Dear Parents
REMEMBRANCE DAY
Two Fridays ago, we observed Remembrance Day as many do across the world. A tradition that began after World War 1 after fifty million people had lost their lives. The reading for our Service is always from the Book of Micah, in the Old Testament, Chapter 4 and I quote a part of it here:
“The Lord will mediate between peoples and will settle disputes between strong nations far away. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not fight against nation nor train for war anymore.”
This is the hope of generations over many, many centuries. Sadly, this stage of life remains elusive and there are “easily” fifty to one hundred armed conflicts taking place in the world at any one time, even though they may not be officially termed wars. And this excludes gang warfare which goes on in so many cities including ours.
The question we always ask ourselves at this Service is, “what can we do?”. We are not in positions of political power and wars often involve complex economic, environmental and national interests, but also blatant greed and abuse by the powerful. But we can learn behaviours and values that would make us act differently in any positions in which we find ourselves.
So, boys and staff were asked how they deal with disagreements, irritations and nastiness in the classroom, sports field and playground. Do they seek solutions or escalate problems?
I have said before that world peace starts in the playground.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote:
“If we could but recognise our common humanity, that we do belong together, that our destinies are bound up in one another’s, that we can be free only together, that we can survive only together, that we can be human only together, then a glorious world would come into being where all of us lived harmoniously together as members of one family, the human family.”
We prayed for all people suffering in war zones and any area of armed conflict. We prayed for peace and we prayed for leaders, everywhere, to be agents of peace, to be principled and respectful of others.
NEXT TWO WEEKS
On Monday we will start with our annual Enrichment Week. Please note that each grade has its own programme and this will be sent to you by the Form teachers in each grade. No iPads are to be brought to school unless they are needed for a specific activity. Teachers will advise if this is necessary.
We hold our Carol Services on Tuesday evening and do hope that you will join us. As we do it in Houses, there is plenty of room for the extended family. Please note that it is a compulsory event for all boys and the dress is Number Ones.
STANDING UP AGAINST GBVF
All sections of the school will be participating in different ways tomorrow in response to the call from Women for Change, a SA non-profit organisation advocating against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF). As a school we will continue with our normal programme (in our case, Relay Sports), but we will support the call for a nationwide standstill at 12h00. This will be carefully explained to the boys and it will certainly not be the first time that we will be discussing violence against and abuse of women with them. So we will, in a symbolic way, pause with many in our nation, calling for an end to GBVF and for respect for women.
Best wishes
Kind regards
GREG BROWN
HEADMASTER |
