Rector’s eNews 27: 28 August 2024
/ UncategorizedThe national airline, Airlink, is considering the reinstatement of a flight from Cape Town to Pietermaritzburg direct and vice versa. This is largely a result of pressure from independent boarding schools in KZN, including Michaelhouse. Accordingly Airlink has begun a process of engaging with market research on the potential for this and its viability and the airline has asked us please to distribute this short questionnaire to parents to assess likely interest. Please could I ask you to reply if it is relevant to you as it would be hugely beneficial to parents, boys and girls and others to reinstate this flight, even if only over certain days.
Would you mind taking 2 minutes to complete this form? It would be great if you can submit your response by 16 September 2024. Thank you!
I thought I would let you know that, in our assembly, on Monday, Mr Sibusiso Ncamani, our Designated Safeguarding Lead, outlined to the boys how important it is to ensure the safety of everyone at Michaelhouse. He explained that, in his role, he focuses on the well-being of all of the boys and if one of them is not “in a good place”, there are a number of people here who could assist – for example, a tutor or a Housemaster or the School Counsellor (Mr Tim Jarvis) or himself. He said it could be that boys know of a peer or junior who is struggling psychologically, and it is important that they should pass on that information so that those who are in a position to deal with it can do so. Again, while an obvious person with whom to liaise from a boy’s perspective is his Housemaster, Mr Ncamani oversees those roles and he said he could be the person whom boys should feel able to approach. He explained that boys could contact him anonymously through the Guardian App by going to the App Store and downloading it on their phones; it is a confidential mechanism for ensuring that he (and certain others) will know about a situation, but nobody will know who has sent that information through to him. There may be enough information for him to work with in the course of an investigation, but that may not be the case if a person remains anonymous. That is why it is so much better, he said, to approach him directly in his capacity as the DSL (Designated Safeguarding Lead) if a boy has a concern or needs to report an issue. Similarly, a parent could report a situation via the App, but again it is better to do so directly. He also said that it was important to treat the dissemination of information as important and not to “play the fool” when using it. I believe that the boys established a clear understanding of how to use the Guardian App and for what purpose.
In the same assembly, I spoke to the boys about maintaining high standards and working in synergy with staff to ensure that we did so. Our boys have displayed commitment and energy in a range of different areas and also contributed in a myriad of ways to supporting others – for example, many boys have shown care in working to improve conditions at our footprint schools or helping with the organisation of an event, such as the U12 Sevens event last Sunday at Michaelhouse. Their positive energy and commitment has had a successful spinoff for other boys and for us all.
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