Weekly eNews

Thursday 17 September 2026

Health and PE Week allows us to celebrate a key element of a good education: wellbeing. Schools are strongest when students and staff prioritise healthy lifestyles and support one another.

This week has included a wonderful Dance Night performance, the BGS Gift running race, ELC Footy Day, wellbeing-focused staff PL sessions, the BGS v Firbank Grammar Prefect Netball game and culminates in tomorrow’s Secondary School House Athletics Day.

This busy schedule, together with our regular sport and wellbeing programs across the school, reinforces the message that healthy minds and healthy bodies are fundamental to learning and growing. It also reflects our whole-school approach to Positive Masculinity (+M), particularly the importance of connection, motivation and developing boys who understand that looking after themselves and others is a strength.

In that same spirit of community and personal growth, I am pleased to announce that Hamish Ward has been appointed as Captain of School for 2027 and Connor Giles and James Lorback as Vice-Captains, who I have no doubt will lead with heart and kindness.

Best wishes also to our Year 12 students as they prepare for their final exams over the holiday break before school returns for all boys on Monday 5 October.

Have a safe break.

Our Year 6 performances of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang JR. last Wednesday and Thursday were outstanding. The choral work, choreography, dialogue, stage movement, costumes, sets and props all came together to ensure the performances were outstanding and enjoyed by all. We need to remind ourselves that we were entertained by 11 and 12 year olds.

Thank you to Jared Furtado for his excellent planning, preparation and leadership as Director, to Emily Fairweather, Claire Clarke, Jamie Cooney, Rob Bater, Enda Crosbie, Alannah Rowell, Chris Horsey and Mandy Foulds for their support and to Alex Dever and the Year 6 mums for their coordination of costumes. Our boys’ enjoyment was obvious and they will have fond memories of their experiences on the stage. Congratulations to all boys, staff and to the many parents, families and ELC to Year 5 buddies of Wilson House for supporting the show.

Our boys’ creative talents continued on Monday evening and the Rosstrevor Hall was transformed from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang JR. to our 2026 BGS Dance Showcase.

Congratulations to our Year 3, 4 and 5 boys who joined Year 7 – 12 boys, Firbank Grammar students and Hutchins School students (an all-boys school in Hobart) on stage. It was wonderful to see our boys have so much fun as they danced with great joy and energy. Thank you to Claire Clarke, Monica Le Couteur and Chris Horsey for their co-ordination of our JS boys’ involvement.

Thank you to all boys, staff and parents for your efforts this term, enjoy a well-deserved break and for those still interested or have an invested interest, may the best team win.

 

Wilson House Happenings & Reminders

• Thank you to all the families who generously contributed donations to our Ute Full of Food last week. This year, thanks to the wonderful efforts of our Junior School Knitting Club, we were also able to donate handmade beanies to help people in need keep warm during the colder months.

The boys have done a fantastic job developing their knitting skills and creating some beautiful pieces. We are incredibly proud of their efforts and grateful for their generosity and enthusiasm.

• Term 3 Interim Reports are now available to parents for all Prep to Year 6 boys. These Reports do not assess achievement, but focus on attitude, effort and the development of various personal and social skills. These reports are available online.

• Tomorrow 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

• SAVE THE DATE – The Prep – Year 6 House Athletics Carnival will be held on Friday 23 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 12.45pm.  Further details will be available on the BGS app in Term 4.

• As marked in the Date Card, classes conclude for Term 3 tomorrow at 3.20pm. The first day of Term 4 is Monday 5 October when classes resume at 8.30am, and all boys from ELC to Year 6 are to wear their Summer uniform.

Student Achievements

• Congratulations to the following boys who will be presented with Term 3 Effort Cards at tomorrow’s End of Term Assembly.

• The standard of competition in the Prep – Year 6 Public Speaking competition was very high and we congratulate the following boys as Year Level winners.

