THEME: KINDNESS
From Scripture:
“Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honour giving preference to one another.” – Romans 12:10
“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:32
A Prayer
Heavenly Father, we ask that you guide and help us to always show kindness to one another.
Amen
THEME: KINDNESS
Thought for the Week:
“It does not cost me anything to be kind.” ~ Paddington
The past three weeks we focussed on themes of discipline, relationships, and gratitude, and this week we focus on the theme of KINDNESS.
Traditionally teenage boys can be quite hard on one another and don’t always realise the possible harm they are causing others by their actions and words.
The following is a summary of the outcomes of the wellness survey conducted a few weeks ago. We are following up with boys who are identified as ‘bullies’ i.e. making the lives of other boys miserable. Sometimes these perpetrators are shocked and claim they were only joking. Remember, what may be funny to you, is hurtful for the victim.
BULLYING QUESTIONS FEEDBACK
- 927 boys completed the survey – 73% (42% boarders, 58% day boys) – an increase from 2023.
- 51% felt that bullying was a problem at College – down 7 % from 2023.
- 18% had been bullied – up 1% from 2023.
- The main form of bullying was verbal, 83%, occurring mainly in the classroom (14% up from 7% in 2023) and corridor (14%).
- Most incidents (39%) occurred after school – down from 48% in break time.
- 30% reported that bullying happened once a week.
- 9% bullying was by text or WhatsApp [up 4% from 2023].
- 12% of boys bullied did not report their victimisation. In most cases this was because they were worried about backlash; didn’t want to be a ‘snitch’.
- When asked what can the school do about bullying, the following were suggested; more teachers patrolling at break; harsher consequences; more cameras; more surveys
WELLNESS SURVEY FEEDBACK:
- 845 boys completed the survey, 67% ( 31% boarders and 69% day boys).
- 90% felt that they belonged at College.
- 88% felt free to be themselves.
- 70% were managing academic workload.
- 92% enjoy participating in cocurricular activities.
- 68% felt teachers and students care about each other.
- 64% felt teachers were interested in them m, their culture and family background.
- 70% felt that teachers and students followed school values.
- 73% felt teachers treated them fairly.
- 85% felt that College provided access to supportive interventions when needed.
- 64% felt that they could speak out if they had a problem.
- 66% felt that College understood them.
- 67% felt that action is taken when an issue was brought to College’s attention.
Areas requiring additional attention:
- 51% felt that they had a say in what happens at school.
- 55% felt that everyone knows and follows school rules.
What are the main things that are causing you stress at this time?
- 83% academic responsibility (705).
- 27% felt pressure from teachers and parents (458).
ACTIONS:
- Boys who have been identified as ‘bullies’ will be spoken to by their housemaster if they are first offenders, and for those whose names have come up previously, their parents will be called in for a meeting. Any further repeat will result in suspension from school.
- Those who have been bullied and are having a tough time will be counselled by our College counsellor.
- A reminder that the survey is confidential, and we treat it very seriously as such.
- The last thing that anyone would want, is for someone to do harm unto themselves because they are being bullied and are desperately unhappy. My plea to all of you is be kind, tolerant, celebrate differences and treat others as you would wish them to treat you.
- If there are boys who are having a tough time, please speak to someone. You are not being weak if you do so, but rather being very strong.
GUEST SPEAKERS
College welcomed Mr Billy Macleod and Mr Con Malherbe to address the boys and staff on their recent Sani2C record-breaking adventure. Mr Macleod is the first ever heart transplant recipient to complete the Sani2C.
SPORT AWARD
Large White Badge
Golf
ME Howells [Forder]
MUSIC AWARDS
Congratulations to the following boys who all passed their Grade 5 Unisa Exams.
S Govender
S Bridglall with distinction
J Gasarasi with distinction
J Kloppers with distinction
E Stafford with distinction
CERTIFICATES OF RECOGNITION
The following boys have all recently excelled in their various activities.
ME Howells [Forder] Top Angler, Senior Gamefish Nationals
DG Martin [Snow] Ranked 2nd in his age group in the African continent for BMX
KH Vogt [Calder] Selected to represent SA at the Olympic Hopes Kayak Sprint Regatta in Szeged, Hungary
N Isaacs [Pape] Sharks Player of the Match for 1st XV match against Westville
DS Colenbrander [Forder] Sharks Player of the Match for 16A match against Westville
I wish you all a very successful and enjoyable week.
Pro Aris et Focis
Dr C J Luman
Headmaster