Abingdon News No.49

www.abingdon.org.uk 5 1000 take to the Thames Abingdon News Over 1000 students and staff walked, ran, rowed or canoed the Biennial Sponsored Walk. This year the boys were raising money for Mary’s Meals, which aims to ensure every child in the world is able to get a school lunch, and Crisis, a national charity that works to end homelessness within the UK. Introduced in 1986 the walk raised £7000 in its first year rising to £28000 in 2016. The current total for 2018 is over £24000. Building links with Chile Fifth form and lower sixth students who are touring Chile and Argentina in the summer with the senior rugby squad, hosted 40 boys and girls from Craighouse School in Chile. The two day visit included a hockey match for the girls against Headington and the boys taking on our 1st XV. We very much look forward to the reciprocal visit. Students from Larkmead and Fitzharrys schools joined 15 Abingdon sixth formers to take part in a program of academic mentoring. This is one of the many initiatives undertaken by our partnership programme, Abingdon School in Partnership, ASiP. The sixth formers planned a series of English and Maths lessons to teach to key stage 3 students from each of the three schools. The standard of organisation, collaboration and engagement was superb. ASP makes the shortlist Abingdon School’s Science Partnership, ASP, has been shortlisted at the prestigious Tes Independent School Awards 2019 in the independent-state school partnership category. Results will be announced on 1st February. We wish them the best of luck. This annual event brings the whole school together to celebrate the energy, joy and wonder of the written word. We run a hotly contested whole-school poetry competition which includes a staff category. Tutor groups across the school share their favourite poems and there’s a popular open mic event at lunchtime, where boys drop by to listen or read a favourite poem or one they have written themselves. The violin masterclass given by Levon Chilingirian gave six of our senior violinists the opportunity to hear the wisdom of the Maestro - his relaxed warmth, empathy and gentle sense of humour is perfect for the boys to learn from. Sixth formers try their hand at teaching National Poetry Day Learning from the Maestro