Weekly eNews
Ross Featherston
Headmaster, Brighton Grammar SchoolWelcome back to what is always a significant final term of the school year and one which has started at a rapid pace, with a focus on our strong foundation of high performance.
Over the break, we celebrated the outstanding success of Team Lunar (five Year 11 boys supported by staff) who were crowned 2025 Aramco STEM Racing World Champions in Singapore, from a field of 83 global teams and 1.8 million STEM program participants worldwide. Team Ad Astra also did exceptionally well, finishing in 15th place overall. You can read more about their achievements.
This commitment to excellence was echoed by our BGS Sailing team, who achieved strong results in representing Australia at the Secondary School Team Sailing Interdominion Championship in Goolwa SA, where Australia defeated New Zealand.
In addition, Year 12 student, Tom Paddington, and young Old Boy Alex Turner (OB 2024) were both selected for the Australian U19 cricket team and delivered outstanding performances in the First Youth Test against India in Brisbane.
This week, we have also witnessed the innovation and creativity of our Year 8 students during iDesign week, a key initiative of our STEM program that encourages new ideas and entrepreneurial thinking.
It has also been a week of transitions across the school. Junior School students, in particular our Year 6s, are starting to prepare for their move into Year 7, and for our Year 12s, who have shown exemplary leadership this year, are now embracing the final weeks of their schooling journey.
During the holiday period, minor capital works progressed with the near-completion of two key projects – the refurbished Secondary School Library and the new kitchen classroom in the Duigan Centre – and the addition of a new basketball precinct in the Tower forecourt.
Finally, tomorrow marks World Mental Health Day, a timely reminder for us to focus on wellbeing within our community. It is a chance to look out for one another, to connect, and to feel empowered to reach out for support whenever it is needed.
All the very best for the term ahead.
Peter Tellefson
Deputy Headmaster, Head of Junior SchoolWelcome back to our final term of the 2025 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 Lachlan McStay (1 Banksia), we wish Lachlan and his family a long and happy time at Brighton Grammar. We also welcome Kirby Richards who returns from parental leave to 1 Banksia and Remy Middleton as our Lower Primary Assistant.
I was fortunate to travel to Vietnam during the last week of Term 4 with our group of primary aged international travellers, 12 boys from Year 6 – Ryan Axup, Johnny Brown, Isaac Corcoris, Parker Dawson, Cale Donald, Cooper Johnston, Krish Kanda, Charlie Lipovetsky, Ryan Qiu and Wei Wu accompanied by Claire Clarke, Henry Jenkins and Cindy van Dijk who represented Junior School on an international tour.
The boys visited the cities of Hanoi, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh. They visited various museums, exhibitions, a water puppet show, Golden Bridge, Marble Mountains, My Son Ruins, and enjoyed 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 visiting our friendship school, Hoi An International School (HAIS), where they loved attending Maths, Science, Drama, Art and 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 2026.
Closer to home, our Prep to Year 3 boys will have plenty of fun on their Outdoor Education Experiences this term.
Year 3: 29 October – 31 October, Healesville Sanctuary and Candlebark Farm
Year 2: 16 – 17 October, Mornington Peninsula
Year 1: 27 October, day trip to Point Leo
Prep: 13 October, day trip to St Kilda
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 13 October 2025. 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 commences on Wednesday 15 October.
Student Achievements
- Well done to the boys who were nominated for the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee State Finals. The Spelling Bee allows students to complete 30 spelling words in a fun format where they have to aim for speed and accuracy. Joe Wilson, George Chamberlain, Joe Hall, Charlie Lorback, James Ellis and Noah Soo qualified for the next round and scored well with some very challenging words such as dubious, timpani, predecessor, autonomous and shrapnel! These boys have a talent in spelling and embraced the opportunity to take part in an academic competition.
ICAS & Australian Mathematics Competition Results
Congratulations to the following boys who have achieved outstanding results recently in the International Competition and Assessment for Schools (ICAS) and Australian Mathematics Competition.
