Dear Parents and Guardians

Our Grade 12 boys leave us officially today with their Prize-Giving and Valedictory service signifying the end of the chapter in their lives of formal schooling. While they still have their final examinations ahead of them, we thank them for all they have done in their time at Bishops and wish them all the very best for their future. We hope their examinations run smoothly and that they are able to attain the very best result they can achieve.

My thanks go to the Grade 12 parents and guardians for their support of their son and the school in this time and in the last two years in particular as we have managed the pandemic as best we can as a school and in our homes. This has not been easy for our boys, their families and the school yet we have done our best, and I thank you all for what you have done. This year we were able to have some activities such as winter sports and sports tours and festivals, the Eisteddfod (albeit online), the Bishops Community Week, our Confirmation Service, Assemblies, Chapel and a number of other activities that brought our community together once again and I thank all those who made this possible.

It was wonderful to be able to meet people in person as we engaged in these activities, particularly the events of the Bishops Community Week in support of the Invest In Our Future Foundation, an OD initiative that supports deserving boys in their endeavours after school. We are delighted to note that Deputy Head Boy, Nassar de Kock, has been awarded the first of these scholarships and we wish him well for his studies in actuarial sciences next year at UCT.    

Covid-19

While infections continue to decrease, our priority right now is to keep our Grade 12s safe and Covid-free as they write their final exams. If a boy tests positive, he will, in all likelihood, be required to miss an exam which he can only take again in June next year, resulting in a loss of a year. All other exams, Grades 8 -11, are internally written and we can manage these as always, allowing for illness in the normal course of events but with an external exam, we have very little control. Please hold our Matric boys in your thoughts at this time for a safe and successful exam period.   

With new regulations being promulgated this week regarding the attendance of spectators at professional and non-professional sport, it appears as if we might be permitted to have up to 750 spectators or half the capacity of the venue indoors and up to 2000 spectators outdoors, provided social distancing and all other Covid protocols are maintained. This is wonderful news for parents in particular as you will now be able to watch your son and his friends play sport. We are still awaiting confirmation of this from the Department of Basic Education but we hope to be able to welcome you back with open arms and ask that you please respect any arrangements there are in place for spacing and sanitizing and that masks are worn at all times.

Transformation

We have received feedback from parents and boys on the proposed Diversity and Transformation Policy and will be discussing these ideas in the Transformation Committee next week along with a proposed Anti-Racism Statement.

The audit of the three libraries in the school has begun and looks like it will be a very valuable exercise as we try to make our libraries resources where all boys feel at home and which celebrate the works of South African and African authors as well as international authors.

Academic News

The annual Matric Prize-Giving was held today and we congratulate all those who were recognized for their achievements. The list of prize-winners is attached.

School News

On Sunday, we welcomed the Visitor to the school, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, as we celebrated a rite of passage in the spiritual journeys of our boys and a number of girls from the other Anglican schools in the Service of Confirmation. This was a very special event and Father Monwabisi Peter is to be thanked for making it happen this year. 

At Prize-Giving, we also acknowledged the role our school leadership team played and we commend Jonathan Roche and his team, Nassar de Kock, Liam Harrison and SRF Chair Isaiah Sonn-Pather, for their efforts in difficult times. Their contributions were significant and highly valued and we wish them well for the future.

We congratulate these boys on their appointment and wish them all the very best as they lead their Houses through the upcoming year.

In particular we wish Suhayl, Robbie and Daniel well as they lead the College. Well done and good luck!

Head Boy:   

Suhayl Khalfey

Deputy Head Boys:         

Robbie Dicey and Daniel Neuhoff

Staff News

We also welcome new support staff or staff who have been internally promoted and I share their personal introductions to our community below:

Carryn Boden - Nursing Sister

It is a privilege and joy to introduce myself to the Bishops community.

I was born in Pietermaritzburg, did my nursing training at Greys Hospital and commenced my nursing career in Johannesburg. I have had the opportunity to work in various fields in nursing and have had many years of leadership and management intertwined.  I am a dynamic and driven woman who loves spending quality time with all my stakeholders.

I have three loving and supportive sons at university- (one at UCT, one at Stellenbosch and one at Vega) and three dogs who complete me. Zeus and Athena, my Staffies and Grace (who is far from graceful) my little Scotty. I am passionate about my family and my career have learnt how to weave them to ensure success in both spheres.

