Weekly eNews
Ross Featherston
Headmaster, Brighton Grammar SchoolThis week, Junior School boys and families are receiving teacher feedback on student progress to date. ELC students and families will also have their turn later this month.
In the Secondary School, our Year 10 boys are currently undergoing Morrisby interviews to gauge their strengths and look at possible tertiary pathways and career options.
Seeking regular feedback is a key component of our Effective Learner Program. A whole-school approach to reflection creates consistency in expectations and reinforces a positive learning environment.
Students begin to see feedback as not just an occasional comment but as a tool for growth rather than as criticism. It also encourages collaboration among teachers, allowing them to share best practices, refine techniques, and ensure feedback remains constructive, actionable, and aligned with learning goals.
Parents also have a part to play in this reflection process, helping their son to take ownership of his learning, develop strategies for improvement if need be, to strengthen academic engagement.
Finally, I wish all BGS mums a very happy Mother’s Day on Sunday.
Simon Angus
Deputy Headmaster, Head of Secondary SchoolThis week, we honour the mothers and caregivers whose influence shapes our lives in countless ways. Yesterday, we held our first Mother’s Day Breakfast and Chapel at St Andrew’s for our Year 7 and 8 students.
Thank you to all mothers and special guests who were able to attend. It was heartwarming to see the boys take pride in accompanying their mothers and guests, making introductions to their peers and others attending.
A special thank you to Claire Evans for her inspiring speech, and to everyone who contributed to the success of this beautiful event. We look forward to welcoming the mothers and guests of our Year 9–12 students next Wednesday.
Congratulations to all involved in last weekend’s Generations in Jazz! BGS Ten Tonners proudly placed third – a fantastic achievement and a true celebration of our students’ talents and dedication.
Excitement is building for the upcoming production of High School Musical, opening next Wednesday, 14 May. This joint production with Firbank Grammar promises to be another outstanding showcase of the creativity and talent of our Years 10–12 students.
Meliora Sequamur.
Happenings & Reminders
- 14 to 17 May – High School Musical (Firbank Gym)
- 22 May – Creativity at BGS with Ben Walden
Prefect Leadership Conference
Prefect teams from Brighton Grammar School and Firbank Grammar School recently came together to partake in a Leadership Conference facilitated by former School Captain, Andrew McGrath (OB 2016).
Opening the afternoon with a reflection on his leadership journey, Andrew spoke openly about the challenges of leadership – that of discipline, stress, high performance, and adversity – but most insightfully, he demonstrated that choosing to embrace difficulty, to take on the burden of service, is immensely rewarding.
Read full report from Charlie Sabin, School Captain.
Winning Debate
Annually since 1991, the Rotary Club of North Brighton has presented its members with a DAV-style debate between Brighton Grammar and Firbank Grammar students.
Isaiah Harper (Year 10), Leo Jansen (Year 11) and I competed against Firbank’s A Grade (Year 12) debaters so it’s safe to say we were the underdogs by most quantifiable metrics.
Firbank’s debaters were tough, their arguments complex and their evidence damning – we weren’t entirely confident before the scores were announced. However, our team managed to pull through victorious on account of concise and sharp rebuttals, and clear logical arguments.
Despite the Firbank’s high-level preparation and presentation, ultimately the adjudicator found our case more convincing.
This victory continued a three-year win streak, with Brighton Grammar taking home the trophy once again. I’m sure I can speak for the other members in my team in saying we are immensely proud of this result.
Max Henley
Year 10
National Stage Success
BGS music and choral students represented Brighton Grammar with distinction on the national stage at Generations in Jazz in May.
The BGS Ten Tonners singing ensemble achieved an impressive third place among 21 competing choirs from across Australia at this prestigious national competition for choirs and big bands held annually in Mount Gambier.
Podium Finish
Congratulations to the Cross Country relay team comprising Ethan (Year 12), Seb (Year 11), Henry and Max (both Year 10) on securing third place at the 2025 Victorian All Schools Road Relay Championships.
Adult Swim Sessions at BGS
Adult swim sessions for our BGS community members over the age of 18 are now available in the BGS pool. Sessions focus on lane swimming within a squad format with additional focus available to support participants. To find out more, complete the enquiry form here.
From Reverend Waterhouse
It was a joy this week (as we will also do next Wednesday morning) to celebrate Mother’s Day at school with the early morning breakfast, followed by our chapel service together with boys and mums present.
One of the wonders of the incarnation – the historical reality of God taking on flesh and becoming human in the person of Jesus – is the fact that God the Son had an earthly, biological mother in the person of Mary.
Traditionally, Anglicans, while not believing in the need to pray to her directly, do honour Mary as a central person in God’s salvation story. Out of all the hundreds of thousands of Israelite girls in Jewish history, she was the one chosen to be highly favoured and give birth to the promised child, a descendent of King David (just as we sing each year in the Christmas carol Once in Royal David’s City).
In Luke 11, after Jesus gives a rousing speech, a listener in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth.” Jesus replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (vss. 27-28).
Jesus rightly obeyed and honoured his earthly mother, yet he also recognised that what is most important is paying attention to the teaching of Mary’s son!
It is through both hearing and believing Christ that we receive ‘life to the full’ (John 10:10).