29 January 2021 - Issue 3
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Edith Pretty
Head’s Introduction
Keeping in contact with each other is more important than ever while we cannot be together at the moment. It is lovely that everyone turns their cameras on to say hello in year-group and House assemblies, and I know that many of you are enjoying seeing your classmates’ faces in lessons. It is also so important to keep active and it is great to see so much encouragement for activity in PE and Games lessons. There are so many ways to stay connected and healthy in lockdown, but it does, of course, take effort. However, it is really vital – I would encourage every one of you to be proactive about looking after yourselves. Congratulations to all our students who have been offered university places since the start of term. In the last two weeks, we have heard the very good news about five students in Year 13 who have been offered places to study at Oxford and Cambridge – well done to Eliza, Genevieve, Ashlyn, Tabitha, and Eden – I know that everyone is very proud of your achievements. This achievement is particularly impressive because it seems to be the case that there are fewer offers being made this year. I am very grateful to all of my colleagues (and parents) who supported and prepared all of our university applicants this year. Antigua & Barbuda
I would like to thank Ms Keller and all the staff and girls who contributed to this week’s Chapel marking Holocaust Memorial Day. They took on this incredibly important responsibility with care, sensitivity and a sense of hope. Thank you to Alma and Ms Bartlette for their remarkably evocative performances. It is our duty to listen and learn from the experiences of others and from the darkest periods in our history, not only to honour and remember those who lost their lives, but to hear the powerful testimony of those who survived. Learning from the past and understanding other cultures and faiths is important in any community, and I am looking forward to all of the activities on offer to celebrate International Month, organised and masterminded by Ms Boobis. I hope you all enjoy finding out about different faiths and cultures next week.
who have been sitting assessments this week, and good luck to you all for next week.
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To mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2021, Ms Keller led a Chapel service, reflecting on the Holocaust and those who have lost their lives in genocides. We are also incredibly fortunate that Ms Sophia Bartlette, Roedean’s Head of Strings, recorded Nigun from Bloch’s Baal Nigun by Ms Bartlette Shem, to mark this day – the theme for HMD this year is ‘Be the Light in the Darkness’, and listening to this beautiful piece may provide an opportunity to reflect on all those who lost their lives in the Holocaust and in all other genocides around the world. The Chapel service concluded with a stunningly evocative performance of Eli, Eli, sung by Alma (Yr11).
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Race Around the World – we’ve made it to Hungary!
Lastly, it will be wonderful to see the achievements of OR, Edith Pretty, being celebrated this evening - the Netflix drama-film, The Dig, premières this evening, and it tells the story of her involvement in the ground-breaking archaeological discovery of Sutton Hoo. I wish you all a restful weekend, well done to all those
Holocaust Memorial Day – Wednesday 27 January
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29 January 2021 - Issue 3
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Eliza – Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic, at St John’s College, Cambridge
Genevieve – Law, at Magdalen College, Oxford
Eden – History, at Pembroke College, Cambridge
Ashlyn – Information Engineering, at Wadham College, Oxford
Tabitha – Medicine, at Newnham College, Cambridge
Oxbridge Offers Congratulations to Eliza, Genevieve, Ashlyn, Tabitha, and Eden, who have received highlycoveted offers from Oxford and Cambridge Universities. The last year has been hugely challenging, so these students deserve even more credit for their success. Five Oxbridge offers constitutes the highest number of offers since 2013, which is remarkable, particularly since it appears to buck the trend compared to other independent schools.
Fifteen girls in Year 13 also have all of their decisions through, which means that they can begin to make decisions about which offers to accept for next year, and it is worth noting that many of those who are completing the EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) are receiving offers with reduced grades. Well done, everyone, and good luck! JSH
Race Around the World 2.0 – for Health and Community Spirit Well done to everyone who has logged their distances via Wufoo – we have already covered 2,049 kilometres! That means we’ve already been to 5 countries where Roedean girls live, 8 countries in total, and made it as far as Hungary! 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!
