Dear Parents
The weather was crisp yesterday morning as we welcomed your sons to the 2025 school year, but the sudden rain shower was quite unexpected. Nevertheless, the weather cleared and I think the boys had a good morning. They certainly looked happy to be back and parents seemed happy to drop them off. Boys love the freedom and adventure of the holidays but also enjoy the structure and routine of school life and the chance to be back in this community.
We were worried that we would not have a pool for swimming trials and water polo this week as it had undergone major work during the holidays. In a planned upgrade of the filtration system, including all piping and the installation of sophisticated chemical monitoring and automatic dosing apparatus, a number of cracks were discovered in the base of the pool which could not be left and a complete re-lining of the pool was agreed on as the best way forward. That has been done and now it looks like a new pool, fit for purpose.
One of the areas we want to concentrate on this year is executive functioning. This includes the skills of planning, time management, adaptability as well as emotional regulation, among others. We will send out more information and suggestions in this regard through the year. You will notice that the Grade 4-6 homework diaries have more provisions for planning and overview. Grade 7 Form teachers will be discussing options with their boys and explaining these to parents at next week’s meeting.
At yesterday morning’s Chapel Service, we welcomed the Grade 3s as well as a number of boys new to Bishops, to the Prep. I asked the boys to ensure that this welcome would not just be a one-day wonder but an ongoing inclusion of the boys enabling them to feel part of the school. Last year we focussed strongly on kindness and this year we want to take it to the third value of the Mitre, togetherness, where kindness is necessary in the reality of coming together, being there for each other, whether in a class, team, ensemble, House or social group. Being able to be honest with each other, but also reporting responsibly if anything should go wrong, collaborating and being committed to making the other’s experience of the school environment better because of the group association are key skills for life.
We also welcome new staff:
Mrs Nikki Fyvie – HOD of Music
Rev Khwezi Bengani – Assistant Chaplain
Ms Khanyisa Gwabavu – Office admin and After-care assistant supervisor
Mr Ferenzo Moos – Intern in Gr 4
Ms Gaea Hendrickse – Intern in Gr 3
We look forward to working with them and enjoying the contribution that they will make. May their Bishops journey be a happy and fruitful one.
You will have noticed that the March holiday is only one week – this is because there is a further week’s holiday at the end of April (Freedom Day and Workers Day fall in the same five-day school week) as well as three four-day weeks due to Easter and Youth Day. So, a very disruptive term. I ask that you please do not ask for extra days of holiday or let your boys take off days between holidays. We still have to get through our work and activities, disrupted term or not. Please do support us in this.
Finally, best wishes for 2025. Schools are in the business of hope and our hope is to make it a calm, positive, kind and happy one. There will always be less happy moments, but hopefully when we look back at the end of 2025, we will be able to say that our boys have learnt, grown, been enriched and inspired overall.
Kind regards
GREG BROWN
HEADMASTER |
