18 november 2020 newsletter 36/2020 newsletter2222929/2018

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18 November 2020 Newsletter 36/2020

Newsletter2222929/2018

Dear Parents, Old Boys and Friends of Michaelhouse

Please click on the headings below to navigate around the eNews. Rector’s Message ................................................................................................ 1 Congratulations and Individual Achievements................................................ 4 “Soul2Sole” Project ........................................................................................... 6 Storage of Boys’ School Trunks during the holidays ....................................... 7 End of Term Arrangements .............................................................................. 7 Trade Inn (School Shop) Hours - Update ........................................................ 7 End of Year Carol Service Invitation: Friday 27 November 2020 @ 09h00 ... 8

Rector’s Message

As we move towards the end of the year, heads are bowed over desks as boys write their exams

and conclude the academic year which has brought many challenges and some changes in our

modus operandi. By this time next week, the matrics will, hopefully, be walking down Warriors

Walk armed with their Old Boys ties and stepping out into the world full of hope and

expectation. Their results will only be with them in mid-February in order to comply with the

regulations of Umalusi, the overarching authority controlling results across all of the

examination boards. So an anxious waiting period will lie ahead for them.

Inasmuch as we are gearing ourselves to say farewell to our senior boys, we are also wanting to

bid some staff farewell: I paid tribute to them at Speech Day, but not all parents were able to be

online on that occasion so I wish to take this opportunity to thank them in this eNews.

Peter Stevens has been a valued teacher in our Maths Department since 2011 and has been to

the fore in an array of other activities, perhaps notably as a group leader on the wonderful C

Block Journey. His enthusiasm for all things related to Michaelhouse has been evident in

everything that he undertakes and we wish him well on his retirement. Hélène du Toit started at

Michaelhouse as a part-time Afrikaans teacher and then took on a full-time role from 2003; we

wish her a fulfilling retirement as she leaves us after 21 years of dedicated service.

Peter Stevens Hélène du Toit

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Ephraim Mshengu, our Assistant Housekeeping Manager since 2017, started with us as a

young boy in the role of a herdsman in 1973 and gradually worked his way up into

Housekeeping. Ephraim has not been well for much of this year, but we want to pay tribute to

him for his impact on many lives over 47 years! In similar vein, Simon Zondi has given

selflessly and unstintingly of himself over the past 40 years in the Audio Visual Department as a

technician. His cheerful presence and enthusiasm for the task before him has impacted very

positively on our community. We pay tribute to him! Rita Bhugwandeen is another long-

serving member of staff who has left us after 38 years of service in the Bursary. She was born on

the property and grew up at Michaelhouse with her parents and grandparents who worked in the

Laundry or laundered clothes in a private capacity. Rita studied commercial courses which led to

her being an astute and hardworking member of the Bursar’s Department.

Ephraim Mshengu Simon Zondi Rita Bhugwandeen

Susan Dawson, our Assistant Bursar, is sadly leaving us, too, and moving to Scotland where she

is to be the Bursar at Lomond School. We wish her well.

Susan Dawson

Alan Adlington-Corfield, our Deputy Rector: Academic, is taking up his position as Executive

Head of the M-PESA Academy in Thika, Kenya. He had a significant role as Head of our Maths

Department after joining Michaelhouse in 2006 and, since 2013, has been in his current role as

Deputy Rector in charge of our academic development. Our reputation as a strong academic

school has much to do with Alan’s determination over the years to drive up the results and to

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ensure that the boys are more than motivated to succeed. We wish him well as he moves up

north.

Alan Adlington-Corfield

Lastly, our Chaplain, Alan Smedley, has ministered for 28 years to the boys, staff and the

broader Michaelhouse community. The extent to which so many of our boys are involved

entirely voluntarily with our Christian Fellowship and the fact that so many leave the school

with a strong Christian faith is testimony to Alan’s inspiring work over the years: he has been

alongside the boys in and out of Chapel, on the C Block Journey, for example as a group leader,

and elsewhere. It is almost impossible to quantify the impact of his chaplaincy in the school and

we thank him for his pivotal role in the lives of the Michaelhouse community.

Alan Smedley

May God’s Blessings be with all of our retirees; they move on to the next stages of their lives

with our warmest thanks and applause.

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Congratulations and Individual Achievements

Athletics

Warm congratulations to Zola Sokhela (pictured below) who has been selected for the Athletics

South Africa preparation squad for the World U20 Athletics Championships. Well done Zola!

Cricket

On Saturday our 1st XI played against the Eston Cricket Club in Eston; Michaelhouse won by 4

wickets in a low-scoring match.

Michaelhouse 1st XI

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The annual cricket dinner was also held Saturday and the following boys received awards:

Cricketer of the Year: Jared Meiring

Players’ player of the Year: Roeland Van den Berg

Bowler of the Year: Oyama Ntshona (19 wickets)

Batsman of the Year: Jared Meiring (522 runs; 537 balls)

Canoeing

Over the past weekend our canoeists paddled in the Alan Gardiner Memorial from Ibis Point to

Mbeje’s Store, and the following results were recorded: U18 – 1st Jack Edmonds, 3rd Matthew

Millward and U16 – 3rd Jack Shooter.

