Dear Parents and Guardians

By now, our senior boys will have started their mid-year assessments and our juniors begin shortly. I have wished our boys well for the exams in the hopes that they achieve the results they have worked hard for and manage, as far as possible, to have an experience that reveals their levels of ability without causing too much anxiety along the way!

Exam time can be stressful for parents too! I share some advice that you may find helpful as you navigate these times:

• Make sure your son has a quiet space to learn, free from distraction. Phones are a definite “no” as few of us can focus properly on one thing while a screen lights up with a message that we simply “have to read”. Music can help stimulate the brain during studying but it should preferably be music without lyrics or calming, soothing music.
• Make sure your son sleeps – getting at least eight hours of sleep per night, particularly before an exam. They simply need that time to calm their brains and rest.
• Make sure your son eats well and healthily.
• Make sure he exercises – all research in this area indicates that a healthy body supports a healthy mind and giving up sport for studying purposes works against academic success. A balance of exercise and study is the best way to go.
• Avoid “post-mortems” of exams! There is nothing positive that is achieved by interrogating answers after the fact, at least until some time has elapsed. All this does is build stress for the child as he questions his performance unnecessarily.
• Social lives are important but again, balance is the key. Time with friends away from books needs to be taken but must be limited, as with exercise. There is plenty of time to socialize and go out with friends after the task has been completed.

I do hope that the exam period goes well for you and your son.

Update on projects

The building is progressing nicely and looks to be on track for our official opening on 19 July, corresponding with the launch of our updated history covering the last 25 years. We are very excited to start using the facility which will be a massive addition to the learning experience of our boys in a very specially designed space.

The stained-glass project has achieved its target of funds required for the three windows and we are very grateful to all who donated towards this special project that will not only complete the design of the Brooke but serve as a lasting tribute to three very special people. The Brooke windows will be blessed and the chapel itself consecrated in the first week of the fourth term. The date has yet to be set as we are hoping to secure the services of the Archbishop to bless the space.

Update on matters at school

I have received very positive feedback from a number of sources on the appearance and manners of our boys and I thank parents for their support in us trying to get these small things right. Manners and appearance matter and create a lasting positive impression, so let us keep going, stressing the importance of greeting, kindness and appearance with our boys.

I shared my thoughts on kindness with our boys at the last assembly, following a number of incidents we have been dealing with where boys had been unkind to others. This unkindness usually takes the form of comments passed or texts sent and I urge you to keep stressing on your son, the importance of treating others well. As I have said before, the devices we provide our children are our devices, not theirs. We have the absolute right, as parents, to check those devices from time to time for appropriate content. This is not an invasion of privacy, it is protecting our children from potential harm.

I came across this quote when reading an article which may provide some food for thought for us as parents:

“We’ve overprotected our kids in the real world while under protecting them in the virtual one, leaving them too much to their own devices, literally and figuratively.”
Tracy Dennis-Tiwary in “The Rise of Machines,” a New York Times review of The
Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, April 21, 2024

The PA Golf Day was held recently with much success. My grateful thanks to all who made this possible – a great day was had by all who played in such wonderful conditions at Clovelly Country Club.

Sport at Bishops

Our sports programme is very important to us as part of the balanced education of our boys. We encourage our boys to strive for excellence in every area of which they take part, sport included. And they rise to that challenge time and time again. I am so proud of them for giving their all.

There are times though, when things don’t work as well as we hoped and there is a danger of letting this affect us negatively. I refer specifically to rugby, where we have struggled with results these past few weeks.

At the beginning of last year, when we realised we needed to devote more attention to the rugby programme, we introduced a new coaching strategy, “This is Bishops”, where we set out a programme of coaching, headed up by a team of advisors and appointing specialist coaches in key areas. We made it clear at the time that this, coupled with an improved recruitment strategy, was a long-term project that wasn’t going to “fix” Bishops rugby overnight but was going to have long term influence.

I have been saddened and sometimes angered by some of the comments made on social media that criticize our boys, our coaches and our school. The school and the Executive are fully supportive of the rugby programme, securing a wonderful sponsorship deal with our partners 10X, that has helped fund this improved coaching structure. This included paying attention to the Prep schools that provide us with most boys to develop skills and talents at an earlier age. We will overcome, that I am sure, but it will take time and we need the support of all members of our community as we go along this journey.

