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Grade N and R
The Grade Ns and R were so excited to meet the volunteers from the Volunteer Wildfire Services today! Four volunteers showed us their Personal Protective Equipment and demonstrated the ins and outs of the tools that they use. The presentation was most informative, and the boys learnt a lot. Among the many highlights was hearing the fire truck siren and seeing the hose in action. Each boy drew a picture for the fire fighters with a special message thanking them for looking after our beautiful mountains. These were made into a book of thanks as a gift from each class.
A big thank you to all the parents who donated money toward this worthy cause.
Grade 1
On Mandela Day, the Grade 1 students began their morning by making sandwiches for Filia School in Goodwood. They also provided Cheddars and a delightful treat, which the Filia learners eagerly accepted. Later, accompanied by helpful parents, the boys visited the Helen Keller Society. There, they sang lovely Friday Fun songs and spent time making bracelets with elderly individuals. The seniors enjoyed chatting with the boys and sharing personal stories. The parents’ presence was also greatly appreciated. Upon returning to school, many boys felt elated to have made someone else’s day special. We’re immensely proud of their beautiful manners and empathy throughout the morning. Our heartfelt thanks go to all the parents who generously gave their time and contributions. The PA collected all the left over spreads and donated to the Athwood Primary School.
Grade 2
On Mandela Day, our Grade 2 students hosted children from the VUSA Learning Academy, focusing on putting others' needs before their own. They engaged in various enriching activities, including playing drums and boom whackers, competing in a lively relay challenge, and crafting bracelets inspired by the South African flag. Each child brought lunch for their buddy, decorating sandwich bags, and packing the lunches themselves. This gesture fostered a sense of contribution and responsibility. For many of the Vusa Academy children, English was not their first language, allowing our boys to practise their isiXhosa lessons in real-life situations. This experience was invaluable, benefiting them socio-emotionally by enhancing their empathy, cultural awareness, and communication skills. The day celebrated diversity and reinforced the values of teamwork, creativity, and selflessness.
Grade 3
For Nelson Mandela Day, the Grade 3's focused on giving to our elderly community. Residents from Fairmead, Avondrust and Huis Luckoff were invited to a tea and concert put on by our boys, with gift bags and goodies to take home. The boys spent the week practicing songs, and decorating and packing gift bags filled with donations from their families (some even contributed from their own pocket money). They also made beautiful bookmarks for them. Many parents were involved and part of the occasion by setting up and decorating, providing delicious treats and serving tea. It was a wonderful event, filled with many heartwarming exchanges between our visitors and our team. They commented on how special it was to go out for such an occasion, having not many opportunities to do so. One gentleman had not been out for months and he delighted in the experience. The boys did a stunning concert and sang their hearts out. The gift bags were handed out and some sent back to those unable to attend. Each person left with a box filled with yummy treats and a posie of flowers from the table.
Grade 4
The Grade 4s decorated gift bags filled with goodies donated by the Grade 4 families and wrote special thank-you notes which were embedded in a keyring. These were delivered to local service men and women at Rondebosch Police Station, Victoria Hospital, Red Cross Hospital and the Wynberg Fire Department to show appreciation for their services.
Grade 5
The Grade 5s invited students from St Paul’s School to spend the day at Bishops. They participated in Art and Stem Classes, a dance class and a soccer challenge. The learners from both schools also interacted on the playground and spent a wonderful morning getting to know each other and engaging in fun activities.
Grade 6
The Grade 6s spent time in the morning making sandwiches and packing these into gift bags which they decorated, for the Sakhisizwe Youth Development Programme in Hout Bay. A group of boys accompanied by teachers then visited Sakhisizwe to deliver the sandwiches and spend time at the centre. They also created a Family pack of sandwiches for the kids to take home to their families.
Grade 7
The Grade 7s spent the morning making sandwiches for the learners at Vusa and had a talk by Mr Siviwe Minyi on growing up under the apartheid system. They then went on buses to Langa where they spent time doing a clean up and then divided into groups for some interactive and fun games. This was followed by a talk by Mr Andrew Russell on leadership lessons from Mandela.
Founders House
For Mandela Day 2024, the boys of Founders House supported two important community projects.
iKhaya Lekhamva Orphanage Vegetable Garden Project.
Grade 11, 9, and 8 students visited iKhaya Lekhamva Orphanage in Langa to help create a vegetable garden. This garden is intended to provide fresh, healthy food for the orphanage in the future. Despite the bad weather, the boys worked hard and successfully executed their plans.
