3rd May 2019 - Issue 2
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Head’s Introduction We have enjoyed a lovely week at Roedean, with warmer weather in the early part of the week, a foiled escape attempt by the goats, a conducting masterclass with a top female conductor, cricket with our new Australian cricket coach, and some excellent victories in the pool. I never cease to be impressed by the sheer breadth of opportunity at Roedean – in one week, the girls can help on the Farm, get ready to swim in the English Channel, visit the largest seed-bank in the world, learn to conduct with a professional, challenge themselves by setting off on their DofE expeditions, or pit themselves against the best Mathematicians in the country. And this is a comparatively quiet week...! I am very pleased to hear that the MFL speaking exams have gone well, and that the GCSE Artists produced some lovely work, despite the challenge of producing final pieces in just two days. The approaching exams have certainly concentrated the mind of the exam year-groups, but I am really pleased to see that they seem calm and focused. In amongst everything else, our musicians have been preparing for tomorrow’s Brighton Festival Fringe concert. They gave the School a brief taste of the concert in our Chapels this week, and it was also lovely to hear Chloe’s A Level Bach chorale played on the organ as the service started. This will be the 16th consecutive year Roedean has presented a concert in the BFF, which is the largest arts festival in England, attracting over 400,000 audience members. Good luck to everyone involved, not least to our fantastic soloists, Freya, Martha, Sorcha, Zarbanu, Kamali, Scarlett, Amelie, Jacqueline, and Ava. I am sure that they will all revel in the opportunity to perform to a large and knowledgeable audience. Year 11 go on Study Leave at the end of next Tuesday, and Year 13 have their Leavers’ Chapel and go on Study Leave on Friday – good luck with your revision and, of course, your exams. Have a lovely weekend, and I wish you all the best for the coming week!
Biologists Visit the most Biodiverse Place on the Planet
Please see page 3
Orchestral Conducting Masterclass with Rebecca Miller
Please see page 2
Our newest campanology recruits, Elsie and Lara, perfecting their art before Chapel!
Staff and Student Netball – brilliant again! On Friday 26 April, the fantastic annual Staff & Student Netball Tournament took place, bringing staff and students together in 5 teams to battle it out for the Netball Crown! 40 members of staff and pupils from Year 10 and above joined together to form mixed teams and play against each other in a mini tournament. Roedean’s most talented netballers played alongside talented and keen members of staff, with representation from many departments across the School. There were some extremely competitive games, with Dr Barrand performing excellently in the defensive circle, Mr Chamberlain putting up some amazing shots in the shooting circle, and Mr Blond and Mr Wilson linking some pretty impressive passes through the mid-court. The competition ended with Mr Blond’s team taking the 2019 title – his team included Miss Boles, Mr Halsey, Miss Abaza, Miss Wakeling, Mr Wilson, Poppy T, Zarbanu M & Mary M. A close second was Mr Sampieri’s team which also performed brilliantly. Well done everyone who took part – it was a great afternoon of sport, determination, competitiveness, and, of course, humour with smiles all round on our Netball Courts. GCR
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. Rachel W (Yr11) for always attending Maths Clinic and having an unfailingly positive attitude [SF]
Leila L (Yr12) for retrieving all 5 goats which had escaped through a tiny hole in their fencing, and all in her slippers! [DRO]
3rd May 2019 - Issue 2
Success in the Intermediate Mathematical Olympiad and Kangaroo competitions Following their success in the UK Mathematics Trust Intermediate Mathematical Challenge last term, a number of our mathematicians qualified for the follow-on rounds, the Olympiad and the European Kangaroo competitions. Congratulations to the following girls who achieved Merits in these competitions: Olympiad: Chloe K (Yr10)
European Kangaroo: Yoyo C (Yr11), Jessica L (Yr10) Jessica M (Yr11)
Eloise G, Annabel B, Jemima G, Charlene Z, Nour A, Jacqueline L, Victoria C, and Carina C (Yr11) for giving up time to sell sweets at the Boarders’ Roller Disco to raise money for charity, even though they all have GCSEs [RB]
Orchestral Conducting Masterclass with Rebecca Miller
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 Pittingale for organising Staff and Student Netball, and making it so much fun [KWA]
