Weekly eNews
Ross Featherston
Headmaster, Brighton Grammar SchoolSchool reunions bring together alumni who share a common history and experiences and serve as a platform for Old Boys to reconnect and develop lasting relationships.
This week, OBGS President Andrew Rutter (OB 1980), along with some of our staff, joined Old Boys in Perth to recall memories and strengthen positive connections of their time at school.
Recently, members of the Class of 1994 travelled from both overseas and around Australia to reunite after three decades. The upcoming Spring edition of Meliora Sequamur, due out this month, will highlight these well-attended reunions, including a London event, spanning 10, 20, 40 and 50 year milestones. These gatherings are a testament to the strong sense of belonging at BGS.
While these events provide Old Boys with an opportunity to reflect on the past, I am always struck by how well these past connections are transformed into the present, acting as a catalyst for ongoing collaboration and community ties.
Finally, next Friday the Chairman of School Council will be writing to parents with details of the 2025 fee schedule and our plans for the year ahead.
Have a great week.
Peter Tellefson
Deputy Headmaster, Head of Junior SchoolOur Year 6 boys certainly ‘shined’ in Finding Nemo Jr last night.
The ‘shine’ I talk about isn’t the type that comes from the glare of stage lighting as it bounces off the stage make-up and glittery costumes. It is the ‘shine’ that comes from within. It is the ‘shine’ that our boys bring to all of their school endeavours.
Our boys are learning that hard work pays off. They learn that teamwork and practice lead to success. They learn that what you bring to your work is as important as what you take from it.
They experience that learning is fun. This was evident during the performance of Finding Nemo Jr, I congratulate and thank our Year 6 boys for ‘shining’ once again and wish them well for their final performance this evening.
Today we celebrated R U OK? Day across our school from ELC to Year 12. We have an obligation to continue to develop a caring and nurturing environment amongst our boys.
Of course, our boys will slip up, make mistakes and make poor choices, that is part of life and the learning journey our boys are on.
I think we do many things well at BGS: setting a positive can-do culture, seeing our boys as individuals and celebrating their strengths, promoting a strong sense of connection and belonging, and supporting one another through challenging times.
Wilson House Happenings & Reminders
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In this week’s What Am I Learning, Dr Swann in his role as guest judge of the Prep-Year 1 Public Speaking competition highlights the high standard of presentations by the boys who are learning the lifelong skills of resilience and social connection.
- Best wishes to our Year 6 boys and staff travelling to Vietnam this weekend as part of our Year 6 Vietnam Cultural Exchange program – John Allen, Charlie Auditore, Harry Griffiths, Harry Heard, Hamish Hoy, Jeremy Ma, Jasper Mace, Dylan McGilton, Lance Sun, Alex Telders, Kevin Xie, Henry Zhang. I look forward to visiting the group later next week. Dean Bryan will be responsible for the Junior School in my absence.
- Term 3 interim Reports will be available to parents for all Prep to Year 6 boys from Wednesday 18 September. These Reports do not assess Achievement, but focus on Attitude, Effort and the development of various Personal and Social Skills. These reports will be available online.
- Our next Ute Full of Food will be held next Thursday 19 September. Items particularly requested are breakfast cereals, sugar, jams and spreads, pasta and pasta sauce, rice, noodles, biscuits, tins of vegetables, fruit and fish are particularly welcome, meals-in-a-can, toilet paper, bathroom supplies.
- Next Friday 20 September will be our final day of Term 3. The following is an outline of the day:
8.50am – Chapel – Prep to Year 6
9.20am – End of Term Assembly (St Andrew’s Church) Parents are welcome to attend
10.10am – Free time Winning House
12.15pm – JPG Lunch – Please note there are NO Tuck shop orders available
1.30pm – Tabloid Sports – boys can wear their Sport Uniform/House Polo Shirt plus favourite football colours
3.20pm – Normal Dismissal
- Our school is supporting Connor’s Run, to raise much needed funds for childhood brain cancer, the #1 disease killer for young Aussies. We’d love your support and are encouraging our entire school community to register!
Join us on Sunday 15 September for the one-day Melbourne event, and throughout the month of September for Connor’s Run Your Way Any Day. More information here. If you would like to join the BGS Junior School team, register here.
- SAVE THE DATE – The Prep – Year 6 House Athletics Carnival will be held on Friday 18 October at Duncan MacKinnon Athletics track. Parents are welcome to attend. There will be an opportunity for parents to join their son for lunch at approximately 1.00pm. Further details will be available on the BGS app in Term 4.
- As marked in the Date Card, classes conclude for Term 3 on Friday 20 September at 3.20pm. The first day of Term 4 is Monday 7 October when classes resume at 8.30am, and all boys from ELC to Year 6 are to wear their Summer uniform.
