27 September 2019 - Issue 4
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Head’s Introduction Today is an important day in the school calendar, and this week has ended with Chapel services to mark Founders’ Day. So much of Roedean’s core ethos is linked directly to our founding Lawrence sisters, so the School community remembers them, as well as others who have played a key role in shaping the development of the School over the years. We also light a candle for those Old Roedeanians and former members of staff who have passed away in the last year, and the services were very beautiful and reflective. It was excellent to welcome our two Sports Ambassadors, Helen and Kate Richardson-Walsh, to Roedean at the start of the week. They are great supporters of the School, and are both remarkable role-models for the girls. In times when young people may feel that there are many pressures on them, I am very pleased that Kate and Helen were able to work with so many girls on Monday, focusing on metal resilience. This week, a number of events and activities have centred around the wider community, and I feel that it is very important for the girls to be encouraged continually to consider their place in a community which stretches wider than the School: many of the Year 12 Community Action Programme placements and joint activities with St Mark’s and Deepdene are now fully underway; on Monday, four of our sheep started a new life on a farm in West Sussex where they will enrich many young people’s lives, exactly as they have here; on Tuesday, it was lovely to welcome the parents and guardians of girls in Year 7 to Roedean to meet staff and reflect on the first few weeks of term; this morning, House 1 hosted its annual Macmillan Coffee Morning, with its mind-boggling array of cakes on sale for charity; and, this afternoon, we opened the Club House, refurbished thanks to the generous support of an OR in memory of her aunt, herself an OR, which will be used to host at sports fixtures and by boarders as a hub which is near the heart of the School.
Mental Resilience workshops with Helen and Kate We were delighted to welcome both Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh, our Sports Ambassadors, to Roedean this week. They ran interactive workshops on mental resilience for every girl in Years 7 and 9, and the Sports’ Scholars. Although their point of reference was often sport, what they were describing was applicable to many different areas – it was how to bounce back after a disappointment, whether that’s on the sports field, on stage, or in the classroom, and how to get yourself into the right place to perform consistently well. The girls really enjoyed the sessions, which challenged them to imagine how they would react to different threatening situations, and Helen and Kate circulating among them to contribute to their discussions. They also gave a talk to the Sixth Form – the Year 12s are adjusting to different expectations at A Level, and the Year 13s are working on their university applications, so motivation and positivity from two Olympic Gold medallists was just perfect! Roedean really is very fortunate to have two women of Helen and Kate’s calibre as our Sports Ambassadors!
I am pleased to hear that the Geography Field Trip was a great success, and that the girls collected lots of valuable data for their GCSE coursework. Yesterday at the end of the day, I also met a number of girls in the Main Corridor who had just returned from a brilliant STEM day at Sandhurst. I am always very grateful to my colleagues who organise these trips, since they form such a valuable part of the girls’ experience at Roedean. Ahead of a busy week which includes a STEM Festival for 150 visiting girls, the Sixth Form Information Evening, and Open Day, I wish you all a lovely and restful weekend.
Sandhurst STEM Day
Please see page
6
European Day of Languages
Please see pa
ge 4
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
27 September 2019 - Issue 4
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. Fleur F (Yr8) for great energy and kindness towards Year 7s [Lydia F (Yr7)]
Pastures new for 4 Roedean sheep Claudette H-L (Yr8) being nice and supportive to Year 7s [Rosa L (Yr7)]
At the start of the week, four of the sheep from Roedean’s Farm, our Welsh Badger Face ewes, moved to pastures new at East Clayton Farm in West Sussex, where the farm runs educational programmes for young people with physical or learning difficulties. The girls were, of course, sad to see them leave us, but they are proud that they will be doing a great deal of good in the wider community. In exchange for the sheep, we brought back six 6 Bantam hens. Mr Fieldsend said, ‘We are delighted that, just as they have here at Roedean, the ewes will make a meaningful difference to young people’s lives; they are brilliantly interactive, and should fit into their new home very well. The bantam hens we received in return are already favorites among the Roedean flock, and we look forward to lots of Roedean eggs!’
