24th March 2017 - Issue 11
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Head’s Introduction As the weather is becoming increasingly spring-like, it is a delight to see girls running around the site at lunchtimes and after school, enjoying Roedean’s wonderful grounds and space. The girls’ carefree fun is in stark contrast to the very sad events in London this week. Our thoughts, as a community, are with those families who have suffered loss and injury, and with those ordinary people and public servants who ran to the aid and support of all those who suffered. It should remind us, even when tragic events unfold, that we live in a world in which acts of kindness, generosity, self-sacrifice, bravery and love far outnumber acts born of ignorance and hate. In the last week, we have enjoyed an Entrepreneurs’ Event, hearing from five people who run hugely successful businesses, we welcomed girls from two Prep Schools to Roedean to take part in a netball masterclass, had a tea-time recital on Monday, the L5 girls and their parents came to our Parent-Tutor meeting in Keswick Hall, Roedean girls took part in a Chemistry competition in London, over 30 Japanese girls on a cultural
visit to Brighton observed some L5 Biology lessons and then showed us wonderful origami skills, Centenary Hall was filled with chanting and pompoms for House Badminton, the interviews for next year’s Prefect team took place, and members of our community have received some exceptional results in the Biology Olympiad and in LAMDA exams. What a fantastically diverse range of activities, and this is all just in one week - congratulations, and well done to everyone involved. But the week is not even over yet, and I would like to say ‘good luck’ and ‘break a leg’ this evening to those running the CAP charity fashion show, to those taking part in the exciting paper aeroplane-flying competition in the Library, and to those in the Scholars’ Drama Performance.
Staff get in the Red Nose Day spirit
Olympiad success for Roedean Biologists Congratulations to all of those who competed in the Biology Olympiad – the results have just come out, and some of our students have done very well indeed. Grace R (6.2) was Roedean’s top performer, achieving a Gold medal, which means that she is in the top 6% of students in the country who took part in this very prestigious competition. Congratulations also go to Georgina K (6.2) who was awarded a Silver medal, and Catherine C, Vivian L and Tiffany L (6.2) achieved bronze medals. We also have six girls in 6.1 and 6.2 who were highly commended and commended. Well done to all the girls who took part! PCH
Mrs Smillie’s tutor-group gave a wonderful presentation in Senior Assembly on Wednesday, reminding us about all the lovely things our mothers do for us, and I hope that you all have the chance to reflect on this on Mothers’ Day this Sunday and that you send best wishes to your families and loved ones, wherever they may be. Good luck to you all for the last week of term.
Chemists achieve no mean feat at Greenwich On Wednesday, three budding chemists Martha N, Selen S, and Emily T (6.1), battled the elements on their way to the University of Greenwich to compete in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s School Analyst Competition. The first challenge they faced involved using a visible/UV spectrophotometer to produce two absorbance v wavelength graphs for samples of potassium manganate (VII) and potassium dichromate (VI), to deduce the wavelength of maximum absorbance, and determine the
concentration of an unknown solution. The girls had never used a spectrophotometer before and had to familiarise themselves with the apparatus quickly. The second task involved preparing a standard solution and using it to determine the concentration of a hydrochloric acid solution. Congratulations to the girls who were complimented on their skill and teamwork, and proudly came fourth out of twenty schools. ASE
24th March 2017 - Issue 11
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. Harriet C-S (6.2) for looking after others when they needed it most [TKE]
Natalie T (6.2) for her excellent contributions to Academic Week despite struggling with Glandular Fever [AK] 267
Isabel F (U4) for tenacity in keeping up with all of her work even with a dislocated shoulder [SMS] 547
Annabel B (U4) for being so conscientious in catching up after missing lessons due to other commitments 146
Tips on Effective Altruism from 13P The 6.2 tutor-group 13P gave a brilliant and thought-provoking assembly on effective altruism: ‘Today we are going to talk about effective altruism which is about giving as many resources as we possibly can to those in need. Today we will learn more about charities we give to, how to give effectively, and much more. The Australian contemporary moral philosopher, Peter Singer, helped to develop the Effective Altruism movement and the charity ‘The Life You Can Save’. His aim is to teach people that, although giving is emotional, we also need to do our research and think logically in order to do the most good. How do we usually give to charity? We give my old clothes and books to orphanages. We might donate toys and clothes to charities which have affected us personally. We might give money and food to homeless people on the