Dear Parents / Guardians
END OF A LONG TERM
At the end of the 2020 school year the Covid situation was settling down and everyone was looking forward to a far more normal 2021. Unfortunately, during December the second Covid wave arrived which resulted in a disrupted start to the school year. The start of the academic year was delayed by two weeks and once again Covid restrictions were put in place.
Despite the academic year being delayed, the school was in the fortunate position of being able to go online and begin the academic programme during this two-week delay. Once schools were allowed to reopen, we were in the fortunate position of allowing all our boys to return. The commitment from all the teachers and the cooperation and support from all parents and boys must be acknowledged in this regard.
While the academic programme of the school was largely uninterrupted, the school’s extra mural programme was put on hold. Fortunately, after a one month delay, the summer sports season was able to commence and a number of summer sports fixtures did take place. Further extramural restrictions have been lifted and the school has been able to commence with the winter sports programme, in anticipation of competing against opponent schools in the new term.
During the course of the term, two boys have tested positive for Covid. The necessary protocols were followed, close contracts were identified and school was able to continue unaffected. Two teachers and one boarder housemaster tested positive for Covid during the course of the term. Once again, these cases were handled following all the necessary protocols and there was minimal disruption to the school. With the necessary protocols and management structures in place, the school continues to provide a controlled and safe environment for the boys and staff. The management of this pandemic in a school environment remains a huge responsibility. I would like to thank all those involved for the professional manner in which these cases were dealt with and for all their hard work.
I would also like to thank the parents and boys for the responsible approach you have adopted towards the managing of this pandemic. The fact that the school has only had two boys test positive this term speaks to the manner in which you have taken responsibility for yourselves. It is only in working together that we have been able to maintain a safe environment. Thank you for this.
Thank you also to the staff and boys for the positive manner in which they have approached the year. With the delayed and disrupted start to the year it would have been very easy to become negative. I have found both the staff and the boys to be nothing but positive. Once again they have adjusted and adapted to the circumstances in which we find ourselves and have made the most of these circumstances. In particular, it has truly been wonderful for me to see the positive nature of the boys and they need to be commended for this. It is so encouraging to see their positive Boys High nature come through. If this is to be their attitude going forward, it can only bode well for the rest of the year.
START OF THE NEW TERM
Before the Easter break I spoke to the school about the possibility of the so called “third wave” that is predicted to take place. What is encouraging at the moment is if one looks at the numbers of infections and the rate of increase, the third wave has not yet arrived. Numbers of new infections in the country are very stable and this is positive news. The two positive cases the school experienced, however, is a very real reminder of the fact that we have to remain responsible and cannot become complacent in our management of the virus. Looking at increasing figures around the world, it must be assumed South Africa will also experience the third wave. If/when a third wave is to occur, we cannot afford to close school or stop the extramural programme unnecessarily and this is where we all continue to play an important role. Especially with the one-week holiday that we have.
During this one week break, please ensure you continue to practice your social distancing, to sanitise regularly and to wear your mask at all times. Most importantly continue being responsible at social gatherings. Uncontrolled gatherings in confined areas where you are not wearing masks is a recipe for disaster which will undoubtedly have severe consequences for the school. Please remain vigilant and responsible in maintaining all the precautionary measures so as to avoid contracting the virus.
SCHOOL GOVERNING BODY ELECTION
A successful School Governing Body election was held on Monday 15 March. Our thanks go to those parents who stood for election for the SGB. The following members now comprise the full SGB:
Ex-Officio
Mr G Hassenkamp Headmaster
Parent members:
Mr M Kingon Chairperson
Mrs M Kok Deputy Chairperson
Mr E Botha Legal/Risk/Discipline
Ms L Klein Diversity and Transformations
Mr W Louw Estates
Mr A Nel Boarding
Mr W Scott Finance
Mrs N Trollip Parents Association
Mrs Y van der Merwe Finance
Co-opted
Ms L Madlala HR
Mr E de Kock Estate and Buildings
Mr J Cook Business Manager
Teachers:
Mrs J Holliday
Mr J Illsley
Mr M Moodley
Non-Teacher:
Mrs N Brett
Ms K Dodds Minutes Secretary
I am extremely grateful to our electoral officer, Mr Andrew Nel from Brooklyn Primary School, who oversaw the day and the administrative staff, Mrs Dodds, Mrs Chapman, Mrs Cameron and Mrs Evans who ensured voting went smoothly. Thank you also to all those parents who made the effort to vote and supported this important process.
