Heads Weekly Review - 31st March 22 - Issue 12

31 March 2022 – Issue 12

HEAD’S

WEEKLY REVIEW

Easter Cake for the Royal Alex and Rockinghorse

Head’s Introduction

Firstly, I know that you will all, by now, have received the news that I will be stepping down from my role as Head, from September 2023. There will be many opportunities in the 18 months ahead for me to say all the things I want to about this incredible community and its wonderful people, but I did want to say thank you to you all for your part in ensuring this very special school continues to go from strength to strength, and is a place where girls can be happy as well as successful. These weekly reviews probably say more than I ever can about the commitment, talents, range of interests, and brilliance of all of our girls, so enjoy reading.

As we come to the Easter holidays, I would like to congratulate the entire school community on an excellent term – well done! Congratulations to both casts of Romeo and Juliet who performed so well at the end of last week.

The production, with its 1920s twist, was fantastic, with an amazing set in our refurbished Theatre. Having a double cast gave so many more actors a chance to tread the boards, and I am sure that they relished this wonderful opportunity. The performers’ characterisations were wonderfully realised, and their mastery of the complex Shakespearean language and its meter was very impressive. A drama performance is always far more that what the audience sees in stage, and I am very grateful to Mrs Woodbridge, and to everyone who supported the rehearsals and production, including the technical team, those who built the set and designed the costumes, and to the backstage crew. Well done!

New Prefect Team

Year 12 Art Exhibition

The Art Exhibition in the Old Ref was an wonderful illustration of the range of opportunities open to our students in the department. The Year 12’s work showed different styles and media, in Art, Photography, and Textiles. I am pleased that the exhibition remained open for a number of days, and that very many members of staff and students were able to see the remarkable work. Thank you to everyone involved in putting the exhibition together.

After an incredibly successful term of Netball at many levels, which you have read about in previous Head’s Reviews, the Roedean courts saw a different level of play yesterday afternoon. The much-anticipated Staff-Student Netball was great fun, despite the sudden downpour.

The staff teams were an unusual combination of very talented players mixed with many of us whose skills are still developing! It was great fun, and a great way to round off the term. Well done to all the players.

Well done for a fantastic term, and I hope that Revision Week goes well for those in Years 11 and 13. I wish you all well for the holidays!

Romeo & Juliet

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

Unsung heroes in the spotlight

New Prefect Team

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.

Thank you to our outgoing team of Prefects in Year 13, led by Sophia and Jemima, and congratulations to our new Prefect Team, who were introduced to the School in Final Chapel this morning – Alma, Alyssa, Anike, Cherry, Chloe, Emma, Emma, Fadillah, Gabby, Helen, Iras, Isabel, Issy, Janice, Juliet, Keira, Maddie, Marta, Matilda, Millie, Ottavia, Sabina, Savina, and Sylva. Particular congratulations go to our Head Girls, Sarah and Jemima. Good luck!

31 March 2022 – Issue 12

Izzy, Grace, Tilly, Maria, and Martha (Yr11) – for running an impromptu bake sale this week to raise funds for the Ukraine humanitarian crisis – they raised £205 [Dr Barrand]

Staff Miss Hammond – for the unbelievable amount of energy and enthusiasm you've put into netball this term. It has been hugely successful, and you've been behind this. [Miss Wakeling] Ms Jacobe (Security) – for rescuing House 4 from a pigeon intrusion! Thank you. [Miss Hart]

Well done to this week's Golden Ticket winners:

Maths Kangaroo Results!

Bhoomi (Yr7)

Ruby (Yr8)

Hettie (Yr9)

The results of the UKMT Grey and Pink Maths Kangaroos are in, and our students have perfomed very well again! The different colours represent different levels of the Intermediate Maths Challenge – grey is for Year 9, and Pink for Years 10 and 11. The top 25% are awarded a Certificate of Merit, so particular congratulations go to the following: ■

Grey Kangaroo: Martha, Bernice, and Claire

■

Pink Kangaroo: Elisa, Daisy, Hebe, and Wei

We are still awaiting the results of the Olympiads, so we look forward to hearing of more successes.

Congratulations to everyone involved.