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.
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
Julia, Germany
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‘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.
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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.
Holly (Yr12) for providing great ideas and support with online Farm Club [SLB]
News of Friends We have two fantastic opportunities to follow Old Roedeanians in film to share with you this week:
Edith Pretty (Dempster, No. 4, 1894-1900)
Edith’s story is told in a new film, The Dig, released on Netflix today. Based on the novel of the same name by John Preston, The Dig, starring Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes, tells the story of the Sutton Hoo Anglo-Saxon ship burial site. The archaeological site was on land owned by Edith, and she was instrumental in its discovery. See page 5 for an exclusive look into the History of this discovery.
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Rebecca Hall (No. 4, 1996-2000)
Rebecca will star alongside Dan Stevens in a virtual rehearsed-reading production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream on 31 March. Directed by Jenny Caron Hall, the show will be presented for one-night only, with Rebecca taking on the role of Titania/Hippolyta. Tickets are available from https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/ shake-festival-midsummer, they cost £10 per household, and the show can be viewed from anywhere in the world.
Freya (Yr7) for being so kind, encouraging, and supportive of her peers this term (AHD)
Anjali (Yr9), Caroline (Yr10) and Alma and Sylva (Yr11) for speaking so well in Chapel this week [RB]
Edith Pretty
Rebecca Hall (Credit: Jeff Vespa)
Sophie is in the film Such Small Hands
Supporting St Mark’s! As you know, we normally do lots of activities to work with the children at St Mark’s, but this is more difficult in the current situation. One thing they are missing in particular is reading stories – if you have a favourite book from when you were at primary school, and would be happy to video or audio record yourself reading for about 5 minutes, it would be something lovely to share with the children.
Congratulations to Sophie (Yr8), who is one of just six actors to star in the film Such Small Hands, directed by Maria Martinez Bayona. The film was shot in Hastings in 2019, and it had its première at the 2021 London Short Film Festival. The film is dark and centres around a group of orphans, but Sophie thoroughly enjoyed the experience. She is, no doubt, one to watch – we hope she has a bright future!
Please send your videos or recordings to Mr Wilson (gwi@roedean.co.uk)
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29 January 2021 - Issue 3
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
International Month 2021 Welcome to Roedean’s inaugural International Month. This is an opportunity to share and celebrate our diverse cultures and experiences, in order to develop deeper bonds of understanding and connection across our community. That sense of connection is arguably more important now than ever as we are separated from our school buildings. The most beautiful thing about my faith is....
‘… the unique sense of belonging I feel being part of the Catholic family. No matter where I go in the world, there is always a warm welcome in our place of worship, and a sense of comfort and peace to be had once you enter a Catholic Church. The religion is steeped in tradition and I love how so many people around the world are praying at the same time, which is a very powerful thing.’
The first week of International Month focuses on Faith and Religion. You will hear more about this in next Friday’s Chapel service from Ms Earl. Faith and religion is something that can link people from different countries, and also something that is expressed differently depending on where you are. Next week is World Interfaith Harmony Week (https://worldinterfaithharmonyweek.com/) After this week’s Holocaust Memorial Day, we are reminded again of the importance not just
‘… the dancing, how happiness, and selves em people express th als.’ iv st fe h ug thro
en people ‘… the spirit wh mmunity do things. The coud, so it is spirited and lo ounded. rr makes me feel su urful lo co r We wea ing that is ad tr itional cloth show off.’ fun to wear and Solari
‘… the way people believe in each other.’
‘… it doesn’t matter which god you follow, or not, you should treat everyone the same.’
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ild ‘… it helps me bu ople.’ pe h it w relationships
n mily, sitting dow fa h it w e m ti g n ight.’ ‘… spendi er on a Friday n to a meal togeth
at ‘… the feeling th at th e; someone is ther er us.’ ov God is watching
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‘… the happiness in the time you spend with friends and family. The traditional clothes are also so beautiful and colourful.’ Anjani
Co-Curricular Cooking with Mrs Chamberlain Well done to everyone who is taking part in Mrs Chamberlain’s cooking activity – 67 girls are taking part! This week, they made cheesecake, and Seraphe (Yr9) has sent a series of photos showing her going through the process. It looks great fun, and delicious!
