24th February 2017 - Issue 7
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
The Gala Concert last night
Head’s Introduction Welcome back to everyone after half-term! I hope that all of the girls enjoyed a complete break; for some, that meant a relaxing week at home, recharging their batteries, but others are excitedly sharing great stories from the two trips which went abroad to Iceland and Andorra. Our first ski trip for some time was a great success. On both trips, the girls represented Roedean impeccably, and I am sure that some of the memories they made will last a lifetime. I am
very grateful to my colleagues for giving the girls these fantastic opportunities.
hardly wait to see so many of our girls on stage, showcasing their brilliant talents.
I am looking forward very much to seeing the Vox Gala Concert this evening, particularly after hearing reports about last night’s great success, bringing together beautiful orchestral and strings pieces from the standard repertoire with solos, the Glee Club, and the Junior Singers with the Concert Band, to name just a few. I can
Next week, we have Open Day, and I would like to thank the girls and staff in advance for their contributions on this important day. Enjoy a wonderful weekend, and, if you see the Brighton Half Marathon on Sunday, look out for Emily and Martha (6.1), and a few members of staff, who are taking part! The best of luck to all.
Roedean in Iceland ‘It was a truly amazing opportunity’ and ‘even though I haven’t studied Geography since Year 9, I have learnt so much and been inspired by the sites of Iceland’ were just a couple of the comments made by the nineteen girls and three members of staff who attended the Iceland trip over the first weekend of the half term. Iceland is truly a geographer’s paradise, with so many amazing features in one place, and a great deal of what is taught in the classroom can be put into context as well as making it real. It was a whirlwind tour of the south west of the island, which took in some breathtakingly beautiful sites. The trip was jam-packed and we had already taken in 360 degrees views of the capital Reykjavik before settling in at our accommodation in Selfoss on day one. On the second day, we began with a visit to the secret lagoon, a naturally heated pool that was built in 1981. This was certainly an experience
to remember and we were all appreciative of the warmer than average temperatures when getting out of the bath-like water! We also took in the exciting eruptions of volcanically heated water at Geysir, and had an exhilarating walk behind the Seljalandsfoss waterfall, which was an amazing opportunity and the highlight of the trip for many of the girls. This was followed by a visit to the Eyjafjallajökull volcano visitor centre; this was the volcano which spewed ash into the sky and stopped thousands of flights over Europe in 2010. We were lucky enough to see breathtakingly beautiful coastal features and basalt columns at the Black Beach. We felt the awesome power of water falling 60 metres at the base of the Skogafoss waterfall, before trekking up the 527 steps to a viewing platform at the top – it was hard work, but all agreed that the effort was worth the views of the beautiful landscape! We did so many different things: some boiled eggs, others had foot spas in the hot springs at the geothermal park, and we
even popped over to the North American Plate at the bridge between the continents! The trip was a great success and an experience that will never be forgotten – where will the Geography department’s next big adventure take us!
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
24th February 2017 - Issue 7
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.
Ndali B, Ishika A, Maia W and Freya S (U5) for promoting extra-curricular involvement in English [DWO]
National BASE Business and Accounting Challenge
Natasha M (U5) and Harriet C-S (6.2) for helping 2 young children get down a steep slope while on the ski trip [GCR]
On Wednesday 22nd February 2017, twelve Business, Economics, and Young Enterprise students ventured to Sussex University, to take part in the Sussex regional heat of the ICAEW National BASE Business and Accounting Challenge. The groups were given a degree level business case study, where they had to present to a panel of judges the key business decisions that they thought the business should take forward (with help from a local business mentor). The decisions included deciding whether to accept a hypothetical business proposal and explaining how the business would react to the given scenario. All students can be proud of themselves, and for the second year running Roedean finished a close runner up. We returned to school with a trophy, having learnt a great deal about how business works outside of the classroom, teamwork, and the art of presenting. Hopefully, next year will be third time lucky and we can bring home the winner’s trophy.
Jessica M (U4) for working so hard on numerous drum kit parts for the concert [VF]
Roedean’s Got Talent 2017 This week, Eunice Y (6.2), our Charities’ Prefect, and Mrs Rigby have run the auditions for Roedean’s Got Talent, and there were lots of fantastic acts, so congratulations to everyone who entered. The finals will take place on Thursday 2nd March, from 4:30 to 5:45, and the following have made it through: Eva P (U3) Niah S (L4) ■■ Tilly L and Dorothea B (U3) ■■ Jessica M (U4) ■■ Megan S (L4)
Louisa A (6.1) Connie W and Lillie-Louise M-P (U3) ■■ Poppy S (U3) ■■ Alma S and Mia C (U3)
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Congratulations, and let’s see who comes out on top next week!