streets of Brighton. But these techniques have proved to be limited in effectiveness. It would be more effective to think about the skills and passions you have and how they could be put to good use. Browse through some volunteering opportunities on the websites of organisations that help people address social needs. Catch a Fire and Moving Worlds are two websites which connect people with expertise like you to initiatives that can benefit from your skills. Cancer Research UK is an effective charity, which spends 64% of its income on charitable activities. Age UK and the British Heart Foundation use 48% and 46% respectively on these events. So, although these are top charities in the UK, they still have some financial limits on their effectiveness. So what can we do? We recommend that you do some research into how to give most effectively. Also, why not
narrow your giving? It’s more efficient for you and the causes you support. If you donate to 5 organisations each year rather than 75, your time and money will go further. You’re more likely to understand what those 5 groups do and they may become long-term relationships. Give time, and volunteer physically – you could, for instance, help out at refugee camps or hospitals. Most of the time, this is a lot more valuable than just writing cheques. According to our research, the following are the most effective charities, which use the money we provide in the best way, and spend it responsibly: ■■
Iodine global network – for every £5 donated, it can provide 600 people salt ionisation programmes to prevent iodine deficiency
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Project Healthy Children provides 23 people with food-based micronutrient fortification for one year
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Malaria kills 200 million people a year, the majority of whom are children – every £2 donated to the Against Malaria Foundation can save the life of a child under the age of 5
Some charities are able to do a lot with very little. Even if you don’t give that much money, they ensure it will still be enough to save lives. This is important because many charities that use research or expensive technology need so much money, that it results in an inability to help patients fast enough. It is very important for us to help those in need, especially when Roedean is such a privileged community. We hope that you will have a better idea of how to give more effectively after listening to our assembly, so that we can make a bigger difference in the world.’
Yamawaki visit to Roedean Yesterday, Roedean welcomed 31 Japanese girls from Yamawaki School in Tokyo. They are on a cultural visit to Brighton, and wanted to see what schools are like in the UK. Roedean could not be more different from their school,
Feeding time on the farm
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where 1200 students attend a school less than one fifth of the size – they absolutely loved the space, and enjoyed their brief experience of a Biology lesson, after which they taught our girls how to make origami animals.
24th March 2017 - Issue 11
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
CAP Sign Language at City College Brighton and Hove We have been lucky enough to visit City College Brighton and Hove three times as part of our British Sign Language CAP project. During our time learning BSL, we have covered many topics such as pets, food, and travel, and this meant that we were able to use our new skills to communicate on these topics with the deaf students at City College.
We took part in a number of activities, such as scavenger hunts, team-building tasks, and question and answer games that allowed us to feel comfortable talking to our deaf peers non-verbally, as well as through BSL. We spoke about ourselves and discussed our different hobbies and passions. They also taught us some more sign language that we hadn’t learnt before. In the photo we are spelling the word “together”.
5 Entrepreneurs at Roedean On Thursday, Roedean welcomed the City of London Guild of Entrepreneurs for the second time this year, and five entrepreneurs gave presentations to tell our students about their ‘business adventures’. Dr Sarah Malter spoke about how her business helps high-street brands to access government funding, Nick Levens spoke about his hospitality and events management company, Jenny Garrett dealt with the sometimes contentious topic of the female breadwinner, Alexander Thompson described how his company has refurbished and extended over 850 homes over the last decade or so, and Darren Bolger runs a global marketing platform. Roedean students of Business Studies, Economics, and Politics enjoyed the talks, and learnt a great deal about what these successful entrepreneurs had learnt along the way, as well as finding out about the impact of Brexit on our economy and on these entrepreneurs’ businesses. SLO
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On our last visit, the students completed feedback forms about what they enjoyed and how they felt after our visits. The students all felt more confident in communicating with new people after our visits, and one student said that he felt he could ‘use BSL and English at the same time to communicate equally’, which made us feel really great!
