12th May 2017 - Issue 3
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW Maria’s qualified for the Worlds! Following her outstanding successes at national level in Romania, congratulations to Maria P (Yr12), our newly appointed Charity Prefect, who has just qualified in three different categories for the Karate World Championships in November – what an exceptional achievement! She came 1st, with her brother, in the mixed enbu category, 2nd in the team kata, and 3rd in fukogo, and will therefore compete in each of these categories at the Worlds. However, that is not it – in September, she has the chance to qualify for a further three categories at the same championships. She is extremely grateful to one of the Roedean Young Enterprise companies, Sugarush, who sponsored her flight back to Romania so that she could compete. Maria has been world champion every year for the last seven years, so let’s hope that she can do exactly the same again this year!
Come along to...
Family Rounders Saturday 13 May – 10:00-12:00
Head’s Introduction It has been wonderful this week to see how many girls have been involved in the activities organised for Positive Mental Health Week. At this time of year, when everyone has examinations, it is good to focus on this, and, of course, for all the girls to realise that they can take advantage of the space and fresh air at Roedean at any time. Sheep-shearing was very popular, but so was just being outside and enjoying the warm weather. It is also great to see so much sport going on, and we have had cricket, tennis, and athletics fixtures taking place across all our pitches. Congratulations to Miss Fewkes and the Music Department for a fantastic Brighton Fringe Festival concert last Saturday – it was simply outstanding! To have so many girls taking part in a performance of such high-quality music is excellent – congratulations to the Choir, the Orchestra, the musical directors, and, of course, to the outstanding soloists. Well done to those taking public exams in Art, who have produced some truly wonderful pieces, some of which can be seen in this Review – at A Level, the girls have 15 hours to produce their final piece, and they achieved amazing results. Our 22 GCSE Drama candidates also performed their devised pieces for the examiner yesterday, and we understand that they did very well. We have also been delighted by the quality and breadth of independent projects produced by Years 7, 8, and 9, and have been enjoying listening to their research and findings. I would also like congratulate a few individuals within our community. The first is Maria in Year 12 who has achieved phenomenal success in karate at the highest levels. Secondly, I would like to pass my best wishes to two colleagues who have recently had babies – Mrs Waller has a beautiful daughter called Florence, and Mrs Ogleby, who works in HR, has given birth to Imogen. They are all well, and we look forward to seeing them soon.
Katrina Y
Christina V
Good luck to Year 11 who go on Study Leave today, well done to everyone for last week, and I hope to see many of you at tomorrow’s Family Rounders – I wish you all the best for next week.
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.
Serena S (Yr11) for demonstrating how far hard work, dedication, and flash cards can take you [RLP]
Mr Chamberlain for organising an amazing Archaeological Day for Holmewood House; they’ve already booked for next year! [The Admissions’ Team]
Phoebe H (Yr7) for being a true ambassador for Roedean sport and leading by example [ACA]
Emily T (Yr12) for really impressive and conscientious work outside of lessons, and her solid preparation for her upcoming AS Latin exams [PWY]
Alexia T
Chapel – Women Running the Marathon Miss Andrew, our Faculty Lead for Sport, led our Chapel service on Monday, focussing on women running the marathon, and how difficult it was for them to earn the right to do so. She was joined by Mrs Robins and Mrs Chandler, who described their experiences of running the marathon. Miss Andrew herself has run 3 marathons, and this is what she said: ‘I can honestly say that the whole experience was mind-blowing. From start to finish it is like a journey. You find out things about yourself that you didn’t know and realise that you are much stronger, mentally and physically, than you anticipated. Every marathon is a symbol—a symbol of human struggle, resilience, and triumph.
than you ever can imagine. The only way you can imagine it is to do it, to take the first step, and if you take the first step, you can take the next three steps. And then you can take 10. And someday maybe you can run a marathon. And if you can run a marathon, you can do anything.
Imagine though that if you had sent in your application for the marathon and the reply sent back was, ‘You are not permitted to run the race because it is a men’s race, women are not physically capable. Allowing a woman to run 26 miles would be a tremendous liability.’ This is the exact reply that Roberta Gibb received from the director of the Boston Marathon in 1966. She decided that she was going to sneak into the Boston Marathon, she was privately determined to make the race stand for something more than a long road and a finish line. If she could publicly defy the physical limitations ascribed to her sex, she could also disprove ingrained notions about the capabilities of women. Gibb went on, ‘I said [to myself], ‘This is so great, because if I could prove this wrong… that’s going to throw into question all the other prejudices and misconceptions that were used to keep women down for centuries.’ On the day of the marathon, Gibb wore her brother’s Bermuda shorts, a pair of boy’s sneakers, a bathing suit, and a sweatshirt. As she took off into the swarm of runners, she started to feel overheated, but she would not remove her hoodie as she was afraid of being recognised. It didn’t take long, though, for male runners in Gibb’s vicinity to realise that she was not another man. She expected them to shoulder her off the road, or call out to the police. Instead, the other runners told her that if anyone tried to interfere with her race, they would put a stop to it. Finally feeling secure and assured, she took off her sweatshirt. Gibb placed among the top third of marathon runners that day. ‘I had this huge weight of responsibility on me. Here I was, making this very public statement. If I had collapsed or hadn’t finished, I would have set women back another 50 years, or maybe longer.’
