17 May 2019 - Issue 4
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Head’s Introduction The fantastic sunshine this week has been the perfect antidote to the fact that everyone at Roedean is either in or preparing for exams. The girls have been making the most of the grounds and found time to relax or revise outside. Years 10 and 12 finished their School exams today, and I'm pleased to see that they have coped very well with a busy schedule. Following last week’s very impressive Year 9-10 academic mentoring presentations, for which the girls conducted research in an area of personal interest, it is wonderful to hear that our Sixth Form chemists have made it to the national finals of TeenTech. This group, spearheaded by five Year 13 students, has been working on a project which goes far beyond their A Level specification. Working with the University of Sussex and in school, they have designed a test to analyse the composition of breast milk in order to provide tailored nutritional information. Their work has real-life application and I look forward to hearing about the finals in June – congratulations! I am very pleased to hear of many individual sporting successes this week, in netball, swimming, and athletics, and also that the Year 7 Tea-time Recital went well. The more established musicians had a chance to perform solo, and those who
Please see page 2
have been learning violin or clarinet as part of the Music Project for just two terms were able to show what they have achieved on a new instrument. Hopefully some have uncovered a passion and a talent they did not know they had! The F24 Club had a brilliant trip to Goodwood. Although the car developed some problems later in the day, Bells in Year 13 recorded the fastest lap, which is a great achievement for the team. They will now get back in the workshop to rectify any issues ahead of the final race at the end of June.
Bells stormed round Goodwood Please see page 4 in Roedean F24 car!
I am delighted that Roedean’s Sea-Swimming Club saw 7 girls (five in Year 12 and two in Year 7) in the water this week, and I know that there are others who will hopefully join them next week. Dr Hobbs reported that the sea was cold, but the conditions were perfect. The target is the very ambitious and challenging cross-Channel relay to France in 2020 – what an experience.
performed very well as part of the presentations in the Theatre, and it was wonderful to have a sneakpreview of some of Peter Pan, which our visiting families loved.
Thank you to everyone in the School community who made Open Day such a success last weekend. The weather was wonderful, and the School looked fantastic. The departments had displays following the theme of ‘ideas that changed the world’, as well as showcasing our students’ high-quality work, and I am delighted that we have received excellent feedback on the day. The Year 7 singers
This has been a busy week for Year 11, who have had a series of GCSE papers this week, including English and the Sciences, and there have also been some early A Level papers – I have been very impressed with the girls’ mature and calm approach to their exams. Good luck for next week, and to all those in Years 7-9 who have their School exams. I hope you all have a lovely weekend.
Roedean’s in the TeenTech Finals! A project that our girls, led by a group of Year 13 students, have been working on has been recognised in a national competition called TeenTech: ‘The TeenTech Awards were established in 2012/3 and schools have found them a powerful tool, helping students to see how they might apply science and technology to real world problems. They encourage students to develop their own ideas for making life better, simpler, safer or more fun… Every year the best projects go forward to the Royal Society for judging and the winners are invited by HRH Duke of York to Buckingham Palace.’
Fancy a swim to France…?
The girls have been invited to the finals at the Institute of Engineering Technology (IET) in central London for their work on developing a paper-based microfluidic device for measuring the composition of breast milk. The project, which involved major contributions from Ishika A, Melissa D, Mary M, Chloe R, and Freya S from Year 13, and was developed in collaboration with a research team from the University of Brighton, will be judged in the ‘Best Innovation – Model, Prototype or Product’ category. Whilst this is an ongoing piece of research, and ultimately aims to produce a product with real-world applications, judging will take place on Monday 24 June – this is an amazing achievement, and good luck to the girls and watch this space for more news! MEB