Heads Weekly Review - Spring Issue 1

HEAD ’ S WEEKLY REVIEW

Head’s Introduction

Happy 2023, and I wish everyone in our community a happy and successful year. It is wonderful to have all the girls back in School, sharing their news from the holidays and enjoying being together again. We have only been back a matter of days, but already everyone has settled back into their routines.

The Art tour to Barcelona at the start of the Christmas holidays was a great experience for the students – they enjoyed sketching at every opportunity, visiting the Casa Batllo, designed by Gaudi, museums, the iconic Sagrada Familia, and, of course, the cuisine. I am very grateful to Ms Strachan, Mrs Alexander, and Miss de Wilton for giving the girls this fantastic opportunity.

The Netball season is already in full swing, and our Year 7 and 8 teams played their first fixtures of the season on the first day back! Despite the windy conditions, they had some great wins, and I am sure that this will be the start of a highly successful season of Netball. I am also pleased that Roedean has again been named in the UK’s Top 20 Girls’ Schools for Cricket in the Cricketer’s 2023 Schools’ Guide – this is an excellent accolade, and I would like to congratulate everyone involved.

There are a number of exciting key events to look forward to this term, including fireworks for Chinese New Year, the performances of Les Misérables, International Women’s Day, and the Spring Gala Concert. Thank you to everyone who is involved in welcoming our prospective students to Roedean tomorrow for Year 7 and 9 entrance testing. I wish you all a wonderful term – have a lovely weekend, and good luck for next week.

Art in Barcelona!

Daisy and Edie at the Royal Institution

Top 20 Girls' School for Cricket

Art in Barcelona!

For the main Art Department trip of 2022, potentially the first Roedean trip abroad postlockdown, the Art students went to Barcelona, a city on the coast of north-eastern Spain. The plane ride was reminiscent of lockdown with the unexpected requirement to wear masks, but once we were up in the air, the views were great – some of us were lucky enough to get a window seat to see the clouds and mountains, (and a sunset on the way home). The hotel rooms we stayed in were spacious with balconies that looked over the surrounding streets, however the paella, tapas, and multitude of ham sandwiches were some highlights too (a lot of jamón ibérico was consumed on this trip). The 18° sun coming out was also welcomed with open arms, considering it was about -1° back in England. The overall experience was busy but so interesting. The teachers made sure we would be fully culturally enriched by taking us to multiple art galleries a day, places to go shopping, then to Spanish restaurants in the evenings (as well as to some less cultural ones – a couple of us went to a Spanish McDonalds which turned out to be way cooler than the English ones). Each day was packed with lots of food, learning, walking, peaceful gallery visits, and time to socialise – it was so much fun every single day, and felt more like an art-themed holiday than a school trip! –Keira (Yr13)

Parc Guell. The first destination of our trip was to Parc Guell. Designed by Gaudi, who loved to experiment with shapes and form in architecture, the park really was unlike anything that I have seen before. We first wandered around a lively sheltered area built from stone where musicians performed and vendors sold handmade souvenirs. Upon entrance, I could tell that Gaudi must have been given a lot of creative freedom over Parc Guell. The choice of unorthodox shapes, such as the winding benches and saturation of colours from the mosaic, set it apart from any other place. I think that the lizard that sits on the staircase in the monumental area encapsulates the playful spirit that the park has – which is why I adored it and bought souvenirs of the lizard to bring home with me! – Chloe (Yr13)

On our second day in Barcelona, we were fortunate enough to visit the Sagrada Familia. From the outside it was spectacular, towering over the surrounding area, with intricate and detailed architecture. Despite still being under construction, the building was incredible. When we entered the church, due to the time of day at which we were there, the sun streamed through numerous windows creating a magical effect through the stained glass, lighting the entire building with splashes of multi-coloured light. Our tour guide for the visit informed us of the long history of the building. Overall, we were all able to see some incredibly unique architecture and structure as well as learning some interesting things about our location and getting a deeper understanding of the building and area we were in. – Martha (Yr12)

Casa Batlló is one of the amazing pieces of architecture designed by Gaudí and I was in awe the moment I stepped into the building. It is an artwork of freedom and boldness, where Gaudí turned his imagination into reality. With smooth curves and hollow spaces all around the building, natural sunlight brightens up the whole building. I was astonished by every detail Gaudí paid attention to, from the shapes of windows to how he designed the ceilings echoing to the shapes of light fixtures. Pink, blue, and gold tones all blend across rooms and entering every single room feels like immersed in Gaudí’s dreams. – Jeanie (Yr13)

The Contemporary Art Museum was a drastic architectural change from the natural curves we had seen in Gaudi’s work. It had pristine, white walls with ramps ascending in a zigzag, parallel to the most wonderful wall of windows – perfect for our Year 12 theme ‘Light and Space’. There were several exhibitions open and a few of us found one room in the museum, the only exhibition room with windows to the outside world. It seemed to be based on a 1970s recording studio holding a booth with a couple of computers displaying ‘The Tempest’ by Shakespeare, as well as speakers protruding from each wall. We had the time of our lives writing songs into the script, which then played on the surrounding speakers. Together we shared the thrill of dancing and drawing and relaxing without the silence and reflection that is common in art galleries. We were truly in the moment and that communal joy made it one of the highlights of our trip. – Niamh (Yr12)

I really enjoyed the Design Museum, especially looking around the ‘Dressing the Body’ exhibition and ‘Do you Work or Design’ exhibition. The ‘Dressing the Body’ exhibition was about the different processes to shape the body and how it has progressed, for example the use of corsets to compress  the waist, and shoes with heels to make the body look taller. It also showed the developments of perceiving the appearance of the body and how it should look. The ‘Do you work or Design’ exhibition was on graphic design, it shows the new views of the millennium and for designers shows an era of celebration and euphoria. – Clemmie (Yr11)

Thank you to Mrs Alexander and Miss de Wilton, who helped make this a wonderful trip full of art, culture, good food and a smattering of shopping! All of the students who participated represented Roedean in the best way, always interested and willing to engage in the rich visual culture of the city.