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how my religion ‘… its acceptance. I like d also accepts accepts gender-fluidity an faiths.’ and respects other
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The students below have shared their thoughts on the beauty they find in their faiths: we have Hinduism, Judaism, Irish Catholicism, British Christianity, Nigerian Christianity, Chinese Christianity, Buddhism, and Atheism represented – see if you can identify which is which. What resonates with you and your faith? HBO
‘… the forgiveness and promotion of love.’
Naisha
Maria
of tolerance, but of respect, understanding, and even appreciation, of other faiths.
Hannah
Through Heaven's Eyes Year 7 have been learning a challenging routine to the song Through Heaven's Eyes, from the musical The Prince of Egypt. Here is Minnie performing it – well done, Minnie!
Navya
'… the possibility – I enjoy the rituals and stories from some religions, and I like to feel like I’m in a community.’ Bobby
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
The Dig Exclusive
been her selflessness, sense of duty, and public spirit. She served as a quartermaster with the Red Cross in France during World War I, became a carer for her elderly parents (meaning that she delayed starting her own family until she was in her mid-40s), acted as a Justice of the Peace in Suffolk, and did lots of charity work. This side of her personality probably motivated her to donate the Sutton Hoo finds to the nation (via the British Museum). I am forever grateful to her for that, and managed to visit her grave in 2019, during the 80th anniversary of the discovery.
© British Museum
The Dig, which premières tonight on Netflix, tells the story of Edith Pretty, an Old Roedeanian, who contributed to one of the most stunning archaeological discoveries in the world, the Sutton Hoo ship burial. Caroline and Jemima from Year 7 have been researching the topic and making a short documentary about Edith’s life and her link to Roedean. They were delighted that Dr Sue Brunning, curator of European Early Medieval Collections at the British Museum, was able to answer questions about the topic to support their research.
How likely is it that there are other sites like Sutton Hoo still yet to be discovered?
How exciting to be part of such a project! RHA What makes ‘Sutton Hoo’ so important? Excellent question! Before Sutton Hoo was discovered, it was widely argued that Britain went into a kind of decline after Roman rule ended during the late fourth/early fifth century. The period that came afterwards was seen as inferior in its artistic achievements, sophistication, inspiration, and civilisation. Sutton Hoo transformed this view – it proved that early medieval society in the sixth/seventh century was one of remarkable artistic skill, complex belief systems, wide-ranging international connections, and immense wealth for those in positions of power (like the person buried at Sutton Hoo). Before Sutton Hoo, the early medieval world described in poems like Beowulf was thought to be a fantasy; afterwards, we knew that this world and lifestyle existed for some – although perhaps without the dragons! We now had new pathways to research, and new stories to write.
Mrs Pretty (centre) observing the dig about early medieval archaeology, except perhaps for some negative assumptions like those I mentioned in my answer to the previous question. When he explained how the clasps had been made, as intricate frameworks of gold set with tiny garnets, including interlacing creatures with tiny blue glass eyes, I was astonished. I could not believe that people were capable of such artistry at that time. From that point on, I decided to specialise in the early medieval period and that path led me to becoming the curator of Sutton Hoo today. © British Museum
© British Museum
Mrs Pretty standing on top of the spoil heaps What role did Edith Pretty play? How much do we know about her as a person?
