NEWSLETTER. April

Transcription

1 NEWSLETTER April FROM THE OFFICE OF THE HEADMASTER, SHAUN SIMPSON As we enter the winter sporting season, I would like to remind our boys, parents and old boys of the proud history of this school. Much is made of winning and if a game is a competition, this makes sense. One of my first questions to my own children after a sports match is, did you win. But we are a school; a place of education. You need to learn about how to win or lose as much as you need to learn about Maths or Science or History. It is our job to offer you the opportunity to learn these skills and then to help you to get them right. I want to add an old fashioned term into our school vocabulary, the word honour. And I want to suggest to you that winning without honour is, in a sense, not winning at all and that the same rule applies to losing. Vince Lombardi, the American football coach of the Green Bay packers, is famous for having said, If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score? Mohammed Ali, a man not known for his modesty, is quoted as having said, I never thought about losing, but now that it's happened, the only thing is to do it right. And Michael Jordan said I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. I can't accept not trying. I am not saying that we do not play to win but we need to get perspective and understand that winning some of the time or most of the time is just a small part of the formula of what it is that we get out of sport. What I want to warn against is to become arrogant in winning. There are far better reasons for playing a sport than winning every time and we need to bear this in mind. I am delighted that Bosch is a top sports school. But I am even more delighted that we have a reputation for humility and good sense in both our wins and losses. Celebrate winning when it happens but learn to do it right when you lose. The trouble is, of course, that players in all sports really, really want to win. At the highest level there s a lot of money involved, and the temptation to cheat is very great by breaking the rules, or by taking drugs, or by trying to pay another player to lose. But of course it completely spoils what the sport is all about. That s because sport only really works when it s a fair and equal contest of skill and strength. There s great dignity in that, because then successful sportsmen can be proud and content with their achievements.

2 In December 2000, footballer Paolo di Canio of West Ham refused to take advantage of an injured opponent. He took a pass in front of the Everton goal, but he saw that Everton goalkeeper Paul Gerrard was lying injured. Di Canio could have scored in the open goal, but he picked the ball up instead and stopped play, refusing to take advantage of Gerrard s injury. As a result, Di Canio won the 2001 Fifa Fair Play Award. My own attitude toward all sports is encapsulated in this quotation which I often use at sporting occasions: "Love the game. Love the game for the pure joy of accomplishment. Love the game for everything it can teach you about yourself. Love the game for the feeling of belonging to a group endeavouring to do its best. Love the game for being involved in a team whose members can't wait to see you do your best. Love the game for the challenge of working harder than you ever have at something and then harder than that. Love the game because it takes all team members to give it life. Love the game because at its best, the game tradition will include your contributions. Love the game because you belong to a long line of fine athletes who have loved it. It is now your legacy. Love the game so much that you will pass on your love of the game to another athlete who has seen your dedication, your work, your challenges, your triumphs... and then that athlete will, because of you, love the game." Sport is all about being proud and having respect for yourself and your team mates and your opponents. Without pride and respect there can be no sport. And make no mistake; pride isn t just about winning. It s about being feeling good that you ve done your best fairly and honestly. I have now on numerous occasions spoken about a word that the boys often use to describe the school, gees. The closest word in English to gees is spirit. I am most proud of the boys of this school when I hear or see real stories about how they behaved with Rondebosch gees in particular places. I have already received s and messages from people who have been impressed with Rondebosch boys and their behaviour on and off the field while on the tours that went away this holiday. I was proud of our gees when watching our spectators and sportsmen at our summer sport competitions. I was proud when watching the hockey boys at the KES festival to see Rondebosch gees on display. I will be immensely proud of this school in the winter season if the Rondebosch gees is carried onto the fields of the games that I watch. I will be immensely proud if the Rondebosch spectators show the gees of the school by the way they support their teams. Photo: Colleen Gomes

3 NEDBANK ESSAY WRITING COMPETITION Congratulations to Ihsaan Bassier (Gr 12) who won the Nedbank Essay Writing Competition. Ihsaan received a bursary to the value of R and a cash prize of R Ihsaan wrote his essay focusing on a brief summary of the characteristics of the Western Cape in relation to South Africa and proposed policy solutions for the provincial government. The first runner up in the competition was Leandri Scholtz and second runner up Nadia Burger. Luke van Rensburg (Gr12) was also a finalist and received R2000 cash. Twelve maths, economics and accounting learners in the Western Cape were awarded bursaries in this competition which is supported by Nedbank, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) and the Provincial Treasury. For a comprehensive report on the award ceremony please visit: MEC, Alan Winde congratulates Ihsaan Bassier on winning the Nedbank Essay Writing Competition. SCHOOL PROMOTION RBHS was invited to exhibit at a static display held at WPPS as well as attend a schools evening at Kenridge Primary School in Durbanville. RBHS supported two additional mini-information afternoons to accommodate pupils and parents who were unable to attend our Open Day on 7 March. The school received many compliments about the day - a huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of the event and in particular to the tour guides who were outstanding ambassadors for the school. After the event the prefects headed off to an official organized dance in Stellenbosch. L-R: Danie Krynauw, Luke van Rensburg, Bobby Wallace, Jacob Perren, Matthew Strybis, Travis Taylor, Ian Fourie Kneeling: Andrew Hegie and Devlin Quinn