Mrs Hopper Page 2

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

Year 12 Art Exhibition On Friday evening, the Old Ref was buzzing with delight as students, staff, parents and ORs marvelled at the huge variety of work produced by the Year 12 Art students. The A Level Art, Photography, and Textiles students worked incredibly hard in resolving their projects on the theme of Light and Space. From oil painting to bin-woven garments, to screen prints, to large-scale photographic installations, not one student's work was like another's. This exhibition marks the end of their foundation phase of their A Levels, and we look forward to watching their progress as they continue to develop as individual artists. The exquisite canapés made by the wonderful catering team were also greatly appreciated.

Mrs Alexander

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31 March 2022 – Issue 12

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

Romeo and Juliet The star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, finally had their moment on stage when Roedean staged its Shakespeare production at the weekend – two years after actors auditioned for the roles.

Students had tried out for the parts just before the pandemic hit, so the atmosphere in the School’s recently refurbished Theatre was electric as the curtain finally rose.

Set in the Golden Age of Hollywood movies, with an art deco-inspired stage, Isla and Yanka (Yr11) gave compelling performances as Romeo and Juliet (the offspring of successful Hollywood producers) on Thursday and Saturday night, with Tildy and Eloise (Yr9) giving equally impressive performances as Romeo and Juliet on the Friday night and Saturday matinée.

The show had fun modern twists, including the cast breaking out into a fabulous swing-style dance sequence during the masquerade ball scene, while a glamourous Ella (Yr10) belted out Carly Rae Jepson’s Call Me Maybe, which was certainly a showstopper.

The beautifully choreographed fight scenes between Capulet and Montague gangs were also testament to the hard work and dedication the cast put in to ensure that their first major drama production since Covid struck was a memorable one.

Student costume designers Niamh, Urara, and Hebe (Yr11) produced a vast array of beautiful period outfits that would not have looked out of place in the movies – they were wonderful and underline the fact that the stars of the show don’t necessarily have to be on stage.

Director of Drama, Sue Woodbridge said, ‘Directing Romeo and Juliet has been a real joy. As soon as I walked onto the refurbished stage in September, the red seats and the wooden balcony reminded me of how we had auditioned for Romeo and Juliet before the pandemic. The pleasure of finally being able to stage it – and seeing all the hard work and fun the girls have had along the way – has been wonderful.’

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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

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31 March 2022 – Issue 12

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

31 March 2022 – Issue 12

Year 12 History trip to the Tower of London 'The Year 12 History students enjoyed a brilliant trip to the Tower of London for our Tudor course. We had a great time strolling the grounds and admiring the impressive medieval architecture. Our tour guide, one of the famous Beefeaters, told us all about the various landmarks and how they were used at the time – including the execution block! It was so chilling to see Traitor’s Gate through which Anne Boleyn passed before her execution. The displays of medieval armour and weaponry were magnificent, particularly the giant dragon made of guns but by far the highlight of the trip were the Crown Jewels, which were so ornate they took our breath away. To finish off the tour, we walked to Borough Market where we had a delicious lunch of duck confit sandwiches and fresh lemonade. I really enjoyed this trip and hope that we’ll get to go on another one soon!'

Ingrid (Yr12)

Teatime Recital

Brighton Festival Fringe Concert

On Tuesday, we had our final Teatime recital of the term. This was packed full of students excited to perform. We had a record number of piano solos, represented by almost every year group, and four Chamber groups. Well done also to Matilda and Catherine in Year 7 for their first performance at a teatime recital.

This festival concert is a highlight of the year and truly encapsulates Roedean's community spirit and love of music. Roedean’s talented young musicians enjoy an opportunity to perform concerto movements with orchestra. This year our performers are:

It was also fantastic to have four pieces composed by women in the programme, especially Ruth Gipps who was born in Sussex.

Congratulations in particular go to Eva (Yr13) for playing a very complex and atmospheric viola piece by Rebecca Clarke. Thank you so much to each and every one of you who performed, and to Mr. Rous for his sensitive accompaniments.

