Head's Weekly Review - 6 September 19 - Issue 1

6 September 2019 - Issue 1

HEAD’S

WEEKLY REVIEW

Head’s Introduction Welcome to our first Weekly Review of the new academic year.

It has been wonderful to see everyone’s excitement, whether new to Roedean or returning, at coming together as part of our community.

There is a very positive buzz around School with a strong sense of anticipation for what is to come, which is brilliant. I am delighted to see that many of those who have just joined Roedean seem to have settled very quickly. Of course, it can also be difficult to find your feet and your way, and we are all here to continue to help and support.

We are all collectively proud of the girls’ impressive achievements at A Level and GCSE, and it was lovely to share their sheer delight on the Results’ Days, when they discovered that all their hard work had been worth it. You can read some of the figures and individual stories in this Review, but I would like to congratulate every student who took public examinations last year – well done!

Reflecting the genuinely holistic nature of the School, it is fantastic to be able to report some outstanding individual success stories from the summer in this Review: I am very pleased to hear about Distinctions across the board in LAMDA, two Grade 8 Distinctions in Music among a raft of excellent results, as well as Liv representing GB for Water Polo, and three Roedean girls competing excellently at the World Street Dance Championships – congratulations!

We have also returned to School to discover that Roedean has been shortlisted for 3 national awards for independent schools, which is brilliant recognition of the School’s achievements and developments over the last year, and we wait with bated breath to see whether Roedean wins any of the categories in October.

The new year has begun with a well-attended Sports Reception on Tuesday, and a Scholars’ Tea yesterday, as well as Co-Curricular Fairs where the students could find out about the many activities which take place for them every week. The girls have also had their first experience of Vertical Tutoring this week - this was proposed by the Prefect Team to help integration between the yeargroups, so everyone will be in mixed tutor-groups on two mornings each week, sharing ideas and experiences.

We seem to have packed a lot into the first week, including a visit from one of our Sports Ambassadors, the Olympic Gold Medallist, Helen Richardson-Walsh, who worked with every girl in Years 7 and 8 for the Pre-Season Hockey Training on Wednesday. I know that many of the girls absolutely loved this experience, and this ties in with my message to the School in First Chapel about seeking out role-models and taking inspiration from them to inspire ourselves with renewed optimism and a clear vision for ourselves.

I wish you all a wonderful new term at Roedean – good luck!

Roedean – Shortlisted for Girls’ School of the Year The School is delighted to have been shortlisted for three different categories as part of the Independent School Parent magazine's Independent School of the Year awards: ■■

Girls School of the Year

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Performing Arts School of the Year

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Rising Star Award

The last award is in recognition of the great speed-skating successes Alex (Yr8) has had over the last year. Only one year ago, Maria Paduroiu, our Charity Prefect who is now studying Criminal Psychology at university, was the winner of the Rising Star Award, and we are all hoping to see her competing at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

The winners of each category will be announced in October, but shortlisting is, in itself, a wonderful accolade for Roedean.

Pre-Season Hockey Training with an Olympic Champion Every girl in Years 7 and 8 had the wonderful opportunity to work with Helen Richardson-Walsh this week, and they loved being on the astro in the sunshine, on a carousel practising different hockey skills with Helen and Roedean’s PE staff. We are incredibly proud that Helen and Kate RichardsonWalsh, who won Gold at the Rio 2016 Olympics, are our Sports Ambassadors – they have such a wealth of knowledge and experience to share with the girls, and we are already looking forward to their next visit!

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

AMBASSADORS

Roedean Ambassadors – inspiring role-models It is incredibly empowering for the girls to have regular contact with successful and inspirational female role-models. This is why holding events like International Women’s Day and hearing visiting speakers and authors is so important – we are also very proud to have a number of Ambassadors, representing different areas of school life.