4 STAFF Welcome to Shaun Ovenstone who is working alongside Wally Wood (Estates Manager) Congratulations to the newly-wed Design educator Elmarie van Straten (Lategan), formerly who married Jacques during the holidays. INTERACT NEWS Two Oceans Marathon Water Station On Easter Saturday, 30 Rondebosch Interact pupils got up early to assist the runners at the Two Oceans Marathon. The morning started off early, but well. At 7 am the rain started and it did not stop at all. The boys worked superbly; it was cold, wet and miserable. The encouragement that they gave to the runners at the water station was magnificent while the rain was driving down. Not once did anyone complain or ask to leave early. When it came to the clean-up at the end, they did everything fast and efficiently, even though all they wanted to do was to get home, to get dry and warm. They served for at least 8 hours, 7 of them in the pouring rain. Well done to those who were there - you can be very proud of yourselves! L-R: Michael Brooke, Head Prefect Travis Taylor and Luke van Rensburg brave the rain to assist runners during the 2 Oceans Marathon. The green bag clothing collection has been extended to Thursday 19 April. If you have not sent in clothing and you have unwanted clothes at home, please could you send them in as soon as possible. Interact hosted The Greater Bulls Wheelchair Basketball team at RBHS on Sunday 15 April. The Greater Bulls team played amongst themselves and then our boys were taught how to play, and they were given the opportunity to play in wheelchairs. The idea was not to see who won or lost, but rather to raise awareness of people who live with disabilities. The Greater Bulls Wheelchair Basketball team

5 MUSIC DEPARTMENT The Music Department encourages parents, family and friends to attend music performances to lend support to our very talented musicians. Calendar: 6 May 17:00 Music Pupils Concert Reeler Centre 11 May 19:30 Gala Concert Please see advert below. Memorial Hall 13 May 17:00 Guitar Pupils Concert Reeler Centre May Mid-year Music Dept. Practical Exam Week MAPAC 2 June 19:45 RBHS Jazz Band plays at the Annual Cape Town Big Band Jazz Festival Book at Computicket. Baxter Theatre, Rondebosch GALA CONCERT We invite all parents, friends and associates to join us for this much anticipated Gala performance which promises to be a memorable occasion. All proceeds from the Concert will go to the Music Scholarship Fund. The evening will feature an array of soloists and ensembles, which will include the Jazz Band, Concert Band, Chamber Choir, Saxophone Quartet and String Orchestra - playing a wide variety of musical styles and showcasing the depth of musical talent at RBHS in a slick, professional presentation. A highlight of this year s concert will be the performance of original compositions by Nkululeko Zungu & Barry Box - two of our highly talented 2012 Matric Music class. While the works explore different genres - Box s piece is written in a jazz fusion style whilst Zungu s would be described as being contemporary classical - each work reflects the writer s individual style, the depth of their creative expression and their taste in music. Tickets can be purchased by ing: mdekock@rondebosch.com. IN AID OF RONDEBOSCH BOYS HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP FUND GALA CONCERT 11 May :30 - RBHS MEMORIAL HALL Adults R50 pp Students / Pensioners R25pp All bookings by mdekock@rondebosch.com Enquiries:

6 SCHOOL PRODUCTION: LORD OF THE FLIES The award winning novel, written by William Golding has been transformed into a stage play by a seasoned scriptwriter; Nigel Williams. This action-packed drama production highlights the bonds formed between young boys. It also shows clearly that these loyalties can be broken and crushed without remorse by the very people you have placed your trust in. It explores the themes of man s true nature. Are we inherently good or does evil exist in all of us? The civilised boys on this island are morphed into a ruthless band of savages who will do anything to survive. The few who stand up to these dark challenges are alone. Isolated. We are forced to watch their desperation as they become the hunted. You are invited to attend the RBHS dramatic production of LORD OF THE FLIES DATES Wednesday 16 th May and Friday 18 th May TIME & VENUE 19:30 - RBHS Memorial Hall TICKETS On sale from Friday 20 th April R50 adults / R20 scholars Contact: Mrs Pam Ogilvie marketing@rondebosch.com