The next recital will be on 17 May. If you would like to perform, please email sob@roedean.co.uk

Ms Bartlette

■ ■ ■ ■

Rachel (Yr9) – Violin – Symphonie espagnole, 1st Movement by Lalo Eva (Yr13) – Viola – Élégie by Glazunov Alyssa (Yr13) – Accordion – The Libertango by Piazzolla Anamika and Bronwen (Yr13) – Trumpet Concerto, 1st Movement by Vivaldi

This will be followed by a performance of Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. This mighty choral work will be sung by the Roedean Choir, joined by parents, staff, and local musicians. This promises to be a truly uplifting event.

Please book tickets in advance as this event does sell out.

You can purchase tickets either through the School or from the following link: https://www.brightonfringe.org/whats-on/roedean-festival-fringe-concert-161535/

HHH Just a nice photo of Year 9 HHH outside in the sun, taking footage for their nature documentaries!

Miss Vasquez

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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

Spanish Trip to Cervantes Theatre 'On Monday, we were fortunate enough to be able to travel to London to watch one of Lorca’s most well-known plays “La Casa de Bernarda Alba”, which is the play which us A Level students have been studying. Transporting us back to 1930s Spanish society, the play told the story of the wealthy, upper-class Bernarda and her daughters, during the mourning of Bernarda’s husband, where themes of repression, sexuality, and social class are prominent throughout the plot. Not only were we able to revise the storyline after studying the play since September (whilst also being able to make connections from our lessons and the live performance), but the Year 12s were able to experience Lorca’s work for the first time, which will inevitably help them understand the play when they come to studying it. Seeing the play live really helped us to gain further knowledge of the characters and key ideas, with the incredible acting displayed, which was amazing to watch. With such an intimate theatre too, we were able to emerse ourselves within the drama and notice details which we weren’t able to notice before seeing the performance as it was intended to be seen. Thank you to the Spanish Department for giving us this opportunity.'

Emily (Yr13)

House 3's Earth Hour House 3 spent Saturday's national Earth Hour taking time away from technology and enjoying time with each other. The first House 3 ‘Spoons Championship’ saw members from all year groups compete to be crowned the winner!

The not-so-traditional card game tested skill, luck, and, above all, reaction times. Kitty remained unbeatable after 20 regular rounds, and then several rounds of ‘spoons extreme’. A lot of fun was had by all as time flew by without the tech in this action-packed game!

Miss Wright

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31 March 2022 – Issue 12

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

Sixth Form Bond Night The Sixth Form and their guests celebrated another successful term with an evening of dancing, party food, casino card games, sparkling dresses, and more. The theme for the evening was Bond Night, and a special mention needs to go to Mr Marchant for making such an effort with his outfit!

Miss Carragher

Roedean X Brighton Period Project Well done to one of the Year 12 CAP groups, which has collected sanitary products to distribute in the local community who do not necessarily have access to them. The

students in the group are Georgia, Savina, Keira, Zoe, Christy, Shamina, Meagan, Gabby, Ellen, and Kelly.

Miss Cleary

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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

31 March 2022 – Issue 12

Founders' Day 2022 Last Friday marked Founders' Day, an important day in the School's calendar, when the community remembers our founding Lawrence sisters, and a candle is lit for each member of the Roedean community who has passed away recently. We were joined by forty guests and relatives at this poignant service, and it was fitting to hear two movements from Fauré's Requiem, including the Pie Jesu, sung so wonderfully by Ella in Year 10. There can be no doubt that Penelope, Millicent, and Dorothy Lawrence would be incredibly proud of what the School has become today.

One OR and Trustee who has attended many services said, 'Our Founders' Day service is a simple, gracious and warm service honouring our Founders. Each time I attend, I get prickles down my back. There is something comforting and calm about entering Roedean's chapel and listening to the service; it allows you time to think of the Lawrence sisters, fellow ORs, our loved ones and those who are no longer with us.'

Ella Singing in chapel

Mother's Day On Sunday, the whole of House 4 went for a walk together and were asked to take an amazing photograph.

At the end of our walk, I explained that in the UK it was Mother’s Day – all girls were then asked to send their favourite photo to their Mum, to wish her a beautiful day!

Mrs Wilson

Happy Easter We've had lots of Easter treats in House 4 and the girls particularly loved the Easter egg hunt around the House. It was a great way to enjoy the last night of term before the Easter break!

