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26 February 2021 - Issue 6
With a backdrop of birdsong, snowdrops, and crocus flowers, it is clear at Roedean that spring has arrived. It has brought with it the very welcome news on Monday that we will soon be returning to School. In many different ways, it will be wonderful for both girls and staff to be back on site, and beginning what we hope will be a slow and cautious return to normality. Clearly there is a great deal to be done to ensure that this return can be done safely and efficiently, and I am very grateful to all my colleagues who are involved in making these arrangements. I am looking forward to welcoming the girls and staff back, and seeing the corridors, classrooms, and pitches full of life again. Roedean will be extending a warm welcome tomorrow to over ninety families, who will be attending our virtual Open Day. We are very excited to launch our 360 tour, allowing visitors to ‘walk’ around the School and find out all about Roedean. They will also attend some virtual presentations, which include the girls sharing their experiences. The tour is wonderful, and we will share it with the wider Roedean community next week. This event and launch are the result of a huge amount of work, and I would like to thank all my colleagues who have been involved in this impressive project.
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International Women's Day 2021
ROEDEAN’S FESTIVAL CELEBRATING Nigeria INSPIRING WOMEN Ghana
Race Around the World 7751 Kilometres!
Looking ahead, on 8 March, we will be recognising International Women’s Day with our annual Festival Celebrating Inspiring Women. Giving girls and young women the belief and self-confidence that they can chase their dreams and make their mark on the world is fundamental to Roedean’s ethos, and, this year, we have eighteen fantastic speakers addressing the conference, on incredibly diverse topics. Information on the speakers can be found in this review, and I am confident that the girls will be inspired on that day. I wish those of you who are fasting or have given up something for Lent all the best, and I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend.
International Week
Noo presents a documentary for Dan Snow’s History Hit
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WEEKLY REVIEW
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26 February 2021 - Issue 6
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.
Race Around the World - 7751 Kilometres! Can you do better?
Well done to everyone who has logged their distances via wufoo – we have already covered 7,751 kilometres! That means we’ve already been to 8 countries where Roedean girls live, 11 countries in total, and made it as far as Nigeria! We are now on our way to South Africa to wave to our sister school!
Please follow the relevant link to log your distances – as this is like a New Year’s Resolution, you can include distances back to 1 January! Race Around the World 2.0 STUDENT Race Around the World 2.0 STAFF Race Around the World 2.0 PARENT Race Around the World 2.0 OR
We really hope that this might give you a focus to keep up your exercise – to generate a bit of healthy competition, here are the two top performing year-groups: Megan (Yr12), Lareina (Yr11), Kincső (Yr9), Amelie (Yr13) for their part in this week’s Chapel service [JSM]
Year 8 = 1690K Year 9 = 628.8K Year 7 = 509.7K
And here are the top performers: ■ ■ ■ ■
1st 2nd 3rd 4th
Izzy (Yr8) Amelia (Yr10) Maria (Yr10) Jemima (Yr11)
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Olivia (Yr9) for completing her first ever half marathon to get her distance in for Roedean’s Race Around the World [KWA]
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Eden and Victoria (Yr13), Jemima (Yr12), Ananya (Yr11), Lydia (Yr8), Asmitha (Yr7) for giving up their time to be part of our Virtual Open Day [RB]
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Staff heroes in the spotlight Each week, a member of staff who has gone above and beyond the call of duty can be nominated by their colleagues or the girls. Miss Bamford for her endless enthusiasm for trick shot Tuesday; she makes throwing tea bags into mugs so much fun [KWA]
