Weekly eNews
Ross Featherston
Headmaster, Brighton Grammar SchoolAs the APS sports summer season wraps up, it’s a good time to pause and reflect on just how much sport enriches our boys’ lives, not only by keeping them active and healthy, but by helping them grow as learners and as young men.
Research from The University of Sydney continues to highlight what many of us see firsthand: regular participation in sport is associated with stronger academic outcomes, including improved NAPLAN results, attention, memory and school completion rates.
This is why our Secondary School students compete in summer and winter seasons of APS sport, and our Junior School program ensures that the foundations of skill, teamwork, and enjoyment are laid early.
Parents are the quiet achievers of school sport: driving boys to early‑morning trainings, keeping them fuelled, and cheering from the sidelines. Just as importantly, you help shape how your sons handle competition and honour the spirit of the game. These lessons often last far longer than the final score.
Finally, I congratulate our APS Swimming and Diving Finalists who competed at MSAC on Tuesday afternoon, and wish all teams the very best this weekend – particularly our tennis players competing for premiership honours. All are welcome to support at the Junior School Tennis Courts, BGS v CGS from 8.30am.
Peter Tellefson
Deputy Headmaster, Head of Junior SchoolJunior School Psychologist, Olivia Tims, works at Wilson House three days a week supporting staff, boys and parents. Olivia has vast experience working with primary aged children in a school environment and works with individuals, small withdrawal groups, Class and Year Levels. Olivia meets with all new boys to assist them with their transition. The boys she has met with have shared some interesting insights and general impressions of BGS:
Year 2: ‘I love FriYAY and getting Dojo and House points’
Year 2: ‘We are doing real Science here and its fun to learn about interesting things such as electricity’
Year 3: ‘The creek is relaxing and makes me feel calmer at lunchtime’
Year 4: ‘We didn’t really have any competitive sport at my old school, so I’m loving it here’
Year 5: ‘I used to find Music a bit boring but I’m really enjoying the Music lessons at BGS’
Year 5: ‘I used to feel anxious before a Maths class, but my teacher this year makes it fun and explains things. I don’t dread Maths anymore’
Year 6: ‘I felt lonely at my old school but everyone seems inclusive here’
Wilson House Happenings & Reminders
- We have enjoyed welcoming our Prep and Year 1 fathers this week for classroom activities and look forward to our Year 2 dads joining us tomorrow morning. See the BGS app for further details.
- Congratulations to the Sibley family, the lucky winners of the $500 Noone uniform voucher, drawn to celebrate the opening of our new Uniform Shop.
- JPG Easter Raffle & Donations – Each boy is asked to contribute an Easter egg for the raffle. Other donations of any type of Easter items (bunnies, chickens, fluffy toys, baskets etc.) are most welcome. Donations can be left in the tubs provided in Junior School Reception and the ELC.
Raffle tickets sales are now open, Prep – Year 6 will be able to purchase from the playground before school or by placing tickets in an envelope in the box at reception. A ticket collection box is also available in the ELC. Please see the BGS app for further details.
- Our first Ute Full of Food for this year will be held on Thursday 2 April. Brighton Grammar has a long-standing commitment in supporting St Mark’s Anglican Church in Fitzroy. All food items will be transported by the Ute to St Mark’s, where it is distributed to needy families. Dried pasta; tinned meats, vegetables and fruits; breakfast foods; tea and coffee – all these would be much appreciated. The Ute will leave the Junior School at 9.00am.
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. Given that some of St Mark’s clients are street people and often sleep rough, ring-pull cans are preferable; they don’t always have access to can openers or cutlery. Our generosity is certainly appreciated.
- Next Thursday 2 April will be our final day of Term 1. The following is an outline of the day:
8.50am – Chapel – Prep to Year 6
9.20am – Assembly (St Andrew’s Church) Parents are welcome to attend
12.15pm – JPG Lunch – Please note there are NO Tuck shop orders available
2.00pm – Tabloid Sports – boys wear their Sport Uniform/House Polo Shirt
3.20pm – Normal Dismissal
- On Friday 8 May from 8.30am all our Prep to Year 6 mums are invited to a Mother’s Day Celebration to join their sons in various classroom activities and a Mother’s Day Service at St Andrew’s Church. This will be a wonderful opportunity for our community to express our appreciation to our mums, and the special morning together will conclude at approximately 10.30am. A slide show featuring photos of boys and their mothers will be shown during the church service, and mothers are encouraged to email their favourite mother and son/s photos to the Junior School by Thursday 23 April.