The rugby programme is an important part of our total offering, but then so are other sports, our cultural programme and the academic side of school life. And I could go on and on, citing areas of excellence that some seem to ignore. We are developing young men to go out into our world as Good Men, men who have reinvented modern masculinity and who are contributors to society as good citizens of our country and our world. We need to show them that we believe in them, we support them. We need to show them that a balanced approach, keeping perspectives in place, will be their best chance for success.

Our rugby boys turn up week after week, trying their hardest to do their best. Our coaches pour their energies and passions into what they do. Let us support them while always retaining the bigger picture of what Bishops stands for – holistic, excellent education in the development of Good Men.

I share with you words I read often from Theodore Roosevelt

THE MAN IN THE ARENA

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

I close by thanking those who support our boys and continue to give them encouragement, through good times and bad. That is the message they need to learn.

I wish you all a good exam session and a good two weeks ahead

Kind regards

Antony Reeler
Principal

Kindness

Our role as teachers and my job as Principal has many facets. One of the easiest is to make arrangements or “do stuff”. Planning curricula, setting exams and marking, arranging outings, organizing fixtures and concerts all take time and careful planning but these are simply tasks to do. One of the hardest though, is dealing with the actions of people, actions that have caused hurt in particular.

I refer specifically to incidents where someone has said something, intentionally or not, that has caused trauma for someone else – long-lasting trauma. To deal with the matter, to find appropriate consequences for the perpetrator and support for the victims takes enormous energy and time. And makes me sad that a human being can treat another like that.

To be specific, the greatest form of unkindness, comes from our mouths in spoken words or are written in texts – what we say to each other. Comments that are designed to hurt or said in an attempt to be funny or said as a means of ganging up against someone else. These include comments that are racist, homophobic, demeaning, belittling – all designed by intent or otherwise to cause hurt and anger. The use of words that you all know that are racist, sexist, homophobic or indeed any kind of “phobic” is simply and completely unacceptable.

It is often that people don’t realise the extent of their actions, particularly younger people in Grades 8 & 9. They profess innocence, say they didn’t know. That is simply not true – they just didn’t think. There is a saying attributed to Confucious “before opening mouth, engage brain”. I don’t think we are careful enough with our words, I don’t think we consider their impact on others before uttering them. 

I am telling you now, for what I hope will be the last time, to stop. Using language and words of the kind I have mentioned should not even be in your mind, let alone escape from your lips or be sent in a text. They are wrong, on every level, and you need to know that.

We speak of kindness as a desired human quality often. There are many wise words associated with being kind such as:

 “Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.”
Henry James

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
Desmond Tutu

“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”
Dalai Lama XIV

Kindness is a state of mind and must be foremost in your hearts. If it is indeed so, then the words that come out of your mouths and the messages you write will reflect the feelings in your hearts.

Chaplain's Message

Acts 1:15-25 offers an opportunity to reflect and ask questions that may help us discern God’s will amid everything that we experience as individuals as well as Bishops community.
Whilst emphasis was on finding a replacement for Judas who had died, this passage invites us to ask questions like;

• why did St Peter and the 120 followers of Christ select Judas’ successor amongst the remaining eleven disciples?  There was an opportunity to draw outside the remaining eleven.  Yes, the criteria and profile of the successor was made clear but, was this not an opportunity to widen the circle?
• of the two that were nominated, why Matthias and what happened to the second disciple who was not selected as a replacement.

For us today, we live in competitive and often exclusive groups who may miss opportunities to welcome and invite individuals and groups that we may not be familiar with.  This passage invites us to reflect on a number of things like  can we continue as we have been over the past 175 years of existence as a school? Are we thriving and if we are thriving, how do we measure our success? If we choose to continue like we have done so in the past 175 years,  how do we continue to live out Christian virtues like loving our neighbour and the proclamation of the gospel together with the forgiveness of sins for all God’s children?

May our 175 years of existence as a Christian School implore and encourage us to continue striving towards building a school that all may be proud of beyond our time in this beautiful Anglican School.