It was an absolute pleasure to welcome the internationally-renowned conductor, Rebecca Miller, back to Roedean on Wednesday, to lead twelve of our musicians in a day of masterclasses, focusing on what a conductor needs to do to get the best out of an orchestra. Many areas of technique were introduced, such as giving appropriate directions for starting a piece, slowing down, dividing beats in the approach to the end of a piece, as well as giving indications for phrasing and dynamic level. Rebecca worked most encouragingly with our aspiring conductors,
Mr Wells for being so helpful and cheery on Saturday during lockdown – it was much appreciated! [MMG and MDC]
Miss Roberts and Mr Lutwyche for helping out with cricket [KWA]
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giving them a chance to lead and direct our orchestra and soloists as part of the preparations for our Brighton Festival Fringe concert here on Saturday. All the musicians who took part did very well indeed, and they very much enjoyed this special chance with Rebecca to experiment with the challenges that face orchestral conductors. Well done to all the conductors, including girls from Year 7 to 13: Anamika N-W, Joyce W, Eva F, Cherish C, Galina B, Alissandra H, Ananya R, Alice B, Constance S, Eden B, Charity L, and Martha W. VF
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
3rd May 2019 - Issue 2
CAP Exhibition The Year 12 Community Action Programme (CAP) culminated on Wednesday afternoon with the CAP Exhibition in Keswick Hall. The event was a wonderful celebration of the different ways communities can come together. Project mentors and placement supervisors mingled amongst the students to find out what they had been up to through the colourful and informative array of posters. Well done to Ayla Z, Holly C, Lottie H, and Grace R, for eloquently giving everyone a taste of the breadth of activities the Year 12s have been undertaking since last autumn. The projects and placements supported all corners of the community far and wide; from primary schools to care homes, the environment to people with health conditions or impairments, as well as local charitable organisations and students in Africa. Plans for next year’s programme are already underway, so watch this space! JBE
Cinema Trip As promised, we managed to get eighteen highly-coveted tickets for a showing of Avengers: Endgame on Saturday 27 April. The film lasted three-and-half hours, but the girls thoroughly enjoyed every second. JWL
Asda Walk It was rather chilly and very blowy at the weekend, but that didn’t stop a few House 1 girls braving the walk to Asda on Friday evening! Roll on the warm summer evenings… JWL
Biologists Visit the most Biodiverse Place on the Planet The Year 12 Biologists spent a day at Wakehurst last week, learning all about the importance and conservation of plants both inside their natural habitat (in situ conservation) and outside it (ex situ conservation). Wakehurst is owned and managed by the National Trust and is part of Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. It is home to the Millennium Seed Bank, now the most biodiverse place on the planet, due to the number of different types of seeds stored there. Wakehurst is an incredibly important place and a day spent there is a most inspiring experience.
The need for plant conservation has never been greater. This is because plants are very important – did you know that 80% of the world’s food comes from just 12 species of plant? Which species do you think these are? Plants also hold the key to solving some of the great challenges we face, including as fundamental members of ecosystems, sources of new medicines and food and as part of addressing climate change. However, many plant species are now incredibly rare. We saw a species of birch tree from Japan (the Chichibu birch, Betula chichibuensis), which has been able to be grown successfully
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at Wakehurst. There are believed to be only 21 individual trees left in the wild, so this specimen is so very precious. I also noticed how relaxing and enjoyable the day was for everyone, and there is no doubt that being in a high-quality, beautiful environment is so good for us. It was a brilliant day and I think it will have had a lasting impact on our students. PCH
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
3rd May 2019 - Issue 2 Dr Hobbs, Miss Wakeling, Miss Hyams, and Mrs Robins braved the cold water on Wednesday morning to practise their sea swimming ahead of the start of our Sea Swimming Club next week. If you would like to join the sea swimming club, which will take place at 6:15am on Wednesday mornings, please email Dr Hobbs for more details.
