ISSUE 44

7 February 2025

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Dear Parents and Carers

In this, the penultimate week before half term, Rosebery has been a hive of activity. House Netball was a hit with Years 7, 8 and 9 – a huge thanks for Team PE and our House Prefects for rallying the troops and to Form Captains for organising their teams. Rehearsals for the school production of Peter Pan reaching a climax – the stage and set are being assembled as I type, and I must thank the Premises and Art Teams for their support in both set design and construction! Year 8 Students have also been busy writing ‘palentines’ to support our acts of kindness initiative, Work Experience, due to take place in the Summer Term, has been launched with our Year 10 students, and it was wonderful to host Year 7 parents and carers at their first Rosebery Parents’ Evening, last night. Please do check out the Heads of Year entries, and subject sections that follow, for more details on all such events and more - in the Schol Production section you’ll see that our biographies of key performers from both casts, continue, this time with ‘Meet the Darlings’ & ‘Meet Gran and Ralph’– break a leg, girls!

As you may now be aware, we have also notified students and families in Years 7, 8 and 9 of an exciting new pilot we are launching after half term, in an attempt to reduce the negative impact of social media on our girls, and in the wider community.

The use of smart phones by children is being hotly debated around the world, as well as locally. Many countries, such as Australia and France, are either looking to ban children from having smart phones at all, or are banning them from being bought into schools. In the UK, many schools are now either insisting that phones are not brought to school, asking all students to hand their phone in at the start of the day, insisting they are store them in blackout pouches, or indeed swapping them for ‘dumb’ phones! I do wonder, how in the future, we may look back at how we simply gave children technology, access to the internet and social media, without fear or consideration of the potential consequences, and ask ourselves – what were we thinking? Nevertheless, I am no technophobe and can also see the many benefits that technology offers society, both for adults and children, and I do not see the device itself, in this case the smart phone, as the enemy. However, what is clear, is that the increasing use of smartphones among young people – and specifically the negative effects of social media on girls - has been linked to heightened anxiety, reduced concentration, and disrupted sleep, as highlighted in The Anxious Generation, recent TV documentaries, and in articles such as the one linked HERE.

Therefore, we are trialling an innovative approach with students and families in the Lower School – The Blackout App.

The Blackout App, already being used in other industries, is looking to expand into education to see if they can help solve the problem of social media and its negative impact on children - by restricting access to social media apps, the camera and web browsers, during the school day.

Much like parental controls at home, at times set by the school, the Blackout App, will restrict the applications students can use at school, most importantly, switching off the camera app, removing the temptation to take unsolicited photos or images, but also switching off social media apps, and the temptation to look at or respond to the constant pings and vibrations of the endless notifications they send to your children. These companies and apps are designed to be addictive, to encourage young people to ‘doom scroll’, to keep posting, or maintain an endless streak – in this way, they are effectively addictive and creating addicts – out of our children, with us facilitating their access to them. So surely, we should try and help break the habit and encourage much healthier use of smart technology? We also hope this pilot will make it easier for you as families to establish healthy phone habits at home, to empower you and your daughter to agree and implement stricter parental controls and limitations (including abiding by age restrictions), but also that it will prompt a conversation in the community about a better future, where we all have a healthier relationship with our smart devices, perhaps one with less screen time, less social media and more human interactions.

Rather than banning phones, I am keen to explore through this pilot, whether such an approach, whether an application such as Blackout, can be developed, to deliver this. Whilst blocking access to distracting apps - including social media, games, web browsers and the camera – it will still allow access to essential functions such as calls, SMS, maps, and calendars, which we know are important to parents for safety reasons, and those in the pilot will also still be able to track their daughter’s location through ‘Find My’ or similar apps. They are also free to have and use their phone on their journey to and from school, with whatever restrictions you deem fit to enforce via parental controls.

As with any new initiative, I suspect this pilot will throw up issues, challenges and disagreements, which I hope we can navigate together.

I suspect, in a not-too-distant future, smart phones might be banned for younger children, but for secondary age children, I am optimistic that an approach such as this (however the pilot evolves), might offer a preferable ‘third way’ as opposed to simply banning or collecting in devices. The teenagers may well want to rebel - that’s what teenagers do (and I wouldn’t have it any other way!) - but if they really think about this long and hard, when they stop me, outraged, to insist that I am infringing on their human rights because ‘ we need to check our notifications, and we need to see their stories and updates as soon they are posted’, perhaps they’ve already, albeit inadvertently made my point for me?

Have a lovely weekend!

Mr David Lach

HEADTEACHER

TABLE OF CONTENTS - click to jump to an entry

ParentPay and School Meals

First Tech Robotics Club Fundraiser

Rosebery Street Dance

Key Dates - all dates subject to change

Week 1: w/c Monday 10 February

Monday 10 February - Friday 14 February

Y7 & Y8 Rolling Read - period 5

Monday 10 February

Y7 SEN Parents' Evening (virtual)

Wednesday 12 February

School Production

Thursday 13 February

School Production

Friday 14 February

School Production

Week 2: w/c Monday 24 February

Monday 24 February - Friday 28 February

Y11 PPEs

Monday 24 February

Y11 early lunch at 12.10pm

Wednesday 26 February

Y9 DTP and MenACWY Vaccinations

Thursday 27 February

Robotics Benchball Fundraiser

Friday 28 February

Y11 early finish at 1.30pm

Head of Year Entries

YEAR 7

This week, our Year 7 students have been actively engaging in assessment feedback lessons, gaining valuable insights into their progress and how to improve moving forward. We’ve been incredibly impressed by their maturity and ability to reflect on both their strengths and areas for growth. With the arrival of their first reports, it was inspiring to see how positively the students approached them, eager to seek constructive feedback and identify areas for further development as they seek to find their 'Remarkable and Proud' in each lesson.

The school was filled with a buzz at Thursday’s Year 7 Parents Evening. It was clear that the students were eager to hear feedback on the amazing things they are doing in lessons and how they can keep growing in confidence, knowledge and skills. Thank you to parents and carers for everything you are doing to support your daughter’s learning outside of school.

A huge well done to all the Year 7s who took part in House Netball this week. It was fantastic to see so many students giving their best effort and to witness some healthy competition, as students represent and earn points for their houses.

Finally, a big congratulations to all the Year 7 girls who received Thank You Friday invitations this week. These students were recognised for their excellent attendance and their commitment to showing up to school, no matter what. Well done and thank you to Alejandra N 7CY, Luna C 7MY, Hadia A 7CX, Labibah R 7EX, Damaris M 7CX, Amelia J 7PY, Fetema F 7CX and Sathurja T 7PX.

⭐ STARS OF THE WEEK ⭐

7CX: Kaitlyn D - for representing her team in the Ultimate Frisbee Tournament and helping secure 1st place in the under 14s Mixed Regional Tournament.

7CY: Kaida F – for her outstanding effort and dedication to Gymnastics.

7EX: Ayesha K - for her kind and insightful contributions to form time.

7EY: Bella D - for excellent engagement with all the Elephants Tea Party tasks last week.

7MX: Kayla L - for always having a good attitude in form time and for not getting any demerits since October!

7MY: Nasia K - for being on time everyday and for being a polite and kind member of the form group with no demerits!

7PX: Taylor W - for representing her team in the Ultimate Frisbee Tournament and helping them secure 1st place in the under 14s Mixed Regional Tournament.

7PY: Ruby W - for always being kind, polite and showing excellent determination in her lessons.

Ms Godwin

Head of Year 7

Miss Monk

Deputy Head of Year 7

For all things Year 7, please check out our Instagram (@roseberyyear7) and the Year 7 Website

YEAR 8

Firstly, a huge well done to everyone who took part in the House Netball competition. It was great to see so many students getting involved, showing teamwork, and demonstrating excellent organisation in sorting their teams during form times. Your enthusiasm and sportsmanship were truly commendable - well done!

A big thank you also goes to all the students who have taken the time to write anonymous messages for their 'palentine' to send attached to a heart lolly. This wonderful act of kindness (organised by our Head Girls' Lilly C 12A and Jasmine F 12H) has been heart-warming to see. We look forward to delivering these special messages next week! If you haven’t had a chance to write one yet, you can still do so in the Year 8 office on Monday and Tuesday.

I also had the pleasure of visiting 8EY during their Wonderful Wednesday form time, where they played an exciting game of 'scattergories'. Some of their answers had us all in stitches - what a fantastic way to start their day!

⭐ STARS OF THE WEEK ⭐

8CX: Amelia B - for always showing kindness to those around her.

8CY: Phoebe B and Phoebe L - for outstanding performances in House Netball this week.

8EX: Elise M - for always having a positive attitude towards learning and achieving lots of merits this week for excellent classwork and effort!

8MX: Margot L - for being such a supportive friend and making others smile.

8PX: Eva C, Daisy R, Ava Y - for organising a great netball team.

