Welcome back to term two and what an odd term it appears to be.
I have just returned from a magnificent trip and stay at the Ocean View Hotel in Coffee Bay on the Wild Coast. My family and I had a marvellous time and although it was a long way, it was worth every hard kilometre of tarmac to get there and back as the weather was
Ten days of school and then another ten days of holiday! The chilling thing is that in total there are only 22 school days before mid-year exams. If this does not send the shivers through the boys then nothing will....unless they are of course completely prepared and ready.
So the boys should realize that there is no time to dawdle and all class time must be sacred time and not be wasted. I am sure all of you will also agree that the next holiday must be seen as a working holiday in which to catch up on work missed and start putting together revision and preparation for the forthcoming exams. I know my daughter in grade 8, although we will be at the Breede River, will be hard at work for 3 hrs a day! PLEASE SEE THE TERM CALENDAR ALONGSIDE THE BLOG- just click to open.
We also have the Eisteddfod at the end of the term and I know that the leaders in-charge here, specifically K-B, Andrew and Alex. I know the lads are determined not only to beat a day boy house in the singing, but also to beat them one over all. Despite this being the start of the Winter Sports Term, our focus is very much as a House on academic and cultural pursuits. It comes a welcome relief from the testosterone flexing of the first term.
Last term was a very long term and an exceptionally busy one. It never ceases to amaze me how busy Bishops is. More than other schools? I am not so sure. I taught at Sacs for a number of years in the mid 90s and always remember that after 5-30pm the school emptied almost entirely and it was often the headmaster who closed the massive front door behind him signalling the end of the day. I often take a stroll with Eddy, my side-kick, before supper in Summer and am always astonished by what happens here in the evenings when most people are knocking off. The music school is heaving with choir, band practices and other assemblies of sound; the shrill blast of a Fox water polo whistle signals only the start of a practice for some ; clanking of weights and grunts from those under them can be heard from the gym; shouts of ‘howzat’ echo on the Frank Reid as the lights flicker on for yet another 20/20 or day night match; boys dart around chasing a white oval ball, and each other, for yet another game of ‘touchies’ on the Sahara or Avenue; a teacher pulls up in a well used car, returning to school for ‘Dance Club’ or a society with another extraordinary guest speaker; the Theatre doors swing open in preparation for the evenings rehearsal as an assortment of stage hands drift in. No boarder could tell me he does not have enough to do and it is normally the opposite. Being busy and tired are not bad things. To the contrary, it would be more of a problem if this was not so. However, I do know that your sons were exhausted when they returned and this is both good and normal....for Bishops boys. I do know that the boys deserved and needed a holiday.
I know boys swear a lot and for so many unconscious and conscious reasons. However, I have noticed that it is on the increase and when I chat to some older members of staff they will tell you it is definitely worse. It is interesting to note that some research will tell you that swearing was more prevalent in the 80s when I was at school and I am sure many of you were to. Did we swear as much? Do you remember our parents hating our music as well? Do you hate most of your son’s music – maybe hate is too strong a word, but yes I hate a lot of my daughters’ music. Swear words flood through my mind when I want to describe it. That type of swearing is understandable as it is the very worst description I can give to something I loathe or detest. I do keep it to myself. However, this is not the type of swearing I loathe. This type of swearing is like using the hooter on your car, which can be used to signify a number of emotions (e.g., anger, frustration, joy, surprise). When I blast my hooter, it is therapeutic. Unless the person stops and gets out of their car, of course.
I think almost all people swear, and people swear pretty consistently throughout their lifetime — from the moment they can speak to the day they die. Swearing is almost a universal constant in most people’s lives. Apparently research has shown we swear on average from 0.3% to 0.7% of the time — a tiny but significant percentage of our overall speech. Swearing is more common than you might think, especially by those from ages 12 to 25.
Personality research suggests that people who swear more, not surprisingly, score higher on traits such as extraversion, dominance, hostility and Type A personalities. Swearing is not just for the uneducated or people of a lower socioeconomic class — it knows no social boundaries in its expression, but it does have social consequences.
I really do think we need to make our boys more aware of the consequences of swearing and the image it creates of them. I have not even got onto the subject of swearing on Facebook,BBM etc.I am going to make this a focus of the term and we will be having an initiative to make swearing a conscious decision. However, here are some reasons not to swear:
Your parents really like it
Other people really respect you for it
It shows you are well brought up
It reflects your admirable thinking skills
It shows how well educated you are
Your girlfriend will love you for it and
Girls find it an attractive qulity
It impresses strangers enormously
It will attract first-rate people to you
and above all
It proves you are a man!
On the last Monday evening of term, we had the end of term sports awards dinner. It was a marvellous evening with lots of well deserved awards being handed out to so many of our sportsmen. On top of this, we were able to thank Miss Zandy Bryant our san sister who will be leaving us at the end of the term. I know the boys have enjoyed her quirky humour and lively personality on top of the care she has given our lads. She admitted to the staff in attendance that secretly she preferred the White House lads! The best part of the evening was that our leaders- in-charge of sport, Michael Foxcroft and Kris Otto, both organised and led the whole event exceptionally well. Well done to both of them. The spoon banging and each boy’s toasting the House was certainly something to savour. You can seed Michael Foxcroft’s speech and see the awards in the previous blog and main pages.
Congratulations Jaydon Farao and jack Hanekom who have been selected to go on the grade 10 exchange programme. Jaydon is going to St John’s School in England and Jack is going to Geelong Grammar School in Australia. Well done to both of them especially when one considers how rigorous the selection process is.
Jack Nebe returned from Mexico playing ice hockey for South Africa U18 at the end of last term and was awarded the top goalie in the tournament award. Considering the competition at the tournament, Jack can be very proud of his achievement. Well done Jack!
James Drummond is in Amsterdam at a training camp for hockey for preparation for duty in South African U18 side later in the year. Staying on the hockey front, Matthew How Saw-Keng , Jack Nebe and Francesco Paulucci de Calboli all ravelled to Port Elizabeth with Mr Wallace’s 1st Team Hockey to the Grey High School Festival.
We had a number of rugby players going to PE to the same Festival, but the rugby part; Cameron, Vinokur, Tshepo Motale, Kris Otto and Jason Morris where they will be representing the 1st XV. They beat Maritzburg College, but lost to Selborne College.
Congratulations to Michael Korneiew (Head of House) who was awarded full colours for shooting at the end of the term and to Egor Archipov (grade 11) who was awarded half- colours.
The matrics will be away after the rugby this weekend until tea break on Monday morning. We will be on camp!
Please also note the date of our Pub Quiz Evening which is set for the 20th May. We will be having a parents committee meeting next week to discuss arrangements for this evening and I will post information to you. This is the function we postponed from last term.
Excuse the lengthy newsletter.
Take care
Angus
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