Hatching Project
Martha S
We warmly welcome the newest editions to the School Farm. This year’s hatching project has produced 7 little fluff balls! Thanks once again to the Farm Prefects for their incredible hard work throughout the year, but especially for their input this spring time! JRO
Roedean S ea Swimm ers
Bronze DofE Practice Expedition Last weekend, the Bronze DofE cohort went traipsing across the South Downs for their practice expedition. Thankfully there was less mud than the training expedition, and the groups all completed their journeys in record times. Their positive attitude towards the whole trip, as well as their great campcrafting skills, were noted in particular by the staff supporting. Thank you to Miss Best, Mrs Thomas, and Mr Halsey for accompanying them alongside Outspark Ltd. We wish them well for the qualifying expedition in June!
JBE
Family Rounders and Tennis You are invited to enter two family sporting events, Roedean’s Annual Family Rounders competition and the new Parents and Daughters Tennis Competition (with teams consisting of one parent and one daughter). Both will be on Saturday 8 June, starting at 10am on the fields or tennis courts. Please email kwa@roedean.co.uk to enter either event, with the names of those competing, by Friday 24 May.
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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
3rd May 2019 - Issue 2
Roller Disco On Monday 29th April the Boarding Housemistresses and Sk8 hire hosted a whole school boarding roller disco social. The evening kicked off with an American diner themed dinner followed by an hour and a half of roller skating around the sportshall to a range of music. The hall was packed with girls from Year 7 to Year 13. The house captains organised a charity tuck shop which included sweets and glow sticks. Fun was had by all including the boarding staff!
Victorious U12 and U13 Swimmers Congratulations to the U12A and B teams, and the U13As and Bs, who competed at Ardingly on Monday evening. The U12A and U13A team combined to win their gala 50 points to 37, and the U12B and U13B teams joined their scores to come 1st, beating Ardingly by just 2 points. We are waiting for the full results to find out the exact times. Some of the girls finished the gala and went on to swimming training that evening – that is genuine commitment.
Coastal Fieldwork for A Level Geographers
Summer Tennis League
Year 12 and Year 13 Geographers completed their Physical Geography coastal field work day in Seaford on Friday 3rd May. This spectacular stretch of coastline enabled students to investigate the impacts of coastal management on rates of erosion and deposition. Seaford is particularly interesting as much of it lies below sea level and is protected by significant hard engineering. It is also located between the busy ferry port of Newhaven and the beautiful Cuckmere estuary. Students also learnt how to collect data in the field about beach profiles and the process of longshore drift, as well as enquiring into the formation of coastal landforms such as beaches, cliffs, stacks and stumps. The Geography surrounding Roedean is rich and varied and provides students with a great opportunity to get to know their local environment. Thank you to Mrs Sharp and Miss Smith for leading the trip and thank you to the sun for shining.
40 girls entered and played in the school’s Summer Tennis League on Tuesday. It is not too late to enter, so if this is something that interests you, please join in on Tuesdays in Activity 1. Matches are organised by Miss Cheesman and there will be prizes for the winners.
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3rd May 2019 - Issue 2
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Roedean Cricket Roedean continues to lead the pathway in pioneering sports for girls, with this term’s focus being cricket. We started the season last term with a pre-season cricket club on a Tuesday evening, and each year group have enjoyed a pre-season cricket session with our new cricket coach from Australia, Naomi Woods. To top it off, we are spending the next two weeks practising batting in our two new cricket nets. If you haven’t already had a go, cricket practice is on Mondays and Fridays, at lunchtime and after school. All abilities are welcome, and we are looking forward to seeing all the girls playing and involved in house cricket – Junior House Cricket is on 22 May and Senior House Cricket is on 18 May.
