This week's mailing is:
Letters:
- To all parents of scholars in middle school and sixth form – Scholars' Events
Notices:
For Parents of 5th Year Pupils: Morrisby Aspirations Programme – IMPORTANT INFORMATION
You will have previously received an email about the Morrisby Aspirations career guidance programme designed and delivered by the Morrisby Organisation. This Programme is operated by Abingdon at a cost to parents and on an opt-out basis. The cost for a 5th Year pupil to participate is £78 (including VAT), which will be charged via your next school bill. To read more about the Morrisby Aspirations Programme, go to: https://www.abingdon.org.uk/mor
If you do not wish for your son to participate in this Programme, you may opt-out. To opt-out, a parent or guardian must email Michael Triff at [email protected] no later than midnight on Friday 14 September; otherwise, your son will be enrolled automatically in the Programme and the £78 charge will be made. We regret that refunds will not be possible after this date.
Music Notices
We are pleased to attach the current Michaelmas Music Calendar, which gives parents of musicians and others an idea of our musical events this term. These include:
- Two Solo Concert Platforms
- Senior Solo Instrumental Competition
- A Harry the Piano Evening Concert
- Joint Choral Society Concert of Mozart's Requiem
- An Evensong at New College, Oxford (Chapel Choir)
- A Violin Masterclass with Levon Chilingirian
- A Scratch Youth Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall (Chapel Choir)
- Two Christmas Concerts and Carol Services.
We do hope you will join us at any of these events.
The first of the Solo Concert Platforms, on Wednesday 26 September at 6pm, is given over to the Inauguration of our new Steinway grand piano. This lovely instrument has been recently purchased from the South Bank Centre, where it has given great service to some of the world's greatest pianists. Indeed it was chosen for The Queen Elizabeth Hall by the famous Japanese pianist, Mitsuko Uchida.
This short concert will feature a mixed group of performers, boys, professional music staff and our own headmaster on bass in a Jazz combo. The 60 minute concert will be followed by an opportunity for guided tours around our new Sixth Form Centre/Art and Library building, Beech Court. The concert will be preceded at 5.45pm by a brief AGM of the Music Society, the parental body that supports music at the school.
Joint Choral Society – Mozart's Requiem – Invitation to Parent Singers – Wednesday rehearsals and a concert on Sunday 11 November. This term, Helena Rakowski at St Helen's School, will be directing the JCS concert which is to take place on Sunday 11 November at St Helen's School. As it is the 100th anniversary of the end of WW1, they will be including the concert as part of a wider ‘Festival of Remembrance’ which is to take place over several days. The concert itself will focus around a performance of Mozart’s Requiem in D minor but the idea is for the first half of the concert to feature some WW1 related songs and readings.
Rehearsals will take place in the St Helen's School Chapel on Wednesday evenings from 6pm-7pm, starting next Wednesday 12 September. Miss Rakowski hopes to see lots of parents taking part once again. If you would like to sing, please would you let her know – likewise, if you know of anyone who you think might like to take part, please do put them in touch with her at [email protected]
Behaviour on the Buses
I am told that the Joint Bus Service is the biggest school bus service in the country, with over 1100 pupils from The Manor, SHSK and Abingdon using the bus service: Abingdon alone has over 650 boys using the Joint Bus Service.
Most behave impeccably but there can be moments of poor behaviour, ranging from nagging irritations, such as the persistent leaving of litter on the floor and use of bad language, to the safety issue of boys not wearing seat belts. Inevitably the people who tend to bear the brunt of this bad behaviour are the drivers. The boys know our expectations of them, but please reiterate to your sons that they are representatives of Abingdon School and that they must behave accordingly. Equally it is a requirement, not an option, that they wear seat belts.
In the course of that conversation could you please also remind them that if they cannot adhere to the requisite standards of behaviour, then they will receive a Friday Detention. If they continue to misbehave, we reserve the right to ban them from the buses for a period of time, probably 3 to 5 days in the first instance. The level of the sanction will obviously be dependent on the severity of the offending behaviour.
Exam Remarks
Parents are asked to remind their sons that the deadline for exam remarks is fast approaching. Requests should be made by 3pm on Thursday 20 September, and any requests received after will not be processed. Rebecca Cottam will be available in her office in Park Lodge for pupils to make application. To contact Rebecca Cottam please email or call 01235 849035.
Weekly Mailing
We aim to send an email each Friday at 4.00pm which provides a link to that day's Weekly Mailing. All editions of Weekly Mailing may be found on the website, under the Information tab. We would encourage those who missed the link to view last Friday's Weekly Mailing, which was the first mailing of the term.
Dropping off and collection of pupils by car
Parents are reminded not to drop off or collect boys 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 boys 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.
