Dear Parents and Guardians

The end of the first term has arrived and brings with it, hopefully, a chance to rest and reconnect with people. I want to thank you all for your support in what has been a busy but inspiring term and one with many highlights along the way as we started our 175 journey. I know we have a festival of rugby and hockey coming up and there are some tours in the holidays themselves, but I do hope that there is a chance for all to relax and enjoy time away from the busyness.

1 Act Play Festival

A very successful One Act Play Festival was hosted by Bishops as part of the 175 celebrations, at which St Cyprian’s, Herschel and Rustenburg, joined up with Bishops to put on four one act plays. I was delighted with the event and so proud of our small cast of dedicated boys who put on a play authored by our own Ms Yanou Pienaar. Ably organized by Mr Wayne Tucker, the festival was a fitting celebration of the dramatic arts and my thanks go to all who made it possible.

Founders Week

The Founders Assembly which was held after the time of writing my last newsletter was a wonderful celebration of our school, with over 1500 people together in the Mallett Centre to acknowledge our school, its history and its relevance in today’s world. One of the highlights for me was seeing the enthusiasm on the faces of our little brothers in the Pre Prep as they enjoyed the music and the stories told by Bishop Robert Gray (aka Bob Comin!). The day continued with sports fixtures against the ODs which were enjoyed by all. Again, my thanks to those who made this the special day that it was.

Discipline

Last newsletter I asked for support from parents with regard to the small things like haircuts and appearance and I thank those who answered that call.

Please can you ensure your son’s hair conforms to the school’s Hair Policy before he returns to school next term. During the term boys are given 5-days to rectify their hair, once it gets too long, but there is no reason for a boy to return after an almost 3-week holiday with hair that does not conform to our policy. The House Directors will be asked to sanction any boy who returns on day 1 with hair which does not conform. Please can I ask parents to ensure that your son’s hair is in line with policy by the end of the holidays, even if it makes you unpopular with your son. Please help the school in making this less of an issue for us, so that boys and staff can focus on the important business of education. I included the hair policy in my last newsletter, and copy it here again, for reference.

• All hair types and styles must be kept above the eyebrows, ears, and collar and so that it is always neat and tidy.
• Hair should be tapered so that the difference between the length of the top and the sides is not excessive.
• No step cuts, cut patterns or lines, dyes, highlights, or extreme skin fades are permitted.

I also ask that parents make sure that their son(s) are at school on time, well before the start of the day at 07:45. I am aware of traffic issues at times but am concerned about the number of boys that arrive late for Chapel and we are going to clamp down on late arrival next term.

Last year, we introduced a change in our cell phone policy that prevented Grade 8 – 10 boys from having a phone in class. Next term, we will be extending this to Grade 11s and they will not be allowed to have their phones visible at any time while in lessons. We are aware of the research in schools across the world that has often called for a total ban of cell phones at school, and are constantly monitoring our position on cell phones, trying to promote good habits for their use while removing temptation from our boys to become absorbed in their devices.

Robert Gray medal award

The Robert Gray medal is the highest award that can be bestowed upon an OD of the school and the criteria are as follows:

• The recipient must be a living old boy.
• The achievements must be of a nature that exemplify the philosophy, values and spirit of Bishops and the ODU. The characteristics of courage, compassion, a willingness to fight for truth and justice and a genuine concern for his fellow man must be present.
• The contribution/achievements must be of such a nature that they have had a significant impact for the good of society.
• The contribution/achievements must have been made over a sustained period (at least 10years).
• While the recipient's achievements might have brought personal material gain, this must not have been the driving motivation for the endeavour.

It was with great pleasure that the award was bestowed upon Mr John Dobson for his work in the field of sport and rugby in particular and his efforts in building a team that not only was supported by the greater Cape Town but also reflected a transformed society. This humble man was touched by the award and spoke with great passion for the school he loves, Bishops, and the opportunities he has as a result of his time here. He exhorted the boys to make the most of their school years and the wonderful opportunities they too enjoyed as a result of being at Bishops. The boys were very receptive of his message!

