Dear Parents and Guardians

The first half of the year is now over and we are looking forward to a good rest for our staff and boys after a busy second term. The winter sports season ended with a wonderful fixture against Rondebosch and many of our sports teams are to be congratulated on their performances. It is not often that I highlight the efforts of particular teams, but I would like to compliment the first teams of our three main sports who did so well in this fixture. Our soccer programme is growing in strength and has improved greatly this season with our First XI putting on a good display. Our hockey team had an emphatic win that was a good end to the first half of the season and our rugby boys pulled off a wonderful win in the main match of the weekend. Credit goes to the rugby boys and their coaching team for their display of courage and determination as they kept out wave after wave of attack to register a superb win!

The examinations are over and the boys had a chance over a few days to look at their papers and see where they did well and what needs attention. These exams are, for Grades 8 – 11, a “teaching exam” as they have a chance to see exactly what they can improve in the second half of the year. Our Grade 12s have a further exam in the form of their Mock Matric but these exams should have been a good indication of performance thus far and give them some idea as to what they need to do next term, their final teaching term of their school careers.

At the time of writing, the first day of the Eisteddfod has been completed and there have been some wonderful moments and special talents on display. I had a chance to see the art exhibition and a number of musical items and am constantly reminded of the talent that is present amongst our boys. I am looking forward with much anticipation to the second day of performances and the inter-House singing.

To view the final results click here. To view the photos click here.

Facilities, power and flooding

We are managing our load shedding situation well at the moment and the temporary solutions seem to be keeping up with our needs. Our operations team has been working tirelessly to keep this going. To give you an indication of their commitment, the generators need to be manually switched on and off, each time there is loadshedding. This means that our team of electricians need to be on site to manage the draw on each machine, switching off certain high-demand items such as geysers to allow essential services to run such as lights, security and wi-fi. This is indeed a complex situation as we have over 90 distribution boards feeding various parts of the campus. With an old facility such as ours, wiring is not simple and often not logical as buildings have been added in time.

The team is looking to acquire the services of an electrical engineer to help us through this challenge, giving us the advice we need to ensure a sustainable, cost-effective solution that provides the power we need at the times it is needed, using renewables where possible and having high-capability machines such as generators for things like geysers and stoves. This holiday gives them a brief respite and an opportunity to plan carefully as we navigate our way forward.

The operations team has not just had power issues to resolve as the rainfall of the past two weeks has caused havoc, flooding low-lying areas and, in some cases, flooding basements of buildings such as the theatre and the squash courts. They have been magnificent in their efforts and I cannot thank them enough for what they have done.

Who to contact…

We have put together two flow charts to assist parents when it comes to finding the best person to help. The flow chart for serious disciplinary matters has been drawn up and will be given to parents of boys involved in serious discipline to help them understand process and who is responsible along the way. Attached to this newsletter is a second flow-chart that gives parents the contact people for specific issues such as academic, sport and so on. Click here to view it. We hope this allows parents to be assisted better should help be required.

IBSC conference

Each year, I attend the annual International Boys School Coalition annual conference, representing both Bishops and the Southern African branch of the IBSC. This year the conference is being hosted by Westlake Boys in Auckland, New Zealand, and I will be joining over 600 delegates from across the world as we look at boys’ education on a global scale. The theme for the conference is Kia moemoeā: Dream Beyond Limits and I am looking forward to this wonderful opportunity to engage with colleagues at boys’ schools from so many different countries. In addition to attending as a delegate, I will be part of a panel discussion on leading boys’ schools and hope to be able to help aspiring Heads of schools in their professional journey.

Closing thoughts

Schools such as ours are constantly looking at ways to improve the offering we provide for our boys and our staff are always encouraged to grow professionally, attending workshops and conferences and reading widely. Our Executive team from across the three campuses had three days of conference recently, at which we looked at the future impact of two main factors on our school. The first was a look at the economy and the many factors that impact the economy such as politics and the upcoming general elections, fuel prices, food prices and school fee costs. The second was the potential impact that Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence could have on our school. These two focal areas were specifically chosen to be as outward-looking as possible and many inspiring moments were enjoyed by the team. We were challenged by AI in particular and the awesome (if not scary!) potential of machines in the future.

One thing remained constant in all our discussions on the future and that was a need for us to remain true to who we are – our values, principles and ethics that need to guide all we do.

I would like to wish those rugby teams travelling to Makhanda to take on our traditional rivals St Andrews’s this weekend, a safe and enjoyable trip. Good luck boys! Click here to watch the live stream - all A teams, 2nd XV (12h40) and 1st XV (13h50) will be broadcast.

