This week's mailing is:
Letters:
Notices:
Dorchester Tower Abseil
Motivated by the desire to support the Dorchester Festival which in turn gives funds to Dorchester Abbey and the Sue Ryder charity, the Headmaster has joined a team that will be abseiling down the tower of Dorchester Abbey (approx 100ft in height) at midday on Saturday 29 April. The Headmaster last tried abseiling in approximately 1981 and is not keen on heights. Pupils and parents who wish to see him conquer his fears are very welcome to come along to Dorchester Abbey on 29 April. Donations, all of which will support these excellent causes, will be much appreciated and can be made via https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Michael-Windsor2. The Dorchester Festival runs this year from 28 April till 7 May and features a host of interesting and exciting events. You can find more information at dorchesterfestival.com.
Parents of U6 and L6 boys – Tuesday 2 May 2017, 5pm-6pm, Amey Theatre: London University Visit
We host visiting speakers from LSE, Imperial, King's and UCL to hear about undergraduate opportunities at these universities; sixth-formers who are considering a UCAS application to (or who might be holding offers from) any of these four are advised to make use of this visit. Parents are warmly invited; this is an informal occasion giving boys and parents the opportunity to ask their own questions.
Music Notices
- Parents are warmly invited to consult the Summer Term Music Calendar which lists some exciting events next term. We get underway very early with the following highlights.
- Spring Concert – Friday 28 April. This is our early concert before the 5th Year are away on Study Leave. The concert will involve all our senior bands and orchestras. A special highlight will be the Grieg piano concerto with Alex Reynolds our soloist, an occasion not to be missed!
- The event billed as a Summer's Evening of Light Music with senior bands and orchestras on Friday 30 June, also involves all the senior ensembles, again, with the emphasis on Jazz and Light Music. The should be a most enjoyable occasion – for our leavers, the last event of their school careers. Do join us!
Tennis Coaching – Summer Term
Martin Butler is available for charged tennis group coaching sessions at the following times during the summer term on the school's hard courts at £7.50 per hour. For further information please contact Master in charge of Tennis, Ben Ponniah.
- Monday 4pm to 5pm
- Monday after 5pm
- Wednesday after 5pm
- Thursday 1.20pm to 2.40pm
- Thursday 4pm to 5pm
- Thursday after 5pm
- Friday after 5pm
- Saturday 9am to 11.30am
School Uniform Resale
The Second-hand Uniform Shop (SUS) urgently require good quality Blazers, Track Suits, Reversible Rugby shirts, Football and Hockey shirts and new style Black Shorts. If your son has grown out of any of these items or does not require them anymore, we will probably be able to sell them for you on the 2 Induction days next term, with 60% of the purchase price returning to you. Please either bring them to SUS when we are open or leave them in the Park Road Reception.
Saturday Bus Service: Summer Term
Thank you to those parents who have used the Saturday Bus Service for theist two terms. We will continue to run the service next term on the following term time Saturdays; 6 May, 13 May, 20 May and 17 June. The pick up points and timings will remain the same as they have been throughout this academic year. Any comments or queries in this regard can be forwarded to the Director of Sport and PE.
Sport priority on a Saturday – reminder
In planning for this coming term, please observe this extract from the Parents' Handbook: Boys are expected to be available for matches against other schools unless specific permission has been sought from and granted by the Headmaster. Any request should be made well in advance, at least one week before the fixture and copied to the Director of Sport and PE, Pete Bignell. Abingdon has a strong tradition of participating in interschool fixtures across the age ranges. In recent years we have strengthened our fixture list, and been more ambitious in the schools we have been playing, and we are putting out more teams. Please avoid asking for leave of absence. We are keen the boys practise and play together, that the boys develop an allegiance to the School, and that our opponents have the best opposition we can provide.
The John Rayson (OA 1942) Award – reminder
The John Rayson Award is a memorial to the late John Rayson (1924-2012), an Old Abingdonian (1942) who gave a lifetime of service to Abingdon School. The award will be given to a current pupil to help fund a personal project/experience that embodies the defining characteristics of John Rayson himself – adventure, courage and resilience coupled with service, loyalty and commitment. The award carries a value of £250. All current pupils of Abingdon School are eligible to apply. Further information is available here.
ASPA / OA Club Travel Awards – reminder
ASPA and the OA Club have joined forces to offer travel awards to upper and lower sixth pupils undertaking some form of travel and activity either during the summer or in their gap year. The awards range from £50 to £500 depending on the activity and its benefits. Further details, and the conditions attached to the awards, can be found on the School website.
Box Office Events
Workshop on Singing for Performance with Lin Marsh, Amey Theatre, Saturday 13 May, 10am – 4pm, 6pm – 9.30pm and Resonate, Saturday 13 May 2017, 7.30pm.
Food menu for the coming week: Week 2
