15 Nov 2019

This week’s mailing is:

Letters

• To parents of pupils in Border’s House – House Carol Service
• To parents of pupils who are part of the Rifle Club – Trip to Stade, Germany
• To parents of all fifth year boys – Tentative preference for sixth form subjects
• To parents of all fifth year boys – GCSE Controlled assessment/NEAs 2019-20
• To all parents – Last chance to order Abingdon OddBalls Bobble Hat

Notices

Revision leave dates – Summer 2020

Fifth year: revision leave begins Wednesday 6 May, 5.20pm

Upper Sixth: revision leave begins Friday 15 May, 1pm

To Fifth year parents: Sixth Form options evening, last Monday

We hope 5th year parents found our ‘Towards the Sixth Form’ evening on Monday helpful.  Please do remember that it represented really just the first step in an on-going conversation, to be continued next term after mock exams.  Mr May’s presentation from Monday evening can be found in pdf form here

2019 International Men’s Day

International Men’s Day falls this year on Tuesday 19 November. It serves as an opportunity for boys to remember and thank key men in their lives as well as reflect on various men’s issues to do with health and wellbeing. Tutors will be encouraging your sons to think and engage with this topic.  Please, could you try to find the chance to talk about this with your son as well?  You might want to visit this website in order to gain more information.  If you haven’t already done so I also invite you to join our wellbeing twitter feed for parents which is @Ab_Wellbeing.  Many thanks in anticipation of your support with this.

EPQ Presentation Evening Monday 25 November, Yang Science Centre 5.20-7.15pm

On Monday 25 November our EPQ cohort will be delivering their presentations in an evening event which is running from 5.20 until 7.15pm. The presentations will be delivered across a number of classrooms in the Yang Science Centre, with three separate sessions at 5.30, 6.00 and 6.30pm. The presentations will be accompanied by refreshments and snacks in the lobby.  The topics last year ranged from “Can the apparent absence of life on exoplanets be explained and what does it mean for humanity?” to “What impact did Blaxploitation films have on mainstream American perceptions of African-American Culture?” and this year’s are no less interesting.  Supervisors use the evening to grade their EPQ candidates. To achieve the highest grades the boys need to be asked challenging questions by an engaged audience so they would also be very pleased to see you there. Parents who would like to come to the presentations would be most welcome.

Pocket Guide to Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling

In the coming days, all Lower and Middle School students who have joined the school this academic year will receive a Pocket Guide to Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling from their English teacher. We hope that your son will use this comprehensive reference guide not just for his English work but across all his subjects. Further information, including a downloadable version of the guide, is available here.  If your son joined the school before September 2019 and would like a replacement copy, he can request one from the Head of English, Matthew Coolin.

Parents’ Carol Service

All parents and boys are warmly invited to the carol service at St Michael’s Church, Park Road on Thursday 12 December at 6.30pm.  The service will be a shortened form of the traditional lessons and carols from King’s College, Cambridge.  The boarding community will be in attendance and the outstanding Chapel Choir will sing.  Do join us for this delightful and inspiring occasion.

• Sunday 17 November at 7pm, Amey Theatre – Joint Choral Society.  Our singers and instrumentalists are in action this Sunday alongside musicians from St Helen’s School in Gjeillo’s beautiful Sunrise Mass and the Joint Chamber Choir will sing Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus. Do join us for what should be a lovely occasion. Parents of boys are reminded that supper will be provided at cost in the School Dining Hall after the rehearsal (arrangements for this have been circulated by ISAMS email).
• Wednesday 20 November at 6pm, CMR – Music Society Cello Masterclass with Robert Max.  This masterclass should be a must for all our string players. Robert Max is a cellist and chamber musician with an international reputation. He will be working with four of our senior cellists and two cello ensembles. Please do join us for a fascinating learning and entertaining experience. Two of the works include cello concertos by Elgar and Dvorak. Admission is free.
• Wednesday 4 and Friday 6 December at 7pm, Amey Theatre – Christmas Concerts 1 and 2.  Parents are reminded that our Christmas concerts, the two big musical events of the term, are coming into focus. We perform the concerts twice in order that all parents can come to one of them. The ensembles performing include all three orchestras, The Big Band, Symphonic Wind and Brass Bands, the First Year Choir, the Gospel and Joint Chamber Choirs. All performers are provided with a school supper at cost beforehand and parents are asked to let us know, please, if they wish their sons to opt out.

• Fuchs – Treachery and Pursuit of the Most Dangerous Spy in History – 7.30pm, Wednesday 20 November

News from the week

• ASiP English Mentoring
• Remembrance Day Parade
• ASP Light and Colour Investigation
• Fifth Year Scholars’ Trip
• Joint Lower School Thinking Supper
• Boarders’ Waffle Making
• Boarders’ Card School
• Berks, Bucks and Oxon County Fencing Championships
• Physics partnership visit to Diamond Light Source

Food Menu for the coming week – Week 1