This week's mailing is:
Letters:
- To parents of Second Year boys – Parents' Evening
Notices:
5th year mocks & parents' evening
The presentations Mr May and Mr Lomax gave during Monday evening's Parents' Evening (on mocks overview/Easter revision and Sixth Form options) are available in PDF form here and here. Plus a video of the 5th form parents' evening.
Revision leave dates – Summer 2018
Fifth year: revision leave will now begin on Friday 4 May, 5.20pm.
Upper Sixth: revision leave begins Friday 18 May, 1pm.
Reporting pupil absences
With the large number of absences at the current time it is an opportune time to remind you of the procedure to report your boy’s absence from school. If you wish to telephone and leave a message please call the Attendance Office on 01235 849031 or email [email protected]. If you prefer to notify your boy’s Housemaster and/or Tutor please also copy the email to [email protected]. We do request that absences are reported each day to avoid any confusion. If you know of any forthcoming appointments, University visits or the like, please also notify the Attendance Office in the same way, having sought permission, for day absences, from your son's housemaster.
Safer Internet Day, Tuesday 6 February 2018 – from the Deputy Head (Pastoral)
Tuesday 6 February is Safer Internet Day with the theme of “Create, Connect and Share Respect.” Various conversations around this theme will be happening in school, and we would encourage the same at home. Safer Internet Day also gives the chance for a wider conversation. When his snapchat pings, what does the message contain? What comments has he made in reply to someone's Instagram post? If you look at his own Instagram post are the pictures compromising? Who are the disembodied voices that he talks to when he is gaming? It might be that the conversation is a good chance for you to ask him about his perspective, as the ways in which a teenager views the online world are very different from those who are 35+ …. Please follow the link for some factoids on the internet to trigger a conversation with your son – http://www.unboxingdeals.com/one-second-of-internet/ and the Safer Internet Site is https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/2018.
The Blue Planet, Planet Earth, Frozen Planet – internationally acclaimed wildlife cameraman Doug Allan comes to the Amey Theatre, Friday 2 March 2018
“For me, wildlife cameramen don’t come much more special than Doug. There’s just no one else who knows these frozen worlds as he does” – David Attenborough
DOUG ALLAN – AN EYE BELOW ZERO – In collaboration with the Abingdon Science Partnership and Science Oxford. Did you ever wonder how to approach belugas underwater? Get up close and personal with polar bears without being eaten? Stop your fingers falling off from frostbite? And not lose that important dive hole when you’re diving under the ice? Doug Allan is one of the world’s best known and respected cameramen, and he’ll be giving his own personal insights into marine biology, diving, and filming at the poles. Illustrated with his own photographs and clips from his best-known series, and with a wealth of behind the scenes stories – Doug’s aim is to amaze, inspire and challenge. In the 40 years since Doug first went to Antarctica, he’s witnessed first-hand how the warming of the poles and the changing ice is affecting the animals north and south. What should we be doing to turn the tide? He’ll also be signing copies of his book Freeze Frame – A Wildlife Cameraman’s Adventures on Ice.
Doug is one of the world’s best known and respected cameramen. He's worked for the BBC, Discovery, National Geographic and many others, filming for series like The Blue Planet, Planet Earth, Frozen Planet, Ocean Giants, Operation Iceberg, Wild Cameramen at Work, and Brian Cox’s Forces of Nature. Further information and to book tickets.
Helen Pearson to speak at Abingdon School about Careers in Law: Thursday 8 March 2018
Drawing upon nearly 30 years of experience as a lawyer, Helen Pearson will talk to 5th Year and 6th Form pupils about what being a lawyer is like; key personal qualities for success; rewards and sacrifices of the profession; different types of legal careers; and educational routes into these different careers. Thursday 8 March 2018.
6th Form: 1pm to 1.40pm, Big School, Classroom B11.
5th Years: 1.45pm to 2.30pm, Big School, Classroom B7.
If he is considering a career in law, please encourage your 5th Year or 6th Form son to save the date!
Abingdon Careers Convention: Friday 16 March 2018, 7pm – 9.30pm, SHSK
Save the Date: The annual Abingdon Independent Schools’ Careers Convention, jointly run by Abingdon School, Our Lady’s Abingdon and St Helen and St Katharine, will be on Friday 16 March 2018, 7pm-9.30pm at SHSK. 5th Year, L6 and U6 students will not want to miss this event! Already, nearly 90 parents and alumni of the three schools (representing some 70 different careers – more than many commercial career fairs!) have volunteered to serve as ‘career representatives’. This is a rare opportunity for students to gather information about careers of interest and educational routes into those careers from people who know. The format of the event is that of a careers fair, with students choosing and joining small discussion groups led by career representatives. Concurrent with the career fair will be two panel presentations and the opportunity to have a walk-in meeting with an independent career adviser. The event is compulsory for 5th year students; all 6th form students are invited to attend voluntarily. And parents are welcome, too; no booking is necessary.
FASBC – Annual Dinner on Saturday 17 March
The Friends of Abingdon School Boat Club invite you to save the date for their annual dinner on Saturday 17 March with speaker GB rower Matt Rossiter, OA 2008. Booking details to follow soon.
Abingdon Sports and Leisure – Courses and Academies 2018, based at Abingdon School
Abingdon Sports and Leisure are delighted to announce that our Courses and Academies 2018 are now available to book. This includes the National Pool Lifeguard Qualification, a high performance rugby camp, swimming, climbing, squash, a junior orchestral course and much more. These courses provide an opportunity for participants to develop new or existing skills in an environment designed and equipped to an exceptionally high standard, led by qualified, experienced and DBS-checked coaches and staff. The full range of Courses and Academies for both adults and juniors can be found listed on the ASE website here, along with an online registration form and brochure. All bookings are on a first come, first serve basis so we advise that you book early to avoid disappointment.
Abingdon School box office
The following events are taking place in the Amey Theatre next week:
- An Evening With James Ketchell – Monday 5 February at 7pm
- ROH Live: Tosca – Wednesday 7 February at 7.15pm
- Horizon Lectures: Julie Summers – Thursday 8 February 7.30pm
Reminder – An Evening with James Ketchell – Monday 5 February, 7pm, Amey Theatre
All parents and pupils are warmly invited to attend this event at 7pm in the Amey Theatre to hear from James Ketchell, serial adventurer, motivational speaker and Scouting ambassador. On 1 February 2014, James became the first and only person to have rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, successfully summited Mount Everest and cycled 18,000 miles around the world. There is no charge for the event but tickets do need to be booked at this link. James will be signing copies of his book “The Ultimate Triathlon” at the end of the evening (cost: £10).
Hockey Academy
Hockey academy at February half term at Tilsley Park.
Current 4th & 5th Year: Senior Rugby Tour in Summer 2019
Please look out for the senior rugby tour launch letter in your inbox. The proposed tour is heading to South America (Argentina & Chile) in August 2019. The letter includes a date for the launch evening which invites all current 4th & 5th Year rugby players and their parents to an introductory meeting on Thursday 22 February. The meeting does not sign you up to the tour, but is a fantastic opportunity to find out more about the detail of the tour before making a final decision about signing up for the trip.
Reminder for all parents about coats
Please ensure your son has a winter coat for trips and away sporting fixtures, particularly in these winter months. If travelling to a sports fixture in team kit, please ensure your son has a tracksuit too.
