Dear Parents and Guardians
Examinations are in full swing for two of our Grades and we wish the Grade 12 boys well for their NSC and Cambridge exams and the Grade 10s well as they start exams early in preparation for what for many is the highlight of their year – the Epic.
To the Grades 11, 9 and 8 boys – there are but a few weeks left before the exams start and this is vital time indeed. I always urge pupils not to have feelings of regret after exams - that they hadn’t put in the time beforehand - and so I wish them good planning, good self-discipline and hope that they remain committed to their studies prior to writing.
After all this is done, we have a wonderful long holiday that can be enjoyed, so time spent now, makes the holiday even better!
Discipline matters
We are hoping to have finality on the recent Founders case by the end of this week. Progress in the independent review of boarding is going well with the initial terms of reference as follows:
To conduct an investigation and report on the existence, nature and prevalence of violence, bullying or victimisation in the boarding houses. The intention is to identify boys that are more at risk and any risk areas or triggers that lead to violence (if this is found to exist), along with potential risks to the victims of violence, bullying or victimisation and the school.
Emphasis will be placed on establishing if there is a code of silence, and if so how that impacts on the safety of boys in boarding.
The outcome of the investigation will, in addition to addressing the above, propose possible precautions or solutions to ensure the safety of all boys on campus and ways to ameliorate the effects of violence, bullying or victimisation that has already occurred.
We will keep parents informed as the process unfolds and information can be shared.
IT issues
It has become apparent that some boys are accessing betting sites for gambling, either at school or at home. At school, we have very tight firewalls that block most sites, but some boys are trying to use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to circumvent our security systems. As this seems to be happening at school and at home, we again need a united effort to help our boys. Gambling is not an activity we want our boys to learn at an early age, or at all. Please will you check your son’s bank accounts for this kind of activity as well as checking his devices – he does not need any VPN software at school for any reason. In fact, often such software causes his internet connection at school to be unreliable, as it conflicts with our firewall software. We will continue to monitor access to these sites, blocking them when at all possible.
Bishops Rowing Centre
The time is fast-approaching when we can open this magnificent facility for the use of our boys and to grow rowing as a sport in our community. We are hoping to do so on 12 November. It is exciting to see water coming into the tanks and to see the final, last-minute fixes happening!
The area behind the rowing centre will replace the eyesore that was our recycling facility with a new one which is a great relief. The verandah of the centre is also a perfect spot to watch cricket on the Frank Reid so we hope that many parents and boys will be able to make use of this special facility.
Work has started on the replacement turf nets in the corner of the Sahara Field. These nets will be far better than the old ones (where the new Rowing Centre now is) and are designed in a way to be as flexible as possible. We should be using this facility early next year.
Matric Prize Giving and Valedictory
It was indeed a special afternoon to be able to acknowledge our Grade 12s for their academic efforts, both in the NSC and Cambridge exams and I was so proud of our leadership boys as they addressed the congregation for the last time. It is clear they love their school!
A moving and meaningful Valedictory Service followed and our boys sang with all their hearts, finally moving out of the Chapel to perform a war cry for one last time. Many a tear was shed and we compliment the boys on the dignified manner in which they left the school.
Other Events
We have had many inter-house events, the latest being inter house golf, held in blustery conditions at Royal Cape Golf course.
The Diocesan Scholars were treated to a formal dinner in the Woodlands, to which a number of young ODs were invited. The format of the dinner was a meal and a discussion with a central theme of leadership as we tried to get our scholars to realise that leadership lay inside each one of them and it was up to them to grow and develop that leadership at Bishops and not to stand back due to any circumstance. My thanks to Mr Chris Ekron and his team for putting this together.
The Art display was up for four days in the ULC and we enjoyed seeing Pre Prep, Prep and College art in all its glory. A special bonus was a display by a number of prominent OD artists in the Common Room. A wonderful celebration of visual art indeed. Coupled with the OD art display was a wine tasting evening where 12 OD winemakers displayed their wares for the enjoyment of those in attendance. Funds raised from the event went to the Invest in our Future Foundation, an OD initiative to provide funds to matriculants who were unable to afford tertiary study on their own.
This week, the ODU is acknowledging staff members at Bishops who have served at the school long enough to qualify for Honorary membership of the ODU. A special assembly was held on Thursday to do so and was gratefully received by those who were acknowledged.
Final Thoughts
One of our parents very kindly thought of me and invited me to join a gathering held at Kelvin Grove under the auspices of BAPS, Cape Town, a Hindu organization who had invited two special guest speakers, Pujya Dr Gnanvatsal Swami, a saint on a visit from India and our very own Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers.
These two highly inspirational speakers had the audience enthralled as they shared their message of our common humanity, kindness, service to others and how, as human beings we need to spend far more time building each other up than criticizing and breaking down. I left feeling determined to try to practice what was preached and go out of my way to be kinder – in my writing, my responses to email and in my daily interactions with fellow human beings.
One comment the Swami made stuck with me: “we spend so much time trying to build a better planet for our children…why don’t we spend more time trying to build better children for our planet?”
A different but interesting perspective!
Our Hindi community will be celebrating Diwali, the Festival of Lights, on Thursday and Friday this week and we wish our Hindi boys, parents and staff well for this special occasion.
I wish you God’s richest blessings in the next few weeks.
Kind regards
Antony Reeler
Principal
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