My thanks go to the outgoing governors for their support and service.
USE OF SCHOOL FACILITIES DURING THE HOLIDAYS
Due to current Covid protocols, the school’s facilities may not be used without the supervision of a staff member. For this reason, the school’s facilities will not be available to boys, old boys or parents of the school during the school holiday.
START OF TERM ARRANGEMENTS
Term 2 will start with Day 1 on Monday 3rd May.
WINTER UNIFORM
With the change of season, the school will switch to the formal winter uniform with effect from 3rd May. However, there will be a two-week transition period from Monday 3rd May until Friday 15th May where boys may wear either their summer uniform or the formal winter uniform. Thereafter, from Monday 17th May, all boys must be in formal winter uniform.
CLOTHING SHOP
Should you have any items of uniform in good condition that your son has outgrown, please consider donating these to our Clothing Shop. Please contact Mrs Lazarides on clothingshop@boyshigh.com /012 460 7177 to make arrangements.
APPEARANCE AND HAIR
When your sons return to school in the new term, please ensure their uniform is correct and their appearance is in line with the school rules. Please take note of the regulations that pertain to a boy’s hair style as per the school’s Code of Conduct (see the two points below). These rules will be strictly enforced as from the start of term. Boys whose appearance is not up to standard will be sent home until such time that they meet with the school’s requirements. Boys whose appearance is not up to standard, will not be allowed to represent the school at extramural activities.
- Hair must be cut to an acceptable and uniform length and must always be neat and clean. There should not be a significant difference in length of the hair on the sides and the top of the head. Fringes must be above the eyebrow. Hairstyles must be conservative by nature, taking the boy’s culture into consideration.
- No hair products such as gel and/or dyes are permitted and no unusual styles will be permitted. Boys may not perm or straighten their hair.
ISSUING OF REPORTS
Printed copies of reports will be issued to all boys on Friday 7 May.
Please take the time to study the results of your son also paying attention to the comments made by the teachers. A constructive discussion should take place between parent/s and son in terms of these results against his potential. Should your sons results not be a true reflection of his ability the necessary arrangements need to be made so as to ensure he can achieve the marks of which he is truly capable.
The Parent/Teacher Consultation Meeting will take placed on Tuesday, 11 May. Please diarise this date should you need to attend the meeting so as to discuss the progress of your son. Further details will be communicated early next term.
2021 ADJUSTED SCHOOL CALENDAR
With the adjusted school calendar, the rest of the year’s term dates are as follows:
Term Start Date End Date
2nd term Monday 3 May Friday 9 July
3rd term Monday 26 July Friday 1 October
4th term Monday 11 October Friday 15 December
THANK YOU AND FAREWELL TO STAFF
The school sadly bids farewell to Mr Wilbert Tenga. Mr Tenga began teaching at PBHS at the start of 2018 and has been teaching Mathematics and Mathematical Literacy. Mr Tenga will be taking up a position in the Mathematics post at Hilton College. We thank him for his three years and one term of service where he has proved to be a valuable and loyal school master. The school looks forward to seeing Mr Tenga during our annual exchange with Hilton College. We wish Mr. Tenga and his family well with the move.
To Mrs Russel, a very special word of thanks for assisting the school as substitute teacher (Biology) over the past four months. All your hard work during this time is truly appreciated.
HAPPY HOLIDAY
I wish you all a well-deserved, if not very short break, after what has been a very long term. I look forward to seeing you all safe, fit and healthy at the start of next term as we look to build on the positive momentum we have created this year.
The school would like to wish our Muslim community well for the holy month of Ramadan, which began on Monday 12th April following the sighting of the moon over Mecca. Ramadan will end on or around Tuesday 11th May, with the celebratory days of Eid al-Fitr starting immediately afterwards.
The school would also like to wish our Greek community happy Easter as they celebrate the Greek Orthodox Easter next weekend as they follow the Julian calendar.
Kind regards
GJ HASSENKAMP
HEADMASTER
SPORT ARRANGEMENTS
Hockey
A hockey coaching clinic will take place on Thursday 29th April and Friday 30th April from 08:00 – 16:00 on both days. The following teams are included: 1st and 2nd teams, U16A, U16B, U14A and U14B teams.
Rugby
On the 24th April the 1st XV will participate in the Monna’s Rugby Festival where the team will play against Hoërskool Rustenburg. The match will take place at 11:30 and it will be live streamed. Unfortunately, no spectators are allowed to attend.
There will be a training camp for the 1st XV from 27 – 30 April at PBHS.
