Dear Parents and Guardians

Welcome back to the second term of the year after a brief break. This term is usually much more settled after the freneticism of the first term and you will find your son more focussed as he prepares for the upcoming mid-year examinations and the Eisteddfod while taking part in his winter sport which started well this past weekend.

This coming weekend is a holy one for our school and our Christian community as we celebrate Easter, Christ’s death and resurrection as the cornerstone of our faith. I hope this is indeed a special and significant time for our Bishops community.

Security

We have tightened up security on campus, particularly access to the campus outside regular school hours. While this may cause unhappiness at times as our security guards implement these tighter controls, they are there with the express purpose of protecting our boys, particularly our boarders but also those staff living on campus. We will be issuing a set of rules for campus access shortly. We are happy that boys come on to campus to practise sport for example and for a family member to accompany them but we discourage organised practices outside official ones, we do not allow paid coaching by outside coaches and we try to preserve the sanctity of Sundays as a day of rest, unless the activity is part of a longer event such as a festival.

I must issue a warning to boys who walk outside the campus after school. We have heard of a number of incidents involving our own staff or boys as well as boys from neighbouring school who have been mugged and we urge parents to encourage boys to be vigilant. A boy should never walk with items of value clearly on display such as cell phones or headphones and should always try to walk in pairs or groups. It is a sad reality that there are criminal elements seeking easy targets and we wish to protect our boys as far as possible. We have now placed a security guard outside the main gate at key times such as the close of school in an attempt to have a more visible security presence.

Streaming of sport

The College Executive has revisited a previous decision not to stream sports games which was based on a number of reasons such as trying to ensure spectators at the games as well as reducing the pressure on players. After wide consultation with a number of people, including the boys, we have decided to stream two fixtures as a trial this term. The SACS fixture, both hockey and rugby as well as the Stellenberg fixture will be streamed live with two fields being covered – the Woodlands Astro and the Piley Rees. All games on these two fields will be streamed on the Supersport Schools app. If this works well, we will consider further games in the third term. We still encourage boys and parents to attend fixtures as it is always preferable to have crowds supporting our boys in person.

At the first home game, I was delighted to see the size of the crowd of boys supporting the First XV. This was not a compulsory fixture but boys came out in their numbers and I was proud of their efforts.

We will cover the Bishops vs SACS hockey as Hyundai Friday night lights on the 9 May on channel 216, app and SABC Plus. Rugby on 10 May will be streamed on the SSS app.

16 and 17 May fixtures will be streamed on the SSS app for both sports codes.

Social media

The boys enjoyed a talk from social media lawyer Rorke Wilson from Emma Sadleir’s Digital Law Company on the dangers of social media. This was preceded by a talk from Rorke to a small group of parents and followed up by a similar talk to the Grade 6s and 7s at our Prep. The boys were certainly made aware of the possible dangers of the online world as well as their legal responsibility when it came to hurtful comments being posted. The were informed of the age of criminal capacity, which is 14 years old with 12 year-olds also being able to be criminally capable if deemed so by a court-appointed expert. The very last thing I want is for boys to post hurtful things online or be guilty by association in a group chat, particularly if they are admins of groups. Please talk to your children about this and how simply being an “innocent bystander” can have the same consequences as the perpetrator. The old adage of evil flourishing because of the inaction of others is most applicable. If a boy is on a group chat where something is posted that is hurtful or offensive, they MUST report it, take evidence and distance themselves visibly by either posting their objection to the post or leaving the group.

Our new cell phone policy appears to be working well and I encourage parents to apply restrictions at home as well, certainly banning phones from bedrooms at night but also looking through their child’s phone from time to time to ensure they are using their device responsibly.

Nutrition and energy drinks

I had a rather painful medical experience recently with kidney stones and one of the factors that may have caused this was excessive consumption of energy drinks without sufficient exercise. Our medical team is concerned about the use of energy drinks and has written a piece for parents to read on the proper use of these products and the dangers of misuse thereof. This article is under the general section below.

Use of Campus Facilities

Access to Lutgensvale

During the week and on weekend, whenever the gate is locked, those who have purchased a key from Bishops Reception, have access to the fields to walk, play and to walk dogs. Dogs must be kept on a leash at all times and walkers must clean up after their dogs.

Access to the College campus

Access to the campus is permitted for current pupils at Bishops at all reasonable times. Boarders residing on campus may use the facilities within the times set by their respective Houses. Day boys may come onto campus outside school hours and on weekends, provided this is during the day and the facilities are respected at all times. The following specifics apply:

• There are to be no organised games on Sundays but boys may come onto the campus if they are dressed in Bishops uniform (easily identifiable as a pupil) or in a vehicle carrying a Bishops access sticker. A boy’s parents or siblings may accompany them for the purposes of using the facilities such as the cricket nets.
• The Astroturf is out of bounds to all pupils unless a Bishops hockey coach is present or permission has been granted by a member of staff. The mini Astro may be used without permission or a coach present. The Astroturf is closed to all on Sundays.
• No organised coaching may take place on a Sunday unless specifically approved by the Executive.
• No private coaching may take place on Bishops grounds without the express permission of the Executive.
• The use of the grounds and facilities by ODs is not guaranteed as the facilities are for current pupils, but ODs may request special permission through the Head of Sport.

