Weekly eNews
Ross Featherston
Headmaster, Brighton Grammar SchoolWith the right guidance and encouragement, every young individual has the potential to lead in some aspect of their life. The values, skills, and principles instilled during their early years play a vital role in shaping their personal achievements and provide them with a strong foundation for future success.
Tomorrow our Junior School leaders will be inducted at St Andrew’s Church and I am grateful to these boys for putting themselves forward to take an active role in our school community. School leaders can help to create and maintain a positive school climate which supports the learning and wellbeing of all our students across the School.
A reminder that we are seeking parent participation for our Harmony Project, designed to help our young people develop a more harmonious relationship with technology. The School welcomes your important feedback on this issue by completing this short parent survey.
Finally, the Community Open Day of The Duigan Centre on Saturday 1 March from 2.00-4.00pm will be an opportunity for all to celebrate the opening of this wonderful new educational learning environment for our boys and I hope to see you there.
Peter Tellefson
Deputy Headmaster, Head of Junior SchoolI have been pleased with the support all parents from ELC to Year 6 have shown at the commencement of the School year. It is important that we make the effort to make connections as well as to maintain them. Our School offers many opportunities for members of our community to do this, but if we are committed to the ‘partnership’ it requires the willingness and courage to step forward, to be involved and connected.
From Parent Information Evenings, Parent Teacher Interviews, Crowther presentations/webinars, JPG Events, Year Level social gatherings, Classroom/Excursion support, sporting events, the list goes on; the opportunities are there for parents to support and engage.
I encourage you to take these opportunities as they arise, our School will be a better place and your son’s learning will be enriched as a result.
We look forward to our School Officer Induction Chapel Service tomorrow at St Andrew’s Church. Mr Featherston will appoint the following boys to leadership positions:
Captain of the Junior School – Billy Bannister
Vice Captain of the Junior School – Olly Heath
School Officers – Hugo Briscoe, Edward Burchell, James Ellis, Arron Fu, Freddie Pollock
Senior Chapel Server – Henry Angus
Assistant Chapel Servers – Ryan Axup, Thomas Leaman
Congratulations to our School Officers and Chapel Servers. I know they will enjoy their roles and the challenges they face and I wish them all the very best for the year ahead.
Wilson House Happenings & Reminders
- Boys will participate in our Prep – Year 6 House Swimming carnival next Friday. Further details are available via the BGS app.
- Thank you to all ELC parents and classroom teachers for their commitment to our Parent/Teacher Discussions this week.
- We ask that parents provide us with important feedback via our parent survey on Boys and Screens (Harmony Project).
- A number of activities and clubs for the boys are available throughout the week. This provides the boys with opportunities to socialise with others, share their talents or find a quiet space to read and play. Please see the details of the Lunchtime clubs here.
- The School has received multiple complaints from neighbours recently as parents are not parking appropriately and obstructing driveways, with residents often unable to access their homes. We ask for parent assistance to abide by parking and traffic bylaws during drop off and pick up times.
Student Achievements
Congratulations to the following Year 6 boys who will be appointed as Music and House leaders at tomorrow’s Assembly:
Music Captains
Wilson House String Orchestra – Anson Fu and Ryan Qiu
Wilson House Concert Band – Olly Heath and Ben Scales
Borwick House Choir – Jenson Brennan and Jack Keogh
House Captains
Armstrong – Cale Donald
Crowther – Will Kelly
Dixon – Tom Salvo
Fairweather – Noah Soo
Hancock – Johnny Brown
Melville – Zane Mtenje
Rofe – Raphael Persoglia
School – Jack Tripis
APS Sport
Best wishes to Patrick Francese who will be representing BGS at the APS Divisional Tennis tournament next week.
Congratulations to the Year 4 – 6 boys who competed at the APS Divisional Swimming event on Wednesday. Best wishes to Zane Mtenje (Individual U12 50m Freestyle & 50m Breaststroke), Enzo Zhang (Individual Y9/10 50m Freestyle) and our U12/13 Relay team (Ben Scales, Olly Heath, Zane Mtenje, Edward Burchell and Edward Olliver – reserve) who were selected to compete at the Regional Swimming trials on Friday 21 March.
