25 February 2022 – Issue 7
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Serena and Sophia at Roedean South Africa
Head’s Introduction
Race Around the World – Admissions Experience Day
Welcome back after half-term. I hope that you all had an opportunity to rest and spend time with family and friends, the importance of which has been brought into stark relief over the last week. There can be no doubt that we are living in troubling times, as the invasion of Ukraine has shocked the world. We must continue to hope that governments around the world will work tirelessly for peace and stability. For those with connections to the conflict, I encourage you to share any worries you have, so that we can do our best to support you and your families. Roedean’s diverse community is one of its great strengths, and it is more important than ever that we stand together and support one another. The storms at the end of last week took their toll on our buildings, and I would like to thank and congratulate both staff and students on the positive way they have responded – many colleagues came into School to ensure the site was safe for the students to return, and they had a whole range of issues to resolve. As a result, certain areas of the site have been cordoned off for safety reasons, and access routes and lunch timings have had to change, but everyone has accepted these inconveniences with good humour and understanding – thank you, and well done. Our Assemblies and Chapel services this week have focused on LGBT+ History Month – both students and members of staff shared their role-models in Assemblies, and our Chapel services addressed Section 28. The services ended with the congregation singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow from the Wizard of Oz together. Thank you to the staff and students who have contributed to all the activities which have been organised to raise awareness this month. It has been our great pleasure to welcome visitors to Roedean for a number of different events this week. The Admissions Department hosted a highly successful Race Around the World event yesterday, and the 34 Year 5 and 6 pupils who came had a fantastic time throwing themselves into a range of fun and engaging activities throughout the day provided by the Modern Languages and Classics Departments. We also welcomed our Year 8 parents to speak to their daughters’ teachers – not only are these points of contact so important when considering a shared approach to our students’ development and progress, but the pandemic has meant that it is a long time since some parents have actually been at Roedean. Congratulations to our sports teams this week! It is fantastic that so many students are having the opportunity to represent the School, and our teams have enjoyed some excellent wins this week. Particular congratulations go to the U15A and U13A teams, both of which have progressed to the Semi-Finals of the National Plate Competition – well done on this brilliant achievement, and we look forward to hearing about further successes over the coming weeks! Looking ahead, there are a number of exciting events coming up over the next few weeks: we are looking forward to seeing the students dressed as their favourite book characters on World Book Day to raise funds to update the stock at the St Mark’s Secret Garden Library; thank you in advance to everyone for the part you will play on Open Day next Saturday; and, the week after next, we have our International Women’s Day Festival, and The Romance and Tragedy Concert. I wish you all a great weekend, and good luck for next week.
U13A through to the SemiFinal of the National Plate!
Isabella & Pearl are ENG Netball U16 Southern Finals Champions
25 February 2022 – Issue 7
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.
Romey, Sohana, Molly, and Sofia (Yr7) – for looking after the Year 5 and 6 students who came to the Race Around the World Admissions Day so brilliantly [JCO] Urara (Yr11) – for her perfect discretion in a public situation [JSH]
Serena and Sophia at Roedean South Africa
Staff Mrs Herridge – for coping admirably with all the rerooming as a result of storm damage [JSH]
On Tuesday 8 March, Roedean will be marking International Women's Day by welcoming 19 fantastic speakers to its annual Festival of Inspiring Women. For more information on the speakers, please click here: https://tinyurl.com/mry2w5md
#IWD22 #BreakTheBias
Year 13 twins, Serena and Sophia, spent a day over half-term visiting our sister school in South Africa. Their family has recently moved to Johannesburg, so they were keen to take the opportunity to see the school, and compare it with ours. Roedean South Africa was founded in 1903, shortly after our School, by a fourth Lawrence sister. They were met by Mrs Rabie, who was our contact when Roedean visited South Africa in 2018, and Anza, the Head Girl, who presented them with flowers and balloons. Serena and Sophia then went to lessons in Mathematics, Physical Science, History, and English. They also attended a very engaging talk for the Matrics (Year 13s), given by a guest speaker, Joanne Joseph, the author of Children of Sugarcane, on Indian indentured labour. They had a great time, sharing their experiences with the Matrics, and they really got a glimpse of life at Roedean South Africa. They were surprised about how many similarities there are between the two schools, even though they are
