24 Nov 2017

WEEKLY MAILING

This week's mailing is:

Letters:

Notices:

Lower 6th parents and boys: UCAS1 evening: Friday 23 February 2018, 7pm

All Lower Sixth boys and their parents/guardians are invited to an evening of introductory talks about the university admissions process on FRIDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2018 in the Amey Theatre to start at 7pm. We host speakers from a Russell Group university to give advice about admissions from a university perspective, from Oxford and Cambridge Universities to describe the particular issues in their application processes, and a panel of Upper Sixth boys talk about their own university application experiences followed by a question-and-answer session. The evening is due to end around 9.30pm. Further details to follow.

Revision leave dates – Summer 2018

Fifth year: revision leave begins Friday 4 May, 5.20pm
Upper Sixth:  revision leave begins Friday 18 May, 1pm

 

Notes:

Fifth Year: The 5th year will, as usual, be offered optional study leave help for the first weeks of their study leave in the form of subject clinics and supervised study rooms.  More detail on this will be given before they go on leave.

Upper Sixth: Some Upper Sixth boys will be taking AS units in the summer in subjects that were reformed only from September 2017 (e.g. Maths & Further Maths, Philosophy, DT) and it may be that these fall before official study leave starts on Friday 18 May.  In such cases, for an afternoon exam, boys will be permitted to take the morning as study leave.  No study leave is granted the day before a morning exam.

Lower Sixth: Now that all subjects have been reformed, there are no public examinations at all for L6th boys.  Abingdon does not offer the new 'stand alone' AS qualifications in reformed subjects. The School will hold its own Lower Sixth internal exams in the week after half term in the summer and will then issue both exam grades and 'guidance grades' (projections towards A Level) to boys and parents to assist in the choosing of which subject (if any) to drop for Upper Sixth and to help with research into university options.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) – 4th and 5th Year

Over the course of this term the Third and Lower Sixth have been bringing in their laptop-style devices to use in and and out of lessons, in addition to the 2nd Year's Chromebook initiative. The aim is to roll the BYOD approach out to all of Middle and Upper School by September 2018. With this in mind we will be asking all the Fourth Year to bring in appropriate devices after their exams at the start of May 2018. Fifth Year pupils will not be required to bring in a device this academic year, although they are welcome to do so if they would like. They will be required to have a device if they then carry on into the Sixth Form.  There is an updated Q&A document available and if you have any questions please email Ben Whitworth, Director of eLearning.

Lower School Pre-Season Football Training Day 

All Lower School pupils considering playing Football next term are warmly invited to attend a pre-season Football training day on Saturday 6 January 2018.  Please see further information in the letter attached, and if your son would like to attend complete the following form https://goo.gl/forms/GGi1Ppbey7vb2WV42

3rd Year Football Pre-Season Football Training Day

All third year pupils considering selecting Football as their core-sport during the Lent Term 2018 are invited to two pre-season training days on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 January 2018. As the final selection of the 2018 Football squad of players will not take place until the start of the Lent Term, any players considering selecting Football as their core-sport are warmly invited to attend these sessions. Please see further information in the letter attached and if your son would like to attend complete the following form https://goo.gl/forms/adkOqJ6y9xtdZVFe2

Black River Bridge – Lower School Drama Production: Thursday 30 November and Friday 1 December, Amey Theatre, 7pm

9 December, 1861.  Johnny Clem is a musician in the Union army. He dreams of better things, having been down trodden and ignored his whole life. He bets his fellow musicians he will become a successful soldier one day. Orion Howe leaves home as a result of his father’s drunken beatings. He too joins the Union army by lying about his age and proves to be a brave and useful soldier. The battle of Black River Bridge turns out to be the most ‘human’ moment he has ever had.  Set in the American Civil War, this specially commissioned piece will be performed by our Lower School boys

B12 – Middle School Drama Production: Thursday 30 November and Friday 1 December, Amey Theatre, 8pm (approximately)

Inspired by 2013's 'History of Abingdon in 63 Objects', B12 – A School Story weaves together imagined scenes of the school's past and present, viewed through the lens of a single classroom.  Performed by our Third Years, this play has been specially commissioned by OA Ed Rowett, author of Radio 4’s award-winning sitcom “Reluctant Persuaders”.

Food menu for the coming week – Week 2