Dear Parents and Guardians

I write this after a day of joy, watching our boys on the first day of the Eisteddfod. It is hard to put into words the feelings of many who came to support the boys as they showed off their talents but an overwhelming sense of pride was certainly within me. It takes tremendous courage to stand, often alone, and perform for one's peers and an audience, and I admire our boys for all they did. There were some spectacular performances indeed.

My grateful thanks go to all who make this unique event possible. Led by Mr Mark Mitchell, who has taken our Eisteddfod to new levels, every staff member worked tirelessly to make this happen. My thanks go also to our senior boys who led their Houses so well. This event is about the boys, done mostly by the boys, and it is remarkable indeed. I am looking forward with much anticipation to the second day of performances and the Inter-House singing.

Parent seminar

I have received very positive feedback from the event held recently where Father Michael Lapsley and Ms Fatima Swarts shared their thoughts with a group of parents. While there was a small audience, it was greatly enjoyed and we are intending having these events far more frequently, covering relevant topics for parents in this area as well as issues around parenting and raising teenagers.

Farewells

We bid farewell to Mr Joshua Bearne who stood in so well for us this term as an IT teacher and thank him for his efforts.

After 23 years of service to Bishops, our Finance Manager, Mr Mukesh Govan, retires. Mr Govan has been superb in his job, leading our Finance Department quietly and with great skill. His attention to detail and his enviable work ethic are but two things I will remember about him. He has ensured, with his team, that Bishops is in a very good financial position, able to undertake projects and have the funds available for emergencies through managing fee collection and prudent spending. We wish him a long and happy retirement with his family.

Upcoming events

We look forward with much anticipation to the opening of our new Learning Centre on 19 July. This opening will allow us to use the new, much-needed facility and put an end to over a year of disruption!

Prior to the opening, on Mandela Day, the whole school will be engaging in service to the community as we give 175 minutes of service to those in need. This is a wonderful initiative that we hope sparks a desire to give back in our boys and staff.

Personal

I will be travelling this holiday to the UK to enjoy some time there but also to attend the IBSC annual conference, hosted by Harrow School in London. Apart from attending the conference, I will be visiting Harrow, Eton and Radley schools as well as Oxford University to try to learn from these schools in particular and to share what we do at Bishops. In addition, the Prep Headmaster, Mr Greg Brown, and I will be addressing the UK ODU branch at a special dinner. I look forward to the trip and the learning that comes from opportunities like this one and reporting back to the Bishops community upon my return. I will be returning at the start of the second week of the third term and Mr Trevor van Niekerk will be acting Principal in my absence.

Final thoughts

I thank you all for the term past and for all the support we have received from our community. To those who have stood together in tough times and celebrated with us the many successes, I thank you. May you enjoy a well-deserved break with your family and we look forward to seeing your son(s) again on Tuesday 9 July when we start our term with the traditional opening Eucharist.

I close by sharing some thoughts I read recently which I shared with the teaching staff. These are attributed to Adele Faber, a former high-school teacher who, with co-author Elaine Mazlish, helped countless parents and educators communicate more effectively with young people. She died on 24th of April at age 96. Inspired by psychologist Haim Ginott, Faber and Mazlish were best known for their 1980 book, How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk.

These are their thoughts on parenting:

• I was a wonderful parent before I had children. I was an expert on why everyone else was having problems with theirs. Then I had three of my own.
• Children don't need more things, they need more love.
• It's not helpful when parents respond with more intensity than the child feels.
• The attitude behind our words is as important as the words themselves.
• Sometimes it's more important to be kind than to be right.
• Children often experience praise of a brother or sister as a put-down of themselves. They automatically translate, ‘Your brother is so considerate' into ‘Mom thinks I'm not.' It's a good idea to save our enthusiastic comments for the ear of the deserving child.
• It's a bittersweet road we parents travel. We start with total commitment to a small, helpless human being. Over the years we worry, plan, comfort, and try to understand. We give our love, our labour, our knowledge, and our experience – so that one day he or she will have the inner strength and confidence to leave us.

