27th January 2017 - Issue 4
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Head’s Introduction Last weekend we saw that to ‘fight like a girl’ meant to mobilise millions of women, men, and children across seventy countries in every continent on earth in a civil and peaceful march, to stand up for equality and against discrimination in all its forms. It was a hugely uplifting day, and I know that the march resonated with many girls and staff at Roedean. As a girls’ school, it is important that we are engaged with what is going on around us in the world. This sense of solidarity was also reflected in our Chapel this morning
to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, in which we were reminded us that it is our collective responsibility as a world community to stand up against genocide and persecution. Our Assemblies this week were accompanied by Maggie Z’s stunningly beautiful playing of the hulusí, a traditional Chinese instrument, in order to get us ready for the start of Chinese New Year; it was a wonderfully calming way to start the day. Next week is Positive Mental Health Week, and,
Having a good time doing farm duties!
as they have in previous terms, I am confident that the girls will get involved in the calming activities on offer, such as yoga and Pilates, and filling in a huge circle of colour in the Art Department, which will go on all week as a stress-busting activity. I am sure that the fireworks this evening to mark the start of Chinese New Year will go off with a bang, and that the Sixth Form’s Gatsby-themed party in Keswick Hall is a wonderful event. Good luck to you all for next week, and Gong Xi Fa Cai!
恭喜發財 – Gong Hei Fat Choy 恭喜发财 – Gong Xi Fa Cai Happy Chinese New Year! Welcome to the year of the rooster. Some of the girls on the One-Year Foundation Programme, led by Miranda L, our Events Prefect, have prepared a series of typical Chinese activities for the school. At lunchtime, the Blyth was filled with music played by our girls on traditional instruments, such as the hulusí and the pipa, there was a chopstick challenge, and we saw the girls writing Chinese characters, and made lanterns. Everyone is looking forward to the fireworks tonight.
Six girls pass the Sussex Uni Geometry course Congratulations to the six girls in Year 13 who have successfully passed the Sussex University Geometry course! Six of our most talented mathematicians, Catherine C, Hermione H, Valerie L, Rachel L, Miranda L, and Vicky Z, attended first-year undergraduate lectures alongside university students, and then were required to sit two exams in order to pass the course. Clearly, this is a remarkable achievement since they have not yet completed their A Levels.
This partnership with Sussex University has been in place for well over ten years, and we have established a proud tradition of Roedean girls not only studying at university level, but in actual fact also gaining higher marks than most of the university students. This opportunity allows our students to experience a university-style education, as well as challenging their mathematical understanding, helping them become more secure in their knowledge of many of the ideas in the Further Maths A Level course, and providing them with credits that they could actually use to contribute to their own first year of university study. Congratulations!
Here is an example of a question from the end of course examination: Obtain a Gaussian array from the following set of equations, and transform it to reduced row-echelon form to obtain the solution. How do you think you might have got on?
-x + 8y - 3z = 2, x - 5y + 2z = 3, -x + 10y - 4z = 4
27th January 2017 - Issue 4
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.
Onate O-D (L4) for being like superman in the netball match last Wednesday [KAN]
Serene S-R (U4) for stepping in to read a poem on Burns’ Night at very short notice, showing true Roedean spirit [DS]
Remembering the Holocaust To mark Holocaust Memorial Day today, Miss Keller spoke in Chapel about the genocides which have taken place around the world, and how we must ensure together that it never happens again: Today is Holocaust Memorial Day, the day each year when we remember the six million Jewish people systematically persecuted and murdered by the Nazis, and those who collaborated with them, during the Holocaust. We remember Roma and Sinti people, disabled people, gay people, political opponents, and many others who faced persecution and death at the hands of the Nazis. Holocaust Memorial Day is also when we remember the millions of men, women and children who have been murdered since World War II, in genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur. Genocide is when a group of people are targeted for destruction just because of who they are, because of their race or their religion.
Yasmin M and Ese D (6.1) for being incredible ambassadors for Roedean [DBA]
Genocide does not happen out of the blue – it is the result of prejudice and persecution which sees a group progressively treated differently to the rest of society. On Holocaust Memorial Day we are reminded of what can happen when prejudice and persecution are left unchallenged, and of our responsibilities to stand against these when we see them in our own communities.
Amelia B (6.2) for helping with the junior games session [KAN]
Maggie Z (U5) for playing her traditional Chinese instrument beautifully in Assembly – it made my day! [AWO]
For the survivor, who chooses to testify, it is clear: His duty is to bear witness for the dead, and for the living. He has no right to deprive future generations Of the past that belongs to our collective memory. To forget the dead would be not only dangerous but offensive; To forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time. Let us all today commit to do something, no matter how small, to support people who have fled such violence to rebuild their lives. Let us learn about and celebrate the lives and cultures of those who are victims of genocide. Let us be welcoming and supportive to refugees, let us be patient if they don’t speak English well, let us be supportive if they don’t know or understand cultural things that many of us take for granted. Let us stand up against prejudice and the process of persecution. Let us teach those who have survived genocide… about living.
Burns’ Night – an evening of friendship and laughter Wednesday evening saw House 2 host Burns’ Night festivities in the studios. Boarders from across the Houses joined together to jig and reel, as visiting dance specialist, Sheila Lovie, guided them through the Virginia Reel, the Circassian Circle, and the Flying Scotsman. Scottish born Georgia Blair addressed the haggis, which was then followed by various poetry readings. The ceilidh drew to a close with a group chorus of Burns’ famous ‘Auld Lang Syne’ (‘old long since’ or ‘for old times’) – it was a night of friendship and laughter that will never ‘be forgot’.
Grace R (L5), Grace R (6.2), Isla B (U3) for bravely speaking in Wednesday’s Staff Meeting about their experiences of tutor-time [SEL]
Holly Banfield (U4) for always being at the farm and working so hard there [JRO]
Holocaust Memorial Day is not only about commemorating past genocides and honouring those who died, but about standing with those who survived. A well-known Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel, died last July at the age of 87 – he wrote the following:
Maggie E-B and Ohi I (6.1) I for being extremely patient and supportive [HCH]
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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
27th January 2017 - Issue 4
The Business Club is impressed by the girls’ business acumen Roedean welcomed the Brighton & Hove Business Club to the School on Friday 20th March for the third time in recent years. The Business Club comprises local company leaders whose turnover is greater than £2m and employ more than 10 employees. Roedean is the only school to be a member of this organisation, and it is a great opportunity to exchange best business practice, provide work experience for the girls, and enhance our presence within the local community.
The range of businesses ranged from the Grand Hotel, Hotel du Vin, and Shoreham Port, to a number of professional firms including accountants, lawyers, branding agents, surveyors, and management consultants. Updates on developments at the School and, in particular, the business opportunities were presented by Mr Poffley, Mr Blond, and Mr Low, and the members were then treated to a superb lunch with inspirational talks by the girls on their business experiences. Zara C (U3) spoke of the £10 challenge and the process of building teamwork within the group, and did it all with a real sense of humour. Ohi I and Yasmin M (6.1) spoke of their CAP projects, including working with the British Heart Foundation and how this extended the School’s link with local charities, and Sustainability and the ‘Reuse, Renew, Recycle’ Campaign within the School to make us all think much greener! Finally, Sophie D and Emily L (6.2) presented the journey they encountered with their Young Enterprise project ‘Jartisan’, winner of the Best Young Enterprise Company of the Year in Brighton & Hove 2016. They explained how their business skills and confidence had grown during the process, and the real sense of achievement at winning the finals. The students then joined the Business Club members at the tables to discuss their ideas further. One member said at the end of the day, ‘I think they could teach me more than I could teach them!’, and others spoke of how inspiring it was to hear from the pupils, and the business acumen they displayed.
