Heads weekly review (8) 11 11 16

11th November 2016 - Issue 8

HEAD’S

WEEKLY REVIEW

Head’s Introduction Speaking to the girls and staff, there is no question that it has been a difficult week in terms of politics and for the values of tolerance, respect and equality. In Assembly, we spoke about the need to unplug from the media to look at the people around us – our community and friends. When so much of life seems to be lived through events we do not directly experience and cannot directly influence, it is vital that we remind ourselves of our own values and remember that these are shared and remain strong.

The unity of Roedean’s community and the immense talent we have here was clearly evident on Speech Day last Saturday. It was a wonderful occasion on which we could look forward and see a future in which these girls make their own positive impact on society.

I was delighted that the whole school had the opportunity to celebrate our values together, and to hear an inspirational address from a speaker of the calibre of Professor Tanya Byron. She spoke in a way which was accessible for all, and engaged brilliantly with everyone in Centenary Hall, reminding the girls of the need to take risks and be themselves.

Remembrance Day is a time when everyone comes together each year to remember those who have died in conflicts around the world. There have been two beautiful services at Roedean today, which included personal reflections from members of the school community, and, along with the nation, we also marked the two-minute silence at 11:00.

Over 130 girls hoping to join Roedean in U3 and U4 in September came to Discovery Day yesterday, and they had a fantastic time, taking part in some amazing History, English, and Science activities. This event each year gives the girls a chance to be swept along by the school and the buzz which is evident every day, so that they can begin to imagine themselves in this environment. This year twenty girls who are intending to board also stayed for the sleepover, and I am sure that they had a great time.

We have also had many other visitors this week, including an international election observer, and six successful and inspiring entrepreneurs who spoke at the Enterprise event on Tuesday.

A group of girls in 6.2 also enjoyed an academic dinner at Lancing College on Wednesday evening, so there really has been something for everyone this week.

Enterprise Talks – Making a Difference On Tuesday the girls, parents, and staff were privileged to have six successful entrepreneurs from The London Guild of Entrepreneurs at Roedean talking about how to make not only a difference in Business, but also to the way we tackle and approach life. The evening consisted of a range of guest speakers from a Paralympic skier Talan Skeels-Piggins who highlighted the importance of never giving up even when you fail, to Nikki Gupta who has launched an app for A Level Mathematics students and advised the girls follow their passion in life. The other speakers were: ■■

Karen Bach – launched Kallikids, a TripAdvisor for parents

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James Dinsdale – works on off-shore financial start-ups

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Jenny Garrett – award-winning global business coach

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Judy Hadden – focuses her time and money on 3 start-up businesses with an environmental focus

After the talks the audience had an opportunity to chat to the entrepreneurs over refreshments.

The talks were inspiring and one member of the audience said she was leaving the event with a new spring in her step.

SLO

The History department on Discovery Day

Good luck to all those in Upper Five with the mock GCSE examinations next week – I hope that the experience is a positive one.

And for all of us, let us use every opportunity, whether near or far, in which we see what our Founders called ‘low, mean and spiteful’ behaviour, to make ourselves stand up for our values and be kinder and more tolerant.

Explosions in Science on Discovery Day

Remembrance Day 2016

When you go home Tell them of us and say, For your tomorrow We gave our today.

The epitaph from the Kohima War Cemetery.

43 days until Christmas! • 3 weeks until the Roedean Christmas Fair ‘Christmas at the Movies’ • All money raised will go to the Malala Fund

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

Maths Olympiad Success!

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.

Isobel Stoner (L5) for being the first of the Bronze DofE cohort from last year to complete her EDofE uploads [HBO]

Natalie Tang (6.2) for always doing an excellent and proactive duty in Horizons [FTH]

11th November 2016 - Issue 8

Asha Reid (U4) for throwing herself into helping with Discovery Day – she loved it! [SEL]

On Tuesday 11 October, two of our 6.2 girls, Miranda Liu and Elsa Hu, sat the Maths Olympiad for Girls paper. The two and a half hour paper posed only five questions, but they are all extremely difficult problems based upon the A Level Mathematics curriculum. This paper challenges their knowledge, and asks them to apply what they have learnt in the classroom to some very abstract situations. No calculators or measuring equipment of any kind is allowed. This national competition is highly competitive and a student correctly solving any of the questions should be considered to be a very talented mathematician. While both girls answered well, special mention must go to Miranda, who not only managed to produce an entirely correct solution to a question, but achieved a grade of Distinction, an accolade which only the best performing entrants achieve. Well done to both girls – the Maths department is very proud of you!

