Dear Parents
Welcome back to the 3rd term and I hope you were able to enjoy some relaxing days over the holidays with your families. The boys are back in high spirits and, as I write this, I hear the loudly happy sounds of the boys playing and chatting on the playground.
MANDELA DAY
At this morning’s assembly we highlighted Mandela Day, why we observe it and what we are doing to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s legacy and his injunction to us on his retirement from public life, “It is in your hands now … the journey towards social justice.”
We will be collecting 67 metres of tinned goods (871 cans, so each boy must bring at least two if possible and hopefully some will bring more). These will then be given to the Athlone branch of St Luke’s Hospice. Both the day care co-ordinator and social worker for that branch attended assembly and gave a presentation to us about their work and the difficult conditions in which many of their patients live. Our collection alleviates this in a small way.
Mandela Day marks the respect for each and every human being we want our boys to have, and the day is a symbol of how to live, acting on the respect we have for every human being. Of course, we live in a society with many systemic problems and so much has to be done by government, the private sector, NGOs, in fact, each and every South African adult, to alleviate poverty, provide decent education, healthcare, housing, employment opportunities, public transport and much more. And our boys will soon be the adults who will have to work to achieve this change.
I used the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu to emphasise the respect each and every human being deserves and the responsibility we have to live out this respect. Respect will be a major theme at the school for the next 6 months.
“We are made for goodness. We are made for love. We are made for friendliness. We are made for togetherness. We are made for all of the beautiful things that you and I know. We are made to tell the world that there are no outsiders. All are welcome: black, white, red, yellow, rich, poor, educated, not educated, male, female, gay, straight, all, all, all. We all belong to this family, this human family, God’s family.”
DIGITIAL CITIZENSHIP: JOURNEY WITH KLIKD
As you know, we are launching a process of developing responsible digital citizenship, the use of technology that is healthy and age appropriate. The internet and what can be achieved online is amazing but the shadow that exists in terms of potential over-use, addiction, predators and inappropriate exposure, is real and no more so than for our boys. Many of us have expressed concern about what many of our boys are being exposed to (from as young as 7 or 8) to their near-obsession with screen time, and what and who is/are online. All made worse by the restrictions on so many physical and social activities under Covid.
Our journey with Klikd is a joint one, involving teachers, parents and boys. Teachers had a presentation yesterday and the presentation for you, the parents, is on Monday evening (Grades 1-3 parents) or Tuesday evening (Grades 4-7 parents).
Please, at least one parent from each family must attend this presentation. This is a pro-active, empowering and long term process. We want our boys to grow up using the major advantages of the digital world responsibly, happily, respectfully and safely. We all have a part to play in this.
I look forward to seeing you next week at this presentation.
All the best for a great term.
Kind regards
GREG BROWN
HEADMASTER |