Final thoughts

I recently attended the Daily Maverick Gathering which focused on the upcoming election, the challenges of our youthful democracy and the possible outcomes of that election. It was an inspiring day of thought-provoking speakers and gave much food for thought.

It is clear that great change is coming our way as a country, with many speakers saying that this election will have greater significance than the elections of 1994, and that we, as voting adults, need to lead our youth into this change. I hope that parents are having discussions with their sons about the responsibilities of citizens in a democracy and encouraging them to educate themselves about the political arena.

One of the speakers that inspired me most, Ms Mbali Ntuli, said a number of things about a democracy that hit home with me. One of which was “Voting is an individual pursuit. Democracy is a collective responsibility” as she encouraged us as adults not to “outsource our democracy to political parties” but to hold politicians accountable to the people who elected them. She went on to say that “our children are going to go into a world we chose for them through our votes.” It was a powerful message indeed that caused me much thought about middle-class complacency and a numbed acceptance of injustice and unacceptable leadership.

I wish all our Christian families a Blessed Easter, the holiest of times in the Christian calendar. May this be a time of deep reflection and contemplation of faith as we mark the crucifixion of Christ and his ascending from the dead, so much part of our faith.

Our Muslim families will be celebrating Eid, the end of the month of Ramadaan, in the first week of the new term and we wish them well for this special occasion.

Our Jewish families will mark the ritual observance of Purim which begins with a day of fasting on 23 and 24 March. On Purim, Jews are encouraged to exchange gifts and make donations to the poor. We wish our Jewish community well for this time.

To all families I wish a restful and peaceful holiday. I encourage you to support our boys as they take part in our 175 Hockey and Rugby Festival over the period 20 March to 24 March. The details of the fixtures can be found on our website here.

Kind regards

Antony Reeler
Principal

My Bishops Life Parent Portal

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

The administrative staff that verify new registrations will be on leave during the Easter holidays and therefore registration approval may be delayed until return to school.

Cricket

Congratulations to the following Grade 12 members of the 1st XI cricket team who, following ratification by the Colours Committee, have been awarded.

Full Colours in recognition of their significant contributions to the success of the team during Term 1 2024:

Calum Daniels
Michael Kotze
Peyton Leigh
Tiaan Louw

It should be noted that captain, Kashief Joseph, has already been awarded Full Colours. Members of the team not in Grade 12 will be considered for awards later in the year.

Cricket awards

The following cricketers receive a signature bat for scoring centuries:
Adnaan Lagadien 107 (100) for the 1st X1 against St Johns
Yusuf Patel 102 (77) for the U14B team against Rondebosch
Kyle Stirk 100* (78) for the 2nd X1 against St Andrews
Joe Edwards 100* (87) for the U15B team against Bergvliet
The following boys took 5 wickets (or more) or a hattrick:
Farhaan Barendse claimed a hattrick for the 5th X1 against Ottomans CC
Julian Pilkington took 6 for 50 for the 2nd X1 against Paul Roos
Tristan Theys gathered 5 for 23 for the U15B against Paul Roos
Sebastian du Toit claimed 5 for 10 for the 4th X1 against Rondebosch

Basketball colours

The following boys have been awarded basketball colours for 2024.

Full colours
Cameron Wilson
Michael Davidson

Half Colours:
Thuso Theledi
James Gibbs
Mu'aath Ganief

Athletics 2024

Full colours
Reece Quin 
Joe Phillipson
Daniel Von der Heyden

Half Colours
Nic Deckenbrock
Bafokeng Lehloenya

Quadrangular ties awarded to:
Iviwe Dadamasi,
Lucca Mynhardt
Aza Gabada
Toran Head
Robert Veldtman

Congratulations to Joseph Phillipson for making the Western Province Athletics Team in 1500m.