so far apart. As we do, the girls refer to female members of staff as ‘Madam’, they also have ‘hand-shaking’, they refer to us in their School Prayers just as we do, and the weather is about as changeable as ours is too! But there are also differences: Serena and Sophia reported back that Roedean South Africa has an amazing reputation for Water Polo, their lessons are 70 minutes long (which they thought was far too long!), and the uniform is very different. They really had a fantastic time – the Roedean South Africa girls were so welcoming and friendly, and they were all really keen to say hello. Sophia also finally met up with some pen-pals she was introduced to through our partnership, and with whom she has been corresponding with since 2020! We are so lucky to have this connection with our sister school in South Africa, and it is brilliant that Serena and Sophia were able to represent Roedean there. Dr Barrand
Daisy's Children's Book Drive! Daisy (Yr11) is organising a children's book drive to coincide with World Book Week, in order to give back to the local community. 'I would also love for all children (no matter their background) to have a book to enjoy to mark World Book Day, and I thought that this would be perfect.' Books will be collected over the course of next week – there will be a drop-off point for donations in the Library. Page 2
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
25 February 2022 – Issue 7
LGBT+ History Month Chapel: Section 28 and the Future This week's Chapel services, led by Ms Boobis, Tamanna (Yr10), and Maria (Yr11), dealt with the influence of Section 28 in LGBT+ History: Ms Boobis: ‘A Little Respect’ was the music played as the congregation entered Chapel, and it was a hit for Erasure in 1988. The stirring synth-pop classic includes the lyrics “what religion or reason could drive a man to forsake his lover?” and this rhetorical question was why the band produced the song, as a response to the government’s homophobic Section 28 legislation which was enacted on 24 May 1988 and lasted in England until 2003. Section 28 was an amendment made to the local government act which stated that a local authority "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship". This meant that, in all English schools for the 25 years Section 28 lasted, it was illegal for teachers to talk about homosexuality. Any individual who attended school in England during those 25 years, regardless of their own sexuality, was educated in an environment which actively discouraged homosexuality and promoted feelings of shame and secrecy around it. Prior to the 1980s, the UK had been slowly but surely becoming more progressive in its attitudes towards male homosexuality. It is worth noting that there have never been any particular legislative concerns about female homosexuality in UK law. In 1957, following a series of convictions of high-profile men – including Alan Turing – for homosexual offences, the Wolfenden report recommended that homosexuality between two consenting adults in private should not be considered a criminal offence. A decade later, homosexuality was decriminalised for those over the age of 21. Prejudice continued, but things seemed to be moving forward. In 1981, a new disease was discovered. HIV/ AIDS was first reported in the New York Native, a gay newspaper. The first victims of the disease were a group of gay men and this initial association of a terrifying and deadly new illness with homosexuality stuck, regardless of the medical facts. It was fear over HIV/AIDS that catalysed the success of the Section 28 legislation, which would arguably otherwise have been seen as mere moral panic and political point scoring in the run up to an election. It was an opportunistic moment to be seen to protect the community, by stigmatising and denying a subset of it. Tamanna: In 2000, Section 28 was repealed in Scotland, and then in England three years later. Since 2000, the UK has seen significant
moves forward in legislation for LGBTQ+ people, including equalising the age of consent for intercourse, regardless of gender, in 2000; the removal of sex and gender from all sex-specific legislation in 2003; the introduction of civil partnerships for same-sex couples in 2004; and the introduction of same-sex marriages in 2014. Despite these moves forward, most religious denominations are expressly banned from conducting same-sex ceremonies, including the Church of England. However, the Methodist Church in England voted to permit same-sex marriage in June 2021, becoming the largest religious denomination to allow same sex marriage in Britain. Media visibility of LGBTQ+ people has also increased over the past twenty years, with more mainstream TV shows having gay characters, for whom their sexuality is an aspect of them, rather than their entire story and personality. Further, the importance of having LGBTQ+ people in the writers’ room and cast is now being taken increasingly seriously, so that stories are told authentically and with humanity, rather than through stereotypes and caricatures. Russell T Davies’s It’s A Sin, set during the 1980s and following the emerging HIV/AIDS crisis