7 SCHOOL COMMUNICATOR RBHS has added the School Communicator to its stable as a way of keeping parents informed and up-to-date about what is happening at School. The School Communicator is a lightweight application that runs on every parent's computer. Information is automatically updated every time the school adds new content, even when the Communicator is not currently running. The Communicator launches every morning, so you can see your school news at least once a day. The Communicator can also be launched at any time by clicking on the desktop shortcut or via the Start menu. Please consider downloading this application onto your computers to keep abreast of news and events at the school. The Communicator is available to both PC and MAC users To download the communicator: SURFING Congratulations to Sebastian Bidoli (Gr 8) came 2nd in the U14 Final of the South African Grom Games in Port Elizabeth over Easter. This is a grassroots surfing competition where approximately eight provincial teams compete for individual and team prizes. The Western Province team won the competition with the greatest number of accumulated points. Based on this performance, Sebastian has been selected to SA Surfing's Academy Team, which trains young surfers identified as having potential to continue up the surfing ladder, and he gains automatic entry to the SA Nationals in October. WREKIN COLLEGE EXCHANGE PROGRAMME. Congratulations go to Hayes van der Berg who has been chosen to represent the school in the annual Wrekin College Exchange Programme. Hayes departs this week to spend the rest of the term at Wrekin College in Shropshire. We wish him well and are sure that he will prove to be an excellent ambassador for Bosch. TENNIS Keaton Saunders (Gr11) was a member of the Claremont Tennis Club men's team which won the prestigious Mens Premier League tennis title for Keaton was unbeaten playing at number 2 for Claremont. Keaton has been selected to represent WP as the No 1 boys player at the U SATA Interprovincial tournament to held in Bloemfontein at the end of April.

8 OUTDOOR SOCIETY The Outdoor Society undertook three activities during the Easter holidays starting with a Vaatjie Farm camp for grade 8's over the first weekend. The 10 boys enjoyed all the activities and loved every minute of the adventure-filled weekend away. A group of grade 8 boys left on a 5-day camp in the rugged Cederberg mountains and despite a cold spell and some rain, enjoyed exploring the Wolfberg Cracks and Maalgat. A third group of boys in grades 8, 9 and 10 spent 4 days camping on the Berg River near Hopefield where they landed quite a number of large carp, all of which were gratefully received by the farm workers to be processed into their favourite fish cakes. MiC: Outdoor Society, Paul la Grange Vaatjie Farm Cederberg mountains Berg River near Hopefield Concentrating on catching lunch A great day at the office

9 RECYCLING Many thanks for supporting the school s self-sort recycling centre. We are making a difference. One of the easiest ways to reduce our carbon footprint is by recycling. Please continue to contribute and encourage others to bring these clean items from home. The RBHS Recycling Facility accepts the following recyclables: Tins and cans: Please deposit into tin and can collecting drums Glass bottles and jars: Please remove lids or corks from bottles and deposit glass bottles only into blue igloos. Please collect glass jars with the lids and place into black recycling bin. Plastics: PET 1 plastic beverage bottles and PET 2 plastic milk bottles. PET 5 plastic yoghurt, cream, ice cream, feta and cottage cheese containers. Check for the recycling triangle with 1, 2 or 5 within it. This is the only plastic accepted at the schools recycling depot. Polystyrene: All polystyrene and plastform. PS 6 plastic = disposable plates,cups, take-out containers please wash and place in the sack. Paper Magazines and white paper into mondi collecting bags in the garage. Newspaper and mixed paper into green igloos down the side of the garage. Cardboard: Corrugated cardboard - flatten and deposit into large sacks inside the garage. Common mix = cereal, toilet roll inners, tissue and egg boxes For more information contact: Delene van der Schyff delene.vanderschyff@gmail.com RUGBY REFEREEING AT RBHS RBHS hosts approximately 20 matches on Saturday mornings when we have home rugby fixtures and we are therefore constantly looking for volunteers to take control of these games as referees. Whilst we need experienced and fit referees for the quicker matches we also need refs for the more social games as well. It is a requirement (of the IRB, SARU and WPRU) that refs are trained on the Boksmart course which we facilitate at Rondebosch from time to time. If you are interested in contributing on a voluntary basis (or know of others who may be keen) please contact: John Whitehead Tel: whitehead@rondebosch.com. PARKING AT HOME RUGBY MATCHES Parents are asked to park with due consideration for neighbours in Oakhurst Avenue and surrounds for the duration of the rugby season when we host home matches. HOME GAMES 2 ND TERM (April June) 3 RD TERM (July Sep) 5 May Brackenfell 21 July Drostdy 9 June Tygerberg 28 July Paarl Gimnasium 16 June Bishops 4 Aug SACS