The 1st XV will play a match against Grey High School from Port Elizabeth on 1 May. Unfortunately, no spectators are allowed to attend.
The U16A and U16B rugby teams will participate in the Naka Bulle Rugby Festival from 26 – 28 April. Unfortunately, no spectators are allowed to attend.
On Friday 30 April (14:30 – 16:30) and Saturday 1 May (09:00 – 11:00) a training camp will take place for the U15A-C and U14 A-C rugby teams.
Winter Sports Fixture Vs Jeppe High School
On Saturday 8th May, the school will participate in a winter spots fixture against Jeppe High School. The following teams will be playing:
Teams playing at PBHS:
Rugby: 1st – 8th teams, XV’s and U16A-E rugby teams.
Hockey: 1st – 5th teams and U16A, C and E teams.
Unfortunately, no spectators will be allowed to attend.
Teams Playing at Jeppe:
Rugby: U15A – E and U14A – F teams.
Hockey: U16B, D and F teams and U14C and D teams.
Unfortunately, no spectators will be allowed to attend.
It is expected that selected rugby and hockey matches will be live streamed from PBHS.
BOYS ACHIEVEMENTS
Our warm congratulations go to the following boys:
Representative Council of Learners – 2021
RCL Committee: Chairman: Liam Gillesen; Vice Chairman: Raoul Mahabeer; Secretary: Marciano de Oliveira; Advertising Officer: Jason Visser; Teacher Liaison: Mrs M Petrou
Abernethy: Raoul Mahabeer, Panayiotis Economou, Ashton Theron, Mava Mdazuka, Ryan Adou
Arcadia: Kgothatso Tladi, Ofentse Sekano, Joseph Pinetown, Regardt Schellack, Luciano Gray
Armstrong: Jan Wessels, Jason Visser, Nico Botes, Mohamed Ghoor, Tony Mgudlwa
Hofmeyr: Marciano de Oliviera, Obusitse Bokaba, Kganya Tlape, Marcel Linde, Lucas Erasmus
Matheson: Shival Sookay, James Maherry, Adam Prinsloo, Wandile Kharibe, Marc de Wet
Rissik: Wandile Mkhize, Siyanda Mjoli, Jordan Anderson, Jordan Stokes, Mwela Mutale
School: Matthew Meise, Yongama Bini, Kholisile Xaba, Ntsako Ndlhovu, Nils Pabst
Solomon: Joshua Engelbrecht, Tristao Antunes, Kgotso Mashigo, Botshelo Peta, Jesse Pretorius
Sunnyside: Tinaishe Muzondida, Rhula Sithole, Hashil Lakha, Matthew Van Zyl, Hendrik Meijer
Town: Liam Gillesen, Murendeni Masibigiri, Junior Mdhluli, Datis Du Preez, Oliver Smythe
Academic Awards (based on 2020 promotion results)
Half Colours
Form III: Jano Boshoff, Matthew Cassel, David de Villiers, Ruben Dixon, Reuben Fourie, Raphael Gibberd, Nicolaas Hoffmann, Yasfeer Johnson, Liam Jooste, Miguel Lavarinhas, Joshua Le Roux, Bohlale Masemola, Ntokoto Ngulele, Michael Paxton, Diaan Pienaar, Fritz Potgieter, Aidan Raby, Frans Radloff, Dieter Snyckers, Kehan Taljaard, Kgotso Thobejane, Myles van Wyk, Neil van Schalkwyk, Jason Visser, Adedamola Yusuff, Luke Zondagh
Form IV: Edwin Arndt, Jonathan Chittenden, Komborero Chavhunduka, Keyan da Silva, Deng Deng, Divan Dirkse van Schalkwyk, Alexander Dreyer, Loren Ehlers, Delano Goncalves Vieira, Piletjie Mailula, Tinotenda Mukiwa, Makhosetive Mvakali, Kaveer Nagessar, Prashik Naraindath, Lehlogonolo Phetla, James Plant, Eduard Plint, Hrithik Rajnund, Philip Swemmer, Reece Wenhold, Jan Wessels, Sami Woldesadie, William Botha, Daniel Geerdink, Kyle Marshall, Shival Sookay, Henry van Bosch
Full Colours
Form III: Iloke Alusala, James Banyard, Maurice de Sousa, Ryan John, Hyukjoo Kim, Wallenstein Louw, Jacob Marais, Nicholas Pieterse, Daniel Obermeyer, Barend Steenekamp, Manfred Spiwak, Justin van den Boogaard
Form IV: Michael Jacobsz, Theunis Kruger, Crouse Louw, Jonathan Pretorius, Jurie-Kemp van der Watt, Joshua Zeeman, Henry Zhang, Matthew Meise, Eben Pienaar, Aren Repko , Pedran Wessels
Honours
Form III: Alex van den Boogaard
Form IV: Bazil Bezuidenhout, Arno de Bruin, Liam Gillesen, Johann Kok, Robert Snedden
Sport Captains
Basketball Wade Hobson
Climbing Edward Harvey
Cricket Claudio Jardim
Hockey Callen Stephen
Rugby Josh Mitchell
Swimming Alessandro Montalto
Table Tennis Storm Speranza
Tennis Stephen-John Steyn
Water Polo Dylan Condes
Stephen Adams (Form II Abernethy) competed at the SA National Aquatic Championships and won gold medals for the 1m, 3m, and platform diving, a silver medal for mixed synchro, and received the Victor Ludorum for the Junior division. This makes Stephen the official SA Junior Diving Champion.