We have been very fortunate to have Rose Hudson-Wilkin as our Honorary Chaplain over the past few years, and the girls have been enthralled whenever they heard her speak. We are delighted and proud that she will be taking up the role as Bishop of Dover, the first black female bishop in the Church of England – this does unfortunately mean that Rose will be unable to continue coming to Roedean so frequently, but we are so pleased for her.

her remarkable achievements and challenges undertaken, completely inspirational – they were talking about it for weeks afterwards, so we are sure that she will make a deep impression on the girls in this field which is already a great strength of the School.

Our Ambassadors’ visits over the coming year will, no doubt, be a series of wonderful events.

We are very pleased that two new ambassadors will be joining Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh, our Olympic Champion Sports Ambassadors, to swell the ranks this year. The first new ambassador is an Old Roedeanian, Anabela Chan, who is an incredibly successful jewellery designer. She has a strong background in Art and Design, and she will be the School’s Ambassador for the Creative Arts. Her pieces are worn by such celebrities as Lady Gaga, Julia Roberts, and Rihanna, and she is in great demand.

The second new ambassador is Dr Suzie Imber, Professor of Space Physics at Leicester University, who will be our STEM Ambassador. Suzie came to Roedean to speak at International Women’s Day last academic year, and the girls found her obvious passion for Science, coupled with

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6 September 2019 - Issue 1

6 September 2019 - Issue 1

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

New Staff

An Inspirational Young Woman

Name: Mrs Jodie Chamberlain Role: Teacher of Religion and Philosophy University: BA (Hons) in History (Aberystwyth) Previous school: Cardinal Newman Catholic School, Hove Interests: Skiing, reading, travelling, and cooking You’d never guess... I was once in a pop video for an 80s singer called 'Sinitta'!

In First Chapel, the Headmaster shared his thoughts on ‘skipping school’:

don’t want to talk to them either. We want them to talk to the scientists.’

As the world is ever more full of disagreement and short-term thinking, as the language we hear is about difference and division, it is more important than ever people to keep our own minds steady and clear. To avoid being drawn into opposition, and to keep our sense of self and our own values. And to do that, we do need help. Sometimes from friends and family, but sometimes, also from role models or, if I want to me more dramatic, our heroes.

In a single year, her personal action has launched a global movement, different from many, not in its focus on saving the planet and promoting action on climate change, but in its relevance to young people. Her actions led to millions of students leaving school and campaigning for action on climate change. Her sense of the importance of the future has captured a feeling in many young people that politics is not serving the best interests of our world.

We do need role models as it’s important for us to see people doing things that we admire, that inspire us and make us feel more optimistic and empowered. In this Chapel, you are surrounded by role models. There are 640 girls who are role models. You might never know it yourself, but you too, might be a role model for someone else. The staff here are role models. People who have dedicated their careers to the helping other people to fulfil their potential.

Of course, this movement led to criticism about young people being out of school. Many voices argued that young people could get an education, and campaign, in a different way.

That missed the point. Greta Thunberg was actively, purposefully ‘sacrificing’ something she knew to be important to her future, ‘education’ because she was putting the needs of the planet above her own. She has a startling sincerity and simplicity mixed with a calm determination.

But there are other role models here. Can you see them? Look around. The Chapel is unlike other Chapels where the windows and walls are full of men. Here, the examples chosen to surround you are almost all women. The Founders of Roedean thought that it was important that you were surrounded by women who made a difference to help you envisage what is possible from for yourself. One example is Joan of Arc, a French heroine who fought the English in a number of battles in the 15th Century. A warrior saint who was burned at the stake aged 19. Another example is Florence Nightingale, who became a nurse in the Crimea War in the 1850, fought for social reform and female participation in society.

She said: “I attribute my success to this – I never gave or took any excuse”.

‘We must stop competing with each other,’ she said. ‘We must cooperate and work together to share the resources of the planet is a fair way. We need to start living within the planetary boundary and focus on equity and take a few steps back for the sake of all living species.’ She urged us to ‘take responsibility and see the big picture’. She talks about listening, fairness, equality and the future and she is fierce with it. A social reformer like Florence Nightingale, with the bravery of Joan of Arc.

