24 Sep 2021

WEEKLY MAILING

This week’s mailing is:

Letters:

Notices:

From the Headmaster to all parents:

Dear Parents

We have been marking European Day of Languages in school this week with a variety of events and activities. It’s been a great way to celebrate the wide range of languages that students and staff speak at Abingdon and I hope you’ll enjoy hearing the students’ linguistic prowess – take a look here.

I’ve enjoyed meeting parents at the various Meet the Tutor events this week and it’s been fantastic to be able to welcome you back onto the school site for face-to-face meetings. These events have been an opportunity to raise some of the key pastoral issues that face all of us so I wanted to draw your attention to our pastoral handbook (please see the link), which outlines our approach and provides further information that I hope you will find useful.

We have now heard from our local Public Health authorities that Covid-19 and flu vaccinations will be taking place in school in October. Please see below for important information relating to these vaccinations.

Best wishes, Mike Windsor

 

Covid-19 and Flu vaccines for eligible pupils

As you may be aware, the government is offering Covid-19 and flu vaccinations to specific year groups of school age children. NHS Immunisation Teams will be visiting schools to carry out the vaccinations but schools have been asked to facilitate the vaccination programmes by contacting parents and giving them the NHS information and consent form.

Eligible year groups:

  • Flu vaccine – First to Fifth Years inclusive
  • Covid-19 vaccine – Second to Fifth Years inclusive.

Both the flu and Covid-19 vaccinations will take place at Abingdon School in October and we will shortly be emailing the parents of children in the relevant year groups with information from the NHS including  a form to consent/decline each vaccination. It is important that parents complete the consent/decline form for each vaccine, even if they wish to decline a vaccine for their child. Parents should also complete the forms if their child has already been vaccinated.

Parents of boarders who are in the Third, Fourth and Fifth Years are required to give or decline consent for each vaccine. This is in addition to any consent they have already given to the School’s Health Centre previously because the flu vaccination is being administered via the NHS Child Immunisation Team, not the School Health Centre.

The emails will be sent from the School’s Health Centre so do please look out for them. Only those parents whose children are in the year groups that are eligible for the vaccines will receive the emails.

The NHS letter with the consent/decline form for the flu vaccine should be emailed today and the information and consent/decline form for the Covid vaccine will follow.

Reminder – Arrangements for Open Day: Saturday 2 October – 9.00am-2.00pm 

  • Open Day runs from 9.00am until 2.00pm.  All students, except first years, are expected to attend.
  • Students should arrive at School no later than 8.30am to register in their houserooms before beginning their Open Day activities.  They should arrive wearing full uniform unless directed otherwise for a specific activity.  All students will be guiding our visitors.  Unless involved in an away match, all students will be required to stay until 2.00pm.
  • For students who use the joint bus service, all morning routes will be operating 15 minutes later than the normal weekday schedule.  Students on school buses should go straight to registration in their houserooms when their bus arrives.  For the return journey, buses will depart on all usual routes from the coach park at 2.15pm.
  • Requests for absence at Open Day should, as usual, be made to the housemaster, as for a single weekday absence.

As we have received exceptional interest from prospective parents this year, with regret we are unable to invite current parents – unless they are visiting with a sibling who is a prospective pupil.  However you are most welcome to join us at sports fixtures, year group socials, a tour with your own child at a time to suit you, and all the other events planned for the Michaelmas Term.  A full list can be found on the calendar.

Pupil Drop Off and Pick Up – Reminder

Parents are 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. Wheel clamping operates on Park Road and Park Crescent, so you are advised not to leave a car unattended.  Please also be reminded that there is a speed limit of 20mph along these roads.

Cafe food at breaktimes

Owing to the popularity of the cafe we have had to create a rota for who can access the cafe at morning breaktime.  Students are aware of this rota, and may need to plan accordingly.

Abingdon Michaelmas Fair: Monday 4 and Tuesday 5 October and Abingdon Runaway Fair: Monday 11 October

Parents should expect that traffic flow in Abingdon will be severely disrupted by the Abingdon Fairs. From 6pm on Saturday 2 October through until the end of Tuesday 5 October, vehicle entry to Park Road and Park Crescent will only be via the gate on Faringdon Road (along from the Coach Park).

From the Sports & PE Department – Nutrition Seminar recording

On Thursday 16 September we hosted a Nutrition Seminar with Dr Graeme Close. As part of our Athletic Development Series we covered some contemporary topics around sports nutrition and fuelling the student athlete. If you would like to listen to this seminar it has been recorded and can be found here:
https://abingdon.fireflycloud.net/sport-and-pe/athletic-development-1/sports-nutrition

Music:

  • Tuesday 28 September at 5.45/6pm in the CMR – Solo Concert Platform No 1, preceded by a short Music Society AGM  – Please consider joining us in person to hear some solo performance from various instrumentalists of different ages and playing at a range of levels. The concert will be preceded by a short AGM when Chairman, Director of Music and Treasurer’s reports will be presented.
  • Wednesday 29 September at 6pm in the Amey Theatre – Masayuki Tayama Piano Masterclass and Recital – This will be a most exciting opportunity to hear some teaching in six 20 minute lessons given by a leading concert pianist who will also perform Beethoven’s famous Appassionata Sonata. Thanks to the School’s Music Society for funding this exciting event – do join us!  Please note if you wish to attend this masterclass, you are required to book a free ticket(s) as per the Amey Theatre’s COVID-19 policies and procedures, please click here to do so. For more information about the COVID-19 precautions in place, please see here.
  • Jamie Robson sings from Handel’s Messiah – I am delighted to be able to share with the Abingdon community here a lovely performance of a bass aria, “The People that Walked in Darkness” from Handel’s Messiah. Jamie Robson, in the Upper Sixth, received a bursary from the School’s Music Society to help him take part in the Rodolfus Choral Course in the summer. Jamie hopes to read music at university next year.

Abingdon Box Office:

  • Romeo & Juliet Screening – Tuesday 28 September at 7:00pm in the Amey Theatre
    This bold new film brings to life the remarkable backstage spaces of the National Theatre in which desire, dreams and destiny collide to make Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy sing in an entirely new way. Book tickets here.
  • Solo Concert Platform No.1 2021 – Tuesday 28 September at 7:00pm in the Charles Maude Room
    The first solo concert platform of the year will feature a range of instruments and pupils of different ages and stages who have pieces ready to play for your enjoyment. Please join us and support these young players. Please book a free ticket to attend this event here.

Please note that there are still a number of Covid precautions in place for the time being. Updates on these can be found here.

News from the Week:

Food Menu for the coming week – Week 1

School Calendar

Please continue to consult the School Calendar for up to date information.

Here is the link to previous weekly mailings.