Gracias!

Ms Strachan

British Mathematical Olympiad Results Are In!

Well done to three Sixth Form students who were successful in the British Mathematical Olympiad Round 1 – this is the follow-on round to the Senior Maths Challenge, is by invitation only, and is an entry point to the training and selection programme for the international competitions.

Congratulations therefore go to Euran (Yr12), who was awarded a Distinction, and to Alyssa and Tina (Yr13), who both achieved Merit. Only the top 25% of students achieved a Distinction, so Euran performed brilliantly.

Congratulations!

Spring Term Music Recitals

The Box Office is open for you to book to come to any of our wonderful afternoon Teatime recitals.

They start at 4:00pm in the Old Ref – tea and cake are provided, alongside a varied selection of music.

Daisy and Edie at the Royal Institution

Daisy and Edie (Yr9) represented Roedean at the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures over the holidays.

Daisy is a junior member of the RI, and was lucky enough to win a pair of tickets to the filming of Lecture 1 with Dame Sue Black, entitled 'Secrets of Forensic Science'. She and Edie both loved the fascinating lecture, although they may have been even more impressed by an appearance by Amelia Fox from Silent Witness!

What a fantastic and inspiring experience!

Mrs Hopper

Book Now! 6 January 2023 – Issue 1 HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

Excellent Music Exam Results

Congratulations to our most recent Music exam candidates, who have all achieved brilliant results which arrived during the Christmas holidays.

Claire (Yr9) Grade 5 Flute, with Merit Inky (Yr10 Grade 5 Theory Sihu (Yr10) Grade 5 Theory, with Distinction Siyun (Yr10) Grade 5 Theory, with Merit Holly (Yr8) Grade 6 Piano, with Distinction Grade 5 Theory, with Distinction

Well done!

Marina's Outstanding Diploma Success

Congratulations to Marina (in Year 13 last year), who took her Trinity College London Performance Diploma on the Recorder at the end of last year, after her A Levels.

This diploma, the ACTL, is equivalent to the standard required for the recital at the end of an undergraduate's first year, so it is wonderful

the Marina has achieved this challenging qualification. She played music from different eras as part of her programme, and her virtuosic playing was commented upon by the examiner.

Congratulations!

Mrs Mendes

Netball vs Hurst

U12D – Win

A huge well done goes to the U12D team, who played their first ever Netball match at Roedean against Hurst.

Lili scored the first goal for the team, working around the D with Tilly, who was playing GA. Henrietta excelled in Centre, making a number of excellent interceptions. Bella maintained her hard work-ethic, with good movement in attack. Rosa, who has never played Netball before, showed some really good raw talent at WD, and Hazel and Greta were solid in defence, playing GD and GK. Zaina was top goal scorer, scoring 8 out of the 9 goals.

Congratulations to the whole team for an excellent start to the season, and on their first win!

Miss Wakeling

Top 20 Girls' School for Cricket

We are delighted that Roedean has again been named as one of the top 20 girls' schools in the UK for Cricket in the 2023 guide.

Each year, the Cricketer Schools' Guide reveals the names of the top schools in the country – the featured schools are judged against an extensive set of criteria, which include a compelling commitment to cricket in the curriculum, facilities, fixture programmes, and coaching. It is wonderful that Roedean is among the very best.

Congratulations to everyone involved!

U12C – a Windy Win

The U12C team took to the courts against Hurstpierpoint in their first match of the Netball season.

The wind was pumping at Roedean, but that's just what the girls are used to here on the cliffs! The first quarter was even, with both teams having opportunities to score, and it was Rosa who managed to send one straight in, using the wind to her advantage as she did so.

The next three quarters were challenging for both teams, trying to get ahead or back into the game as quick as possible. Roedean's Chloe and Georgie were outstanding in defence, and they remained resolute throughout, intercepting passes all game long and distributing calmly.

The Match ended 1-0 to Roedean, and this team has a bright future this season.

Mr Campleman

U13E Netball Triangular

The U13E Netball team played their first fixture of the 2023 season on Wednesday afternoon, in rather chilly and very windy conditions.

The fixture was a triangular against both the Hurst and Roedean U12E teams. Well done to everyone who was involved – it was the first touch of a netball in a long time, and, in a competitive match, everyone did extremely well.

The Roedean U13Es won both matches, and it was a brilliant way to start the season. I am looking forward to seeing more wonderful netball as the term progresses – well done!

Mrs Wilson

U13C

The U13C played their first match of the Netball season against Hurst.

Roedean went down 4-1 in the first quarter, but the girls did not give up. Millie, Joy, and Miranda got their arms up and stuck with their players in the middle third. This put Hurst under more pressure, which forced turn overs. Throughout the game, Ines and Hettie worked tirelessly and fed the circle with accurate passes. These passes were into Lily and Polly, whose circle rotation improved throughout the game.

Roedean lost 8-7, and Player of the Game went to Millie – well done.

Mr Borsoi

U13D – Victorious

The U13D Netball team started the term strongly, with an 11-2 away win at Hurst.

After a tentative first half, the girls began to move the ball more quickly and accurately, leading to lots of scoring opportunities for Stella and Claudia. Flo settled in nicely to her first Roedean netball fixture, Sohana was strong in defence, and the whole team displayed lots of potential all across the court.

Well done!

Mr Smethurst