DO

Remembrance Day – a personal reflection

Carrie Zhu (U5) for putting a smile on everyone’s face in House [LSK]

Sasha Mercer (U4) for always being positive and open, and very supportive of her roommates [LSK]

Emily Ranke (U4) for undertaking additional Latin work to pursue her own interests [PWY]

Lara Patching (L5) for her excellent commitment to the netball fixture against Bede’s when she scored lots of goals [DRO]

Prim Niumpradit (U5) for working independently and taking an active role in her own progress in English [ERO]

Ami Ashong (6.2) for volunteering every week to support HHH ‘Brain Busting’ for Year 7 [FTH]

Academic Dinner at Lancing This Wednesday, a large group of 6.2 girls were invited to dine at Lancing College as part of the Lancing-Roedean Exchange. This took place a week before students from Lancing visit us to take part in an Oxbridge Interview Forum. The girls had the opportunity not only to sample Lancing cuisine, but also to explore the College and view the beautiful, historic Chapel. During the dinner, Dr Damian Kerney, Head of History and Oxbridge Provision at Lancing College, gave an impassioned address and a call for further scholarship. The girls enjoyed themselves and perhaps made the beginnings of some very strong friendships. Dr Kerney and I hope to extend this valuable partnership by joining together in visits to Cambridge and Oxford, the British Museum, and holding further social events with an academic focus.

AK

‘Exactly 100 years ago today, my relative, William Mills, died fighting in the Great War. He was only 18 years old. Whilst on the school trip to Belgium in June, I was fortunate enough to see the grave where William is buried. He was a bugler in the Durham Light Infantry.

William lost his life in the Battle of the Somme, which ended a week after he died. What moved me most was that I was the first member of my family to visit his grave – this brought great joy to the eldest members of my family.’

Annabel Bate (L5)

An election observer at Roedean In the Roedean Academic Lecture on Wednesday this week, we were delighted to welcome Dominic Howell, who gave a talk on ‘Everything you need to know about the American elections’. Mr Howell is an international election observer, and The Foreign Office sends him to observe elections all around the world and report his findings. Could there have been a more opportune day to have an election observer in school? On the day when Donald Trump became President Elect, the Theatre was filled with the buzz of students and staff seeking to know more. Ndali Brume, a citizen of the United States, led the question and answer session in her own inimitable style!

AK While Donald Trump’s win has disheartened many Democrats and shaken the lives of millions of American People, it is important at this trying time to remember that the political tide has always been unpredictable, and, though a new, more conservative age seems to be rising, it is important to always have faith in the American Electorate.

I believe in the resilience of the American People, and I know that there will always be a brighter future on the horizon. Mr Howell’s talk gave the girls the opportunity to learn and ask questions about the American Government and about Tuesday’s Election. It is so important that girls learn as much as they can about politics and international relations, so that in the future they can have a say in the way they are governed and the way that their country is run.

I love my country, and I’m more proud to be an American now than I’ve ever been. I’m proud of every American that got out there on Tuesday and voted. I’m proud of all the young people who, while they could not yet vote, still were passionate and got very involved in this election. We can make a difference.

Ndali Brume (U5)

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11th November 2016 - Issue 8

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

Speech Day with Professor Byron ‘you don’t have to listen to your thoughts: they don’t always tell you the truth’ As well as welcoming back many of the girls who completed their A Levels last year and are now at university, it was wonderful to have Professor Tanya Byron as our guest at Speech Day last week. She is an eminent child psychologist as well as being a media personality, with over twenty years’ experience, specialising in working with children and adolescents. As a clinician, Professor Byron works with those suffering from a variety of psychological and emotional issues, and she was commissioned by the then Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, to undertake in independent review into potentially harmful effects of video games and the internet on children, which resulted in the so-called Byron Review, Safer children in a digital world, published in 2008. She spoke in a way which was accessible to every girl in the room, and her key message was relevant to us all – overall, the day was a huge success.

Miss Hawks, who teaches Politics and Geography, particularly enjoyed the address, and this is what she has written: ‘The title ‘Professor Byron’ conjures up a combination of an academic geek and a wild child.

The real Professor Byron tried her hardest at being a wild child, but she failed to be expelled from school! After some time wondering what to do when she grew up, she found the exciting world of the brain, and spent the rest of her youth studying psychology. Since then, she’s become one of Britain’s pre-eminent psychologists, familiar to readers of the Times, and to listeners of Radio 4’s All in the Mind.

Professor Byron’s theme was how to embrace imperfection and how to banish crushing visions of failure: ‘you don’t have to listen to your thoughts: they don’t always tell you the truth’ – a piece of advice that will have a lasting impression on her audience (not least Blythe King (U3), as it’s her granny’s mantra). Eliciting answers from the girls (but emphatically not their teachers), she got to which bits of the mind we have to be mindful of. Byron’s cartoon-style diagrams and engagingly informal manner sowed the idea that the brain is something we can, so to speak, step outside, and extract those paralysing mind-worms of despair. The message of this rock-star of psychology, that we’re all beautifully imperfect, was enthusiastically applauded by her festival audience.’

‘It was a thoroughly entertaining speech, and it was clear everyone really enjoyed it.’

