ISSUE 39

13 December 2024

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Dear Parents and Carers

The Christmas Trees are sparkling, doors and walls are decorated, and the Main Hall is adorned with lights, snowflakes and tinsel - Christmas has now very much arrived at Rosebery.

It was lovely to see so many of the girls in their Christmas jumpers today (in aid of Save the Children), and I am grateful for all donations that have been made for Epsom Pantry over the last fortnight and today – this is a wonderful partnership that goes from strength to strength. In a similar vein, it was lovely to hear about the Year 9 visit to a local care home, to spread some Christmas cheer and kindness on Wednesday, and I could hear from my office the wonderful time Year 7 were having at their Christmas Party that evening, hosted by the new Senior Prefect Team.

House football was also a roaring success which you can read more about in later sections of Rosebery News, and I must doff my cap to our scientists, who performed brilliantly well at the RSC Top of the Bench Chemistry Competition at City of London Freemen’s School.

Head of Science Mr Hiller reported: “On Monday, I had the pleasure of taking 4 students to compete in this tough chemistry competition run by the Royal Society of Chemistry. The girls were fantastic, tackling the practical and written assessments with bravery and determination. Competing against 6 other schools (all private) they ended up taking 2nd place only missing 1st by a couple of points! Well done to Isabelle L and Quinn H 9PX, Aaliyah-Zaina R 10EY and Grace B 11MX.”

On the theme of celebrating success, you may have seen that we were listed in The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide as one of the Top 10 comprehensive schools in the South East of England, which is lovely recognition of the exceptional work that continues to go from strength to strength at Rosebery.

As I am sure you are aware, next week is a jam-packed week in the run up to Christmas and the end of Term on Thursday. It is the annual Christmas Concert on Monday Evening, Christmas Lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Senior Prize Giving for the Classes of 2024 on Wednesday evening. We also have Celebration Assemblies and extended form times running throughout the week, so you may wish to note that Period 1 starts at the later time of 9am next week. Finally, please note that students will be dismissed at 12.00pm on Thursday 19 December for the Christmas holidays – they return on Tuesday 7 January at 8.30am, but you will receive more details on that in next week’s, End of Term edition of Rosebery News.

Have a lovely weekend.

David Lach

HEAD OF SCHOOL

Christmas Lunch - No Lunchtime Grab & Go (Tuesday and Wednesday)

As per the above, students will be enjoying Christmas lunch next week: Tuesday for Year 7 & Year 8 and Wednesday for all other year groups.

If your daughter has booked a Christmas lunch, please ensure that she has sufficient credit on her ParentPay account beforehand, as the cost of £4.25 will be debited on the day.

Please note that Grab & Go will be closed to all students on both days at lunchtime. Therefore, students who have not booked Christmas lunch on either date, are encouraged to buy sufficient food at break for them to eat at lunchtime, or bring food with them from home.

SPT Weekly Update

This week saw our 2024 Senior Prefect Team signing out for the final time and thanking all students for their support, followed by our 2025 team sharing their hopes and plans for the next academic year.

Re-edited last video .mov

Miss Canessa - Acting Director of Student Experience, Transition & Citizenship

TABLE OF CONTENTS - click to jump to an entry

Week 1: w/c Monday 13 January

Christmas Card Competition

Christmas Markets Trip

Rosebery Street Dance

Executive Headteacher Commendations

Key Dates - all dates subject to change

Week 2: w/c Monday 6 January

Monday 16 December

Christmas Concert (rehearsals during the school day)

Y11 SEN Parents Evening (virtual)

Tuesday 17 December

Student Christmas Lunch (Y7 & Y8)

Wednesday 18 December

Student Christmas Lunch (Y9, Y10, Y11, Y12 & Y13)

Prize Giving Evening

Thursday 19 December

Early finish for students at 12.00pm

Week 1: w/c Monday 13 January

Monday 13 January - Friday 17 January

Y7 & Y8 Rolling Read

Tuesday 14 January

Y10 Work Hard, Dream Big

Friday 17 December

Y7 Elephant's Tea Party

Head of Year Entries

YEAR 7

It has been another action-packed week for our Year 7 students filled with energy, enthusiasm, and a real sense of teamwork. A big congratulations goes to the Year 7 students who represented their house in the House Football competition. They all demonstrated incredible teamwork, dedication, and sportsmanship as they played their hearts out for their houses. It was inspiring to witness such a strong display of house pride and commitment.