U12B vs Cumnor House
The 4ths had an excellent start to the season against Cumnor House. Roedean started batting and got a very impressive total of runs with minimal wickets. Special mention to Ellena and Nettie who received opposition’s players for their fantastic batting. All girls then had a good go at bowling, some great bowling on show from Amy who received opposition’s player for bowling. Well done girls!
U13A Bede’s Tournament
This afternoon, the U13A had their first cricket tournament of the season and showed a lot of promise, which is exciting for the rest of the season. Maria V captained the side brilliantly, leading by example and organising the field well. Roedean played St Andrew’s first and put on a safe batting total of 234 runs, knowing though that the fielding on bowling must be good in order to apply pressure. However after a few valuable lessons in fielding/ bowling, St Andrew’s scored quickly, winning the game by 21 runs. With a game off, the team reflected upon the last game and spoke about the pitch, batting, tight bowling lines and being proactive in the field. With this in mind, Roedean put on a great batting total of 254 and defended the total well, reducing Lancing College Prep School to 211. This was a fantastic display of cricket with some excellent bowling from Polly S and Erin S. A special mention must also go to Atlanta H and Elsie B who played up a year and proved why they deserved to be selected in the team. After the two matches, we were destined to play Sackville for the battle of 5th place, but they left early which left us sitting at 5th place out of the 18 schools.
Tennis U13A vs Worth
The U13 Division 2 team had their first AEGON fixture against Worth School. Roedean girls were excited to put their skills that they have learnt to the test. Madeline E was seeded 1 and she had a brilliant match demonstrating some fantastic groundstrokes resulting in a 6-0 win. Grace T performed well and she was able to place the ball effectively, giving her a 6-0 win. Sophie N had a close match against her opponent but she was starting to show great confidence when hitting both forehands and backhands enabling her to result in a 6-4win. Tara had a positive match and she was demonstrating some solid play and movement around the court which was great to see! She won with a result of 6-1. Both doubles pairs performed brilliantly throughout and they were starting to place their serves effectively. A huge well done to all! Madeline E, Grace T, Sophie N, & Tara K.
U15A vs Worth
The U15 Division 2 team had a good match vs Worth. The format was one singles set and a doubles set. Charlotte who was seeded 1 had a great match against her opponent. Worth was strong with consistent groundstrokes, however Charlotte was showing some great resilience and hit some great forehand winners throughout. India had a positive match and her serving was consistent with a result of 6-0. Harriet had a good close match with some brilliant groundstroke rallies. Phoebe had a very close match with some long rallies and some good drop-shots were also played. During the doubles, all girls had some fantastic matches with some brilliant net play. The overall result was Worth 10 Roedean 2. A huge well done to all! Charlotte D, India B, Harriet M-H & Phoebe H.
Rugby-playing Roedeanians Maddie E (Yr7), Grace J (Yr7) and I all play rugby for the Lewes Lionesses team. It is an amazing thing to do on a Sunday morning as it gives us the chance to see our friends, play a game we all enjoy, and sometimes play matches. We have had some league matches this season, including a couple of successes. We have also played some friendlies and have even had some joint training sessions. A couple of weeks ago, we took part in a brilliant tournament, and we won two matches, which is a great achievement for our team. Next year, half of the team, including me, will be moving up to the U15s category whilst the others, along with Maddie and Grace, will stay in the U13s. The strong bonds we have created over this season will stay with us forever. Overall, this rugby season has been an eventful but thoroughly enjoyable one. Ellena J (Yr8) JJ WHAT’S COMING UP IN THE
WEEK AHEAD?
Mon 6 May
BANK HOLIDAY
Tues 7 May
Year 11 Celebration Assembly and Dinner Years 7-10 Athletics at Burgess Hill (A)
Wed 8 May
U13/12A, U13B&C Cricket vs Claremont (H) Year 8A AEGON Tennis vs Hurst (A)
Thu 9 May
A Level Theatre Trip to ‘Dead Dog in a Suitcase’
Fri 10 May
Year 13 Leavers’ Chapel U15A Cricket vs Hurst U15B Cricket at Burgess Hill
Sat 11 May 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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