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THURSDAY 18 April 2024

Dear Parents 

The term started off with a renewed sense of camaraderie amongst our boys, they were so excited to be together again at school and I did wonder how it was possible for the boys to grow so tall over the holidays!  


It's evident how much the boys have grown, not just in height but in character and confidence. They've embraced each day with enthusiasm and are eager to learn. Our Grade Ns proudly walk through the gates with such confidence in the morning and I am so proud of the responsibility and independence our Grade 1 boys have shown in unpacking and organising themselves for their day ahead.  
We focus not only on academic excellence but also on installing our values that will guide our boys throughout their lives. The concept of the Mitre, representing manners, integrity, togetherness, responsibility, and empathy, lies at the core of our teachings. We believe that nurturing these qualities in our young boys will equip them to navigate the complexities of the world with grace and compassion. 
On Monday during our chapel service, where all our boys attended, I spoke about manners and the importance of greeting one another with kindness and respect. Ms Baninzi is an excellent role model to our boys in the mornings where she greets every boy by name and encourages the same greeting from them. It is a simple gesture but encourages a sense of belonging and inclusivity within our school community.  
In my library time with the Grade 1 and 2 boys, we've had the pleasure of sharing a meaningful story, The Worry Box by Suzanne Chiew. The book emphasises the importance of sharing one's worries in order to alleviate them. It's a gentle reminder that vulnerability is not a weakness but a strength, as it allows us to connect with others and offer support where needed. I have encouraged the boys that if they have a worry when they come to school to share this worry with their teacher. And moms and dads, if you have a worry, you can come share it with me too! 
I am looking forward to a term full of growth, for our staff and boys. 

Birthday wishes to Ms Baninzi for 2 April, Mr Anthony for 13 April and Ms Maged on 25 April.

Kind regards


TARYN BAIN
HEAD: PRE-PREP

DIARY DATES
Friday 19 April Staff involved in Professional Development
Teaching staff will leave campus from 13h20.
Friday 26 April Coffee Connections
We would like to enhance our Coffee Connections. Please complete the following survey to assist us in doing so. The survey aims to collect suggestions on various aspects such as scheduling, topics of discussion, and format. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. A Coffee Connection email was sent out today. Please click Link to submit your feedback.
Monday 29 April Uniform Change
The boys will change over to their winter uniform on the 29 April. Please click here for more information.
Wednesday 01 May Public Holiday - Worker's Day
School closed
Friday 03 May Pre-Prep Colour Run
We are very excited that our Colour Run is coming up soon! Please remember that ticket sales open on Monday 22 April from 7.30-8.00am outside the Pre-Prep Hall. If you are unable to buy tickets then, please feel free to drop by the front desk at our reception area to buy from Miss Manyela. Please also remember to buy your white t-shirts for the event, click here to order. Orders for these t-shirts close on Thursday 25 April. We can't wait to see you all at our 175 fundraising event!
Thursday 09 May Family Chapel Service
This term our Family Chapel will be held on Ascension Day at 09:15. We look forward to having our families join us for this special time.
TAKE NOTE
MITRE

 

Grade 2 Class Teacher
A warm welcome to Mrs Leana Hendrickse who is our Grade 2 (Blue) class teacher. We wish her a happy journey here at Bishops.
Kinderkinetics News by Jeanne Botha

https://communication.bishops.org.za/preprep/documents/Balance.pdf

Invitation from DEB Committee

The Diversity, Equity & Belonging Committee of Bishops Council invites all members of the Bishops community to join us for
AN EVENING OF CONVERSATION with Michael Lapsley & Fatima Swartz. Please click HERE for the invitation and RSVP link.

Second Hand Shop
The Second Hand Clothing Shop need your outgrown clothes. They need to be washed and placed in a bag. Please drop them at the School reception.
Security Team
The two main team leaders at our gates are as follows: Mr Zolani Mthintsilana at the Sandown Road gate and Miss Ncebekazi Baninzi at the hall gate. Our boys address all adults that work at Bishops by their titles - Mr Mthintsilana and Miss Baninzi. Thank you to this team that provide a vital role in ensuring our boys safety.
Safety in Carpark

Please ensure that the boys walk alongside the adults dropping them off or picking them up to ensure your child's safety. A reminder to please drive very slowly in the car park, our boys safety is paramount.

