Dear Parents and Guardians

As we approach this long weekend, the school has had the opportunity to reflect on the reasons behind this break, namely the acknowledgement of Human Rights Day as an important and meaningful moment in our country’s calendar. On Wednesday, the boys led a programme that recognized the significance of the day and honoured the memory of one of SA’s struggle icons, Steve Biko, whose grandchild is a pupil at the school. Mr Hlumelo Biko, Mr Steve Biko’s son and current parent spoke about how the privilege of education, such as that his father had, has to be used to influence the world with regard to human rights and the equal treatment of all people. He encouraged the boys to take up leadership roles in this regard, big or small, and to be ready to lead towards positive change.  

This was a special moment for our boys as they remembered those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of justice and dignity for all. I ask that we take a moment on Human Rights Day to reflect on our own contribution to the provision of basic human rights to our fellow human beings and how this day has such great importance in our year.

The term is almost over and what a term it has been! We have had a full programme and I thank all those who made it possible. I commend our new boys in particular on the manner in which they have contributed to the school at the start of their College journey.

Next week marks the start of the month of Ramadan and we wish our Muslim community well for the fast that will take place over the following month. The end of the fast, celebrated through the festival of Eid, will be on or about the Friday of the first week in the new term.

Events

Our thanks go to all those who supported the annual Carnival, held two weeks ago with much success. Particular thanks go to the PAs of all three schools, the ODU, all the members of the organizing committee and those who gave willingly of their time.

Founders’ Day was celebrated and held as a combined event with the awarding of the first Robert Gray medal for 2023, the highest honour the school can bestow on an OD for his significant contribution to society over a period of time. We commend Bishops Christopher Gregorowski of his award and thank him for his remarkable work during his lifetime. The boys certainly appreciated what he has done as they gave him a standing ovation following his address in chapel. Mr Chris Haw, OD, was the Founders’ Day speaker and delivered a wonderful address on the advice he would have given to himself when he was at school based on what he knew now. Our grateful thanks to both ODs for making this such a special moment for our boys.

I attended the annual International Boys’ Schools Coalition regional conference along with five other staff from the school, held recently in Gqeberha. This was a very good conference indeed and much was learned as we discussed and heard about issues pertaining to the education and development of boys. I shall reflect on one aspect of this conference later in this newsletter.

Term Dates 2024

A month ago, we published our term dates for 2024 after consultation with the other independent schools in our region. Subsequent to that, a number of schools have changed their calendars and we have debated whether to follow suit or not, given the significant number of children that attend both Bishops and these schools. We have decided to amend our calendar to include a two week break between the third and fourth terms to allow our boys, particularly our Grade 12s, some breathing space between two busy exam terms and to allow our staff a proper break before the last term. The new dates for 2024 are thus:

Term 1                    Wed 17 Jan to Wed 20 March (unchanged)
Term 2                    Tue 9 April to Wed 12 June (unchanged)
Term 3                    Tue 9 July to Fri 20 Sept (unchanged)
Term 4                    Mon 7 Oct to Fri 6 Dec (one week later)

We are confident that we have not compromised the academic programme of the school in any way as we have also considered that most public holidays for 2024 fall in the school holidays.

Discipline

We are continuing our drive to improve discipline in the school as we deal with the multitude of issues that teenage boys face and their actions that sometimes cause concern. One of the speakers at the aforementioned conference, IBSC Executive Director Tom Batty, spoke of the need for boys’ schools to be places where boys can make mistakes, learn from them and grow.

Simply put, boys will have dire consequences for mistakes made in their adult lives and, as their brains are still developing and their rational abilities are works in progress, they sometimes do things that appall or perplex us as adults. We must be careful that we do not judge teenage boys through the lens of an adult. The consequences for a boy’s actions cannot be the same as if an adult did what a boy did.

Tom said “Boys need to be able to get stuff wrong; they do dumb stuff and need soft hands that don’t move.” I loved this statement as it encapsulated my personal philosophy that we need to have boundaries for our developing young men. We need them to know what is right and wrong and we mustn’t let them down by changing those non-negotiables, but we need to acknowledge that they will indeed stray and often! Our “soft hands” are those of compassion and care as we guide our boys gently back to the path of goodness and right while always ensuring that those who may have been hurt in the process are helped and healed.