Prep – Kevin Y

Year 1 – Jack R

Year 2 – Oskar S

Year 3 – Kit D

Year 4 – Oliver Q

Year 5 – Jack L

Year 6 – Christian T

• Academic competitions motivate and challenge academically curious students. A number of students undertook the International and Competition Assessment for schools (ICAS) test papers. We celebrate high achievers with a talent in Maths, English and/or Science. Well done to those who were awarded outstanding results. Top performers in ICAS and AMC 2026

ICAS English

Distinction – Frankie C (Y2), Fletcher C (Y2), Oskar S (Y2), Ethan H (Y3), Kit D (Y3), Finn D (Y3), Jagger L (Y4), Zac T (Y6)

ICAS Science (Year 5 and 6 entrants only)

High Distinction – Mo C (Y6)

Distinction – George C (Y5), Elliott M (Y5), Baxter C (Y5), Shaurya S (Y5), Zac T (Y6)

ICAS Maths

High Distinction- Fletcher C (Y2) Jagger L (Y4), George C (Y5)

Distinction – Harrison K (Y2), Lucas X (Y2), Jaxon B (Y2), Thomas V (Y2), Ethan H (Y3), Lachlan W (Y3), Jacob N (Y3), Harry S (Y3), Preston L (Y3), Kit D (Y3), Ethan W (Y4), Jayden Q (4B), Oliver Q (4B), William L (Y4), Baxter C (Y5), Elliott M (Y5), Max D (Y5), Shaurya S (Y5), Thomas W (Y6), Ray C (Y6), Zac T (Y6), Noah K (Y6), Edward L (Y6)

 Australian Maths Competition

PRIZE best performer in region or year level – Lachlan W (Y3), William L (Y4)

High Distinction – Preston L (Y3), Jagger L (Y4), George C (Y5)

Distinction – Harry S (Y3), Ethan H (Y3), Kit D (Y3), Jayden Q (Y4), Henry D (Y4), Dean Y (Y4), Ethan W (Y4), Oliver Q (Y4), Nico L (Y5), Elliott M (Y5), Caleb S (Y5), Will M (Y5), Ray C (Y6), Mo C (Y6), Noah K (Y6), Oscar X (Y6), Nathan H (Y6), Zac T (Y6)

• On Wednesday 16 September, a group of eight Year 5 and 6 students travelled to Caulfield Grammar to take part in a Digital Wellbeing and eSports event for APS schools, in collaboration with FUSE Cup. For this inaugural APS eSports tournament, the boys competed against other schools in the game ‘Rocket League’.  Rocket League was chosen as it combines teamwork, communication, strategy, and problem-solving in a highly engaging environment. The game also provides strong connections to STEM concepts such as force, motion, angles, and momentum. The boys worked together to achieve shared goals while developing leadership, teamwork, resilience, and sportsmanship.  The boys had a great day. While all teams were incredible competitors, with three of the four teams making it through to the quarter final and two continuing to the semifinal, one team made it through to the grand final where they placed runners up.  Congratulations to: Year 6 – Angus M, Hugo K, Louis D, Harry H and Year 5, Archie J, Christian I and the runners up, Oskar T and Gus D.

 

 

As we near the end of the year, it presents the opportunity to reflect on our boys, particularly the younger ones, who are slowly developing their independence and autonomy. This is a moment to acknowledge the accomplishments of the boys and the wonderful programs happening across all four classrooms.

Reflective practice is not exclusive for teachers, we also involve the boys in their own self-assessment. Reflective learning techniques encourage boys to pause, observe, and assess their actions, assisting in their growth and development.

Next term is sure to bring a mix of excitement and a bit of nervousness for our Pre-Preps as they begin their journey into Prep. We recognise that every boy’s path is different, and we feel fortunate to have the Junior School Learning Support team helping to guide them as they make this transition into formal education.

To our term time families, we wish you a relaxing break over the next two weeks and look forward to your return on Monday, 5 October. For our boys enrolled in the 48-week Holiday Program, Alicia and the team have exciting activities planned to keep them busy and engaged.

A friendly reminder that the ELC will be closed on Friday, 25 September for the AFL public holiday.

On behalf of the ELC team we would like to thank the boys and families for another spectacular term.

 

Parenting Tip

How to become more mindful

In psychology and in life, it is easy to become mindless. It’s not being present. Not paying attention to what’s going on around you. Not being here, now.

Read more below from parenting expert Dr Justin Coulson about how to become more mindful.

 

Olivia Tims
Junior School Psychologist

 

Uniform Shop Holiday Hours

 

Diary Dates

• Friday 18 September Term 3 Concludes
• Monday 5 October Term 4 Commences
• Friday 23 October Prep - Year 6 House Athletics Carnival