3rd March 2017 - Issue 8
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Head’s Introduction The creativity at Roedean never ceases to amaze me! The Vox Gala concert last week provided wonderful performances in an outstanding range of musical styles and genres, and I was delighted to see just how many of our girls were performing. I also particularly enjoyed seeing girls from different sections of the school in the spotlight from Year 7 to Year 13. Congratulations again to our Director of Music, Ms Fewkes, who masterminded the two concerts, and also to our conductors Mr Rous and Ms Bartlette. Roedean’s Got Talent yesterday afternoon demonstrated just that! The ten acts which had made it through the auditions to the final were brilliant, with fantastic technical support from the team in the Theatre, and they included tapdancers and instrumentalists as well as singers and actors. The packed audience responded with delight to all of the acts, and Jessica M stole the show; she was a deserving winner with her performance on the drums. Well done to Eunice Y for organising such a brilliant showcase for the school’s talent. The girls really got into the spirit of World Book Day yesterday, and everywhere you turned all day there were characters from books, complete with props and make-up. Thank you to Dr Blood for arranging so many different activities to mark this special day in the literary calendar.
Despite the wind and rain on Wednesday, Sport has also had a very busy week, with marvellous successes in various sports. I am very pleased that so many girls have the opportunity to represent Roedean on the sports pitches. The Prefect selection process has also begun this week, with hopeful prospective Prefects from 6.1 presenting their manifestos and ideas to the school in hustings over the past two days. The process will continue over the next few weeks, and the new team will be appointed before the end of term. When I think that over 100 families are coming to Roedean’s Open Day tomorrow, it makes me very proud to know that the girls have so many chances to express themselves and let their talents be seen, whether that is on stage, in the classroom, or on the sports pitch. This reminds me of something David Bowie said about self-expression which I shared in Assembly this week: ‘As an adolescent, I was painfully shy, withdrawn. I didn’t really have the nerve to sing my songs on stage, and nobody else was doing them. I decided to do them in disguise so that I didn’t have to actually go through the humiliation of going on stage and being myself.’ So the message is, express yourself and do it in disguise if you need to. I hope you all have a great weekend with a chance to relax after Open Day, and good luck for next week.
Up on the Farm… The D of E Volunteers have been busy this week – using recycled wooden pallets, they have made a wonderful new wellie boot stand for the farm Bothy. Despite the wet and windy weather, the chickens are still laying. Last week they produced a cracking 50 eggs! If you would like to enjoy these fresh eggs, they are available daily with a suggested donation of £1.50 per half dozen – all proceeds will be used to fund more fantastic projects at the farm.
Dressed up for World Book Day!
1:51.25 – Emily and Martha’s fantastic time for a half marathon! Congratulations to Emily T and Martha N (6.1) who ran the Brighton Half last weekend. They were quite nervous about such a daunting distance, particularly since they are both very young (Martha only just met the qualifying agelimit by 14 days). However, running together the whole way, they crossed the line in 1 hour 51 minutes and 25 seconds! They were soundly beaten by Mr Woodhouse’s experience and stamina, but they actually pipped Miss Andrew to the line by about 20 seconds (although she ran most of the race with a friend!). The girls are understandably delighted and proud of their remarkable achievement: ‘It was a great experience, but my legs are aching so much that Martha and I won’t be planning the full marathon for at least a few months!’, and ‘despite the wind and rain, I really enjoyed the atmosphere and I love my shiny, new medal!’ The girls have raised well over £2000 for Chestnut Tree House, a hospice which provides care for young people locally suffering from lifelimiting illnesses. Well done, Emily and Martha!
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
3rd March 2017 - Issue 8
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.
Amelie D (L4), Jessica K (U4) and Abby B (U4) for very kindly helping to carry Ms Boobis’ things when she was hurt on the ski trip [HBO] Consuella Z (6.2) for an enormous amount of behind-thescenes work towards Academic Week [AK]
World Book Day This week, World Book Day was celebrated by many activities in which the girls participated enthusiastically. For one of these, they were invited to enter a competition to represent a book title in the form of a newspaper front page. Scarlett B (L4) submitted an imaginative ‘Wonderland Bugle’ which advertised White Rabbit time-management courses. The Bugle headline drew attention to eyewitnesses’ disagreement over the size of a young visitor entering Wonderland. Poppy S (U3) designed a ‘Daily Tombstone’ front page which featured a chilling story about an escape from an asylum by two dangerous characters, Alice and Hatch, based on the Chronicles of Alice by Christina Henry. There were also quizzes entitled ‘Match the literary villain to the villainous deed or description’ and ‘How much do you know about Harry Potter’, and many girls entered these. All the girls were given the option of dressing as a book character on World Book Day itself. The staff were bemused to discover that they were teaching, among others, The Cat in the Hat, Cruella de Ville, Mr Twit, Luna Lovegood, Little Red Riding Hood, the Queen of Hearts, War Horse, Dolores Umbridge, Tinkerbell, Smee, and Peter Pan. Well done to everyone for their fantastic costumes! The winners of this competition were Poppy S (U3), Tatiana C (L4), Eden W-N (U4), Hafsah B (6.1) and Frieda J (U3). Page 2
On Thursday, the author Nikki Sheehan engaged groups from Year 7 and 8 in two lively creative writing workshops, where she encouraged the girls to develop and write about a character transforming into an animal. Later she gave a presentation to them about how to write a book, citing Matt Haig’s advice that you should write as though your mother will never read it! Nikki answered many questions about reading and writing, including what had inspired her to become a writer, what she liked to read, and what was the first book she had ever read.
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
3rd March 2017 - Issue 8
Vox Gala Triumph! On 23rd and 24th of February, students, parents, and staff alike were treated to a rousing, lyrical delight in the form of the Vox Gala Concert. Ms Fewkes led proceedings that involved all the year groups, and a significant number of peripatetic staff. The evening began in operatic style with the orchestral prelude to Carmen. Beautifully performed and passionate, this set the tone for the concert. We then moved through Sinatra to ‘Beauty and the Beast’. The string ensemble as ever played deftly, weaving stirring melodies through the auditorium. Lucy B (U5) was one of the first soloists to shine in the evening, drawing the audience in to an emotive piece. The audience moved then through the familiar melodies of Blue Moon and Moondance to a gorgeous rendition of O Mio Babbino Caro in choral form. There was an intake of breath as David Bowie appeared on the large screen as the choir sang Life on Mars. It was a suitably moving piece to declare that his music will live on. Eva P (U4) showed exceptional dramatic style as she gave us Pulled from ‘The Addams Family’. She revealed the rare ability to genuinely take in the entire auditorium as she built her song to a crescendo. The Glee Club Singers took over from there to sing a traditional American Spiritual in Gospel style, complete with rhythmic dance moves. Ava D (U4) then used her beautiful voice to weave the melodies of Mama who Bore Me. With her Page 3
natural stage presence and flair for conveying dramatic emotion, Ava lit up the stage. It was hard for the audience to resist the urge to get up and dance as we heard Madness, Abba, and Swing from Louis Armstrong. Anamika N-W (U4) displayed considerable control and musicality in the trumpet solos. After the orchestral pieces, Charlotte B (6.1) showed that, not only is she a talented harpist and oboist, but she also has a beautiful classical singing voice that already sounds mature. Bonnie W (L4) gave us When I Marry Mr Snow, a treat for the audience inspiring many whoops. The choir then sang haunting melodies in the form of Adele’s Turning Tables, and Peggy Lee’s Fever. Sorcha H (U5) ended the line of superb soloists. She held the floor both dramatically and musically, making the stage her home. The evening was finished off by a genuinely compelling and rousing choral version of Nessun Dorma, which left the audience feeling as though they had crossed through centuries of art and lyricism that night. It was a wonderful concert, performed not once but on both Thursday and Friday. Congratulations to everyone involved, all ably directed by Mr Rous, Ms Bartlette and Ms Fewkes. AK
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
3rd March 2017 - Issue 8
Roedean’s Got Talent Of this there can be no doubt! What a wonderful event the Finals were! Our Charities’ Prefect, Eunice Y organised an absolutely brilliant show which was enjoyed by a packed Theatre yesterday. Last week, auditions were held, and ten acts progressed to the Finals of Roedean’s Got Talent: ■■
Niah S (L4) – singing All I Ask by Adele
