Dear Parents and Guardians

This is the last newsletter of the year and while we have had our ups and downs this year as a country and as a school, I have been largely pleased as we emerged from the grips of a pandemic into normality – whatever that looks like in the future! It is hard to remember life during Covid and in our annual Executive review, we reflected on the restrictions that were still in place only six short months ago – masks, sanitizer, restricted numbers of spectators and vaccination policies to name but a few.

This affected everything we did and it was unreasonable and unrealistic to expect an immediate return to life pre-Covid. Thankfully, we have moved past this and I am eternally grateful to all those who allowed us to navigate this weird and often scary time in our world’s history successfully. A world-class online platform, coupled with staff who made every effort to look after our boys holistically made me very proud. And our boys were magnificent!

We need reminding that this was only six months ago and need to understand that bringing back certain activities and practices brought challenges as we were simply not used to being together normally. As we leave this behind us and move forward, let us remember the hardships of the past and acknowledge all the good we have learned that will shape our behaviours going forward.

My thanks go, at the outset, to all those who have made this year a good one – staff in particular, but also our boys who have been resilient and adaptable as they moved forward. I thank all parents who supported the school during the year and who sent in messages of encouragement and appreciation which were most gratefully received.

Our Grade 10s have returned from their adventure in the Cederberg mountains and by all accounts it was most successful. My grateful thanks go to all who made Epic possible and our thanks in particular go to Mr Graeme Klerck and his team of staff who coordinated this massive effort. Our Grade 9s returned from their various camps and our thanks go to Mr Swift and his staff for this opportunity for our young men. Please click here to view the photos.

Many of our Grade 9s were involved in the Big Ideas programme and while I was away at Epic at the time of the feedback sessions, I have managed to watch many of the presentations. Ms Rebecca Goble and her team are to be highly commended for what they did and I was blown away by what the boys have undertaken and learned.  

The exam session seems to have gone well and I hope that your son(s) obtain the results they deserve and for which they have worked so hard. Our Grade 12s finished well and my thanks go to them for the manner in which they concluded their high school careers. Their results will be released on 20th January, the first Friday of the new school term.

We closed our term with our customary Carol Service which was a wonderful way to enter the upcoming festive season. My thanks to those who made this possible.

Staff News
We said farewell to a number of staff, part-time and full-time, temporary and permanent, at various separate functions. Our grateful thanks go to the following people for their service to Bishops over varying lengths of time:

Part Time/Temporary:
Mrs Bev Howman (part-time piano teacher for 34 years who retires)
Ms Wendy Moult (temporary Librarian for six months)
Mr Pieter Smith (temporary Afrikaans teacher for six months)

Full Time Support Staff:
Ms Julina (Jolene) Josephs (cleaner retires after 25 years)
Ms Myrtle Page (1st cook in Central Kitchen who retires after 17 years)
Ms Iona Beukes (Music Department administrator for six years who is taking up a new opportunity serving the community on the Cape Flats)
Dr Steve Cornell (school Doctor for 13 years who is travelling to visit his children more frequently)

Full Time Teaching Staff:
Mr William Koopman (History teacher and TIC Hockey who is leaving on promotion to Kingswood College as a boarding House Director after three years at Bishops)
Mrs Trudy Hoefnagels (Afrikaans HoD who retires after 13 years)
Mrs Bev Morris (LO HoD who retires after 16 years but who will be running our new Careers office in the BSU next year)
Mrs Sue McPetrie (Mathematics ex HoD who retires after 21 years)
Mrs Marion Gardener (Mathematics ex HoD and Mallet HD who retires after 25 years)   

These people have given extraordinary service to Bishops, many over lengthy periods of time and we are extremely grateful to them for what they have done for our boys and for the College. Suitable farewell events have been held to acknowledge and thank them. We are delighted with those we have recruited to replace them and will introduce them to you in the new year.

2023
It will be good to have a year free of the aforementioned restrictions and we are excited for the time ahead. We will be undertaking a big building project in the heart of the school and more detail will be shared with the community once plans are finalized. We will be introducing A levels in Grade 11 to a group of boys and are also planning ahead for 2024 as the year in which Bishops celebrates its 175th year of existence.

Coupled with this will be a continued drive to instill and reinforce the values as captured in the new Values Statement and working hard on issues such as discipline, manners, respect and general appearance of our boys, something that Covid had a part to play in and that we have to improve upon. I am excited with the group of Grade 11s who take over as the senior boys in the school and know that they are ready for the year ahead. It has been noticeable in the past few weeks how the levels of respect and manners have improved with boys greeting adults and strangers and I have commended them on their efforts thus far.

Term starts with a number of activities but begins in earnest on Wednesday 18 January with the customary opening Eucharist and assembly. I ask all parents to ensure that their son begins well, that his appearance is what is expected of him according to our various policies and that he begins with a positive mindset, ready for the challenges that will await him.

Final Thoughts
My grateful thanks go to all who have made the year possible. Our boys were wonderful as they shared in the joy of being at this special school and got stuck into the various activities on offer. Our staff were superb as they created a space in which boys could thrive and I thank them all, academic and support, for all they have done. Our parents have been so supportive and I thank you all for what you have done in partnership with us to help our young men in their path to developing the Good Man within each one of them.