Mrs Pretty (right) with Princess Marie Louise (left) visiting the site What is your favourite object found at Sutton Hoo? I love all of the objects from the burial (including the brown, corroded ones), but my favourite has to be the shoulder-clasps. This is not because they are perhaps the most glitzy and technicallybrilliant artefacts, but because of my personal connection to them. When I went to university to study History, our professor took us to the British Museum on a field-trip and showed us the Sutton Hoo burial. At the time, I knew nothing
29 January 2021 - Issue 3
A very important role – her curiosity about the mounds on her property was the catalyst for the discovery! She had an interest in archaeology after visiting archaeological sites in Egypt, Greece, and elsewhere during childhood travels, and she even participated in excavating a Cistercian Abbey with her father at Vale Royal. She recognised that the mounds were likely to be significant, arranged for local archaeologist, Basil Brown, to start investigating them. She was undeterred when his early excavations did not yield very much, which led, eventually, to the discovery of the ship burial beneath Mound 1. This is a good example of what can happen when you don’t give up! We know quite a lot about Edith as a person. One of her key characteristics appears to have Page 5
I think it is quite likely! The discovery of the Prittlewell burial in 2003, and the Staffordshire Hoard in 2009, shows that spectacular early medieval finds are still out there, waiting in the ground for us to find. If they are found, I suspect it will most likely be by accident – Prittlewell was discovered during road works and the Staffordshire Hoard by a metal detectorist – but I am confident that we will see more great discoveries in the years to come, even if they are of smaller scale than the Sutton Hoo burial. Do you think women are underrepresented in British archaeology? This has been the case in the past, and I think remains the case to some degree today. A recent study undertaken at, and focusing on, the Institute of Archaeology, UCL (where I did my PhD) showed that women outnumbered men in the student body there, but this was not reflected in the academic staff. I am hopeful that things will continue to improve as attitudes continue to change. Certainly I have been seeing more proactive recognition of the contribution made by brilliant women archaeologists in the past, who have not always featured as prominently as their male counterparts. Indeed, I hope that The Dig will make more people aware of Margaret Guido – or Peggy Piggott, as she was known during the Sutton Hoo excavation – who discovered the first piece of gold in the burial, and went on to make many more wonderful contributions to the field.
29 January 2021 - Issue 3
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
SPORT
Olivia interviews Welsh goalkeeper Lauren Roberts
Strava Challenge Week 3 Results – Cycle Challenge:
Lauren Roberts, the Welsh National Hockey Team’s Goal Keeper, met virtually with Olivia (Yr 12) and Mr Borsoi this week. Lauren spoke about her journey from starting hockey in Jersey to becoming an international hockey player for Wales. She also discusses the ups and downs of her journey, how she balanced both school and hockey, and overcoming injuries.
Well done to all of you who took part in the Cycle Challenge last week. We had some very impressive rides, and some exceptionally long rides as well. Congratulations to the winners below! Week 3 Results: ■ ■ ■
Level 1 (10KM) – Liv (Yr9) Level 2 (20KM) – Miss Wakeling Level 3 (25KM) – Miss Brünjes
Liv (Yr9)
Week 2 Week 2 proved to be just as exciting as week 1, with 11 contenders stepping up to the challenge. This week, with only one water bottle, the girls had to perform their best bottle flip in 30 minutes. A huge well done to all entries – the girls cast their votes and the results were as follows: Favourite trick shot:
Joint 1st – Cherry (Yr11) & Molly (Yr7)
Trickiest trick shot:
Joint 1st – Cherry (Yr11) & Eloise (Yr8) 2nd – Olivia (Yr9)
Miss Brünjes Miss Wakeling
Don’t forget to enter your distances for the Race around the World – follow the links!
Virtual Netball Coaching Sessions with Jo Trip We are super excited to announce that next week every pupil in the School has the opportunity to join an online coaching session with the outstanding Jo Trip. Those of you who tuned into the Legends series last weekend, which saw England take on the All Stars, would have seen her playing in the defensive circle for All Stars. She is a professional Netballer from New Zealand, and currently plays for Saracen Mavericks in the super league. All information is found on the Games Teams for Yr10+, and the Year Group and PE teams for Yrs7-9. We hope you are as excited as we are!
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 6
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