English
High Distinction Jagger Lees, George Chamberlain, Momo Chen
Distinction Dara Prylis, Elliott Mace, Nathan He, Charlie Lorback, Chi Nguyen, Olly Heath, Robbie Jane
Science
Distinction Zac Turton, Thomas Wang, Charlie Lorback
Maths
High Distinction Jagger Lees, George Chamberlain, Thomas Wang, Leo Yang
Distinction Preston Liu, Jonathan Cao, Oliver Qiu, Will Redman, Ryan Cao, Jayden Qian, Ethan Wang. Aden Zheng, Elliott Mace, Darren Chen, Edward Lawes, Haruta Morikawa, Nathan He, Oscar Xu, Zac Turton, Chi Nguyen, Jayden Sun, Charlie Lorback, Edward Burchell, Jack Zhang, Parker Dawson, Ryan Qiu, Arron Fu
Australian Maths Competition
High Distinction Jagger Lees, George Chamberlain, Elliott Mace, Ryan Qiu
Distinction Oliver Qiu, Arthur Wang, Ethan Wang, Ryan Cao, Jonathan Cao, Jayden Qian, Shaurya Shar, Noah Nandwani, Darren Chen, Thomas Wang, Zac Turton, Eric Gong, Momo Chen, Oscar Luo, Jackson Bartlett, Nathan He, Leo Yang, Robbie Jane, James Ellis, Jayden Sun, Parker Dawson, Charlie Lorback, Chi Nguyen, Olly Heath, Ed Burchell, Zane Mtenje, Arron Fu, Oscar Luo, Anson Fu
Bookmark Competition
As part of this year’s Book Week celebrations, our Junior School students have embraced the theme ‘Book an Adventure’ through our annual Bookmark Competition. This creative initiative encourages boys to express their love of reading by designing a bookmark inspired by the theme. Winning entries are professionally printed and proudly shared with family, friends, and the wider school community. It’s a wonderful way for students to celebrate books, showcase their artistic talents, and take pride in a meaningful prize. Congratulations to the following boys on their winning designs:
Jack Reith, Teddy Melksham, Lucas Xu, Willem Hoofdman, Matteo Tadros, Angus McPherson, Darcy Judd, Tom Judd, Matteo Piccolo, William McPherson, Willem Brown, Daniel Huang, Harry Jacka, Harry Biggin, Howard Hao, William Giddings, Archer Brockett, Mitch Cooper, Nick Sands, Jayden Sun, Olly Heath
Amelia Barrow
Director of the Early Learning CentreWhat 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 peers, 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 Ms Stefanelli and Miss Hoang for leading the program. What busy boys we had 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 2026 ELC Transition Program next week with our current ELC3 boys experiencing the ELC4 classrooms for three sessions on Tuesday mornings and also welcome our 2026 ELC3 boys on Wednesday mornings. Our ELC4 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.
ELC4 swimming lessons return on Wednesday 22 October. Our Wallaby and Bandicoot boys will be pumped to get back in the pool with all their friends. More information will be provided from your son’s teacher.
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 his hat in his locker. 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 of checking the BGS app and eNews for any information.
We look forward to a wonderful last term together!
Parenting Tip
Parenting Through Tragedy
The death of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University has captured the world’s attention, including many of our tweens and teens. When news like this reaches our children, it can create a mix of emotions, including sadness, confusion, even a sense of schadenfreude if they didn’t like the person, and all-too-often, an unhealthy fascination.
Rather than allowing such tragic events to fuel divisive arguments, we can guide thoughtful discussions that help our children develop critical thinking skills, empathy, and a deeper understanding of complex societal issues.
Read more below from Dr Justin Coulson on this topic.
Olivia Tims
Junior School Psychologist
JPG News
The Brighton Grammar Junior School Family Fun Night is back in 2025!
Join us for a fun night of rides, food trucks and entertainment on the Red Square from 4.30 – 8.00pm on Friday 14 November 2025.
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 and older. Adults and children under 3 are entry free. Booking details will be available via the BGS app.
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, 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 Thursday 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: https://www.trybooking.com/DGJZY