15 Sep 2022

WEEKLY MAILING

Message from the Headmaster

Dear Parents

The school community has been reflecting on the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II this week. The Chaplain’s theme in Chapel this week has been ‘a life well lived’, offering us all a chance to consider the Queen’s energy and wisdom that allowed her to develop her role as a unifying force in this nation and across the Commonwealth.

The Combined Cadet Force will be coming together today for a short parade in front of Big School to mark the passing of the Queen and we will be tolling the school bell seventy times to mark each year of her reign.

I hope you received my message earlier this week confirming that Monday 19 September, the day of the Queen’s funeral, will be a Bank Holiday and so the School will be closed for day pupils. Our boarding houses will remain open. Activities over the preceding weekend are expected to take place as planned.

We are also looking forward to meeting parents at the Meet the Tutor evenings next week. 3rd Year parents are invited to attend on Tuesday 20 September, 2nd year parents on Wednesday 21 September, and 4th Year parents on Thursday 22 September. We are keen to ensure that parents get the opportunity to come into school and meet tutors and Housemasters face-to-face, not least as parents’ evenings over the course of the year will take place online, so I do hope you will be able to join us.

If you would like to attend and have not yet signed up, please do so via these links:

3rd Year

4th Year

2nd Year – If you have not done so already, please email Mr Jenkins if you would like to attend.

These events run from 7pm until 8.30pm and parking is available on Lower Field on Park Road.  This event is for parents only, so students should not attend.

Best wishes, Mike Windsor

 

UPPER SCHOOL

  • Parents of Upper Sixth Students – UCAS university application deadlines:  Upper Sixth students applying to UK universities are working on their personal statements, researching final choices and filling in their UCAS applications. A reminder of key internal and external deadlines for those applying for 2023 entry (and 2024 deferred):
    • Sunday 25 September – school submission deadline for Oxbridge/medicine/vet science & dentistry
      Friday 30 September – registration deadline for Oxbridge admissions tests and BMAT (students must register in person in the exams office)
      Saturday 15 October – UCAS final application deadline for Oxbridge/medicine/vet science & dentistry
      Tuesday 18 – Wednesday 19 October – BMAT, TMUA and Cambridge admissions tests
      Wednesday 2 November – Oxford admissions tests
      Sunday 27 November – school deadline for all other UCAS applications
      Wednesday 25 January – UCAS final application deadline for equal consideration. If students have questions about their UCAS application or would like to discuss university options, they can speak to Mrs Hoddinott or Dr Ambrose in the UCAS office or email them on [email protected].
  • Parents of Upper Sixth students – Parents’ Evening Letter
  • Parents of Sixth form scholars – Scholars’ events, Michaelmas Term 2022
  • Lower Sixth STEP (Summer Term Extension Programme) and Upper Sixth Summer Research Presentation Evening – Thursday 29 September – Amey Theatre – 5.15-6:45pm. On Thursday 29 September a number of sixth form students will give presentations in the Amey Theatre based on research they undertook during the summer term and over the holiday. The projects demonstrate a great breadth and depth of scholarship. It promises to be a fantastic afternoon of research, ideas and insight; parents, students and staff are most welcome to join us in the Amey Theatre.
  • Parents of Lower Sixth students – Calculators Letter
  • Invitation to students from the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, Mark Beard re Annual Law Lecture, Tuesday 11 October.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

WHOLE SCHOOL

  • Reminder – Arrangements for Open Day: Saturday 1 October – 9am to 1.30pm
    • Open Day runs from 9am until 1.30pm.  All students, except first years, are expected to attend.
    • Students should arrive at School no later than 8.30am to register in their houserooms before beginning their Open Day activities.  They should arrive wearing full uniform unless directed otherwise for a specific activity.  All students will be either involved in activities or guiding our visitors.  Unless involved in an away match, all students will be required to stay until 1.30pm.
    • For students who use the joint bus service, all morning routes will be operating 15 minutes later than the normal weekday schedule.  Students on school buses should go straight to registration in their houserooms when their bus arrives.  For the return journey, buses will depart on all usual routes from the coach park at 1.45pm.
    • Requests for absence at Open Day should, as usual, be made to the housemaster, as for a single weekday absence.
  • Letter re important information for Joint Bus Service (JBS) users
  • Introduction to the Learning Support department for parents whose children have an identified SEND
  • Letter re AS Physiotherapy and Sports Massage
  • Music: 
    • Abingdon School Music Society – a call for parents. Please join us!  Please see here a letter from the chairman of ASMS, Tamsin Keene. We are keen to recruit one or two parents of new musicians to join us in supporting our pupils at concerts. If you love music and want to meet other parents and support our musicians, then this could be for you!
    • Music Tour to France and Belgium Tuesday 4 – Thursday 13 July 2023 (1st Orchestra and Big Band). We have a really promising number of about 35 students whose parents have already committed to the exciting tour at the end of the academic year. Arrangements have been made so that the Duke of Edinburgh expeditions (as separate arrangements will be made for musicians) and the Rugby tour do not clash.  We are now about to resend the form to parents of musicians in 1st Orchestra and Big Band who are either new or who have yet to commit to joining the tour. Apologies to any who have decided against going – but please do reconsider! We have a target number of about 70 students for this tour. The tour sees us giving concerts in Argentan (Normandy), Colmar (Alsace), Sint Niklaas (Belgium) and a final concert at the famous La Madeleine (Paris). This will be a spectacular end to our tour! There will be a short Tour Playing and Launch Meeting on Friday 23 September, 5-7pm, when we will hear more from our tour company, Musica Europa.
    • Tuesday 27 September 6pm CMR.  We look forward to seeing a new crop of solo performers at our first Solo Concert Platform on Tuesday 27 September at 6pm. Please join us – admission is free!
    • Friday 7 October at 6.30 – 8.30pm Chamber Orchestra at the Abingdon Twinning Association Concert – advance notice. Please join us for a real celebration of the town’s twinning association with towns in Europe and beyond who will join us in a live-streamed event. School and community groups from Abingdon will come together, including our own Chamber Orchestra. Please reserve the date!
    • See other upcoming Music events.
  • OX14 Learning Partnership Upcoming Events.
  • ASPA Events.  Abingdon School Parents’ Association are organising the following events – please put the dates in your diary – further information to follow.
    • Cheese and wine evenings – Hospitality Suite – 7pm until 9pm: Wednesday 23 November 2022 – Lower School parents; Thursday 24 November 2022 – Third Year parents; Wednesday 30 November 2022 – Fourth Year parents
    • ASPA Quiz – Friday 3 March 2023
  • News from the week
  • Food menu for the following week – Week 3
  • School calendar
  • Weekly mailing archive.
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