28 September 2018 - Issue 5
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Murder at
by the Sea
Roedean School
Head’s Introduction Founders’ Day is a very important day in the School’s calendar every year. It is when we remember the founding Lawrence sisters, and all those who have shaped the School. It is also when we remember those ORs who have passed away over the last year. The services today were lovely, and it was our pleasure to welcome back some ORs and relatives of ORs to share Founders’ Day with us. Today was doubly important because it was also the official opening of the all-weather pitch. We welcomed the Mayor of Brighton and Hove, Councillor Dee Simson, to unveil the Pitch Perfect Donor Board, to thank those whose support helped to build the pitch. We were also delighted to have Helen Richardson-Walsh, one of Roedean’s Sports Ambassadors, with us today. She spoke to our 1st XI players and Sport Scholars over lunch in the Old Ref, before cutting the ribbon
to open the pitch. She then also spent some time working closely with the 1st team on short corners, which I am sure they will not forget in a hurry! It has been a wonderful day for Sport, and for Roedean. Looking ahead, next Tuesday, 140 girls from Years 5 and 6 will come to Roedean to join with our Year 7 for a literary festival entitled ‘Murder by the Sea’. There will be talks from four authors whose young adult crime literature features a girl detective, and there will be some forensics and an exciting treasure hunt as well - it sounds like a wonderful day! We also have our Sixth Form Open Afternoon and full Open Day next week, so I would like to thank my colleagues and the girls in advance for all the hard work which goes into preparing for such important events. I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend, and good luck for next week.
Helen Richardson-Walsh at Roedean The official pitch opening with Helen Richardson-Walsh
Roedean is remarkably fortunate to have Sports Ambassadors of the calibre and pedigree of Helen and Kate Richardson-Walsh. It was wonderful for the girls to see Helen cut the ribbon to open the all-weather pitch, and we cannot wait to see the incredible impact having such a facility on site will have on them. At lunch with our top hockey players and Sport Scholars, Helen spoke about the journey she had been through, which eventually led to an Olympic Gold Medal in Rio in 2016. To reach the very top of your sport requires incredible focus and dedication, and she spoke about the highs and lows, and how they are all part of the process.
The girls loved hearing Helen speak and working with her on the pitch - this is the start of an incredibly exciting journey for sport at Roedean!
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
28 September 2018 - Issue 5
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.
Isla B (Yr9) for being the most helpful tutee in 9D (so far…) [ALU]
Janice C (Yr9) for climbing Jacob’s Ladder on her own; she was brilliant! [ALU]
Leila L (Yr12) has been brilliant, taking on the responsibility of organising the Farm Prefects at the weekends; she has been proactive, supportive, positive, and enthusiastic, and we are very grateful to have her involved up at the farm [JRO]
Scholars’ Tea-Time Recital The Music Scholars’ Recital on Monday was a delightful start to the performance events this year, and it showcased the superb musical talent here at Roedean. Girls from Years 7-13 stood with equal confidence and communicated their music so well through their various instruments. A special thanks goes to Mr Rous for his remarkable accompanying skills, and for helping to put the performers at ease.
Ava Z (Yr12), Olivia T (Yr10), Saskia LD (Yr9) and Marianna L (Yr9) for running a workshops in Italian, Swedish, Dutch and Greek respectively [JSM]
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.
Mrs Lugton for showing great care and support for another colleague [RCH]
Mrs Sambrook for supporting a Year 7 pupil by piecing together (as a repair) a significant sized snow-capped Mount Everest Cake [JC]
Architectural Studies Art and Design students have recently been making studies based on architecture. We saw particularly interesting pieces by Rosie J (Yr12) who made these drawings using mixed media and resist techniques, and the detailed line drawing in pencil is by Melessa W (Yr11). SEL Page 2
The standard was incredibly high and the girls’ choice of music was both eclectic and entertaining. It was especially pleasing to see our new Music Scholars both taking part in the recital, and giving an impressive first performance – well done to Galina B, Jaimie H, Rosie P, Ananya R, and Constance S. Many thanks to all the parents, girls, and staff who joined us for this event. VF
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
House 4
28 September 2018 - Issue 5
The House 4 girls are always working hard to catch their dreams! They all enjoyed making their very own dream catchers.