Student Achievements
- Well done to the boys who were nominated for the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee State Finals. The Spelling Bee allows students to complete 30 spelling words in a fun format where they have to aim for accuracy and beat the clock. Loukas Pyrlis, Jackson Bartlett, Noah Soo, Henry Zhang and Terence Ji qualified for the next round and scored well with some very challenging words such as wallaroo, ferret, forlorn, symmetrical and coronary! Learning through play is always a winning formula and the boys embraced the opportunity to take part in an academic competition.
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Academic competitions motivate and challenge academically curious students. A number of students undertook the International and Competition Assessment for schools (ICAS) test papers and the Australian Maths Competition. We celebrate high achievers with a talent in Maths, English and/or Science. Well done to those who were awarded outstanding results.
ICAS English – Terence Ji (High Distinction)
Distinctions – Jasper Mace, Tom McLean, Parker Dawson, Olly Heath, Charlie Lorback, Thomas Wang, Zac Turton
ICAS Science – Terence Ji (High Distinction)
Distinctions – Roy Gu, Henry Zhang, Charles Zhu
ICAS Maths – Chi Nguyen (High Distinction), Leo Yang (High Distinction)
Distinctions – Roy Gu, Claude Zhang, Terence Ji, Leo Wang, Henry Zhang, Waters Zhang, Tom McLean, Jeremy Ma, Andy Chen, Isaac Goh, Ryan Qui, Olly Heath, Charlie Lorback, Zac Turton, Thomas Wang, Nathan He, Oscar Xu
Australian Maths Competition – Terence Ji (Prize/Best in School), Jayden Sun (High Distinction),
Distinctions – Roy Gu, Claude Zhang, Terence Ji, Leo Wang, Henry Zhang, Waters Zhang, Tom McLean, Jeremy Ma, Andy Chen, Isaac Goh, Ryan Qui, Olly Heath, Charlie Lorback, Zac Turton, Thomas Wang, Nathan He, Oscar Xu, Oscar West
- Victorian Schools Instrumental Championships
Congratulations to the following Junior School boys have passed the audition stage and qualified for State Finals in the Victorian Schools Instrumental Championships on 12/13 October.
Piano – Harry Sun, Eric Gong, Waters Zhang
Strings – Henry Lapitan, Jack Liu, Waters Zhang
Guitar – Harry Sun
- Congratulations to the following boys from who will be presented with Term 3 Year 5/6 APS Sport Awards at tomorrow’s Assembly.
Amelia Barrow
Director of the Early Learning CentreWhat a week we are having in the ELC!
On Monday our ELC3 boys headed over to Firbank Grammar and enjoyed the beautiful learning environment whilst reconnecting with the girls from last term. We loved playing in their outdoor space, dramatic play indoors with dress ups and chatting away at morning tea time.
The walk was also a highlight and we can’t thank all of our parent helpers enough. Well done boys for being so respectful and kind.
Yesterday we were invited to watch the Year 6 performance of Finding Nemo Jr. As the boys excitedly arrived at Rosstrevor Hall, they found their reserved seats and watched in awe of one of their favourite stories.
We also were happy to see our Firbank friends join us to support the girls performing as well.
With today being RUOK day, our curriculum has focused on the three main areas of kindness, emotions and respectful relationships.
The boys discussed the importance of being kind to others and explored the ways in which they can be kind to their friends.
They also looked at acts of kindness and what this looked like throughout their day as well as recognising and naming emotions and how to actively listen to each other, all important tools to teach our young boys.
Parenting Tips
R U OK? Day
R U OK? contributes to suicide prevention year round by urging people to invest time in personal relationships and empowering informal support networks to identify signs of distress.
Engaging in R U OK?Day activities goes beyond the classroom; it’s a commitment to our students’ overall development.
By talking openly about mental health, schools create safe spaces where students feel understood, valued, and supported.
As parents and caregivers, you can contribute by fostering open conversations, normalising feelings and breaking down mental health stigmas. Participating in R U OK?Day promotes compassion and shows our dedication to the wellbeing of the entire school community, reaffirming that together, we can truly make a difference.
We urge all families to take part, emphasising the value of genuine human relationships and reminding everyone to ask the important question, ‘Are you OK?’
Olivia Tims
Junior School Psychologist
JPG News
End of Term Lunch
The JPG will again be offering an end of term lunch for the ELC and Junior School boys on Friday 20 September 2024. Lunch will include a pie, apple juice and a treat. The cost will be $10.00 (extra pie $5.00).
Online ordering is available through Flexischools online ordering system. Orders must be placed by no later than Friday 13 September 2024 at 5.00pm – no late orders will be accepted. Please note that normal canteen ordering will not be available on this day.
