Weekly eNews

Thursday 8 October 2026

Welcome back to Term 4.

We have been keeping a watchful eye on the changing digital landscape and the increasing focus on protecting our students’ digital footprints.

With a new Children’s Online Privacy Code due to come into effect this December, we have been reviewing how we share student images and stories publicly, particularly through our social media channels.

This reinforces work already underway to ensure we continue to take a thoughtful and proactive approach to the privacy and digital wellbeing of our boys, while being prepared for the slated changes.

You may notice some changes in the way we visually tell our stories, including fewer photographs where students can be clearly identified on public platforms. We know our community values seeing the milestones and achievements that are unique to BGS, and we remain committed to celebrating these, while being more considered about where and how these images are captured.

This approach also extends to school events, including ELC and Lower Primary Pageants, Presentation Evenings and Chapel Services, where families are asked not to photograph or record proceedings on personal devices. While you may simply wish to capture your own son, doing so can unintentionally include other students whose families have not consented to their image being captured or shared.

We ask families to support us in protecting the privacy of every boy in our community.

Further information about our approach and supporting documentation is available on our Student Privacy and Digital Safety Protocol webpage, and families can also visit the eSafety Commissioner website for further guidance.

We will continue to celebrate the life of our School while taking proactive steps to protect our boys’ privacy now and into the future.

I look forward to seeing many of you throughout the term.

 

Welcome back to our final term of the 2026 school year. Hard to believe as the year continues to fly by at a rapid pace.

I hope this newsletter finds you well rested from the weekly routine. I am sure the next 10 weeks will be most productive and will see great consolidation in your son’s learning. Special welcome to Jake (4 Bass) and Matteo (ELC3 Bilby), we wish Jake and Matteo and their families a long and happy time at Brighton Grammar. 

I was fortunate to travel to Vietnam during the last week of Term 4 with our group of primary-aged international travellers, 14 boys from Year 6 – Jackson,William, Eric, Lachlan, Nathan, Hudson, Xander, Jackson, Rishaan, Harvey, Mason, George, Oscar and Bentley – who were accompanied by teachers Cindy van Dijk, David Eggleston and Alannah Rowell. 

The boys visited Hanoi, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh where they toured museums, exhibitions, a Water Puppet show and My Son Ruins, and experienced lantern-making classes and a boat trip along the Mekong Delta. As you could imagine, they loved the local cuisine and a visit to the Cu Chi tunnels was a thrill for them. The boys had a wonderful experience, and they have shared many stories and recounted their adventures.

The highlight of the trip was the community service component, where the boys visited a local school and worked with the children on various art and craft activities. They participated in team building activities, building rafts and cooking meals.  The group then went on to spend time visiting our friendship school, Hoi An International School (HAIS), and they loved their time attending various classes; Maths, Science, Drama, Art, Global perspectives. We look forward to welcoming students and staff from HAIS to BGS later this term.

The trip was a huge success, our touring party did us proud and I look forward to seeking potential interest from our current Year 5 families who may be interested in their son travelling to Vietnam in September 2027.

Our Prep to Year 3 boys will have plenty of fun on their Outdoor Education Experience this term.

Year 3 – 28 October – 30 October – Healesville Sanctuary & Candlebark Farm

Year 2 – 15 – 16 October – Mornington Peninsula

Year 1 – 20 October – Day trip to Point Leo

It is rewarding to see our boys respond to the various challenges they face whilst on camp; homesickness, change to routine, different food and sleeping arrangements and activities that may take them out of their comfort zone.  These experiences build the boys resilience and they have great support from the staff and their friends. 

Wilson House Happenings & Reminders

• Thank you to the JPG and to Year 1 parents for their organisation and assistance of our end of term lunch.

• All boys are now wearing the summer uniform. The wearing of the broad-brimmed hat during recess and lunch will be compulsory from Week 2, Monday 12 October 2026. Boys should be locating their hat for the re-introduction of our No Hat No Play Policy. Our Year 5/6 boys may wear their BGS cap on Wednesdays.