Finally, I thank the entire Bishops community for the year past and for all they have done – always in support of the boys.

I wish you a Blessed Christmas to those who celebrate this special time. May this be a moment of family, friends and faith as we celebrate the birth of Christ. To all in our community, I wish you a relaxing and peace-filled time of connection with others. May you come back to the new year with energy and a positive attitude as we begin another year in Bishops’ history.

All the very best

Kind regards

Antony Reeler
Principal

Water Polo Awards

Congratulations to the following boys who receive Water polo colours:

Half Colours
Trento Lambrechts
Jordan De Sousa
Thomas Truter

All Rounders Tie

Congratulations to Cayden Smith on being awarded an All Rounders Tie.

Ten Club 2023

Congratulations to the following Ten Club members for 2023.

Nic Allison
David Brunt
Divakaran Govender
Kaspar Holm
Oliver Hufton
Michael Kruse
Zuhayr Mohamood
Michael Ritz
Jody Syndercombe
Stuart Whitelaw

Academic Voucher

Matthew De Jager is congratulated on receiving three commendations for academic endeavour and received an academic voucher.

Music Ensemble Ties

The following pupils are congratulated on being awarded their music ensemble ties for three and a half years of service to an ensemble.

Tristan Carter
Richard Mason
Dylan Van Coeverden de Groot
Koame Kota
Alexei Pouroullis
Bradley Calow
Samuel Berrisford
Liam Day
Jean Du Toit
Divakaran Govender
Kaspar Holm
Benjamin Swift
Jody Syndercombe
Stuart Whitelaw
Gavin Dingley
Stefan Dixon
Oliver Hufton

Half Colours
We congratulate the following pupils on being awarded half colours for music: 
Nashe Chahwahwa
James Grieve
Benjamin Karlein
Malick Majiet

Full Colours
Full colours are awarded to:
Michael Comitis
Max Molyneux

Cricket Awards

David Handley received a mounted cricket ball for taking 5 for 67 for the 2nd X1 against Rondebosch.
Kashief Joseph scored 117* of 78 deliveries against Durbanville High School and received a signature cricket bat for his efforts.
Dylan Van Coeverden de Groot scored 126 sparkling runs off 91 deliveries for the 3rd X1 against Rondebosch and he too, received a signature cricket bat for his exploits.

Congratulations to the following Grade 10 and Grade 11 members of the 1st XI cricket side on being awarded  half colours for 2022:

Abdullah Adams
Adam Constant 
Cole Crawford 
Kashief Joseph 
Michael Kotze 
Storm Matthews 

Bishops School Magazine 2022

In keeping with our sustainability vision, the Bishops 2022 School Magazine will be available online towards the end of the first term next year. It will cover events that took place at the College in 2022.

Printed copies will be available, although only by order. Should you wish to receive a printed copy next year, please click on the link below and complete the order form. Orders must be in no later than 15 December.

2022 Order Form

Water Polo IPT

We have a total of 18 Bishops boys representing WP at the Schools Water Polo South Africa Tournament in Durban between 10th and 14th December.
We wish them well for the tournament.

Cricket
Congratulations on our 1st team cricket leadership for 2023:

Visser Gildenhyus - 1st team cricket coach
Storm Matthews - 1st team Vice Captain
Cole Crawford - 1st team Captain
Brendon Hamman - 1st team Coach

The Peninsula Cricket Festival, featuring many of South Africa's premier schoolboy 1st XI and U15A teams, will be staged in Cape Town during the second week of January 2023. Bishops remains a host school and a plethora of cricket talent will be on display on the Frank Reid (1st XI) and Oaks (U15A), Wednesday, 11th January 2023 Bishops v St David's. 1st XI and 15A. Declaration. 09:30 starts.
Thursday, 12th January 2023. Bishops v Waterkloof. 1st XI and U15A. Declaration. 09:30 starts.
Friday, 13th January. Bishops v Pretoria Boys'. 1st XI and U15A. 50 overs. 09:30 starts.
Saturday, 14th January 2023. Bishops v Affies. 1st XI and 15A. 50 overs. 09:30 starts.
Sunday, 15th January. Bishops v St Charles. 1st and U15A. T20. 09:00 starts.
Spectators are very welcome. The Frank Reid tuck shop will be operational throughout the festival..

