Message from the Head
Dear Parents
I enjoyed welcoming pupils back to school this week after the half term break. Public exams continue, of course, and the Lower Sixth have approached their end-of-year exams with focus and application. The Lower School are also now in their exams phase and I’m sure they will benefit from the opportunity to develop their revision and study skills. I’m certainly looking forward to hearing our Lower School pupils perform in their gala concert on Friday 14 June – and I’ve even been drafted in to accompany them on the bass guitar for a couple of numbers…
This final half term of the academic year is packed with events and I’m looking forward to seeing parents on these occasions. I’m keen that all our parents feel a strong sense of connection with the school and so I hope you will be interested in signing up to a new online platform called The Abingdonian Community. In September we will be looking to move information for current parents, including the weekly mailing, to this password-protected platform in the interests of security, but there is an opportunity to sign up now and explore what it can offer; please see further information below.
Best wishes, Mike Windsor
MIDDLE SCHOOL
- Letter to fifth-year parents on STEP, the Summer Term Extension Programme: all fifth-year students have previously been sent the following letter regarding STEP, the voluntary Summer Term academic extension programme. We have had some excellent projects over the past few years, and we hope that many fifth-year students will consider it this year (in addition to the academic scholars, for whom it is compulsory).
WHOLE SCHOOL
- Launching the new Abingdonian Community Hub
- We are excited to announce the launch of The Abingdonian Community Hub – a brand new platform to connect our entire Abingdon School community. This is a one stop shop for current families, alumni and staff to connect with each other, sign up for events and reunions, access and share professional development opportunities, and much more. In due course, we also plan to use the platform to communicate password-protected information to our parents, such as Residential Trips and The Weekly Mailing. From September, we will be introducing a Wellbeing Hub, with a trusted source of support to meet the social, emotional and educational needs of young people.
- To activate your account. To make the process as seamless as possible, your details have been automatically transferred onto the new system. However, in order to activate your account, you will need to create a unique password. Please click here to access the ‘Reset password’ page in the first instance. You will be asked to enter the email address associated with your school account. A password reset link will then be sent to this email address. Once you have reset your password, you will be taken to the webpage where you can log in to the platform as normal.
- What about my privacy? In order to maintain your privacy, your settings have been automatically set to ‘My Network Only’. This means that only people you have connected with on the Abingdonian Community platform can view your profile and can message you. To connect with someone you must first send them a ‘connection request’.
- Once you have activated your account, you will have access to a wide number of events and other opportunities to help you connect, and keep in contact, with the school and with one another.
- Music:
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For the Lower School: Music Lesson Sign Up. We are very fortunate to cater for a wide range of instruments and vocal tuition in the Music Department and I would encourage any pupils who are interested to consider taking up an instrument. Alongside this, we do also offer Music Tech lessons and so, if you are interested, please do come and speak to us in the Music Department.
- Reminder – Letter from Richard Stafford re Joint Choral Society’s Production of Handel’s Messiah
- Monday 17 June – Piano Extravaganza. We will hold a Piano Extravaganza day where all pupils who play the piano are welcome to perform. There will be a series of concerts throughout the day which will be livestreamed. The link will be accessible in next week’s weekly mailing. The day will culminate with a concert in the Amey Theatre at 7pm to which all are invited. This concert will feature pieces for multiple pianos and finish with pieces for 6 pianos with as many as 18 performers at once. Anyone is welcome but for those who play the piano or learn an instrument, I would thoroughly encourage all to come and see something unique and different!
- Thursday 20 June – Solo Platform 6. This is our final evening concert for solo performances this year and all are most welcome to attend. This will take place in the Charles Maude Room at 6pm.
- Friday 21 June – Chapel Choir Practice. There will be a chapel choir rehearsal in St Michael’s Church from 4-6pm in preparation for the Leavers’ Service taking place on Saturday 22 June. Following this, there will be the Chapel Choir BBQ back at school.
- Wednesday 26 June – ABC – ‘Anything But Classical’. Do join us from 5.30pm on Wednesday 26 June as the finest of Abingdon’s bands will be performing throughout the course of the evening. The weather will be stunning, the refreshments sublime and the music, scintillating. Not one to be missed!
- Friday 28 June – Summer Concert. Our final concert of the year brings together all the larger ensembles in a celebration of Film Music. With accompanying cinematic footage as all ensembles play, this will be an audio-visual concert for all. Tickets can be booked at the usual place: https://www.abingdon.org.uk/sports-and-leisure/performance/summer-concert-a-night-at-the-movies/
- See other upcoming Music Events
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- Henley Royal Regatta – Friday 5 July 2024
- Current and former parents, staff, and governors, are invited to join OAs for the OA Club’s strawberries and Pimm’s event at the Friends of Abingdon School Boat Club marquee in Henley Cricket Club car park during the afternoon tea interval (usually between 4pm and 5pm) on Friday 5 July 2024. No RSVP required.
- OX14 Learning Partnership Upcoming Events
- News from the week
- Food menu for the following week – Week 2
- School calendar
- Second Hand Uniform Shop (SUS) opening dates for the following week: Saturday 8 & Wednesday 12 June
- Weekly mailing archive
- Box Office:
