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23 February 2018

Dear Parents

The achievements of our SACS men just keep pouring in and the pages that follow offer a glimpse into the frenetic and action-packed lives of our SACS men.

From water polo finals to the outstanding musical talent on display at the Walter Swanson Memorial concert, our young men continue to “strut their stuff” in the most wonderfully-positive ways.

Thursday’s special assembly saw sixteen pupils and three staff members each address the school in a different language, in which they are fluent, in a celebration of cultural and language diversity. Our boys were superb. The highlight for me was when Mr Joseph Raba, who has loyally served our school as part of our estate team for the past thirty years, addressed the hall in three languages, including his home language isiZulu. This was received with respect and awe. Mrs Borchardt must be thanked for this successful initiative.

We celebrated International Language Day on Thursday and the following message was brought to the pupils in 17 different languages:

Language is important because that is the way in which we communicate with each other. We are all different, yet we are all human beings. Let us respect each other’s culture, language, religion and race.

The following people participated:

1. English Sammy James 2. Kinyawrando Fabrice Nihamana 3. IsiXhosa Themba Simayi 4. Arabic Zaid Najjaar 5. Zulu Mr Raba 6. Urdu Syed Aley Hasan Jaffri 7. Afrikaans Noah Duffus 8. Russian Illeya Meyer 9. Swahili Gift Nkulu 10. Greek Luca Firfilis 11. Shona Delvin Gundani 12. German Mr O’Connor 13. Hungarian Nandor Desi 14. Dutch Mr Barnard and Daan Halle 15. French Jordan Coetzee 16. Tswana Katlego Malebe 17. Spanish Sebastian Long 18. Danish Nic Williams

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Kai Curran (Grade 10) was awarded the Dr Melle Senior Cup this week for scoring 138 not out for the First Cricket team against Bellville High School.

James Royden-Turner (Grade 9) was awarded the Junior Cup for his consistent performances and for another outstanding contribution in the U15A team’s win against Bellville High School.

Well done to the participants of the Walter Swanson competition. Twelve performers entertained with great artistry, confidence and control. Thank you to each musician for a very special evening's entertainment and for being such great musical ambassadors for SACS.

The adjudicator, Mrs Sue Paterson-Jones, commented on the tremendous talent and hard work evident throughout the concert. Congratulations to the winner, Simon Wu (Grade 12), with special mention to Zubair Abader (Grade 12) and Sebastian Long (Grade 10).

Thank you to the Big Band for bringing the evening to a fitting close. Thank you and congratulations to Mrs Greta Graham and her fantastic team that guide our talented musicians.

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Our oarsmen competed at the Western Cape Junior Championships this past weekend, where some fantastic results were achieved, including a Silver medal from the U16A VIII, a Gold medal from the First IV and a Silver medal from the First VIII. Our U15 to U19 age groups will head off for a training camp this coming weekend in preparation for the South African Schools Junior Rowing Championships - the pinnacle of the season. I wish them the best in their preparations.

Cullen Keytel (Grade 11), currently ranked number two in South Africa, has been invited to sail in the 2018 ILCA Laser Radial Mens World Championships. The Championships will be held in Germany in conjuction with the Kieler Woche, one of the largest and most long standing regattas worldwide.

Please find attached the March test timetable. School will start at 07:55am and end at 12:30pm during this period. Normal sports practices will continue, but will take place at an earlier time. It is compulsory for boys to attend school, regardless of whether they are writing a test or not.

A notice informing parents of the upcoming School Governing Body (SGB) Elections was emailed to all parents on Friday 16 February 2018. The Elections will take place on Tuesday 13 March 2018 at 5:30pm in the Hofmeyr Hall. Should no quorum be achieved at the first election meeting, then the second election meeting will take place on Tuesday 20 March 2018.

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Fabrice Nahimana (Grade 12), Kabelo Mokoena (Grade 12), Thurston Cloete (Grade 12), Stuart Whittingdale (Grade 11), Matthew Venier (Grade 11) and Connor Abrahams (Grade 11) have been selected to represent South Africa (in various age groups) at the Youth Touch Rugby World Cup in Malaysia later this year.

