Weekly eNews
Ross Featherston
Headmaster, Brighton Grammar SchoolA key part of each student’s educational journey is navigating significant transition points in school life.
From the nurturing environment of Junior School to the more structured and diverse landscape of Secondary School, and eventually to the independence of life beyond the School gates, each stage, or rite of passage, presents unique challenges and possibilities.
Currently, our Year 6 students are shifting their focus to the Urwin Centre and life in the Secondary School starting in 2025, while our Year 12s are sitting their final exams and preparing for a world of new opportunities and pathways.
These pivotal rites of passage are not just changes in academic settings but major shifts in personal development and growth.
Central to our students’ success as they evolve from boys to young men is the collaboration between teachers and parents. Decades of research highlight that support of a cohesive school community is invaluable to student achievement and wellbeing (Hattie, 2023; Kim, 2022; Sengonul, 2022; T. E. Smith et al., 2020).
I recommend viewing this week’s Crowther eNews to learn more about our Year 7 Transition Program and our well-established Parent Program, tailored to all year levels within our School community.
Finally, I hope you have the chance to unwind during this long weekend, and I wish our students all the best as they continue their VCE examinations.
Peter Tellefson
Deputy Headmaster, Head of Junior SchoolI love ‘escaping’ from my office to get in amongst our boys to see them in action; in the classroom, at music, competing in sport competitions, out on the playground or on camps.
Today I visited our Year 3 boys in Healesville. It was great to see them in action having fun whilst participating in a variety of activities with the highlight the giant flying fox known as the ‘super swooper’!
Our Prep and Year 1s have enjoyed day trips to St Kilda Community Gardens and Point Leo earlier this week and our Year 2 boys spent the night in Merricks.
Our Outdoor Education program is designed to inspire boys to challenge themselves in the outdoors and have fun. Boys have an opportunity to explore the various natural environments and develop their teamwork and self-reliance.
With our boys it is not uncommon to see tears and that is to be expected as they may experience home sickness, different food and miss the comforts of home. Whilst these experiences build the boys’ resilience, I always admire the support, care and comfort the boys and staff provide to one another.
Thank you to our Outdoor Education staff, Brittany Richards, Rob Ogilvie, Bianca Bell, William Dempsey and Lucy Kervin-McDermott and our Prep to Year 3 teachers for their time, support and care of the boys.
Our 2025 Prep boys spent their final Orientation Morning with us today. It is always an exciting time, and a reminder that the New Year is fast approaching, as our youngest boys commenced the next stage of their schooling. Many of our boys ‘crossed the car park’ from ELC4 and enjoyed their morning activities.
Enjoy the extended weekend!
Wilson House Happenings & Reminders
- Thank you to the JPG and the many parents for their support and generosity providing flowers and morning tea to celebrate World Teacher’s Day.
- Please mark Friday 15 November in your diary for the Junior Parents’ Group’s Family Fun Night from 4.30 – 8.00pm. Further details are available via the BGS app, all you need to do at this stage is purchase a wrist band.
- Our Year 4 Young Warrior program will be held on Friday 8 November. The Young Warrior program marks a moment in our boys’ lives, as they approach the upper Primary years, our boys prepare themselves for more independence, responsibility and a greater sense of connection. Further details can be found on the BGS app.
- The Junior Parents’ Group’s AGM is on Tuesday morning 12 November in the GBR Hall at 8.45am. All parents are welcome to attend.
- Our final Prep to Year 6 Parent/Teacher Interviews are listed on the BGS Calendar for Wednesday 20 November, 3.30 – 6.00pm, and Thursday 21 November, 3.30 – 8.30pm with both Homeroom and Specialist teachers via Zoom. Booking information will be available via the BGS app.
- As detailed on the Save the Date app notice and in the School Calendar, our Junior School Presentation Evening will be held on Thursday 28 November at Monash University – Clayton Campus, Robert Blackwood Hall from 7.00pm. This is a compulsory School event for all boys from Years 3 – 6. Further details will be available via the BGS app.
Year 6 Debating
Well done to our inter-school Debaters who successfully argued against students from Loreto, Toorak ‘That the Olympics are an expensive extravagance‘ and ‘That graffiti should be considered art not vandalism’.
Seb G, Will B and Isaac G were well prepared for their roles and uplevelled their vocabulary. Harrison R, George C and Lenny L delivered strong arguments with lots of statistics and vocal colour.
Our Year 9 BGS Adjudicators Aiden, Darsh and Ted awarded the Best Speaker to Seb and George. Freddie S, Tony G and Finn W assisted as Chairperson and Timekeeper.
We also hosted a debate against Firbank Grammar students. Max E, Rupert C and Raymond S argued the negative side with statistics and scientific evidence ‘That aliens are a legitimate concern for our future’.
Tom Mc, Shawn Y and Terry Ji argued the affirmative side with convincing arguments ‘That AI will make humans obsolete’. Our Year 9 Adjudicators provided honest feedback and awarded Best Speaker to Raymond and Tom. James R, George B and Freddie P assisted as Chairperson and Timekeeper.
In both debates, the boys were so proud of their speeches which were delivered with passion and skill.
ASX Sharemarket competition
A large group of Year 6 boys took part in the 2024 Sharemarket Competition. They were given a hypothetical $50,000 to trade for a 10 week period, buying or selling shares ‘online’ in any of the 300+ nominated ASX listed companies. They experimented trading during a time when the market has had record highs.
The BGS best performer was Benjamin Cohen-Cameron who finished with a portfolio value of $56,843.46 and was ranked 100th in Victoria.