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Alma S and Mia K-R (L4) – singing Titanium by David Guetta
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Louisa A (6.1) – singing Put your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae
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Lillie M-P and Connie W (U3) – tap-dancing to Happy by Pharrell Williams
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Poppy S (U3) – playing the piano and singing City of Stars from LALA Land
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Bahar E (U4) – singing When We Were Young by Adele
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Dorothea B and Tilly L (U3) – acting and singing What is this feeling? from Wicked
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Megan S (L4) – singing Waving through the Window from Dear Evan Hansen
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Eva P (U4) – singing Please Don’t Rain on my Parade by Barbra Streisand
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Jess M (U4) – playing the drums to Castle on the Hill by Ed Sheeran
The quality of the performances was really impressive, and every one of the performers did brilliantly – to stand up in front of your peers and perform is really difficult, so they should all be congratulated. The five judges had real difficulty in deciding the top 3, because the girls’ talents were so diverse and impressive. After much discussion, third place was awarded to Dorothea and Tilly, with an amazing combination of acting and singing, and Eva was the runner up, demonstrating amazing vocal power and stage-presence in her rendition of Streisand’s iconic number. The winner was Jess – her drumming had the audience dancing in the aisles, and she engaged with them excellently; when the result was announced, they went wild! Congratulation to everyone involved – it was a brilliant event!
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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
3rd March 2017 - Issue 8
Cross Country – four girls qualify to represent Sussex Schools The Year 7 and 8 cross country runners had a fabulous day yesterday at Christ’s Hospital, competing in the Sussex Schools’ Athletics Championships. There were approximately 200 competitors in both races, and our girls all performed admirably on a tough and muddy course. For the U3 girls, Sophie N came home first for Roedean, in 5th position, minus one shoe, closely followed by India H (13th) and Izzy H (17th). As a result of this run, all three
girls have been selected to represent Sussex Schools at the East Counties’ Cross Country Championships at Reigate Priory Park at the end of March. The U13 race was just as competitive, and Sophia C made the cut in 16th place, but Serena C just missed out by 2 places, coming in 23rd. It was an excellent team performance by all the girls in both age groups. Roedean is proud that four girls have been selected to represent the county, which is a fantastic achievement.
‘Have you ever wanted to punch me?’ In memory of his close colleague, Mr Ken Thomson, Mr Camburn has entered a boxing match, which will take place on April 1st at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, with aim of raising money to support cancer charities. He has written the following: ‘Losing Ken has been very hard – he was a dear friend, brilliant mentor and a fantastic boss. I still miss him every day. Last summer, I was fortunate enough to see my Dad bravely fight off cancer. Seeing the struggle he and Ken went through, and witnessing the truly amazing support they were given, has driven me to attempt this challenge, in the hope I can raise a bit of cash to help support other victims and find a cure faster. I’m scared, tired, sick of being punched in the face, really hungry, and worried I’ll embarrass myself or even worse hurt somebody. Please help me to make sure the training and sacrifice hasn’t been for nothing. I totally suck at boxing and have little or no hope of winning, however, compared to what cancer patients go through the training and three rounds of boxing will be a walk in the park.’ Staff and parents can watch the fight at the Grand – tickets are £20 for this Black Tie event. Please contact Mr Camburn directly (kca@ roedean.co.uk) if you would like a ticket. We will also make arrangements for the girls to be able to make donations if they would like to support this. We all wish Mr Camburn good luck, and hope that it ends well! Page 5
Amber and Ruby the sprinting sisters Amber A (U5) won a silver medal at the National Indoor Championships in Sheffield over 200m last weekend, despite suffering an injury in the final. She ran the fastest time of the year in her age group of 24.47s in the semifinal, meaning that Amber went into the final as the favourite. She was leading on the final bend, but unfortunately pulled her hamstring with less than 30 metres to go; despite this, she managed to continue to secure a medal. She was wheelchaired off the track and has a four week recovery period – we all wish her well for a speedy recovery. Ruby (L4) also competed for the first time, and achieved a personal best and her first sub-27 time of 26.89s in the 200m, so well done to her!