Mrs Wilson

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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

31 March 2022 – Issue 12

Spring Term – Weekend Activities This term has seen adrenaline filled, lung busting and 'out of this world' weekend experiences for our boarders. From Go Karting, Skiing, Ninja Warrior and Paintballing, to the London Dungeons, Immotion VR and the i360. There has been something for everyone. It was the first time that some of the trips have been included in the weekend programme and it is fair to say they have been a great success. It has been especially lovely to see students from all year groups getting involved in the range of options available. Look out for next term's more 'summer friendly' activities including Powerboating on the English channel and Paddleboarding on a beautiful local lake.

Mr Wilson

Entrepreneurs at Roedean On Monday, the students were privileged to hear three successful local entrepreneurs, who are members of The Brighton Chamber of Commerce, talk about their journeys, their businesses, but also why ethics is so important in Business. The entrepreneurs were Sanjay Lobo from OnHand, whose aim is to solve society’s biggest issues using technology, Victoria Vasiliauskaite from Roadways, who are committed to creating innovation in their industry to help the environment, and Mo Kanjilal from Watch This Sp_ce, who is aiming to help businesses understand the need for diverse teams in the workplace. After the talks, the audience had an opportunity to chat to the entrepreneurs over refreshments. The talks were inspiring and presented a very clear message about the need for ethical behaviour.

Mr Low

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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

31 March 2022 – Issue 12

Easter Cake for the Royal Alex and Rockinghorse Roedean has supported Rockinghorse for several years by organising Easter Egg collections, helping at the Brighton Marathon, and donating to the charity.

But for a second year in a row, they also wanted to do something to recognise the staff at the Alex and all the wonderful work they do during what has been an extremely stressful and pressurised time.

So, they challenged their Year 7 students to design an Easter cake for the staff at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital. Mrs Chamberlain, Head of Year 7 at Roedean, explained more: “Roedean have supported Rockinghorse for about six years and we’re committed to carrying on this support into the future. The charity so well known to the school as they are so close by and is such an amazing and inspiring charity."

“The Easter egg collection and cake competition is a great way for the girls to show their gratitude to the NHS and we really hope everyone in the Alex can enjoy a slice of this delicious cake!”

The competition was judged by the school’s expert pastry chef, Ruth Sambrook, and the opportunity to see their design made into a real cake by Ruth proved to be really popular with many entries received from across Year 7.

The fabulous winning design was created by Matilda as a celebration of the 55th anniversary of Rockinghorse Children’s Charity. Matilda said: “I decided on the number to represent the anniversary of Rockinghorse, and I chose the blue icing as it matched their colours."

“Then I decided to use the rainbow cake and decorations because it reminds me of happy things and of the NHS. I think everyone at the hospital really deserves this cake for all their hard work.”

The final cake looked wonderful when it was finished and delivered to the Alex along with 40 Easter Eggs donated by the Year 7 pupils.

And the staff were more than happy to accept it with Alice from the Play Team at the Alex commenting: “This cake is amazing! We can’t wait to share it around our colleagues at

the hospital. Having the support of the local community means so much to us and really gives us all a great boost. Thanks so much to all the brilliant pupils and staff from Roedean for all their support and generosity.”

Finalist in the RCSU Science Challenge Alyssa (Yr12) had the privilege of attending Imperial College’s RCSU Science Challenge final the other week as one of the shortlisted entries for this annual international Science Communication competition.

This year the theme was climate change, and the questions were set by Professor Lord Robert Winston, Professor Kathy Sykes, Professor Richard Templer, and Dr Paulo Ceppi, all of whom are passionate about science communication and climate change.

A Sight of BECCS by Alyssa

Alyssa created a video entry addressing this important topic by specifically looking at carbon capture methods – here video is available here for you to watch.

We are incredibly proud of Alyssa and her entry!

Dr Staniford Page 11

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

SPORT

Staff-Student Netball Staff-Student Netball, a highlight of the annual sporting calendar (!), didn't disappoint this year! Despite vastly superior skills, the girls won one match, and the staff, somehow won 3!

It was great fun – well done to everyone involved, and we're already looking forward to next year!

