17 Jun 2022

WEEKLY MAILING

Message from the Headmaster

Dear Parents

The sun is out. The sky is blue. All you need to make this a perfect summer is some great music.

We heard lots of that at last night’s fantastic Lower School Gala concert which featured solo and ensemble performances of great quality and range.

The good news is that there is plenty more where that came from. On Friday 24 June at 7pm you can come along to the Summer Concert in the Amey Theatre when you’ll be able to enjoy performances from many school ensembles including both our orchestras, the Big Band, the Gospel Choir and many more. Ticket information is available here.

On Wednesday 29 June, weather permitting, from 5.30pm until 8pm, the courtyard between Beech Court and the café will be transformed into a concert space where you’ll be able to enjoy the very best in rock, pop and jazz from students from Abingdon and SHSK in a very informal festival-style musical offering as part of our Celebration of the Arts. There are even rumours of the creation of a staff supergroup with Mr Barnes on vocals. This could be an unforgettable experience. (See below for ticket details.)

Then on the evening of Friday 1 July, you can enjoy more relaxed music-making as the Music Society hosts a river cruise, departing from Salter’s, Abingdon Bridge at 6pm. You can enjoy food and drinks on board as the School’s musicians accompany you along the Thames. Further information is below.

Best wishes, Mike Windsor

 

UPPER SCHOOL

  • For Lower Sixth students and their parents – 360 Degrees Virtual Event, Thursday 23 June 7-9pm. To support the Lower Sixth in their university considerations, there will be the 360 Degree Virtual Event for students and their parents to discover more about undergraduate study in different subject areas as well as an opportunity to speak to tutors about their next steps towards achieving their future goals. All Lower Sixth students are expected to attend. Students have received instructions for booking appointments with their tutors and subject specialists along with a timetable for group talks. We look forward to seeing you and your student online!

WHOLE SCHOOL

  • Changes to the management of the Joint Bus Service next year.  Since it was launched, the JBS has been managed ‘in-house’ by St Helen and St Katharine and Abingdon School and grown to be a very large and successful service used by over a thousand students each day.  After a review of the way the JBS is managed and how its further development can be supported, we have decided to move the management of the JBS to a specialist school transport management company called Vectare.  Most of the changes will be ‘behind the scenes’ but there will be differences to how JBS users administer their accounts and who to contact.  More information about what this means will be provided in next week’s Weekly Mailing so please look out for that.  In the meantime, Tom Peeke continues to be the main point of contact and is best reached via [email protected].
  • Driving near the School. We would like to remind parents to act with courtesy and consideration to local residents and other road users when driving near the School and to respect parking instructions and speed limits. Thank you.
  • Celebration of the Arts, Wednesday 29 June 2022.  Parents are welcome to this event, but unfortunately the lift in Beech Court is currently out of service.
  • Music events:
    • Reminder – Music Society River Cruise – Friday 1 July 6-9pm from Salter’s, Abingdon Bridge.  There are still tickets remaining for this lovely 3 hour trip leaving from Abingdon Bridge.  We hope for fine weather, al fresco picnics and some relaxed music-making from the Abingdon Academicals. Please book your tickets here.
    • Music Technology – Opportunities for Lesson in September, from the Director of Music, Michael Stinton. Our Music Technology teacher, Mr Alex Hehir, is offering some no obligation try-out lessons on Wednesday afternoons – and we are pleased to offer pupils some lesson slots that have become available for this subject in September. Mr Hehir has put together some Music Technology information so that parents and pupils can be aware of what is offered in these weekly one-to-one lessons. These lessons are offered on the same basis as instrumental lessons, details about which can be found on this link to the website.
    • See other upcoming Music events.
  • OX14 Learning Partnership Upcoming Events – no new additions
  • News from the week
  • Food menu for the following week – Week 2
  • School calendar
  • Weekly mailing archive
  • Box Office:
  • Summer courses and holiday camps reminder – 10% early bird discounts redeemable until the end of June. We would like to remind parents and pupils that we are running a variety of high quality courses and holiday camps during the summer months that we hope will be of interest to you and your friends. This includes: