24 January 2020 - Issue 3
Deepdene Little Farmers
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Head’s Introduction
Steel drums, the Roedean Academy, House Swimming, Higher Education Evening, a visit from our STEM Ambassador, Staff-Student Football, and more... this has been a busy and varied week, and a perfect illustration of Roedean’s all-round education. It was my pleasure to welcome over 50 students from schools in the local area to join some of our Year 10 students for the Roedean Academy this week. The aim of the Academy is to bring like-minded students from the surrounding area together for a programme of challenging academic enrichment - it was certainly clear from the discussion generated by some ethical problems they were presented with at the launch event that, as a group, they are looking forward to pushing themselves to challenge their thinking and broaden their perspectives. I would like to thank my colleagues who will be teaching modules on this 8-week programme, which I am sure will be very rewarding for both staff and students. It was wonderful that Dr Suzie Imber, Roedean’s STEM Ambassador, was able to spend some time at School this week. She sat in on 14 lessons, had lunch with girls in Year 10, fed the goats with the Deepdene Little Farmers, spoke at the Higher Education Evening and at the Academy launch, and toured around the School with Year 13 scientists. She really enjoyed her visit, and was impressed by the girls’ openness and relaxed manner, and by the wide interests and talents of many of those she met.
Chinese Writing Winners in the Worldwide Competition!
The overall winner is Yoyo (Yr9) with her essay on the philosopher, Confucius, and, the winner of the 2nd prize is Lareina (Yr10). These girls’ achievement is all the more impressive, because about 5 million Chinese students in 34 countries, including
Yoyo
I wish you all well for a lovely exeat weekend, and good luck for the week ahead!
We are also delighted that Mrs Lin Wu, who teaches Chinese at Roedean and prepared the girls for this competition, has also been honoured with the title of one of the best Chinese writing teachers in the world – congratulations! RB
Lareina
The goats enjoying a walk in the Quad
On Monday, it will be Holocaust Memorial Day, this year marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz from the Nazis. Ahead of this, Miss Keller and Ms Boobis have led two very poignant Chapel services this week, including very personal stories which must have been difficult to share, but they reminded us that we must stand together, sharing pride in our differences, in order to avoid division in our communities. I must congratulate our musicians: Alma sang a stunningly beautiful prayer in Hebrew, and Ananya, Katarina, and Mr Rous performed the powerful theme to the remarkable film Schindler’s List, which Katarina had arranged for violin, cello, and piano. Chinese New Year begins tomorrow, and I am looking forward to our annual firework display on a Wednesday! This is clearly an auspicious time, as we have just heard that Yoyo and Lareina have taken the top two places in the World Chinese Writing Competition – congratulations on this outstanding achievement!
China, participated the competition – Roedean is incredibly proud of the girls.
Fantastic congratulations to two Roedean girls who have been placed first and second in the 20th World Chinese Essay Writing Competition.
Please see pa
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Roedean Aca demy Please see page 9
Mollie’s Swimming Success
Year 9 in fabu lous Steel Band showca se
Please see pa
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24 January 2020 - Issue 3
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Roedean Academy The Roedean Academy for this academic year launched this week, and it was our pleasure to welcome 53 students from 4 local state schools (including 14 boys) to join with 22 Roedean girls, making a total of 75. It is brilliant that the Academy is growing each year, with 30 more students this year compared to last. The Year 10 students are coming each week from Blatchington Mill School, Dorothy Stringer School, Longhill High School, Peacehaven Community School, to take part in a programme of academic enrichment, with two components each week: for the first, the students choose 2 modules from ten which take core skills in Science, Maths, Humanities, Languages, and English and push beyond the requirements for GCSE, giving a flavour of what study at A Level might be like in these subject areas; for the second component, they choose 3 enrichment modules from a choice of these 21:
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.
Tabitha and Anne-Sophie (Yrs12-11), and Mrs Robins, for speaking so well at the launch of the Roedean Academy, about pursuing interesting lines of research and embracing your unusual passions [RB]
Rosie, Nicole, Nancy, Elsie, Lottie, Georgia, Sophia, and Eden (Yr13) for agreeing to be part of the panel at the Higher Education Evening and sharing their insights into the process of applying to university [JSH]
Alma, Ananya, and Katarina (Yrs10 and 12) for playing and singing so beautifully in our Chapel services this week [TK]
The table shows that these modules cover areas which are not on examination specifications – taking these modules is just for the joy of learning about something completely new. It is about stepping right off the well-trodden track of material needed to pass examinations, indulging intellectual curiosity, and thinking deeply about unusual topics. At the launch event, we were lucky enough to hear from Dr Suzie Imber, Roedean’s STEM Ambassador, about how wonderful it is to challenge yourself to understand something fully, to work hard to reach that understanding, and being prepared to negotiate some pitfalls along the way. She also spoke about following your passions and trying new things, and I would say that she is the perfect illustration of a person doing this – as well as being a Professor of Space Physics and mountaineer, she
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is also learning Portuguese (not an easy language) and having lessons on the Orchestral Harp (not an easy instrument!). We also heard from Tabitha (Yr12), Anne-Sophie (Yr11), and Mrs Robins about researching different topics, pursuing your passions, and ‘embracing your inner geek’! RB
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
24 January 2020 - Issue 3
Year 9 in fabulous Steel Band showcase All the girls in Year 9 enjoyed an amazing day on Monday of vibrant music-making in the company of workshop leader Helen Longton-Howorth. The girls learned from scratch how to play steel pans in a whole class ensemble in this interactive workshop. Each of the six classes had just one 50-minute session to put their piece together, so a great deal of concentration, teamwork, and disciplined learning was required of all our pupils. For many, this was their very first experience of playing in a steel band, but all managed very well to learn the pieces in the short time
available. All the performances were just fabulous, and it was good to see how much the Year 9s clearly enjoyed the whole event. The music ranged from popular film themes, such as James Bond and the Jungle Book to a moody Blues number and traditional calypso.
‘It was fun and interactive and a very new experience for me; I would like to try it again.’
It was quite clear from the buzz in the Theatre, the focus in rehearsal, and the performance, that the Year 9s had a wonderful experience making music together. Excited and enthusiastic conversation followed each session and here are some of their reactions to the day:
‘The steel band workshop was really cool because it was something very unique that I’ve never tried before.’
‘I found the steel band workshop really enjoyable and it was fun to be able to try out new instruments’
Pottery Café Spending an afternoon at the Pottery Café in Brighton was just a lovely experience. The atmosphere was very calm and the Café itself is just a place you enjoy to spend your time. We were able to select from a variety of handmade mugs, bowls and plates, and we could customise them with our own paintings. There were multiple different versions of designs and styles of decorations that we could use as inspiration for our own paintings, or we could just use our creative mind and imagination, to create whatever we wanted. All in all, it was just a wonderful thing to do for an afternoon. Zoe (Yr11)
Holocaust Memorial Chapel The fight for justice starts and ends with me. Truth is the sound of what I may say. I can only be well when others are free And right has a price I'm prepared to pay. I refuse to be afraid of force or hatred. I will pull their lies like weeds, Plant gardens of more generous seeds. If I turn my back and walk away Who'll ask for others what I want for me? I can only be well when others are free And right has a price I'm prepared to pay.
Alma singing a prayer in Hebrew
Holocaust Memorial Day pledge for Children in Wales, written by Gwyneth Lewis, the national poet for Wales Page 3
Ananya and Katarina playing the theme from Schindler's List
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
24 January 2020 - Issue 3
A Birthday Cake for Heidi Constance was so kind to make a really special birthday cake to celebrate Heidi’s birthday. Tutor Group 7P girls shared in the celebrations and thoroughly enjoyed their slice of cake too!
Weekend horse riding
House 4 We are getting excited for Chinese New Year and have started decorating House 4 already! We are also looking forward to the opportunities for success the Year of the Rat will bring us!
Winnie the Pooh Day 2020! It is a childhood favourite for many generations, with so many amazing quotations! The House 4 girls celebrated the occasion by baking a delicious honey cake!
There was some serious talent on display at the House Swimming competition 2020! Well done to all the competitors and the house cheer squads – the atmosphere was electric!