within a group of young gay men, is a strong example of this, where Davies was adamant that the actors playing the roles should be gay. Maria: Many have seen parallels between the early panic around the current Covid-19 pandemic and the HIV/AIDS crisis. A particular, and difficult to acknowledge, similarity has been the links between fear and prejudice that can come to the surface in such situations. The Covid-19 pandemic has also disproportionately affected the LGBTQ+ community. One reason is due to LGBTQ+ people being more likely to experience domestic abuse and, with selfisolation and lockdown, people were in closer contact with their household. This meant there was much more tension and an increase in domestic abuse in the pandemic. Furthermore, in 2016, 52% of LGBTQ+ people said they had experienced depression in the last year. Lockdown and a lack of physical contact in the pandemic took a toll on people’s mental health, particularly in the LGBTQ+ community. This also saw an increase of alcohol and drug use, and this was worsened by the absence of face-toface support. Even though we no longer live under Section 28, education around, and acceptance of, the LGBTQ+ community still has so much further to go. The theme of LGBT+ History Month is ‘the arc is long’, which refers to Martin Luther King’s quote ‘the arc is long but it bends towards justice’. What does the future hold for LGBTQ+ people? Certainly, the generations who have been Page 3
educated since the repeal of Section 28 have a more accepting and fluid take on sexuality. 82% of UK 18-34 year olds said they were in favour of same-sex marriage in a recent survey. This is an 8% increase on the 35-54 year old demographic, indicating two things: 1) that the younger generations are more progressive in their views 2) that even those educated under Section 28 hold quite progressive views towards homosexuality. In the next ten-twenty years, then, we could see legislation that positively seeks to support those who have previously been isolated due to their gender and sexuality. Instead of a hymn, we sang Over the Rainbow to close the morning’s chapel. This 1939 song taken from The Wizard of Oz has long served as an anthem that is emblematic of acceptance and celebration of difference, a place where everyone can be, gloriously and unabashedly, whomever they want to be.
LGBT+ Heroes Roedean students and staff celebrated the LGBT+ History Month by putting together slides on their LGBT+ heroes. These heroes included Alan Turing, Gilbert Baker, Hunter Shafer, JoJo Swain (pictured), Billie Jean King, Laverne Cox, and many more. The PowerPoint slides have been shared on screens around Roedean, and also in Assemblies this week, with both pupils and staff talking about their heroes from the LBGT+ scene. Mr Wriglesworth
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
25 February 2022 – Issue 7
Deepdene Mindfulness and Well-Being This week, pupils from Deepdene enjoyed a workshop led by Mrs Shrubsole about identifying our emotions, and using this knowledge to improve our well-being.
Race Around the World – Admissions Experience Day On Thursday, it was wonderful to welcome 34 pupils from Years 5 and 6 to Roedean for a Race Around the World experience day. They arrived in rain, saw hail at lunch, and left in glorious sunshine, so it was literally a perfect Roedean experience! They spent the morning with the Classics Department, planning a Roman dinner party, and then going on a ‘journey through Rome’, which they all loved. In the afternoon, the had sessions with the Modern Languages
Department: in French, the learnt all about Gustav Eiffel, and then built their own Eiffel Tower out of paper; in German, they looked at compound nouns and the way that German puts words together to convey a new meaning; in Russian, they learnt basic greetings, some numbers, and looked at the Cyrillic alphabet, before writing their own names; and in Chinese, the looked at some calligraphy. All in all, they had a lovely time – thank you to Romey, Sohana, Molly, and Sofia, who looked after them brilliantly, and well done to the Admissions Department for making all the arrangements and planning the event. Dr Barrand
Teatime Recital – 22 February On Tuesday, our students gave another wonderful teatime recital, Sofia (Yr7) bravely opened the concert with her first performance at a teatime recital, and Gracie (Yr11) gave a lovely rendition of My Ship. Chloe (Yr8) then took to the stage with an expressive Clarinet piece, Allegretto by Saint-Saens, and this was followed by another composition by the same composer, The Swan, played sensitively on the Cello by Becca (Yr9). Elspeth (Yr9) then performed a lively Handel sonata movement on Violin, and a very jazzy and atmospheric Clarinet piece followed, this time from Carmen (Yr11). Our newly formed chamber group played Deux Papillons – the flutes, played by Queena and Heidi (Yr11), really conveyed the delicate fluttering of the butterflies, and they were sensitively accompanied by Emily (Yr11). Portia (Yr11) then sang Somewhere from West Side Story very expressively. To round off the event, Alma (Yr12) sang In Trutina by Orff, really capturing the solemn mood, and Rachel (Yr9) finished with an accomplished and musical rendition of Bach's Gigue for solo Violin.