PRE-PREP PRAYER GROUP
Message from Mr Tsotso

Peace be with you.
I greet you all with the words Jesus greeted his friends with after the resurrection. Yes, indeed our Lord is risen. As I give thanks for the time to be around loved ones from everywhere, it is also special to be back. And this is a blessing often easily overlooked and disregarded. God is he one great constant in our lives that we often take for granted and make a normal not to appreciate and acknowledge. This term we will focus on encouraging our boys to spread positivity. Do your best daily to not leave people and things in a negative manner or with negative felings. This is evident in the Easter message. Jesus never left his friends and the crowds who followed him in a negative manner or without hope because although he died, he came back to life. It is in that vein that I would like us to adopt this theme when we interact with people, at our workplaces and everywhere we find ourselves. Lets keep things positive and do our best to walk directly in the footsteps of Christ. Let us ask God to be our strength for the coming term and season of life, and work towards the maintenance of Peace and Positivity in our lives.

Blessings to you all

GENERAL INFO
Chess Update

Nathan Rehse in Grade 1 came third and Luke Bowen in Grade 2 came first in the Chess competition over the weekend. Well done, boys!

Outreach
A very big thank you to all the boys and parents who donated Easter Eggs last term. These were sent to the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital who we received some photos and a letter expressing their appreciation. We also donated some Eggs to the League of Friends of the Blind who also wrote a letter expressing their appreciation.
HIGHLIGHTS
Grade N

Term 2 started off with us exploring Autumn and hibernation. Between our Autumn walk around the school, beautiful artwork creations and finding missing hedgehogs on our theme table, it's been jam packed! Sensory play with water, sand, leaves or just about anything is always welcome. We love seeing the games that boys create in the playground - the floor is lava with foam blocks makes for good teamwork. We worked with the boys in small groups doing touch counting and number recognition. Doing maths with smarties makes it even more interesting! 

Grade R

Great excitement all round as Term 2 begins!  Our boys have grown so much over the holidays, and morning rings were abuzz with all the holiday news!  We are in full swing, creating, enquiring, playing and exploring Autumn and Bouncy Ben this week.  Keep up the enthusiasm, boys!

Grade 1

After a fun-filled two-week break, the Grade 1 students bounded back to school, greeted by the excitement of Dr. Seuss's "Green Eggs and Ham." We giggled and pondered, "Would you? Could you?" as we revisited the joy of rhyme. Our classroom was abuzz with the chirps and tweets of newfound bird knowledge, sparking our curiosity about our feathered friends. "The Little Red Hen" became our cherished book of the week, leading us into discussions about teamwork, being helpful and cooperating. With newfound understanding of partners, we embarked on maths and literacy adventures, partnering to make doubles, discovering the partners of 5, and unscrambling sight words. We even tasted our owned baked bread this week!

Grade 2

There has been lots of excitement in Grade 2 Blue as the boys have finally welcomed their long-awaited teacher to class. We are so happy to have Mrs Hendrickse join the Pre-Prep and wish her all the best as she begins her Bishops journey. This term our phonics lessons will focus on vowel variations, and we are lucky enough to get to visit Letterland every week and learn what our Letterland friends are up to. Last week the boys enjoyed a ‘magic e’ story and activity about as Space Race. This week they designed their own kites. During Art, inspiration was found from Van Gogh’s famous Starry Night painting. My favourite moment so far this term was hearing about our Cross-Country boys who stopped to help one of their team mates who had, unfortunately, fallen during the race last Friday. Daniel Fourie and Sevatian Laurencik both deserve a special mention and are an outstanding example of Manners, Integrity, Togetherness, Respect and Empathy. Well done boys! You never cease to amaze us.     

Oceans Marathon

Congratulations to Mrs Van der Westhuizen on completing the Two Oceans half marathon over the weekend. We are very proud of you.

    BISHOPS PRE PREPARATORY SCHOOL
Campground Road, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7700
Phone +27 21 659 1037 | Fax: +27 21 659 1922