Final thoughts

There was no assembly this past week due to the social media talk and there isn’t one this week due to Good Friday so I do not share any assembly message. Instead I share a practise I have been trying recently in my daily personal life which is to find at least one thing I am grateful for every single day. Intentional gratitude makes us conscious of how blessed we are and makes our challenges and struggles seem less important. So, each day, seek to find something that makes you grateful, count those precious blessings and give thanks for them for it is in these moments that we realise just how special our lives are.

I wish you a Blessed Easter. Please click here for an Easter message.

Kind regards

Antony Reeler
Principal

A Capella Festival 2025

Small-group a capella singing holds a very special place in the culture of Bishops Diocesan College and many boys have experienced the special bond that forms when people sing together.  For the first time this year, Simply Blue (Bishops’ a capella group), in association with Westerford High School, is hosting an evening to celebrate and share this labour-intensive but beloved art-form with like-minded high school students across Cape Town. The audience can expect fantastic arrangements of popular music, sung by the groups from Bishops, Herschel, Wynberg Boys, Wynberg Girls, Westerford and SACS. Refreshments will be available for purchase.

Due to limited space, BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL: vasti.knoesen@gmail.com
Date: 22 April
Time: 19:00
Venue: Westerford High School Auditorium, Imbewu Music Centre
Entry is free.

Franschhoek Chamber Music Festival

From 29 March - 5 April, six of our music students: Travis Turner, Iqsaan Salie, Edward Wild, Yazeed Lalkhen, Gabriel Comitis and Daniel-Reid Diedericks took part in the Franschhoek Chamber Music Festival. It was an incredible experience for these boys as they not only interacted with musicians from all over the peninsula but were coached by renowned music teaches in the art of chamber music making. They all had to prepare a piece and perform it at the festival.

Well done boys for giving up your holiday to be part of such an worthwhile experience.

Water Polo

Congratulations to the following boys on being awarded their water polo service ties:

Ben Honigwachs
Anthony Lampe
Will Hatty
Milo Bonadei
Ryan Dales
Mikey Todd
Ollie Bresler
Troy Webb
James Dimitri-Kark
Joseph Raphaely
Elijah Fisher

Rugby Tour to Frontier Territory

Rugby Tour 2025: During the recent school vacation, the College’s Rugby Club sent five teams on tour to the Eastern Cape, where each of these squads played two matches. Our first Match Day was of particularly historical significance as this involved the 100th derby between Bishops and its traditional rivals Saint Andrew’s College from Makhanda. Five wonderfully entertaining matches were played against our hosts, with most matches going right down to the wire.

For the record, our u14As won their encounter 33-5 while the u15A game ended 24-all.
Our u16As came from behind to win by 19 points to 12, but our Second team went down by a single point, with St Andrew’s winning by 20 points to 19.

The 1st team match proved to be a most absorbing affair which saw the lead change hands on a few occasions. In the end, with five tries apiece and just a few minutes left on the clock, it seemed like a draw might be the most perfect end to this very special derby … but this fairytale ending was not to be. When trying to run the ball out of their half to have one last crack at their opponents, our Firsts were held up in a ruck where a penalty was incurred. This was duly kicked over by the Saints flyhalf and victory was theirs by 34 points to 31 with the last kick of the match.

Two days later, our boys were in action once again at the Grey High Festival in Gqeberha, where most matches were played against Michaelhouse from Kwa-Zulu Natal.

The U14As secured their second win of the tour in a nail-biting affair which they won 19-15.

Things were a great deal more challenging at U15A level, where the team in red won quite comfortably in the end.

The last game of the tour saw the u16As draw their match in spectacular style with a memorable conversion almost from the touchline, even in spite of the typically blustery conditions on the day. The senior teams, however, deserve special commendation for their two victories.

Playing against Grey, our Seconds romped home by 42 points to 21; their performance here was especially easy on the eye and a wonderful endorsement of the brand of rugby for which our school has become so appreciated.

The Firsts also played some sparkling rugby to see off highly-rated Michaelhouse in a game which had the home supporters from Grey cheering our every move. After overcoming an early set-back, our Boys in Blue courageously swept past their opponents in a most convincing display of schoolboy rugby at its best. Well done here to captain Daniel van den Heever and his teammates.

We wish everything of the very best to all of our teams as local league matches now kick off this weekend. Warwick Richter: 1st XV manager.

Hockey

The U14 A tour The U14 Independent Hockey Festival was held this past holiday at York High school in George. Our squad of 16 top hockey players under the tutelage of coach FADL played enterprising passing hockey to remain undefeated throughout the Southern Cape festival, scoring 36 unanswered goals and without even having to defend a single short corner over the 4 days away.

The boys were a credit to Bishops both on and off the astroturf and special mention must be made of our goalkeeper, Samuel Huntingford, who not only was never bested but also played striker in the final chukka of the last match to score a hat-trick.

Convincing wins against the likes of Michaelhouse, St Andrews, St Davids, Cornwall College and Trinity House were a good warm up for the incredibly tough Cape winter season that starts this term.