Each morning this week, Year 7 have been gathering with housemates in other year groups for their house assemblies led by the Senior Prefect Team. They reflected on the exciting house events of the past year, celebrated their achievements, introduced the new house prefects, learnt their new anthems, and fostered a strong sense of house spirit. A special mention must go to Curie house, who earned the most merits over the past year.

On Wednesday, Year 7 celebrated the holiday season at their Christmas Party organised by our Year 12 champions. The event was a festive extravaganza, filled with creative crafts, fun games, and plenty of delicious Christmas treats. The festive cheer was infectious and it was lovely for Year 7 to come together and celebrate the festive season.

As we approach the end of the term, I would like to take a moment to remind parents and carers to encourage students to remain kind and considerate both in person and on social media. December can be a busy and tiring time for everyone, and it’s easy for tensions to rise. However, we must remember that kindness and respect are more important than ever. Whether in person or online, students should be reminded to maintain empathy and to treat one another with kindness and respect. Please encourage your daughter to take a moment to check in with her friends, be patient with others, and remember the power of a kind word or gesture.

⭐ STARS OF THE WEEK ⭐

7CX: Fatema F - for coming up with lots of great ideas for Children in Need fundraising (including the winning idea for 7CX).

7CY: Liv Y - for being a supportive and helpful member of the form group during our skipathon challenge!

7EX: Riya R - for coming up with some great ideas for our fundraising project.

7EY: Charlotte H - for coming up with loads of ideas for Children in Need fundraising (including our chosen idea).

7MX: Seraphina W - for putting a lot of effort into the Children in Need challenge.

7MY: Lex R - for taking a leading role in organising the Children in Need fundraiser.

7PX: Matilda S - for suggesting great ideas for Children in Need.

7PY: Ava C - for taking responsibility of the merit challenge card and for being an all-round excellent student.

Ms Godwin - Head of Year 7

Miss Monk - Deputy Head of Year 7

For all things Year 7, please check out our:

Instagram: @roseberyyear7

Year 7 Website

YEAR 8

What a week it has been for our Year 8 students! Bursting with energy and enthusiasm, this week was filled with activities that truly showcased the incredible spirit of our school community. Our week kicked off with inspiring house assemblies that brought together the house spirit in a fantastic way. These gatherings are not just about competing; they foster camaraderie, teamwork, and a sense of belonging. Our new House Prefects did a tremendous job in reflecting on the past term while enthusing our students on forthcoming events. One of the last competitions this year is the House donation to the Epsom Pantry. A massive 'thank you' to all the students who donated to this. I look forward to seeing the results of this competition next week.

Throughout the past week, students have also had purposeful form times dedicated to wellbeing sessions, which are crucial now more than ever. Engaging in activities that support their mental health, our students were seen participating in mindfulness exercises, discussing important topics, and continuing to demonstrate kindness in the community.

The highlight of the week was undoubtedly the house football matches. The competition was intense, with every form class fielding their best footballers ready to battle for glory. Congratulations are in order for all players who demonstrated sportsmanship, teamwork, and skill! A special shoutout goes to 8MY for their remarkable performances! Your dedication to the game was evident, and you made us all proud!

As we approach our last week of term, there is so much to look forward to. We are very excited to see our Year 8 singers and musicians participate in the Christmas concert on Monday. We also look forward to reflecting on all the achievements of the year group in the end of term celebration assembly on Tuesday.

We wish you all a restful weekend.

⭐ STARS OF THE WEEK ⭐

8CX: India S - for always being so helpful and kind to others.

8CY: Abi F - for being so kind, friendly and supportive to others in the form.

8EX: Daisy W - for her participation and commitment during form time!