Mrs Hatfield-Giraux

Head of Year 8

Mrs Waple

Deputy Head of Year 8

YEAR 9

While we’re ending the week with dreary weather and rain, this belies the positives that we have had this week. As ever, the competitive spirit was on show for Year 9 during their House Netball competition. The teamwork, support and joy on show were, as ever, a lovely sight to see and, once again, 9MY are setting a high bar when it comes to sporting performances. Congratulations to the winners. The real questions is - can they keep their streak of wins going during the last year of House events?

I’ve also had the opportunity this morning to invite students to our Thank You Friday. This week, I have focused on the students who are always excellent in their conduct, demeanour and throwing themselves into everything on offer from school. Thank you to Luna W, Afsa R, Freya P 9EY Jade V and Rosa E 9CX Annabelle D, Aoife C and Hana P 9MY for your consistency and your efforts. It truly makes such a difference and does not go unnoticed!

Next week, it is our final week of the half term which feels as though it has flown by. I am very excited to go and watch both casts performing in our school production of Peter Pan. It really is wonderful to have so many avid performers across the year group!

Have a lovely weekend!

⭐ STARS OF THE WEEK ⭐

9CX: Eve W and Violet - for their organisation with House Netball.

9EX: Rebecca D - for hiking up the Boxhill steps.

9MY: Darci V-R - for getting 100% in a recent Maths test. Fantastic work!

9PX: Maeve W - for enthusiastic contribution to House Netball. Well done Maeve.

9PY: Bianca C - for receiving over 190 merits in Year 9 so far!

Mr Pingree

Head of Year 9

Ms Cooke

Deputy Head of Year 9

YEAR 10

It has been a busy week for Year 10, with a number of assessments that are also continuing into next week. This hasn’t stopped the year group as a collective from smiling around the school site and approaching their lessons in a positive way. When I visited lessons this week, it was a joy to see students trying their hardest. In Spanish, there were paragraphs filled with so much detail and pride.

Year 10 have certainly embraced the Brave Award challenge each week, where tutors have expressed how lovely it is sharing all the wonderful challenges that students have set themselves each week. Students and adults alike don’t usually focus on the positives of our day-to-day tasks, so this has been a lovely reminder to students that there are so many positives around them.

This week, I led an assembly sharing more information about work experience and, as you will be aware, I have written a letter to Year 10 families also. The online platform 'Unifrog' is where the information needs to be logged. You can also use the website to research possible work experience placements and be guided by the careers videos there too. Once students have a placement in mind, they should log this on Unifrog under the 'Recording – Placement' tab.

Finally, it was a pleasure to spend our ‘Thank You Friday’ with Maddy C 10MX, Luisa H 10MY, Amy B 10MX, Izzy J 10MX, Carrie B 10MX and Millie F 10PY to celebrate all the wonderful reasons their tutors have nominated them.

🏅 BRAVE AWARD 🏅

10CX: Hazel S - for her involvement in the school production of Peter Pan in which she is playing two roles.

10CY: Candace S and Winky C - for trying out different revision strategies for their Chemistry exam.

10EX: Erin A - for the way she took the lead in her music presentation.

10EY: Akshita T - for signing up to do Silver DofE.

10MX: Ayat A - for entering the English poetry competition.

10MY: Harmony T - for completing a new grade in swimming.

10PX: Tiana W - for taking part in her first Rosebery school production with much praise from her peers for her performance.

10PY: Ruby H - for completing a challenging 12-mark question in History of her own accord!

Mr Waight

Head of Year 10

Miss Fielding

Deputy Head of Year 10

YEAR 11

Last week, Year 11 received their exam timetables for their second round of mocks, known as Pre-Public Exams (PPEs). This week, we have spoken to them again about how they can best prepare over the half term break, using advice from University College London, which you can read HERE. This article, written by a finals student, not only gives practical advice, but also explains why these tips are important. This is ahead of our Celebration assembly next week, where we look forward to congratulating Year 11 on the many milestones they have reached.

The highlight of this week was undoubtedly our 'Thank You Thursdays', where we had the privilege of inviting 28 students for hot chocolate and a chat, simply to say thank you to them for being so great. this week's theme was 'resilient and determined', and we were so pleased to recognise these students in some small way. We also enjoyed their chit chat - Year 11 never fail to make us laugh!

We are also looking ahead to the school production next week, and we are very much looking forward to seeing a number of Year 11s as part of the cast and crew. We continue to e amazed by how our students can juggle their extra curricular commitments with schoolwork, and we have to therefore share our Rosebery Remarkable student for this week, Freya B 11EY. Freya has been a dedicated competitive swimmer for many years, and the fact that she has maintained her commitment - and her performance - even in her exam year is very impressive. Well done Freya!

Ms Newman

Head of Year 11

Mr Hewett

Deputy Head of Year 11

House Points

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

CURIE

64,463

ELIZABETH

58,240

PANKHURST

56,768

MALALA

56,347

ParentPay and School Meals

Based on recent feedback, after the half term we will be adjusting the minimum payment for school meals on ParentPay to £5.

If you have any questions regarding ParentPay, please contact adminhelpdesk@roseberyschool.co.uk

First Tech Robotics Club Fundraiser

Rosebery is hosting a Teacher's Bench Ball event on Friday 28 February at lunchtime in the main hall. This is to raise funds for the First Tech Robotics Club. Tickets are available on ParentPay for £1.50 each, but hurry, as there are only a limited number of tickets available.

Money raised will be used to support the First Tech Robotics Club in buying the equipment they need for their next project, the First Tech Challenge UK.

School Production

We have really started to see the production taking shape in our rehearsals this week, in which we have been developing detailed characterisation, as well as ensuring that the musical numbers are fully polished. Next week will be very exciting, as we layer the different production elements of sound, lighting, costume, set design, staging and performance together.

Today we introduce the actors who play the characters of the Darling Family, Gran and Ralph. We can’t wait to share our magical production with you next week, but be quick, as tickets are nearly sold out. Get yours by clicking HERE.

Meet the Darlings

The Darlings are not working as a family unit anymore. Mr Darling has become more like a child than an adult, John and Michael are very naughty, Wendy is rude, and Mrs Darling seems to have lost herself. Can anything or anyone bring them back together again?

The Darlings, Cast 1

L-R Standing

Melody M 13H as Mrs Darling - Melody attends Laine Theatre Arts, where she takes classes in musical theatre, dance and acting. Melody played Monsignor O'Hara in Rosebery’s production of Sister Act. She really enjoyed rehearsing the beginning montage and introduction of the Darling family, as the entire cast was involved, and she got to interact with younger members of the cast, who brought so much enthusiasm and excitement to rehearsals.
Nia D 10MY as Mr Darling - Nia attends Laine Theatre Arts and has previously performed in many Stagecoach productions. Having been a great fan of the Disney version of Peter Pan, Nia was excited to participate in a recreation of the story and thought that it would be a fun activity to get involved in.

L-R Seated

Alice C 9PX as Michael - Alice really enjoys the amazing feeling you get after performing in school plays, she is also looking forward to the memories she will make, spending time with her friends and meeting new people in the Peter Pan production. Alice takes LAMDA lessons at Rosebery and was a part of Rosebery’s Sister Act production.
Grace K 10MX puppeteering Nana - Grace’s favourite moment in the production is the first scene, when the Nana/Noodler puppet is first introduced onstage. Grace found having to run up onto the block and bark, quite nerve wracking at first in rehearsals, but eventually became familiar with the process. Grace previously took part in Rosebery’s Sister Act production.
Evie C 9CY as John - Evie takes LAMDA lessons at Rosebery and previously took musical theatre lessons. Evie’s favourite Peter Pan rehearsal has been with the Darling family as they all got to connect and became quite close, despite their age gaps. They had a good time and laughed a lot. Evie has previously performed in Rosebery’s productions of Shrek and Sister Act and Bugsy Malone with RARE Productions.

The Darlings, Cast 2

L-R Standing

Sophia P 8EY as Mr Darling - Sophia takes ballet and musical theatre lessons. She previously performed in Rosebery’s production of Sister Act. Sophia enjoyed the Darling family rehearsal as she got to know the Darling cast,
Louisa B 13B as Mrs Darling - Louisa participates in dance and singing lessons and was a Core Nun in Rosebery’s production of Sister Act. Louisa enjoyed being part of the production last year and wanted to be able to connect with other students whilst having fun in rehearsals.

L-R Seated

Amaaya A 10PY as Michael - Amaaya takes GCSE Drama. She joined the Peter Pan production as she had never done any of the previous ones and thought it would be a fun experience, as she enjoys drama.
Cara VW 9EX as Liza the Maid - Cara takes part in Lamda lessons and has previously performed in Rosebery’s productions of Shrek and Sister Act.
Tilly S 10CY is puppeteering Nana - Tilly is a member of Theatre Box and has performed in Bugsy Malone with RARE productions. She takes Lamda lessons and has been part of Rosebery’s productions of Shrek and Sister Act.
Alice H 9PX as John - Alice participates in musical theatre, dance and singing lessons. She was previously part of Rosebery’s production of Sister Act. Alice wants to do musical theatre when she is older and so thought the school production was a great way for her to learn more about rehearsals. Most importantly, Alice loves being part of school plays, as she gets to spend more time with her friends and make new memories.

Meet Gran and Ralph

Gran and Ralph are the narrators of the show. But who is Gran really and why does she know so much about the story?

Gran and Ralph, Cast 1

Poppy D 8EX (left) as Ralph - Poppy participated in Rosebery’s production of Sister Act as a Core Nun and has previously taken part in Stagecoach shows. “I wanted to be a part of Peter Pan, because I really enjoyed doing it last year and I really like acting.”

Abi Y 12B (right) as Gran - Abi has previously taken part in Rosebery’s production of Shrek and participated in LAMDA lessons.

Gran and Ralph, Cast 2

Ella S-W 12A (left) as Gran - Ella performed in Rosebery’s previous productions of Shrek as Gingy and Joey in Sister Act. She was also a member of Stagecoach and took GCSE Drama. “On opening night I'm looking forward to seeing everyone performing their hardest in their costumes and immersing myself in Neverland.”

Zayna A 9PY (right) as Ralph - Zayna takes LAMDA lessons and was a part of Rosebery’s production of Sister Act. “I love my character because Ralph reflects my curious self. I feel like Ralph is also very connected to his Gran.”

Finally, we must not forget our brilliant Lost Boys and Pirate ensemble casts. The ensemble performers are at the heart of every Rosebery production and work extremely hard. They must learn numerous songs and dance sequences and develop great skills of resilience to continually rehearse the same things multiple times, and patience to wait for their moment on stage. Huge congratulations to all our ensemble performers for their dedication to our production.

Mrs House-Lee - Drama Teacher

LRH

Reading Bingo

Congratulations to Lia R 7MX and Ellie Z 12H who have completed the Reading Bingo Challenge! They have each earned 16 merits and a book of their choice.

Mrs Spencer - LRH Manager

Maths

Sparx Maths - Stars of the Week

YEAR 7

Zahrah S 7PX

Riley R-E 7PY

Chloe V 7PX

Emi T 7EY

Ellie M 7PY

YEAR 8

Morgan W 8MY

Alexa H 8MY

Pippa W 8EY

Aimee L 8MY

Bethan E 8MX

YEAR 9

Sreeya K 9PY

Kaylee S 9MX

Sofia M 9PX

Chloe L 9EY

Roselle H 9CY

YEAR 10

Aliyah A 10MX

Alice S 10CX

Sophia S 10MY

Evie C 10CX

Jenna H 10EX

YEAR 11

Amy H 11PY

Olivia B 11EY

Chloe H 11EY

Imy G 11CY

Marie P 11EX

Mrs Rathore - Maths Teacher

Science

GCSE Science Live

On Friday 24 January, 50 of our Year 10 students attended GCSE Science Live at the Apollo Theatre in Victoria. The students were able to hear from working scientists about their current and past research on a variety of topics from oceanography, fertility, equilibriums and more. The students particularly enjoyed the talk on if time travel is possible from Jim Al-Khalili, and one from Sophie Scott looking at the science of laughter. It was a fantastic day and it was great to see Year 10 engaging with up-and-coming scientific research.

Mrs Macgregor - Head of Biology

Mr Hiller - Head of Science

Sport

Year 8 Netball

The Year 8 Netball Team faced a challenging day at the District Netball Tournament held at St Tereasa's School, where they unfortunately ended up losing 6 out of their 7 matches. Despite their best efforts, the team struggled to find their rhythm, with some matches seeing close scores while others were more one-sided. Throughout the day, they showed resilience and determination with standout performances in both defence and attack. The girls remained positive while supporting one another and are determined to learn from the experience and improve in future tournaments. Player of the Tournament went to Polly H 8EX. Well done to all those who participated!

Miss Elms - PE Teacher

The Hive

Teen Time for You

2.00pm to 3.30pm - Thursday 20 February (half term) at Ewell Family Centre

A friendly, relaxed group for teenagers who want to try some new activities and meet other young people. This maybe good for young people who find socialising difficult or perhaps don’t get a lot of time for themselves (e.g. young carers).

Emotional Resilience Workshops

4.30pm to 5.30pm - Thursday 6, 13 and 20 March at Ewell Family Centre

A series of 3 x 1-hour workshops to help young people develop their understanding of their emotions and build resilience and self-esteem. The workshops will be run by our Youth Family Support Worker, who has lots of experience working with young people.

Both of these are free to attend and must be booked in advance. Families can book using the information on the poster. Scan the QR code, call 01372571178 or email epsomewellfamilycentre@barnardos.org.uk

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.

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