30th September 2016 - Issue 4
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW Positive Mental Health Awareness Week
Head’s Introduction Today is Founders’ Day, when we commemorate the founders of the school and those from the Roedean community who have passed away this year. When the Lawrence sisters founded the school in 1885, whatever their dreams and aspirations for it were, they cannot have imagined what a remarkable school it would become - they would be so proud of Roedean and of the girls. At Open Day tomorrow, we are expecting record numbers of visitors, and I would like to thank the girls and staff in advance for their hard work in showcasing the school - I know that those who come will be hugely impressed with everything they see. What a fantastic week it has been for sport at Roedean! There have been fixtures in hockey, netball, and volleyball, and our teams have enjoyed wonderful victories. A few highlights are a fantastic 5 - 0 win for the 1st team against Mayfield, a strong hockey school which beat us 3 - 1 last year, and a great victory for the junior
hockey players against LOGS. Congratulations to all the girls in Roedean teams, and to the PE staff. In the Performing Arts, rehearsals are in full swing for the House Plays and the winter production, and it was a delight to see the Music Scholars perform on Monday. We must never lose sight of the depth of talent we have at Roedean. This week we have celebrated European Languages’ Day, and had a focus on Positive Mental Health, with talks and sessions for everyone in the community. I hope that you have all been inspired to work hard in languages, and to develop a positive mindset and take care of yourselves. There can be no doubt that today’s coffee morning for Macmillan Cancer Support will have lifted everyone’s spirits. I wish you all a wonderful week.
House 1 Blackberry Jam Earlier this week, House 1 started their preparations for the annual Macmillan Coffee Morning which took place today, from 10.30 to 11.30 in House 1 ODR. The girls thoroughly enjoyed making 10 jars of blackberry jam; they spent lots of time and had so much fun making covers for the jars and the labels too. It tastes delicious and, at a bargain price of £1 for small jar and £1.50
for a large jar, who could resist! All proceeds are being donated to Macmillan Cancer Support.
This week, the school has enjoyed a series of events for Positive Mental Health Awareness. We have hosted two visiting speakers this week, Alicia Drummond and Ben Dew. Alicia, who leads an organisation called ‘Let’s Talk’ is an experienced counsellor and coach with expertise in working with teenagers, their families and teachers. Alicia entertained Key Stage Three with a fun and informative guide to coping with their adolescent years and gave a valuable seminar to staff. Ben is a youth worker from Brighton’s LGBTU organisation ‘Allsorts’. Pupils have also taken trips to the farm, enjoyed a yoga session, as well as many events put on by our House staff team. With a focus on balancing work, rest and play, the highlight of the week was an inter-house Bake-Off! The results of the Bake-off are: Best Hospitality and Quality:
Keswick
Best Taste and Originality:
House 1
Best Teamwork and Most Challenging:
House 2
Best Initiative and Best Presentation:
House 3
Best overall:
House 4