Dear Parents   

This week we welcomed all the new Grade N boys and their families to Bishops.  It was wonderful to see these little people, ready to take on the challenges of a new school! For some boys, who have brothers at Bishops, it was an end to a long awaited opportunity to join their brothers, while for others it was a completely new experience.  We really look forward to starting a new journey with these boys and their families.   While thinking, planning and discussing activities for your children for next year,  it is important to strike a balance between structured activities and unstructured playtime for young boys. Structured activities, such as sports, classes, or organised playdates, can be valuable for skill development, social interaction, and exposure to new interests. However, it's essential not to over-schedule their afternoons, as unstructured free play fosters creativity, problem-solving, and independence. A general guideline is to allocate a reasonable amount of time for structured activities, say 1-2 afternoons a week, allowing your child to explore their interests and build specific skills. The rest of the afternoons should include unstructured playtime, where they can use their imagination, make choices, and learn to manage their time on their terms. This approach helps children develop a well-rounded set of skills and promotes a healthy balance between structured and unstructured activities, fostering their growth and development in a holistic manner. Always consider your child's individual needs, interests, and preferences to tailor the balance accordingly. Please also include your children when selecting activities for them. Often they are not aware of what they have been signed up for, and this can really create a lot of anxiety for some boys. A chart of afternoon activities either in his homework diary, on the wall in his room or on a little card in his bag, may be helpful to remind him. If he cannot yet read, then perhaps a little picture to remind him of what he needs to do on what day.  

Happy Birthday Mrs Emily Venter on the 14th November and Mrs Siophan van der Westhuizen for the 17th November.

Kind regards

SHARLENE GROOM
HEAD: PRE-PREP

Grade 1 Trading Day

The Grade 1 boys and parents have been busy preparing for this very exciting day in Grade 1. We look forward to seeing all the exciting goodies for sale. This sale is only amongst Grade 1 boys. Please don't send money to school if you are not in Grade 1.

Splash Gala at SACS Junior School at 13h45 - 15h00

Grade 1 & 2 boys who are swimming in this gala have been notified. All the best to all the boys who are taking part in this very exciting afternoon of fun races.

Friday 17November

Grade 2 Father and Son Campout - The Oaks Field

Notification has been sent to all Grade 2 parents regarding this exciting event. It is a very big highlight amongst the boys and something that they talk about even as College boys when they come back to visit. I am sure you  look forward to a fun night out!.  

Teachers

From next week we will be introducing a Teacher Spotlight - highlighting the teachers in each grade and telling you a little more about them. Next week we will start with a spotlight on Grade R teachers so look out for this exciting addition! 

Mrs Cindy Anstey who has been teaching Grade 2 at the Pre-Prep for the last few years, will move back to Grade 3 next year. We will announce the name of the new Grade 2 teacher as soon as possible.  

Mrs Anstey’s class thoroughly enjoyed their outing to Newlands Forest on Friday. There were squeals of delight as water was poured over the shelter to see if it could withstand the elements. Great teamwork was shown by all boys while building the shelters. Boys were spotted reading in the sunshine with Miss Songxishe. We continue to work hard to develop our swimming strokes during class swimming lessons. Strength training took place on the monkey bars at Phys Lit this week and the sound of recorders and xylophones could be heard in the foyer while boys were hard at work rehearsing for the upcoming events.  

Our Grade 1 students have been on an exciting journey of exploration. Inquiry-based learning took our young detectives on a mission to solve a 'bike'-related mystery involving 'Munching Mike' and magic 'e' words. They were challenged to determine the time of the crime, improving their phonetic skills. We are looking forward to Trading Day tomorrow. The boys will use R5 in various ways to purchase unique items made by their friends. This fun exercise will teach them about the value of money and the art of giving change. Our grade 1 students are not only expanding their knowledge of occupations and language but are gaining valuable life skills too. The boys also used their imaginations to create a “Dream Ice-cream’. We can’t wait for you to read them. Thank you for all your continued support. We look forward to seeing many of you at our grade 1 picnic on the 5 December!