Alexander Baker (Grade 11), Caden Sampson (Grade 9) and Luke Canning (Grade 9) participated in a provincial competition in Stellenbosch last weekend, hosted by the Cape Winelands District.

Luke picked up four medals (bronze for the Senior Men’s Foil, Junior Men’s Foil and U17 Foil, as well as Silver for the U15 Foil), Alexander two medals (Silver for Junior Men’s Foil and U17 Foil) and Caden three medals (Gold for Junior Men’s Foil, U17 Foil and U15 Foil). Another stellar performance from these young men.

Alexander has been selected to represent South Africa at the Junior African Championships in Lagos, Nigeria (U17 Cadet Foil Division). Congratulations and all the best for the upcoming championships.

King’s College (Taunton) exchange: Panashe Gundani, Zach Baskir and Haytham Jeppie with Mr Biggs, Headmaster of King’s College, and the three King’s exchange students who will visit us later in the year.

Our U14A water polo team enjoyed a successful Dave Pitcairn tournament, losing narrowly in the Final to Bishops by two goals to three. The team topped their pool and beat Pearson High School in the Quarter Final and Rondebosch Boys’ High School in the Semi-Final - a close match that went to penalties. The Final was very competitive and played in good spirit.

Congratulations to Declan Fiet (Grade 9) who came second in the Cape Winelands (formerly Boland) Provincial Surfing Championships.

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A project which has been in the making for the past five years will come to fruitation on Monday 6 March 2018. We will be commencing the construction of a new sports pavilion that will overlook the Memorial field. Mr Barry van Selm and all members of our community who have supported this initiative must be thanked for their tireless efforts in making this dream a reality.

Monday’s assembly saw various Music certificates being awarded. These certificates included examinations written for Trinity College London, Royal Schools of Music and Kaapse Afrikaanse Eisteddfod. Congratulations to all boys who were awarded certificates and a special congratulations to the following boys:

Cameron Garde Grade 9 Grade 6 Clarinet Sebastian Long Grade 10 Grade 7 Clarinet Robert Versfeld Grade 12 Grade 7 Singing Reuben Allies Grade 10 Grade 8 Saxophone

Andreas Coxson Grade 12 Grade 8 Saxophone Daniel Tukker Grade 11 Grade 8 Drum Kit

On Tuesday 6 March (6:30pm) there will be a presentation for parents and learners regarding the AS and A-Level courses offered from term three to boys in Grade 10. The programme is offered to boys working at 80% or above in English, Mathematics, Life Sciences or Physical Sciences. To attend the meeting, please complete the Google form on the following link:

https://goo.gl/forms/iwo7sSZ9m7ERtsVe2

For more information, contact Dawn Siso at sisod@sacollege.org.za

Our cricketers compete against Bishops this weekend, whilst our oarsmen and water polo players take a break from fixtures this weekend and prepare for their upcoming tours next weekend. Our First Cricket Team play on Saturday at 9:30am on De Villiers Field (H) (50 Overs).

On Wednesday 28 February 2018, Rondebosch Boys’ High School will host the Annual Triangular Athletics Meeting (SACS, Bishops and Rondebosch Boys’ High School).

The Triangular has NOT been cancelled, but in light of all the water shortage issues, we need to consider the impact that this event will have on Rondebosch’s facilities. Rondebosch would like to avoid having more than 2 500 spectators at one field for a couple of hours. In light of this, the three schools have decided not to make attendance for supporters compulsory for this year only. However, boys are still welcome to attend and support the athletes.

The event will start at 2:00pm and finish at about 5:15pm. School closes at 12:15pm and the boys must be seated in their designated area by 1:45pm.

We wish all athletes well for the event and trust that the spectators enjoy the atmosphere and spirit of the 83rd Triangular event.

Yours sincerely

B.J. GRANT HEADMASTER