Name: Mrs Nicky Shrubsole Role: Head of Year 10 University: BA (Hons) in Sports Science & Early Childhood Studies (Canterbury Christ Church University) Previous school: Bellerby’s College, Brighton Interests: Walking, sports, theatre, and reading You’d never guess... I used to be a figure skater and have practised Jujitsu Name: Miss Charlotte Le Bihan Role: Director of Boarding, Housemistress of House 1, French and Spanish Teacher University: Double Licence from Aix-en-Provence University (France) in English and French Literature Previous school: Wellington College as Head of French Interests: Open water swimming, diving, dance, travel You’d never guess... I once appeared in a TV commercial for a swimming pool cleaning product broadcast over a summer on French TV!

Miss Phillips is in print!

Congratulations to Miss Phillips, who was our Art Technician last year and is changing roles this year to teach in the Art Department, for being featured in this new book, just published this summer.

https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk/titles/ frances-stanfield/the-printmaking-ideasbook/9781781576991/

But we have to keep our current role models to the fore. A year ago this month, a fifteen year old girl with two long pigtails a checked shirt and startling sincerity, started to skip school each Friday. She travelled to the Swedish parliament and stood there, alone, with a hand-made sign saying, ‘School Strike for Climate’. Last week, Greta Thunberg completed a 15-day sailboat journey across the Atlantic from Sweden to New York on a yacht to avoid carbon emissions to speak at the UN Climate Summit. She does not talk about division, but unity, under the slogan ‘Unite behind the Science’.

Her passion and courage is compelling. Her language is new, fresh and different. ‘We need a new way of thinking,’ she said. ‘Your system is all about competition, all that matters is to win to get power, all that must come to an end.’

She sees the big-picture and thinks long-term, as the world seems too focused either on the time-frame of a politician’s tenure or the press’s need for daily headlines. She thinks that neither perspective will save the planet. ‘The Politicians don’t want to talk to us,’ she said. ‘Good, we Page 3

At the start of this academic year, I want to propose Greta Thunberg as an inspirational role models, because she represents the voice of you, the next generation, and it is a striking, compelling and inspiring voice. ‘We children are doing this to wake the adults up. For you to put your differences aside and start acting like you would in a crisis.’ Also, because she celebrates difference. She was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome and said: ‘Being different is a gift.

It makes me see things from outside the box. I don’t easily fall for lies, I can see through things.

If I would’ve been like everyone else, I wouldn’t have started this school strike for instance.’

A single act led to a wave of protests on an unprecedented scale. One definition of a true conservationist is someone who believes that: ‘We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.’ To change people’s actions, you need to change their minds and their view of their place in the world, so that we see the world as something that belongs to the future, to you, and to the generations that will follow you. And we must, therefore, look after it.

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

6 September 2019 - Issue 1

Excellent Results in Public Examinations Congratulations to all the students who got their examination results last month – the following provide a snapshot into a cross-section of some of the girls’ stories:

AN APPRENTICESHIP IN SINGAPORE FOR HOLLY-ANN

PALOMA’S GOING TO CAMBRIDGE

IDENTICAL GRADES FOR IDENTICAL TWINS

Congratulations to Paloma, who achieved A*A*A at A Levels in Spanish, History, and English Literature. These brilliant grades mean that she will take up her place at Newnham College Cambridge in October, where she will read Spanish and Portuguese. Paloma is also a talented harpist, and is proud to have reached the Final of Miss Brighton: ‘In this ‘Me Too’ era, I think it is more important than ever that women are seen not simply for their outer beauty and I wanted to prove that you can be intelligent and academic as well.’

Identical twins, Bryony and Anya, who won Sixth Form Scholarships to Roedean have both achieved A*AA in their A Levels. They leave School to study similar subjects but at opposite ends of the country: Bryony will head to Exeter to study PPE, while Anya is going up to St Andrews to study International Relations. Bryony said: ‘We are so delighted that we achieved the same grades and got our places at uni. We do talk about politics quite a lot at home and tend to agree on most things.