Fencing

Distinction Tie: Fencing
Joshua Diggle was selected to represent the SA U17 cadet fencing team at the All-African Fencing Championships in Egypt.  He earned a bronze medal in the foil team event.  Congratulations!

Water Polo Colours and Service Tie Awards

Nic Hatty receives his service tie for his services to water polo for very efficiently and studiously organizing and running the table officials while orchestrating the formation of the new table officials committee.

Full colours:
Ross Stewart (re-award)
Jordan de Sousa (re-award)
Thomas Truter (re-award)
Bryn Parry
Cameron Moon
Michael Voogt

In addition to these awards congratulations to Tom Truter, Ross Stewart, Cameron Moon, and Jordan de Sousa who all achieved their 100 caps for the 1st team during the season.

Half Colours:
Ross Walker
Owen Cross
Heath Blackwell
Noah Edmunds
Milo Letschert
James Malan
Matt Fenn
Timothy Young
Michael Mafunda

Water Polo News

Bishops Water Polo had a highly successful term, with significant improvement across most sides as the term progressed, losing only 74 out 171 matches played. Notable highlights included the U15Bs, who achieved an undefeated season and clinching victory in their 15B tournament. The 2nd Team secured a silver medal at the Pearson Tournament and triumphed in the 2nd Team Mazinter Cup against Rondebosch 2nds, who had previously defeated them at the Pearson Tournament. The 2nd team captain John Bos received the trophy that the 2nd team won. The Endley Cup. Congratulations!

The 1st Team had an outstanding season, with only three losses, twice to SACS and once to Rondebosch. Intriguingly, our 1st Team faced SACS seven times, losing only twice and drawing once, while encountering Rondebosch six times, with one draw and one loss. Unfortunately, one of the losses to SACS occurred in the final of the St Andrews Tournament, and the loss to Rondebosch was in the semi-finals at the Kes Tournament, which Rondebosch went on to win. The frequent encounters between these three sides in the latter stages of tournaments highlighted the strength of Western Province, and especially the Southern Suburbs Water Polo in the country at present.

Our 1st Team Water Polo side marked one of their most successful seasons for Bishops in recent history. Achievements include a silver medal at the SAC Shield Tournament, a bronze at the Kes Tournament, a gold at the SACS Night League, and a gold medal victory at the Mazinter Cup Final, where we defeated Paul Roos.

Individually, there were numerous accolades, with four members of the team reaching their 100th games milestone: Jordan de Sousa (goalie), Cameron Moon, Ross Stewart (captain), and Thomas Truter. In addition, Thomas Truter was honoured as the attacker of the Kes Tournament, while Jordan de Sousa and Tim Young (Grade 10) made the tournament team.

The team also took pride in being awarded the Fair Play Trophy at Kes for exemplary conduct both in and out of the water, marking this the second time Bishops has claimed this trophy in the last two years, reflecting the culture the side has worked hard to cultivate.

Furthermore, three members of the team were selected for the WP U18 Currie Cup Team: Jordan de Sousa, Ross Stewart (Captain), and Thomas Truter.

Our 1st Team Coach, Jabulani Sibiya is the coach of the WP Currie Cup U18 Team.  Well done to three junior members of the 1st team, who have been selected for the WP U16 Currie Cup Team; Matt Fenn, James Malan (Captain), Tim Young and Michael Mafunda. We wish them the best of luck in their endeavours.

Ross Stewart collected the Mazinter Cup on behalf of the team.

Sailing

Congratulations to Founders who won the interhouse sailing on Founders Day.  This is the first time since the inception of this event, that a boarding house has won this trophy.

Congratulations to the team of Theo and Matthias Scheder-Bieschin, Connor Henriques and Lukas Drimie (newly appointed captain of sailing for 2024/2025) on their win.  Theo was brilliant in how he led the team to victory against Gray House in the three-stage final.  Theo, accepted the trophy on behalf of Founders.

Sailing Colours

Congratulations to Michael Lawson and Theo Scheder-Bieschin on being awarded full colours for sailing.