Kind regards

Antony Reeler
Principal

All Rounders Tie

Rohit Patel and John van der Watt are to be congratulated on being awarded an All Rounders Tie.

Drama Colours

Congratulations to the following boys  achieving Colours for Drama:

Half Colours
Jean Du Toit
Duncan Carter
Thomas De Waal
Bafokeng Lehloenya

Full Colours
Ben Anderson
Jamie Chester

Distinction Ties for Public Speaking

The following boys have all been awarded Distinction Ties for representing their country at the World Individual Public Speaking. Championship. Ben Anderson earns a re-award of this tie, as he represented his country and was accordingly awarded in 2022. Well done to these boys.

Jamie Chester
Jacob Fried
Divakaran Govender
Ché Nanoo

Service Ties

Congratulations to the following boys on receiving a service tie for their contribution to hockey umpiring.

Zac Heyns
Devon Marshall
Cayden Smith
Dylan De Groot
Ilyaas Van Graan

Battle of the Bands

Our rock band "Leave it Blank" came 3rd in the Cape Town Battle of the Bands held at the V&A Waterfront at the end of last term. They won a prize of R10 000 for the Music School and performed to 2000 audience members. They have grown into one of Cape Town's most talented up and coming bands and we thank them and Richard Brokensha, a member of our Music Department who works with them, for all their dedication and passion they have shown towards the band program. Congratulations Julian Pilkington, Oliver Frankel, Liam Chester and Edward Cruise.

History Tour

22 Bishops learners, accompanied by Mr Hewett and Mr Nzuza, are scheduled to depart on a three-nation, holiday-time tour of western Europe on the 27th June. The members of the group are set to visit the Netherlands, Belgium and France with visits to World One battlefields, Delville Wood, Ypres and Verdun included, and the World War Two-specific D-day beaches of Normandy, added to time spent in Paris, Versailles and Amsterdam, likely to be highlights.

Hockey Season

The hockey season had a challenging start as the teams faced formidable opponents in Paul Roos and SACS. However, the boys in all teams utilized these early setbacks as opportunities for growth, displaying remarkable resilience and determination. Each week, they have been consistently improving and growing stronger.

The boys have shown immense passion and dedication on the field, giving their all in every match. Although not all fixtures ended in our favour against rivals Rondebosch to end the first half of the season, most games were highly competitive, and we remain optimistic about achieving favourable results in the next term in the rematch.

A special mention must be made of the 1st team boys for their outstanding performance against Bosch, securing a remarkable 3-0 victory. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to them.

As the season comes to a close, we would like to wish all the hockey players participating in provincial tournaments during the holidays the very best. May their hard work and skills shine on the provincial stage.U18A ; James Grieve and Joshua Mettler. U18B; Robert Veldtman, U16B; Luc Dicey and Litha Mbiko. Proud of our Bishops hockey boys!

Rugby

We are extremely proud of five of our 1st XV players who have all been selected to wear the famous blue and white hoops of Western Province at different tournaments that will take place during the upcoming winter vacation. 

Gilermo Mentoe, Aidan Norris, and Hassiem Pead will represent the WP “A” team at Craven Week, which will be held this year in George, during the first week of July. At this same tournament, Shaywan Blankenberg will play for the provincial “B” team. 

Meanwhile, our prop Nashe Chahwahwa will travel to Johannesburg as a member of the WP Academy team whose tournament will go ahead on the fields of Jeppe Boys High, also in early July.

Good luck to all of these boys who will doubtlessly represent Bishops with distinction.

Golf

A team of 6 golfers will be taking part in the Cape Schools Week Golf Festival this holiday in St Francis Bay. The festival will be played at St Francis Bay Golf Club and St Francis Links from 25 – 27 June.

They will come up against Selborne College, Grey High School, Nico Malan, and Framesby. We wish them well for the tour!

Bishops Boys Summit Platteklip for Charity

A team of Bishops Boys consisting of Jamie Chester, Thomas De Waal, Joshua Traut, Nicholas Basson and Luke Traut, along with a cameo appearance from Jeremy Liddle, and joined on the day by Mrs Zeppel started ascending Platteklip Gorge in May. Throughout the day, they completed as many of the 5km loops up to the top with 700m of elevation gain, and down the Cable Car in an effort to raise money for three selected charities (Funda Kunye, Abalimi Bezekhaya and Mother City Kitchen) in the Cableway Charity Challenge. This is an annual event that saw the introduction of a school’s challenge. Bishops was up against Fish Hoek High, St Cyprians and Rondebosch. The team of gents managed 15 summits between them, with a few injuries, but it was a gruelling day on the mountain. The team raised almost R40 000 for the selected charities and ended up finishing second in the schools challenge, with a loss to Bosch! But it was an exceptional day out, all for a good cause. We are extremely proud of Team Bishops!