It’s just been part of our lives to discuss what’s going on around us, so it’s natural that we are going on to study it – just at opposite ends of the country! We haven’t fallen out – they were just the courses that we wanted!”

VICTORIA’S THE TOP PERFORMER NATIONALLY!

AVA TREADS THE BOARDS ON THE WAY TO TOP GRADES

Victoria achieved a clean sweep of twelve Grade 9s at GCSE – this means that she is 1 of just 10 students in the country who achieved so highly! This is a truly exceptional achievement.

However, not only is she a top academic, but also a wonderfully talented artist and Head of House 1. She could hardly believe how well she has done: ‘I am still feeling shocked and a bit numb.

I am so proud of what I’ve achieved.’ Victoria will be taking A Levels in Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics, and there is no doubt that she has a very bright future!

Congratulations to Ava, who achieved six Grades 9-8 (the old A*) out of ten subjects, on top of performing on stage at a very high level – last academic year alone, she had the lead in Chicago in a Brighton Theatre, she played the lead character in Cabaret in the Roedean’s Theatre, and she sang solo as part of the Brighton Festival Fringe Festival. It is a wonderful achievement to get such great GCSE grades while performing at such a high level. Ava is looking forward to studying Mathematics, Theatre Studies, and Psychology at A Level – and we can’t wait to see her next show!

ARTS AND SCIENCES FOR MARY

DEMI – A TOP ALL-ROUNDER

Mary loved her time in the Sixth Form at Roedean, where she was able to pursue her passions, combining the artistic and the scientific. She got A*AA in Art, Chemistry, and Mathematics.

She leaves Roedean to study Arts and Sciences at University College London, an unusual degree course which matches her interests perfectly. Mary was a TeenTech finalist, enjoyed playing Netball, performing on stage, and her leadership position as Deputy Head Girl, as well as spending hours researching Vorticism, a little-known and short-lived art movement in the 1910s!

Well done to Demi, who achieved a brilliant haul of ten GCSEs at Grades 9-7 – straight A*-A in the old grading! The results are excellent, particularly given all of the other things she does: she was one of the Sports Leaders who designed and led weekly PE sessions for the children at our partner state primary, she choreographed the winning House Dance routine this year, and she plays in the 1st Netball squad. Demi is looking forward to taking English Literature, Psychology, and Chemistry at A Level.

Amelie is just so happy that all of her hard work paid off. She achieved ten GCSE results with Grades 9-7, including seven Grades 9-8, which equate to the old A*. ‘I worked so hard, so I’m really pleased – it was tricky to balance my work with other interests, but I managed and I got a Distinction at Grade 8 Singing at the end of last term too!’

Amelie is excited at the prospect of studying History, Music, Chemistry, and English at A Level at Roedean.

FRENCH AND POLITICS FOR ZARBANU

ENGLISH AT EXETER FOR SORCHA

CENTRAL ST MARTIN’S FOR JINGXUAN

Congratulations to Zarbanu, who has achieved A*AB at A Level French, Music, and Chemistry.

Given the current turbulent times politically and our relationship with Europe, she has chosen to study French and Politics at Edinburgh University.

Zarbanu was one of the Deputy Head Girls, and she threw herself into Roedean life; she was always fully involved in both the musical and sporting life of the school, and she played for the 1st Netball Goal Shooter and got a Distinction at Grade 8 Singing.

Sorcha joined Roedean in Year 10, and it was immediately clear that she would make her mark on the School. She achieved excellent grades, with As in English Literature and Classical Civilisation A Levels, and a M3 in Pre-U Philosophy. She is looking forward to studying English Literature at her first-choice university, Exeter. Sorcha’s passion is the stage and singing, and she threw herself into the Performing Arts at the School, as well as running a children’s theatre group in Brighton. She was also Deputy Head Girl, and demonstrated outstanding leadership skills – she has a bright future!