I believe that my expertise lies in developing deep and real relationships and I understand the importance of effective and prompt communication. My passion is for people and their wellness - their physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual wellness. I believe that through my personal life experience and adversity, I can care with compassion for each individual as required. I enjoy both leading and participating as a team player. I have a wealth of knowledge and experience that lends itself well for this Bishop’s School Nurse position.

Nicole Lewis - BSU Administrator

Born in Cape Town and the oldest of three siblings.  I attended E.C. Primary and completed high school at Grassy Park High.  After matriculating and not having the privilege to further my education, I started working in January 1992 as a Junior Secretary amassing different skill sets personally and professionally along the way by completing workshops and short courses.  I had the pleasure of working at three educational institutions, namely, Yeshua Christian School, Norman Henshilwood and Springfield Convent where I thrived and enjoyed the interaction with colleagues, learners and the culture and uniqueness each school had to offer.

Working with children definitely keeps you young at heart.  I have been married to my husband and best friend, Clayton for 24 years and we have two lovely daughters, Shannon and Jessica whom we are very proud of.  Marriage and parenting are not easy, it’s a full-time job and requires team effort, consistency, honesty, accountability, commitment, patience and discipline but well worth the effort.  Besides spending time with my family and friends, I enjoy coffee dates, baking, walking, watching movies, glitter art and reading.  I believe in keeping things simple in life and I am often drawn to these quotes:

Unknown – “The best things in life are not things.”

Mahatma Gandhi – “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Nthabiseng Thloloane - Part-time Debtors Administrator

I am the first born of 4 siblings - 3 girls and one boy.   I was born and grew up in the Free State and matriculated in Cape Town at Fezeka High School.

After matriculating and not having funds to study further I worked as a waitress before joining Business school of Netherlands as a Logistics Administrator in 2002, which was such a blessing as they groomed me to be who I am today. In 2005 I moved to Lodge Staff and Habari Media as an Administrator. Whilst there I completed my Financial Accounting, Bookkeeping and Pastel certificates. In 2009 I moved to The Pearson Group International Institution (previously known as CTI Education Group) as a debt collector. I worked myself up from being a Debt Collector to a Credit Control Supervisor managing the Claremont, Durbanville and Midland Campus. I then moved to Transaction Capital Business Solutions in 2017 and retrenched last year due to covid.  

I am a senior credit controller who has been in the industry for more than 12 years, enjoying dealing and interacting with people or clients.

My previous working experience has taught me a lot on how to be a professional in my working environment; how to deal with students, sponsors, parents on a personal level and how to adapt in a fast-paced corporate environment dealing with various industries big and medium size.

I am fit, healthy and try to work out 3-4 days a week, hike every second weekend, and in my spare time enjoy connecting with friends for dinner and lunch.  My passion is pursuing my hobby in the fashion industry.  Most importantly, I am Christian, and I love God.

"As long as you don't quit you can never fail".

Rashied Goliath - Cleaning Supervisor 2022

I was born in District Six Cape Town and completed my schooling at Alexander Sinton Senior Secondary School in Crawford. I have been married for 36 years and we are blessed with 2 children, a daughter now aged 34 and a son of 28. My support and encouragement come from my wife and children.

Before coming to Bishops, I worked in the furniture industry as a factory/manufacturing manager for top Cape Town manufacturing concerns.

I have been employed at Bishops since 2014 and employed permanently for the past 5 years. With my exciting new position comes the responsibility of new challenges and I strive to achieve the goals I have set for myself and to work in harmony with the team.

My mentor, my late dad used to say, “Failure is a good thing” and I would reply “why?”, and he always smiled and said “What did you learn?” So, I hope to learn a lot in my new role and strive to take it to the next business level.

Sonya Hamdulay - Assistant Cleaning Supervisor 2022

I have been married for 28 years and have three children, two boys, a girl and a proud grandmother of four.  I enjoy interacting with people, am involved in community youth structures and passionate about reaching out to others.

I have worked at Bishops for 12 years and love the environment; it is family oriented and there is always room to grow my persona and educationally. I like to set goals for myself and those around me.

The cleaning department is the right place for me, where I feel that what I do matters and I am important.

The Music Department is my joy and I like the interaction with boys and staff. The Eisteddfod is my “baby” and I nurture this project with Mr Mitchell.  I love cheering for the boys on the sports fields and my relationships with the grounds/maintenance /boarding houses are something I treasure.