- Bayside Council is installing new pedestrian crossings at the New St / St Andrews St / Park St / Well St roundabout. Roadworks begin late March for up to 3 months (7.00am–5.00pm, weekdays). The community should expect staged closures, detours, traffic controllers, and some pedestrian and parking disruptions. New St works are scheduled to occur first during Term 1 school holidays.
Student Achievements
- Congratulations to the following Year 6 boys who will be appointed to leadership positions at tomorrow’s Assembly:
Library – Edward Lawes, Xander Ottley, Leo Suszko, Thomas Wang
Mindfulness – Jackson Booth, Elemein Cash, Fin Cowper, Sam Croft, Oskar McKay, Thomas Mills, Rishaan Patel, Chris Pittis, Loukas Pyrlis, Marcus Tian, Leon Savides, Osborn Wang
Sport – Ollie Brookshaw, Liam Dever, James Forbes, Lachlan Grubb, Edward Lawes, Stevie Passas, Gus Peckham, Jack Skurrie, Lachy Speers, Leo Suszko, Mason Tuckman, Thomas Verco
- Congratulations to the following Year 5/6 boys who will be presented with Term 1 APS Sport awards at this week’s assembly.
New BGS Volunteer Induction process
We are pleased to launch our new BGS Volunteer Induction Portal. All volunteers engaged in child-connected work must complete this induction to ensure they are informed, supported and meet the requirements to work with children. This includes understanding the BGS Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy, Child Safety Code of Conduct, and your responsibilities regarding records management, information sharing, and reporting obligations.
We welcome and are so grateful for our volunteers, who are a testament to the immensely strong and supportive community we have here at BGS. If an opportunity presents and you would like to take on a volunteer role, please be sure to contact the Compliance team for further guidance and the link to the new Volunteer Induction Portal. By completing this induction, you will be contributing to our shared responsibility of maintaining a safe, respectful and supportive environment for all children and young people in our care.
Examples of volunteer roles at BGS include; attending excursions, being part of a ‘Friends Of’ Parent Group, supporting onsite and offsite School events where students are present, accepting a volunteer sports coaching position
Please contact Compliance@brightongrammar.vic.edu.au if you have any further questions.
School Policies
All School policies are available on Schoolbox via the dedicated tile on the homepage. We encourage you to review these and direct any feedback or queries to compliance@brightongrammar.vic.edu.au.
Liz Dendrinos
Director of the Early Learning CentreWith the seasonal change, we seized the opportunity to focus on our kitchen garden. Given that the early years’ learning outcomes emphasise the significance of children being connected to their environment, our objective was for the boys to start developing an understanding of how to cultivate plants and minimise waste in our surroundings.
In the classrooms, numerous discussions have taken place regarding the seasons and the various plants that thrive in cooler temperatures. These discussions will continue throughout the remainder of the term, incorporating topics on recycling and composting.
The ELC3 boys have begun to develop confidence outdoors and are exploring all sections of our play space. It is quite a large area for a small 3-year-old, and we have observed the boys watching the older Pre-Prep classes as they attempt to navigate challenging climbing structures.
Our water play areas have proven to be very popular, and despite our efforts to dress the boys in wet weather clothing, they always manage to find a way to get their uniforms wet! We appreciate all parents for providing spare clothes in their son’s school bag for such occasions.
Our Specialist Programs continue to engage the boys by emphasising a sense of belonging and self-identity, while also assisting them with social and emotional language. The drama sessions have concentrated on role play and acting out everyday situations, which helps the boys further enhance their social skills and language abilities.
As a reminder, if you wish to order your son an end-of-term lunch to support the Junior Parents’ Group, please do so via www.flexischools.com.au Orders close 5.00pm, Friday 27 March.