Grade 12 and 10 students took part in the Ladles of Love Mandela Day campaign. Alongside hundreds of other volunteers, they prepared children’s educational activities, food parcels and emergency relief packages for the most vulnerable in our society. A special thanks to the Founders parents for their financial support, which made these projects possible.
School House
School House has built a relationship with a number of schools and communities over the years. Heathfield Primary school is one of the schools we have a relationship with and where one of our students started his schooling career. Our program was based at Bishops and included the following activities: crafting, movement and dance, the chocolate race as activities. We hosted 80 Grade 5 students and worked within our tutor group structures. The whole program was run by the students. Mr. Andrew Russell (OD) gave a fantastic talk on Nelson Mandela. The staff from both schools completed a series of discussions based on a TED talk.
White House
White House did volunteer work at an organisation called, FoodForward SA. The boys made a huge effort by packing crates of food for distribution and doing clean-ups in between and after these packing sessions. Foodforward SA feeds nearly a million people on a daily basis across SA, so this was a very worthwhile exercise to be a part of. We will aim to partner with FoodForward SA in Lansdowne in the future in a bid to connect with our community and to build our Outreach Portfolio. The boys did very well indeed.
Gray House
Gray House were involved in 3 activities today (with the fourth being cancelled due to the weather).
3 Gray House tutor groups, Ms Withey, Ms Nkosi, Mr Van Niekerk and Mr Henchie travelled to Tableview to one of the Isibindi houses (isibindi.org.za). We had plans to paint the boundary wall, but the weather just did not play along. Instead, the boys spent much of the morning clearing the playground and vegetable garden of weeds and then had time to engage with some young people involved with Mamelani (mamelani.org.za) – a partner organisation to Isibindi. The matrics cooked everyone a delicious chicken and cheese pasta which they served before our departure. We look forward to strengthening our relationship with both organisations going forward.
36 Gray house boys, 3 Gray house tutors and 4 Bishops staff members visited Constantia Primary school this morning. Despite heavy morning rains restricting activities to the limited indoor classroom spaces, the boys made the most of the opportunity to engage and interact with the learners from foundation phase through to grade 7. Once the sun came out the activities moved to the outdoor play area for energetic fun and games. The morning provided an enlightening look into this under-resourced school and the wonderful work being done by their teachers and school management. One example, is the feeding scheme the school runs, providing every child who attends the school with two meals per day.
Two Gray House tutor groups Mr Smith, Mr Inglis and Mrs Natalie Petersen went to SSISA to partner with Kuils River Primary School with a programme run by CoolPlay.
We played sports and games (namely, rugby, soccer, and netball) and some team builder ice-breaker games that both sets of students enjoyed. CoolPlay is an organization that partners with resourced schools and schools from disadvantaged communities in the Cape Town area. They run sports clinics and games for the kids to provide them with an opportunity to not only exercise and play sports, but their main aim is to bring communities together through the common love and enjoyment of playing sports. Lots of fun and a great community feeling was felt by all.
Ogilvie House
Our venture out to Camphill Drive along the West Coast was cancelled due to inclement weather. We then improvised and made 3 big pots of soup and 100 loaves of sandwiches, which was delivered to Hearts, Hands and Feet in Silvertown, Athlone. Ogilvie House proudly supported the learners of the Hearts, Hands and Feet initiative on its first anniversary on Mandela Day, by making soup and sandwiches at school as their contribution. The boys' contributions will be shared with the Homeless through Hearts, Hands and Feet from today and over this weekend. It will also be shared with children from the Genesis Community Crèche in Silvertown and children in Khayelitsha.
Kidd House
Kidd House was unable to complete their planned project (alien vegetation clearing in the Bainskloof pass area) due to the heavy rains. Undaunted by this setback, the entire house turned into a mini sandwich making factory. Supplies were sourced in no time at all, and over 80 loaves of bread were turned into sandwiches. These were delivered to Queens Park High School in Woodstock, where they were gratefully received, as many of their learners commute long distances to the school and come from impoverished areas. A warm thanks was received from the Queens Park headmistress.
Birt House
Mandela Day at Birt House was a great day that epitomised the spirit of giving and learning. Our boys, divided into three groups, dedicated their time and energy to serve and uplift various segments of the community.
Group 1 embarked on a Cultural Roadshow, visiting several old age homes. The boys delighted the residents with music and cultural performances, bringing joy and warmth to their hearts on a very cold winter’s morning.
Group 2 devoted their efforts to the Tony Noon Soup Kitchen in Ottery. This experience was a humbling one, as the boys witnessed firsthand the impact of their contributions on those in need. Some of our boys even had a mini-tour of the township, making them realise how tough it is for many South Africans on a day to day basis.
