9 Feb 2018

WEEKLY MAILING

This week's mailing is:

Letters:

Notices:

Punctuality

As in the Parents' Handbook, the school day begins at 8.35am.  Boys are registered then, and then either go to Chapel or an Assembly or spend time with their tutors.  After half term we will be instigating a new system to discourage lateness: where a boy has two late registrations in a week, or three in a fortnight, this will trigger a detention.  If your son is not on the Joint Bus Service, please can we ask your support in addressing this. Pupils should aim to be in school for 8.30am so that they can be in situ and registered between 8.35 and 8.40am. We know that traffic can be variable, but unless there is a major, demonstrable traffic incident – eg the A34 closing – poor traffic will not be a valid excuse.  If your son is on the JBS, then please be aware that bus timings have been discussed with Tom Peeke of the JBS, and we are monitoring bus arrival times to ensure that the boys are arriving in good time for us to have a prompt start.  All this has been made clear in an email to all pupils, so please could you reiterate the message at home as well?  Many thanks.

Music Notices:

Dates for your diary – its a busy second half of term for our musicians.  Do join us – admission to all these events are free.

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

FASBC would like to invite all rowers and their parents to attend the 27th Annual Rowing Dinner on Saturday 17 March. 

  • Drinks Reception in The Charles Maude Room from 7pm followed by a three course dinner at 7.45pm. There will be a cash bar and a raffle to name a boat. 
  • Dress: Black Tie or Regatta Dress. 

Our guest speaker this year is Matthew Rossiter, OA 2007. Matt was Junior World Champion in 2007, and was selected for the Great Britain Senior Team in 2017 making the top boat – the Coxless Four – for the Senior World Championships, and won a bronze medal.  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.

Abingdon School Football Club End Of Season Dinner – Save The Date

As a finale to this year’s football season all Middle and Upper School players and parents are invited to attend the Abingdon School Football Club End Of Season Dinner on Friday 23 March. The evening will start at 7pm with a drinks reception followed by dinner, presentations and speeches.  It is hoped that ex England Assistant Manager and current Oxford United Caretaker Manager Derek Fazackerley will be able to join us as the special guest for the evening, and more information and invitations will be distributed after half term. 

Reminder – For Lower Sixth boys and their parents: UCAS

UCAS1: Introduction to the university application process: Friday 23 February 2018, 7pm, Amey Theatre. This is an important opportunity for boys and their parents to be introduced by experts to some of the key features of university application and admission processes.

Programme:

  • 7pm: Introduction, followed by Katherine Pagett, Student Recruitment Manager at Birmingham University, who will give an overview of the application process from a university admissions perspective (Amey Theatre);
  • 7.45-8pm: Refreshments (Amey foyer and Cafe);
  • 8pm-8.45pm: Boys and parents choose to attend: EITHER Oxford University and Cambridge University applications talk, OR Question and Answer: a panel of current Upper Sixth boys will talk about their own experiences of university applications (CMR).

'Fiddler on the Roof' Photobooks

To capture the brilliance of the Joint Senior production 'Fiddler on the Roof', St Helen and St Katharine will be producing a high-quality, hard-backed photobook using professional photographs taken at the dress rehearsal. The books will cost approximately £35 each (this is based on a minimum order number). If you would like to purchase a book, please complete this electronic response form by Friday 9 February. There are samples of books from previous productions for you to look at in St Helen's Reception.

RSC Live: Twelfth Night – Wednesday 14 February at 7pm

'I am all the daughters of my father's house, And all the brothers too. 'Twelfth Night is a tale of unrequited love – hilarious and heartbreaking. Two twins are separated in a shipwreck, and forced to fend for themselves in a strange land. The first twin, Viola, falls in love with Orsino, who dotes on Olivia, who falls for Viola but is idolised by Malvolio. Enter Sebastian, who is the spitting image of his twin sister… Christopher Luscombe, Director of the ‘glorious’ (Daily Telegraph) Love’s Labour’s Lostand Much Ado About Nothing (2014 and 2016), returns to the Royal Shakespeare Company to tackle Shakespeare’s greatest comedy, a brilliantly bittersweet account of “the whirligig of time”.

DIY Theatre Present: Calamity Jane – Friday 16 to Sunday 18 February

Deadwood City's two most famous peace officers, Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickock, get involved in saving the neck of Henry Miller, the local saloon operator. It seems that “Millie” has been promoting a beautiful actress named Frances Fryer, but Frances turns out to be a boy, Francis. Millie's attempt to cover up is soon unmasked by the angry miners, and to keep the peace, Calamity sets out for Chicago to bring back the miner's real heart-throb, Adelaide Adams. In Chicago Calamity mistakes Adelaide's maid, Katie Brown, for the actress and hauls her back to Deadwood. Onstage Katie is greeted warmingly, but breaks down and confesses that she is not the famous star. Calamity once more has to restore order and persuades the audience to give Katie a chance. They do, and she wins the heart of every male in town including Calamity's dashing love hope, Lt. Danny Gilmartin. Calamity reluctantly overcomes her jealousy over losing Danny and discovers her true love for Wild Bill.  
A fun packed musical with a young cast aged between 7 and 15 years.

NT Live: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof – Thursday 22 February at 7pm

Tennessee Williams’ twentieth century masterpiece Cat on a Hot Tin Roof played a strictly limited season in London’s West End in 2017. Following his smash hit production of A Streetcar Named Desire, Benedict Andrews’ ‘thrilling revival’ (New York Times) stars Sienna Miller alongside, Jack O’Connell and Colm Meaney. On a steamy night in Mississippi, a Southern family gather at their cotton plantation to celebrate Big Daddy’s birthday. The scorching heat is almost as oppressive as the lies they tell. Brick and Maggie dance round the secrets and sexual tensions that threaten to destroy their marriage. With the future of the family at stake, which version of the truth is real – and which will win out?  Please note, this is a recording of the Young Vic’s production captured in front of a live audience.  Please note this production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof has been classified as a 15.

Food menu for the coming week: Week 3