Ana E, Alya MF, Louisa A (6.1)
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
24th March 2017 - Issue 11
Roedean’s fifth Casino Night The Sixth Form Casino Night last Friday was a night of music, dancing, mathematical fun, and, of course, a wonderful chocolate fountain! With their fake money and gambling chips, the girls had a great time, trying their hands at poker and black jack, and dancing to the live band which was brilliant. It was a lively evening, which came at just the right time to celebrate a term of hard work and high energy. The girls dressed up to enjoy the evening with their peers and their guests, and we were delighted to welcome back some former students, who were wowed by the newly refurbished Sixth Form Centre at Keswick House. Thank you to all students and staff who worked hard to make this a successful evening. CC
Fantastic success in LAMDA exams – 17 Distinctions! Congratulations to all those who took LAMDA examinations earlier this term – the results which have just come in are outstanding. This is the first time that Roedean has entered candidates for Musical Theatre, so it is particularly pleasing to see the girls’ successes in this category: Martha M (U3) – Merit (Grade 3 Acting) Charlotte A (U3) – Distinction (Grade 3 Musical Theatre) Dorothea B (U3) – Distinction (Grade 3 Musical Theatre) Inez R (U3) – Distinction (Grade 3 Musical Theatre) Jemima V (U3) – Distinction (Grade 3 Musical Theatre) and Merit (Grade 3 Acting) ■■ Eve B (U4) – Distinction (Grade 4 Verse & Prose) ■■ Sarah J (U4) – Distinction (Grade 4 Verse & Prose) ■■ Imogen D (L4) – Merit (Grade 5 Acting) ■■ Rosie B (U5) – Distinction (Grade 5 Acting) ■■ Katie C (U5) – Distinction (Grade 5 Acting) ■■ Ava D (U4) – Distinction (Grade 5 Acting) ■■ Atlanta S (U4) – Distinction (Grade 5 Acting) ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■
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Eliza T (U4) – Distinction (Grade 5 Acting) Isobel S (L5) – Merit (Grade 5 Musical Theatre) Eseroka D (6.1) – Merit (Grade 5 Public Speaking) Scarlet P (L5) – Distinction (Grade 5 Verse & Prose) Jessica M (U4) – Distinction (Grade 5 Verse & Prose) Annabel B (U4) – Merit (Bronze Medal Grade 6 Acting) Milly L (U4) – Merit (Bronze Medal Grade 6 Acting) Claire G (U5) – Distinction (Bronze Medal Grade 6 Acting) Lalita C-S (L5) – Distinction (Bronze Medal Grade 6 Verse & Prose) Isabella M (6.2) – Distinction (Bronze Medal Grade 6 Verse & Prose) Eunice Y (6.2) – Merit (Gold Medal Grade 8 Acting) Valerie L (6.2) – Distinction (Gold Medal Grade 8 Acting)
It is wonderful that 17 out of 25 entrants were awarded distinctions, and congratulations to Valerie and Eunice for doing so well at Grade 8. KM Page 4
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
24th March 2017 - Issue 11
Briana at the Hastings Musical Festival Briana K (U5) and two friends attended the Hastings International Musical Festival last weekend representing their dance school, Seaford School of Dancing, and the Maddiva Dance Company. Briana achieved 3rd place in her Solo Song and Dance category, and she and two friends won 1st place in the Modern Trio category. They did fantastically well as they are now competing against girls who can be up to 21, and therefore have much more experience. They have also qualified to go to the All England Regional Finals at half-term in May – well done!
Great victory in the BMW league Congratulations to the girls again – they had a brilliant victory against the club, Park Life, winning by 48 goals to 17! They are enjoying an amazing fun of success!
Roedean at the National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships Following Roedean’s pilot indoor rowing event back in October, our first ever rowing squad travelled to Lea Valley Athletics Centre for the National Indoor Rowing Championships. It was a huge event, with 1700 young people taking part from schools from across the country. London Youth Rowing organised the event which saw members of from the ladies’ Oxford and Cambridge rowing teams in attendance, to help give out the prizes and inspire the young athletes. Roedean did extremely well, taking into account the fact that the girls have only competed in their own event once and had minimal training in our own school gym. India H and Dione W were our most notable performers, but it was a really great effort from the girls representing Roedean at this fantastic event.