The SA Schools Squash Closed Tournament was held last weekend and our boys placed as follows:
Ruben Arnoldi – 22nd in U14
Jarrod Cousins – 13th in U19
Gareth Craigen – 7th in U19
This is a national ranking tournament and we are very proud of these boys’ achievements.
CULTURAL ACTIVITIES UPDATE
Though the start of Term 1 under COVID restrictions did not allow us to participate in the standard inter-school competitions, our clubs and societies have still found creative and innovative ways to keep themselves active.
For the first time, cultural activities were introduced into the Form I Orientation day and our new, excited Form I’s were able to get a taste for some of the cultural activities our school has to offer. The clubs involved in the Form I Fun Day included the Gumboot Dancers, the Chess Club, the Wildlife Society and Boys Highlights who organised performances, matches, guided tours and challenges respectively.
Prior to the Form I Fun Day in February, our Wildlife Society spent a Saturday morning working on the estate spraying the alien and invasive vegetation.
Some of the outstanding cultural achievements include:
Leon Duvenhage in Form III, Town House, participated in the 2021 Online Inter-Region Closed Tournament as part of the Gauteng North Chess Under 18 Open B Team in February 2021. Leon was awarded Gauteng North Colours after participation in this event.
In April, our Pipe Band participated in the 100 Guineas Online Solo Piping contest. Participants were required to record and submit video footage of their sets and submit them online. The following results were obtained:
- Eduard Plint in Form IV, Hofmeyr House, placed 5th in the Junior Strathspey & Reel contest as well as 5th in the Junior March contest.
- Terence Jenkings in Form IV, Town House, placed 5th in the Novice Strathspey and Reel contest.
In 2020, two of our boys, Christof Joubert, and Daniel Obermeyer, who were then in Form V, Matheson House, and Form III, Town House, respectively were invited to be a part of The Global ABRSM (Royal School of Music) High Scorers’ Concert based on the excellence and high standards of their performances. Daniel Obermeyer’s cello performance of Largo and Allegro 3rd and 4th movement from Sonata in D, by George Telemann was selected as part of the global concert.
Caleb Burrow, in Form III Arcadia, was awarded the Top Achiever Award in the Allan Gray Entrepreneurship Challenge and was placed first in South Africa out of over 8 000 pupils in the Allan Gray Entrepreneurship Challenge (AGEC).
Each year, our Photographic Society runs a Wildlife Photography competition. Due to the restrictions of lockdown, they were only able to announce the 2020 winner of the 2020 Wildlife Photographer of the Year this year. We would like to congratulate Keaghan van der Merwe, in Form V, Arcadia on receiving this prestigious award.
We look forward to a competitive second term where our Public Speakers will take part in the Pretoria Speech Festival in May at CBC Mount Edmond. Our Inter-House Play Festival will run from the 17th to 19th of May, and our Pipe Band will host a Pipe Band competition against Jeppe, KES and St Benedict’s.
Over the evenings of 18-20 April we once again produced what can only be described as a world class Café Concert. The concert is an annual show which displays the various music ensembles at the school. The performance of the boys and bands was quite remarkable and once again highlights the quality of work done by the schools Music Department. Our compliments go to Dr van der Watt and the entire Music Department for the outstanding work they continue to do in developing the musical talent at the school. The concert can be viewed online until Tuesday 4 May 2021. To purchase a ticket go to https://tickets.tixsa.co.za/event/caf-covid-2021-live-streaming