Dear Parents

SACS hosts one of the country’s premier water polo tournaments, bringing together teams from far and wide. It is an exciting event that showcases the talent pipeline within our schools.

Seated next to a fellow headmaster from the Eastern Cape, our conversation quickly turned to what appeared to be a David versus Goliath encounter in the pool. I found myself sympathising with the smaller players and admiring the courage they displayed in competing against such daunting odds.

At this age, talent often looks like size, speed, and strength. After all, you have to choose your parents pretty well to be 198 cm tall and 102 kg at just 13 years old. You cannot argue with genetics.

The lens through which we should view these differences is maturation status. The outlier described above is almost certainly an early maturer and is likely already past his Peak Height Velocity (PHV), the period of fastest growth during adolescence. This confers a number of advantages. Early maturers generally possess better-developed strength, speed, and aerobic and anaerobic capacity than their peers at the same age.

A smaller player, on the other hand, may still have his PHV growth spurt ahead of him, during which he will make rapid gains in these areas. Unfortunately, it may be several years before this happens, and in the meantime, he must hang tough in the face of what can seem a grossly unfair mismatch.

The biggest challenge in identifying talent amid differing levels of maturity is the inevitable bias towards selecting the bigger, stronger, and faster boy. However, emerging research suggests that the least mature players in junior representative squads are often the most likely to transition into senior national squads.

The reasons for this phenomenon are not entirely clear, but it is likely that relatively less mature players develop skills, resilience, and experience while competing against more physically mature peers. Once all players have reached maturity, the skill set that enabled the late developers to survive against bigger, stronger, and faster opponents becomes the very skill set that allows them to thrive at the highest levels of the game.

So, allow your son to become incrementally better. Let him enjoy the company of his peers and have fun. That is, after all, the reason they play sport.

Interhouse Singing

It is with some disappointment that I must inform you that, due to logistical challenges, Interhouse Singing will not take place this year.
I am acutely aware that this is a cherished event on our school calendar and one that many boys, parents, and staff look forward to each year. Please be assured that the decision was not taken lightly.

We fully intend to reschedule the event for Term One and are committed to ensuring that its return is a memorable and fitting occasion for our community.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

Kind regards

LESTER LALLA
HEADMASTER

Charlton House Grade 6 Leadership Outing

Time: 17h30 to 19h00
Venue: Africa Padel

Bramley House Grade 6 Leadership Outing

Time: 18h00 to 19h00
Venue: Breakout Quest

Outreach - Collection of Christmas Toys begins

Please see details under Take Note

Grade 7 Social

Time: 17h30 to 20h00
Venue: St Cyprian's top field

Pentangular Gala u8 - u13

Time: 16h30 to 18h30
Venue: WPPS

Grade 7 House Dinners

Time: Various - Please see details under Take Note

Junior Gala u8, u9 and u10

Time: 16h30 to 18h30
Venue: Rondebosch

Charlton House Family Function (Grades 3 to 7)

Time: 18h30 to 20h30
Venue: Stanmore Field

Senior Gala u11 and u13

Time: 15h30 - 17h30
Venue: Rondebosch

Summer Photos

Further information will be communicated

U13 Cricket Southern Suburbs T20 Finals

Time:16h00
Venue: Oaks and Frank Reid

Grade 8(2027) Welcome Tea

Time: 16h00
Venue: College

Grade 3 Picnic

Time: 17h00 to 19h00
Venue: Stanmore Field

Please click HERE for the invitation.

Grade 7 House Dinners - Tuesday 3 November

Bramley House 18:00 to 20:00 at The Club House Restaurant, Constantia Sports Complex

Brooke House - 17h00 to 19h00 at Diaz Tavern at Villagers Rugby Club

Charlton House - 17h45-19h30 at Tiger's Milk, Claremont

Van der Bijl House -18:00 to 20:00 at The Bay Sports Bar & Restaurant, Constantia  (VdB will subsidise R150 per person, with any remaining balance to be covered by the learner)

Grade 6 Parents Please note

You do not have to register for the College Experience Bishops Open Day that takes place on Friday 30 January 2027. It is compulsory event for all Grade 7 2027 Prep Boys.

The Art Exhibition held last week was a great success, attracting approximately 500 guests. The venue buzzed with excitement as boys proudly guided their parents through the displays, sharing and celebrating their artistic achievements. The festive atmosphere made for a memorable evening and provided a wonderful opportunity to showcase the vibrant artwork produced by our students throughout the year.

The Grade 7 boys recently put their mathematical thinking and teamwork skills to the test by designing and building toothpick bridges. There was plenty of collaboration, lively debate, and creative problem-solving as teams tested, refined, and retested their designs. The excitement peaked when the finished bridges faced the ultimate challenge: seeing how much weight they could hold! It was a fantastic hands-on learning experience that taught the boys the value of perseverance, teamwork, and learning from mistakes.

Congratulations to the following KAE Medal Winners:

Our final Music Assembly Concert for the year took place on Wednesday. Well done to those who performed:

Back row: Mikolaj Stulinski (piano), Sam Burchell (saxophone), Johannes Daffue (piano), Oliver Taylor (saxophone), Nicholas Kotze (clarinet), Nikhil Sam (guitar)
Front row: Quayan Kew (piano), Noah Pillay (piano), Abraham van Wyk (announcer), Tom Anderson (piano), Henry le Cordeur (guitar), Adam Shaik (saxophone), David Chen (violin)