1st team Volleyball
Results:
On Tuesday the 1st Volleyball team travelled to Farlington for a fixture. The girls have improved so much over the year and they were ready for the challenge they faced! After a short warm up, the team began with enthusiasm and precision. They played some absolutely exemplary Volleyball and were praised by the other team’s coach on their fantastic and accurate volleying! The match ended a 1 - 1 draw, but it was an exciting game to watch! Well done to those girls involved – they absolutely smashed it!
India H – 30th Jemima V – 70th out of 204 competitors
Dione W – 33rd Gracie B – 72nd out of 243 competitors
Lara S – 61st Poppy T – 67th out of 252 competitors
Eleanor F – 31st Clara H – 67th out of 150 competitors
Eleanor had a surprise at county training! Eleanor F (L5) had a real treat at Sussex County training on Wednesday last week as Shelby Harris paid a visit! Shelby is currently a squad member of the England U17 Netball Squad and a real young talent and an inspiration to many young players – how great for Eleanor to meet her!
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24th March 2017 - Issue 11
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW SPORTS REPORT
Hockey U12 Hockey won the tournament at Kent College Last Saturday, the U12s travelled to Kent College to play on their newly opened astro. We met Kent College A team in the opening game which was tough for our girls, and we were slightly rusty, allowing them to dominate and score two quick goals. Fortunately the girls found their form and confidence towards the end, and Marianna L scored from a brilliantly executed slap hit at the top of the D. We were keen to make amends in the next game, playing Kent College B team. Almost immediately, we scored which opened the flood gates and the girls started playing with enthusiasm and determination. They had listened to advice and were using the wings to good effect, who in turn were providing the crosses for our eagerly waiting forwards on the back post. Notable performances came from Phoebe H and Ella KM who both scored hat tricks. I nearly pulled a muscle when celebrating one of their goals which we had been working on in training.
Phoebe accelerated down the right wing, outpacing her defender, she hit the back line and pulled the ball back passed the keeper for Ella to reverse stick hit into the back of the net. Wow – just like the Olympics! The final game was against Tonbridge Grammar, who have historically won this tournament. They had already beaten Kent College A, so we knew that it was going to be tough. We didn’t give them an inch and every player on the pitch fought hard to gain an impressive 4 - 1 victory. India H and Marianna worked hard in the centre field to defend and attack. India B in goal was electric and kept their big forwards from scoring; she was supported by her defensive players of Sophie N, Alice B, and Sydney O. The forwards also kept scoring goals and every single one had their names on the scoring sheet. Roedean were tournament winners (on goal difference) and we have brought home the shield! Well done – I am already looking forward to next season. KAN
U12
U12
JJ WHAT’S COMING UP
IN THE WEEK AHEAD?
Mon 27 Mar
L5 Business Studies trip to Thorpe Park U5 & 6.1 Classics trip to British Museum 6.1 UCAS Exhibition in London
Tues 28 Mar
1st Football vs Ardingly (H) Tribute Celebration for Ken Thomson
Wed 29 Mar
11R trip to The Observatory Science Centre Junior House Netball (H) L5 Social Event – ‘Neon’
Thurs 30 Mar
U5 & L5 Breakfast in Keswick Hall Parents’ Guild Quiz Night
Fri 31 Mar
Final Chapel & Handshaking TERM ENDS
House Badminton It was great to see so many girls and staff at the House Badminton competition yesterday. The energy was infectious and cheered everyone up, and it was so nice to see girls from every year group representing their house and showing true house spirit. The Junior competition was won very narrowly by House 3, and they also won the Senior competition – they actually drew with House 2, so the total number of points scored was the deciding factor, and they won by one goal, 137 to 136! Junior
Senior
Overall
Position
House 1
29
40
69
4th
House 2
35
56
91
2nd
House 3
41
56
97
1st
House 4
39
40
79
3rd
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