Daisy Stockwell

‘Tanya Byron was so inspiring to listen to. In the interview, she advised us on the best ways to stand out when applying to do Psychology at a top university. She also provided an insight into the possibility of curing dementia.’

Jodie Hallett

‘Tanya is an excellent speaker and a wonderful woman... A true inspiration for budding psychologists’ Ami Ashong

‘It was incredible to be giv the opportunity to he en Tanya’s speech. She ar gras the attention of ever ped yo present – it was a sp ne eech that we have all been talking about since.’

Miss Burns

‘Tanya was full of positive energy!’

Ms Alexander

‘Listening to Tanya speak was so amazing. She was very engaging and we all learned a lot’ Georgina King

An interview with Tanya Byron After Speech Day, some of our A Level Psychology students – Jodie Hallett, Ami Ashong, Georgina King, and Maria Paduroiu – had the chance to interview our speaker. When asked what motivated Tanya throughout her career in the face of difficulty, she told the pupils ‘success is passion’. She suggested that if you have a strong interest in something, this will encourage you to continue trying even if you do not initially succeed. The questions moved on to studying at Psychology at university. Tanya went on to explain that nowadays, getting onto a Clinical Psychology course at university is equally as difficult as being accepted to study Medicine. She believed that all medical students should be encouraged to study Psychology because a more holistic understanding of the patient is now considered to be important.

One of the Psychology students presented Tanya with the statistic ‘3 children in every classroom suffer from a diagnosable mental condition’.

When asked what she thought schools could do to better support those children, Tanya noted the importance of subjects such as PHSE, as well as peer listening schemes. She was impressed by the HHH programme currently being offered to our U3 students called ‘Brain Busting’, because Tanya believes that it is really important for all pupils to understand how the brain works. She stressed the importance of having open conversations about mental health, alongside knowing when and who to ask for help. Concluding the interview, Tanya emphasised looking after yourself and your brain by eating and sleeping well.

FTH Page 3

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

OB’s Quotation of the Week ‘It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.’ – Eleanor Roosevelt SPORT

U14s won the East Grinstead Hockey Tournament!

Congratulations to the U14 Hockey XI who played in the East Grinstead Tournament at Ardingly on Thursday. The competition started well and the girls won their group. This meant that they met Benenden in the quarter final – the game was close, but we held our nerve to win 2-0. Roedean was through to the semi-final was against Lancing, and that game ended 4-0 – we were on fire!

In the final, we played against Lingfield Notre Dame. It was a tight game which ended 0-0, with chances at both ends. Because it was a draw, the game was decided on ‘shuffles’, which

is similar to the Olympics, where the striker goes against the keeper and only has 10 seconds to score. It was incredibly tense – Bea Wright scored and Rachel Wallis saved their first attempts, so it was still a draw. After a few more shots, it was down to Yelena Finnegan to score our last attempt, which she did in 9 seconds – and we ended up winners!

Roedean scored 14 goals in the tournament, and conceded only 1 – the girls played brilliantly and thoroughly deserved their victory.

11th November 2016 - Issue 8

A Little Night Music Gala Concert Friday 25 November 7:30pm in Centenary Hall Tickets are free, but must be booked in advance: www.roedeantheatre.co.uk

JJ WHAT’S

COMING UP IN THE WEEK AHEAD? ANTI-BULLYING WEEK

Mon 14 Nov

6.1 Young Enterprise Masterclass Swimming Gala vs Burgess Hill & Farlington (H) U14A Netball vs Blatchington Mill (H)

Tues 15 Nov

1st & 2nd XI Hockey vs Gildredge House (A) BMW Netball League

Wed 16 Nov

U12A, B, C&D Hockey vs Gildredge House (A) Senior Volleyball vs Burgess Hill (H) U13A&B Hockey vs Worth (A)

Thur 17 Nov

U3 & L4 Kids’ Lit Quiz U5-6.2 House Hockey (H) Year 10 Parents’ Evening

Fri 18 Nov

Visit from Rose Hudson-Wilkin Celebration Chapel Service for Sue Stanway & Simon Rothon Netball Knockout Cup vs Bede’s Prep (H)

Sat 19 Nov

EXEAT

KAN/ACA

Netball victories for Roedean On Tuesday, our 1st VII continued their push for promotion in the BMW league in Falmer. Every single player on court played exceptionally well and our defence in the circle was outstanding. It was a real team effort and this excellent performance saw us win 37-21.

This outstanding result means we only have 1 loss so far this season. Congratulations! GCR

The U15 team played a fantastic game in the first round of the Sussex knock-out cup! The netball was meticulous and the girls knew that they needed to come away with a win.

They worked the ball well down the court and defended beautifully against a tough Bede’s attack. The final score was a well-deserved 24-6 to Roedean, a fantastic achievement for such a dedicated and resilient group of girls!

The player of the match was Sky O’Connell – well done to all.

HHY Roedean 1st VII

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