THEME FOR THE WEEK: WELLNESS
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:
“You are not the bad feelings you get in your head. You are not the storm you walk through. You are the person experiencing the storm. The storm may knock you off your feet, but you WILL stand once again. Either the weather will change or you will find shelter. Hold on!’
– Matt Haig
VERSE FOR THE WEEK:
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” – Isaiah 43:2
We welcome OC Rev Collin Moore to present his start of term message on “Hope and Encouragement” for the school community virtually.
STATE OF THE NATION MESSAGE
KZN in particular has been through a chaotic and extremely stressful fortnight with loss of life [234 deaths], damage, destruction and looting of businesses and warehouses costing billions as well as 126 [ 4 in this district] schools to date. Some families may well have lost loved ones and many families have been totally devastated and financially ruined by what was ultimately total lawlessness.
We collectively pass on our deepest sympathies to everyone who has been directly impacted by these actions and be assured that you are in our prayers. It will take years to rebuild the infrastructure of the city and towns effected. As a large community we are in the main acutely aware of the excessive emotional turmoil that many of our staff , parents , boys and Old Collegians have had to endure over the past few weeks and the ongoing impact on everyone’s well-being and mental health. This is a key focus for us as we deal with the trauma of the past 14 days or so
A comprehensive wellness session was held with mentor teachers and the boys this week. If you are struggling and you need help, please do NOT hesitate, but talk to your mentor if the first instance who can then refer you for further assistance with Mrs Griffiths.
Over the past 16 months, you have all had to endure an international pandemic which has had a significant impact on the manner in which you conduct your day – to – day lives. Thousands of people have lost love ones and many in our community have suffered directly. The 6th form of 2020 and all 1st team players missed out on so much and that has continued into 2021, as we come to terms with vaccinations to protect you from what is now the Delta variant. To add to that we have had the recent riots and what some have termed politically motivated insurrections which have further impacted on your lives unfairly.
“We don’t develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.“
– Barbara De Angelis
Through all this, you have to a man, displayed incredible fortitude, resilience, bravery and courage in the presence of real danger to property and life. In life, things happen around us , things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is HOW you choose to react to it and what you make out of it. Life is all about learning, adapting and converting all the struggles that we experience into something positive.
The expression ‘Through adversity come strength ‘ comes to mind as being especially relevant.
You have all faced and challenged adversity and I wish you all strength as we resolve to continue with getting on with our lives in as normal a fashion as possible.
In the wise words of Plato [a Greek philosopher in the 5th century BC] which are still pertinent today
“Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical exercise save it and preserve it. “
PLATO
THE SHOW MUST GO ONLINE
Congratulations to all our boys and girls of GHS and Epworth who participated in this show which highly entertaining of an amazing quality for a school production. Well done to Mr Stickells in an excellent production. We will make the video of the show available later in the year.
STAFFING UPDATE:
The following staff are away on leave:
- Mrs de Wet
- Mr Waters
- Mrs Lowe
- Mrs Saab
Fortunately, we have staff to replace them in their absence . It is my pleasure to announce the following staff changes:
We welcome two new staff and five locums :
- Mr Anthony Durnford joins the English Department and Mrs Maryka Krtizinger the Afrikaans Department. Both are experienced teachers who will add value both in the subject area and outside of the classroom
- OC Mr Jacque Wilcox well known in basketball and soccer circles joins our PE Department
- Mr Ryan Pillay in the English Department, Mr Bivash Somaru in LO Department and Ms Nonkululeko Gumede in the English Department all continue at College
- Mr Patrick Zuma will assist in both the LO and History Departments
- Mr Francois Maritz is Acting Subject Head of LO while Mrs Lowe is away
Welcome to College – we wish you an enjoyable teaching experience.