One final point to clarify procedures. If an incident of serious misconduct is reported or comes to our attention, it is investigated – always. This is done under the guidance of our Deputy Head, Mr Warren Wallace, with the assistance of various staff. If the matter warrants serious intervention, the Disciplinary Committee, chaired by the Deputy Principal Mr Peter Westwood and including a number of experienced staff, hears the evidence and decides not only on the guilt or innocence of the offender(s) but also the consequences. There is a right of appeal to the Principal after which the sanction is final. My role in serious discipline, apart from leading policy and setting of procedure is to remain impartial as an appeal may be made to me following the process. We ask you to trust this process as we have probably dealt with many such cases before and are experienced educators who know boys.

Closing Thoughts

I end with a story shared with me by a colleague who is Head of a school in Cape Town. While she was in Cavendish Square, loadshedding caused the escalators to cease to run. A woman with a full trolley was at the bottom of the escalators needing to go to her car some flights up. Two Bishops boys, in uniform, volunteered to carry her parcels up many flights of stairs and take them to her car. A simple gesture that meant so much to the woman and that made me so proud!

I wish you well for the last two weeks of term as we change sports seasons and come to the end of a busy time.

Kind regards

Antony Reeler
Principal

Noblesse Oblige

Power cannot simply be enjoyed for its privileges alone but necessarily makes its holders morally responsible both for what they choose to do with it and for what they fail to do with it.

Wikipedia

Noblesse oblige, a French expression, means that nobility extends beyond mere entitlement, requiring people who hold such status to fulfill social responsibilities.

Or otherwise put…

“With great power comes great responsibility”

Spiderman

Much has been said in the lead up to Human Rights Day about the rights that were denied people and the basic rights we should expect as human beings. These rights are captured in many documents, including our very own Bill of Rights which talks about the right to life, equality and human dignity, housing, healthcare, food, water and many more such as freedom of movement and expression.

But with all these rights enshrined in our constitution comes responsibility. The greatest responsibility is to ensure that nothing we do impacts negatively on the rights of others. If human dignity is a right, then we must ensure we never do anything that makes another person feel undignified or humiliated.

One of the rights of young people in our constitution is the right to education, sadly something where we still have work to do for the majority of our young people. But with that right to education, which you enjoy at the moment, comes the responsibility to ensure a proper environment is created to preserve not only your rights but the rights of others. This means being polite and respectful in class, behaving in a manner that is not disruptive.

Finally, I go back to the principle of noblesse oblige and tie this in to the wonderful address by Mr Hlumelo Biko on Wednesday as he told his story and the story of his father. We are in positions of influence as highly privileged people who enjoy an outstanding education in an environment that is sought after by so many. People in this position, more so perhaps than others, have to use this position to influence for the good. Mr Biko asked you to be ready. To be ready for leadership, big or small. To lead well.

I am often asked about transformation at Bishops and what we can do to effect meaningful change. We need to look at things like the demographic composition of our pupil body and staff to ensure we are better representative of our region, our city and our country. And we are. But until a better demographic is achieved, what we need to do is influence the thinking of those who themselves will be influential one day.

You will go into positions where you will have great impact and influence – on families, in the world of work and in society. We want your thoughts and actions to be guided by the principles of human rights as you lead others. We want you to help change our world – in big or small actions.

“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

Robert F. Kennedy

Click here to watch our Human Rights Dedication from our Heads of School.

African Relations Society

African Relations ties are awarded to following boys for dedication and loyalty to our society.

Zachary Berman
Firoz Ebrahim
Lihle Kakaza
Gilermo Mentoe
Yazeed Salaam
Milan Sandri

Rugby Capping Ceremony

On Thursday evening, a large crowd of parents, boys and supporters arrived at the Heatlie Pavilion to witness a typically poignant Capping Ceremony for this year’s First Rugby Team. Platinum blue jerseys were handed out by Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu OD, a rising star on the international rugby scene and a former 1st XV Fly-Half. He encouraged this year’s players to make the most of their opportunities and to be sure to play the right kind of rugby while supporting each other at every turn. We wish all involved with this squad; the players, coaches and management everything of the best for the long season ahead. The Boys in Blue kick-off their 2023 campaign tomorrow afternoon at the Wynberg Festival: on Saturday they tackle St Benedict’s College from Bedfordview at 14h40, while Monday’s game will be played against Hoërskool Noord-Kaap from Kimberley at 11:15. Do please come along to support the boys on Wynberg’s Hawthornden field, if you are able!