On Sunday we celebrate Youth Day in South Africa. This significant moment was highlighted in my homily for the boys at our final Eucharist in which I explained the importance of the event, its history, and the role of the youth in our future.

Sunday will also be Fathers' Day and I wish all our Dads a special day on which I hope they are celebrated for the role they play in their children's lives!

Finally, our Muslim community celebrates Eid-ul-Adha on Sunday evening, and we wish our Muslim families well for this occasion.

Have a safe and restful holiday.

Kind regards

Antony Reeler
Principal

All Rounders Tie

Congratulations to James Wilkin on receiving his All Rounders Tie.

Music Colours

The following boys are congratulated on achieving Colours in Music:

Full Colours:
Justin Pillay
James Grieve

Half Colours:
Liam Chester

Hockey Mid-season Report

The hockey season commenced with great enthusiasm, featuring five teams participating in preseason festivals. Our three A sides were actively involved in their respective ISHF events. Notably, we had the privilege of hosting the U18 ISHF as part of the 175th Celebration, which included ten U19 hockey teams from across the country. The Bishops 1st side performed exceptionally well, winning all their matches, while the U14A team also remained undefeated in their festival. The 16A, B, and 2nds teams experienced a mix of wins, draws, and losses, but learned valuable lessons and skills from the festivals which they have brought into their season play.

This intensive preparation proved beneficial as we transitioned into the season, which started on a relatively easier note than some previous years. Halfway through the term, the 1st team participated in the Hibbert Shield in PE, where, despite an unfortunate loss in the quarterfinals, they secured 5th place. Their performance was impressive, and they returned with a renewed determination to remain unbeaten for the rest of the season.

The season saw the introduction of new coaches and development opportunities, notably the Boys in Blue Academy run by SA Olympian Ryan Julius. In league fixtures, both the 1st team and the U14A have gone unbeaten. Special recognition is also due to the 16B, 3rds, 16C, and 14B teams, which have nearly unbeaten records so far.

Throughout the season, teams faced a mix of challenging and easier opponents, with each game pushing the players to their limits. All players have shown consistent improvement and strength week by week. The boys displayed immense passion and dedication on the field, making every match highly competitive, even if not all results were in our favour. We remain optimistic about achieving favourable outcomes in the next term and continuing the development of all our hockey players.

As the first half of the season draws to a close, we extend our best wishes to all the hockey players participating in provincial tournaments during the holidays. We have an impressive 15 Bishops boys representing WP this year (5 in U14, 6 in U16 and 4 in U18). We hope their hard work and skills will shine on the provincial stage.

After a well-deserved break, we look forward to seeing even more great hockey from all our teams next term.

Rowing Colours

We are happy to announce Full Colours for Matthew Maurel and Sebastian Cheminais, based on their outstanding South African Champs results, and for being selected to represent Western Cape.

Matthew and Sebastian raced the coxless four and unfortunately only just missed out on the opportunity to qualify for the National Selection Regatta.
However, we proudly recognise Matthew and Sebastian for being awarded Western Cape Half Colours.

Cricket - Sri Lanka Tour

A 15-member Bishops 1st XI cricket team, captained by Michael Kotze and accompanied by Mr Gildenhuys and Mr Pohlongo, is set to depart Cape Town, for Sri Lanka, on 22nd June to embark upon a 13-day, eight-match tour of the cricket-mad island nation in what will represent Bishops first international cricket tour since 2016. The team will travel extensively within the country and has matches scheduled against some of Sri Lanka's finest schoolboy and regional sides in the capital, Colombo, the coastal city of Galle and the lush highlands of Sri Lanka's so-called second city, Kandy. The tour party is scheduled to return to Cape Town on the evening of the 4th July. We wish them all the best for their tour.

