APS News 23

AbingdonPrep News is the newsletter of Abingdon Preparatory School, Josca’s House, Kingston Road, Oxford OX13 5NX Tel: 01865 391570 www.abingdon.org.uk/prep Editor: Annabel Gaskell Abingdon School is a company limited by guarantee Registered in England and Wales Company No. 3625063. Registered Office: Stratton House, Bath Street, Abingdon OX14 3LA Registered Charity No. 1071298 Our Science Week Chicks At the same time last year, Year 1 was able to closely watch a clutch of eggs hatch into fluffy yellow ducklings. While gorgeous, they were frankly a bit smelly! So this year, we went for smaller hen’s eggs, Black Crocs and Bluebell breeds to be precise. AbingdonPrep JPA Waiting... Happy Easter Charities Update As the APS Bake Off had to be cancelled, we have only held one major fundraising event this term. This was the Sponsored Swim which raised a magnificent £1500 for our chosen charity for this year BE Free Young Carers. On the last weekend in January, 35 boys took part in a Sponsored Swim in the 25 metre pool at Abingdon Senior School. The boys swam for 2 hours and all far exceeded even their own expectations with the distances that they covered. Over 25 boys swam more than a mile and 9 swam in excess of 100 lengths. There were two outstanding efforts; the Year 3 boys who all swammore than a mile. One who expected to do 4 lengths – actually managed 64 lengths with his father agreeing beforehand to sponsor him per length! The other impressive performance came from Finn who swam a mammoth 214 lengths over the course of the afternoon. It was a highly successful event and all the boys appeared to enjoy the swim and a well earned rest afterwards! Thanks to your support and generosity, we have raised over £8100 this year. Thank you. Anne Parker Mini Grey - Author Visit Fabulous author and illustrator Mini Grey came to visit to talk to Pre-Prep and Year 3 boys. Winner of the Greenaway Award for children’s book illustration in 2007, her picture books include the popular Traction Man Is Here and The Last Wolf . She shared her insider information on the best ingredients with which to build a book. From sketches, tricks and top tips to reading and performing her stories. Mini certainly captured her audience and held them in her palm as she shared her inspirational book journeys and the Year 3 boys enjoyed sketching their own wolves to put into stories.