Dear Parents
HERITAGE DAY
We began this week with a presentation by Kevin Smuts who composed the music for the short film, My Octopus Teacher, that many of you might have seen. He is a Bishops old boy (OD) and went right through the school from Grade R to Matric. With limitations on numbers, we could only accommodate the Grades 4s and 5s in the hall unfortunately. The boys were completely engrossed in his talk, watching snippets of the film, hearing the sounds made by using dry kelp, mussel shells and so forth to emulate the sea. It was a wonderful opportunity for the boys to get a glimpse into that aspect of movie making that so often goes unnoticed, the background music that does so much to create atmosphere and affect the viewers’ emotions.
What this presentation also did was to highlight the rich sea life right on our doorstep – it was filmed in the sea off Simonstown – and a reminder of the beauty of our wildlife, plant life and scenery we have inherited in South Africa. An incredible heritage that we have to treasure and preserve to hand over for the pleasure and appreciation of the generations to come.
Tomorrow is Green Day at the Prep – a celebration of Saturday’s 100th Test between the Springboks and the All Blacks. Rugby forms a significant part of South Africa’s heritage as well as that of Bishops. So too are many other sports and activities.
We remind our boys though that there was a time when many South Africans supported the All Blacks when playing against the Springboks in protest against the restrictions of apartheid and the all white sides. A far cry from the photograph of Siya Kolisi holding up the Rugby World Cup surrounded by the victorious Springbok side straight after beating England in the World Cup finals in 2019.
Tomorrow we will start our day with a Heritage Assembly, honouring what we have inherited in terms of language, culture and the environment: our “unique” South Africanness.
How do we maintain what is good and precious and improve and radically alter that which is not? In order to show the boys that every action for good counts, I chose this simple but powerful quotation from Nelson Mandela. Boys and staff read it out in a number of our eleven official languages:
“You can start changing our world for the better daily, no matter how small the action.”
ACADEMIC PROGRESS
All marks obtained from formal tests and tasks done this term have been uploaded onto MyBishopsLife throughout the term for Grades 4-7. To view a breakdown of your son’s marks, please select the Academic menu in MyBishopsLife and choose Marks from the drop-down provided. On the Marks screen, please click on each listed subject. If you have any questions, please contact your son’s Form or subject teacher directly at the start of next term. Grade 3 parents have already met with their son’s Form teacher in the last two weeks.
DIVERSITY AND TRANSFORMATION POLICY
Our revised Diversity and Transformation Policy has been shared amongst the boys and staff for comment and I share it here for parents to read and comment. This policy was drawn up by the Transformation Committee of Council and will seek to be the overarching policy to which all other policies will refer. If you have comment, please feel free to submit your thoughts to principal@bishops.org.za by the end of the first week of the fourth term, Friday 8 October.
Do enjoy the long weekend. The holidays will give our boys a chance to have a break from school life, to refresh and rejuvenate. Hopefully you will be able to spend some special time with them.
Thank you for your support this term in what have often been trying circumstances.
Stay safe.
Kind regards
GREG BROWN
HEADMASTER |
