Weekly eNews
Ross Featherston
Headmaster, Brighton Grammar SchoolI’ve thoroughly enjoyed the Olympics over the past week – not only do I love watching all sports, but it’s a rich source of learning and inspiration for our boys, combining education with entertainment in a meaningful way.
The stories of athletes overcoming challenges impart valuable lessons about hard work, resilience, and determination. These narratives can inspire our boys to tackle their own obstacles with a positive attitude and strong work ethic.
Within our own community of Old Boys and Hall of Fame members, we have previous Olympians including Dylan Alcott AO (OB 2008) Tennis; Travis Brooks OAM (OB 1998) Hockey; Andrew Cooper OAM (OB 1982) Rowing; Ben Hance OAM (OB 2018) Swimming; and Gary Minihan (OB 1979) Athletics. Last Saturday Ben Canham (OB 2015) rowed in the A Final for Australia in the men’s eight. These individuals serve as positive role models for our current students, embodying the principle and one of my favourite sayings, ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’.
The Olympics also offer a cultural education, exposing students to global diversity and practising empathy and respect for different cultures and traditions. This can help broaden their worldview and understanding of international communities.
Understanding the scientific principles behind athletic performance, such as biomechanics and sports medicine, provides practical applications for STEM education. Students can see real-world examples of physics and biology in action.
This iconic event promotes physical fitness, with the hope it motivates boys to engage in various sports and emphasising the benefits of a healthy balance and an active lifestyle.
Overall, the Olympics are a comprehensive educational tool that enriches our boys’ understanding of the world, promotes healthy habits, and inspires them to strive for excellence in all areas of life.
Finally, I congratulate our First XVIII Football team who have won the APS Football Premiership outright for 2024. We now look forward to this Saturday’s game where our First XV Rugby team will face St Kevin’s at Trinity Grammar at 12.30pm.
Have a great weekend.
Peter Tellefson
Deputy Headmaster, Head of Junior SchoolOur Preps celebrated a significant milestone on Monday. The count down was on each morning as 100 days in Prep was fast approaching! The boys had a busy day; counting their 100 objects, building towers with 100 blocks, made pictures of 100, decorated their 100 day hats, danced with glow sticks and enjoyed pizza and ice blocks for lunch.
Mr Featherston and I enjoyed our classroom visit and chat with the boys. When asked, why do we come to school?, the responses were ‘to learn’, ‘to make friends’, ‘share and care for others’ and ‘to do your best’. It is fair to say, our Preps have an excellent understanding of the BGS Way!
During our conversation, numbers and counting were mentioned, the boys shared their skills counting to 100 by 10s and when challenged ‘can you count backwards by 10s?’, the response came 100, 90, 80, 70……
Mrs Main asked the boys to tell Mr Featherston and me, what is a sentence? And the boys responded: ‘A sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop. A sentence is a group of words that makes sense. It is a complete thought.’
The learning taking place in our Prep classroom is impressive. Congratulations to all our Preps, they are 100 days older and 100 days smarter. It is a pleasure to watch our boys grow and develop in so many facets of life; in Prep it’s dramatic, particularly in the second half of the year.
Thank you to Alison Main, Paul Strain and Sarah Delaney for the wonderful learning environment they provide and to all parents for your continued support.
Wilson House Happenings & Reminders
- Our Prep – Year 6 boys will welcome their dads/special friends into the classroom for activities and to celebrate Father’s Day from 8.15 – 9.15am as below:
Prep – Tuesday 27 August
Year 1 – Wednesday 28 August
Year 2 – Friday 30 August
Year 3 – Monday 26 August
Year 4 – Monday 2 September
Year 5 – Tuesday 3 September
Year 6 – Thursday 29 August
- All Prep – Year 6 boys are invited to dress up for the Book Week Parade on Friday 23 August. Boys can come to school or bring a costume based on the theme, Reading is Magic. They will parade their costumes in their year levels at a special assembly.
- As marked in the BGS Calendar, Monday 19 August is a mid-term break and the Junior School Office will be closed for the day.
- Save the Date – Year 6 Musical – Finding Nemo Jr
Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 September, 7.00-8.15pm. We encourage all ELC to Year 6 families to support our Year 6s. Booking information will be available soon.
- BGS Staff member, Lauren Bruce, who worked with our Physical Education staff in our indoor Invicta space, represented New Zealand at the Paris Olympics in the Hammer throw. Congratulations to Lauren from all of the BGS community!
Amelia Barrow
Director of the Early Learning CentreThis week the boys have enjoyed their jam-packed curriculum across all four classes with a variety of interest areas being taught. Although a little chilly in the morning, we have taken advantage of the blue skies with our outdoor program, especially our planning for our greenhouse and vegetable patch with Mr Shin.
Our ELC4 boys enjoyed the dress rehearsal of the Brighton Grammar and Firbank Grammar’s Production of Frozen JR. and were wowed by the costumes and stage. It was lovely hearing their little voices singing along to the well-loved songs with the remainder of the week hearing Let it go from the Bandicoot and Wallaby rooms. It was also nice to see our Firbank friends and reconnect. Thank you also to our parent helpers who made this happen.
Our ELC4 boys and Bilbats were visited by our Year 11 Psychology students who provided fun based activities to help with their studies on assessment procedures. Our boys were in awe to have the big boys’ play games and spend time in the ELC. It was also lovely hear the Year 11 boys talk about their time in the ELC and reminisce.
With Book Week in just a couple of weeks, the boys have started to enjoy reading the finalist books such as Bear and Duck are Friends, Can you Teach a Fish to Climb a Tree? and Concrete Garden.
We also look forward to joining the Lower Primary students for a performance of Timeless on Tuesday 20 August. We also can’t wait for Pyjama Day on Thursday 22 August for a snuggly day to read books and enjoy indoor activities for Book week.
Our Term 3 Parent/Teacher interviews are scheduled for Monday 12 August and Tuesday 13 August with bookings now open, please see the BGS app for further details. Interviews will be held in the Junior School, so please enjoy the walk across the car park to our wonderful Lower Primary classrooms.
Parenting Tips
Social Media Influences
Social media influencers wield significant power, shaping opinions, particularly among young people. However, their impact on youth mental health is concerning.
In today’s digital world, anyone can be an influencer, exerting influence through their audience relationship. Comparisons to idealised lives on social media can contribute to feelings of inadequacy, while exposure to inappropriate content and distorted body image perceptions exacerbate the issue.
The fast-paced environment inundates young people with information, making them susceptible to certain beliefs and evoking strong emotions. Attention has become a valued commodity, therefore influencers design content to captivate their audiences.
For more information on how to instill positive values in your child see the link below.
Olivia Tims
Junior School Psychologist
Journey Concerts
The Music Department is pleased to showcase its fabulous music students over three Journey Concerts in August. All are welcome to attend.
Choral Journey Concert – Tuesday 20 August – St Andrew’s Church – 7.00pm
Strings Spectacular – Tuesday 27 August – St Andrew’s Church – 7.00pm
Bands Showcase – Thursday 29 August – Rosstrevor Hall – 7.00pm
Friends of Music have organised a raffle with a chance to win four premium tickets to see Disney’s Beauty and the Beast musical at Her Majesty’s Theatre. Purchase raffle tickets here