View from the Abbey | Sunday 2 May 2022

VIEW FROM THE ABBEY Sunday 1 May 2022

Twilight golf as part of our evening co-curricular programme

An exciting start to Summer Term With only ten days having passed since the start of term - and a slightly smaller bulletin of news as a result - I’m still astounded to look back on how much students are achieving already and at all the opportunities they are taking to enjoy their time here.

We have enjoyed a Sixth Form Social (described as “the best one yet!”) and the return of summer sports, an inspirational trip to a wool mill and the CCF took on a two-day hiking challenge in Dartmoor.

Pizza visitors | Page 2

Academically, the Fifth Form and Middle Sixth are gearing up for their exams, but that hasn’t stopped pupils enjoying lessons outside or welcoming 60 visiting chefs from Franco Manca, who we helped pick wild garlic in exchange for a pizza-making masterclass.

MA often feels at its best under the summer sun and we’d love you to join us to experience a little of this on our inaugral Parents’ Sports Day on Saturday 18 June. Please see details on Page 2.

Swim challenge | Page 3

Judith Fremont-Barnes | Head

House weekends | Page 4

VIEW FROM THE ABBEY

Getting a ‘pizza the action’ BTEC Hospitality students were excited to welcome nearly 60 chefs from pizza restaurant Franco Manca to Milton Abbey last week.

The family-owned chain bakes sourdough pizzas with seasonal and locally sourced ingredients.

Their head chefs spoke to students about the restaurant’s business model and led a practical session, with students baking pizzas using their sourdough starter and customising them with a range of toppings used in the restaurant.

It was part of the annual training and outreach programme for the chefs, who also collected wild garlic growing abundantly neaby, which you will see in one of their upcoming summer recipes in the restaurant.

Leonie Monaghan | Head of Hospitality

Helping pupils to help themselves This term we’ve launched our online Pupil Portal, using the iSAMS system many parents are already familiar with for their Parent Portal.

The site will show each pupil’s upcoming lessons, sports and activities for the week ahead, all the awards and commendations they’ve received, and the dates of any external exams they’re taking.

This will help our learners to take personal responsibility and plan their time.

Please take a moment over Exeat to remind your chlld about the Portal and encourage them to use it.

Claudia Hindle | Deputy Head (Academic)

Parents’ Sports Day: Saturday 18 June With pupils already enjoying their summer sports, we thought it was a good time to hold a Parents’ Sports Day on Saturday 18 June. We’re planning a fun afternoon in which parents, guardians, siblings and relatives can come together to challenge our Milton Abbey teams.

We are hoping to play matches in: Cricket, Golf, Sailing, Tennis and Road Cycling (group ride).

If you would like to play any of these sports, or attend as a spectator, please click here to let us know.

Ben Lawes | Director of Sport

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SPORTING NEWS

After a 24-hour Swimathon and our virtual cross-channel swim earlier this year, our swimmers are embarking on their biggest endurance challenge yet - 24 hours of open water swimming in the lakes of Shepperton in south-west London.

Lily, Gracie, Annabel and Will, pictured here, will be joined by me and Mrs Burg to undertake the challenge as a relay team, swimming continuously in the heat of a June day and in the dark of night, whatever the weather brings. Any short breaks while others swim must also be taken by the lakeside.

It is the students’ first experience of open water swimming. As one commented: “I’m excited to take part in this fantastic challenge, but also very nervous. Apart from some short practice swims we have planned near school, it will be my first time swimming outside. I can’t stop thinking about how cold the lake will feel, what may be in it, and whether it will be scary swimming at night!”

As with previous challenges, we will be raising money for the excellent Level Water charity, which helps children with disabilities to access swimming therapy and enjoy swimming socially.

Robin Hanney | Swimming Coach Our competive fixtures for the term started with doubles tennis versus Sherborne School. The format gave the pairings plenty of play, with all the matches played in good spirits. Our Senior Boys lost at home, while our Junior Boys won away. Well done to everyone who represented the school today - some for their first time.