Miss Cheesman for keeping us all motivated on Strava, Zwift, and the independent running club - we were lost without your workouts during half term [KWA]
Ghana If the country where you currently live does not appear on the route because you also have a UK address on the school database, please do let us know before we reach that country by emailing Miss Boles on jbo@roedean.co.uk. Page 2
To make it easier to log your distances regularly, you can pin the wufoo link to your browser by clicking on ‘Bookmark this tab’ or similar, depending on your browser. Well done, and thank you for getting involved! RB
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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
26 February 2021 - Issue 6
#IWD21 #ChoosetoChallenge The world is changing, and women in the 21st century have more opportunities in society than ever before. However, they still very often face inequality, and struggle for parity with men. The 2020 Global Gender Gap index shows that women still have 31.4% less access to resources and opportunities. 62 million girls worldwide still do not receive an education because of their gender, and 15 million girls will never enter a classroom. It is therefore beholden on us to grasp every opportunity to empower our young women and girls and to confirm their belief that they will make a difference in the world. To mark International Women’s Day 2021, Roedean is proud to hold its annual Festival Celebrating Inspiring Women on 8 March. Our founding Lawrence sisters would doubtless be very proud to see a range of impressive, positive and successful female role models addressing our students. The School is delighted to welcome a diverse group of eighteen speakers to this year’s virtual event, who are speaking on topics ranging from Egyptology and architectural engineering, from installation art to insect ecology, and from space exploration to girls’ education in Africa. To hear from speakers who are at the forefront of the fields is exciting, enlightening, and empowering. We are therefore delighted that it is possible to host this event, despite the current lockdown in 2021, and also that Roedean students will be joined by students from Roedean South Africa, and by Roedean Academy students from four state schools in the local area. #IWD21 #ChoosetoChallenge RB
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S
DAY 2021
Dr Kemi Adeyeye Senior Lecturer in Architectural Engineering
Holly Bourne Author
Dr Liz Chamberlain Senior Lecturer in Education
Sarah Dixon Artist, Designer and Coach
Charlotte Fiell (OR) Leading Design Historian
Professor Ellie Highwood Former Professor of Climate Physics
Red Hong Yi Installation Artist
Dr Suzie Imber Associate Professor of Planetary Science
Dr Segenet Kelemu Insect Ecologist and Director General of the ICIPE
Serena Kern Singer and City Lawyer
Professor Jacqueline McGlade Professor of Natural Prosperity
Helen Richardson-Walsh OBE Former GB Hockey Player
Juliet Sargeant Chelsea Flower Show Winner sh
Dr Aisling Swaine Professor of Gender Studies
ROEDEAN’S FESTIVAL CELEBRATING INSPIRING WOMEN
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Countess Alexandra Tolstoy Adventurer, Author, and TV Presenter
Professor Joyce Tyldesley Professor of Egyptology
Jo Vickery Art Advisor
CFO Dawn Whittaker Chief Fire Officer
As this year’s festival is virtual, it is more important than ever that our speakers hear the voices of the student body - so, if you would like to introduce one of our speakers, please email rb@roedean.co.uk Page 3
26 February 2021 - Issue 6
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Your name:
UK Linguistics Olympiad
Your name:
cs Olympiad The UK Linguisti Round 1
Problem A1. (15
Well done to four daring Year 12s, Megan, Olivia, Thea, and Toni, who entered this year’s challenging UK Linguistics Olympiad – they are certainly the first entrants from Roedean in a good number of years, perhaps ever, and they took on the 2.5-hour challenge before half-term.
ics Olympiad 2021 Round 1
Q.A1.1. Use the table Script A1
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The organisers acknowledged that this year’s papers were even more difficult than normal, because of the difficulties of taking the test on-line, and also because the material needed to be non-searchable on the internet, to achieve parity between the entrants.