Clubbercise Atlanta Lily S and Sophia E for spending their lunchbreak on Thursday showing three ORs around the school [GLC]
7P Tutor Group buddies – Sophie and Freya enjoying a happy moment! Sophie showed such kindness by baking and decorating a beautiful cake for Freya for her 12th birthday this week – what a lovely thing to do, Sophie, and happy birthday to Freya from all girls and staff in Year 7.
Last Monday, girls from all boarding houses took an hour off from their studies and participated in Clubbercise, where they danced, sweated, and laughed! It was an extremely fun, active, and crazy aerobic session, led by an enthusiastic instructor who was pumped with energy! As soon as we walked into C Hall, we were all amazed by the UV lighting and the exciting atmosphere. We were thrilled by the energetic music and immediately joined in — with glow sticks in hand, of course. The instructor, attired in neon sportswear with glow-in-the-dark face paint, danced and sang with spirit and joy to each and every song. We couldn’t help but be affected by his vitality and liveliness, and we jumped and cheered with excitement. Finally, with our movements gradually slowing down in the intensely energetic beats, the hour ended in sweat and a load of laughter — it was a night that we all thoroughly enjoyed and will look forward to in the future. Thank you!
Giselle G, Sorrel M, & Emma B
Tricia T's on Soundcloud Tricia T (Yr13) has put some of her own songs onto soundcloud. Follow this link to have a listen – they’re great! https://soundcloud.com/teo_trish/sets/embers-ep
Page 2
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
27 September 2019 - Issue 4
£372
raised at the
Macmillan Coffee Morning
More details to come next week...
Roedean Music Scholars’ Recital The Roedean Music Scholars’ Recital was a wonderful showcase of impressive musicianship, and it was a real pleasure to see players and singers from Years 7-13 performing with great confidence and composure. The ability to perform at that level is the result of years of dedication and commitment to hone a talent – congratulations to everyone involved. The range of styles encompassed 20th century music as well as Baroque and more between, and it was lovely to hear the range of instruments, including the flute, voice, clarinet, piano, and violin, as well as more unusual examples, such as the recorder and xylophone. Concerto in G (Allegro) – Cimarosa Frieda J & Scarlett B (Yr10) – Flutes
Concerto in G Minor – Vivaldi Rosie P (Yr11) – Violin
Minuet – Mozart Alissandra H (Yr9) – Violin
O Cessate Di Piagarmi – A Scarlatti Alice F (Yr7) – Voice
Lied – Bozza Anamika N-W (Yr11) – Trumpet
Nocturne – Grieg Joyce W (Yr11) – Piano
Allegro and Sarabande – Grovlez Galina B (Yr8) – Clarinet
Widmung – Schubert Amelie S (Yr12) – Voice
Lullaby Suraya B (Yr8) – Piano
Madrigal – P H Gaubert Elena S (Yr11) – Flute
Alla Turca – Mozart Jojo C (Yr12) – Xylophone
Vidui – Bloch Eva F (Yr11) – Violin
Concerto in F – Sammartini Marina B (Yr11) – Recorder
Sicilienne – Fauré Ananya R (Yr10) – Cello
O for the Wings – Mendelssohn Constance S (Yr13) – Voice
Sonata in C Minor – Haydn Sahar K (Yr13) – Piano
Gabriel’s Oboe – Morricone Amy C (Yr12) – Flute All the performers should be very proud of their part in making this recital such a brilliant celebration of music. However, particular congratulations to Alice for performing such a challenging piece while only in Year 7, to Amy for playing the lyrical 20th century Morricone piece so beautifully, to Amelie and Constance for singing with such poise and confidence, and to Ananya for her wonderful rendition of Fauré’s well-known Sicilienne. My personal favourite performance was Jojo’s fantastic performance of Mozart’s Alla Turca on the xylophone – she was completely in control throughout, and she played with great panache and obvious skill. You can watch Jojo playing the piece by following this link: https://vimeo.com/362739689 RB Page 3
27 September 2019 - Issue 4
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
First Etching Class at Bip Art This week was the first week of the eight-week etching course down at Bip Art. This week we learned the basics, chose the metal that we wanted to work with, filed and primed our metal plates and looked at some great prints. It was a really great experience and I felt that I learned a lot during the two hours that we were there. I am looking forward to next week and I can't wait to finally print my plate.
