Dear Parents
“I see you.”
This week I have held Grade assemblies and it has been wonderful to have the opportunity to connect directly with the boys, something really important for us as a community. I am aware too that families new to the Prep have also not had the chance to engage face-to-face as we would ordinarily have done and we still hope to have the opportunity to do so in the future.
I have focused on greetings at this week’s assemblies: greetings that have meaning and are not simply robotic; greetings that indicate respect, engagement, welcome and acknowledgement of each other. Tony Reeler paid his first visit to the Prep nearly two years ago and I took him on a tour, both to see the facilities and the school in action. What he found most noticeable was the frequency of the boys’ greetings. But this was about more than just the “Hello” or “Good morning, Sir”; boys looked him in the eye, smiled and engaged. As he said, he felt welcomed and acknowledged. I relayed this to the boys because it is the real value of why our boys are taught and expected to greet.
I also spoke to the boys about the Zulu greeting, “Sawubona’, meaning “I see you”, emphasing so well the acknowledgement and respect for others that a greeting should provide and also a sense of community. We will also take the “Sawubona” further during the year. Not only is it important to recognise and notice each other, but also to recognise who we are and how our stories might differ in terms of religion, culture, background and community. We strive to appreciate what we have in common with our uniform, our community, the teaching and opportunities the school provides. And we also need to understand and celebrate our differences: the fact that some of our boys will have a Barmitzvah when they turn 13, others will fast for a period during the year, others go to Temple; we all grew up under apartheid and we were all differently affected by apartheid legislation with many denied educational opportunities available to others and much more.
As we proceed in this transformation process, we will be looking at each other’s different stories, something that our facilitator, Lele Mehlomakulu, talks a lot about, something which really resonates with me. It always seems easier to talk about what we share in common in terms of interests and understanding, but if we also give time to our different experiences and circumstances we will have a far better understanding of each other, we will be both enriched and appropriately sensitive and more respectful of each other. And this is one of the ways in which we address prejudice and discrimination of all kinds.
Today and tomorrow Lele is training a number of staff as facilitators for the staff workshops that are to follow. This is one leg of the journey and a crucial one, as these are the people who interact with our boys every day and need to understand each other’s stories to be the change we want for our boys.
Camps
Our Grade 4s, 5s and 6s will be away on camp for a few days next week and I wish them a very happy and enjoyable experience. Please note that extra-murals continue for all age groups on Monday and Tuesday. Grade 3s and 7s are not away and both their academic and extra-mural programmes will proceed as normal for the full week ahead, although there will be no extra-murals on Friday as this weekend was planned as a mid-term break. The Grade 4 boys that remain at school or return from camp during the week do not have to attend extra-murals on Wednesday or Thursday.
Morning times
We are currently looking at starting and screening times and will, in all probability, be making a few changes from Monday, 1 March. We will confirm any changes with you as early as possible next week.
Enjoy the weekend.
Kind regards
GREG BROWN
HEADMASTER |