Dr Barrand

U12s Runners Up in the Sussex Cup! Last week, the U12s took on Hurst in a battle for the gold in the Sussex Cup. The team had beaten Hurst previously in their first match of the netball season, so it was anyone's game.

The sun was beaming over the girls for what

promised to be an exciting game. The squad was a large one for the game, with lots of different options to put on the court. All players impressed on the courts, with standout performances from Isabella for her relentless hustle and turnovers through court, and Poppy's vision into the attacking D. Unfortunately, it just wasn't our day – clawing the score back within 8 in the 3rd quarter, Hurst took the win on the final whistle. The girls played their absolute socks off in the heat, and kept their class and composure right to the end. It was silver medals that were placed around their necks and huge smiles across their faces. Well done Year 7 for a great end to a great season!

Miss Bamford

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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

U15A Netball vs Hurst U15B On Saturday, the U15As played their last match of the season. With a depleted squad, the team of 7 were ready to take on Hurst B for the second time this season. With a strong 7-1 lead, the girls relaxed into the game and played with some versatility from the second 12 minutes. With different combinations and almost all players taking to the shooting circle, the team ended the game on a 23-11 win. A special shout out to Solari for her Girl of the Game and A team debut all on the same day! Her defensive pressure through court was fantastic! Another strong and enjoyable end to an incredibly successful season of netball!

Miss Bamford

U15A

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U16B Netball vs Hurst

U12C Netball Unbeaten

This was the last game for some of the girls at Roedean and the last one for the Netball term.

Hurstpierpoint College was always going to be a challenge, but the girls played brilliantly all game. They were pushed every step of the way, and put some fantastic movements together to score some really good points. Megan was up against a towering figure in the defensive D, and therefore stopping her getting the ball looked very difficult. As the game went on, we scored more each quarter and pushed the opposition players all the way until the end. Well done on a great game and a good term of Netball.

Mr Campleman

'The U12C team netball match against St Andrew's Prep was a tremendous win with the ending score being 36-2. It was a great way to end of an amazing unbeaten season.

U14D Netball vs Hurst In the final game of the season, the U14Ds took on Hurstpierpoint College. On a sunny Saturday morning, the girls, with the addition of Indigo, Daisy, Jamie, and Amy, came out of the block with a high level of intensity and energy. The first quarter delivered a high scoring game, with both teams playing at a high intensity throughout. This then continued all the way through the fixture, with quick turnovers for both sides and some lovely play by the Roedean girls that moved the ball effectively and efficiently.

However, the game was not meant to be for the U14D team, as Hurst managed to score 9 in the third quarter which gave them the lead.

Whilst the scoreline was in favour of Hurst, the Roedean girls showed how hard they could work for the team, and they were all able to put in a high amount of energy throughout the match!

Well done to all, and the Girl of the Game went to Martha for her amazing shooting all the way through the match.

Mr Alexander-Buckley

Roedean 2nd VII

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The match started off very well, with centre passes smoothly moving down the court toward the shooters where they could take a shot.

Sabrina made it extremely difficult for the other team to have a chance in the shooting area. At the end of the first quarter, the score was 15-0 to us. Athena made some great opportunities towards the goal as our centre.

In the second quarter, we changed round the shooters to Polly and Miranda, and Zoe came on as GK, and when it got to half time the score was 26-0. Polly was on fire as our shooter and so was Miranda. For the third quarter, some players started in some new positions: Polly and Sienna stayed as shooters, but Sabrina came on as centre although she is normally a defensive player. Sabrina was as quick as a bullet, creating many chances for us. Sohana was a phenomenal defender and made some amazing interceptions. The score after the third quarter was 32-1, and Miss Wakeling decided to change the positions completely, having non-shooters Zoe and Athena come on as GS and GA. Each of them scored 2 goals and St. Andrew's scored 1, meaning the final score was 36-2. Athena made an amazing shot in the first second and then later Zoe made some great shots. Blaize was a very confident centre making many smart decisions.

We can't thank Miss Wakeling more for everything that she has done. She has been such an inspiring coach. Congratulations to Polly for being Girl of the Game.'

Sienna and Miranda (Yr7)

31 March 2022 – Issue 12

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

HOUSE NETBALL

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