Malika WM (Yr12)
Gabor and Victoria – London to Brighton Off-Road Bike Race Congratulations to Gabor (Estates) and Victoria (Head of Security) who took part in the recent London to Brighton Off-Road Bike Race, along with 2,500 other people. They left Roedean at 5:30 in one of our minibuses, and Lee H (Housemen) drove them up to London to the start. Gabor and Victoria had set themselves a real challenge – on a lovely sunny, dry day, it took them nearly eight hours to cover nearly 120 kilometres, which is an amazing achievement! They were riding for the British Heart Foundation – there is still time to donate if you would like to do so, and there is a box in Reception.
European Day of languages An international Quiz, peer-to-peer language tutoring and a lively Brexit debate made for a fun afternoon for the girls at Roedean
enedeslangues #journéeeuropé aslenguas od #díaeurope el sprachen gder #europäischerta dellelingue ea op #giornataeur деньязыков #eвропейский
Page 4
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Year 11 GCSE Geography Trip to Juniper Hall in the Surrey Hills Last Friday, the Year 11 Geographers travelled an hour and a half to Juniper Hall, in Dorking in order to spend the weekend collecting data for our GCSE exam. As soon as we arrived we were greeted by our tutors and headed to the town of Leatherhead where we were let loose to question the public on our enquiry. The weather was beautiful, with cloudless skies enabling us to explore the grounds of the centre freely and enjoy a cosy bonfire after dinner. The majority of Saturday was spent travelling along the River Tillingbourne, where we observed the scenery and did some fieldwork. Once again the weather was in our favour, making it an extremely enjoyable experience while measuring different aspects of the river. Soon afterwards, we were rewarded with a delicious ice-cream alongside the friendly ducks in Shere. On the last and final day, after a morning of focused class work, we celebrated Miss Smith’s birthday with a rich chocolate cake and Mr Sheriff took the opportunity to present some awards ranging from most hard-working student to best hair-dresser! Throughout the three days, we were able to create strong bonds with our teachers, as well as friends. Thanks to Chloe K who captured the best moments with her artistic photography skills, we now have 10 files full of memories which have already been pinned up in the corridor. We would like to thank the tutors at Juniper Hall for their dedication, as without them we wouldn’t have been able to successfully complete the topic with such ease and enthusiasm. And, of course, a special thank you to our fabulous Geography teachers: Mr Sheriff, Miss Smith, and Miss Sharp, who made the trip an absolute laugh and a really memorable weekend.
Darcey P and Lucy P (Yr11)
Page 5
27 September 2019 - Issue 4
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
27 September 2019 - Issue 4
Sandhurst STEM Day From making a circuit using lemons and copper coins to holding machine guns and parachutes, our trip to Sandhurst was thoroughly enjoyable, as not only was it fun, but it also informed us of the possibilities of a future career in STEM. As Sandhurst is an active military academy and encourages women to go into STEM, careers in the armed forces were well represented. Esme, Isla and Sophia enjoyed trying on camouflaged clothes, helmets and specialised headphones in order to experience some of what life in the military might be like. We also enjoyed exploring the different stalls and talking to representatives from a range of careers apart from the armed
forces including engineering, pharmacology and IT. The stalls ran interactive sessions to demonstrate the opportunities their companies provided. To fuel our competitive spirits we took part in a photo challenge which included taking a photo with a person in army uniform and at our favourite stand. I’m not sure the people in uniform enjoyed taking photos as much as we did! Overall, it was a brilliant day and we hope that those who attend in the future enjoy it as much as we did. Megan T (Yr11)
Cricket Success for Roedean Girls
Heritage Open Day Tours at Roedean Roedean was again part of the national Heritage Open Day programme, and we had 39 visitors to the School over the three tours on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. One woman attended the tour previously, and enjoyed it so much that she came back for a return visit, bringing a friend with her! I also bumped into one of the participants from Thursday’s tour on another Heritage event on Friday night, and she told me that the Roedean tour was the best one she’d been on. JSU Feedback was very positive, as always – below is a selection of comments from our visitors:
‘Excellent tour – well paced, very well presented by knowledgeable guides. Fascinating behind-thescenes looks at a building not often seen other than from a distance. Thank you!’ C Stead
‘We enjoyed our tour and felt very privileged to be ‘Very knowledgeable hosts. able to look around.’ Beautiful day and lots of J Walker information. Impressed by the gender empowerment ‘Interesting, t approach.’ a grea intriguing, and great N Sheilch insight into this school.’ S Cowan
Page 6
We were at the St James End of Season Cricket Awards last Friday. The Roedean girls did brilliantly! Polly S, Nia S, and Georgina G-W (Yr9) were all commended for their commitment and contribution. In addition, Polly and Nia, along with Dot B and Orla L (Yr7) and Maria V (Yr9), the Captain, were in the team that won the Lady Taverners U13 tournament, which is an amazing achievement – Maria collected the cup on Friday night. She also won the trophy for U16 Batter of the Year, which was outstanding, and Dot was awarded U13 Bowler of the Year. Congratulations!