Well done to Jingxuan, whose amazing three A* grades at A Level, mean she has won a highlycoveted place at Central St Martin’s to study Textile Design – this is one of the top courses in the country, but they recognised her amazing talent. The Art Department, which is festooned with wonderful examples of her installations, weaving work, and paintings, is incredibly proud of her achievement – she is certainly one to look out for in the future!

EIGHT GRADE 9s FOR TABITHA

3 A*s FOR MAGGIE – SHE’S OFF TO LSE

RACHAEL THRIVES IN OUR POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT

Congratulations to Tabitha, who achieved eight Grade 9s in her GCSEs; she was delighted with her results: ‘I am so relieved and really excited now about starting the Sixth Form. I just didn’t expect to be so overwhelmed!’ She has high aspirations, and she will take A Levels in Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics – she is aiming for a career in Medicine. Her results are fantastic, and she will go far!

Well done to Maggie, who achieved three top A* grades in Mathematics, Further Mathematics, and Physics. She leaves Roedean to study Mathematics and Economics at the prestigious London School of Economics (LSE), where we have no doubt that she will thrive. Maggie arrived at School three years ago from China, and she has shown herself to be a dedicated academic throughout her time here – we are incredibly proud of her achievements!

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Holly-Ann joined the Sixth Form at Roedean to study Mathematics, Business Studies, and English Literature, and she is very proud to have achieved three B grades. She decided that she wanted to pursue one of the new apprenticeship schemes available as an alternative to university, and we are delighted that she won places with two respected companies. Holly-Ann sets off next week to Singapore to begin her apprenticeship, with guaranteed employment for eight years, as well as a range of professional qualifications – well done, and good luck!

FULL HOUSE OF 9s FOR GENEVIEVE Genevieve was absolutely delighted to achieve a remarkable full house of ten GCSE Grade 9s: ‘I was secretly hoping for it, but it never crossed my mind that I’d actually pull it off!’ She is really looking forward to the challenge of taking A Levels in History, Mathematics, Further Maths, and Latin – she will thrive in the Sixth Form, and Roedean is incredibly proud of her.

EXCELLENT GRADES FOR ALL-ROUNDER AMELIE

Rachael achieved eight Grade 9s in her GCSEs, along with an 8 and a 7. She is almost as delighted for all her friends as she is for herself: ‘It just goes to show that when you’re surrounded by supportive teachers and friends, it gives you that little bit extra to get you over the line – I’m so pleased.’

She will be taking English Literature, Mathematics, and Psychology at A Level in the Sixth Form.

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

Top A Level results for Roedean!

We are delighted that 22.4% of all A Level grades have been awarded A*, our second best results in over a decade, and that 54.8% were at A*A, showing a second year of improvement in the number of top grades.

Roedean’s academic strength in depth is especially impressive, with 44% of students achieving at least one A* grade, 81% with at least one A* or A grade, and 8% of the cohort were awarded 3 A* grades or more.

Nevertheless, it is important to remember that top A Level grades are not the be all and end all, and it is also wonderful that 94.3% of the girls have achieved A*-C grades. We are delighted and proud that all of the students’ hard work over the last two years in the Sixth Form has resulted in these excellent grades.

We are very happy that, of last year’s Year 13, over 62% will be taking up places at Russell Group universities, and others are going on to top programmes at Central St Martin’s and abroad. At a time when young women pursuing STEM subjects is very low nationally, Roedean continues to buck this trend, and twelve of the cohort’s top performers are pursuing undergraduate courses in STEM, at top universities which include Cambridge, University College London, Imperial, LSE, and Durham. It is wonderful that four students will be taking up places on highly competitive medical courses: Ishika and Liv have places for Medicine at Queen Mary’s London and St Andrew’s, and Samantha and Angela will be studying Veterinary Medicine at Edinburgh and the Royal Veterinary College.

Well done to everyone!

22.4%

Roedean is incredibly proud of the students’ outstanding GCSEs results!

Congratulations to all Roedean students on achieving excellent GCSE examination results. Across 1000 GCSE examinations, the majority of grades were at the highest possible Grade 8 or 9 level, and a third achieved the top 9 grade. This represents the highest ever proportion at this level in the School’s history, with 51.3% at Grades 9-8, and 32.3% at Grade 9.

