Page 5 - Davies House 2014-2015

5
It is important that you
remember that mobile
phones are expensive
and often prized personal
possessions. Therefore you
should take care to look
after your mobile phone.
We suggest that you keep
it in your lockable drawer
or safe when you don’t
need to have it on you.
You should not bring your
mobile phone into lessons.
Overnight Leave
We believe it is healthy for
our boarders to be allowed
to leave the house. We
do not believe in forcing
you to stay in over the
weekend and in special
circumstances (for example
if your parents are visiting
from abroad) you may be
allowed out during the
week.
However, we have to be
very careful that nothing
bad happens to you while
you are in our care. As
a result there are rules
about leaving the house.
If you want to stay out
of the house overnight
then Mr Davies will need
confirmation from your
parents or guardian before
you will be allowed out.
If you are not going to be
staying with your parents or
guardian Mr Davies will also
need confirmation from the
adult you will be staying
with (for example if you
are staying overnight with
a friend who is a dayboy
then Mr Davies would also
contact his parents to check
that they are expecting
you).
Town Leave
We are required by law to
know where you are at any
time while you are in our
care. Therefore if you wish
to leave the school site at
any time you need to get
permission from Mr Davies,
the house matron or from
the tutor on duty. After 7pm
you need permission to
leave the boarding house to
go anywhere.
Adjusting to a new life
Everyone who moves into a
new boarding school, from
one country to another or
even from one part of the
UK to Abingdon, will need
time to adjust to their new
life. Before you leave home
it is normal to have very
mixed feelings. One minute
you might be excited about
the opportunities of a new
life, the next minute you
might feel apprehensive
or nervous. You may be
worrying that you have
made the wrong decision.
One thing you can be
sure of, every boy who
is preparing to come to
Abingdon to study is having
the same feelings; they are
normal.
On arrival in the new
country, there is usually a
period where you feel very
excited and thrilled by all
the new people you meet
and things you see. Some
people then start to feel
quite strange. They may
feel sad and homesick,
isolated or that they don’t
fit in. This is normal and
is called Culture Shock. It
takes time to make new
friends and to get used to
the food, music, sport etc.
After about six weeks, you
should be starting to feel
more at home.
If you feel worried, isolated
or sad Mr Davies, your
tutor, and the prefects, are
there to help you. There
is also a school counsellor
who you can contact if
you would like to speak to
someone confidentially.
Calling home is good but it
is not helpful if you spend
so much time on the phone
that you do not make new
friends here.
Language shock
It may be that like many
of our boarders, English
is not your first language.
Although your English is
good and you have done
well to get selected to
come to Abingdon, you
will find it a bit of a shock
when you are suddenly
in an environment where
everyone speaks
English 24 hours a day. It
is tiring. At first, you may
feel you do not understand
what is being said because
people speak fast and
have a variety of regional
accents. You need a period
of time to adjust; this
is called ‘tuning in’ and
usually takes about six
weeks. So don’t think you
have suddenly lost all your
vocabulary when you arrive
- it happens to everyone.
Academic shock
You are clever; you have
passed all the tests to
get selected to come to
Abingdon so we know you
are ready for a challenge.
What you may find is that
the way classes are taught
is very different to your last
school or home country. To
give you an idea of what to
expect:
How can I cope with the challenges
of boarding in a new school?