The UK Linguist
2021
in Script A1 and
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All four students acquitted themselves well, but particular congratulations go to Olivia, who achieved a Bronze. Our intention is that this will become a co-curricular activity in the future – there are different levels for different ages, so watch this space if this type of activity might be of interest! RB
International Week As we come to the end of International Month, it is perhaps fitting that the UK Government has provided us with a date when we can all come back together at Roedean. During this time, those of us in the UK have experienced lockdown number 3, where we have been restricted in our movement and activities, and have been inward-focused on those things that bring us joy that are within our day-to-day control. But members of the Roedean community have not all been UK-based at this time; a few pupils have shared with us some videos, images, and information that helps us to travel to where they are and experience what their lives have been like during this time, just as we hope they will soon travel back to us so we can all be together again. From spice markets and communal meals, to hiking mountain trails, to spending time in the water with friends, to contemplating a back garden, this small collection of insights into some of our international pupils’ lives should serve as a reminder that this world is yours and you will do great things in it. HBO
Savina and Meagan(Yr11) - Hong Kong
Gracie (Yr10) - Antigua
Nour(Yr13) - Egypt
Gaelic
Hebrew
Mandarin
Persian
International greetings
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This is the Freedom Statue that was made to represent Zambian people and the struggle for freedom against colonialism. The fight for freedo m happened in 1964 on the 24th October. Every year we celebrate Independence Day by wearing the national colours green, red, black and orange and we eat traditional food. We have lots of different traditional ceremonies that are celebrated everywhere in Zambia throughout the year. An example of these traditional cerem onies is the Kuomboka traditional ceremony which is celebrated by the Lozi people in late March or early April. This happens when the Lozi king moves from his dry-season palace to his rainy-season palac e. The bottom picture is the Kuomboka ceremony where you can see men rowing a boat across a river to the king's other palace. In Zambia we eat some pretty odd things :) like caterpillars (I don't eat them because they scare me) and I believe some people in the northern and eastern provinces eat rats :( the traditional food in Zambia is Nshima (the big white lumps in the top right of the picture) and it can be eaten with many different types of meat and vegetables. Mubanga(Yr10)
26 February 2021 - Issue 6
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Minnie's dancing Since the beginning of lockdown, Minnie has been training 6 hours a week on Zoom with her dance squad. The recent 4-week dance academy course she completed was aimed at honing new skills and perfecting a dance for a live performance. Noo Saro-Wiwa Credit Michael C. Wharley
The live event which was hosted on YouTube, was watched by over 100 spectators from all round the country.
News of Friends:
Noo Saro-Wiwa, No. 3, 1986-94
Charlie’s Goat Cake For Charlie’s second birthday, Mrs Wilson wanted to make him a cake of something that he loved and that also represented his past year, of being one year old during a pandemic. As we live onsite at Roedean; Charlie visits the goats every week at the Farm to feed them fruit and vegetables – they love him and he loves them! It seemed only fitting that his second birthday cake was a goat!
Noo has recently presented a documentary for Dan Snow’s History Hit, an online only channel for history fans. The documentary looks at Cheddar Man, a human fossil from the Mesolithic period, whose DNA analysis raises interesting questions about who the indigenous people of Britain are, as it shows he had dark skin and blue eyes. The channel is subscription-only, but there’s a 30-day free trial. In a bonus OR connection as well, Dan Snow’s great-grandmother, Lady Olwen Carey-Evans was also an OR, as she was in House 2 from 1908-10. You can read more about Noo and Olwen in 100 Roedeanians, available from www.roedean.co.uk/ shop. GLC
Cambridge Language Writing Competition Do you love languages, and find the culture of other countries really interesting? If so, this essay competition could be perfect for you! This is particularly relevant as last weekend was International Mother Language Day, and Mr Sampieri’s Chapel service this week focused on different languages.
Why not give it a go?
The brief is very open - you can:
Word limit:
Write an essay on a chosen book / film or a cultural topic ■ Write a review ■ Produce a creative extension piece (change a chapter, write a synopsis for a sequel, elaborate on a minor character’s past experiences / future aspirations) ■ Write about food ■ Write about literature or Music or Linguistics ■ Produce an original piece in the foreign language
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Years 9-11: 600-900 words Years 12-13: 800-1000 words
The deadline is Friday 9th April 2021. There is more information here: www.thecambridgelanguagecollective.com/ events/schools-essay-competition AIB
26 February 2021 - Issue 6
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Did You Enjoy Your Pancakes?
to love and forgive. We do this through fasting, prayer, and charitable giving. People often just think that Lent is purely a period of fasting, but that is only one aspect of the Lent.
