This week's mailing is:
Letter from the Head (PDF)
Letters:
- To parents of boys in the Fourth Year studying History – Trip to Munich and Nuremberg
- To parents of boys in the Fifth Year – Tentative Preference & Coursework Deadlines
- To parents of all boys in the Middle School and Sixth-Form – Classics trip to Greece 2016
- To parents of all boys in the Middle School and Upper School – Finland 2016 Winter Wonderland Expedition Letter, Consent Form & Information Pack
- To parents of all musicians involved in the Christmas Concert (other than 1st-form Choir) – Sheldonian Theatre & Consent form
- Touchliners – Great Gatsby Dinner
- SHSK – Call My Wine Bluff Evening
Notices:
Revision leave dates – Summer 2015
Fifth year: revision leave begins Friday 29 April, 5.15pm
Upper Sixth: revision leave begins Friday 27 May, 1pm
Notes:
The 5th year will, as usual, be offered optional study leave help for the first four weeks of their study leave (up to half term) in the form of subject clinics and supervised study rooms. More detail on this will be given before they go on leave.
The Lower Sixth this year will not have study leave as such, owing to the change in the Sixth Form curriculum that has largely moved away from public exams in the Lower Sixth. However, some boys will be sitting some AS units in those subjects which have not yet been reformed and for them, they will be allowed (if they wish) to take the morning off before an afternoon exam. No study leave is granted for the day before a morning exam.
A list of which units will be sat by Lower Sixth boys is available here. Please note that our policy is that no boy will be completing a full AS qualification, with the exception of Theatre Studies and Politics where the St Helen's policy differs from ours. A description of how the Sixth Form curriculum has changed at Abingdon is available on the main Curriculum page here.
We are also aware that U6th boys will be taking more AS resits in the summer session than we used to see, owing to the loss of the January resit window a few years ago. Given that these exams mostly take place before half term in the summer, they will be sitting them without any study leave provision, except as outlined above for Lower Sixth (i.e. morning leave for an afternoon exam). U6th boys intending to take AS papers in the summer need to be planning their time now as to how they are going to prepare for them; they should certainly not be leaving their revision of AS material until Easter or the summer term. Heads of Departments and tutors will no doubt be giving guidance to boys who will be preparing for resits but it is also the responsibility of U6th boys to take charge of the process and make sure that they pace themselves sensibly. If they haven't already begun revising that material, then we would suggest that they start and certainly that they have a plan in place for next term.
Parents' Carol Service
All parents and boys are warmly invited to the carol service at St Michael’s Church, Park Road on Thursday 10 December at 6.30pm. The service will be a shortened form of the traditional lessons and carols from King’s College, Cambridge. The boarding community will be in attendance and the outstanding Chapel Choir will perform. Do join us for this delightful and inspiring occasion.
Lower School and 3rd Year– Pre-Season Football Training Day
All Lower School and 3rd year pupils considering playing football next term are warmly invited to attend a pre-season training day on Saturday 12 December. Following a morning of training with guest coaches from Oxford United, boys will travel to the Kassam Stadium to watch Oxford United vs Carlisle.
Reminder – American Exchange for Third and Fourth Years
The deadline for application for the American Exchange has been extended until Friday 27 November. This trip is open for all 3rd and 4th year boys and is an extremely valuable and well received trip. The boys will take part in a range of school organised trips whilst in America, including the history of Native Americans and the famous St Louis Science Centre where the boys can do everything from learn to fly a plane, to building a bridge. Whilst with host families boys will have the opportunity to go to sporting fixtures (ice hockey has been popular in recent years) as well as travel Route 66 or even visit Chicago. I would urge boys to consider this exchange, an experience that provides the chance for independent travel and to experience a very different school culture to our own. The letter and consent form are attached. There is NO clash with CCF trips therefore, all boys in the third and fourth year can apply to come on the trip.
Food Menu for the coming week – Week 1