A mural at the Royal Alex Hospital Painting this mural in the waiting room at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Sick Children has been part of the junior boarders’ activity programme. The initial idea was to encourage each of the boarders in Years 7 and 8 to complete 10 hours of community service over the year, and the time they have spent on the mural will count towards this tally. I was able to organise the painting of this mural through Rockinghorse, which is the charity that supports Brighton’s children’s hospital, among others. We also intend to continue to support the Royal Alex through a series of fundraising activities over the year. The mural, which was initially drawn by the very talented Tori N-M (6.1), has been painted in the babies’ waiting room on the children’s emergency ward. Tori has been an amazing help and it is clear that she is very talented – all the drawings were done free-hand and it only took her a few hours to draw it all! The junior boarders then took it in turns to paint the mural. We went every evening for a week for a couple of hours to complete it. The girls seemed to love it, and were very quiet and focussed while they were there. They keep asking if they can go back to see their work – we’ll have to see what we can organise. GW Page 3
27th January 2017 - Issue 4
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW SPORTS REPORT Netball reports
House swimming There was a great atmosphere at the house swimming event this week, with most girls either taking part or supporting. All the races were very close and it looked like this year was going to be a close contest overall, with House 4 pushing all of the way. The overall winners were House 3, who retained the trophy, but congratulations to House 4 who won the senior competition convincingly. There were great performances by all – well done! Overall 1st
House 3
2nd
House 4
3rd
House 2
4th
House 1
Junior Results 1st
House 3
2nd
House 2
3rd
House 1
4th
House 4
Inter Results 1st
House 3
2nd
House 4
3rd
House 1
4th
House 2
Senior Results 1st
House 4
2nd
House 3
3rd
House 2
4th
House 1
County Netball
Deepdene
The girls had a tough but promising match last week against Seaford, which they won 24 - 7. The girls are still getting to know each other as netballers, and still in need to work out some set combinations, but their resilience and determination is in abundance as they push through the end of every game they face together.
Roedean girls did us proud, providing a fun and exciting atmosphere for the Deepdene girls to experience a match. Gabby P and Ruby L played very well but also showed real kindness in supporting and helping some of the younger girls with their game. We enjoyed having Deepdene down for the afternoon and hope to play some more netball with them soon.
This week, the U12s & U13s had some great fixtures against Mayfield on a bitterly cold afternoon. Both A squads came away with convincing wins – there were notable performances from Ella K-M in the U12s and great examples of team work bringing a close game to a strong win in the end. Sydney O worked the circle well, and Olivia B held her nerve in the 2nd half, ensuring she converted some excellent defensive turnovers into goals.
The U13Bs had a closely fought contest with Mayfield on Wednesday. We had a large squad and it was the perfect opportunity to try out new combinations. Sophia S (new to the squad) played well at GA and shot brilliantly. Two other players who have recently moved up into this squad, Onate O-D and Awele M, were outstanding in defence and made some super interceptions. The game ended 13 - 7 to Mayfield, but there was some promising play.
The 12B netball squad fought hard and remained positive against Mayfield, however, they proved to be too strong, winning 7 - 3. Well done to all the girls, and a special mention goes to Isla for being awarded player of the match and to Edie in her first game with the team! The U12C team played a superb match – the girls were utterly determined and their strength of character and perseverance paid dividends! The first three quarters saw the two teams very evenly matched with only a goal each, but in the final quarter Roedean stepped up and stormed ahead winning the match 6 - 2. All the girls played with real drive and focus, but particular mention should go to Dorothea B, who despite sore fingers, was utterly key to their win. Well done, girls!
Badminton
U12A
12 – 6
The badminton players continued with their winning ways on Thursday in their match against Burgess Hill, and even though the sports hall was colder than the outside netball courts, the girls played really well in both doubles and singles. We have played Burgess Hill before and their 1st pair have always been strong, so we were keen to get as many points off this pair as possible. Miranda and Catherine won 2 of their games 15 - 12 and 15 - 13 which is fantastic. Overall we won 37 - 7, which is a brilliant result!
U12B
3–7
L
U12C
6–2
W
U13A
22 – 11
W
U13B
7 – 13
L
U13C
8–4
W
W
On Thursday, a mix of our Year 7 girls played a friendly match against local school Deepdene. It was all about fair play, sportsmanship, and having fun playing Netball, and our
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 4
JJ WHAT’S
COMING UP IN THE WEEK AHEAD? POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH WEEK
Mon 30 Jan
Open Teatime Music Recital U5 Maths Masterclass Swimming Gala vs Bede’s (A)
Tues 31 Jan
6.1 Eastbourne College Oxbridge Conference U4 Parents’ Evening BMW Netball League vs Lewes
Wed 1 Feb
U12A & U13A Netball vs BHHS (H)
Thur 2 Feb
U14A & U15A Netball vs Burgess Hill (tbc) U5 Social Film & Pizza Evening
Fri 3 Feb
L5 GCSE Art trip to the Saatchi Gallery U12 Hockey Tournament at Windlesham House (A) Southern Schools’ Book Awards Presentation Evening
Sat 4 Feb
1st VII, U16A&B & U15A&B Netball vs Hurst (H) U3 trip England vs Australia Netball at Wembley Follow us @RoedeanSchool