10 Nov 2022

WEEKLY MAILING

Message from the Headmaster

Dear Parents

This week we remember the sacrifice of the Old Abingdonians who gave their lives in the two World Wars. It is a sobering moment when you reflect on the sheer number of former pupils and members of staff who perished in these conflicts and also how young those soldiers were. It is hard to comprehend what they, their peers, friends and family went through.

We will be marking Remembrance on Friday 11 November with a ceremony in the Amey Theatre when the two student Heads of School will read out the names of the Old Abingdonians who died and we will share a time of prayer and reflection. We will look at photos of the former pupils who perished, gathered by the School’s Archivist. The entire school community will then gather in front of Big School to observe the Combined Cadet Force parade. At 11am we will all come together for the two minutes’ silence before a wreath is placed on the war memorial in Chapel.

Parents are welcome to join us for the CCF parade.  Please sign in at Park Lodge reception by 10.50am where you will be escorted over to the parade.  It is a significant and poignant moment in the life of the School.

Best wishes, Mike Windsor

 

 

UPPER SCHOOL

  • Careers Leading from the Study of Humanities Subjects.  4th Year to U6 students are invited to attend the next careers event entitled, “Careers Leading from the Study of Humanities Subjects”, 4.10-5.05pm on Monday 28 November 2022 at St Helen & St Katharine (Lecture Theatre). Details are here. The purpose of this event is to raise awareness and understanding of how skills developed through the study of humanities subjects (English Literature, History, Ancient History, Classical Languages, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Theology) prepare students well for a wide range of different professions. Many students will not yet (or fully) appreciate how skills such as critical thinking; collaboration and team working; communication (verbal and written); socialising and relationship-building; and insight and innovation are essential to success in many different professions. The event will reveal how such skills are used in a range of different professions, as presented by a panel of Abingdon School and SHSK alumni.  In doing so, the event will also bust the myth (held by some) that the study of humanities subjects can be career-narrowing vs career widening!  Advance registration required. Michael Triff, Head of Career Guidance.
  • SHSK Medicine MMI evening  – Wednesday 16 November at SHSK 5 – 8pm
    SHSK are hosting U6 Medicine applicants from both schools in a mock MMI evening (Multiple Mini Interviews). They are after people with knowledge of Medical School interviews to help out on one of the stations for the evening.  For more details or to offer your services, please contact [email protected]
  • Parents of Lower Sixth students – Parents’ Evening Letter
  • Parents of Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth pupils studying Politics – Politics Dinner

MIDDLE SCHOOL

  • For Parents of 4th Year to 5th Year Pupils: Careers Leading from the Study of Humanities Subjects.  4th Year to U6 students are invited to attend the next careers event entitled, “Careers Leading from the Study of Humanities Subjects”, 4:10-5:05pm on Monday 28 November 2022 at St Helen & St Katharine (Lecture Theatre). Details are here. The purpose of this event is to raise awareness and understanding of how skills developed through the study of humanities subjects (English Literature, History, Ancient History, Classical Languages, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Theology) prepare students well for a wide range of different professions. Many students will not yet (or fully) appreciate how skills such as critical thinking; collaboration and team working; communication (verbal and written); socialising and relationship-building; and insight and innovation are essential to success in many different professions. The event will reveal how such skills are used in a range of different professions, as presented by a panel of Abingdon School and SHSK alumni.  In doing so, the event will also bust the myth (held by some) that the study of humanities subjects can be career-narrowing vs career widening! Advance registration required. Michael Triff, Head of Career Guidance.
  • For Parents of Fifth Year pupils – Tentative preference for Sixth Form subjects
  • For Parents of 5th Year Pupils: Morrisby Profile Programme Results.  If your child is participating in the Morrisby Profile Programme, earlier this week, they will have had an interview with an independent careers adviser from Morrisby (unless they forgot to attend, in which case they will soon have a replacement interview with Mr Triff). By early next week (if not done already), the careers adviser who interviewed your child will have posted interview notes to your child’s Morrisby online account (www.morrisby.com).  If your child has given you read-only access to their online account, you can view these interview notes. If not, please ask your child to give you access to their account (which they can do at the bottom of their Morrisby account home page). Find time over the next few weeks to discuss the results of this programme with your child and how their results might impact on post-16 education options, including A-Level subject choices if entering Abingdon’s 6th Form. Tentative A-Level choices will be due by Wednesday 23 November. If you have any questions, concerns or requests, contact Michael Triff, Head of Career Guidance, at [email protected].

LOWER SCHOOL

  • For Parents of First Year pupils. On Tuesday next week (Tuesday 15 November), the first-year students will be given a talk (as part of our wider relationships and sex education (RSE) provision) on consent and boundaries within friendships and relationships. The speaker will be Natalie Hunt, the school’s mental health and wellbeing co-ordinator who is also an experienced RSE trainer. Consent is an important topic and we will be tackling this in an age-appropriate way, coming back to it several times as your child progresses through the school. In this introductory talk, students will learn the definition of consent and the meaning of physical and emotional boundaries within a friendship and a relationship. They will also have the opportunity to think about the qualities of a healthy friendship and how we can express our boundaries without upsetting someone, and why respecting someone else’s boundaries is so important. I would encourage you to continue these important conversations from home too. For further information on our wider RSE provision please refer to the details HERE or refer to the school policies page HERE. Many thanks Paul Gooding (Head of PSHCE)

WHOLE SCHOOL

  • Anti-Bullying Week and International Men’s Day 2022
  • Whisper anonymous reporting service.  Last term we sought feedback from the pupils about sharing concerns and information with staff. One aspect that was raised was the whistleblower email: pupils felt that this would be used more if it was totally anonymous. Given that, this week we have launched “Whisper”. This is a service used by a lot of other schools that enables pupils to raise concerns completely anonymously, if they so choose, and is externally hosted by SWGfL to guarantee that anonymity. It also enables pupils to raise concerns via their phones so is much more accessible for them.  More information can be found at https://swgfl.org.uk/online-safety/ or do contact [email protected] if you have any questions.
  • Remembrance Parade – Only the Lower and Upper Sixth pupils in CCF are involved in the Remembrance parade on Sunday at 9am.
  • Music.  
    • Hadyn’s Creation – Friday 18 November at 7.30pm,  Amey Theatre.  (Note revised start time). Parents are warmly invited to join our significant choral concert of the term to hear Haydn’s glorious oratorio, The Creation. Featuring a chorus of over 100 voices – pupils. parents and staff from Abingdon, Headington and St Helen’s and with a trio of professional soloists and a largely student orchestra, this should be a concert not to be missed. Please apply here for your tickets and for further information.
    • Christmas Concerts 1 and 2 – Wednesday 7 and Friday 9 December at 7pm,  Amey Theatre. Our Christmas Concerts are always popular occasions when we present our larger and senior ensembles – First, Second, Chamber Orchestras, Big Band and Concert Band, Gospel and 1st Year Choirs. We perform the concert twice order to accommodate the expected audiences. Please book your tickets here in good time. There will be concertos from two of our senior musicians (piano and oboe), together with Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony, Warlock’s Capriol Suite and some seasonal fare, too.
    • See other upcoming Music events.
  • Christmas Jumper Day – Tuesday 13 December
    Please forgive the early mention of the word Christmas, but the Charities committee will again hold their annual Christmas Jumper Day on Tuesday 13 December. For a £1 donation students can swap their blazers for some festive knitwear for one day only. In order to try and be more sustainable this year we would like to encourage students to find second-hand jumpers rather than buy new ones. So with five weeks to go there is plenty of time to scour charity shops, Vinted or the back of the wardrobe.
  • ACE Toy Drive for Abingdon Families in Need – Collection Monday 28 November to Friday 2 December
    We are looking for BRAND NEW toy donations for children aged 1-12 and teenagers up to age 16 which will be distributed to families in need this Christmas via food banks. Please bring donations into Park Lodge or Faringdon Lodge Receptions – I am afraid we cannot accept donations after Friday 2 December as we have to deliver them to the elves for wrapping and distribution.  **Important Points to Note** We are looking for gifts that are brand NEW only. Please do not wrap your gift, please avoid toys associated with violence (guns/swords) due to the various backgrounds of the children. Please avoid anything with reference to Mummy/Daddy as we work with children who have suffered bereavement or are victims of abuse. Please do not give video games or DVDs as many children will not have the equipment to play these on. Alternatively items can be purchased on the amazon wishlist https://tinyurl.com/acetoydrive or donations made via the ACE JustGiving Page https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/acetoydrive5 further information and suggested gifts can be found on the ACE event page https://m.facebook.com/abingdonevents/ 
  • OX14 Learning Partnership Upcoming Events.  
  • Reminder: Lower School, 3rd Year and 4th Year Parent Cheese and Wine evenings.  The Parents Association, ASPA, is organising a free cheese and wine evening for parents in the Lower School, 3rd Year and 4th Year. These all start at 7pm and are being held in the Hospitality Suite in the Sports Centre. This is a great opportunity to meet other parents from across your child’s year group beyond just their house, form or extracurricular interests. Please book via the relevant links: Lower School Parents – Wednesday 23 November 7pm;  3rd Year Parents – Thursday 24 November 7pm; 4th Year Parents –  Wednesday 30 November 7pm
  • News from the week
  • Food menu for the following week – Week 3
  • School calendar
  • Weekly mailing archive
  • December SuperCamps Early bird discount – Up to 15% off.  SuperCamps returns to Abingdon School from Monday 19 December to Thursday 22 December, offering a wide range of fun and engaging activities for children aged 4 -12 years old, led by qualified and experienced staff.  SuperCamps are offering parents up to 15% off their booking, only available until Wednesday 16 November. For more information and to book, please click here.
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