8EY: Sophie B - for passing her piano exam.

8MX: Elsie D - for her commitment to her swimming and being a kind and respectful friend.

8MY: House Games football team (Juno B, Mimi B, Izzy C, Emilia H, Isla L, Lily S, Grace S, Scarlett S, Morgan W, Evie O-S) - I’d like to nominate this group of girls for their outstanding teamwork and sportsmanship during the House Games football competition. They led 8MY to victory, and ensured inclusivity, with everyone in the team having a chance to play. Their kindness and support for peers in other tutor groups were also truly commendable.

8PX: Emily K - for always being positive and having a smile on her face.

8PY: Alesha M - for being very kind, nice, for always listening to others and for supporting others by saying kind words.

Miss Devonish - Head of Year 8

Mrs Waple - Deputy Head of Year 8

YEAR 9

As we approach the final week of term, we have a lot to celebrate (as ever) and, as I alluded to last week, we culminated in my favourite assembly of the year! More on that later though as the week has been jam-packed with wonderful events.

Firstly, this week we’ve launched the girls onboard programme, and the entirety of Year 9 have had their onboarding sessions with Mr Harvey. These sessions are aimed at tackling some of the more intricate elements of female friendships. As we know, these are complicated even when things are going well, so it was great to see the engagement and the contributions that Year 9 gave.

On Wednesday, we also had House Football, in which it was lovely to see the ability and team work on show from all form groups. There are definitely some future lionesses within this school and it truly is a pleasure to see Year 9 thriving at their passions. Congratulations to 9MY on successfully defending their title from last year!

9CX have also been getting into the festive spirit this year by visiting the Epsom Beaumont Care Home. As part of their community project, they organised a Christmas party with the residents of the home, coming along to share cakes and Christmas carols, all while spreading some festive joy! I am so proud of this group for their efforts in trying to positively impact the lives of others.

Finally, it seems fitting that on Christmas Jumper Day, we had our celebration assembly for the end of term. I am so pleased to be able to reward so many students with a movie afternoon today, as well as a special well done to Amina K 9PX and Maya K 9EY for their receipt of both Ms Cooke and my individual rewards respectively for their consistent decision to do the right thing and put 100% into everything they do.

Next week, I will be away from school on the Year 10 Ski Trip, so please be aware that any communications that come to me in the last week of term may have a delayed response. If there are any urgent issues, please get in contact with Ms Cooke or Mr Harvey in the first instance.

Have a lovely Christmas break!

Mr Pingree - Head of Year 9

Ms Cooke - Deputy Head of Year 9

YEAR 10

Despite the miserable weather this week, Year 10 have demonstrated great strength and determination in lessons and extracurricular activities. Each week, it is a joy to see Year 10 embrace the Peter Pan rehearsals, which is our next school production for February 2025.

In lessons this week, during my learning walks, I continue to be impressed with the students' determination, answering questions even when they aren’t sure, using their whiteboards for messy thinking, upskilling their work and being proud of their presentation. It would be sensible as we approach the end of the term, to check equipment in pencil cases and see what needs replacing ahead of the Spring Term. Calculators, whiteboard pens and additional black/blue handwriting pens seem to be the main items students are requiring.

We have our celebration assembly next week, but I am acutely aware that many of Year 10 will be on the mountains in France living their best lives and making memories that will last a lifetime. Therefore, I would like to congratulate everyone now on a remarkable term, as well as to those who we congratulate individually next week. We also have a special crafting afternoon planned as a reward for some students who have embraced our ‘Remarkable and Proud’ theme this term.

Finally, in January 2025, we will be launching Year 10 Work Experience week (Monday 30 June to Friday 4 July 2025). We will be using an online platform called ‘Unifrog’, which students will be sent a login for via their school emails. Please remind students not to delete this information as they will need it for their PDC lessons.

⭐ STARS OF THE WEEK ⭐

10CX: Jemima S - for her generous donations to the Epsom Pantry collection.

10CY: Tilly S - for her generous donations to the Epsom Pantry collection.

10EX: Rosie M - for being the first student to bring in Epsom Pantry donation - thank you.

10EY: Billie Y - for consistently going the extra mile in all that she does with a smile and zero demerits!

10MX: Calista W - for having a fantastic term across all her subjects, with lots of merits and no demerits.

10MY: Rebecca K - for her excellent contributions in Science lessons!

10PX: Molly G - for adapting to using a Chromebook.

10PY: Taylor VB - for making it early to form time!

Mr Waight - Head of Year 10

Miss Fielding - Deputy Head of Year 10

YEAR 11

It was lovely to see so many of you at Parents’ Evening last night. Our aim was to celebrate students’ successes in their recent mocks – however big or small – and to provide you and your child with some tangible next steps for how to improve. In addition to the summary presented at Parents’ Evening, teachers will also have delivered feedback lessons to their classes, so we hope that both you and your child can now feel confident in what they need to do to advance their learning.

While we appreciate that they will be desperate for the Christmas break to relax and regroup, we are also conscious that May’s GCSEs will come around very quickly for Year 11. We are therefore very grateful to all you are doing at home to keep students focused on that end goal, which is not too far away. If between now and the next set of mocks, you can support your child to implement some of their teachers’ advice, it will make a noticeable difference in February, when mocks roll around again. However, as we come to the end of another week, we would like to commend Year 11 once again for the mature way in which they have settled back into lessons – it can’t have been easy and I know they will be looking forward to time away from school.

As it is the season of giving, Year 11 have been part of the whole school donation drive in support of Epsom Pantry. Many thanks if you supported your child to donate a small item for those less fortunate than themselves; this could make a significant difference to local families at one of the most financially pressured times of the year.

With the spirit of generosity in mind, we would like to share how proud we are of Tiffany L 11CY, who this week donated her hair to the Little Princess Trust, a charity that hat provides real hair wigs, free of charge, to children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer. This is such a generous gesture and makes Tiffany truly deserving of our ‘Rosebery Remarkable’ accolade this week. Should you wish to donate, you can do so HERE.

Ms Newman - Head of Year 11

Mr Hewett - Deputy Head of Year 11

House Points

CURIE

47,059

ELIZABETH

39,626

MALALA

39,748

PANKHURST

41,069

Christmas Card Competition

Thank you to everyone who sent in an entry to our annual Christmas Card competition, and a special congratulations to Alexis K-N 8CY for designing the winning entry.

WINNING ENTRY

ALL ENTRIES

Christmas Markets Trip

Whether our students are interested in language, culture, architecture, economics, history or wildlife, our trip into France and Belgium was like the best 72-hour lesson for learning than anything else!

We arrived in Lille after a gentle channel crossing. On the first part of the trip, we visited the stunning Lille Cathedral before heading to the main square and Christmas market. The students headed off to the markets and we met them again in the evening to listen to their excited tales of food they had eaten, souvenirs they'd seen, and not to mention two Sephoras!

On Saturday, now firmly in Belgium, we had our breakfast and set off for P&J Chocolate Factory. Jan took us into the factory and regaled us with the story of chocolate. Science, history, colonialism, modern agriculture, and economics were all on the lesson plan. We did also get to make a chocolate bar of our own. The frenzied purchasing in his shop by the group afterwards leads me to believe that some of you are going to be treated to some delicious presents in the coming days.

After chocolate-making, we were off to Bruges. From their stories, shopping bags and wishes to return, I think Bruges was a hit. We left in the pouring rain for a return to Ypres. We had got an idea that we may be able to attend the Last Post Ceremony at Menin Gate and perhaps even take part. With only a short turnaround to dry off, I made a few enquiries and managed to secure a wreath for Rosebery. When I got all the girls together and explained what was just about happen, I was so proud of how they responded. Louisa P 12C, Iyza S 13A, & Beatrice O 12H also got told that they would be carrying the wreath and, without any complaints, followed me over the holding ropes to the officials. All the girls behaved impeccably and our wreath layers were wonderful. Rosebery laid a wreath at Menin Gate to remember those who had fallen in the world wars.