The tour squad: Adnaan Lagadien, Alex Vintcent, Calum Daniels, Cameron Giles, Cameron Macbeth, David Handley, James Robb-Quinlan, Litha Mbiko, Michael Kotze (captain), Michael Kruiskamp, Peyton Leigh, Sam Stavely-Alexander, Sebastian McAdam, Thaafier Japtha, Waco Bassick, Lutho Pohlongo (coach) and Visser Gildenhuys (coach).

The full match schedule is as follows:

• Monday 24th June: Match One v Nugegoda SC U19s. T20.
• Tuesday 25th June: Match Two v Sebastianites U19s. 50 overs.
• Wednesday 26th June: Match Three v Port Authority U19s. 50 overs.
• Friday 28th June: Match Four v Kandy District XI U19s. 50 overs.
• Saturday 29th June: Match Five v Kurunegala XI U19s. 35 overs.
• Monday 1st July: Match Six v Mahinda College Galle U18s. 50 overs.
• Tuesday 2nd July: Match Seven v Foundation of Goodness/Galle District Schools U18s. T20.
• Wednesday 3rd July: Match Eight v Kalutara District XI U19s. 50 overs.

Water Polo

We would like to wish our Bishops Water Polo U16 and U18 South African players huge success and enjoyment at their respective tournaments.
The U16 SA side play in Malta with their first game against Montenegro, the tournament favourites, on the 18th June.

Link to tournament schedule

Left to right - SA U16 Water Polo : James Malan, Timothy Young, Matt Fenn, Michael Mafunda

In the U18 South African side we had two players selected, Jordan de Sousa and Tom Truter. Unfortunately, Jordan had to withdraw as he will be in the United States participating in water polo trials for Standford University at the same time. This is an incredible opportunity for Jordan, and we wish him well.

We wish Tom the very best for his tournament which takes place in Buenos Aires from the 2nd to the 9th July.

Link to tournament schedule

Karate

The Ratheb brothers George and Alexandros are karateka students at the Cape Town dojo and took part in our colour belt grading on Saturday. They are to be congratulated on achieving their 7th kyu.

Blue Pages

Please click here for the 22nd edition of the Bishops Blue Pages Magazine.

Holiday Programme

The boys who play rugby, hockey, and soccer have been sent a gym and body weight training programme and monitoring questionnaire link to complete during the holidays. Please can we ask for your support in encouraging your sons to be active during the holidays and doing these programmes.

VUSA Cycle Challenge

Something that has become a cornerstone of our school's commitment to community and leadership is the VUSA 24 Hour Cycle Challenge.

You will have received an email yesterday. As you know, this event is more than just a physical challenge. It represents our dedication to supporting VUSA, an initiative that has positively impacted the lives of many children in Langa. The Cycle Challenge is an opportunity for each of you to demonstrate the values we hold dear at Bishops: leadership, community service, and resilience.

The funds raised through this event go directly to supporting VUSA's programs, which provide education, nourishment, and hope to hundreds of children. Your participation helps ensure that these children have access to the resources they need to succeed.

It's important to remember that by signing up you are committing to a team and to the people who have donated to support you. Last year, a lot of boys signed up and didn't show up.

We urge you to register for the Cycle Challenge, and be prepared to give it your all. Let's show everyone what Bishops boys are made of, both on and off the field.

How to sign-up?

• To secure a bike for a your team, please click HERE.
• We will send you a Google Sheet - please provide details of your team. 
• Teams can be made up of 1-6 riders (Serious Cyclists) or 7-24 (Social Cyclists).
• You will be supplied with a Backabuddy link to raise funds for VUSA.

Please note that bikes are limited. If you are unsuccessful  in securing a bike through the link, please email info@vusaacademy.org so that we can add you to the waiting list. 

For more information and to get inspired, please watch the VUSA video.

Thank you to everyone who continues to support VUSA. Please click HERE to view the termly newsletter. Have a safe and wonderful holiday.