27th May 2016 - Issue 7
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Head’s Introduction There has been a great deal going on this week, despite the fact that many girls have been in exams. It has been wonderful to see the girls enjoying the glorious weather and our fantastic grounds to unwind a little - seeing girls doing cartwheels and bouncing on space-hoppers in the Quad outside my Study window reminded me how lucky we are in Roedean’s location. Last weekend, Roedean was part of a wonderful Brighton event, the Big Steam Print - artists and students from far and wide came together to make a huge lino-print, using a vintage steamroller, and Roedean’s contribution to the print was 5 metres long! It really was a fantastic occasion. We said a fond farewell this week to Chris Sinden, who has been working at Roedean for 26 years, and latterly as Senior Housekeeper. She has done an excellent job, and we have won a series of awards under her leadership. We are very grateful to her for her outstanding
service to the school, and wish her a very happy retirement. Today is also the last official school day for the girls in 6.2. The day started with a delicious Champagne Breakfast, with a wonderful spread, including croissants and bacon rolls, and many members of staff joined the girls to reminisce about the last few years. This was followed by photos of the girls in the Quad, with the sun shining down on them. The leavers then led their final Chapel service at Roedean, sharing their fondest memories, and awarding prizes to members of staff. As tradition dictates, this was followed by hand-shaking, which became quite a tearful affair for some. The girls develop such strong bonds during their time here that it is not surprising that they will be sad to leave, but this is just the next step in an exciting journey. I am looking forward to the Leavers’ Ball in The Grand tonight. I wish you all a fantastic half-term break.
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.
Heidi P (U3) for making huge improvements on her Bronze Award DofE Assessed Expedition [JBE + KRH]
Rachel E (L4) for working hard to improve her technique in throwing events in Athletics [KAN]
Grace R (U4) for helping Tishe O who is new to the school to revise [DRO]
Dionne W (L4) for her diligent and calm approach to the exams [CS]
Looking ahead to the Roedean Race for Life Saturday 18 June is Roedean’s Race for Life and Family Rounders Day. You are very welcome to come to the school to take an active part, or just to cheer and eat your picnic. It will be a wonderful event, and will of course raise lots of money for charity too. You can donate via this link: https://www.justgiving. com/fundraising/Roedean-Race-for-Life3 which has just gone live. Mrs Chandler has put in the first £10, and set us a target of £5000 – surely we’ll raise that and even more, and have a brilliant time doing it!
27th May 2016 - Issue 7
Roedean’s referendum on the EU The girls in Year 13 had the pleasure of having an EU debate in their lecture slot last week. This included a panel of Mr Thomson, Mr Hargreaves, the UKIP PCC candidate, Patrick Lowe, and Andrew Naughton, a parent and director of a local company. The lecture allowed for students, especially the Politics classes, to ask questions to the panel and have their arguments questioned and challenged. It was an extremely interesting debate that concluded 2 years of Sixth Form lectures. The debate brought about the importance of the EU referendum that is approaching on the 23rd June. Congratulations to all involved.
Behind the Scenes Horizons is one of those place you probably flock to, perhaps a few times a day, without really thinking about how much you value it. This week, as many of you are taking a moment to relax there after an exam, or trying to stay calm before one, we asked you to jot down an idea of what Horizons, and the eversmiling faces of Mrs Beasley and Mrs Barnard, mean to you – here are just a few: staff are amazing and make so much “ The effort to get to know every one of us. ” They always know what I want “ without me having to order. ” They make the best food. “ ” Horizons gives us a chance “ to relax and socialise. ” Without Mrs Beasley and Mrs Barnard, “ Horizons wouldn’t be Horizons. ” Page 2
is an important “ Horizons part of my school life. ” The food is delicious. “ ” It’s really nice to come and “ relax with friends. ” Horizons is the best part of school. “ ” The staff brighten my day. “ ” “ Horizons is my favourite hangout spot.” is really great, but what makes it so “ Horizons amazing is the two ladies who work there. ” What’s good about Horizons is “ the lovely atmosphere. ” “ Horizons is a fun and friendly place.” “ I love Horizons.”