Roedean’s phenomenal growth over the last 5 years has resulted in its largest ever GCSE cohort, and it’s impressive to see that the girls have maintained nearly 70% Grades 9-7 (previously A*-A grades). Over a third of the girls achieved Grade 9 or 8 in eight or more of their subjects, and 28 girls were awarded at least nine 8-9 grades. Furthermore, over a quarter of the cohort achieved the highly-coveted Grade 9 in five or more of their subjects – in light of the more rigorous and more acutely assessed GCSEs across all subjects, this is an outstanding achievement.

Roedean is delighted that all the girls’ hard work has been worth it, and there have been some wonderful individual successes: Gracie and Lily achieved nine Grade 9s; and Genevieve, Isabelle, Shereen, and Eden all have ten GCSEs at Grade 9. However, particular congratulations go to Victoria, who has a spectacular clean sweep of twelve Grade 9s – this puts her as one of the top 10 students in the entire country!

54.8%

of all A Level grades have been awarded A*

of all A Level grades were at A* - A

44%

94.3%

of students achieving at least one A* grade at A Level

6 September 2019 - Issue 1

of all A Level grades were at A*-C grades

Majority of GCSE grades were at the highest possible Grade

8 or 9 level Third of the girls achieved Grade

9 or 8

in eight or more of their subjects

Amazing Exam Results for LAMDA and Music Congratulations to all those who took LAMDA and Music examinations at the end of last term!

achieved 100% in her Grade 4 Musical Theatre exam – these are outstanding!

The results are excellent – 18 students took LAMDA exams, and all 18 were awarded Distinctions! Of these, Clara and Scarlet (Yr13), and Mary (from last year’s Yr13) passed Grade 8 Performance with Distinction, and Amelia (Yr9)

In Music, 54 performance and theory examinations were taken, and these included some exceptional results for students across the school in Years 7-13. Particular congratulations go to four students who achieved Grade 8: Page 5

Zarbanu (ex-Yr 13) was awarded a Distinction for Singing, Sahar (Yr12) on Bassoon, Sorcha (ex-Yr13) achieved a Merit in Singing, and Amelie (Yr12) achieved a Distinction with a remarkable 140/150 in Singing.

These brilliant results underline Roedean’s fantastic strength in depth in the Performing Arts!

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

6 September 2019 - Issue 1

Rosie in Kefalonia In August, using my Air Land and Sea funding from School, I was lucky enough to participate in a Turtle Conservation Project in Kefalonia, Greece.

I loved my experience working with the charity, Wildlife Sense, as it was incredibly hands-on. Each morning, we would survey the local beaches, health-checking and measuring the progress of the nests. However, the highlight was doing ‘hatchling rescue’, a night survey where we slept on the beaches and helped to ensure all the hatchlings made it safely into the sea and were not distracted by light pollution.

I had a fantastic time, as not only did I learn lots about the ‘caretta caretta’, but I also experienced the amazing Greek culture and made a fantastic group of friends! I'm very grateful for the opportunity of this Air Land and Sea Award – it was an invaluable experience that I'll never forget.

You may have seen that Roedean has been in the press a great deal recently, particularly with coverage about out students’ excellent A Level and GCSE achievements. This very interesting article is also in the latest edition of the Spectator, and it talks incredibly positively about education for girls, boarding, and mobile devices – please follow the link to read the full article: https://life.spectator.co.uk/articles/talking-heads-roedeans-oliver-blondon-etiquette-lessons-and-luxury-boarding-houses/

Geography’s Quality at Roedean!

Congratulations to the Geography Department, which has been awarded the ‘Secondary Geography Quality Mark’ by the Geographical Association, in recognition of excellence in teaching and learning in Geography. Well done to Mr Sheriff, Miss Smith, and Mrs Sharp for all their hard work, and for the evidence gathering and reflective process which was required to achieve this standard.