10 THE GOOD SPECTATOR S CODE Please can we appeal to parents, friends and family who come to support our matches to read this excerpt from the WP Rugby Code of Conduct that refers specifically to spectator behaviour: SPECTATORS ARE ENCOURAGED TO: Act as positive role models to all young players. Respect the school/club with regard to spectator behaviour. SPECTATORS SHOULD: Remember children play sport for their enjoyment, not yours. Acknowledge good individual and team performances of ALL youngsters irrespective of which team they play for. Respect match official's decisions. REMEMBER: they are volunteers providing an opportunity for youngsters to play rugby. NEVER VERBALLY ABUSE YOUNG PLAYERS, MATCH OFFICIALS, FELLOW SPECTATORS OR COACHES. Such behaviour can create a negative environment for young players and their behaviour will often reflect this. Acknowledge effort and good performance rather than the "win at all costs" ethic. Verbally encourage all youngsters in a positive way. If you do want to shout make sure it is "for", and not "at" the players. Encourage all youngsters irrespective of their ability - never ridicule any individual player, regardless of the team they play for. Remember It's only a game. RESULTS VINEYARDS COMBINED SCHOOLS U17 RUGBY TOUR: ITALY 2012 At the end of the first term a group of 25 boys from RBHS, Bishops, Herzlia, Paarl Boys and Paul Roos departed on a combined schools tour to Italy. The tour was arranged by Eben Tucker of Camps Bay High School, with Theuns Van Schoor and Marinus Pretorius of Paarl Boys & Paul Roos as coaches. The boys had two practices before leaving, one at Rondebosch. Opponents Score Lecco 17-7 Corlorno Perugia Avezzano Benevento 65-7 Alessandro Napoli (Gr 11) Vineyards Combined Schools U17 Team

11 FIRST AID PROCEDURES AT HOME SPORTING FIXTURES A letter from MiC First Aid Society: Rudrich Claassen On Saturday two serious injuries in short succession tested the available structures of the RBHS First Aid. In order to prevent any future frustration with what is a well-prepared and efficient operation, I would like to explain the procedures and systems that are in place on Saturdays: Structure: Each field is covered by two first aiders, drawn from the ranks of RBHS and our sister school, Rustenburg Girls High School. These learners have all done at the least a Department of Labour level 1 first aid course underwritten by St John Ambulance and among these there is at least one of the learners will have a level 3 qualification from the same organization. Covering two fields will be a medic - this group is made up of students in medical fields, i.e. medicine, emergency medicine or physiotherapy. The medics are in place to assist in the case of serious injuries such as spinal injuries, dislocations or breaks. There are always two doctors covering the school s 8 fields, stationed at the two first aid rooms (next to rugby A and the Meadows fields). These professionals are in place mostly in a diagnostic role, but are also called out when a serious injury warrants it. There is always an ambulance on standby providing emergency transport when needed, manned by two qualified paramedics. Procedure: 1. In the case of an injury, the two first aiders will run on and assess the situation. 2. If the injury is deemed serious, one first aider will fetch the medic covering their fields and/ or the doctor at his/her closest first aid room. Usually at this stage the ambulance will also be summoned to the field in question. What is often considered to be a delay in treatment or reaction is the medical response s attempt at stabilizing the boy for safe transition to the ambulance. The people on hand have had experience of many and varied types of injuries and know the best way to manage the situation until the necessary assistance arrives. No matter how many people we have in place, the structure will be tested whenever there are multiple injuries over several fields. It is understandable that seeing your child sustain a serious injury can be very traumatic and that seconds feel like hours while you wait for him to be treated. However, a traumatized parent trying to help can hinder rather than help the process. The interference of concerned spectators, even when they are medical professionals, can also hamper the process in a too many cooks in the kitchen way. I urge you to put your trust in our structures - they have not let us down in the 13 years that we ve run a First Aid society. If you have any suggestions on how we can realistically improve or want to volunteer your services as a medical professional to help on a Saturday, feel free to contact me at claassen@rondebosch.com

