This weeks mailing:
Letters:
- To all parents of boys in Southwell-Sander's House – Summer House Social
- To all parents of Third and Fourth Year boys – Advice for Third and Fourth Year Parents
- To all parents of Middle School & Upper School – Cosmonaut Space and Leadership Experience Trip February 2017
Notices:
Fourth Year Exam Results
Results of the recent fourth year exams will be posted to the parent portal and sent by email by Friday evening. You should expect the fourth year exams to form part of the discussion with teachers at the forthcoming parents' evening after half term, on Tuesday 7 June. You will be pleased to hear that, overall, this year group's performance is well in line with previous fourth year exams so we are optimistic about their likely GCSE prospects. However, there are clear indications that some boys need to see these results as a wake up call and reconsider their approach to their studies. The next formal set of exams for this year group is the GCSE mock exams in January 2017. It may seem like some time away, but in fact the distance is a matter of only 20 or so teaching weeks. As the pace towards GCSE hots up, boys should be expecting to spend more of their own time, in holidays and at weekends, consolidating and revising material.
As is always the case, some parents will be receiving letters from the Deputy Head (Academic) offering further academic support for some boys who did not perform as well as we might have hoped. We will also be placing some boys into supervised study during lunchtimes on Tuesdays and Thursdays during Michaelmas 2016 and Lent 2017 to encourage them into the best working practices.
Parents are reminded that Abingdon's bar for entry to the Sixth Form stands at 3 As and 4 Bs. Results in these exams give a reasonable projection as to how safely an individual might feel he is going to pass that bar but there is often a lot more context to be placed around a result, such as other exam papers and practical elements. It is the case year on year that the majority of boys make significant improvements on their showing in these exams by the time they get to GCSE – not unconnected with the fact that they finally see the link between hard work and success!
Fifth Year School Reports
'Valedictory' reports for boys in the Fifth Year will be posted to the parent portal and sent by email by the end of next week. They will contain comments from tutor and housemaster only.
Hockey and Football Team Photographs
The team photographs for hockey and football, which were taken at the end of last term, are now available to view and purchase direct from Gillman & Soame.
Henley Royal Regatta – Friday 1 July 2016
Parents are invited to join the OA Club for strawberries and Pimm's at the Friends of Abingdon School Boat Club tent in Henley Cricket Club car park during the afternoon tea break (usually between 4.00 pm and 5.00 pm). No RSVP required.
Food Menu for the coming week – Week 3