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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
St Mark’s Violin
24 January 2020 - Issue 3
One of the CAP groups goes down to St Mark’s every fortnight to work with the children, teaching them how to play different instruments. The aim is to prepare them to be ready to perform a concert at the Blind Veterans’ Home, bringing together 3 discrete groups within our community. The photos show Ms Bartlette and the Year 12 girls teaching the violin.
A great example of a lovely act of kindness in 7P – Sarah baked this delicious cake for Ellen’s birthday.
GCSE Options Fair
House3 This week House 3 boarders took part in an exciting creative portrait competition in their teams. This involved producing a portrait of someone they know out of the unconventional materials of pasta and sweets. It was fascinating to see what you can produce with limited
materials, and the girls were excited to take on the creative challenge! We were seriously impressed by the artwork produced and the efforts the girls put into the task. Although it was difficult to decide on a winner, we agreed that the animated Cookie Monster stole the show!
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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
24 January 2020 - Issue 3
CAP Updates The Year 12 girls have been busy on Wednesday afternoons, doing a variety of activities and providing a valued service within the wider community for their CAP Programme. We have a varied programme this year, with some girls doing on-site projects and others doing placements off-site. The girls are currently contributing to a variety of elements of our community, from primary schools to care homes, from the environment to people with health conditions or impairments, as well as to other local charitable organisations and students in Africa. Last term, our Textiles Group, led by Mrs Petit, visited Bernhard Baron Cottage Homes in Polegate, to put on fabulous fashion show of upcycled garments and accessories, using materials that they had purchased from local charity shops. The residents thoroughly enjoyed it and were keen to wear some of the accessories themselves. Our girls duly obliged by making over 50 bow ties and hankies. These were sent as Christmas presents to the residents who were delighted to receive their gifts. This term, the group are looking at garment footprints in more detail from an economic perspective, weighing, measuring, and calculating garment by garment. We look forward to seeing more of their exciting creations in the weeks ahead.
Staff-Student Football On Tuesday evening, the annual Staff versus Students football match took place – a student team of 28 challenged the teachers. With girls from Year 7 all the way up to Year 12, the team were ready and rearing to go. The students had a tough start to the game and the teachers went 3-0 up by half time. Miss Bamford scored a pretty impressive goal, but, unfortunately for the staff, it went in the wrong goal! With the cheers of the crowd driving them on, experienced footballer Fen (Yr7) used this momentum to score an outstanding goal, making the students’ tally 2. The students pushed on, but it wasn’t quite enough, meaning the Staff team was victorious – the full-time score was 3-2. Well done to all students and staff involved, and a huge thank you to everyone who turned up to support from the sidelines. Football Club runs during Activity 2 on Mondays, so if you want to join in for a fun football session, do come along!
LFI & FKE
Higher Education Information Evening On Tuesday evening, Years 10-12 and their parents attended the ‘University ready?! Higher Education Information Evening’. Advice was given on applying to university, with an emphasis on how to approach the application process if you don’t yet know what you want to study. Dr Suzie Imber, Associate Professor and Director of Admissions in Space Physics at the University of Leicester, and Roedean’s STEM Ambassador, gave valuable guidance during a Q&A session. She provided us with an interesting insight into her role in Admissions and how she shortlists applicants for her courses. The current Year 13 students also shared their experiences of applying to university and covered a wide range of topics, including Oxbridge, Medicine, Music, and Ivy League applications. Thank you to all the students involved in the evening! JSH
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24 January 2020 - Issue 3
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW U18 Social
The U18 social netball team had a challenging match against Ardingly’s 2nd team on Saturday. Despite this, Jojo and Gracie still managed to score 8 goals between them. Gracie was awarded Player of the Match by the opposition for her excellent interceptions. Eloise and Jemima worked hard with Rosie in defence, and we are going to be working on how to keep the ball out of the opposition’s D this week in practice.
Netball It has been another busy week for Netball with over 200 girls involved in 20 different teams over the week’s fixtures. Saturday saw our senior teams visit and host games to Ardingly where a really pleasing set of results came back from the day, including a win for our Senior 1st Team. The Juniors were up against Lingfield College where there were some really well contested matches and lots of close scores! Huge congratulations to those girls taking part in their first fixture for Roedean – we hope you felt really proud representing your school! There is lots to look forward to, with lots more fun at training sessions, a trip to watch Superleague Netball at the Copperbox, and a defensive Masterclass being led by our Regional and Premiership Netballing teachers, Miss Hammond and Miss Bamford. Remember, it’s not too late to be part of the Roedeers! Come and see us in PE or come speak to any of the PE teachers and share your interest. Netball is for all abilities here at Roedean and we strive to push every Roedean girl to achieve whatever they aspire to in Netball. GCR
Netball vs Ardingly 1st Team Victory over Ardingly
The 1st team played an outstanding game of netball on Saturday versus Ardingly. The game promised to be a close one, after a neck and neck match before Christmas. The girls managed to keep hold of the score line throughout the game, finishing with an impressive 34-24 win! With the support of some of the U16 players to fill the 7th bib, the whole team performance, attitude, and determination were rewarded, and they should be very proud. Coaches’ player goes to Ella for her impressive contribution to the defensive end, as well as her support and voice throughout the game.
U16A
U16As worked extremely hard throughout this whole game. They communicated effectively and drove the ball out of defence efficiently, making a strong counterattack. The girls were patient in attack, moving the ball round to ensure shooters were comfortable. They showed determination and resilience all the way through. Sophia thoroughly deserved being named opposition’s player for her control in the attacking end, and the players’ player was awarded to Serena for her excellent vision. Coaches’ player was awarded to Lara and Esme for their fantastic composure and timing throughout the game. Well done girls!
U18
U15A
The U15A got off to a slow start, struggling to get the ball into the attacking D and not working the ball around our circle edge. Roedean started to pull the score line back, with some great goals from far out by Liv, but unfortunately the Ardingly defenders made some excellent interceptions and kept the score line low. Sylva in our defending end was great at reading the ball and got some great interceptions. The final score was 22-11 to Ardingly.
U15B
In the first quarter the U15B girls showed some positive drives, but Ardingly demonstrated strong attack and shots on goal. After a team talk, Roedean knew to stick on their players and start to utilise the space more. This worked effectively in the 2nd quarter and Charlotte made some great interceptions, enabling the ball to then be transferred into the D. The final score was Roedean 9 - Ardingly 11. A huge well done to all and a special mention to Millie, who received player of the match for her fantastic shooting.
U16B
1st Team
The mighty U16Bs were excited for their game against Ardingly. I was equally excited to see what they could do after hearing positive reports from their previous game. Our aim was to improve the timing of our movement when attacking down the court. The first half was full of enthusiasm and we got a little too excited with our passes, which resulted in too many mistakes, giving Ardingly the edge and an easy lead. The third quarter saw the team really come into their own, improving their timing and the consistency of their passes. This was our most successful quarter, but overall the girls really enjoyed themselves. Sophia's movement in the circle in attack and defence saw her win the girl of the game. Well done to all – I'm already looking forward to our next game!
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U15B
24 January 2020 - Issue 3
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
U14A – Round up for Cranleigh/ Eastbourne/Ardingly The U14A squad have kicked off their Netball campaign in the best possible way with 3 WINS! This started with the Triangular in the first week back, where Roedean took an impressive win over Eastbourne, 30 goals to 4. The team work, communication and support towards each other is admirable and all players took to the court for a piece of the action. The game versus Cranleigh was a little tougher. It was goal for goal at points of the game and the defence had their work cut out with a very tall GS. But the girls digged deep to take the win 24 – 18. The most recent success was on a visit to Ardingly. It was an early start on frosty courts which took a while to warm up but, after a small delay, play was underway and the girls did not disappoint. It was a close game and well matched at the start, it was goal for goal. But slowly, our defence started picking more and more interceptions and the end score was 24-14. It has been A fantastic start for a fantastic group of girls who all work very hard in training as well as supporting their peers during Games lessons. Well done, girls! GCR
U14A v Ard-
U14B v Ardingly
U14A v Cranleigh
U14C v Ardingly
Netball vs Lingfield U13B
The U13Bs demonstrated some great team work in their match against Lingfield and got off to a great start. All the players clearly put into practice what they had worked on in training and switched channels to get the ball down the court. Their passes were quick and accurate, and, on several occasions, a turnover in the defending end soon resulted in a goal after some great linking play and drives. Well done to Jamie who, as captain, also won player of the match.