Bishops Golf Day

The Bishops Parent Association and VUSA Rugby & Learning Academy invite you to an exciting day of golf at our annual Golf Day event. It will take place on 17 August 2023 at the magnificent Clovelly Golf Club. Whether you're an avid golfer or a newcomer to the sport, this event promises to be a day of fun, networking, and friendly competition with all proceeds donated to fantastic causes.

To secure your 4 ball, please click HERE.

Youth Day

Last week we celebrated Youth Day, in commemoration of this day, our leadership created a video that reminds us how important our youth is to us and the future of this country, not only on one day - but every day!
Watch our video on Youth Day

The Student Representative Forum

Our SRF plays an important role at Bishops and acts as a formal link between the school executive and the boys. Hearing the viewpoint of boys within the school is vital for our school.
Click here to enjoy a video by the SRF to get a better understanding of how the SRF is run and the topics that are debated and discussed.

Bishops Blue Pages

Please click HERE for the latest edition of the Bishops Blue Pages.

New Learning Commons

In a joyous and momentous occasion, a small ceremony was held to commemorate the breaking ground for our new learning commons at the heart of our campus, marking the beginning of a promising chapter. Our school leadership and a member of the project team gathered, as they symbolically dug into the earth, signifying the beginning of an innovative addition to our beautiful campus.

Alpha Youth Course

You are invited to attend a 6-week course to address some of life’s big questions. The evenings include interactive talks, relaxed conversations in a safe environment and a delicious meal. Sign up by emailing freedom@mweb.co.za

Holiday Clothing and Blanket Drive

Donations of clothing and blankets is a wonderful way to support those in need, especially during this time of excessive rain, when warmth and protection are crucial.

We encourage our community to donate any unwanted clothing and blankets to assist those in desperate need. Please drop off anything that you may be able to assist with, during the holidays between 8am and 3pm at the admin block, attention Sharlene Lawrence.

We will ensure that we spread the love and assist children’s homes in the area in need of such items. If you are in a position donate food, please feel free to do so, in the form of non-perishable foods.

Eluvukweni Anglican Church, the Bishops Music Departments and the Parents’ Association are raising R200 000!

Earlier this year we were approached by the Rev Rachel Mash, who is the priest of the Eluvukweni Anglican Church in Crossroads. Eluvukweni has had an ongoing fundraising project to raise money to build a church. In order to finally launch this project they still need R200 000. The Bishops Music Departments, in conjunction with the Parents’ Association, have taken on this very worthwhile cause and hope to raise this amount they need - and maybe even a little more! To launch this project the boys and staff of the College and Prep Music Departments, along with the Eluvukweni Church Choir, will be having a concert on Sunday 6 August at 15:30, in the Memorial Chapel. Tickets for the concert will be available early next term from the Music Department. We would love to fill the Chapel for this event. There will be more communication about the concert in the new term. If, however, you are not able to attend the concert, we would appeal to you to make a donation to this very worthwhile cause. Contributions can be paid on Snap Scan. The QR code is below. Any donations are most welcome!

Why: We are helping to build a church in Crossroads
How: We are holding a concert
When: Sunday 6 August at 15:30 in the Memorial Chapel
Book your ticket – details to be communicated early next term
OR
Donate now already, via the Snap Scan QR code

VUSA will be hosting its annual Mandela Day clean-up in Langa. This event aims to instil the values of active citizenry in our children whilst honouring the legacy of Nelson Mandela.

Event Details:

Date: Monday 17 July (to accommodate the boys during their school holiday)
Time: Meet at 8:45am at the Langa Sports Ground in Bitterhout Street for a 9am start
Duration: 67 Minutes of cleaning

Gloves and black bags will be provided.

Our primary goal is to bring communities together and make a positive impact on the Langa Quarter.

In case the weather is chilly, we have partnered with Shoprite, who will be bringing their soup truck to keep us warm. We will have various games and activities to entertain the children throughout the morning, ensuring it's a fun-filled experience for everyone.
We will also have the braais going and serving boerie rolls at lunchtime. If you and your family plan to attend, please click HERE to let us know and indicate if you would like us to cater for you.

By participating in this Mandela Day clean-up, we not only pay tribute to a great leader but also demonstrate our commitment to building a better community. Let's inspire our children to become active citizens who make a difference.

We look forward to seeing you on 17 July.