Blessings
Revd. Monwabisi Peter

Big Ideas - E Waste

A Big Ideas group worked hard last year to get permission to trial an E-Waste drop off facility at Bishops. E-Waste is very problematic when it enters landfills, and it needs to be disposed of and recycled correctly, but appropriate facilities for the recycling of it is limited.

This group, in collaboration with the E-Waste Recycling Authority organised for one of their bins to be inserted onto the Bishops Campus. The bin is located next to the Woodlands Astro in the parking area and it is open for drop off of all of your E-waste (including old computers, cables, appliances etc.) and will be there until the 12th of June.

Diversity, Equity and Belonging

The DEB is hosting an event next week and we would like to encourage parents to attend. Click on the invite below to RSVP.

Service Ties

The following boys Alter Servers, were awarded their service ties:

Luke Carter
Singa Mayoyo 
Yanga Soyaya
Jesse Arendse
Luka Lehmann
Alexander Beach
Christian Pfende

Chess

Congratulations to Aiden Marsh who has been awarded Full Colours for Chess.

Battle of The Bands

Well done to the Bishops Rock Band "Leave it Blank" for coming joint 1st place at the Herschel Battle of the Bands. This is the second competition in which they have come 1st this year, after winning the Wynberg Battle of the Bands in March. Congratulations gents!

Julian Pilkington
Liam Chester
Oliver Frankel
Edward Cruise

All-Rounder's Tie

The All-Rounder's Tie is awarded to boys who have achieved performances at a certain level in the three main areas of school life - the academic, the sporting and in service and society. It is intended to reward all-round contributions to the life of Bishops.

Congratulations to the following boys on achieving their All-Rounder’s Tie:

Michael Mafunda
Nic Perez

Mathematics

Congratulations to Jeremy Liddle who has been awarded a Distinction tie for Mathematics.

It is not often that we have the opportunity to award Colours for Mathematics or even a Distinction tie, but 2024 is that exceptional year. Congratulations to Jeremy Liddle for these remarkable achievements:

In 2022 (grade 8), he secured 2nd place as an individual in the UCT Mathematics Competition.

In 2023 (grade 9):

• 1st in the Western Cape for round 2 of the National Mathematics Olympiad.
• 5th place as a junior in the final round of the National Mathematics Olympiad.
• 4th place as an individual in the UCT Mathematics Competition.
• 5th place as an individual in the University Witwatersrand Mathematics Competition.
• Selected for the SA C team at the International Mathematics Competition in Bulgaria, receiving a merit award for a result in the top 40%.

2024 (grade 10):

• Selected for the SA A team for the International Mathematics Competition to take place in India.

These outstanding accomplishments merit the awarding of Jeremy his Full Colours for Competition Mathematics and a Distinction Tie. Congratulations again!

Public Speaking Awards

Congratulatiions to these boys on achieving the following Public Speaking Awards.

A Distinction Tie for Public Speaking for representing South Africa at the World Championships (WIDPSC) after having fully qualified for the SA team at the National Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships:

Caden Chuang
Samuel Clarke
Matthew De Jager
Immanuel Magongwa

The following boys have also been awarded full colours in Public Speaking:

Caden Chuang
Matthew De Jager
Immanuel Magongwa

Home Fixtures

As we welcome our visitors from Paarl Boys High for this weekend’s hockey and rugby fixtures, we warmly encourage our parents and boys to come out and support the players who will proudly wear our colours.
Please click on the links for information regarding all of our different fixtures.
We look forward to the sport on offer at the College this weekend and wish our boys all of the best for their matches!  

Rugby Programme
Hockey Programme

Soccer

Bishops 1st team captain Calum Daniels (right) with Alexander Sinton captain Patrick (left), accompanied by Luke Bester (front) in support of the Rohan Bloom Foundation, celebrating a splash of colour. Well done to the Bishops 1st team on their hard fought 2-1 victory, thank to our visiting team for a great soccer match and fun afternoon.

Wynberg Festival Report

Three Bishops Soccer teams showcased their prowess at the recent Wynberg Freedom Soccer Festival that took place between the 26th and 28th April.

The U19 side played some competitive football, securing 2nd place in the Plate division and finishing 6th overall out of 12 teams. Despite facing tough competition, the team’s perseverance and teamwork lead them to a commendable position in the standings.