I am eager to learn and always enthusiastic to unpack challenges. Education is my master key to success.

My mentors at Bishops are the late Caroline Pekeur and my current supervisor Carol Witbooi and am grateful for everything they have taught me over the years.

I look forward to the challenges that will come with my new position as Assistant Cleaning Supervisor.

Final Thoughts

As the schooling cycle continues and we bid farewell to a group of boys, we will welcome a new group into the College community next year. With a greater understanding of the challenges facing us regarding Covid, we hope to be able to provide more and more for our boys and parents and we will be looking to the existing College community of staff, boys and parents to lead the way in shaping the future of our school.

There is a strong desire amongst our Grade 11 group, next year’s Matrics, to build a more inclusive environment that allows for greater mass participation in events such as Eisteddfod and supporting sports fixtures as a whole school. Let us hope for the best!

Thank you for your support.

Kind regards

Antony Reeler
Principal

Final Message

I share with the parent community my final assembly to the Grade 12 boys in which I highlighted an aspect of my own parenting I found so difficult – letting go. As parents, probably our greatest desire for our children is to keep them safe. Yet, we also have to let them go, knowing that they will be encountering situations when we will not be there to help. They will have to make decisions and choices on their own, using the experiences they have had and the lessons we have taught them at home and at school.

It is well-known that young men can have a tendency to engage in risky behaviour, without thought of consequences and I offered some advice on how to mitigate risk in their lives ahead.

Choice

There is research that shows that an average adult makes about 35 000 choices or decisions per day. That is a lot of decisions – some conscious, some not – and each of those decisions carries a consequence. You choose what time to get out of bed, what temperature to have your shower (or perhaps not to shower!), you choose your food and so on as you go through each day.

Today I do not want to talk about the small decisions. Today I want to talk to you about decisions that could literally change your lives and decisions that can hurt you. Today I want to talk about moments of madness.

As young men, we seem to be subject to these seconds of insanity more than women and adults. It is as young men that we are most likely to take risks and make decisions that can affect our lives.

Let me share a few examples: you are driving down a road and the robot turns orange. Now is your first decision – to try to jump the robot or stop. Perhaps in your car with you are friends who urge you to go through. Perhaps you have been in a fight with your partner and are not really concentrating hard. Perhaps the alcohol you may have consumed has dulled your decision-making or heightened your sense of adventure. Whatever the scenario, you have a decision to make – one that could change your life. What could happen? Nothing of course and your life resumes as normal. But you could also be involved in an accident that hurts you or indeed kills you or hurts or kills a passenger. A split-second moment with a lifetime of consequences or regret.

You are at a sports game or a club and enjoying yourself. Again, the influence of peers is strong and alcohol may also play a part. Someone bumps your partner or makes an inappropriate comment. You take offence and hit the offender. Again – nothing could come of it. This person could walk away and you could feel you have defended the honour of your partner. Or – that individual could hit his head on a railing and be permanently disabled or even dead. You are arrested and charged with a crime and sent to jail – a consequence you most certainly did not take into consideration when you made the decision you did.

I could give you many scenarios but these two are real ones I have encountered previously with young men. Decisions made under the worst possible conditions: peer pressure, alcohol, bravado, machoism, a feeling of invincibility and so on. The question is how can we help you make these decisions under the best circumstances rather than the worst? How can we reduce moments of madness that have a lifetime of consequence?

Some of you have already made these kinds of decisions and have got away with it and with very little consequence. You have been lucky. I feel most sorry for those who have yet to make decisions like these. It is a sad fact that the most likely to suffer terrible consequences are those who risk things for the first time.

Celia Lashlie, New Zealand’s first female prison warden in an all-male prison, speaks of her “gorgeous boys” and the mistakes these boys have made in her book “He’ll be OK”. Mistakes such as those I have mentioned – driving dangerously and striking out in anger at someone. She doesn’t offer solutions though. She presents the problem in her own words…

‘My job was only to collect the stories and hold up the mirror, it was not then, nor is it now to translate for men what they are seeing in the mirror or to tell them what to do next.’

So how do we help you? We cannot be with you always, we have to let you go and live your own lives.

Firstly, by speaking about this at your last assembly I hope to influence some of you to make good decisions under the best circumstances. I hope you realise the dangers of making decisions under the influence of peer pressure or alcohol and I hope you realise that consequences can be life-changing

Secondly, while we acknowledge that risk-taking, can give great success and innovation it can also cause great harm and so be careful of your inner desire to do something daring, something dangerous.