Mr Sheriff reports that going through the process was extremely useful to generate reflection on the different aspects of the department and for thinking about future developments.

Well done!

Co-Curricular Fairs

House 4 boarders decorate their door signs

This week, every girl in School has been to the Co-Curricular Fairs and going through this year’s booklet to decide which activities she wants to try out – there are over 60 activities on offer each week, so there really is something for everyone!

Last Thursday evening, House 4 boarders were busy making name signs for their doors once they had all returned.

https://bit.ly/2k34LNj

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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

Jumpin Jumpin Fun made for a brilliant Sixth Form community event to start off the year!

Roedean Dance Scholars at the World Street Dance Championships!

Amelie H (Yr11), Laila E (Yr9), and India H (Yr8) all qualified to compete in the most prestigious event of the street dance calendar, the United Dance Organisation (UDO) World Street Dance Championships, which were held this year in Blackpool in August. They danced over 4 days, and won through to the finals. The weekend was electrifying, with teams from over 35 countries around the world competing. All teams had to qualify top 3 in their country or regional finals to take part.

Amelie’s crew, OriGen, the current Under 18 Southern Champions and Over 18 UK Champions, competed in the Under 18 category, along with 70 other teams. They danced brilliantly and won through to a final of 11 teams with a score placing them in 4th position. After a fierce competition, they pushed even harder and were eventually awarded third place. The official

video from the final can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUHeWnm_ DCk India and Laila dance with Defiance, previously crowned Under 14 2018 European Champions and the current Under 14 South Coast, Southern, and UK Champions. There were 79 teams in the Under 14 category and Defiance also won through to compete in the Under 14 advanced final – their creative routine fusing street dance and contemporary meant that they were awarded third place. The official video from the final can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYjdcHVekp4 Congratulations to the girls for these successes – what an achievement!

Galina in the National Children’s Orchestra Following a week’s residential course at Rossall School near Blackpool, Galina performed with the National Children’s Under 12 Orchestra at Birmingham Town Hall.

The programme was entitled ‘Dream, Fantasy, Nightmare’, and it included Mussorgsky’s A Night on a Bare Mountain, Jurassic Park by John Williams, The Vertigo Suite by Herrmann, ‘The Dream Pantomime’ from Hansel and Gretel by Humperdinck, and the Gadfly Suite by Shostakovich, with Galina performing on both Clarinet and Bass Clarinet.

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The concert ended with a 5-minute standing ovation for the extraordinary performances of the 12-year old musicians, and the 8 hours a day spent rehearsing during the residential course paid off. Rehearsals for the concert totalled 50 hours – a combination of full and sectional rehearsals over the 7 days!

Galina absolutely loved the experience and the challenge of working with a group of incredibly talented musicians.

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

6 September 2019 - Issue 1

ADVICE FROM THE PREFECTS AT THE START OF THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR

Rosie

Florence

Deputy Head of School

Head of School

On my first day in Year 9 I knew I wanted to get good results but also have fun, be involved, and make friends for life – for some of you, on your first day, you might be thinking the same sorts of things. I do believe I have already achieved those ambitions, but I really want to make sure I embrace my final year at Roedean. I have to set myself challenges. I don’t want to finish next summer and look back and think I wished I’d done this or gone to that.

Hello and welcome everyone. Whether you are returning to Roedean or starting for the first time this week, the start of a school year is new for everyone. Although exciting, new beginnings don’t come without anxieties. A big worry for me when I joined Roedean was getting lost. I needn’t have worried though – there are so many friendly girls and staff who are more than happy to show you to wherever you need to be.

So here’s my advice to all of you: do everything you can to enjoy your years here to make sure you can look back and be proud of all the great things you did while you were here, knowing that you made the absolute most of your Roedean experience – take every single opportunity you get and give it everything you’ve got.

For all of us, entering a new school year may seem daunting, especially those going into a new key stage, or starting GCSE and A Level courses.

Knowing who to go to for help is important too – at Roedean you really can ask anyone – your tutor, Head of Year, the Pastoral Prefects, and peer listeners. I hope that you all have a very successful year and achieve all that you would like to.

