life brilliantly – they provide the students with an amazing opportunity to try new things, to challenge themselves, and to broaden their horizons. I’m already looking forward to next year’s trip… GCR
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23rd February 2018 - Issue 7
Les Mis at Roedean Congratulations to Isobel S, Ava D, and Katarina H who were all part of a fantastic production of the amazing musical, Les Misérables, over half-term. The girls are part of a company out of school, directed by Miss Markey, and they performed in our Theatre. Because Les Mis is such an iconic and well-known show, it is perhaps even more difficult to pull off an outstanding performance, but they did it, and the review of it in latestBrighton, a website covering all live shows in Brighton was glowing – well done to everyone involved! Ava said, ‘I found it such an incredible experience to sing even just a few lines solo in such an iconic musical as Les Mis. I can’t wait to see what the next show is going to be, and I’ll definitely be auditioning again!’ Ava D
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
23rd February 2018 - Issue 7
Loretta at the UN in Geneva As the recipient of one of Roedean’s Air, Land, and See Awards last year, Loretta S (Deputy Head of School) went on a course at the United Nations in Geneva. She was one of twenty young people who visited all of the departments at the UN, to find out exactly what they do and how they function. From what she saw, she realised that decisions in Geneva really do affect our daily lives here in the UK. Loretta spoke to the School in Assembly about her experiences. She described how she was particularly fascinated by her observations of UNICEF, where she learnt how humanitarian aid is distributed. In her presentation to her peers, she showed a still from the acclaimed film-maker and installation artist, Ai WeiWei’s new film, which is called Human Flow. It deals with a variety of refugee crises. All too often, refugees are painted in a poor light, and seen as a drain on their adopted country, but Loretta’s experiences highlighted the fact that they have fled their native countries for a reason, and they deserve as much respect as any other person. UNICEF tries to improve their living conditions by providing them with ‘dignity packs’, which don’t just contain essentials, which we might think refugees need, but also items which might improve their well-being and make them feel better, such as hairbrushes and toothpaste.
Air, Land, and See Awards that are available for travel in the Summer of 2018. These travel bursaries of between £250 and £750 will be awarded to students who submit a research proposal and letter of application, detailing how they will both challenge themselves and give back to communities in the air, on land, or as part of an academic award. Previous award holders have helped in an Ethiopian Orphanage and volunteered in a sloth sanctuary in Costa Rica. We look forward to hearing about the proposed adventures of the 2018 applicants!
Loretta said, ‘My trip to the UN confirmed my decision to study International Relations and Politics at a top university – LSE is my first choice – and perhaps to work in a humanitarian agency in the future. It was also great to meet other like-minded people who hope to work in the same field. It was a brilliant experience – I am grateful to the School for supporting this trip, and I would definitely advise the current Year 12s to apply for one of the awards!’ Air, Land, and See 2018 – on Thursday, Year 12 heard about the exciting
Roedean’s Festival Celebrating Women on International Women’s Day 8 March is less than 2 weeks away, and our Festival on that day promises to be a really exciting event. We will be welcoming thirteen speakers to the School, all women, of whom four are Old Roedeanians. Those in Years 7-10 will hear from 3 speakers, as well as preparing a short presentation on an inspirational woman of their choice, and the Year 11-13 students will hear 5 speakers. There will be five or six talks going on concurrently for most of the day, with many of the speakers addressing both age-groups. Today, the students have been able to choose which talks to attend, so that those with predominantly scientific interests can hear from a range of speakers in that field, and those who prefer the Arts have a choice of speakers who will interest them. We are also welcoming a number of students from Blatchington Mill and Longhill Schools. We are very fortunate to have these speakers coming to Roedean:
Dame Mary Archer – a Chemist who is the Chair of Trustees for the National Science Museum, with a long-standing interest in solar photoconversion [11-13 only]
Professor Mary Lovegrove OBE – a diagnostic radiographer, who is Emeritus Professor of Education and Development for Allied Health Professionals
Holly Bourne – a children’s writer, well known for Am I Normal Yet? And the Spinster Club series; she also has a strong interest in feminism [7-10 only]
Virginia McKenna OBE – a film and theatre actress, and animal rights’ activist and wildlife campaigner, who founded the Born Free Foundation
Anabela Chan OR – a London-based award-winning jewellery designer – this year, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Rita Ora, and Salma Hayek have all worn her statement pieces on the red carpet Rose Hudson-Wilkin – Chaplain to the Queen and to the Speaker of the House of Commons, and one of the first cohort of women to become bishops in the Church of England Jasleen Kandhari OR – is an art and textiles historian, specialising in Sikh art and South Asian material culture, who teaches courses at Oxford University [11-13 only] Rebecca Long OR – the founder of Boudica Films, a female-centric film company, which has at least 50% women in all roles as part of the filmmaking process
Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu – a lawyer and women’s rights’ activist, who is also the co-founder of the Women’s March London [11-13 only] Yang-May Ooi OR – a creative ‘actionista’ who runs the online studio Tiger Spirit, and produced a film about the tradition of footbinding in China Professor Kate O’Riordan – Professor of Digital Culture at the University of Sussex, with a focus on how gender and sexuality are presented in digital media [11-13 only] Gabrielle Rowles – a proponent of the BoingBoing Theory, which focuses on the power of resilience and a positive mind-set Captain Anna Sandell – a commercial airline pilot from Sweden, who flies the 787 Dreamliner, the largest airliner in the world, and trains other pilots GCR
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23rd February 2018 - Issue 7
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
The Art department is full of curiosities! This week we have been marvelling at this huge skull. It is believed to be a rhinoceros although no one can recall how it came to belong to the Art department. We have also been looking at the box of items which either belonged to Sylvia Lawrence or D.B. Martin, the first Head of Art – it is full of the tools and curiosities of an artist and is kept safely for students to look at from time to time.
