7 Feb 2020

WEEKLY MAILING

This week’s mailing is:

Letters:

Notices:

Medicine and Vet Information Evening (Friday 28 February, 6pm, at St Helen and St Katharine)

SHSK are running an event for year 10, 11 and 12 students and parents interested in applying for Medicine or Veterinary Medicine.  From 6pm, university representatives will be available to talk to students and parents from a range of universities offering medicine and veterinary science.  At 7pm, there will be a key note speech followed by a lecturer from Birmingham University and Oxford University medical schools, followed by separate talks from representatives of universities offering degrees in medicine and veterinary medicine. They will talk about the specifics of applying for the course. This will be followed by a question and answer session.  If you or your son wishes to go then please book in using the following link.

Abingdon Careers Convention: Friday 13 March 2020, 7-9.30pm, Our Lady’s Abingdon

Save the Date: The annual Abingdon Independent Schools’ Careers Convention, jointly run by Our Lady’s Abingdon, St Helen and St Katharine and Abingdon School, will be on Friday 13 March 2020, 7-9:30pm at Our Lady’s Abingdon. 5th Year, L6 and U6 students will not want to miss this event! Already, more than 120 parents and alumni of the three schools (representing some 80 different careers – more than many commercial career fairs!) have volunteered to serve as ‘career representatives’. This is a rare opportunity for students to gather information about careers of interest and educational routes into those careers from people who know. The format of the event is that of a careers fair, with students choosing and joining small discussion groups led by career representatives. Concurrent with the career fair will be presentations and the opportunity to have a walk-in, one-to-one meeting with an independent careers adviser. The event is compulsory for 5th year students and optional for 6th form students. Parents are welcome; no booking is necessary. Look for an advisory in early March about limited event parking so you can plan accordingly.

Abingdon School Boat Club and the Friends of Abingdon School Boat Club (FASBC)

Abingdon School Boat Club and the Friends of Abingdon School would like to invite all rowers and their parents to attend the 29th Annual Rowing Dinner on Saturday 14 March: there is a drinks reception in the Charles Maude Room from 7pm followed by a three course dinner at 7.30pm. Tickets are £40 for adults and £30 for students. There will be a cash bar and a boat-naming raffle. Our guest speaker this year is Charles Cousins, ex-Olympian, Under 23 World Champion and ex-Abingdon school coach.

Dress: Black Tie or Regatta Dress (blazer and chinos).  This is always a popular event so we encourage you to book your tickets early to avoid disappointment!  Please book through the school box office.

School Uniform:

Boys have recently been reminded of some aspects of School Uniform.  Parents are asked to ensure their sons leave home in the correct clothing.

  • Coats: plain navy blue or black and the same length or longer than the blazer, and should not carry conspicuous logos or colours.
  • Jumpers: v-neck pullover, not round-neck, quarter -zip or full-zip
  • Black plain shoes: not trainers, though boys have forthcoming half term holiday to resolve this issue.  Sixth formers may wear brown shoes.
  • Shirts: need to be sufficiently large so that top buttons are done up and ties worn correctly.

Nuts on school buses

Please may we remind you that students who use the Joint Bus Service or travel on buses for trips, visits or sporting fixtures should not bring any food containing nuts or peanuts with them. For those students with severe allergies the consequences of exposure to nuts and peanuts could be very serious indeed. Thank you for your continued support with this.

House Photographs – Reminder

Please refer to the email sent to all parents on Monday 11 November 2019 with details of how to order the House Photographs taken last term.

Latest School Blog – What can Virtual Reality offer to education?

In the latest school blog, Paul Williamson, Abingdon’s Head of Art, discusses the opportunities that VR can bring to the classroom.

Football Club Dinner 2020 – SAVE THE DATE – Friday 20 March 2020

The 5th Annual Football Club Awards Dinner will take place on Friday 20 March 2020. The evening will start at 7pm with a drinks reception followed by dinner, speeches and the presentation of awards, bringing to a close the 2020 season. Tickets will go on sale through the box office after half term with more information to follow directly to parents of those involved in the Football Club.

Abingdon Box Office:

  • James Shone – Teenager Wellbeing – Parents’ Presentation – 7pm, Monday 10 February
  • Kinky Boots – 7pm,  Tuesday 11 February

Fantastic new opportunities at Abingdon Prep

Abingdon Prep is delighted to announce planning permission for a new building which will create very exciting opportunities for the boys across a wide range of subjects. The stunning new development, which we plan to open in autumn 2021, will house a Music School, a second science lab, purpose-built spaces for CDT and four additional classrooms for Years 6 and 7. The new building will also create space to transform many of the Prep School’s existing facilities, including a major change to the library which will more than double in size and undergo complete refurbishment becoming a bright, modern, new learning space with teaching, break out and quiet reading areas. There will be a new multi-use hall for Pre-Prep and much improved facilities for Computing, Drama and Learning Support.  Further details.

News from the Week:

Food menu for the coming week – Week 3

Here is the link to previous weekly mailings.

For forthcoming events, here is the link to the School Calendar.