U13E
The U13E team clash versus Lingfield was played in good spirits and with both teams playing very competitive netball. It was close throughout, and the beginning of the fourth quarter would decide the match, with the score at 4-2 to Roedean. We defended incredibly well and the girls passed quickly and effectively, scoring two quick nets and seeing out the game. Both teams played fairly and the match was even throughout – the final score was 7-3 to Roedean.
U13C
U12B
The U13C team had a close match versus Lingfield. We were able to use the centre passes and carry the ball down the court where our shooters executed the shots brilliantly throughout, despite the cold weather. A huge well done to all who played, and special mention goes to Holly who was player of the match for her brilliant work as C and WD. The final result was Roedean 16 - Lingfield 8.
The U12B team travelled to Lingfield, prepared for a tough game after their defeat last week and their determination and positivity was rewarded. The girls took home an impressive 8-1 win, with Oyinda gaining girl of the game for her excellent defensive turnovers and pressure through court. The girls are coming on leaps and bounds, and they should be incredibly proud of themselves.
Netball vs Burgess Hill
U13D
The U13D team came together to secure an overwhelming win against Lingfield College. Alex was at the forefront of the attacking team, and she made it easy for both Lara and Izzy to feed safe balls to her in the D. The attacking unit communicated well both verbally and visually on court, and they must now focus on moving the ball through the channels. The defence was headed up by Jess who was nominated Player of the Match by the opposition team.
U12B
U15B
The U15B had a friendly match versus Burgess Hill this week. We demonstrated some fantastic defence, although Burgess Hill displayed some strong attacking play and successful shots on goal. The final score was Roedean 8 - Burgess Hill 26. The girls have taken away some good pointers for future games. A huge well done to all that played.
U12A
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24 January 2020 - Issue 3
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
House Swimming Well done to everyone who took part in the House Swimming event this week.
Junior 1st
House 4
2nd
House 3
3rd
House 1
House 2
Senior 1st
House 1
2nd
House 3
3rd
House 4
4th
House 2
Mollie’s Swimming Success Mollie (Yr8) has had an amazing start to her swimming in 2020, swimming at the Tom Handley Gala in Brighton over the weekend. She swam for her new club, Mid Sussex Marlins, competed in 6 events and came away with 3 golds in the 50m, 100m, and 200m breaststroke, and a silver in the 200IM. She is now getting ready for the Sussex Counties which is held over two weekends in February, where she is hoping to retain her County titles in all three breaststroke distances. Well done, and good luck!
Overall 1st
House 3
2nd
House 1
3rd
House 2
House 4
JJ What’s Coming up IN THE
ORA Sailing The ORA sailing crew is looking forward to its first event this year, which will be the Sunsail Racing Series, which takes place over the weekend of March 21-22. This is their first time entering the event and, most excitingly, the race will be on a brand new Sunsail 41.0. The plan is to use this weekend to improve their skills of working together as a race team, in preparation for events later in the year. They are hoping to be able to enter a full Roedean crew into the WOKC (Women’s Open Keelboat Championship) this year on June 13-14, following their success in 2019. Nevertheless, the highlight of the year will be the 27th Arrow Trophy Regatta (Roedean’s 6th) on October 9-10. The crew would like to give special thanks to the ORA, an anonymous OR Governor, Pam Mainwaring, and the School for their generous support, without which, it would have been impossible to achieve all they did in 2019.
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?
Mon 27 Jan
Chamber Music and String Masterclasses and Teatime Recital Junior & Senior Swimming Gala vs Brighton College (H)
Tue 28 Jan
Visual and Performing Arts Admissions Experience Day A Level Business trip to Bank of England & Museum of Brands
Wed 29 Jan
A Level Class Civ trip to ‘Troy’ Exhibition at British Museum CHINESE NEW YEAR FIREWORKS GCSE Dance & 3Fall Dance Company performance
Thur 30 Jan
YEAR 9 PARENTS’ EVENING
Fri 31 Jan
YEAR 9 PARENTS’ EVENING
Sat 1 Feb
1st, U18 Social, U16A&B vs Seaford College (H) U15A&B & U14A&B vs Seaford College (A) Lila Dance Workshops for Dance Scholars
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