THANK YOU
Over the protracted holiday break many staff have gone beyond the call of duty and I wish to acknowledge them now:
- Vaccination roll out – Mr Swart , Ms Chedie, Ms Naidoo, Mrs Elliott, Ken Hackland and his team – this to ensure all our staff [that includes contract workers were vaccinated]
- Estates – the protection of our campus, building and staff and their families through these difficult times : Messrs Ken Hackland, Kyle, Paterson, Swart, our security company and all the staff on campus for their understanding and collegiality
WELLNESS & SOCIAL MEDIA ISSUES
Maritzburg College is a proud multiracial South African school actively committed to anti-discrimination in any form and celebrating diversity. We urge you to be mindful of our core values as well as our College credo in interactions with one another and our broader community. Furthermore, note that you are not permitted to post content on your personal social media platforms or on the school’s social media platforms which are in contravention of the College Code of Conduct, our Anti-discrimination Policy and our School Social Media policy. Re-posting or forwarding content and tagging others makes you liable for the original content. A senior boy is currently suspended as allegations against him are investigated.
A comprehensive wellness session was held with mentors immediately after assembly. All the staff went through a similar session yesterday. Let’s work together to #Reflect#Regroup#Rebuild our College community.
MERIT RECIPIENTS
A number of boys will be acknowledged in the houses for their efforts last term and will receive a certificate of recognition and a chocolate. Congratulations and well done
A PRAYER FOR COLLEGE
When College went through a difficult period in its history in 2017, and the following prayer was offered. I have made one or two minor alterations. I ask that you bow your head as we pray for College and the country as we charter the storm
Prayer for Maritzburg College –
(adapted from the Thomas More Center)
Gracious and merciful God, the problems facing our College family and South Africa are very grave and we admit that we have begun to feel isolated from one another. We are confronted daily with our propensity towards hatred, our leaning towards distrust and our desire to always be right.
Forgive us, Lord. We are heartbroken and we long for your Peace that passes all understanding. Increase among us, tolerance, goodwill, compassion and empathy, so that we may learn to appreciate the gifts that others add to our diverse world. Help us to see YOU in our neighbour and those that walk the hallways of our beautiful school and country.The media are relentless in their presentation and critique of our society, especially in a climate where bad news sells papers and gets many ‘hits’ on social media. Lord, we all long for some good news. It is so easy to forget that your Son, Jesus, is always the good news and that he has given us the remedy for our brokenness … His FORGIVENESS.
He also spoke so clearly on loving others, as we love ourselves and so we ask your Holy Spirit to remind us of this again and again.
As a School and a country we ask You for the gift of Hope in our lives – a Hope that does not disappoint in the end – a special gift from you. We know that we need to turn to You and one another for the assurance that we will emerge from situations that in the short term seem hopeless.
Banish all fear and anxiety from our hearts. Remind us that the one thing that unites all of us ‘Band of College Brothers’ is the RED, BLACK, WHITE of our school badge and uniform. No matter our age, our race, our faith, our intellectual ability nor our sporting skills – we are ONE, under the colours of our School.
This morning we gather to affirm one another and to ask that your Spirit would help us to remove the barriers that sour our relationships and keep us at a distance from each other. Heal our short tempers, the irritability and grudges we may hold against one another, often because of differences of opinion.
Holy God, help us to become beacons of Light in this present storm of darkness, and in so doing, light the way for our friends, College brothers and all of South Africa.
Jesus, we believe in the power of your Grace to change our lives and we commit this morning to be open again to that gift of grace. This Grace you offered to us, even when we were still in our sins.
You offered this to us, knowing full well we were not perfect, yet you still chose to Love us.
Bless us with a peaceful spirit and a desire to be reconciled with one another.
Remind us all of our school motto Pro Aris Et Focis, as we continue to charter stormy waters. May we all work tirelessly to make sure our beloved school embodies the values of the ‘HEARTH and HOME’ – a place of acceptance, warmth and family, where we can ALL gather around Your LIGHT and the FIRE of Your love.
Please join in saying the following prayer
God Bless College and South Africa,
Guard all her communities,
Guide all her leaders and grant them wisdom,
Bless us with Your peace.
In the name of Jesus.
Amen. (SO BE IT)
Adapted from the old prayer from Trevor Huddleston)