The following morning, we visited Leonidas, a chocolate shop with a Belgian Royal Warrant. Who knew that our girls would be happy to buy more chocolate? After seeing the town, we set off on our journey back. Along the way, we visited two extremely significant cemeteries. Langemark is a German war grave. After a little talk came all the wonderful questions. We then stopped at the Brooding Soldier, a memorial to the Canadian troops who fell in the first poisoned gas attack. On to Tyne Cot, the largest of the Commonwealth war cemeteries. Here we noticed the difference between the memorials of the winners vs the losers.

We finally headed back on the ferry and arrived home ready to tell our families what we had been up to. Interwoven into my account is the tireless presence of Mrs Boundy, Miss Linehan, Miss Canessa, and Mrs Saber. They looked after the students and even remained amicable when reminding everyone that it was bedtime. My thanks to Mrs Boundy for making it all possible and for always being ready with tickets, paperwork, medicine and a smile. My final word of thanks is to the students we took. Being the Head of Sixth Form is an absolute privilege all of the time, but there were moments during the weekend when I was absolutely bursting with pride.

Mr Phillips - Head of Sixth Form

First Tech Robotics

A huge congratulations to Rosebery's First Tech Robotics team for their outstanding dedication, teamwork, and collaboration during the scrimmage event held on Wednesday 11 December, at Harris Academy in Sutton. Their remarkable effort and exemplary engagement with other schools made them true ambassadors of Rosebery.

Mrs Massoudi - Maths Teacher

Rosebery PSA

Thank you to all the parents and carers who purchased PSA Christmas trees this year (and for braving the weather to pick them up last Thursday)! There’s still time to buy tickets for our Christmas Raffle. We have super prizes available thanks to our amazing sponsors, The Personal Agent and Stevensons. Please head to ParentPay to buy your tickets now!

Upcoming events:

12 December - Refreshments for Year 12 Parents Evening, 4.30pm to 6.30pm
16 December - Refreshments for Christmas Carol Concert, 6.15pm to 7.00pm
18 December - Refreshments for Prize Giving Evening, 5.45pm to 6.45pm

Click HERE to volunteer to help out.

Lisa Higgins - PSA Chair

Maths

Maths In Action

Our Year 12 Maths students thoroughly enjoyed the interactive lectures at this year's Maths In Action event. From 'how to get rich quick’ to 'risks and rewards', they also had the opportunity to look at some exam techniques and learn a few magic maths tricks!

Maths Mid-Year Assessments

Please see the following dates for Mid-Year Maths Assessments:

Year 7: w/c 20 January 2024 (non-calculator)
Year 8: w/c 13 January 2024 (non-calculator)
Year 9: w/c 20 January 2024 - Paper 1 (non-calculator); w/c 27 January 2024 - Paper 2 (calculator)
Year 10: w/c 27 January 2024 - Paper 1 (non-calculator); w/c 3 February 2024 - Paper 2 (calculator)

Students have been emailed a topic list with guidance on how to revise. Class teachers have shown students how they can use this topic list effectively to support their revision. Please ensure your child brings all their maths equipment for the assessments as their teacher will not be able to share any equipment with them. They will need a pen, pencil, ruler, eraser, protractor, compass and scientific calculator.

Mrs Rathore - Maths Teacher

Music

Congratulations

Congratulations to the following students on their recent music exam success:

Orla U 10PY – Grade 6 Violin (Merit)
Darci V-R 9MY – Grade 5 Oboe (Merit)

Friday Live

Congratulations and thank you to Ella C 10PX, Heidi R 10CY & Ella P 10PX and Molly U 8PY & Amber C 8PY who performed brilliantly last Friday and were appreciated by another very large audience!

We have had 51 students perform this term, featuring many different performances from artists from Chopin to The Cure – thank you to everyone who has performed and the students who regularly come and watch.