12 SWIMMING The Level 3 gala is for the top swimmers in the country and took place in East London at the end of March. When a swimmer gets a medal at Level 3, he is then in the top 3 in South Africa (Gold means he is the top swimmer in his age group in SA) Level 3 Swimming Medals (9 medals) Craig Emslie Gold 50m breaststroke Gold 100m breaststroke Silver 200m breaststroke Thys Basson Silver 50m breaststroke Silver 100m breaststroke Silver 200m breaststroke Jack Carlisle Silver 50m fly Kurt Benjamin Silver 200m breaststroke Matthew Johnson Bronze 200m medley relay Level 2 is a regional gala. Level 2 Swimming Medals (21 medals) Ziyaad Isaacs: Gold 100m backstroke 2 Silver and 1 Bronze - relays James Key: Silver 50m free Bronze 100m free Bronze 50 fly Thomas Groom: Gold 50m breaststroke Gold 100m breaststroke Gold 200m breaststroke Silver 100m freestyle Silver 200m freestyle Bronze 400m freestyle Bronze 50m fly Silver 100m fly Silver 200m IM Jeremy Cook: Gold 4 X 100m freestyle relay Silver 200m backstroke Silver 200m Medley relay Life Saving Nationals Medals Craig Emslie Thys Basson Blake Kelly: Gold the winning province team Silver kneeboard relay Bronze body board relay

13 BOSCH RUGBY SUPPORTERS' CLUB The next BRSC function takes place on Thursday 19 April from 18:00 in the E1942 Centenary Pavilion at RBHS. A light meal will be served. The guest speaker is Dan Skinstad who you may have seen on Carte Blanche and SABC some months ago. During 2011 Dan and adventurer Riaan Manser kayaked for six months right round Iceland, enduring the stormy waters and gale force winds. A remarkable achievement as Dan has cerebral palsy. He is also the brother of Bob Skinstad, former Springbok captain. The Supporters' Club functions are for adult members of the Rondebosch community. There is no charge for paid up BRSC members: non-members pay a fee of R150 pp. RSVP: Pam Ogilvie Tel: marketing@rondebosch.com HOCKEY RBHS hockey players attended various festivals during the holiday. Results as follows: FESTIVAL VENUE DATES RBHS VS. SCORE U16 Festival RBHS 31 Mar - 3 April Kearsney Northwood Westville Parktown Langa U19 KES Festival Jhb 4-9 April St Albans KES St John s Jeppe Affies 4-0 win 4-2 lost 1-2 lost 0-1 win 11-0 win 3-2 win 1-2 lost 3-2 win 0-0 draw 4-1 win U19 Founders Festival Northwood 31 March - 3 April Glenwood Affies Northwood Kearsney Queens Potch 3-1 win 3-0 win 1-2 lost 2-2 draw 1-0 win 8-0 win U14 Festival Northwood 5-7 April St. Davids Prince Edward Northwood Kearsney St. Charles Westville 0-1 lost 7-0 win 0-1 lost 0-3 lost 3-0 win 3-4 lost

14 CURRENT PROGRESS OF RONDEBOSCH BOYS SCHOOLS HOCKEY ASTRO AT WPCC

15 RBHS UPCOMING CALENDAR EVENTS April 19 BRSC Function 18:00 21 Rugby/Hockey vs Paarl Boys High (A) 23 English Focus Week 25 Blood Donation Clinic English Best Speakers 18:30 Pavilion BOG Meeting 17: Shakespeare Festival & Performance Competition 27 Freedom Day 28 Wynberg Rugby Festival 30 School Holiday May 1 Workers Day 3 Messiah Rehearsal RBHS 18:30-21:30 RBSET Meeting 5 Rugby vs Brackenfell (H) 6 Music Pupils Concert 17:00 7 Afrikaans Week Begins Beste Sprekers - Memorial Hall 19:00 8 Engage Evening Boeresport Afrikaans Eisteddfod 9 Afrikaans Eisteddfod 10 Gala Concert Rehearsal - Memorial Hall 11 Gala Concert 19:30 Gr 11&12 Career Exhibition 12 Rugby vs Boland (A) 13 Guitar Pupils Concert 14 Messiah Rehearsal RBHS 18:30-21:30 15 Rowing Annual Crabs Dinner 16 Lord of the Flies - School Production 17 Liaison Committee Meeting 17:30 18 Lord of the Flies - School Production Music Practical Exam Week 23 Maths Olympiad Second Round 24 BRSC Function 18:00 Senior Staff Meeting 18:00 26 Rugby vs Paul Roos (A) 28 Gr Midyear Examinations begin 30 BOG Meeting 17:30 31 Hostel Management Meeting 17:30 Rondebosch Boys High School, Canigou Avenue, Rondebosch Tel : Fax:: Website: