14 Sep 2018

WEEKLY MAILING

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Trips information – Residential Trips 2018/19

For the benefit of new parents, and those here last year, a spreadsheet of trips details is on the website.

Abingdon Michaelmas Fair: Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 October and Abingdon Runaway Fair: Monday 15 October

Parents should expect that traffic flow in Abingdon will be severly disrupted by the Abingdon Fairs. On Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 October vehicle entry to Park Road and Park Crescent will only be via the gate on Faringdon Road (along from the Coach Park).

Open Day: Saturday 29 September – 9.30am-12.30pm

Open Day is an occasion for all the family, with activities, displays and demonstrations about all aspects of the School. The Day runs from 9.30 until 12.30. All boys, EXCEPT first years who are not involved in an activity such as an orchestra or band, are expected to attend and should arrive at School no later than 8.45 am to register before beginning their Open Day activities. Boys on school buses should go straight to registration when their bus arrives.  Request for absence on this day should, as usual, be made to the housemaster, as for a single weekday absence. For boys wishing to miss School sports fixtures, parents should write to the Headmaster, as usual, copying in the Director of Sport and PE, Pete Bignell.  For boys who use the joint bus service, all the morning routes will be operating the weekday schedule running 30 minutes later than usual. For the return journey, the weekday 5.20pm service will depart on all usual routes from the coach park at 1.00pm. 

Saturday Bus Route

Please see below the correct & updated bus times for this term.  The list of stops and routes are still accurate.

  • Saturday 15 September** – run 1 hr earlier to arrive around 10.30
  • Saturday 6 October** – run 1 hr earlier to arrive around 10.30
  • Saturday 10 November – Run as usual to arrive for 11.30
  • Saturday 17 November – Run as usual to arrive for 11.30
  • Saturday 1 December- Run as usual to arrive for 11.30
  • Saturday 8 December** – run 1 hr earlier to arrive around 10.30

OA Club

The OA Club warmly invites parents working in the property, design and construction sectors to join like-minded OAs at a career networking reception on Wednesday 10 October 2018 between 6.00 pm and 8.30 pm at BoConcept,158 Tottenham Court Road, London, W1T 7NH.  

OA Club networking events provide industry links between established career professionals and offer younger OAs invaluable insights and connections in their chosen field of work. 

From architecture, buildings conservation, engineering and interior design to landscaping, product design, property development, surveying, town and country planning and valuation, this informal evening will offer an opportunity to expand professional networks. 

Please register your interest for this event via this form.

Chaplaincy Welcome Event  and Parents' Prayer Group Thursday 11 October, 7.45pm. The Atrium, St Helen and St Katharine School, Faringdon Road, Abingdon.

This will be a joint meeting with SHSK, Abingdon Prep and the Manor Prep School. All parents are very welcome to come and learn about the spiritual life of the schools and about various Christian activities. Our guest speaker will be The Reverend Jane Chaffey, Chaplain at Wycombe Abbey School between 2008 and 2018. There will also be a presentation from Anthony Bewes, Director of Lymington Rushmore, an organisation that supports the work of chaplaincies in independent schools and runs outstanding holidays and revision camps. 

This will be the first meeting of the Abingdon Foundation Parents' Prayer group that meets twice a term. The dates for the rest of the school year are as follows:

  • Thursday 15 November,  8pm at Abingdon Prep
  • Thursday 17 January, 8pm at 29 Park Road, Abingdon.
  • Thursday 7 March, 8pm at Abingdon Prep
  • Thursday 2 May, 8pm at Abingdon Prep
  • Tuesday 18 June, 8pm in the School Chapel.

If you would like further information, contact Rev Dr Simon Steer, school chaplain ([email protected]).

CCF – Charity Event

On Thursday 27 September Sixth Form members of Abingdon School's CCF will be cycling, swimming, rowing and walking the 780 miles from Abingdon to our sister town of Schongau, Germany, including a row and swim across the English Channel. This will all take place using the facilities in the School Sports Centre. We will cover the distance over a period of 24 hours, starting with an actual 10 mile sponsored walk, in order to raise money for Parkinson's UK, a charity close to the hearts of our CCF and its members.  Please support us in this effort and donate to Parkinson’s UK by donating through this link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/abingdonccf24hours.

Rugby Parent Evening/Workshop

Following the “Rugby Parent Evening / Workshop” on Monday 3 September, please click on the links to see both presentations.

Spinning Classes – New at Tilsley Park 

We are delighted to let you know that we are holding an official launch day at Tilsley Park on Sunday 23 September (10am-3pm) to introduce our exciting range of spinning classes to the community, which will be a new addition to the Abingdon Sports and Leisure Club exercise class timetable this Autumn. We will be using M3i Keiser spin bikes to give you a high quality cycling experience. Classes will be held at Tilsley Park, seven days a week. Therefore, we warmly invite you to come along with family and friends and take advantage of a fantastic range of free taster sessions that are on offer, including adult and junior Zorb Football and Boot Camp sessions. 

Please call the Tilsley team on 01235 524524 to pre-book your launch day activities, as we have limited spaces available.  The full details of our launch day programme can be found here.  Alternatively, you can visit our website to find out more. 

Ultimate Activity Camps

With October half-term coming up, we wanted to let you know that Ultimate Activity Camps are making a welcome return to Abingdon School with their exciting programme of fun activities.

  • Monday 22 – Friday 26 October
  • For children aged 4 – 14 years
  • Early booking offer £40 per day or £174 per week when booked by Tuesday 2 October

As well as the full range of engaging activities, for October half-term they will also offer some extra seasonal activities.  Please book via www.ultimateactivity.co.uk or call 033001117077.

Ocean Film Festival World Tour – Tuesday 18 September

Brought to you by the team behind the Banff Film Festival UK Tour, this collection of short films celebrates divers, paddlers, surfers and oceanographers who live for the sea’s salt spray. To book tickets, please visit the Ocean Film Festival website.

Food menu for the coming week – Week 3