Water Polo

The 1st Team Water Polo side recently had their first ever capping ceremony for selection to the Bishops Kes Water Polo Tournament Team. Our new Coaching Manager (Mr Lwazi Madi) who is the incumbent South African Men’s Team Goalie said a few words of inspiration to the boys before handing the boys their caps for the tournament. This ceremony was well received and a valuable ‘new’ tradition in our water polo calendar.

The 1st Team Water Polo side made the quarterfinals for the Kes Water Polo Tournament and eventually were placed 8th in South Africa’s most prestigious water polo tournament where the top sides in the country compete. Fielding only 2 grade 12s meant the side lacked a lot of experience but considering this, they did extremely well to make the top eight. 10 of the side will be traveling back in a year’s time, provided they maintain their hard work ethic, they can be confident of much higher honours in 2024.  Huge congratulations to Ross Stewart (G11) who was selected for the Tournament Team which is an impressive achievement considering the quality of players at the tournament.

U15A – Indigo Tournament: Parktown

The U15A Water polo team competed in the Indigo Parktown Tournament. The team finished top in their pool with wins over Durban High School, St David’s Marist, Grey College, St Alban’s College, and KES. They had an impressive 36 goal difference. Bishops managed to come out on top after a tight quarter final against Michaelhouse to face Kearsney in the semi-final. After another strong win they made it to the Final. A nail-biting final went to penalty shoot outs, where the team unfortunately came out second, gaining silver medal at the tournament. We are proud of the results this team has achieved, coming second in a nationaltournament with a very high calibre of Water polo.

U14A – Ken Short Festival: Jeppe

The u14A Water polo team enjoyed a successful tour attending the Ken Short Festival at Jeppe. The team won all their games beating St Stithians 6-3, Selborne 7-3, St John’s 5-1, KES 7-2, St David’s 11-2, Kearsney 12-2, and Michaelhouse 12-3. The team played outstanding Water polo, particularly against stronger opposition, and represented themselves with pride in and out of the pool.

There were several teams competing in local tournaments, over the weekend of 4th and 5th of March, and all of them achieved impressive results:
The 3rd team made it to the semi-finals of their tournament, unfortunately losing to Rondebosch, but ending 3rd overall.
Our 2nd team played in a festival at Bishops and picked up a win against Wynberg and a draw against PRG.
Our u15B team won their tournament comprising local u15B teams and a few A teams from the B league. They beat Westerford u15A team in the final.
Our u14B team made the final of their tournament after topping the pool stages. They ended up losing the Final to Rondebosch in a penalty shootout.

Rowing

Congratulations to the Bishops Rowing Club on their dedication and sacrifices to achieve the results at SA Schools Championships.

Results:

Special mention goes to the following crews on Medalling in the biggest stage in SA Rowing:
3rd Place U14 Scull (1x) - Benjamin Redfern.
3rd Place U14 Quad (4x+) - Sam Buda; Benjamin Redfern, Gabriel Elsley, Edward Potgieter and Yazeed Lalkhen (cox).
2nd Place U14 Oct (8x+) - Daniel Bowers; Jesse Morgan; Benjamin Redfern; Gabriel Elsley; Edward Potgieter; Adam Carter; Sam Buda; Roman Waltman and Yazeed Lalkhen (cox).
1st Place U16 Coxless Four (4-) - Jack Breslin; Cameron Redfern; John van der Watt and Matthew Maurel.

Interhouse Sailing

Four houses competed for the Ovenstone Trophy for Interhouse Sailing.  Congratulations to the Gray House team who beat Ogilvie in the finals.
The rules allow there to be one sailor from another house in a team if that house is unable to make up their numbers.  Congratulations to team Gray assisted by Mallett of Richard Mason, Michael Lawson, Richard Collins and Franklin Sonn.