Cultural

Rector’s Concert

The first Rector’s Concert took place on Sunday afternoon, 15 November 2020, at 5pm at the

Rectory. This prestigious concert is aimed mainly at celebrating the work of boys who have done

exceptionally well in external examinations during the course of the year. This year there was

much to celebrate -for example our music students continuing to make excellent progress under

severe restrictions, and the fact that of the sixteen boys who took external music examinations

this year, fifteen have passed with either Merit or Distinction. The parents of our performers

were invited to join us for a wonderful experience, and it was clear that the opportunity to come

together in this way has been sorely missed this year.

The following boys featured in the programme: Kofi Asumaning (Grade 7 Saxophone); Oliver

Cheales (Grade 8 Clarinet); Ben Frost (Grade 4 Guitar); Christopher Silk (Grade 3 Horn);

Adrian Hill (Grade 5 Voice); Sandiso Hlongwa (Grade 5 Piano); Letlotlo Sekatle (Grade 3

Guitar); Sello Stone-Mboweni (Grade 6 Drums); David Nienaber (Grade 3 Electric Guitar);

Andrew Woodland (Grade 6 Saxophone); Rory Steyn (Grade 3 Drums); Peter Woodland

(Grade 6 Trumpet); Marc Sidebottom (Grade 3 Guitar); Jesse Breytenbach (Grade 5 Voice);

Alexander Brits (Grade 6 Bassoon); Max Chapman (Grade 6 Guitar); and Ben Cheales

(Grade 8 Piano).

A hearty thank you to the Rector and his family for hosting the event, the kitchen (Capitol

Caterers), Ms Carika de Swardt, Mr William Silk, Ms Katherine Clark, and Mrs Angela Jonsson

for the enormous part they played in ensuring a very special concert. We are looking forward to

the Rector’s Concert becoming an annual feature of our music calendar.

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Musical Soiree held at the Rectory

“Soul2Sole” Project

Michaelhouse will, once again, support the Soul2Sole project, which collects, refurbishes and

distributes school shoes to needy children. For each pair of shoes donated by Michaelhouse

boys, a new pair of shoes will be provided for a child at our partner schools. At the end of each

year collection boxes, into which boys can drop their old shoes, are placed in Houses.

We also encourage the departing matrics, as part of their first gesture of compassion as Old

Boys, to leave their shoes at the gate at the end of their valedictory stroll down Warriors’ Walk.

On a similar note, at the end of each year unwanted sports kit and clothing is also collected for

distribution in our local community. If your son has grown out of his shoes and sports gear,

please allow him to donate these items to someone in need.

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Storage of Boys’ School Trunks during the holidays

Should you be an out of country parent, or even an out of province one, and would like to store

your son’s trunk and school clothes in Nottingham Road during the holidays rather than take them

home, then you may wish to contact Georgie Carter on 082 822 7202 or Thuli Khanyile on 072

623 9450. Georgie and Thuli have taken over Midlaunder from Sue Rawlings who previously

offered this service to Michaelhouse parents. Midlaunder offers the service of collecting your

son’s trunk from Michaelhouse, washing, ironing and mending the clothes in it (loose buttons

etc.), storing the trunk at their premises during the holidays and returning the trunk to your son’s

House at school at the beginning of the school year. All dealings in this regard must please be with

Georgie and Thuli directly as this will be a private arrangement between Midlaunder and you.

For all arrangements please contact them directly on [email protected] or via whattsapp on

073 143 2259.

Please note the following important points:

Boys’ trunks will be collected from the school laundry on break-up day, Friday 27

November, between 08h30-12h00.

Boys leaving earlier must ensure they leave their trunks at the school laundry before they

leave.

Trunks that are not left at the school laundry will not be taken by Midlaunder

Trunks of prefects returning earlier for the Prefects’ Camp will be delivered to their House

dayroom on Friday 15 January 2021.

Trunks for all other boys will be delivered to their House dayroom on Monday 18 January

2021.

End of Term Arrangements

It is important to remember that the Michaelhouse term ends on Friday 27 November at 10h00.

In keeping with this, only exceptional allowances will be made for boys wishing to depart before

this time. It is also important to note that there are no buses to Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, or

Durban on this day. The only School transport available is to take boys who are flying home to

the airport, bearing in mind that all possessions must be removed from the school for the holiday

period.

Trade Inn (School Shop) Hours - Update

Please note the change in opening times:

The Trade Inn will be open for all parents and boys on Wednesday 25 November from 08h00 -

16h00. Following this the Trade Inn will be closed for the holiday period and will re-open on

Tuesday 19 January 2020 from 08h00 – 16h00. They will also be open for new, incoming

pupils and their parents on New Boys’ Day on Sunday 17 January 2020 from 08h00 – 13h00.

mailto:[email protected]

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End of Year Carol Service Invitation: Friday 27 November 2020 @ 09h00

We warmly invite parents and members of the Michaelhouse Community to join us for our

annual Christmas Carol Service.

Please RSVP to Mandy Rouillard on [email protected] as numbers will be limited due

to Covid.

With my best wishes

ANTONY CLARK

RECTOR

mailto:[email protected]

18 november 2020 newsletter 36/2020 newsletter2222929/2018

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