Dear Parents and Guardians
I hope that the term has started well for your son and that he has settled into the school routine. With two weeks now passed, he should have a good idea of what is expected academically, be involved in his extra murals and also be aware of what is expected from him as a Bishops boy in his behaviour and conduct.
I continue to be impressed by the improvement in the general manners of our boys and commend them and their parents on the obvious effort that has been made in this regard.
Discipline
We try to establish an environment where there is good discipline, based on our values and based on the mutual understanding of the needs of others and the community. Our Code of Conduct is clear with regard to what the expectations are of our boys with regard to their behaviour. The Code can change from time to time and we have changed our consequences for vaping in an attempt to limit this scourge that has affected our school and indeed every school I know. The ease with which boys have access to vapes and vaping devices is a concern, as is the attitude that this is a “less harmful” practice.
Last year we spent some time educating our boys and parents about the dangers of vaping and will continue to do so. For now, we have increased the consequences for being caught vaping at school to two Saturday DTs with additional consequences for the boy who brings the device to school. Should this not be a sufficient deterrent, we will be looking at suspending boys from school who vape on the campus. We ask for your support as we try to encourage our boys to make healthy choices that are not harmful to themselves and impact on the rights of others.
Academic
By now, many of you will be aware of the many technological applications that exist that can be used by our boys. The latest we have been looking at is the artificial intelligence application ChatGPT, which allows for the writing of essays and text in a format that is quite remarkable. Simply put, this programme writes for you – and almost anything.
We are busy looking at how we manage this going forward as we need to both embrace technological change and use that to our benefit but also encourage and develop individual thought and process. This is indeed a challenge for educational institutions around the world and we are following closely how universities and schools will be dealing with programmes like this.
It remains important to us that our boys develop skills such as critical thinking, analysis and writing yet we are also aware of the need for us to use tools that can benefit their education. We will keep parents informed as we develop our philosophy around AI and these new programmes but ask that you look at this yourself to remain informed about these developments.
2024 Term Dates
The dates for the 2024 school year have been published by government and we have set the Bishops dates accordingly. This was done in consultation with the other independent schools in Cape Town to ensure consistency and make parents’ lives easier. Please have a look at these dates on our website here.
Please also note that not only is it a legal requirement for children to be at school, it is also extremely disruptive to boys and staff if a boy misses school for an extended period of time. Permission to miss school must be sought – usually through the House Director for periods of one or two days but through my office for periods longer than that or days that are at the beginning or end of the terms. I ask for your support in this matter as we try to plan our terms with full programmes throughout. Please avoid making holiday plans during term time as, while it may be a wonderful opportunity for your son to travel, he does miss out on academic work which remains his responsibility to catch up upon his return.
Prize Giving
We will be holding Prize Giving on 17 February outside on the Piley Rees. We will start promptly at 8am, to enjoy our beautiful weather, but also before it becomes too warm. In this ceremony we will acknowledge the Grade 8 – 11 prize-winners from 2022. By doing so at this time of the year, we are able to assess the full academic year gone past and set a good academic tone for the year ahead.
Attendance is primarily for the boys, but we warmly invite the parents of prize-winners to attend, if you are able to do so. Please can we ask you to be seated by 7:45. Parking is on the campus but also on the Sahara Field if necessary. The boys will be informed if they are winning a prize, four days before the event, so that they can then communicate with their parents. The ceremony should take 1 hour, and then there will be refreshments served on the Chapel Lawns. We will continue with a normal school day after the ceremony.
Final Thoughts
My thanks go to all who were involved in the Experience Bishops day where over 500 people visited our campus with a view to seeing firsthand what we do. Our PR boys were superb as they hosted small groups of parents and spoke to them about the Bishops experience.
My thanks also go to those who arranged the welcoming service for our new boys on Wednesday as they were officially welcomed into the Bishops community.
I shall be away this weekend supporting our cricketers in Gqeberha as they take on Pearson and Grey High in their annual Eastern Cape fixture. Mr Peter Westwood always acts as Principal in my absence and will thus be taking assembly this week. He has continued our emphasis on our new Values Statement and will be covering Humility as a value this week. His assembly is attached below for your interest and discussion in your home.
I wish you well for the next two weeks.
Kind regards
Antony Reeler
Principal
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