Athletics

Daniel Von der Heyden won a silver medal in the u18 decathlon at the WP Combined Events championships.  This was the first decathlon and he competed in a higher age group. We congratulate him on this outstanding achievement.

Cricket Awards

The following cricketers receive signature bats for scoring centuries: Adnaan Lagadien 133 for the 1st X1 vs Paarl Gym; Jack Hibling 102* for the U15B team vs Bergvliet;
Luke Hofmeyr 100* for the U15B team vs Bergvliet
Robbie Vintcent 167* for the U14B team vs Parklands
Ollie Chevallier 120 for the Frank Reid X1 vs Dutch u18s
Michael Rich 100* for the U14B team vs Groote Schuur
Shafiek Joseph 101 for the U14A team vs Wynberg
Thaafier Japtha 107* for the U15A team vs St Andrews and Alex Vintcent 101 for the U15A team vs St Johns.

The following boys receive mounted cricket balls for taking 5 wickets or more in a match: Storm Matthews 6 for 25 for the 1st X1 vs Rondebosch CC
Peyton Leigh 5 for 21 for the 1st X1 vs Pretoria Boys
Alex Vintcent 5-25 for the U15A team vs St Davids
Alex Vintcent 6-9 for the U15A team vs Waterkloof
David Lewis 5-25 (incl. a hat-trick) for the 4th X1 vs Paarl Gym; David Lewis 5-5 (incl. a hat-trick) for the 4th X1 vs Zwaanswyk;
Shafiek Joseph 5-9 for the U14A vs Reddam
Waco Bassick 6-11 for the U15A team vs Pearson
Waco Bassick 5-20 (incl. a double hat-trick) for the U15A team vs Paarl Boys
Waco Bassick 5-19 for the U15A team vs Rondebosch
Daniel Perold 5-21 for the U14A team vs Pearson; Daniel Perold 6-2 for the U14A team vs Curro Durbanville; Daniel Perold 9-18 (incl. a hat-trick) for the U14A team vs Wynberg ;

Matthew Brodziak 5-46 for the 1st X1 vs Paarl Boys; Matthew Brodziak 5-38 for the 1st X1 vs St Davids
Nicholas Axten 5-50 for the U15A team vs Clifton
Ethan January 5-8 (incl. a double hat-trick) for the U15C team vs Wynberg
Tiaan Louw 5-43 for the 1st X1 vs Wynberg and
Connor Sara 5-8 (incl. a double hat-trick) for the U15C team vs Cannon’s Creek.

Will Linley – Back to Bishops

Don't miss the Will Linley “Back to Bishops” concert on the 25 March in support of the Bishops Hockey Tour. These funds will go a long way in reducing the overall tour costs to make it more inclusive of all selected players. Come and enjoy Will Linley on stage in the Mallett centre, the evening will be filled with fabulous talented Bishops musicians, raffles, food trucks and more...

Click here to purchase tickets:

A group of Bishops boys, Caden Chuang (Gr11), Landa Tsobo (Gr 11) Dylan Vorweg (Gr 9), Connor Henriques (Gr10) and Ryan Ferreira (Gr12) have initiated a peer learning programme to assist primary school children in Langa with Maths, English, and homework. Volunteering their time for VUSA, the boys hope to make a meaningful impact in the community by sharing their knowledge and skills with young learners who may be struggling at school.

The peer learning programme is designed to promote a collaborative learning environment where older students mentor and assist younger students in a structured and supportive manner.  Langa is a community that faces many socio-economic challenges, and the peer learning programme is an excellent opportunity for Bishops boys to give back and make a positive impact. By providing homework assistance and academic support, the programme aims to improve the academic outcome of primary school children in the community and give them the tools they need to succeed in the future.

The Bishops boys are committed to making this programme a success, and we applaud their efforts to create positive change in their community. We wish them all the best as they embark on this new and exciting journey of peer learning and community service.

Should you wish to join this peer learning programme, please sign up via THIS link or contact Nikki Matthews at the Trust office.