Dear Parents
Coming out of my house yesterday morning at about 07h00 and confronting the heavy mist with a few lights in the distance, I was surprised to hear the sound of violins and followed the sound to the Jagger Hall. There I found Lucia Scott taking a Grade 6 string ensemble (violins, cellos and a double bass) through a warmup. And so we had what I think qualifies as our first full music concert since March 2019 with the string ensemble and eight other boys on a range of instruments. We could only have two grades in the hall and no parents as before. But in the midst of so many cancellations – sports fixtures, the Grade 7 tour, choirs – it is great that we can manage and get our music boys what they need – an audience and performance to grow their confidence and hone their skills.
Early in the week I spoke at another assembly about disappointment – as we live with restrictions and without much of which young people thrive on. I asked the boys what still remains and the strongest reply was, “we have each other”. I have remarked on this a number of times in recent newsletters, how one of the strongest educational messages from lockdown was how we need each other, the extent to which boys are relational learners, how we all need actual human contact and the nitty gritty of social engagement. And it reinforces the importance of what we teach about relationships, respect for each other, accepting each other and the positive social dynamics that build confidence and self-concept.
Recently the Students’ Representative Forum at College prepared a video to be shown to the boys and discussed in class. In it a number of senior boys speak about their Bishops journey, of how they love the school but have at times faced “othering” where they have been made to feel “lesser” or excluded rather than included because of their sexual orientation, race or cultural background. This shouldn’t be happening, I know, but it can’t be swept under the carpet and has to be addressed and acknowledged if we are to move forward and make Bishops a better place. This video was shown to our Grade 6s and 7s in Life Orientation, followed by open and important discussions.
We are currently looking at our Life Orientation programme across the school to ensure that diversity, inclusion and belonging are addressed and boys are empowered and sensitised as we continue our transformation journey. We will link this with both Pre-Prep and College ensuring that the issues we engage with are done in age-appropriate ways. Life Orientation is not the only vehicle and other curricula in other subjects are also being reviewed.
COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS
We are very pleased and proud to announce that four of our Prep boys have been awarded four of the eight scholarships for College. This is a very special achievement as they competed against more than 200 boys across the country.
We congratulate:
Luc Dicey Bishops Scholarship (Academic and All-Rounder)
Ketan Govan Maths Scholarship
Naethan Mol General Scholarship
Michael Whitelaw General Scholarship
Stay safe and warm.
Kind regards
GREG BROWN
HEADMASTER |