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Bake off Positive Mental Health Awareness week came to a close last Friday, and at lunchtime, staff and students were busy taking part in the Roedean Bake Off! Five teams battled it out against the clock to make a sweet treat with a theme based around positive mental health. Some examples of themes used were the charity ‘Mind’, the theme of sunshine and ‘looking on the bright side’ and ‘Happiness’. A big thank you to all that took part, Mwaba M and Mrs Robins, Niah S and Mr Carter, Madeleine Q and Mrs Donald, Isabel de J and Miss Robin, and Kezia S and Miss Boles. Dr Hobbs was very impressed with all the cakes that were made and the care and effort given by the staff and students involved. A special mention to Lara S and Esme B who came to support and helped with the clearing up afterwards. Winner of the best presentation was Kezia and Miss Boles’ ‘sunshine’ cupcakes, best tasting creation went to Niah and Mr Carter’s ‘Mind Charity’ lemon-flavoured cake, and the overall winners were Maddie and Mrs Donald’s beautifully decorated and wonderful tasting ‘positive mental health’ themed cupcakes and chocolate flavoured sponge cake. Well done everyone involved.
Farewell Miss Fraser The Sixth Form biologists had a little party this week to say goodbye to AF. It was a lovely occasion. Thank you in particular to Grace R and Megan F for their amazing Biology cakes, Anastasia R for a lovely speech, Vivian L for making a great video, and Maya C-K for organising the music. Tiffany L, Roshni M, Miranda L, Jasmine H and Catherine C also helped to decorate the room. Well done to all! PCH Page 3
27th May 2016 - Issue 7
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Duke of Edinburgh Awards The Bronze DofE girls set off in order to complete their qualifying expedition on 21-22 May. Once we arrived by minibus at our starting point, I’m positive all of us were dreading the walk ahead of us. With our heavy backpacks full of all the materials that we would need for our expedition ahead, we separated ourselves into our teams. There were three different teams, the blue team (Petty), the red team (Alphas), and the green team (Spice Girls). They are in order of which team set off first. We walked for what seemed ages to arrive at a campsite where we would spend the night to cook, sleep, and play a few games. The next day we finished off our routes and finally made it back to the heavenly coach! I’m sure that everyone found it an extremely tiring and challenging experience, but also quite rewarding after seeing the distance we walked and how we made it through as a team. Well done! Sahar Khan
27th May 2016 - Issue 7
Gabriella’s volunteering in Ethiopia Gabriella R (U5) leaves for Ethiopia on 17 June, the night after her GCSEs finish, to volunteer on the 2016 Project Harar Complex Surgical Mission. She helped with a Gala Dinner in November and will now be able to see how the money raised will be used to change the lives of about 50 patients, mostly children and young people with severe facial disfigurements. She will be the youngest volunteer there, at only 16. While she is there, Gabriella hopes to learn as much as possible about the nutritional impact of surgical outcomes, as well as the roles of the medics. She will also be involved in playing with the children, and helping them with sporting activities. Because of the drought this year in Ethiopia, the patients are more malnourished than usual, so any monetary donations can help to supplement the patients’ meals with an egg a day – Gabriella would like to be able to contribute to buying an additional egg and extra fruit for each of the patients and actually do it whist she is in Ethiopia; £5 is enough to buy fruit for 20 children for a day, so the money raised will go such a long way.
Wild Science at Roedean! Last weekend, eight girls had a wonderful time with the exotic creatures brought along by Wild Science. Some of the girls were happy to handle things like tarantulas, snakes, and reptiles from the start, but others took a little more time to get used to the idea, but, with increased confidence, they even held a giant millipede. The girls loved it, but we are just hoping not to find one of the creatures left behind in one of their rooms!
She will doing some fundraising straight after half-term, so please look out for more information.
Liv’s going to Madagascar! On July 1, Liv H (L4) is going to Madagascar, where she will work on a three-week placement at a vet clinic helping to reduce street dog numbers in the area. She is trying to fill up a suitcase with good quality, new and used, dog collars and toys – if anyone has anything appropriate, she would welcome your donations. They can be left in House 1 for her. What a fantastic adventure!
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: news@roedean.co.uk Page 4
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