ABRSM Exam Results

We congratulate the following musicians on obtaining a distinction for their recent external theory and practical exams.
Grade 4 piano: Luke Carter
Grade 5 theory: Matthew de Jager, Nico Schreuder and Tommy Winfield
Grade 5 piano, grade 5 bassoon and grade 7 violin: Kieran Hollis (3 distinctions!)
Grade 5 singing: Derek Meyer
Grade 6 clarinet: Liam Chester
Grade 6 guitar: Malick Majiet
Grade 6 organ and grade 7 piano: Michael Comitis
Grade 7 violin: Gabriel Comitis
Grade 7 singing: Jean du Toit and Koame Kota
Grade 7 singing and grade 7 cello: James Grieve
Grade 8 violin: Kaspar Holm
Grade 8 saxophone: Oliver Hufton
Grade 8 piano: Ben Karlein

Computer Programming Olympiad

The Computer Programming Olympiad is an annual event held by the Institute of Information Technology Professionals of South Africa (IITPSA). The participants take the same tasks, however achievements are accessed according to three categories; Grade 10 and below, Grade 11 and Grade 12.
The certificates are issued according to the following criteria:

Bronze: For those that scored higher than 50% of all participants countrywide in the respective group.
Silver: For those that  scored  higher than 79% of all participants countrywide in the respective group.
Gold: For those that scored higher than 93% of all participants countrywide in the respective group.

Group 1: Grade 10 and below
Bronze: Luke Moorgas Grade 10 
Gold: Nico Schreuder Grade 9

Group 2: Grade 11
Bronze: Ryan Ferreira
Silver: Yusuf Balim
Silver: Solly Nankin
Gold: Michael Kruse
Gold: James Morkel
Gold:Ché Nanoo

UCT Mathematics Competition 2022

The 2022 UCT Maths Competition had almost 7000 entries from 130 schools.
Not being an ordinary year, a maximum of 150 students from any one school could enter the competition. The overall result for each school is based on the scores of the top 30 students.
The Prize Giving was held earlier in the year, and every single boy that participated in the various levels of competition through UCT formed part of the team that ensured our success to be awarded the runner up as the top performing school. It is every individual contribution that enables us to perform well every year. Special mention to those that were Gold award winners:
Individuals: Jeremy Liddle (2), Tommy Winfield (10), David Tripe (3), Aidan Herbertson (8)
The Round 2 of the UCT Mathematics Competition, called the UCT Mathematics Challenge is an invite to the top 30 individuals and top 10 pairs in each grade. This was followed by an invite to 50 students to write Round 3, the UCT Mathematics Olympiad. Those that participated and their awards are:

Aidan Herbertson (Bronze), Jeremy Liddle (Silver), Ilyaas van Graan and David Tripe.

Well done to Ilyaas van Graan (A), Jeremy Liddle (A) who represented Western Province in the South African Team Mathematics Competition.

Aidan Herbertson (Bronze), Jeremy Liddle (Silver), Ilyaas van Graan and David Tripe.

Well done to Ilyaas van Graan (A), Jeremy Liddle (A) who represented Western Province in the South African Team Mathematics Competition.

South African Mathematics Competition 2022

The Mathematics Department is pleased to announce that 7 boys from Bishops have qualified for Round 3 of the South African Maths Olympiad.
Pupils who qualify for Round 3 are the top 100 Junior and top 100 Senior students in the country. We have a rich history in this competition, most recently being the top performing school in the country in 2020 and 2021. Congratulations to Ketan Govan, Matthew Griffin, Rob Kotze, Jeremy Liddle, Nico Schreuder, Nic Weir and Tommy Winfield who made it to this final round.
This year we placed as the top performing school in the Western Cape and runners up Nationally as the top performing school (Midstream College took top honours).
Congratulations to Jeremy Liddle who placed second and was awarded a silver medal for his achievement in the Round 2 in the Western Cape.

Big Ideas Boys Make a Difference

The Grade 9 Big Ideas class of 2022 had their final presentations last week. There were some exceptional projects and the emphasis was on making a difference where possible. One group, consisting of Luke Carter, Deen Fortune, Josh Macdonald and Pablo Slaven went from their presentation to an auction at the Citadel offices to raise money for their project. The auction was organized by the boys, and Citadel graciously allowed their offices to be used as a venue. Through the coaxing of the entertaining auctioneer, Jean de Villiers, the group managed to raise R410 000. This money will be spent to construct a proper home for the Vuka Nomtobhoyi Orphanage and Care Centre. The boys plan to continue their involvement with Vuka Nomtobhoyi, by being directly involved in the building of the new orphanage, as well as remaining involved with the children they have met. 

 Bishops History Tour in June and July 2023

Planning is gathering pace ahead of the 13 day Bishops History tour to Belgium and France during the initial fortnight of the June/July school holidays in 2023. Specific focus will be on World War One battlefields (including Ypres, Verdun and Delville Wood),  Normandy and the D-day beaches of 1944 and Paris and Versailles (including a day's fun at Euro Disney). Plans can still be made to accommodate additional members of the touring party. Please contact Shaun Hewett (shewett@bishops.org.za) should you wish to register your son's interest.

Important Notes from Bishops ICT Department

Please note that the IT help Desk will be closed during these dates Monday 19 December 2022 – Friday 10 January 2023.
They will be open after school closes on the 9 December until Thursday 15 December 2022 and again before school opens from 11 January 2023.

There will be important technical maintenance being performed to our networks power supply, as such there will be no intranet or website connectivity between these dates 19 to 23 December 2022.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused.

The VUSA team wish to thank the Bishops Community for their unbelievable support this year.  Please click here to view the end of year update.

We wish you all a safe and wonderful festive season and everything of the best for 2023.