Finally – I ask you to remember the following phrase: “Between action and reaction lies consequence”. How you react to a circumstance will determine your consequence and try to put as much time between the two. The more time you have, the wiser the decision will often be. Decisions made impulsively and in haste may not always be the ones you would have made had you more time.

With that final message I wish you all well for the future. Thank you for the influence you have had on the school and for sharing part of yourselves with us. Well done on all you have achieved and for being remarkable examples of resilience and adaptability to us all. Make good choices under good circumstances and be safe. God speed and good luck.

VUSA

On Wednesday, 13 October, the official handover of the Atlas Digibus, to the VUSA Rugby and Learning Academy and Bishops, took place in Langa.

Sue Anderson, Executive Director of the Atlas Foundation South Africa, cut the ribbon and handed the keys to Greg Brown. The bus is a 42 seater Scania bus, which was fully funded by the Atlas Foundation, in partnership with Cognizant, has been converted into a mobile classroom, with 40 laptops and 2 teaching stations.   

VUSA will launch its programmes in 2022 and will support the 5 primary schools in Langa with an intervention at Grade 4 level.  Langa pupils learn in their mother tongue until Grade 3 and then transition to learning in English at Grade 4 level.  This is where many children fall behind.   The programme has thus far been partially funded by Coronation Fund Managers but additional funding is required.  Please contact Nikki Matthews (nmatthews@bishops.org.za) if you wish to support or require additional information.

Rugby

Despite a short rugby season, our Bishops 1st XV excelled in many areas. We have a few nominations at this year's Rugga awards, please click on the link and vote for our players and head coach! http://ruggas.co.za/o-hero/

Hockey

During the school holidays, the Bishops U17A Hockey team participated in the U17 Top Schools Tournament hosted by Paarl Gymnasium. They played 5 pool games, winning 4 of them, topping the log. They met Paarl Boys High in the semi-finals, winning 4-1. In the finals, they met the undefeated SACS team, and in a very tight game, beat them 1-0, to win the tournament. Brett Horn was named the Player of the Tournament. Congratulations to the team and coaching staff on this fantastic achievement.

Water polo

Congratulations Nicholas Steinhagen, who has been selected to represent South Africa at the EU Nations Junior Men u17 Water polo tournament 29 – 31 October 2021, Brno, Czech Republic. We wish you success in the water!

The u14A team played in the u14 Rondebosch tournament over the Heritage Day weekend, and progressed to final after some strong performances in the earlier stages of the tournament. The team went down to Rondebosch in the final, but they can be very proud of their efforts, securing the silver medal.

The u15A team played in the Wynberg u15 Ian Melliar Cup last weekend. They comfortably moved through the pool stages with dominant performances. Unfortunately they lost in the semi-final to eventual winners SACS, but bounced back strong to win the 3rd/4th playoff, beating Clifton to clinch the bronze medal. Mac Lecuona and Jordan De Sousa were selected for the tournament team and Jordan was named goalkeeper of the tournament. A massive well done to both teams!

Please click on the SOCS link to view fixtures and all the live water polo action this weekend against SACS away.

Friday Link - https://youtu.be/eEfxD4ciWOs
Saturday Link - https://youtu.be/R1QMyHX3h_U

Junior Lifeguard Achievement

Ryan Voigt had a very hard and gruelling 3 days of SA National Lifesaving Champs in Gqberha, Nelson Mandela Bay. The team spent two solid days on the beach and in the surf and then a full day at Newton Park Pool for Stillwater action!  The conditions were very challenging with major swells and strong winds.

He did very well, representing Clifton U14 Nippers, digging deep in all his events and placing 9th in most of his events, as well as 6th in his U14 pool action events.

All his swims were personal best times for him and his relay team clinched  two bronze medals and a silver. An awesome achievement, well done!

Cape Town Marathon

The Cape Town Marathon will be run this coming Sunday with roads around Bishops closed from early morning to around 11:00. Please be aware of this should you be planning to come onto or exit the campus. We have college staff, Mr Warwick Richter, Mr Brad Smith and Mr Campbell Smith running and we wish them well for the event.  In particular, we wish Mr Warwick Richter all the very best as he takes part in his 100th marathon – a remarkable achievement!

