APS News 27

2 April 2021 AbingdonPrep News It has been another very unusual term here at Abingdon Prep with eight weeks of remote learning and three weeks back in school. It was so lovely to have the school corridors echoing once more with the sound of busy children going about their everyday school lives and break times filled with den building, or creative play on the fort or a ball being kicked between friends. These are some of the most formative parts of childhood and these are the key moments that cannot be replicated through our online zoom lessons and learning from home. There are two things that have really stuck in my mind since our return to school on the 8 March. The first was our ‘birds’ project with messages of hope and support coming from the boys’ hearts. Their artwork was wonderful but the supportive messages of kindness and hope really spoke volumes about their empathetic natures and how they wanted the whole community to come together once more. The second moment that really struck a chord with me was the unbounded excitement with which our Pre-Prep boys chased around the forest and their play area on their Easter egg hunt, finding the shiny chocolate eggs From the Headmaster that had been hidden by the Easter Bunny, who incidentally also made an appearance. These are the memories that will stay with these boys long after their memories of having to stay at home and learn online have faded. These are the memories that really count in what has been a very challenging world of education this past year. I hope that you will enjoy seeing some of the great work that the boys have been producing and the activities that they have been a part of this term, set out in this volume of APS News. It never ceases to amaze me when I look back at a term just how much our brilliant children have accomplished, and the spirit in which they have approached it all. In years to come when talk of Covid-19 has long since faded, the children will remember their artistic birds, their science in a jar and they will take with them heightened resilience and independence, traits that will stay with them and help them to make the most of their talents, in whatever field they may lie. With best wishes Craig Williams Fantastic new facilities to open in autumn 2022 Day One Learning a new skill during our screen-free afternoon Checking what the Easter Bunny brought We are excited to announce that we will begin work on our new building this spring with the opening planned for autumn 2022. The new development includes a specialist music school, second science lab, purpose-built spaces for CDT and new classrooms. It will also create space to transform many of our 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 can be found on the website: abingdon.org.uk/prep/about/fantastic-new-opportunities-at-abingdon-prep