Rector’s eNews – 13 October 2021

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During this week we have been preparing for our Speech Day on Friday when, traditionally, we have a very clear focus on the A Block and the vast majority of the prizes are awarded to our outgoing matriculants. There is a further prize-giving early next year where boys in the other Blocks are the chief recipients of awards. I mention this because this format differs from that which many other schools adopt, and I simply wanted to point this out to parents who are new to us. The person who is addressing the boys is David Scott who is a “young Old Boy” of the band, The Kiffness, and he has previously engaged with our boys at various levels. I hope that the boys will value having somebody who is well-known throughout the country, but very much in touch with their thinking, to address them. We look forward to seeing the parents of matrics and the prize winners in the Schlesinger Theatre on Friday. The proceedings will be streamed and the link can be found on the invitation attached as Annexure A.

On Monday a Government Gazette appeared in which it was indicated that up to 2000 spectators would be allowed at sports meetings outdoors and a smaller number in indoors. Whilst supposedly this stipulation has yet to be implemented by the Department of Basic Education, I don’t believe that we can wait any longer for this to happen. However, some of the schools against whom we play may still be awaiting the alteration in the procedures laid down by the Department of Basic Education and, therefore, might not admit parents to those games when we are playing away from home. I will contact the Head of our opposition schools on a weekly basis to establish whether our parents and spectators would be welcome there or otherwise if teams are playing away from home. This Saturday, our opponents, DHS, will allow parents/spectators to watch the games as we, of course, will.

As we revert to inter-schools’ matches, the opportunity has arisen for us to use the Old Boys’ Club/ bar facility at the Heritage Centre on occasion for socialising after sports matches. Whilst we appreciate that summer sports matches end at different times depending on the nature of the sport, we propose to open the bar facility at the Heritage Centre which is, after all, for the use of everyone in the Michaelhouse Community (including parents) on two occasions over the next few weeks: those times will be on Saturday 23 October after our Westville matches and on Saturday 6 November after our Kearsney fixture from 4.30 to 7pm on each of those days. A bar facility and some light meals will be available for parents and Old Boys, along with your friends and also our opposition parents. We will experiment with a ticketing system, and we hope that there will be sufficient support for this to make the whole venture worthwhile.

It was really such a pleasure to see our boys playing their inter-schools’ matches this past week, and the boys had many successes and some very enjoyable encounters as you will read below.

Please continue to vote for Michaelhouse in the World School Awards.

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