IIOFF

The Bishops Community Week ended on Monday with the PA Charity Golf Day, sponsored by Citadel. The final fundraiser for the year is the online auction – please register here https://bishops-iioff.clickauction.org/ and help us to support our matric leavers as they pursue a tertiary education next year.

Grade 12 Academic Awards - Term 3 2021

Academic Ties:
Adam Clarke
Peter Myburgh
Max van Veen 

Academic Jerseys:
Ronan King
Keanan Walker

Music Awards - Matrics

The following Matrics need to be congratulated on achieving the following Music awards:

Music Ensemble Ties:
James Elliott
James Griffiths
Ben Hallé
John Smith
Mangaliso Nogantshi
Nicholas Pabst
James Clarke
Gregor John
Oliver Kennedy-Smith
Joseph Ruiz von Walter
Stefan von der Heyden
Thomas Newton
Seth Nieburg
Niels Tiaden
Ethan Topat
Daniel Holgate
Paul Malherbe
Lukas Oelz
Charlie Bicker-Caarten
Alastair Bruce

Distinction Tie For Music:
John Smith

Full Colours:
Gregor John
John Smith

Rugby

Half Colours
Sam Aitken

Full Colours
Alastair Bruce
Bruce Campbell
Nassar De Kock
Suleiman Hartzenberg
Imad Khan
Josh Mansfield
Joshua Michau
Keenan Mills
Alex Myeki
Jack Pace
Luke Parker
Christopher Pittaway
Bruce Sherwood
And our 2021 Captain, Jonathan Roche

Distinction Ties have also been awarded to three players who were selected for the National under-18 team. Well done to the following pupils:

Suleiman Hartzenberg
Imad Khan
Bruce Sherwood

Hockey

Full Colours
James Elliott
Gus Farara
Ryan Goodsell
Rowan Howard
Oliver Kennedy-Smith

Golf

Half Colours:
Jack Lee

Full Colours:
Daniel Davidson
Christopher Gutuza

Squash

Half Colours:
Aidan Burns
Armaan Trikam

Full Colours:
Matthew Reid

Water polo

The following matrics have been awarded Water polo colours:

Half Colours:  
Luke Solomons
Joseph Henderson

Full Colours:
Luke Bruchhausen
Matthew Lowe 
Jonathan Roche
William Ross

Athletics - Quadrangular Team Tie

Recognising that the annual Quadrangular could not take place this year, criteria have been amended this year to reflect that. Congratulations to Oliver Kennedy-Smith for being awarded his Quadrangular Team Tie!

Cricket - 1st XV

Except in special circumstances, cricket colours are awarded after the Rondebosch match in November.  This year has again seen special circumstances, so awards are being made now to the following Matrics. Congratulations to the following on being awarded colours for their overall performance and commitment to Bishops cricket:

Half Colours:
Jarren Bacher

Full Colours:
Rowan Howard
Ben Forsyth

Special Award:

During the last two seasons one boy has given such devoted service to Bishops 1st XI cricket that we would like to present him with a special award.  Daniel Holgate has not just been the scorer. He has also, during this time when spectators haven’t been permitted at the games, kept the parents and other supporters entertained and informed by his regular updates form his lonely position in the scorebox. He has contributed immensely to the spirit and success of the 1st XI and we thank him for all he has done.  For his dedicated and always cheerful service to the 1st XI, Daniel is presented with a 1st XI players jersey.

Soccer

Congratulations to the following boys on their soccer achievements earning them full colours.

Full Colours:
Chris Scheepers (Soccer captain)
Ronan King
Matthew Tripe
Robbie Geldenhuys
Well done to these boys for their dedication and commitment to the sport. 

Visual Arts

Full Colours:
Gareth Walsh
Ben Halle
Irshad Abrahams
Zain Dawood
Heath Steele
Josh Carnell

Debating

Half Colours
Congratulations to Gabriel Dyssell-Hofinger on achieving half colours in Debating.

Amendment apology
u18A:
Brett Horn
Daniel Neuhoff
u18B
James Flint
u14 High Performance Group
Daniel von der Heyden

Today was our class of 2021 Prize-Giving and Valedictory. We are so proud of the achievements of the boys this year, and had a wonderful morning celebrating the Matrics. Enjoy a few moments from the day’s festivities as well as our prize-winners.

Click here to view the Prize Winners.