Constance

Leila

I started Roedean last year and it did not take me long to feel at home. Balance your school work with fun activities, Roedean offers many different clubs ranging from the arts to helping out on the farm and I made sure to keep up my interest in Chemistry even though I am taking Music, Drama and English Literature as my A-level subjects.

Smiling and being friendly are the best and easiest ways to make new friends and remember everyone else is just as nervous as you so try to step out of your comfort zones as you are now a part of the Roedean family.

Starting a new school year is always exciting!

After a two month break, it is a good time to pick ourselves up and look ahead to all the upcoming events. My attitude to the new term is to keep calm, carry on and have fun! And I recommend that you think about the new school year in the same way!

For girls who are new to the school, I’d like to say a big welcome!

Roedean is a big family with the friendliest atmosphere! Try not to be shy, and ask for help whenever you need.

Big and Little Sisters getting to know each other!

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HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

Silver for Sophie Sophie N (Yr10) has taken part in a number of competitions over the summer, and she has done really well: ‘I have competed in quite a few races, but the most important were probably the South of England inter-counties and the Sussex 3K Championships that I raced in over the weekend.

The South of England competition wasn't my best race – I competed in 1500m and came 11th. It was a very hot day and I had a bad start to the race, so I was hoping to do better next time. On Sunday, I competed in the Sussex 3k event, and I placed 2nd, winning a Silver medal, with a time of 11 minutes 13 seconds. I’m really pleased, because it was my first 3k on the track, and it was quite hot again so I'm glad I finished.

I am about to start the Cross-Country season, and I'm moving into the Under 17 age category, which will definitely be a challenge!’

Netball Pre-Season It was fantastic to see 74 enthusiastic girls playing in Netball Pre-Season this weekend.

The girls completed skills circuits, worked on ball-handling skills, and played conditioned games. It was a great start to the season.

Congratulations to Amelia K (Yr9) who has been selected for the County Netball Squad, and Ava L (Yr9) who got into the County U15 Development Squad – these are fantastic achievements. There were lots of applicants for Amelia’s squad, which is open to Year 10 girls too, and only 18 girls were selected for the whole of Sussex.

Liv represented GB in the European Champs!

Well done to Liv H (Yr12), who made the final selection cut in August to represent Great Britain Junior Women in the European Water Polo Championships. Domestic training has taken place in Manchester, once every three weekends, since last year, and she then joined the GB Junior Women's Water Polo team in the summer to attend a training camp and tournament in Hungary, that they went on to win. Preparations for the Europeans continued in Romania, where the team took part in some international friendly matches. This week, they have been in Volos, Greece, playing against some of the world's best teams in the LEN European Championships.

JJ WHAT’S COMING UP IN THE

BOOK WEEK

WEEK AHEAD?

Mon 9 Sept

Aisha Bushby Author Workshop Roedean Academic Lecture: Romantic Literature U14A&B, U15A & 1st Hockey vs Christ’s Hospital (A) Year 9-13 Dance Scholars’ Commercial Dance Workshop and teatime Recital

Tue 10 Sept

Aisha Bushby Author Workshop Inter-House Book Quiz

Wed 11 Sept

Years 8&9 Author Event Junior Dance Company Auditions

Thur 12 Sept

U14 Netball vs Southend High School for Girls (A) Junior Dance Company Auditions Launch of Artemis: Performing Arts School

Fri 13 Sept

Year 7 Arundel Castle Trip Years 8&9 Sarah Juckes Author Talk Senior Dance Company Auditions Sixth Form Social Evening

Sat 14 Sept

U14A&B and 1st Hockey vs Seaford College (H) U15A&B and 2nd Hockey vs Seaford College (A)

Liv has trained incredibly hard to break into the squad, and it is wonderful that her achievements have been supported by the Sussex Masonic Charitable Foundation and the Pebble Trust. She's back for two weeks before heading to the Czech Republic to compete in the EU Nations. We wish her all the best!

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