Dear Parents 

I am excited to share that many of our teachers are currently attending a professional development course in the evenings led by Julie King, co-author of the well-loved parenting series, including “How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk”. These sessions are helping us strengthen our communication with children—continuing to build trust, cooperation, and emotional well-being in our classrooms. 

I recommend this series to you as well, as it offers practical, easy-to-use tools that can make everyday parenting moments smoother and more positive. Julie provides simple strategies that help children feel heard and respected—while also encouraging them to listen and cooperate more willingly.  

Three things that really stood out last night were: 

• Share your family values with your children, but the timing of this is very important; do not refer to them during a meltdown. 
• Accept the feelings but do not accept the behaviour. 
• When you share advice, again, the timing is important, and you do not need to fix the situation they are in. Listen.  

Here are a few valuable ideas from the series that you can try at home: 
Acknowledge Feelings First. Children are more likely to cooperate when they feel understood.   Instead of: 
“Stop complaining—it’s not that bad.” Try: “I can see you’re really upset about this.” When children feel heard, their emotions calm down faster. 

Encourage Cooperation Without Threats. Rather than using commands or punishments, provide clear, respectful guidance.   Examples: 
Give choices: “Would you like to brush your teeth before or after your story?” 
Use playful tone: “Let’s see how fast we can tidy up before the timer rings!” This builds independence and reduces power struggles. 

Help Children Solve Their Own Problems. Instead of immediately fixing things, guide children to think of solutions.  Example: 
“What could we do to make sure your lunchbox doesn’t get forgotten tomorrow?” 
 This builds problem-solving skills and independence. 

As a school, we aim to create a supportive environment where children feel safe, valued, and understood. When home and school use similar communication approaches, children benefit even more—they feel a sense of consistency and security. 

On behalf of our entire community, I extend sincere thanks to our support and grounds staff for their resilience and hard work following the harsh weather earlier this week. Thanks to their dedicated efforts, there have been minimal disruptions to our teaching programme.

 Happy birthday to Revd. Bengani on 20 May,  Mrs Alberts on 21 May and Mrs Essa on 23 May. 

Kind regards

TARYN BAIN
HEAD: PRE-PREP

TAG

TAG wil start from 08h00 till 09h00 for Gr 1 and 2 TAG boys.

Shavout begins

Wishing all Jewish families a meaningful and joyous Shavout.

Please note that the Drop and Go area at our Sandown Road entrance is officially open.

We are mindful that our Grade 1 boys have not yet used this entrance and that our Grade 2 boys may benefit from a gentle reminder regarding the practicalities of using the Drop and Go area in the mornings.

Kindly ensure that your son has his school bag and all belongings next to him in the car and not in the boot. Boys must exit the vehicle on the pavement side only.

Please do not park or disembark from your vehicle in the Drop and Go area, as this causes significant traffic delays. Both Pre-Prep and College boys make use of this facility. Our well-trained security staff are there to assist your little chap safely out of the vehicle, on the walkway side, with all his belongings — without a parent needing to exit the car.

A gentle reminder that the Drop and Go area is strictly for dropping boys off. If it is your day to visit your son’s classroom, kindly park and enter the school via the small gate near the hall or in the Woodlands parking area across the field.

Boys arriving before 07h30 must be dropped at the top gate and proceed directly to Morning Care in the hall. All boys are to be collected from the top gate at the end of the school day, as usual.

• Please wait on the grass outside the Brooke Chapel before the service.
• Wait quietly, as the College boys will still be in their chapel service and the noise carries into the chapel.
• Enter the chapel only once the College boys have left and our staff invite parents inside.
• Enter the chapel in silence and remain silent while taking your seat.
• No food or drink may be brought into the chapel. No coffees may be consumed.
• Please join the boys in singing during the hymns.
• The boys will lead out first, please remain seated until all the boys have left the chapel.
• Help us maintain a quiet and respectful atmosphere throughout the service

Ascension Day – Bishops Pre-Prep

“Surely I am with you always.”
This week in the Pre-Prep, we reflected on Ascension Day, the day Christians remember Jesus returning to heaven after His resurrection. Our boys explored the comforting message that although Jesus returned to heaven, His love, presence and guidance remain with His people.
Through our chapel time together, we encouraged the boys to remember that they are never alone, whether in the classroom, on the sports field, at home or in moments when they may feel nervous or uncertain. It was a wonderful opportunity to speak about courage,

“Surely I am with you always.” Matthew 28:20

As a Pre-Prep community, we continue to encourage our boys to move through life with confidence, compassion and the knowledge that they are deeply supported by those around them. Ascension Day reminds us of the importance of hope, belonging and the reassurance that even when life feels challenging, we do not walk alone.

This week, our Nursery class focused on the theme of conservation and learning how to care for the world around us. The boys enjoyed exploring in the sandpit with natural objects and toy animals, feeding them and creating safe habitats for them. During morning ring, we spoke about what conservation means and why it is important to protect the animals and environments of the world. The children also had fun creating beautiful artwork; painting  Table Mountain and making seed bombs with hidden seeds to plant at home proved to be loads of fun. It was wonderful for our boys to take part in Sports Day alongside VUSA School, where they showed kindness, care, camaraderie, and excellent manners. Fun and learning filled our week as the boys enjoyed every activity with excitement and happy hearts.

In Grade N we continue to learn about so many amazing things. We are learning about 3D shapes and this week we have learnt how to make a sphere out of playdough and a square based pyramid out of toothpicks and Giotto clay. To end off the activity the boys were allowed to make anything they wanted, showcasing their creativity. These 3D shapes form part of our Mathematics lessons taught in Grade R. We were very excited to prepare our cards and plants for Mother’s Day. Much effort and time went into carefully planting them and creating beautiful portraits of our moms. We do hope all our special moms had a wonderful day on Sunday! We were very excited for our much-anticipated Sports Day we held together with some of the children from the Vusa Academy.

The weather was perfect and the boys had much fun and were cheered on by their parents. As a treat the boys received a packet of popcorn and had the opportunity to play with the visiting children before they went back to Langa. We look forward to welcoming them back to Bishops soon! Every Friday our boys are lucky enough to have a slice of pizza. There is much excitement around this, and it is lovely to see how well they say “thank you” to the parents when receiving theirs at the kitchen window up at Grade R. We are proud of your lovely Mitre Manners! Have a lovely weekend. Grade R Teachers.