Cricket practice is well underway, with the hotlyanticipated annual match versus The MCC after Exeat.

Ben Lawes | Director of Sport Parents are warmly welcomed to watch matches. To view upcoming fixtures and results visit www.ma-sports.co.uk

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HOUSE NEWS| Activities Weekend photo special Students enjoyed a House Activities Weekend to mark their first week back for the Summer Term.

These photos are just a selection of the different activities that took place across the houses, both on the school site and further afield.

My thanks to all the Sixth Form who made the most of the formal social evening on the Saturday night, while showing what mature and interesting young men and women they are.

Special mention must also go to Combined Cadet Force members who, as well as enjoying Sunday night with the housemates, also managed to fit in a two-day hike to Dartmoor!

Martin Bolton | Deputy Head (Boarding)

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VIEW FROM THE ABBEY

Farewell Georgie and welcome Cathrin After 11 years of amazing service to the school, Georgie Woolgar said goodbye on Friday.

We are so grateful for her wonderful work and care, not just for the three Heads of Milton Abbey she has served as PA but also for all the pupils, parents, staff and Governors who have benefited from her expertise and kindness.

Personally, I could not have asked for better care or support.

Over the years in which I have been fortunate enough to have worked with her, I have marvelled on a daily basis at her encyclopaedic knowledge of the school community, her wisdom, fabulous judgement and her legendary creativity, all of which we will miss enormously. Georgie sums up the Milton Abbey ethos in so many ways, with kindness as her cornerstone, an extraordinary dedication to the school and a fantastic sense of fun.

We wish Georgie, Freddy, Islay and Nick every happiness in their new chapter at Sandhurst.

Georgie’s replacement, Cathrin Wurst, has joined us after a long and successful career with Hilton Hotels. We are delighted to welcome her to Milton Abbey.

Judith Fremont-Barnes | Head

Save the date: Speech Day on Friday 8 July We’re delighted to invite everyone to Speech Day this year, while changing the timings slightly to reintroduce a decadesold MA tradition: the Speech Day cricket match.

We’d advise parents and guests to have a light lunch before arriving at school from 13:30 for the Leavers’ Service and Middle Sixth Prize Giving After the Leavers’ Service we’ll be providing an Afternoon Tea on the lawn, inviting everyone to watch (or play in!) a cricket match, or to relax and enjoy the site with your family and friends. Departing Middle Sixth students and their guests have been invited to attend the Leavers’ Ball in the evening.

Click here to RSVP: Please take a moment to let us know how many people will be attending Speech Day, so that we can arrange seating in the Abbey, manage catering numbers and contact people who want to play in the cricket match.

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Speech Day timetable 13:45 End-of-Year Chapel Service and Middle Sixth Prize Giving 15:00 End-of-Term (Lower School and Lower Sixth pupils may depart any time after this point) 15:00 Afternoon Tea on the lawn 15:30 to 17:00 Head’s XI v Leavers’ XI Cricket Match (parents are very welcome to play) 19:00 Middle Sixth Leavers’ Ball (separate invite already sent)

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CREATIVE SHOWCASE

VIEW FROM THE ABBEY

Lower Sixth Art student Marina describes her latest work (above): “Clearly influenced by the war in Ukraine, I decided to create a mixed-media piece focused on the images I found in the press depicting a woman outside her bombed apartment complex near Kharkiv, Ukraine. For this painting, I used a variety of different materials to bring texture to the piece, including newspaper collage, Polyfilla, experimental hole burning in the canvas, real bandages and a barbed wire constructed with leather”.

Middel Sixth Art student Karen describes her Personal Investigation project (left): “I am interested in the colours and textures to be found in nature and the changing landscape around me. I like to experiment with different ways of expressing this and I am constantly looking for a process and technique that says something about the feel and colour of the details I find in the landscape, like moss and lichen”.

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Boarders: Monday 2 May from 17:00-21:00 (supper 18:00-19:00) Day pupils: Tuesday 3 May 08:35 for tutor groups

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