Our 1st XI Hockey team will take part in the Hibbert Shield at Grey High between the 29th April and the 4th May, all matches will be streamed via the SuperSport Schools App.

Cricket

Bishops is proud to announce that two members of its 1st XI cricket team, Adnaan Lagadien and Waco Bassick, have been selected to represent the 15-member, South African u19 national team that will tour Namibia for a three-match, 50-overs-a-side series during the final week of April and initial days of May. All three matches will be played in Windhoek as ongoing preparation for the 2026 ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in Namibia and Zimbabwe. Well done Adnaan and Waco.

Swimming

Luc Bestel has been selected to represent the team competing in the SA National Junior Swimming Championship from 25–29 April. We are incredibly proud to have him represent Bishops Diocesan College, and we wish him all the very best for the tournament!

My Bishops Life Parent Portal

We remind all parents that all academic reports are delivered via the parent portal of MyBishopsLife at the end of the term.

As part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of all students, we would like to remind you to review and, if necessary, update your son's medical information on MyBishopsLife. 

This information is critical for several reasons:

• Catering arrangements: Staff rely on the centrally stored data for accurate dietary and allergy-specific needs.
• Medical circumstances: Up-to-date details enable us to manage any specific medical requirements effectively.
• Emergency preparedness: Ensuring medical aid and doctor information is current allows us to act swiftly and appropriately in case of an emergency.

Your prompt attention to this matter will help us maintain the highest standards of care for your son.

Please click here for help on registering for MyBishopsLife if you haven’t done so already.

Energy Drinks and Teenagers

The Sanatorium has recently noticed an increase in the number of pupils complaining of experiencing side-effects after consuming energy drinks (nausea, trembling, increased heart rate, palpitations, increased levels of anxiety, etc).

While energy drinks can provide temporary benefits, the potential health risks, particularly for teenagers, often outweigh these advantages. It’s crucial for teens to be aware of these effects and consider healthier alternatives for energy and focus, such as hydration, nutritious snacks, and adequate sleep.

Pros:
Prompt, short lived increased Energy and Alertness: Energy drinks often contain caffeine and other stimulants that can enhance energy levels and improve concentration temporarily.

Improved Athletic Performance: Some athletes may use energy drinks to boost performance during workouts or competitions.

Quick Source of Sugar: They can provide a quick source of sugar for a rapid energy boost, which might be appealing during long school days or sports events.

Social Acceptance: Energy drinks are popular among peers, and consumption can provide a sense of belonging or social status in certain groups.

Cons:
Health Risks: High caffeine intake can lead to headaches, increased heart rate, and anxiety. Excessive consumption can cause serious health issues, including heart problems.

Addiction and Dependency: Regular consumption can lead to caffeine dependency, resulting in withdrawal symptoms like fatigue and irritability when not consumed.

 Poor Nutrition Choice: Energy drinks are often high in sugar, which can contribute to obesity, dental issues, and nutritional imbalances.

Sleep Disruption: The stimulating effects of caffeine can interfere with sleep patterns, leading to decreased overall health and performance due to lack of rest.

 Risk of Mixing with Alcohol: Some teenagers mix energy drinks with alcohol, which can enhance the effects of alcohol and lead to riskier behaviours.

Skeeles Rugby Festival  

There’s always a special buzz when rugby season kicks off, and this past weekend at Skeeles was no exception. It’s always a privilege for our children to be included on these fields—spaces that inspire them to play with heart and hold themselves with pride.

The energy was high, the games competitive, and the support from the Bishops community was felt throughout. A big thank you to the Bishops Parents’ Association for making our children feel so welcome, and to Spur and Chip n Dip for the generous treats that rounded off a memorable day.

Bishops Interact – Fun Frenzy Day

Thanks to an invitation from Bishops Interact, our Under 9s—who didn’t have rugby matches this weekend, were treated to a morning of fun and connection at the annual Fun Frenzie event.

Hosted by the Claremont Rotary Club and SACS and brought to life by the energy and enthusiasm of the Bishops boys and Rustenburg girls, the day was filled with laughter, games, and new friendships.

We’re so grateful to everyone involved for making sure our youngest learners felt included and celebrated. It was a joyful reminder that even off the field, there’s so much to gain from being part of something bigger.

PA Golf Day

Bishops PA Chairty Golf Day – In Proud Partnership with Coronation
There are just three four-balls still available for our upcoming VUSA Golf Day — don’t miss your chance to be part of a memorable event in support of education, sport, and community upliftment in Langa.
We’re already gathering an incredible selection of prizes and are still looking for a few more raffle items, spot prizes, and 4-ball winner gifts to make the day even more special.

Great prize ideas include:

• Wine, gin, beer or gourmet hampers
• Restaurant or spa vouchers
• Golf gear or pro shop vouchers
• Coffee bundles or tech gadgets
• One-night or weekend getaways or unique experiences
• Cooler bags

All prize sponsors will be acknowledged in event communications and celebrated across our social media platforms.
To secure one of the final four-balls or donate a prize, please click HERE or contact info@vusaacademy.org

Join us for a day not to be missed.