Parenting Tip
Whose cup are you filling?
Writer Derek Thompson recently shared a metaphor via his Substack. Thompson described a game where we have a pitcher of water. On the table in front of the pitcher are dozens of cups that want water. The game is to pour the water into the cups in a way that is satisfying to us but that also gives the right cups the right amount of water.
Why would the cups want or need water? Those cups each have labels: work, children, partner, screens, dishes, regret, worry, and so on. And the water? It represents something we only have so much of: attention.
It’s a simple idea, but with devastating implications. Read more below about how as parents, we know which cups matter most?
Olivia Tims
Junior School Psychologist
Junior School Students Shine at Lower String Soiree
We are delighted to celebrate the achievements of our Junior School string students, who recently delivered outstanding solo performances at the Lower String Soiree. From Year 4 and Year 6, these students worked hard with their teachers to prepare pieces that showcase both their technical growth and their love of music.
Our Year 4 students made a wonderful impression at the Soiree. William Liao performed Old Battered Broomstick by Lumsden, Arthur Wang presented the elegant Sarabande from Bach’s Cello Suite No. 3, and Hudson Coleman delighted with a polished rendition of the classic Twinkle Twinkle.
Ryan Cao brought energy and flair to his performance of Russian Wedding by K & D Blackwell — a lively and impressive choice that engaged the audience from start to finish.
Our Year 6 performers rounded out a memorable evening. Jack Moncrieff performed Tortues by Saint-Saëns with great character, Leon Savides captivated with Spinning Top by Legg, and Bentley Zeng demonstrated strong musicianship in his performance of Study by Lee.
Congratulations to all seven students — and to their families and teachers for their ongoing support. We look forward to hearing more from these talented young musicians throughout the year.
Wei Tsai (Harry)
Head of Strings
Calling all Art Angels
Are you available to lend a hand in the Art Room in the lead-up to our biennial Art Show from mid-Term 2?
Join us on Thursdays, 2.00–3.20pm. A friendly group, no artistic experience required – just a willingness to help and support our Junior School boys. Enquiries to Ms Mandy Foulds.
Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge 2026
The Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge is now open and Brighton Grammar Junior School is excited to be participating. The VPRC application offers a range of exciting features including:
- access to a library catalogue (including book images and blurbs)
- a modern user-friendly interface
- rewarding students with badges as challenge milestones are achieved
- the option for students to mark books as a favourite, give them a star rating or complete a book review.
The Challenge is open to all Victorian children from birth to Year 10 in recognition of the importance of reading for literacy development. It is not a competition, but a personal challenge for children to read a set number of books by 6 September 2026. Further details are available via the BGS app.
Creative Art Captains’ Induction & Afternoon Tea
Friends of Art warmly invite families to celebrate the induction of our Junior and Secondary Creative Art Captains.
Enjoy an afternoon recognising student leadership and exploring a selection of art project work from our senior students.
Thursday 30 April, 4.00pm
Senior Art Room, Duigan Centre
All welcome but please RSVP via TryBooking for catering purposes.
JPG News
JPG Easter Collection & Raffle
JPG Easter Raffle & Donations – Each boy is asked to contribute an Easter egg for the raffle. Other donations of any type of Easter items (bunnies, chickens, fluffy toys, baskets etc.) are most welcome. Donations can be left in the tubs provided in Junior School Reception and the ELC.
Raffle ticket sales are available from Thursday 19 March. Prep – Year 6 will be able to purchase from the playground before school or by placing tickets in an envelope in the box at Reception. A ticket collection box is also available in the ELC. Please see the BGS app for further details.
End of Term Lunch
The JPG will again be offering an end of term lunch for the ELC and Junior School boys on Thursday 2 April 2026. Lunch will include a burger, juice and treat. The cost is $10.00 (extra burger $4). Online ordering is available through Flexischools online ordering system. Orders must be placed by no later than Friday 27 March 2026 by 5.00pm – no late orders will be accepted. Please note that normal canteen ordering will not be available on this day.