Group 3 hosted a vibrant Art/Sport/Movie Day for the boys from The Homestead. The visitors were treated to an engaging Art Workshop, some indoor soccer, and a fun movie with popcorn in our Memorial Theatre. In addition, our boys packed lunches and prepared bags filled with toiletries for each guest, ensuring they left with not only memories of a fun day but also some essential supplies.
The day was filled with humble learning moments and heartfelt interactions. It highlighted the importance of community service and the profound impact it can have on both the givers and receivers. I do hope that this leaves our lads with a renewed sense of purpose and an enriched perspective on the power of compassion and cultural exchange.
Mallett House
Mrs Barnett’s tutor group
Mrs Barnett’s tutor group served the Bishops support staff ladies in a function held at the Woodlands Pavillion.
The tutor group moms provided the eats and Louise Seaward volunteered a huge amount of her time and effort in handling the finances and purchasing the Palesa Pad Kits (reusable sanitary pads). All of the ladies in attendance were extremely grateful and very excited to have received their gift.
Lerato Motlhanke was instrumental in putting the day together and she and her colleagues enjoyed their day off and were waited on by the Mrs Barnetts’ marvellous boys. Mr Reeler, Mr Smith, and Uncle Rashied Goliath were on hand to wash the dishes and helped the boys to clean the Woodlands at the end of the day.
Mr Petersen’s tutor group
Mr Petersen’s tutor group brought in various cold meats, cheeses and spreads in order to make sandwiches to be distributed to Living Hope in Ocean View. The aim was to produce about 50 sandwiches, but with extra hands and some added resources, they ended up with over 200! The boys also decorated 50 cupcakes with icing and sprinkles. Mr Petersen then delivered the items in Ocean View to Chantelle from Living Hope who was incredibly grateful for the efforts of our boys. There was so much food that they now have enough to share with another house of hope.
Dr Whittaker and Mr Gildenhuys’ tutor groups
Dr Whittaker and Mr Gildenhuys’ tutor groups were due to spend the day at a creche in Hout Bay but this was sadly cancelled due to flooded roads in the area. They quickly made a plan B and spent the morning in Mallett House making sandwiches for Ladles of Love. We were so impressed with the amount of food the boys brought and they ended up making over 800 sandwiches which were dropped off at the Dignity Kitchen in town to be distributed to various homeless shelters.
Mrs Kritzinger and Mr Nzuza's tutor groups
Mrs Kritzinger and Mr Nzuza’s tutor groups visited the Owl Haven Shelter in Landsdowne. The boys were shown around the shelter, and they were given time to meet and interact with members of the shelter. The boys each took with them very generous food hampers which were really appreciated by the residents and shelter management. A huge thank you to Delene Mark and the Hope of Africa organisation who made this visit possible. The manner in which the boys behaved and interacted made us all very proud!
Mr Vamvadelis and Mr Firth’s tutor groups
Mr Vamvadelis and Mr Firth’s tutor groups visited an orphanage in Lansdowne for children who had been affected by substance abuse, domestic violence and other factors causing children to be orphaned. It was evident that the facilities are quite run down, and the organiser told us how the government grants do not provide sufficient funds to keep the orphanage running on a month to month basis and that they rely on donations, sponsors and volunteers from the public. There were so many issues that these children are fighting against, and we feel that there is so much more value that we can add going forward. Despite all of this, the staff were positive, smiling and friendly and really appreciated the donations of food provided by our boys.
All in all, it was an eye opening and hugely uplifting day for boys and staff. We would like to commend all of our Mallett boys for their superb behaviour and positive attitude in all of the activities. We would also like to thank the Mallett parents for their generosity and kindness in assisting with our various donations and food drives. You have most certainly made a positive impact on so many peoples lives and we look forward to building on the relationships that have been formed with these wonderful organisations.
Church of the Holy Nativity Soup Kitchen
Four boys Joshua Mafunda (Oglvie House), Max Marr (School House), Joshua Mettler (Founders House), James Gray (Gray House)
Prepared and served soup at Hazendal. We give thanks for their genuine participation and interest.
1st Team Rugby
The recent cold weather, and the school’s focus on Mandela Day with its call to care for others, inspired our senior rugby players to set in place a collection of blankets and warm clothing. The items put together are soon to be distributed amongst the needy. Well done to these compassionate young men for this thoughtful gesture! The photo shows 1st XV co-captain, James Le Feuvre, with team-mate James Kotze, taking stock of all that was collected.
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