The U17 team also clinched 2nd place in the Plate division, concluding the tournament at 6th position out of 10 competing teams.

It was the U15 team that truly stole the spotlight, emerging as the young stars of the tournament, with 4 wins and 2 draws from their 6 matches played. Not only did they dominate the Cup division, but they also secured the coveted first place overall, proudly hoisting the winner’s cup, along with their gold medals. The U15s also conceded the least amount of goals throughout the tournament, while also scoring the most goals, showcasing their balanced gameplay and skills.

All teams displayed great skill, determination and sportsmanship over the weekend and are commended for their behaviour and conduct, both on and off the pitch, well done gents!

Hat-tricks Scored

Well done to the following players who have all scored hat tricks in recent soccer matches: Khanyi Sixaba in the U17A game vs Pinelands. Joshua Rolfe and Tim Deckenbrock both scored their hat tricks for the U15A side at the Wynberg Festival, and Cameron Giles for the 1st team in their 6-1 victory against Islamia.

Go Karting

Congratulations to William Marshall in grade 8, who came second at the European Junior Go Karting Championship in Spain. The championship is divided into a number of races around the world.

Squash

On Wednesday, May 8th, 2024, the Bishops Squash first team competed in the final of the Western Province Top Schools competition against Rondebosch Boys High. It was an exceptional night as Bishops emerged victorious with a score of 4-1! This win qualifies us to participate in the National Top Schools Tournament, a feat we haven't achieved in 32 years. A big congratulations to the team, under the leadership of captain Nicholas Basson. We eagerly anticipate the next chapter.

Congratulations to all those who have qualified for the WP closed tournament this weekend. We will promptly share the results once they are available.

Western Province Squash Rankings

Over the past few weeks, the selection for Western Province has culminated in a Closed tournament. To make these teams is an honour, and testament to hard work and sacrifice. For the selected players, it's a chance to represent their region with pride and passion, to compete against the best from across the country. We are very proud of you. The final rankings are:

U19
Tristan Swanich (3)
Nicholas Basson (4)
Alex Savva (9)
Arun Nayar (11)
Rohan Rossouw (14)

U16
Kiyan Govender (3)
Zuhayr Sirkot (7)
Joe Edwards (11)

U14
Ismaeel Darsot (3)
Sahil Khalfey (4)

U13
Zayd Badroodien (5)
Zayaan Saloojee (10)

Cricket

Congratulations to 1st XI opening bowler and current member of the Bishops Grade 12 Class, Tiaan Louw, who has signed a professional contract with Northamptonshire County Cricket Club in the United Kingdom. Tiaan is set to report to duty for pre-season training with his future employers in January 2025 ahead of cutting his teeth - further - as a cricketer on the county circuit.

Our 1st cricket squad is celebrating our 175 with an exciting tour to Sri Lanka. Please join us for a fun family quiz night to support the boys’ fund raising to assist with this incredible experience. .

Please email or call Nicci Giles to secure your table.
Nicci@giles.co.za / 083 253 8779

Bishops PA Charity Golf Day Scores a Hole in One for VUSA

The Bishops PA Charity Golf Day, proudly sponsored by Coronation, was a smashing success this year, with Clovelly Country Club providing a picturesque backdrop for the event and Cape Town showing off with sunny skies and perfect greens, participants enjoyed a beautiful day of golf whilst contributing to a worthy cause.

This event would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors and prize donors. Their contributions ensured a memorable day for all attendees and helped us achieve our fundraising goals.

We are pleased to announce that a R150,000 was raised for VUSA (and other selected charities). These funds will support VUSA's vital programs, which provide a safe space, sport, educational support, and development opportunities for children in the Langa community.

A special congratulations to our winning team: Sven Koenig, Mike Flax, Willem Louw, and Ian Matheson, who took first place, winning the R10,000 prize donated by Consulmet and wine from the beautiful Cavalli Estate.

Thank you to everyone who supported the event, from players to sponsors and volunteers. Your participation and generosity have made a significant impact, and we look forward to seeing you at next year's event. Together, we are driving change and making a difference in our community.

Please see THIS short video to see photos of the day.