Principal's Desk

The last month of Term 1 2026 was extremely busy, and understandably, when we closed school for the learners, staff, and the majority of administrative staff, it was with a sigh of relief and excited anticipation of the short break that awaited them. The Maintenance, Housekeeping, and IT staff remain on site to complete much-needed work that can only be done when everyone else is away.

Term 1 Assessments got into full swing in the first week of March, and by now, all learners have received their reports. To those learners who achieved the goals they set themselves, congratulations! To those who put in all the effort but somehow did not reach their goals, it’s okay. Persevere and stay the course. To those willing to admit that they did not apply themselves, I encourage you to put in the extra time and effort and attend the extra classes on offer. Start now to revise the work from Term 1, be more focused in class when you return, and attend school daily to ensure a successful Term 2.

Our celebrations continued throughout March with several athletes competing at the Champs of Champs event. Our champions on the day were Abigail Tito, Jesse Brooks, Caden Jaftha, Riley Adonis, Noah Dreyer, Harper Halford, and Hannah-Leigh Williams, representing the Western Cape.

Jesse Brooks advances to the SASSA event in Germiston in April for her 400m race, and before the end of the term, she was competing in the Athletics Age Group Championships in Rustenburg. We wish her all the best.

Harper Halford competed at the Cape Town Biathle District Championship event. This required her to run for 800m, swim 100m, and run another 800m. As a result of her participation, she has qualified and advanced to the next event, the Western Cape Championship, taking place in George in May.

Our Head of Life Sciences, Mr Lambrecht, competed in his 2nd Cape Town Cycle Tour and enjoyed a successful ride of 109 kms with a time of 06:42:36.

We were very excited when we were informed that Kaitlin Chinnaiah in Grade 10G had applied to be a member of the Junior City Council. She was one of 50 successful candidates from a total of 929 applicants who underwent a highly competitive selection process. Bergvliet High School has been very successful over the years, with learners being selected for the JCC. We wish her well with this additional responsibility.

We are also thrilled to announce that Triston Fortune, currently in Grade 11 (also a former JCC member in Grade 10), then elected as Deputy Chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Parliament late last year, will be jetting off to Washington in July as a member of the Youth Ambassador Africa Exchange Programme. This is a significant achievement for Triston, who has put in a tremendous amount of time and effort to be selected. We wish him a safe journey there and back.

All our summer sporting codes, clubs, and societies enjoyed a wonderful Term 1, and the latter two will continue to do so at the start of Term 2, along with the winter codes, who have already been involved with pre-season training. Such is their excitement that they will be training during the short break.

Extensive renovations are currently underway at the school during this short break. The Astro replacement is nearing completion, with more flooring in the passages, removal of old window frames, and clearing of the maintenance sheds.

At our final Term 1 assembly on Friday, 27 March, learners and staff bid farewell to Mrs Ebersohn, who so kindly stepped out of her retirement when we urgently needed a Maths teacher. We are very grateful that she was willing to do so, and are indebted to her.

We also bid farewell to Mr Gwavava who arrived in January 2024 to join the Maths Literacy Department. A promotion post at Westerford High School became available, and Mr Gwavava was successful with his application. We thank him for his contributions to the school’s academic success during his time with us, his role as coach and manager for Soccer last year, as Head of Boys Basketball this year, and a partner to Miss Jorge as the Teacher Liaison Officers (TLOs) for the Astronomy Club. We wish him every success in his new chapter.

The two new teachers joining us at the start of Term 2 are Mr February (formerly at Norman Henshilwood High School), replacing Mrs Ebersohn in the Maths Department, and currently tutoring some of our Students for a Better Future learners. Mr February has extensive years of experience as a Maths and Science educator. Mrs Bawa joins us from Lavender Hill High School, also with many years of experience as a Maths Literacy educator. We look forward to their arrival!

On Saturday evening, 28 March, with much anticipation, the Class of 2026 had their Matric Dance celebration at the Southern Sun Hotel in Cape Town. What a sight to behold! Our young gentlemen and ladies arriving in spectacular vehicle style, dressed to kill in suits and dresses that they clearly put considerable thought into. On their behalf, I extend our sincere gratitude to Miss Kriel, who organised this year’s event (planning of which started last year). Without a doubt, it was a resounding success!

In closing, we wish our Christian families well over the Easter Weekend with all its commemorations and celebrations. We also trust that our learners and staff will enjoy the well-deserved short break.

MRS P DEMAS
PRINCIPAL