If you were not able to attend, please click on this link to watch the video – https://vimeo. com/680943532/49c4b10e74 Thank you to everyone who took part and to all those who came and supported them. Thank you Mr Wilson for his superb accompanying, and to catering and everyone who helped set up.
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The next teatime recital will be held on 29 March. Please email sob@roedean.co.uk or sign up in the Music Department – any type of music style and ability is welcome. Ms Bartlette
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
25 February 2022 – Issue 7
Alice at Let's Dance! Congratulations to Alice (Yr8), who, along with her crew KOD, competed at the Street Dance International competition in Kent. Although they put in a strong performance, they unfortunately came a close 2nd. The group is now working on new choreography, ready for their next performances and competitions. It is really exciting that they have been invited to perform at Let’s Dance at The Brighton Dome in March, and they will also compete at the beginning of April at the United Dance Competition in Essex. Well done!
Author and Illustrator Visit
World Book Day
On Thursday 3 March, author Julian Sedhwick and illustrator Chie Kutsuwada will be visiting Roedean. They will be providing a variety of talks and workshops for students in Years 8-11 through the day, and will be discussing their book ‘Tsunami Girl’. It is a powerful comingof-age story of 15-year-old Yuki Hara Jones, who gets caught up in the March 2011 Great Eastern Japan Earthquake. The book is a classic narrative, but with Manga inserts which adds to the power and emotion of the story. There will also be a book sale and signing in the Library during Activity 1.
We have a whole week of events planned to celebrate World Book Day and Roedean’s love of reading! On Thursday 3 March, we are inviting students to dress up as their favourite literary character – please be creative! In return we will be asking for a donation that will go towards providing new stock for St Mark's Library. Our target is £500, and, if we achieve this figure, it will be matched by an anonymous donor – £1000 would be amazing! Please click on the link to this wufoo to make a donation which will be added to your daughter’s bill. https://roedean.wufoo.com/forms/world-book-day-donations-for-st-markslibrary/
Japanese Tea Party
On Monday 28 February, Years 7 and 8 will be attending a Japanese tea party with delicious treats, traditional Japanese tea, and a range of activities, including Origami and Calligraphy. ■ ■
Virtual Author talk with Lauren James
Year 7 will be able to come from 13.15. Year 8 will be able to come from 13.30.
On Friday 4 March, there will be a virtual author talk by author Lauren James. Lauren is the author of many successful YA novels. She studied science at university and will be discussing how her scientific background influences her fiction.
Sixth Form Bookshop
There will be a Sixth Form Pop-up Bookshop in Keswick on Tuesday 1 March & Wednesday 2 March. There will be a range of fiction and non-fiction titles, chosen by and for students in Years 12 and Y13.
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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
25 February 2022 – Issue 7
K-Pop Dance Workshop in House 4 Becky, the House 4 Dance Captain, has offered a variety of dance classes throughout this academic year, and this week it was a K-pop cover routine workshop! The girls absolutely loved it, and the final piece was impressive! Well done to Becky and everyone involved. Mrs Wilson
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Love is all around us... especially in Lawrence! In the week before half term, Lawrence House learnt a little more of the true meaning of love by researching and finding out about the original Saint Valentine. It was a surprise to l of us to learn that there was more than one Saint Valentine, and also that he is the patron saint of beekeepers too! Lawrence boarders got to write their own Haiku, and think about the things they cherish most, and a display of victorian Valentine cards and cards of days gone by also kept the girls entertained. Mrs Diplos
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25 February 2022 – Issue 7
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
SPORT Netball vs Lancing College
Netball vs Brighton College
U15B
U12E
Roedean U15Bs took on Lancing during games on Tuesday, we came away with a 28-10 win. Despite the half term break, Roedean shooters, Lucy, Alice, and Lizzie were as accurate as always. Gaby, Liv S & Liv C were the workhorses in the centre of the court, not giving any time for the Lancing opposition to think, forcing a number of intercepts. Maddie and Solari held their own, forcing Lancing to take a number of shots from wide in the circle. Girl of the Game went to Lizzie. Mr Borsoi
U15D
The U15D team had a good mid-week fixture against Lancing College and came away 15-5 winners. Without any full time shooters, Tallulah stepped up and was extremely accurate, scoring the majority of the goals, alongside Suraya and Matilda. Freya, Ellie, and Bella were strong centre court players who made numerous intercepts and delivered the ball well to the shooting circle. Pia was very strong in defence and was ably supported by India and Isis. Tallulah was made MVP for her accurate shooting. Well done! Miss Kirby-Jones
U15C
The U15C players are delighted to report that they scored 22 points, on the 22nd day of the 2nd month in 2022! Roedean played very well throughout the game versus Lancing. Abisha, Poppy, Ellie, Matilda, and Alba moved the ball quickly, Elodie and Mancy were accurate under the posts, and Alice and Holly were strong in defence. The game ended 22-14 to Roedean, and it was a pleasure to see the girls believe in their netball ability more than they sometimes do. They are good players, they now just need the self-confidence to match their skills. Mr Smethurst
The U12E team were excited for their fixture against Brighton College and started very well in cold and difficult conditions. The wind made it difficult to score consistently, but the girls persevered and managed to go 4-0 up in the first quarter looking better and better every minute. We managed to find some rhythm in the second and third quarter, increasing the lead significantly. With some positional rotations made, it was a great opportunity for the girls to improve their skills in other positions. Matilda impressed as GS and C with good movement and accurate shooting. Evelyn looked strong at GK, positioning herself well to stop any opportunity for Brighton to go forward in the final third. Well done to everyone for their improvement and great performances this term. The game ended 12-2 to Roedean. Mr Campleman
U12D
The U12D team beat Brighton College Prep School 13-2 in a game of three thirds. Roedean began at a fast pace and maintained the same level of intensity throughout the first third. Bonnie, Joy and Blaize moved the ball quickly in attack, there was accurate shooting from Polly and Miranda, while Sofia and Sohana were strong in defence. Coco and Modesire both played their first Netball fixture for Roedean, and Modesire also scored her first points for the netball club. Mr Smethurst
U15s into National Plate Semi Finals! The U15As travelled to Streatham and Clapham High School on Tuesday afternoon to play the Quarter Finals of the SNS National Plate. The girls had had quite an easy ride so far, so we knew the pressure was about to ramp up. With a draw after the first quarter and being 2 down at half time, some reflection was needed and the girls pushed on to win the third and fourth quarter, taking the win 33-26 on the final whistle. The resilience and bounce back the Year 10s showed on Tuesday was truly something to watch. Captain, Pearl, was awarded girl of the game by the opposition for her excellent through court support all game. Coaches player of the game was a tough one this week with all 8 players deserving of the title! Special mentions to Lilah for her cool and calm composure in the final quarter, Phoebe for making crucial turnovers in the second half and to Esme for battling all game vs Streatham’s tall GS. It’s into the semi finals for the U15s!
Isabella & Pearl are ENG Netball U16 Southern Finals Champions
Netball vs Bedes U13C
Huge congratulations to Isabella (Yr11) and Pearl (Yr10), for their outstanding performances on Sunday to help their team win the Southern finals, and therefore crowned Southern Champions in the ENG competition. Their hard work, dedication and commitment to Netball has paid off and they are competing with the top clubs in the country. We are so proud of them and cannot wait for them to compete at Nationals in May! Miss Hammond Page 7
25 February 2022 – Issue 7
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
U13A through to the Semi-Final of the National Plate! There was a huge win for the U13As this week who travelled up to Eltham College on Tuesday. After a long journey, the girls had a good focused warm-up. Taking the wind into consideration, they played some short sharp, smart Netball, enabling them to be leading by 2 after the first quarter. They continued to build on this lead by 2 every quarter which was amazing to watch. Eltham were tight on them the whole time, but Roedean was up for the battle – they were patient on the ball with some
excellent movement from Molly and Minnie in attack. After an impressive performance, Roedean took the win 24-16 which earnt them a place in the Semi Final of the National Plate. We cannot wait to see you in action in the next game, keep up the hard work! Congratulations to Harriet for receiving opposition's player and Molly and Minnie for receiving coaches' players. It was an outstanding squad performance.
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