Head’s Letters

Friday 15 September 2017 

Dear Parents

It was lovely to welcome so many of you to our informal parents’ evening on Tuesday this week. I hope you found it useful to meet with your son’s new form teacher and members of staff, as well as other parents. It certainly demonstrated to me the wonderful sense of community that Abingdon Prep has. I know that Mike Windsor enjoyed meeting many of you as well.

The AGM for the JPA which followed was an absolute eye-opener for me. I did not realise quite how many wonderful events they run, and I am looking forward to being involved in these events, starting with our Fireworks evening at the start of November. The JPA does a fantastic job to raise money for school projects and for charity, and I would encourage you to support them and help out, if you can, at any of the upcoming events.

Wednesday afternoon saw the start of matches for the boys, with a tough set of fixtures against St Hugh’s. I was lucky enough to watch the U13B and C teams, who showed great determination and spirit, even after conceding a number of tries. The U13B team should be very proud of their second half display, which, if they can repeat, will lead to victories later in the season.

The first of our ‘class pairings’ took place yesterday. This is a completely new idea to me and I really enjoyed seeing the camaraderie shown between the classes when engaged with their construction projects. The older boys were eager to help the younger ones with the K’Nex and Lego, and the results were spectacular. Seeing boys in different classes working together and enjoying each other’s company reinforced the strong sense of community that pervades the school.

Last Saturday, our Year 6s returned from their Cornbury bushcraft trip still decorated with camo paint from their activities. Some seemed to be still in the same clothing that they were wearing when they departed, just encased in a layer of caked mud! All of them seemed to have had a great time and there is photographic evidence to prove it!

Jez Fernandez visited Abingdon Prep this week to talk to the boys in Years 5-8 about resilience. It was a fascinating presentation which our boys seemed enthralled by. It sent an important message, very closely aligned with growth mindset and being prepared to fail. ‘FAIL’ is simply the First Attempt In Learning, and we can benefit so much from failing the first time and then having to find a solution. As Thomas Edison said about his lightbulb invention, “I have not failed, I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work”. As the nights begin to draw in, we can all be glad that Thomas Edison did not give up!

I hope you all have a good weekend.

Best wishes

Craig 

Friday 8 September 2017 

Dear Parents

I have had a thoroughly enjoyable first week at Abingdon Prep and would like to thank everyone openly for extending such a warm welcome to me. It has been lovely to see the boys come back into school with such positive attitudes and genuine excitement about the term ahead and to meet so many parents at the front entrance in the mornings.

I believe that a positive approach to all aspects of school life will help the boys make the most of their talents. I really enjoyed seeing this in abundance in a Year 4 Drama lesson (where I was asked to join in) and a Year 7 CDT lesson. The Year 7 boys were so excited watching their ‘Jitterbugs’ crashing into each other on the table! Rolling toy cars down half pipes in the Reception play area was another highlight and reminded me of my own attempts at this along a trackway down the stairs when I was their age. A pile up at the bottom always ensued and that certainly hasn’t changed, judging by the mass of cars at the bottom of the pipes!

My first assembly focused on the importance of good manners and always trying one’s best, no matter what the task in front of you. I have been greatly heartened by seeing the boys put these two messages into practice regularly as I have walked around school.

The Multi Use Sports Area (astroturf) has been an enormous hit with the boys in Years 6, 7 and 8 at break times, although, having personally retrieved a number of footballs which had made their way over the high fences, there may be some additional shooting practice required. The redesigned car park seems to have worked well and it is good to see so many of you utilising the drop and go area.

Our first trip of the year took place this week as Year 6 departed for Cornbury Bushcraft. I look forward to hearing the boys’ stories about creepy crawlies and sleeping in self built dens on their return to school. Trips like this are a great way to foster teamwork and an excellent way to start the year for our Year 6s.

I genuinely feel part of the Abingdon family already and I hope that this is also the case for all of our new boys and parents who, like me, have joined Abingdon Prep this term. I hope lots of you will be able to join us at the Informal Parents’ Evening next Tuesday to meet other parents, both new and old, as well as staff.

Once again, thank you for making my first week here such an enjoyable one. With best wishes

Craig 

Friday 1 September 2017 

Dear Parents

I hope you are well and have enjoyed a lovely summer. The start of term is almost upon us and whilst we have been away, Abingdon Prep has been a hive of activity. A huge amount of work has been undertaken and I am sure you will be as delighted as I am with the improvements to both the fabric of the building, the site and the facilities. The boys will benefit enormously from it.

We have fifty one new pupils joining the Abingdon Prep community this term and I would like to offer a very warm welcome to all of them and their families. I am sure that they will really enjoy being part of such a supportive community. As a new starter myself, I am also looking forward to getting to know the boys and their parents, and I hope you will bear with me as I try to learn everyone's names!

On that note, I would like to draw your attention to the Informal Parents’ Evening on Tuesday 12 September which will be an excellent opportunity for you to meet with me, the staff and other parents. I look forward to welcoming as many of you as possible to that event.

At the start of this academic year we are also welcoming a number of new staff:

Jo Caputo joins us as a Year 3 form teacher
Alison Heaton joins us as a Year 4 form teacher
3 new gap year students – Sam Barder, Edward Cockerham and Jamie Webster

Over the summer, as part of the building project, there has been some changes to the School driveway as detailed in Mike Windsor's letter, which includes important information about parking, drop and go, and exit. I am sure that this will ease much of the congestion at busy times, and it will also make the area much safer for the pupils entering and leaving school. Staff will be on hand on the first morning to offer direction and assistance.

I look forward to meeting you all in the very near future and to welcoming your sons into School on Tuesday.

Yours sincerely

Craig Williams