3rd March 2017 - Issue 8
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW SPORTS REPORT
Netball
SISNA Netball On Tuesday 28th February, our U14 Netball squad travelled to Hurst for the SISNA Netball Tournament. Being the last big tournament in the Netball season, there was a determined atmosphere amongst the girls and they had worked hard in training leading up to this competition. With their first match of the day, they stamped authority over Brighton and Hove High School, winning by 25 goals to 2! It was an amazing start! Straight up in the 2nd round, our main rivals this season, Brighton College, were next. It was a very tough game and we unfortunately lost out 15 goals to 5. Nevertheless, we quickly picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off, and went into the next game against Mayfield, which we won 11-8. We had two more matches to go and next was Eastbourne; they fielded a tough team which was very well drilled, but we overcame them to win 10-7. That meant that our last game, which we needed to win to secure our place in the semis, was against a very tough Bede’s team. We started a bit shakily, and made a few errors which allowed Bede’s to creep ahead. But in the 2nd half, the girls picked up their game and pulled it back to win 7 goals to 6! As a result, we were runners up in our group and now faced the winners of the other pool in the semifinal – that was Hurst, and on their home soil! But this was no match for our amazing U14 Roedean squad – we started strongly, turning over ball after ball, and we went on to win 12 goals to 4, putting us in the final! Yet again, the final was to be Brighton College vs Roedean – they are the only team in Sussex Roedean has yet to beat at this age group. We started strongly with only a goal in it initially. Ami F made many interceptions and Beatrix W was making beautiful drives into the circle. It was a great team effort, but unfortunately Brighton College were just too strong and rarely missed a shot when in our circle. The final score was 13-4, and Brighton College were deserved winners. However, Roedean played out of their skin and their coach, Mrs Pittingale, was proud of every single one of them and the maturity they showed during the day. Congratulations to Jess K, Ella L, Yelena F, Ami F, Beatrix W, Liv H, Hana A, Kamalika N, and Demi A. We are very proud of you and cannot wait to see what you achieve next year.
On Wednesday 23rd February, the U13A Netball team took on a combined Brighton College Prep and Senior School team in the semifinal of the Sussex cup. The match saw some of the best Netball played at Roedean this season – the girls worked hard together, moving the ball meticulously through the court. In the first three quarters, the team kept themselves level or ahead of Brighton College, and put pressure on their attacking play. In the fourth quarter, the teams provided a thrilling end to the match, with Brighton just taking the lead with 2 goals – the final score was 18-16. It was a fantastic match for all who watched, and there is lots to look forward to for the young Roedean side; they should all be extremely proud of themselves! On Saturday, in an extremely close match, the 2nd team defeated Mayfield by 1 goal. It was an exciting encounter and the girls were 15-9 down at half time. The second half transformation was outstanding and the girls started to play with real belief and desire. We were 2 goals behind going into the last quarter, and the pressure began to show on the opposition. Hannah T (U5) in the centre court made some superb interceptions and worked well with Laura B (6.1) and Victoria T (6.1) to dominate. The shooters were also on point, and Ami F (U4) and Maddison M (6.2) kept the goals coming. Defensively we were on fire – well done to Florence H (U5) and Hannah LW (U5). Congratulations also go to Amelia D (6.2) for her involvement at WD. We won 25-24, which was a definite highlight for Miss Andrew. JJ WHAT’S
COMING UP IN THE WEEK AHEAD?
Mon 6 Mar Tues 7 Mar
Wed 8 Mar Thur 9 Mar Fri 10 Mar Sat 11 Mar
Parents’ Guild Quiz Night – March 30th Buy your ticket from www. roedeantheatre.co.uk 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 6
Gospel Workshops and Teatime Recital Cross Fit Throwdown vs Moira House (A) Netball U19 SISNA Tournament at Hurst (A) BMW Netball League vs Five Ways Sussex Classical Reading Competition at Roedean WORLD WOMEN’S DAY Netball U12 & U13 SISNA Tournament at Roedean 6.1 & 6.2 History trip to National Archives, Kew Netball 1st & U15 vs Farlington (H) Lunchtime Music Recital at St Peter’s Church, West Blatchington EXEAT Duke of Edinburgh Training Weekend (Bronze & Silver) Springboard Music Festival London Philharmonic Orchestra performance at Brighton Dome Follow us @RoedeanSchool