Christmas Carol Concert

Preparations and rehearsals are entering the final stages for our Carol Concert on Monday 16 December and we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible. The evening will feature our Concert Band, Young Voices, Rosebery Singers, Flute Ensemble, the world premiere of our new String Ensemble, music from our talented Year 9, 10 and 11 GCSE classes, some amazing soloists as well as readings and carols. Refreshments will be served by the PSA from 6.15pm onwards, so please arrive early.

Mr Holloway - Head of Music

The Hive

With the holiday period coming up we would like to remind you of the external support available to you which is noted on the Hive website. MINDWORKS has suggested that Kooth.com can provide support for young people for a range of concerns that they may be facing. Please consider the support services you are accessing for your daughter so that you are comfortable with the messaging and resources used.

Safety over the festive period

Please click HERE to view a National College guide providing practical tips for safety for children over the Christmas holidays.

Mrs Jenns - Hive Manager

Rosebery Street Dance

Please see the image below for more information about Rosebery Street Dance classes taking place on Wednesdays from 3.10pm to 4.10pm.

Executive Headteacher Commendations

Many congratulations to the penultimate nominees of the term for their fantastic effort and achievements!

Rosebery School Christmas Card Competition 2024

It was delightful to receive so many entries from talented artists and I have nominated all of the students who entered our annual Christmas card competition.  Designs were so creative that choosing the winner was very challenging with entries from Anaya U and Sanaa M 7CY, Hailey W 7EX, Amelie D, Izzy C, Nora B and Verity H 7MX, Alexis R and Amelia S 7MY, Eva P and Isla C 8EX, Emily K 8PX, Olivia B and Zaynab H 9MX, Melissa N 9PX, Merryn H 10CX and the worthy winner of the competition, Alexis K-N 8CY.

Top of the Bench team

Mr Hiller has nominated Isabelle L and Quinn H 9PX, Aaliyah-Zaina R 10EY and Grace B 11MX for their tremendous performance at the Top of the Bench RSC competition this week - they came second overall. All four students were meticulous in their approach to unfamiliar chemistry and are a shining beacon for young women in science.

Year 7

Mrs Browne and Miss DaCosta have nominated Yiu Yiu C 7CX for her outstanding effort and attitude to learning this term. She always brings a smile to Connect! Ms Newman has nominated Hannah S 7MX for spending so much time revising her French on SentenceBuilders.com and for her overall efforts in French this term and Izzy C 7MX for her brilliant effort in French this half term. Mr Fernandes has nominated Sophie S and Emma F 7EY for their brilliant work and excellent contributions in Science this term.

Year 8

Ms Wiggins has nominated Aiza S and Lily S 8CY for their excellent independent photography and Ms Newman has nominated Vivi C 8EX and Sarina A 8PX for spending so much time revising their French on SentenceBuilders.com and Eva P and Dulcie S 8EX and Aurelia E and Grace E 8PX for their brilliant effort in French this half term.

Year 9

Mrs Blake has nominated Emily K, Hanna R, Amy S, Eloise S, Evelyn W, Violet A and Erica F 9CX who were wonderful ambassadors at their visit to the Beaumont Care home, where they delivered Christmas cards, sang carols and met with residents. Mrs Browne has nominated Lily M 9CX for her consistent excellent effort and progress this term; she continues to overcome challenges with a smile and positive attitude. Ms Newman has nominated Alice H and Melissa N 9PX and Emily K and Anna-Sophia E 9CX for their brilliant effort in French this half term.

Year 10

Mrs Hatfield-Giraux has nominated Alice S 10CX for being proactive in her learning for Sociology and Ms Newman has nominated Emily L P 10PX and Emilia C 10EX for their brilliant effort in French this half term. Ms Wiggins has nominated Cara M 10PY for outstanding printmaking, Emily F 10MX for her excellent independent effort and risk taking and Molly G 10PX for tackling obstacles with great resilience.

Year 11

Ms Newman has nominated Alice S 11MX and Emilia S 11CX for their brilliant effort in French this half term.

Sixth Form

Mrs Royall has nominated Isabelle M 13F for demonstrating determination and resilience. Mrs Hatfield-Giraux has nominated Helena J B 13A for her dedication to upskilling her Sociology work and completing practice questions.

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