It was wonderful that the service included a performance by Mr Maulkin on the organ of a Bach chorale composed by Amelia B (Yr13) as part of her A Level Music – Miss Andrew was particularly pleased to introduce this because Amelia is this year’s Games Captain.
What an amazing story and the start of the long road to get women recognised in the world of long distance running. The message to young girls is that you can do much more
Emily Y
12th May 2017 - Issue 3
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Every single one of you will face a significant challenges in your lives. Take inspiration from this story and attack this challenge head on and believe that you can do it. Don’t be consumed by what other people think or even your initial fears. As we approach Positive Mental Health Awareness week, use this focus to readdress your challenges or your fears and be defiant in your approach. Don’t ever believe that you can’t do it – because you can.’
12th May 2017 - Issue 3
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Roedean starts the Brighton Fringe Festival with a bang! On Saturday 6th May, the school’s Chapel was packed with Roedean family, friends, students, staff, and members of the local community. There was not a single spare seat, with everyone eagerly anticipating the annual Roedean Concert which starts the Brighton Fringe Festival. The audience was entertained for an hour and twenty minutes by a range of music pieces, all performed to an exceptionally high standard, reflecting the enthusiasm and dedication of the choir, orchestra, and individual soloists. The concert opened with a glorious rendition of ‘Zadok the Priest’, from Handel’s set of four Coronation Anthems, powerfully sung by the entire choir of Roedean girls and members of the local community, expertly led by Roedean’s Director of Music, Veronica Fewkes. Later on in the programme, the choir and orchestra also gave a skilfully textured rendition of Monteverdi’s ‘Beatus Vir’, using contrasting groups of voices. The choir closed the programme with a powerful and uplifting performance of Hubert Parry’s ‘Blest Pair of Sirens’. The Roedean soloists all played with exceptional skill and style, displaying maturity beyond their years. It would be easy to forget that these musicians were all still school girls studying for their examinations. Gabriella
Bella M
K (Yr10) captivated the audience with her poignant performance on the clarinet of Weber’s Allegro from the Concerto in F Minor. Briana K (Yr11) then enchanted the audience with her delightful interpretation of two movements from Rutter’s ‘Suite Antique’. This was beautifully contrasted by the next soloist, Tiffany L (Yr13), who performed an arrangement of Fauré’s ‘Après un Rêve’ on the double bass in a unique dreamy style. Freya S (Yr11) then treated us to a soulful and very highly accomplished Adagio from Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No 1, while Francesca S (Yr12) gave a truly impressive performance of Rachmaninov’s highly challenging ‘Vocalise’. Four young violinists, Freya S, Cici W (Yr10), Eva F (Yr8) and Scarlett J (Yr9) also performed the Telemann Concerto in D Minor, skilfully passing the musical line between them so that all four violins had equal voice. The orchestra sounded highly professional and the conductors, Sophia Bartlette, Veronica Fewkes, and Benjamin Rous, were a joy to watch as they directed the musicians with enthusiasm and a warm passion for their chosen pieces of music. Every individual performer was clearly inspired by being part of such an impressive event, and the audience left the Chapel full of praise and admiration for everyone involved in the concert. DSP
Eunice Y Page 3
Liv in Nepal Liv H (Yr9) is going to Nepal soon, and she would like to take a suitcase of educational toys to the Special Education and Rehabilitation Centre for disabled children in Kathmandu. These can range from jigsaws, nursery age hand-eye coordination toys, interactive toys, and musical instruments. If anybody has anything they would like to donate, She would be very grateful if they could be dropped off in House 1. Thanks!
