SPRING NEWSLETTER 2015 A note from The Principal Welcome to the Abbey Cambridge Spring Newsleer. We have had a busy spring term that included a very successful “Speak English Week” featuring over a dozen activities from debating, singing, voice coaching to my personal highlight - our students reciting their own poetry. We have also gained a new Vice Principal Academic when Gavin Copland was promoted to the role during the term. He is a tremendous addition to our senior leadership team and will work with our teachers and department heads to ensure students at Abbey continue to have excellent lessons and achieve the very best examination results. We are now entering the season of exams and it is worth pausing to think how we can spend our revision time as productively as possible. There are no shortcuts when you are learning your school work and only hard work and dedication will bring you the results you want. However, I would strongly advise that you work intelligently. It is becoming well understood that reading and rereading your notes will only get you so far when revising. It is essential that you test yourself during your revision time. One technique that has been shown to be effective is to convert the main points in a piece of work into a series of questions. Return to the work after you have taken a break and write out answers to the questions and then leave the work for a day or two before comparing your answers to the original text to self-correct your work. In this way you are spending more time thinking about the work and this leads to more effective learning that lasts for longer. You may achieve even beer results if you ask a classmate to correct your answers while you correct theirs. Good luck with your revision; make a plan for it, take it slowly and remember that your friends and your teachers will be there to help and support you. Best wishes Julian Davies - Principal
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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2015
A note from The Principal Welcome to the Abbey Cambridge Spring Newsletter.
We have had a busy spring term that included a very successful “Speak English
Week” featuring over a dozen activities from debating, singing, voice coaching to my
personal highlight - our students reciting their own poetry.
We have also gained a new Vice Principal Academic when Gavin Copland was
promoted to the role during the term. He is a tremendous addition to our senior
leadership team and will work with our teachers and department heads to ensure
students at Abbey continue to have excellent lessons and achieve the very best
examination results.
We are now entering the season of exams and it is worth pausing to think how we can
spend our revision time as productively as possible. There are no shortcuts when you
are learning your school work and only hard work and dedication will bring you the
results you want. However, I would strongly advise that you work intelligently. It is
becoming well understood that reading and rereading your notes will only get you so
far when revising. It is essential that you test yourself during your revision time.
One technique that has been shown to be effective is to convert the main points in a
piece of work into a series of questions. Return to the work after you have taken a
break and write out answers to the questions and then leave the work for a day or
two before comparing your answers to the original text to self-correct your work. In
this way you are spending more time thinking about the work and this leads to more
effective learning that lasts for longer. You may achieve even
better results if you ask a classmate to correct your answers
while you correct theirs.
Good luck with your revision; make a plan for it, take it slowly
and remember that your friends and your teachers will be
there to help and support you.
Best wishes
Julian Davies - Principal
ABBEY COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE SPRING NEWSLETTER 2015
Words from Gavin I am thrilled and honoured to have been invited to take more of a leading role here as Vice
Principal Academic at Abbey Cambridge. I have had such a great time in the last few
months teaching Government & Politics to some fantastic students who I have developed a
genuine respect and affection for, and then getting to know more of our students and staff as
Head of the International Foundation Programme. Those of you who know me already
know how dedicated I am to the success and welfare of you all here, and I look forward to
guiding your academic progress through to the end of the year and beyond. This is such a
wonderful community to live and work in and I am proud to be part of the team.
We really are on the last part of this academic year as we gear ourselves up for the exam
period. I urge you all to double your efforts and commit yourselves fully to your studies in
this final phase – remember the goals you have set yourselves and keep these
targets in mind, whether they be achieving highly in your AS exams or gaining
entrance to one of the top universities with great scores in your Foundation or
A2, and you will succeed!
Kind regards
Gavin - Vice Principal Academic
Words from Karen Some of our students are sitting their mock exams this week and I’m impressed with our
students work ethic: students are on time, prepared, following our high expectations perfectly
– this is incredibly important as all exams require focus for success. I wish you all the best of
luck and make sure that you sleep well, eat well and speak to someone if you are finding it too
challenging or stressful. We are here to help you, and it is quite common to suffer from exam
anxiety – please do not hesitate to see me or any member of staff if you are worried. Also,
remember that we have lots of sports and activities to help combat stress – such as Yoga in St
Paul’s on Thursdays. Keeping your body healthy and active will boost your brain power!
This Saturday we have the Charity Fair – JUNGLE FEVER! All money raised will go to EACH
so please bring money to spend so you can enjoy all the activities, games and entertainment.
There are so many surprises to look forward to.
Also, the May Ball at the prestigious Madingley Hall of Cambridge University
taking place on Friday 1 May. We only have a few tickets left…email