Netball U12A and B Netball teams vs Our Lady of Sion School Our U12A returned to winning ways on Wednesday with a home win. Amelia K played some lovely Netball through the mid-court and our shooters made U12A some fantastic drives into the circle. It was a close game throughout with only 1 goal in it... But in the final quarter Roedean just edged away to take win 18 - 15. Congratulations! GCR The U12B team had an absolutely brilliant game this week, and we won 20 - 3. It was amazing, and I know that the girls will take U12B great confidence from this going forward – well done. HHY
U12C win vs Worth
The U12C team had a fantastic match against Worth! Roedean girls were ready and raring to go, and within the first half they were performing some brilliant play within the D, enabling us to take the lead. In the second half, Worth were determined to bring it back and tried to keep possession, but our defence were strong and were intercepting fantastically! The overall score was 21 - 7 to Roedean. Well done to Rania K who was awarded Player of the Match for her brilliant shooting!
U13D vs Worth
U13A victory vs Warden Park The U13A team had a strong game this week against U13A Warden Park Academy. In the first quarter, some quick feeds into the shooting circle allowed us to pull ahead 6 - 2, however we needed to work on a quicker release of the ball in our defensive third. By the third quarter, our play had improved with excellent drives in the attacking D from our shooters. In the final quarter, the team transferred the ball to the attackers incredibly well. The opposition voted Ella KM Player of the Match, and the Coaches’ Player was India H. The final score was a victory for Roedean 16 - 5. Well done the U13s for the win!
The U13D team had a challenging match against a very good Worth side. Although we lost, there were U13D lots of positives to take away from the game. A special mention must be made to Bo Ana M and Lola C who were outstanding.
1st Team vs Hurst College
Our 1st Team Netball Squad attended the U19 SISNA tournament at Hurst College on Thursday. It was a full on day of Netball, with 11 games against the county’s finest Netball schools.
U13B vs Warden Park In the netball match against Warden Park on Wednesday, the U13B team came U13B together in the end to win 13 - 8, despite a blip in the 3rd quarter! Saskia L-D, playing Wing Attack, was voted Girl of the Game by the other team, and I felt we all played very well together. I played Goal Defence, a new position for me, and really enjoyed the match. Jemima V
U13C vs Worth
The U13Cs fought hard in a very competitive game against Worth. There were lots of excellent pockets of movement which allowed us to dominate certain areas of the court, but the Worth side were very strong and confident. It was an unfortunate loss, but Alice B was voted Player of the Match.
U12C
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1st Team
It was a real demand on our girls with them giving everything to the competition. It started strong with a win over BHHS and a close draw with Eastbourne College. Ardingly just got the better of us when we lost focus slightly but we had a great game against National finalists Hurst, only 3 goals down at half time. Bede’s was another tight game ending in a draw and a near loss to Mayfield. Overall - the fixtures were extremely well-matched and proved that Netball at Roedean is growing all the time; our teams are going from strength to strength. Well Done 1st Team Girls – we are very proud of you and so happy you had a positive SISNA experience. GCR
23rd February 2018 - Issue 7
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Ellena at Twickenham This half term, I had the opportunity to go and watch the England rugby team train at Twickenham. It was an amazing experience, and I met the captain Dylan Hartley. Eddie Jones, the coach of the team, was there and gave a short speech about how thrilled he was that so many people had turned up to watch. The team did a warm up, a couple of exercises in their groups (forwards and backs), and, at the end, played some small games. Prince Harry even turned up at one point. It was a great day out and it was really fun to meet some of the team – they are so inspirational.
Movie Magic Gala Concert – Tonight! At 7:30 this evening, Centenary Hall will be awash with musical greats from the world of cinema. It will be a cabaret style evening, complete with film clips to complete this fabulous celebration of movie magic. Highlights include La La Land, Gone with the Wind, James Bond, Grease, and many more. There will be refreshments on sale in aid of one of the School’s charities, NACRO. You won’t want to miss it!
JJ WHAT’S COMING UP IN THE
Mon 26 Feb
WEEK AHEAD?
Year 9 Steel Band Workshop and Teatime Recital Year 8 author visit, Holly Smale
Tue 27 Feb
U14 & U15 SISNA Netball Tournament at Hurst (A)
Wed 28 Feb
U13A,B,C&D Netball vs Seaford Prep (A) U12A,B,C&D vs Burgess Hill (A) Year 13 Parents’ Evening
Congratulations to Jemma N-GS whose suggestion of Penelope (Penny for short) has been chosen as Roedean bear’s new name and who is now the owner of the large Penelope bear!
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 Page 5
Thur 1 Mar
WORLD BOOK DAY
Fri 2 Mar
Maths Team Challenge at Lancing College
Sat 3 mar
OPEN DAY
Year 7&8 Cross Country at Christ Hospital School
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