2 Nov 2023

WEEKLY MAILING

Message from the Head

Dear Parents

I’ve enjoyed welcoming students back after the half term break. All this week, Mr Stafford, our Director of Music, has been leading hymn practices with different year groups in the Chapel, next to my office in Big School. It’s been wonderful to hear everyone singing heartily; certainly a great way to start each day.

It’s been a particularly exciting week for members of Crescent and Austin House as their new facilities are now open. They have already made themselves at home. Boarders are clearly enjoying their new rooms and break-out spaces and the newly extended houses offer much improved spaces for study and recreation for day pupils as well. The new dining pavilion is also nearing completion with furniture now in place. We’ll be running some test events in the pavilion over the next week or so and I’m sure it will provide a great space for hosting visitors while also relieving pressure considerably on our current dining facilities.

I would also like to highlight our next Giving Day, which will be taking place next week from 9am on Wednesday 8 November until 9pm on Thursday 9 November. We want an education at Abingdon to be accessible for as many as possible, regardless of their families’ financial situation, and the Giving Day is aimed at helping us reach our goal of having 110 pupils on bursaries in the School (today’s figure is 74). We’re inviting everyone to participate in challenges related to the number 110 and I hope you’ll enjoy seeing the content that we will be sharing via social media during the course of the Giving Day. If you are not available on the day and would like to make an early donation please visit www.abingdon.org.uk/givingday.

Best wishes, Mike Windsor

 

 

MIDDLE SCHOOL

  • For Parents of 5th Year Pupils: Morrisby Profile Programme Interviews
    • If your child is participating in the Morrisby Profile Programme, they will have received an email from Mr Triff with the date, time, and location of their Zoom online interview with an independent careers adviser from Morrisby. This 30-minute interview will be next week on one of the following days: Monday 6 – Friday 10 November. Thank you for ensuring your child has put this appointment in their planner/diary and that they set aside some time this weekend (if not already) to review their results and complete some pre-interview questions – all in their online Morrisby account. The Morrisby Profile Programme can help to inform A-Level subject choices from a career planning perspective, so thank you for ensuring your child makes the most of their interview next week. Michael Triff, Head of Career Guidance.

WHOLE SCHOOL

  • Music:
    • Remembrance Concert – Chapel – Friday 10 November, 7pm
      • On Friday 10 November, there will be a concert in Chapel centred on the theme of Remembrance. This concert will feature a number of solo items, performances from the Chapel Choir alongside readings and memoirs. There will be a drinks reception (from which the proceeds will go to the ASMS) in the CMR from 6.15pm before the concert commences at 7pm. All are most welcome to attend however tickets will need to be booked (free of charge) at the following link: https://www.abingdon.org.uk/sports-and-leisure/performance/remembrance-concert/
    • Solo Platform Concert – CMR – Tuesday 21 November, 6pm
      • Our final solo platform concert of term takes place on Tuesday 21 November. All are welcome to hear a range of pupils perform a varied repertoire which has been tackled and accomplished this term. As usual, the concert takes place in the CMR at 6pm.
    • Choral Evensong – St. Michael’s Church, Wednesday 22nd November, 6pm
      • For those who are interested in a reflective service, do please join us at St. Michael’s in Abingdon for the term’s choral evensong. This will be sung by the Chapel Choir with music by Stanford and Howells. Commencing at 6pm, the service should conclude by 7pm. All are most welcome.
    • See other upcoming Music Events
  • Important information for parents re driving near the School:
    • Please take note of the following information that we have been given by Christ’s Hospital of Abingdon (the landowner) and the Head of Operations at PCM (the parking company):
      • Parents may drop off and pick up from Park Crescent in the section of road by Crescent House/the MUSA down towards Park Road.  Drivers MUST remain with their vehicles at ALL times and the maximum waiting time will be twenty minutes with no return within one hour.
      • As always, from a safety perspective, particularly with the darker evenings, parents are kindly reminded not to drop off or collect pupils from the Park Lodge area, or Lower Field car park, please. This is because the area is already busy with pedestrians, pupils and school traffic. We therefore ask that parents drop and collect pupils in Park Crescent, operating a one-way system travelling clockwise past the private housing to the west of Albert Park, and ending up near the boarding houses. The Crescent ends at a cross roads, where halting is obligatory on these private roads.  Please also be reminded that there is a speed limit of 20mph along these roads.  Parents are also reminded that cars waiting by the Coach park on Faringdon Road impede prompt departure of the buses as well as causing traffic problems.
  • Webinar recording: Everything parents should know about the teenage brain.
    • On Thursday 12 October, the OX14 Learning Partnership hosted a parent webinar with speaker, Louise Aukland, who explained the development of the teenage brain and what parents can do to understand and support their teenager. You can catch the recording of this webinar here. We welcome any feedback, so if you’d like to share your comments on this webinar and suggest future webinar topics for parents, please fill in this quick form. Thank you.
  • OX14 Learning Partnership Upcoming Events
  • News from the week
  • Food menu for the following week – Week 2
  • School calendar
  • Weekly mailing archive
  • Box Office:   
  • SHSK Parents’ Association Christmas Fair, Saturday 25 November