Vivian L
Ain F
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
12th May 2017 - Issue 3
International best-selling author visits Roedean! Last Friday, we were delighted to welcome to Roedean the famous author, Peter James, whose international best-selling crime thriller series featuring the detective Roy Grace is set in and around Brighton. It was great to meet such a prolific crime writer. Replete with interesting stories about real life murderers he has met and who inspired his twisted characters, disturbing tales of dark human psychology, and why people are more frightening than ghosts, Peter James is a fascinating man – I could listen to him for hours! His books are enthralling page turners, cleverly structured with quick, short chapters to maintain their tense pace. I love the fact he sets his books in Brighton; they are full of places I am familiar with and this enhances the realism of his novels. Peter’s new book, Need You Dead, comes out Thursday 18 May. TW
‘When I got to meet Peter James, I was very excited since I knew he is a famous writer based in Brighton! He was very interesting and I love the stories he told us. It shows how much research he does to write such amazing books. He has inspired me to write more dangerously and take more risks when writing stories.’ – Isabel H (Yr7) ‘Peter James had lots of advice for young writers, and we learnt a lot about his writing process and inspirations; it was interesting to hear about how he comes up with ideas for his novels. He also told us about the history of Brighton as the crime capital of the UK, and why he likes to set his novels here, which was interesting for the local day girls.’ – Ella S (Yr13)
Archaeology at Roedean On Wednesday, we were delighted to welcome fourteen Year 6 pupils from Holmewood House for our first ever archaeological investigation day. The girls spent the morning session learning about the role of an archaeologist and got to handle an amazing array of artefacts, including prehistoric stone axes, Iron Age pottery, and stunning Roman brooches and coins. Before lunch, we visited the excavations at Ovingdean where we saw Saxon and Norman remains. In the afternoon, the girls got to dig their very own test pit in our beautiful grounds. The best find was undoubtedly a lovely fragment of Roman pottery. Our thanks go to John and Jane from Brighton and Hove Archaeological Society for their support and expertise. RCH Page 4
12th May 2017 - Issue 3
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
A Children’s Laureate in Worthing This week, a group of Year 9 girls travelled to Worthing High School to hear a talk by the author and former Children’s Laureate, Malorie Blackman, who explained what had inspired her to write her many books, the first of which, ‘Hacker’, was published in 1990. Before it was published, she had received 82 rejection letters from publishers. Malorie related how she had met the author Alice Walker at a book signing and had told her the story of her rejection letters, which by that time had numbered 70; Alice had said, ‘Don’t you dare give up’, and wrote it in the book that she signed for Malorie. Her most popular novel, ‘Noughts and Crosses’, was originally intended to be a single book, but, on reaching page 400, Malorie realised that there was still much to write about the characters and so the series evolved. The
students were delighted to hear that Malorie is currently writing the fifth book in this series, and that it is to be televised on the BBC. Offering advice on creative writing, Malorie encouraged the audience to read as many different genres as possible, and to write from the heart as well as the head. She explained that she likes to put herself in her books; her characters’ situations are sometimes taken from her own experiences. As a child, she was often told off for having too much imagination and day dreaming – she used to carry a leotard and home-made utility belt in her bag in case her school was attacked by kidnappers, and, in the event of an attack, Malorie intended to run for the toilets, change into leotard and belt, and save her classmates, despite having had no martial arts training.
The girls really enjoyed their visit, saying that it was amazing to meet Malorie and learn more about her books through the question and answer audience session. SBL
Tasha S
Amber J
Anni F Page 5
Miranda Q
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
12th May 2017 - Issue 3
Positive Mental Health Week At Roedean At Roedean, we value the promotion of positive mental health highly, and it has become a tradition for us to have a Positive Mental Health Week each term – this term, it coincides with the national focus on this issue, and it is particularly relevant at the moment, with many girls sitting public GCSE and A Level examinations. However, all girls in the school have summer examinations, so this really is relevant to all. There have been a series of events going on at school to mark this week, more than ever before, and the warmer weather has meant that we have been able to take full advantage of the school’s outside spaces and our wonderful grounds. One of the highlights of the week has perhaps been watching our very own sheep being shorn – the ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots are quite funny! Throughout the week, the catering team have focused on labelling all the dishes served, to indicate to the girls the healthy components of the dishes served, such as which are part of their ‘5 a day’, and which contain omega oils, which are great for brain health. The Sixth Form also had a talk from Tilly Spurr, a nutritionist – she spoke to them about healthy eating, before
joining them for lunch in Horizons and meeting with our catering department to discuss what modern teenagers like to eat. The Grounds Team took some of the girls on a tour of the Roedean site, to learn a little bit about the beautiful planting displays which we enjoy every day, and how they are achieved. Also enjoying our surroundings, the Peer Listeners held a picnic outside, allowing anyone who wanted to to share any problems and hopefully finding some solutions. Our school counsellor, Sian, held ‘drop-in’ sessions for those who wanted to find out about coping and support strategies for those worried about their exams. Each House has also held activities, including baking, colouring, and yoga, and House 2 hosted a book-swap. There have also been light-hearted sporting competitions in the evenings, and the Sports Department has laid on a whole host of activities across the week, including Tag Rugby, Netball, Rounders, Cricket, Athletics, Foootball, Volleyball, and a Biathlon, combining swimming and running. The biggest challenge by far has been our drive for the week to be mobile-phone free! Many of us (staff too!) left our Page 6
phones at home this week, and enjoyed being liberated from our devices, allowing us to be free to enjoy our surroundings and chat more with people face-to-face – perhaps we need to do this more often! Overall, it has been an excellent week, and I am sure that everyone has taken something away from it. SEL
12th May 2017 - Issue 3
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Bear - before...
Coco Chanel - before...
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Pig- after
Roedean girls qualify for the Sussex Schools’ Track & Field Champs Our athletes competed on Monday evening at Withdean Stadium in the Brighton and Hove Schools’ Open event. The girls were competing to be selected to represent Brighton, Hove, and Portslade at the Sussex Schools’ Track and Field Championships, to be held at the K2 Athletics track in Crawley on Saturday 10 June. There were several notable performances on the day with Ruby A, Gracie B, and Ada O all winning their races, Jess M gained a personal best in the Long Jump, Milly J came 2nd in the Javelin, and Pippa W gained 2nd places in both the Javelin and the Shot. The following girls have been
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selected to represent their town at K2, and we are immensely proud of them: ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■
Ruby A – 200m and Relay Ada O – 100m and Relay Gracie B – 800m Abi B – Shot Rachel E – Discus Pippa W – Shot Amber P – Javelin Amber A – 300m and Relay
KAN
12th May 2017 - Issue 3
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW SPORTS REPORT
Tennis
Hockey stars at Roedean This year, Bea W (Yr9) has made a fantastic breakthrough in her hockey. After trialling at a hockey performance centre in Surrey at the start of this year, she has now been selected for the North Downs Hockey Performance Centre, which is one level below England Hockey. This is an incredible achievement, and Bea will now be competing for a place in the Futures’ Cup, which involves the best hockey players in her age-group across England competing against each other. If Bea competes, there will be England scouts watching, with the opportunity to take her hockey further.
U14 & U15 Tennis vs Brighton College
U13 Victory over Worth & Mayfield
On Tuesday evening, Roedean entered 6 pairs in a tennis match against Brighton College, and we were fortunate enough to have the sun shining with very little wind. There were some excellent tennis skills and teamwork on display throughout the evening, and all the girls should be extremely proud of their efforts. A special mention should go to Harriet M-H (Yr7) and India B (Yr7), who showed high standards of tennis against girls two year groups older than them. Brighton College came out on top, but the Roedean players deserve to be extremely proud of their continued effort. IRO
The U13 AEGON tennis team played in their opening fixture on Wednesday against Worth and Mayfield. This is an exciting competition, as the girls get to play both singles and doubles. We won 3 out of the 4 singles games against both schools, and went on to win the doubles matches, cementing our victory against both schools. The doubles pairing of Sophia C and Bonnie W worked hard together and they came back from being 4-2 down against Worth to win 6-4 in a nail-biting last few games. It was also really exciting to see India B and Harriet M-H playing up a year. They are both such lovely players and really promising for the future of Roedean tennis. KAN
Senior Tennis vs Brighton College Roedean put out 6 pairs this week against a strong Brighton College side, in very strong winds. The girls showed persistence in line with Friday’s Chapel and did not let their heads drop at any point. Thank you very much to all the girls who took part and congratulations in particular to Bonnie W (Yr8) and Francesca G (Yr12) who displayed great strength as Roedean’s 1st pair. IRO
Clara Hollowood (Yr10) has had a tough year in her hockey. Initially she did not receive the news she wanted to hear, that she did not make the Sussex hockey squad last year. However, after hard work on and off the pitch, she was selected for her first Sussex match against Oxford last Sunday. This is a fantastic achievement, and I am incredibly proud of Clara’s recent success. It is a perfect example of hard work allowing you to achieve your goals. ACA
JJ WHAT’S COMING UP
IN THE WEEK AHEAD?
Cricket’s going well at Roedean The U12A and B team had their first cricket match for Roedean against Mayfield this week. Both teams played with an excellent manner, putting on a good display of fielding, bowling, and batting. Considering the girls have only trained for three sessions, they showed plenty of enthusiasm and bags of potential. In terms of the results, the U12A team lost by 13 runs
and the B team won by 16 runs. This fixture has given them a huge amount of experience, and I would like to thank all of the parents for coming down to support on what was a very warm sunny day. ACA
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 8
Mon 15 May
House Tennis U12&13 Swimming Gala vs Bede’s (H)
Tue 16 May
Yr7&8 Teatime Music Recital
Wed 17 May
U12&13 Athletics at Hurst U13A&B Cricket vs Mayfield (H)
Thurs 18 May
Track & Field Cup Athletics Competition at K2 Leisure Centre
Fri 19 May
DANCE SHOWCASE
Sat 20 May
U14A&B & U15A&B Rounders Tournament vs Brighton College & Mayfield (H) U12A&B & U13A&B Rounders vs Windlesham (H) U14 Football vs Ardingly (A) Follow us @RoedeanSchool