Budding pro dancers at Roedean? Dance scholars, Amelie H and Isabel de J (L4), successfully auditioned for the CAT scheme (Centre for Advanced Training). This is an intensive dance programme for young dancers who display exceptional potential and passion for dance. The training, which incorporates contemporary techniques and choreography skills, leads to a performance at the prestigious venue, The Place in London. At half term, both girls attended a taster day at The Place to see what it would be like to be professional dancers. They enjoyed learning new contemporary dance styles and it really was a great experience for them to spend the day with dancers from all over the country. Page 2
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
24th February 2017 - Issue 7
Roedean on the slopes in Andorra 51 girls and 6 members of staff spent six wonderful days over half-term skiing on the glorious slopes of Grandvalira in Andorra. There were skiers of all abilities among the group, and it was fantastic see how much progress everyone made over such a short period of intensive skiing. Well done to everyone, but in particular Sydney O’s (U3) amazing talent was clear, and she was in the top ability group, despite being a younger member of the party. She had a great time, and this is what she wrote: ‘Last week I went on the school ski trip to Andorra. The first day was wild, with strong winds and powerful blizzards, which stung my face and felt like fire ants biting my skin. It was so strong that the ski patrol had to shut down lots of the lifts and we had to finish early. The next day, I put on more layers and dreaded the thought of the windy day again. But when I got up, the sun was blazing and there was deep powder. The conditions were fantastic and we were split into our ski groups. We then had four glorious days of skiing with our instructor Gonzalo. Some of my highlights included the churros and hot chocolate on the mountain, the snow park, and the evening activities such as bowling, but what I really enjoyed were the evening awards to the three people who had been a ‘wally’ each day which were hilarious! It was an amazing experience, which gave me the chance to get to know lots of the other girls even better, and the older girls were really fun. It was a brilliant trip and I really hope to go again next year.’
point, Harriet C-S (6.2) and Tasha M (U5) spotted a small group of young children who seemed to be unaccompanied at the top of a black run, and, without a second thought, they stepped in and guided them safely down the slopes – well done! Mrs Pittingale would like to thank every girl who went on the trip for their faultless behaviour and for representing Roedean so well; she also deserves our congratulations for organising and leading such a brilliant trip, and thanks too to the staff who gladly gave up a large part of their half-term break to accompany the girls, who are already asking to go next year!
Everyone had a brilliant time out on the slopes, there were great games in the evenings too, spectacular face-plants were demonstrated by both Mr Carter and Mr Sampieri, and congratulations to Jacqueline L (U4) and Jessica M (U4) who made the most progress during the trip. At one
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24th February 2017 - Issue 7
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
House Cross Country
Year 8
Year 7
Before half-term, all of the girls in Years 7-9 ran in a House Cross Country competition – everyone performed brilliantly, and here are the results:
A group of about 15 Sixth Form students have been working hard so far this year on Roedean’s Greenpower F24 electric car project. This has involved many weeks’ work, and the girls have relished the challenge of assembling an electric go-kart from a complex kit. Using all of their collective problem-solving skills, the girls are currently working on designing and constructing the seat, the steering wheel, and the body-work of the vehicle. The finishing touches are also important, and the team will also have to decide on the final colour and design of the car.
Time is tight, but the girls are aiming to attend two events later this year at the Goodwood Motor circuit near Chichester. The car test day, which is on Sunday 23rd April, will be an opportunity to put the car through its paces, and to ensure that it passes a range of strict safety and competition criteria. The actual race day is on Sunday 25th June, and will be a significant event where our team will compete against up to sixty local schools and colleges, racing around Goodwood motor circuit.
Designing and building the car has involved a range of creative engineering skills, including 3D modelling, safety testing, and metal-work skills.
The race events promise to be a great team activity and, above all, brilliant fun – good luck and congratulations to everyone involved. JHI
Year 9
Roedean girls are budding engineers
Sophie N (H1)
1st
India H (H2)
2nd
Phoebe H (H4)
3rd
Sophia C (H3)
1st
Serena C (H3)
2nd
Esme B (H2)
3rd
Gracie B (H3)
1st
Liv H (H1)
2nd
Jess M (H2)
3rd
1st
House 3
632
2nd
House 4
777
3rd
House 2
844
4th
House 1
848
JJ WHAT’S
AHEAD?
COMING UP IN THE WEEK
Mon 27 Feb
Swimming Gala vs Moira House (H)
Emily and Martha are running the Brighton Half Marathon
Tues 28 Feb
Martha N (6.1) and I, and even a few members of staff, are running the Brighton half marathon this Sunday. We are the youngest competitors as Martha is only 14 days old enough to race! We’re a bit nervous, so we’d love to see some familiar faces and we are scheduled to run past Roedean at about 10am. Roedean is running a water station which is welcoming volunteers and, weather permitting, it will be a race to remember! If you’d like to sponsor us, please do, and the money we are raising will go to Chestnut Tree House.
U14 & U15 SISNA Netball Tournament at Hurst (A) BMW Netball League vs WASPS
Wed 1 Mar
U12A, B & C & U13A & B Netball vs Gildredge House (H)
Thur 2 Mar
U3 & L4 Sussex Schools Cross Country ROEDEAN’S GOT TALENT – 4:305:45 Dance Scholars & L5 & U5 GCSE Dance trip to Theatre Royal WORLD BOOK DAY Author visit: Nikki Sheehan
Fri 3 Mar
UKMT L4 & U4 Maths Challenge Author visit: Bali Rai
Sat 4 Mar
OPEN MORNING Netball 1st, 2nd, 3rd, U15A & U14A & B vs Worth School (H)
SPORTS REPORT
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/marthanicholas
Emily (6.1)
Ruby’s Sussex Champion Ruby A (L4) is the new Sussex U15 Indoor Champion over 60m. The County Championships took place over the weekend at Sutton. She was last year’s U13 Champion, but she is in her first year in the older age group, and it was an unexpected victory and a fine achievement. She won her heat in a personal best time, before storming through the line to get another PB of 8.18 seconds in the semifinals. Ruby was really excited about the final, and a timely dip on the line gave her the gold medal. Congratulations! 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 4
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