27 September 2019 - Issue 4
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Netball U12A vs Warden Park Academy
The U12A team travelled to Warden Park Academy for the first round of the SNS National Cup. The girls played tremendously throughout the match, without letting their heads drop once, despite trying to chase the WPA score-line, battling right to the very last second. The U12As lost the game by 6 goals with an overall score of 9-15, but this was a good result against a strong side. All 11 girls were able to take to the court and have a run out at their first ever match as a newly formed squad. Player of the Match went to Grace H, who worked her absolute socks off at Centre and Wing Attack. Joanna O played a great game in defence, getting interceptions all over the court, and Jasmine H impressed in the shooting circle after playing Centre and Goal Defence for the first half! Super sub Liepa M took to the court fighting, putting lots of pressure on the wing in the second half! It’s onwards and upwards for the U12 team, who will continue to train in preparation for the netball term.
2nd XI
Hockey 2nd XI vs Ardingly College
Despite being 5-0 down at half time, the girls did exceptionally well to only let 1 goal in after half time, making the final score 6-0. Matilda W worked hard in goal against a strong Ardingly attack. She had a lot of support from Poppy T and Anne-Sophie L who were forces to be reckoned with in defence. Jess K was voted player of the match by the opposition because of her work ethic and ability to drive with the ball. Well done to all girls that played for not giving up and coming back in the second half.
U14B victory vs Seaford College
The U14B team had a great first match versus Seaford College, and all the girls worked hard throughout. During the first half, our defence cleared the ball successfully and applied great pressure. It was a close first half, where both teams kept possession successfully, so our girls had to track consistently. In the second half, our spacing was effective and we made some fantastic passes. A special mention goes to Isabelle B, who made a brilliant shot on goal, and this led to a 1-0 win. Well done to all the girls who played – they showed fantastic resilience throughout. Well done to Erin S, who stepped in at last minute.
U13C win vs Windlesham House
The U13C team played a well-matched fixture against Windlesham this week. The defence worked hard to keep the ball in our attacking half, and they put great pressure on the opposition. The attack worked consistently hard to move the ball up the pitch, and the match finished 1-0 to Roedean. Well done!
JJ WHAT’S COMING UP IN THE
Mon 30 Sept
Year 9 & Year 10 Drama and Dance Scholars West End Dance & Drama Workshop & Teatime Recital U16A Hockey vs Burgess Hill (A) 1st, U16A, U14A & U12A vs Roedean Moira House (A)
Tue 1 Oct
STEM Festival Day U14 Hockey Sussex Cup
Wed 2 Oct
U13A Worth Hockey Tournament (A) Dance Scholars’ trip to Royal Ballet U12A,B&C & U13A,B&C vs Brighton College (H) Drama Scholars’ Performance
Thur 3 Oct
Year 10 Art Trip to V&A Museum U12A Football Fives vs Deepdene (H) U14A Hockey vs Hurstpierpoint College (H) Sixth Form Information Event
Fri 4 Oct
U15A Hockey vs Kent College Pembury (H) U13A Netball vs Reigate Grammar School (H)
Sat 5 Oct
OPEN DAY
U13D vs Christ’s Hospital
The U13D team played really well in their first game. Elsie made some excellent saves in the first half, and Flora came close, hitting the ball wide. The second half was difficult against the wind, and the team worked hard together – unfortunately we did not manage to score in this game. The final result was a fair reflection of the match.
Teatime in House 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
WEEK AHEAD?
Follow us
@RoedeanSchool
@RoedeanSchool