Lukas Drimie, half colours for sailing.

Ross Mukheiber selected to represent South Africa in sailing.

Ross Mukheiber, Grade 8 Birt House, has been selected as part of the South African team to compete at the 2024 African Championship in Victoria Mahe, Seychelles during September this year. Congratulations and best of luck, Ross.

Hockey Captains 2024

Robert Veldtman has been appointed Captain of the Bishops 1st XI Hockey for the 2024 season.

His two Vice-Captains are James Grieve and Andrew Raubenheimer. We wish them every success in the upcoming Independent Schools Hockey Festival and the season to follow.

Bishops Rowing Club Announces Leaders for the 2024-2025 Season

The Bishops Rowing Club is proud to announce the new leaders for the 2024 - 2025 season:

Vice-captains:
Matthew Maurel & Jack Breslin
Captain:
Cameron Redfern

Congratulations to you young gentlemen, and best of luck in managing the Club at the biggest it has been in Bishops history!

The following boys have been awarded their GIN ties for their hard work and dedication to the GIN Society or the past 3 years.

Gabriel Clarke
Nicolas Dow

An All Rounders tie has been awarded to

Oliver Frankel.

Congratulations!

James Thunstrom selected for Yale Young Global Scholars Programme

James Thunstrom, Grade 11 Birt House, will be joining Andrew Betty, Grade 12 Birt House, at the Yale Young Global Scholars Programme during the June holidays this year. There was a final application window made available by the programme and James was selected to attend this amazing two-week enrichment program. Congratulations on this fine achievement, James!

175 Brooke Chapel Stained-Glass Window Update

We are well on our way to raising the funds needed for this exciting project, where we aim to collect R405 000 via the Pre-Prep, Prep, College and OD families. We have just reached the 75% mark and appeal to those who are able to make a donation to do so. All donors to this project are listed on our 175 Donors Page, which will be a lasting page on our school’s history website. Please go to the Brooke Chapel website if you would like to donate towards this project, either via SnapScan or EFT.

175 and OD Wine Collaboration

As you may know, together with four well-known OD wine-makers, Bishops has released a lovely range of Bishops 175 Anniversary Wines. These have been a great hit at both school and OD functions since mid-February when they were first launched. If you would like to purchase any of these, please do so via our 175 Wine Project website, where you will also find notes on each wine and the wine-maker.

175 Festivals

In the next few weeks we have a Prep Tennis Festival (18-20 March) and a combined College Hockey and Rugby Festival (20-24 March) taking place, which include many of our brother schools and some from further afield, as well as a number of local youth sports clubs too. Please do check out our 175 website, where you will find details about various events, including a full calendar for the year.

175th Anniversary Merchandise

This term all boys and staff at Bishops received a 175-branded cap or hat. These have turned out to be very popular, with a number of requests from boys and parents to be able to purchase additional caps. As a result, these are now available for purchase at the School Shop, together with a 175-branded wine carrier.

175 cap – R135-00
175 hat – R195-00
175 wine sleeve – R90-00

Get ready to be inspired by the latest news from our VUSA programme! Inside their newsletter, you'll find uplifting stories of determination, teamwork, and achievement from our talented VUSA participants and partners.

Click here to explore the newsletter and stay updated on the initiatives, partnerships, and successes that are shaping the lives of VUSA participants and enriching the Langa and Bishops community.

Thank you for your continued support in empowering our youth through education and sports.

Warm regards, Brendan, Nikki and the VUSA Programme Team.

We are happy to announce that Issue 10 of The Old Diocesan, a bumper edition to celebrate the Bishops 175, arrived at The Mitre during Founders week.

Every family should have received a copy of the magazine in their son's book bag last Friday.

If you would prefer to read this stunning edition online, please click on THIS LINK.

If you would like an additional hard copy, please collect one from the ODU Office. 

You can arrange this with Dedry or Lynn via email:  odu@bishops.org.za