Abingdon News No.59

2 January 2022 The start of every school year brings a sense of excitement - new school uniform, seeing friends after the summer break, the soft light of September sunshine. September 2021 was particularly special as we cast off some of the Covid-related restrictions of the previous academic year. We said hello again to many of our international boarders who had worked remotely for the previous year. We also said goodbye to year group ‘bubbles’, teachers were once again able to teach in their own departments and we were finally able to welcome parents and visitors back into school buildings. The first Saturday of term had a wonderful buzz as Old Abingdonians returned for their annual rugby match, while Touchliners, the parent group dedicated to supporting rugby at Abingdon, hosted new players and parents for a barbecue. It’s been great to once again meet parents in and around school as they support their children and meet one another. This return to normality has served as a powerful reminder of the importance of the strong connections that we create between home and school to support our students to do their very best. One of the silver linings of the pandemic was our discovery of how much we can do online to communicate effectively with parents but it has been a joy to return to face-to-face contact. Abingdon News Message from the Headmaster Whole school sponsored walk The welcome return of the biennial sponsored walk saw over 1000 students and staff take to the footpaths and bridleways of South Oxfordshire. The walk has been in existence for over 30 years and, following last year’s postponement, this year saw record numbers of walkers and runners cover a 10 mile stretch. The students raised over £25,000 for two charities - SSNAP (Supporting the Sick Newborn and their Parents) and Agape (a Christian NGO, based in Moldova). Whilst walking, students from the School’s Eco-Committee and Green Gym Other Half clubs joined 100,000 volunteers nationally in cleaning 10 miles each for the Surfers Against Sewage Million Mile Clean campaign.