Over half term, many of us will have recognised Shrove Tuesday by eating pancakes. I wonder how many of us know the background to this February pancake tradition and the period of Lent.
So Lent is 40 days?
What is Shrove Tuesday? Shrove Tuesday is the day before Lent, which is a period of fasting. Eating pancakes is associated with using up luxury ingredients before Lent, such as chocolate, which I love to have on my pancakes!
What is Lent? Lent is the period of time in the Christian calendar which leads up to Easter. It represents the 40 days Jesus spent fasting, praying, and preparing, before commencing work. Lent starts on Ash Wednesday which is the day after Shrove Tuesday. For me, and many Christians, it is the period of time where we reflect on our lives, and what we do and have. We give thanks to God for how fortunate we are, and pray that he continues
No! For years, I have given up chocolate for Lent thinking that I had to go without for 40 days in a row. I recently found out that the Sundays in Lent do not count, as they are considered a feast day, so I could have had a weekly fix of chocolate, instead of stretching my abstinence for 46 days, which is the time between Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday (when Lent starts and ends). For me, this helps to emphasise the importance of Sundays as a day to celebrate and give thanks to God, as well as the importance of sharing the sacrament of Eucharist.
Why fast nowadays? Many faiths encourage us to go without. However, in Christianity, this is not to impress others, as stated in the Bible: “do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others” (Matthew 6:16), so it should be used as an opportunity to give to others in a truly
Roedean’s Jerusalema Challenge Do you remember the toilet roll challenge, that was so much fun, and really made us feel part of our community? Well, this could be our next challenge. You may have seen that this choreographed dance has gone viral around the world, since the dance trend began in February of last year, when Fenómenos do Semba, a group in Angola, south-west Africa, recorded themselves dancing to the song. Since then, lots of groups of people have recorded themselves doing it, and it looks like great fun.
selfless way. If I am tempted by chocolate in the supermarket, I buy it anyway… but then drop it into the Foodbank collection, so that I am able to share the joy of chocolate-eating! By doing actions like this, I know that I am helping to improve myself in a way that is not advertised for all of my friends and family to see. They are only seen by God. To many Christians, including me, Lent and Easter is the most important festival in the Christian calendar. My faith helps to give me a purpose. The excitement and anticipation that I feel during seasons like Lent is so joyful. Lent means so many different things to me, some of which are difficult to explain. However, no matter what your culture, faith, or beliefs, I hope that you will be able to share the joy of family, friendship, charity, and pancakes that goes alongside festivals such as Lent. Philippa (Yr13)
Royal College of Organists’ Winter Conference During the half term break, Mr Wilson was invited to give a presentation in the Royal College of Organists’ Winter Conference. His chosen topic was ‘American Organ Repertoire from the 20th and 21st Centuries’, an area from which he enjoys performing. The 30-minute recorded concert and talk was aired during the three-day long virtual conference. Mr Wilson says, ‘It was a privilege to be asked to take part and to play alongside some really big names in the organ world.’
You can watch a tutorial for it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtuVWAQzGtE You might want to learn the dance this week before you come back to School, then Eloise and Jemima (Yr13) are going to record different groups doing some of the steps and put it all together before the end of term. Alternatively, you could record yourself dancing along to the music, and send it to Jemima or Eloise (jg37 or eg37). It’ll be brilliant!
Ananya plays Tchaikovsky
Star of the Week Elsie (Yr9) has had a great term of consistency, effort, and hard work! She has been waking up early in the morning for fitness sessions, taking part in many co-curricular clubs, and engaging extremely well in all PE and Games lessons. Well done Elsie on a great term of commitment and positivity – let’s keep it going into face-to-face learning! Page 6
Mr Rattenbury playing ‘the Frog Galliard'
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
26 February 2021 - Issue 6
Literary Supplement
New YA Fiction
Last One to Die – by Cynthia Murphy
As part of World Book Day next Thursday, Mrs Bailey has chosen a few new book titles for you to have a look at. If you would like to reserve any of these titles, or if you have your own suggestions and requests, please email her (gba@roedean.co.uk) and she will try and make sure all the books are available and ready to borrow for your return to school.
