THEME OF THE WEEK: ADVERSITY
“Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9
“Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the Lord your God who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you.” – Deuteronomy 31:6
A prayer
Dear Lord. Thank you for always being with us as we face adversity and come to terms with all the trials and tribulations that are upon us at the moment. We can take heart in knowing that you will never forsake us. Amen
Thought for the Week:
“We don’t develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.” – ~ Barbara De Angelis
Facing Adversity is when Adversity is staring you straight in the face and there is nowhere to turn or run. You are unable to escape it. We are all dealing with the increased threat of the new Delta variant of Covid and it is not going away in a hurry. Making positive progress requires you to be extra cautious and not to let your guard down at any point as you may well place your future at severe risk – for our matrics, not being able to write your final NSC exam would be a disaster.
A number of our boys have let their guard down due to social activities that should in all honesty not be occurring at this time at all. You need to be strong, have huge self–discipline, be determined, courageous and more resilient than ever. You can do it! It is a classic fight or flight scenario. You now need to stand up and fight for you and do not accept second best or substandard. Hold your parents and family members accountable –in a few months you will be adults – no longer in a protected school environment but out on your own in the big wide and at times ugly world. Encourage your parents/caregivers to be responsible and have the vaccine if they have not.
Remember, this adversity – as have others, will pass. You have too much to lose now by being irresponsible, and everything to gain.
Important Academic and Sporting Updates have been provided under the relevant new sections. Please ensure you read these.
Leadership Selection Update
- All Prefect voting was completed successfully via Moodle.
- The final list of 5th Form boys who will attend the Leadership training will be posted up in the 5th Form quad later in the week.
- All boys on this list will have an email sent to their parents regarding their attendance for the training.
- I wish all the boys selected to attend the leadership camp an enjoyable and rewarding experience.
COVID UPDATE
The premier of KZN, Mr Sihle Zikhalala, announced on Sunday that the province was officially in the third wave. He stated that there has been a 31% increase in the number of infections in the province, which included a 16% increase in hospitalisations. This is largely being driven by the Delta Variant. This variant is more highly contagious than the other strains and we need to do everything to limit the spread further. Maritzburg College is fully aware of this change in the path of the pandemic. We are determined that we will take all measures necessary to protect your son while he is at school.
As a measure to limit potential Covid-19 exposure at school, all co-curricular activities for the rest of the week are suspended. There are no exceptions to this for any activity both Sport and Cultural. We want all boys to leave school as soon as possible at the end of a day. All measures and decisions currently being taken are to minimise risk over the next 10-14 days due to the Covid peak building etc. It is a proactive and cautionary measure and there is no need for panic etc. The current cases at the school are being managed and are not beyond any threshold and are all within the low risk assessments currently with the DOH/DOE.
In addition, we have put the BE into lockdown which effectively means that this is a “closed” weekend for all boarders.
We are being proactive and adjusting strategies to rather be better prepared for the coming days rather than just soldiering on status quo. We are also taking wider and more impactful precautions where we can… aside from that it is ‘business as normal as possible’ in the school day etc. A major focus is of course also to protect the integrity of the matrics and their trial exams.
We are not in a panic situation, please be assured that all is under control.
In light of this, we want to re-emphasize communications previously sent, that are related to minimize the transmission of the virus. We are respectfully asking you to adhere to ALL the following guidelines:
Symptoms of Covid-19 will often reflect as those of a common cold; this includes
a cough, fever, headache, sore throat, runny nose, sinusitis as well as the loss of sense of smell and taste. Some patients present with gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhoea and vomiting.
Please do not send your child to school should they experience any of these symptoms as this could result in further spread of the virus.
Please be aware the College will do everything to ensure that you son will not be disadvantaged by isolating at home, as online resources will be made available provided that you inform his mentor.
Be assured that the Headmaster, Governing Body, Exco and all members of the Academic and Boarding staff have the best interests of your son in mind at all times. However, the safety and health of your son can only be effectively managed, if we all follow ALL the protocols outlined in this document.
We trust that you all will stay healthy and safe.
Pro Aris et Focis