Well done to the House 4 girls who loved having the opportunity to make a difference by decorating cupcakes and making sweetie bags for the Macmillan Cancer Support - World’s Biggest Coffee Morning 2018!
House 1 Movie Night
Alexander Technique Workshop
Movie, popcorn & crisps – a very relaxed Saturday evening in House 1! It was a perfect way to spend a windy and wet Saturday evening.
Our Music Scholars and other fascinated pupils enjoyed an introduction to Alexander Technique, led by specialists, Sarah Barfoot and Tara Bentall. Alexander Technique offers foundation practical skills that develop a different approach to learning and to all activities, from simple everyday movement to refined activities such as musical performance. Old habits and a desire to achieve often get in the way of natural poise, confidence, ease, and freedom of expression. Alexander Technique helps people to learn to be more aware of mind and body function, and ultimately promotes higher levels of performance. The Old Ref proved to be a perfect setting for movement and poise exercises, and particularly for the relaxation section, despite the rather solid floor. By the end of the session, everyone was very relaxed and refreshed. This was a really positive start to a new initiative for our musicians, and we very much hope that some will want to continue to pursue the technique. VF
Amazing edible Geography project! Congratulations to Lara N (Yr7) for her amazing cake of Mount Everest, which she made for her Geography project. Not only did it look amazing, but she kindly shared with her form, and it was delicious! SOB Page 3
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
28 September 2018 - Issue 5
Year 11 Geography Field Trip On Friday 21st, Year 11 set off on a three day Geography field trip, with the aim of learning about urban regeneration and river processes. After the hour long journey, we arrived at Juniper Hall in Dorking, Sussex. We quickly ate our lunch before rushing off to the small village of Leatherhead. We spent the whole day there, learning valuable fieldwork techniques such as environmental quality surveys and place checks; although the latter proved to be a little strange, as part of these data collections meant we had to follow around anyone who wore hats! Once we arrived back at Juniper Hall, we finished off the day by roasting marshmallows and watching Charlene’s dance moves around the campfire. The weather quickly turned inclement on the second day. We persevered through the pouring rain and travelled to different points along the River Tillingbourne. At each point, we climbed into the river to take different measurements, and also produced field sketches whilst trying to keep our work dry.
Australian touring side visits Roedean Earlier this week, we were delighted to welcome 18 girls and 3 members of staff from Firbank Grammar School, in Melbourne in Australia. Over two days, we hosted matches in Football, Swimming, and Netball, as well as an Indoor Rowing challenge. The girls had a brilliant time at Roedean, and then continued their tour of southern England, Wales, and Scotland.
‘Roedean was absolutely amazing and the girls and staff were so kind, welcoming and easy going. The sport played against each other was very friendly and fun, and we all really enjoyed the experience at Roedean. Overall the whole Roedean spirit was felt across all of the Firbank girls, and it is safe to say that Roedean will always have a special place in our hearts.’ Hannah
‘Thank you to all the staff at Roedean for their warm welcome and incredibly gen erous hospitality. Coming to Roedean from Australia on a sports tour we could not hav asked for better organisation, the faci e lities are amazing and the girls were so frie ndly and enthusiastic. Our sports fixtures were so much fun and our students loved ever y minute of it. Hopefully we can come bac k again in the near future!’ Peter Russo - Director of Sport, Firbank Grammar School
‘Roedean is a school like no other. The girls and staff were all so welcoming, it was a great opportunity to play sports with a school from the other side of the world, whilst meeting new people and playing sports on such amazing grounds that overlooked the sea.’ Lauren
‘The Roedean girls are the mo welcoming, kindest girls I’ve eve st r met were angels to us – people they’d . They nev – and I hope they know how gra er met teful are to them for their hospitalit we y.’ Sacha
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We ended the field trip last Sunday by completing all our notes, so that we could be best prepared for our GCSE ‘Skills exam’. A big thank you to all the staff that came along and to the tutors at Juniper Hall for making this such a memorable field trip. We ended the field trip last Sunday by completing all our notes, so that we could be best prepared for our GCSE ‘Skills exam’. A big thank you to all the staff that came along and to the tutors at Juniper Hall for making this such a memorable field trip. Isabelle S-H
28 September 2018 - Issue 5
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Head of School team dinner Congratulations to the Head of School team for hosting a dinner last night for their counterparts from Bede’s, Hurst, and Roedean Moira House. Thirty people attended the dinner, which included music from a live jazz duo, and it was wonderful that OR, Spirit de la Mare, give an inspirational talk about leadership and innovation during the evening. We hope that the girls made lots of contacts and shared experiences over dinner, and Keswick Hall looked wonderful! Well done! GH
European Day of Lanaguage On Wednesday, the school community enjoyed a host of activities to mark the annual European Day of Languages. Students and teachers were encouraged to partake in quizzes and guessing games in assembly and in tutor groups and were also challenged themselves to learn a range of greetings and phrases across a vast array of languages. We all enjoyed a delicious European themed lunch menu prepared by the Catering team to mark the occasion. It was a delight to see so many students attending a lunchtime workshop led by a group of students who volunteered to introduce their peers to their mother-tongue languages, which included Dutch, Italian, Swedish and Greek. We are very grateful to Sasha LD, Ava Z, Olivia T and Marianna L for giving up their time to be part of the team which ran these workshops. Finally, students were treated to a screening of the much loved film Astérix et Obélix at the end of the school day to round off the celebrations. Thank you to all those who were involved in making the day such a success.
Do you love a good quiz? What’s your general knowledge like? Is your head full of apparently useless facts? Why not come along to the Parents’ Guild Quiz, to put your knowledge to the test? JJ WHAT’S COMING UP IN THE
Mon 1 Oct
Swimming Gala (H)
Tue 2 Oct
LITERARY FESTIVAL DAY
Today the U16A team produced an excellent team performance in the County Cup. They showed, discipline, team spirit and tremendous work rate. Roedean played Hurst first and absorbed a lot of pressure looking for the counter attack. Fortunately, Roedean made a late break in the second half with Lucy P showing great composure to equalise. Sadly, in the final few minutes, Roedean conceded at a short corner, resulting in a 2-1 loss. In the second game straight after Hurst, Roedean played Brighton College, which was a great game from a spectator’s point of view. Brighton College
Wind & Brass Masterclass and Teatime Recital
Year 8 Shakespeare School Festival Workshop Year 11 Business trip to Drusilla’s Zoo
Wed 3 Oct
U13A Worth Hockey Tournament (A) U12A Hockey vs Brambletye (H)
Sport U16 Hockey Sussex Cup
WEEK AHEAD?
passed the ball around brilliantly; however, Roedean showed lots of resilience in defence and had opportunities to counter attack. Once again, Roedean came from behind with Lucy P scoring another excellent goal. However, as Roedean began to tire, Brighton College continued to threat the circle which led to them winning 3-1. This was an excellent first county cup tournament for Roedean which we have not entered for several years. I am very proud of their performances against two very well established hockey schools and the team have learnt a lot playing against them.
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 5
Year 7-9 National Swimming Championships (A) U13B&C and U12B&C Hockey vs Brighton College Lower (H) Thur 4 Oct
NATIONAL POETRY DAY
Sat 6 Oct
OPEN DAY
SIXTH FORM INFORMATION EVENT
1st, 2nd & U15A Hockey vs Worth (H) U15B & U14A Hockey vs Worth (A)
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