One of Us is Lying meets This Lie Will Kill You, but with a chilling supernatural twist that will keep you guessing until the very end.
When The World Was Ours: A Book about Finding Hope in the Darkest of Times – by Liz Kessler
Maggie Blue and The Dark World – by Anna Goodall
Happily Ever Afters – by Elsie Bryant
A powerful and heart-breaking novel about three childhood friends living during the Second World War, whose fates are closely intertwined, even when their lives take very different courses.
Sixteen-year-old Tessa Johnson has never felt like the protagonist in her own life. She's rarely seen herself reflected in the pages of the romance novels she loves. The only place she's a true leading lady is in her own writing, in the swoony love stories she shares only with Caroline, her best friend and #1 devoted reader.
Love in English – by Maria E. Andreu
Necropolis – by Bethan Evans Necropolis is a young adult novel, set in the near future, when society has been re-oppressed and is trying to stop women from doing anything. One brave girl, who is fed up with feeling trapped, attempts to get into the army as an undercover soldier. Her goal is to prove that women can still do anything.
This is a fresh, breakout YA novel that is layered with themes of immigration, cultural identity, and finding your voice in any language.
Don’t forget to dress up!
Student Book Review
Eight Pieces of Silva Patrice Lawrence Patrice Lawrence is the award-winning author of Orange Boy, and she has certainly succeeded in writing another amazing book. This book grips from the first page and leads you through every twist and turn imaginable... and unimaginable. You connect with the characters, and experience every victory and loss along with them. Eight Pieces of Silva centres around a black, lesbian, 16 year-old girl, Becks, trying to find her way in a life of love and loss. When her step-sister, Silva, goes missing, she journeys into the forbidden territory of Silva's room to piece together the shocking clues. Being a similar age to Becks heightens the empathy I feel for the troubles she endures trying to save her sister, with all of the odds against her. Reading this book is time well spent!
We would love you to dress up on World Book Day as your favourite character from literature! Please share your costumes with us, so we can create a World Book Day photo board for when we return to School. We will also be holding a competition with prizes to be given out in the following categories: The Ms Shillito special award for best overall costume! ■ Most original costume ■ Best creative costume ■ Funniest costume ■
Maria (Yr10) Page 7
A thrilling tale of friendship and courage - Maggie Blue, strong willed and isolated, sees her enemy from school taken through a window to a parallel world by one of their teachers, and she determines to follow, whatever the cost.
Bloom: 1 (The Overthrow) – by Kenneth Oppel ‘The perfect book right now for young readers searching for hope, strength, inspiration, and just a little horticultural havoc’. (New York Times)
26 February 2021 - Issue 6
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Years 7-9 Netball Fact Files
Strava Challenge - Half-Term Results
Towards the end of last half term, some of the Year 7-9 double PE Lessons were spent creating ‘Fact Files’ on favourite Netball players in the Superleague. Here are some examples of what the girls have been up to:
Well done to Gabby (Yr7), who managed to have a 3-day exercise streak over the half-term, and to Maria (Yr10), who also managed to log her exercise using her Fitbit which is a great tool to stay motivated! Izzy (Yr8) also deserves a special mention for managing to stay active every day over the half-term, a fantastic achievement and a lot of calories burnt! SCH
Over half-term, several of you kept incredibly active which was fantastic to see!!
Hockey Skills Course During this week, some of the hockey girls created their own hockey skills course, incorporating anything and everything they had at their disposal at home. Check out Talya’s homemade course!
Netball skills - Molly (1)
Molly’s Half Term Netball Drills Molly (Yr7) has been hard at work this half term, keeping up her netball fitness and skills, in preparation for returning to club and school netball. Here are some drills she’s been doing to keep fit and sharp before our return in a few weeks. Keep it up Molly!
Hockey skills – Natalya
Netball skills - Molly (2)
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 8
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