• Our Year 5/6 APS Sport training commenced this week. Competition starts on Wednesday 14 October.

Student Achievements

Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee

Congratulations to the 70 boys from Years 3-6 who were selected to participate in the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee. Throughout the competition, students were challenged to listen carefully to increasingly difficult words through headphones and spell them accurately and quickly on a computer. An outstanding achievement was that several boys qualified for the State Finals.

Year 4 – Jagger, Will, William, Jayden

Year 5 – Baxter, Hanxin

Year 6 – Ray, Loukas

They successfully spelt challenging words such as sedentary, apiary, and itinerary.

This is a wonderful reflection of their dedication, strong vocabulary knowledge, and perseverance.

Jane Lowe
Learning Support/Enrichment Teacher

 

What a wonderful beginning to our favourite term of the school year. The boys bounded into the Centre on Monday morning with excitement and enthusiasm after their holidays – excited to share their adventures.  Some classes enjoyed sharing their holiday photos with their friends, whilst others enjoyed having centre stage at group time describing every detail of their break. What lucky boys!

The Long Day Care Holiday program was a great success with the boys enjoying exciting and fun activities each day. We thank our wonderful ELC Assistant Teachers for their support in keeping the boys busy during the Spring break.

This term always highlights the development and growth that has been mastered throughout the year, and although it is such a rewarding reflection, it also brings us the realisation of the boys transitioning to their next step. We will begin our 2027 ELC Transition Program next week with our current ELC3 boys experiencing the Pre-Prep classrooms for three sessions on Tuesday mornings and welcome our 2027 ELC3 boys on Wednesday mornings.

Our Pre-Prep boys have developed so much this year and are now ready to practise being Prep boys. They will travel across the car park to Prep over the next three Thursday mornings. We wish the boys well as they embark on their next learning adventures.

Just a reminder that Term 4 is a Sunsmart term and all boys should now be wearing their summer hats. It is a requirement that your son starts his day at school with his sunscreen already applied and hats in lockers. Staff will then support the boys with reapplication of sunscreen after lunch. If your son requires his own sunscreen, please let your son’s teacher know.

A Term 4 calendar with important dates has been placed at the entrance of the ELC to help with reminders. As it is such a busy term ahead, please be mindful to regularly check the BGS app, SchoolBox and eNews for information.

We look forward to a wonderful last term together.

Parenting Tip

Importance of Connection

Connection is vital to the wellbeing and development of children and young people. Strong relationships with family, friends, school and the wider community help build belonging, self-esteem and resilience. As young people grow more independent, these connections can change, with online relationships also playing an increasing role.

By creating opportunities for meaningful connection, modelling healthy relationships and ensuring young people have trusted adults in their lives, parents and caregivers can help them feel valued, supported and better equipped to navigate life’s challenges.  Read more about the importance of connection below.

Olivia Tims
Junior School Psychologist

JPG News

The Brighton Grammar Junior School Family Fun Night is back in 2026!  Join us for a fun night of rides, food trucks and entertainment on the Red Square from 4.30pm – 8.00pm on Friday 13 November 2026.

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 3 Years & older.  Adults and children under 3 entry free. Tickets opening soon.

 

Pudding and Christmas Cake Varieties available for purchase

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, 900g, 1.5kg, 2kg; log 500g, 900g)
• Macadamia and Brandy Pudding (log 500g, 900g)
• Gluten Free Pudding (round 500g, 1kg; log 500g, 900g) (no gluten, lactose or dairy)
• Date and Toffee Pudding (log 500g, 900g)
• Triple Chocolate Pudding (log 500g, 900g)
• Chocolate and Orange Pudding (log 500g, 900g)
• Chocolate Rum and Raisin Pudding (log 500g, 900g)
• 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 6 November – No late orders can be accepted 

The puddings will be sent home with the boys before the end of Term 4. Order are open now via TryBooking

Diary Dates

• Friday 23 October Prep - Year 6 House Athletics Carnival