28 June 2019 - Issue 11
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Head’s Introduction What an amazing week it has been! So much has happened that it’s difficult to believe that the Prize Giving ceremonies for Years 7-10 and Sports Day were less than a week ago. The girls and staff have had a brilliant time, and been involved in an amazing array of activities. It was great for the school community to celebrate and acknowledge the girls’ achievements in the Prize Givings, and I am sure that the girls were very proud. It was wonderful to welcome Wendy Young, from Off the Fence, to Roedean as our guest speaker, and the girls appreciated her advice about learning from life experiences and enjoying the journey. In the afternoon, Sports Day was a great success in the sunshine, and well done to all our competitors for their engagement and spirit. Congratulations to House 3 who won overall and the staff for their success in the Golden Mile. I was incredibly impressed by the talent on display in the Performing Arts Gala on Friday And Roedean’s Got Talent on Monday - both events showcased Music, Drama and Dance from across the year and across the School. I am also delighted that we are continuing to invest in and develop our arts provision through Artemis, Roedean’s Performing Arts School, which will be launched in September. The School Charity Walk on Tuesday was a fantastic example of the school community coming together to support a common goal. I am delighted that this single event raised nearly £5000 for St Mark’s and the PlanUK girls, and over the course of this year we have collectively raised nearly £31,000 for charitable causes - thank you for support, and well done to the girls! It is an absolute delight and a privilege to see the children of St Mark’s enjoying their Secret Garden Library and developing their love of reading. The impact of your gift of this library space and those wonderful books is immeasurable as a love of reading lasts a lifetime. To see the joy of children thrilled that they can borrow books and take them home is worth all your efforts, so thank you again.
On Wednesday and Thursday this week, the girls have been taking part in our Festival with the three strands of Diversity, Sustainability, and Inclusion. For each, there have been workshops, panel discussions, with representatives from a whole range of organisations, including the new Mayor of Brighton and Hove, and a whole range of activities. Congratulations to Ms Boobis for masterminding these outstanding two days, and for ensuring that there was something to challenge and excite every single one of the students. Roedean says farewell today to a number of girls and staff, every one of whom has enriched our community while they have been with us - good luck, and keep in touch to let us know how you are getting on. However, three members of staff have made outstanding contributions to Roedean. Mrs Alison Whitestone has been a key member of the Music Department, teaching a great deal of the academic Music, and her knowledge and expertise, as well as her experience as an A Level examiner, will be missed. Mrs Sarah Ellis, has enjoyed the last two years as ‘just a classroom teacher’ in her own words, but she has also been Deputy Head at Roedean, and her contributions and dedication to the School have been outstanding. Mr Andrew England has taught Chemistry at Roedean for 41 years, which shows remarkable commitment to the School - he has held a number of positions at the School, including Head of Science, and his service has been exceptional. To dedicate a career to teaching, inspiring and supporting young people is worthy of our sincere thanks and congratulations. To dedicate so much of that career to the girls of Roedean is deeply moving. We are incredibly grateful and on behalf of all those you taught and inspired across the years, please accept a huge thank you. We wish you all good luck and very happy retirements. Well done to you all for an excellent year, and I wish you all a well-deserved rest over the summer!
Best Innovation at TeenTech2019 for Mary, Chloe, and Freya Congratulations to Mary, Chloe, and Freya (Yr13) who have won the ‘Best Innovation Model, Prototype, or Product’ category at the 2019 TeenTech Awards, presented at a glitzy awards’ ceremony at the Institute of Engineering and Technology in London. Following a two-week placement at Brighton University last summer along with Melissa and Ishika, the girls embarked upon a project during their final year at school to design a product which can be used to reduce malnutrition in premature babies around the world. The worked on the project every week, and they were visited periodically by a supervisor from the university. As the girls were developing the prototype, they were assisted by two girls in Year 12 and a number from younger years, so we hope that their passion for science will have rubbed off on their peers. A new crop of Year 13 students will take on the baton this summer, and let’s see if they can replicate this brilliant result. The product is a micro-fluidic paper-based analytical device to test the concentrations of key components of breast milk. The girls’ test produces a colorimetric assay which produces accurate and clear results very quickly. Although their product grew out of science and design in a classroom, they hope that might be developed so that it will have a practical application to help premature babies being born in the most difficult of circumstances all over the world. This amazing success highlights the wonderful strength in the Sciences among the girls at Roedean, and the School is incredibly proud of them.