Liz Dendrinos
Acting Director of the Early Learning CentreQuite often it is the unexpected and spontaneous conversations that surprise us the most. It is these morning conversations that we look forward to with great enthusiasm. The unscripted and unrehearsed which prompts the most exciting topics and engagement from the boys.
It is during these unconstructed moments when the boys feel calm and alert that they are the most eager to share their thoughts and ideas with each other. Quite often it is the simple sharing of feelings, the weekend they spent with family, or a new toy they received.
Although the art of open conversation seems simple, it is a very important component to a child’s development, as it opens opportunities for sharing ideas, using language, and constructing complex sentences and dialogues, irrelevant of how trivial or unrelated it may seem to us adults.
It teaches children to construct a good understanding of the reciprocal rights of others and requires both listening and contribution when interacting within a group.
During the day, the boys are provided with many opportunities to practise their language skills. Every second week the ELC4 boys visit the music room to learn words, sing songs and listen to musical stories.
With her xylophone, music books and stirring drum in tow, Miss Fairweather invites the boys to take turns in following a tune on her instruments.
Weekly Invicta classes are also in full swing, as the boys enjoy conquering the climbing and obstacle course. It is lovely to see the boys setting their own goals and overcoming their fears of climbing the more challenging structures.
Parenting Tips
The Power of Belonging
We all want our children to be happy and successful at school. We focus on their grades, their friendships, and their extracurricular activities but one of the most important factors for their wellbeing is their sense of belonging.
Read more below on why feeling connected at school matters more than you think.
Olivia Tims
Junior School Psychologist
JPG News
This Mother’s Day give Mum, Grandma and that special person in your life a personalised gift of a makeup/utility bag with your son’s artwork in colour featured on the front.
Each bag (24cm x 15cm), also filled with delicious chocolates, costs $35 (plus TryBooking fee) and multiple orders for each child are welcome. Bookings close Friday 7 March 2025. As these bags are printed externally, no late orders can be accepted. Your gift will be handed to the boys in time for Mother’s Day (Sunday 11 May). Queries to the Junior Parents’ Group.
BGS Generations, including Uncles!
The BGS Generations program acknowledges boys with BGS heritage including sons, grandsons, great-grandsons and, more recently, nephews and grand-nephews of Old Boys. In recognition of these ties boys receive a pin to wear on their blazer.
The 2025 presentation of Generations pins is coming up soon so, please ensure we know all your family connections by completing this form here, if you haven’t already. This includes brothers, fathers, uncles, grandfathers, great uncles, and great grandfathers.
The School is always delighted when an Old Boy enrols his son at BGS, especially if the Old Boy himself is a second generation BGS student. Please note: When determining third or fourth generations, there is no distinction between paternal or maternal grandfathers and great grandfathers. Uncles and their nephews will receive a “Generations Family” pin in the absence of any other Old Boys in their direct lineage.
If you have any questions, please email Alumni & Community manager, Kate Speirs.
BGS Business Breakfast
Our next BGS Business Breakfast on 19 March features guest speakers Thomas Burns (OB 2016) and his sister Anabelle Burns, co-founders of Femmé Organic.
Owning and operating their small family business, Thomas and Anabelle are on a mission to inspire change and simplify the market by providing plastic free, organic, sustainable and biodegradable sanitary care products.
They are already making waves, stocking with large retail companies such as Priceline and partnering with businesses such as TLC Healthcare, Grill’d, KOOKAI, Cotton On, RACV and more.
Join us at the Royal Brighton Yacht Club to hear their story, from inspiration to concept, setbacks, criticism and now the thriving business that Femmé Organic is today.
Parent Survey – Mobile Phone and Social Media
As a school community, we are uniquely positioned to help our young people develop healthier, more harmonious relationships with technology, hence the launch of our Harmony Project.
We would appreciate your participation in the survey below to help inform and shape the School’s policies and procedures around this important issue of boys and screens.
To have your say, please complete this short parent survey.
