1 Feb 2024

WEEKLY MAILING

Message from the Head

Dear Parents

I was fortunate to be in the audience last night for the first performance of our joint musical with SHSK: Made in Dagenham. It captures an important moment in the journey towards equal pay for women and men and is funny, moving and touching – with some great tunes. I offer everyone involved my warmest congratulations and encourage everyone to get a ticket if they can – the final performance is at SHSK on Friday.

Made in Dagenham is certainly very different in tone and feel from A Monster Calls, also a joint production with SHSK, which concluded in the Amey Theatre last Friday. This was an incredibly intense and powerful night of theatre and the cast and crew can take great pride in their achievement. My thanks go to Ms Sharman and the team who inspired such stunning work from everyone involved.

This term sees the highest number of pupils representing the school in a wide range of sports. Congratulations are due to the U12 hockey team who emerged triumphant from the county hockey tournament which took place earlier this week; the U13 team have also qualified for the regional finals after the county round.

Best wishes, Mike Windsor

 

UPPER SCHOOL

MIDDLE SCHOOL

WHOLE SCHOOL

  • Safer Internet Day 2024
  • Music:
    • Wednesday 7 February – Chapel Choir Sing at Salisbury Cathedral – The Chapel Choir will be singing evensong at Salisbury Cathedral on Wednesday 7 February at 5.30pm. Leaving at 12.45pm, pupils will return around 7.45/8pm. All are most welcome to attend the service which will include music by Wood and Elgar.
    • Thursday 8 February – Cello Masterclass – Our second masterclass of the term sees eminent cellist, Robert Max, visit the school to give a masterclass to our cellists. This takes place at 6pm in the CMR and all are most welcome to attend this session which will both focus on technique as well as musical interpretation. Strong recommendation for String players in the school.
    • Monday 26 February – Mark Stone, an internationally acclaimed opera singer, will be coming to the school to sing a recital at 7pm in the Amey Theatre. This promises to be a wonderful evening of music as he sings Schubert’s ‘Winterreise’ with Stephen Barlow accompanying. Tickets can be booked at the following link: https://www.abingdon.org.uk/sports-and-leisure/performance/mark-stone-sings-schubert-winterreise/
    • See other upcoming Music Events.
  • Behaviour on the Buses:
    • We have over 450 students using the Joint Bus Service. Most behave impeccably but there can be moments of poor behaviour, ranging from nagging irritations, such as the persistent leaving of litter on the floor and use of bad language, to the safety issue of passengers not wearing seat belts. Inevitably the people who tend to bear the brunt of this bad behaviour are the drivers. The Deputy Head (Pastoral), Helen Keevil has spoken to all bus prefects about bus behaviour, and periodically pops on to certain buses to remind students about our expectations. We would be most grateful if you could reiterate to your children that they are representatives of Abingdon School and that they must behave accordingly. Equally it is a requirement, not an option, that they wear seat belts.
    • In the course of that conversation could you please also remind them that if they cannot adhere to the requisite standards of behaviour, despite warnings and the efforts of the bus prefects, then students will receive a Friday Detention. If they continue to misbehave, we reserve the right to ban them from the buses for a period of time, probably 3 to 5 days in the first instance. The level of sanction will obviously be dependent on the severity of the offending behaviour.
  • Hockey Awards Dinner 2024
    • The 2024 Hockey Awards Dinner will take place on Saturday 16 March and has Paul Revington, Head Coach of England and Great Britain men’s hockey teams in a Q & A session with Abingdon’s Director of Hockey, Todd Williams. Paul having recently coached the England team through to qualifying for the Olympics in Paris this year will be a huge inspiration to the players and this will be an occasion to celebrate Hockey at Abingdon. Please book tickets here End of Season Hockey Awards Dinner 2024 – Abingdon Leisure.
  • Friday 1 March 2024 – In Conversation with Kim Darroch (OA 1972), National Security Adviser 2012-2015, British Ambassador to the United States 2016-2019. The World in Chaos? What Happens Next?
    • Kim Darroch will be in conversation on the theme of ‘The World in Chaos? What Happens Next?’ on Friday 1 March 2024 at 7.00 pm in the Amey Theatre, Abingdon School.
    • Kim is a retired UK civil servant and life peer in the House of Lords. His diplomatic career spanned over 40 years, primarily focusing on national security issues and European policy, and included roles as the UK’s National Security Adviser and Permanent Representative to the European Union. Kim served as British Ambassador to the United States as the age of Trump dawned and Brexit unfolded.
    • Online booking is available via the Box Office here.
    • Proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the OX14 Learning Partnership.
  • OX14 Learning Partnership Upcoming Events
  • News from the week
  • Food menu for the following week – Week 2
  • School calendar
  • Weekly mailing archive
  • Box Office:   
  • Bookings now open for our Elite Athletic Development for Rugby Camp – February half term.  
    • Based at Abingdon School Sports Centre. Monday 12 – Thursday 15 February (8.30am – 4.00pm on each day).  Participants aged 8 to 15 years.
    • This camp is designed to teach aspiring young athletes to move correctly, efficiently and safely, while building full body strength and balance. Participants will be shown how to fuel themselves with the correct nutrition, to breathe correctly and to help them to achieve a mindset for a happy, positive and successful sporting career. This camp includes:
      • Fundamental rugby skills and game-play
      • Sprinting technique
      • Agility, movement and proprioception
      • Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
      • Core strength and stretching
      • Correct breathing patterns and techniques for physical and mental health, as well as helping to reduce anxiety
      • Mindfulness, mindset, goal setting and visualisation techniques
      • For further information and to book, please click here.