Other successful traders were Jack C, Zack K, Beau W, Alex K, Nicholas R, Lenny B, Tom G, Felix W, Archie T, Max E, Huey B, Chris H, Sonny L and Charles Z. Of the 73 participants, 67% of the group made a profit.
Well done to the boys for their research into companies, particularly in the mining (gold), pathology, health care and capital goods sectors.
Many boys had fruitful conversations with parents, family friends or older siblings about where to invest. It was impressive to see their application of Maths skills and increased awareness of the Sharemarket and the economy.
EMR Athletics Championships
Congratulations to our Year 4 – 6 boys who competed in the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Athletics Championships last week with some outstanding results.
Best wishes to the following boys who have qualified for the State Championships next week: Zane Mtenje (U11 200m) and Jack Bull (U11 High Jump) qualified for individual events and we had some great results for our relays all going through to State.
Photo courtesy of APS Sport
Well done to our 9/10 Year old relay (Ray Chen, Lawson Hollow, James Forbes, Hamish Wilson and Eric Gong (Reserve), 11 Year Old relay (Zane Mtenje, Jack Bull, Max Adem, Harvey Billings, Jack Tripis (Reserve) and Olly Heath (Reserve) and our 12/13 Year Old relay (Jasper Mace, Evan Auden, George Byrne, Ollie Watson, John Allen (Reserve) and Henry Spring (Reserve).
Thank you to Mr Aaron French for his coaching and management of the team, and to all parents for your continued support during the Athletics season.
Amelia Barrow
Director of the Early Learning CentreWe have taken advantage of the recent warmer weather to move our learning outdoors. Planting, watering and generally looking after our vegetable garden has been a big focus.
We have also been focusing on the boys’ understanding of their environment and the world in which they live so they champion for a more sustainable future.
The numerous physical benefits of being outdoors are well known, as well as mental alertness and positivity.
With this week’s 2025 Transition Program, we can see the benefit of the boys spending time in their future classrooms and settling some nerves of either worry or excitement.
Our 2025 Transition Information, including ELC class allocations, will be communicated in the coming weeks. All 2025 ELC families are invited to attend a Parent Information Evening in their sons’ new classrooms with their teachers on Tuesday 12 November, from 7.00 – 8.00pm.
With Cup weekend upon us, a friendly reminder that the Centre is closed for program only and 38-week, long day care boys. We will be coordinating a holiday program for the 48-week enrolled boys on Monday 4 November. Boys can wear their casual clothes on this day.
Parenting Tips
How can parents talk to their kids about distressing news events, and help them feel safe?
Your child might have seen traumatic news coverage on television or social media about the recent tragic incident at Auburn South Primary School, or they may have heard about it from friends. As parents, it’s difficult to know if or what to discuss and how to help children process the news and ensure they feel safe in their community.
The following tip-sheet provides parents with some advice on how to discuss distressing news events with children:
Olivia Tims
Junior School Psychologist
Effective Learner Model Webinar
We know that student outcomes are better when parents and schools work together.
With this in mind, The Crowther Centre invites all parents of Year 7 students in 2025 to an Effective Learner Model webinar on Monday, 18 November at 7.00pm.
The Effective Learner Model is based on the best-available research about how students learn and underpins all our teaching and learning programs. The webinar will provide you with key strategies to help you support your child’s learning at home.
Contact the Crowther Centre for more information.
Breakfast with Mark Finn (OB 2002)
Join us at our upcoming BGS Business Breakfast on Wednesday 20 November at the Royal Brighton Yacht Club.
Mark Finn, the Co-Founder and CFO of ROLLER, a global software platform that serves leisure and attractions venues, is joining us for a fireside chat to discuss the ROLLER story and the scaling of a global technology company.
Mark founded the business with his brother Luke (OB 2004) in 2012. From humble origins, ROLLER now has approximately 2,000 venues using its technology in over 30 countries and has processed in excess of $12 billion worth of transactions. With 180 staff across Melbourne, Sydney, Austin, San Francisco and London, they have also raised in excess of $100 million from leading investors such as US based Insight Partners.
JPG News
JPG Family Fun Night
The Brighton Grammar Junior School Family Fun Night is back in 2024! Join us for a fun night of rides, food trucks and entertainment on the Red Square from 4.30 – 8.00pm on Friday 15 November 2024.
Tickets are $50 per child. The Family Fun Night wristband gives each child unlimited rides. Each child will receive a show bag when the wristband is pre-purchased via Trybooking. Rides are suitable for children three years and older. For adults and children under three, entry is free. Tickets are on sale now
Pudding and Christmas Cake Varieties
The Brighton Grammar Junior Parents Group is delighted to once again offer you a superb range of homemade Mandi’s Christmas Puddings and Christmas Cakes, just in time for Christmas!
- Traditional Christmas Pudding (round 500g, 1Kg, 1.5Kg, 2Kg; log 500g, 1kg)
- Macadamia and Brandy Pudding (log 500g, 1Kg)
- Gluten Free Pudding (round 500g, 1Kg; log 500g, 1kg) (no gluten, lactose or dairy)
- Date and Toffee Pudding (log 500g, 1Kg)
- Triple Chocolate Pudding (log 500g, 1Kg)
- Chocolate and Orange Pudding (log 500g, 1Kg)
- Chocolate Rum and Raisin Pudding (log 500g, 1Kg)
- Mango & Brandy Pudding (log 500g)
- Mandi’s Classic Christmas Cakes (600g or 1.4Kg) (The cakes come beautifully boxed)
Final orders by 5.00pm Friday 1 November – No late orders can be accepted. The puddings will be sent home with the boys before the end of Term 4.
