Weekly eNews
Ross Featherston
Headmaster, Brighton Grammar SchoolWe know that the quality of the BGS staff is a key driver in determining the excellent outcomes our boys achieve across the whole school.
To continue to consider how we can best look after our staff, during our whole-school professional development day at the beginning of this term, we asked our staff to identify the top three character strengths they value most and that encapsulate the essence of their work at BGS.
Here are the three character strengths our staff ranked as most important:
- Love of Learning: This is the driving force behind our curiosity, growth and continuous improvement – leading to a lifelong passion for self-improvement. When staff show this value in action, it sparks motivation and growth in our students.
- Kindness: The heartbeat of our culture, kindness is what encourages trust, care and connection in every interaction. It reminds us that the education of our boys requires backbone, but also heart.
- Teamwork: Built on collaboration, shared purpose and mutual support. We achieve more together, and we seek to model this spirit of unity is something for our students every day.
For our staff, these strengths are lived values and remind us of the importance of focusing not only on the academics but also on the emotional wellbeing of not only the boys at BGS, but everyone in our community.
Finally, you may have seen BGS in the media this week, we were named The Age’s Schools that Excel winner for southern Melbourne and we featured in the Herald Sun in an article on Positive Masculinity.
Simon Angus
Deputy Headmaster, Head of Secondary SchoolTonight, our final Music Journey concert series continues with the Strings Spectacular and on Tuesday, we gathered for the Choral Concert.
The impressive number of students participating in our Music program is a testament to the dedication of our Music department. A heartfelt thank you goes out to the entire music team, led by Jared Furtado and strongly supported by Pat Burke.
Looking ahead, our Year 8 Outdoor Program kicks off next week for Armstrong, Crowther, Dixon, and Fairweather Houses, with Hancock, Melville, Rofe, and School Houses to follow the week after. The students will be heading to Lake Hattah in northwestern Victoria for an exciting and challenging program.
We congratulate all students who participated in the Victorian Interschool Snowsports Competition. Against a field of 220 schools and more than 6,500 entries at Mount Buller, BGS achieved an outstanding result, placing 3rd overall in the boys’ school division. Well done boys!
Meliora Sequamur.
Happenings & Reminders
- Thursday 28 August, 7.00pm – Strings Spectacular at St Andrew’s Church
- Tuesday 9 September, 7.00pm – First Horizon Information Session
- Please view this infographic from Victoria Police on biking and riding e-scooters. We encourage you to continue having conversations with your sons regarding road safety.
- Parents are asked to be vigilant and follow parking signs during drop-off and pick-up times. Adhering to these rules helps ensure the safety of our students. Please avoid double parking, stopping in no-parking zones, or blocking driveways. Bayside Council inspectors are actively monitoring restricted parking areas and issuing fines before and after school.
Maths Success
We are delighted to share that our students have achieved our best ever results in the two Melbourne University Mathematics Competitions this year.
In the School Maths Olympics, our team finished 5th overall with 150 points – an outstanding achievement. To put this into perspective, the team placed just one question (worth 20 points) away from a potential third place, pending tiebreakers. This marks a significant improvement on recent years, with the team placing 10th in 2024 and 12th in 2023.
In the School Mathematics Competition, we also recorded our highest number of award recipients to date, with three Outstanding and five Merit awards.
These results reflect the dedication and talent of our students, and we congratulate them on this remarkable success.
Ashhad Ibrahim
Head of Enrichment
Drama Lab
Drama Lab was lots of fun all around! The small cast made it feel like we were one big family, full of support for one another.
Not only that, but the directors being our friends/peers made the process enjoyable as well as casual and lighthearted. It was amazing to be a part of student devised and directed work and the whole experience was very rewarding.
Sam Longley
Year 11
Snow Sports Shine
The Secondary School boys (Divisions 1–3) had an exceptional campaign at the 2025 Victorian Interschools Snow Sports Championships at Mt Buller. Competing across Alpine, Ski Cross, Moguls, Slopestyle, and Snowboard, the boys displayed both individual excellence and strong team depth.
Most significantly, Brighton Grammar placed third overall in the Secondary Boys’ School Championship points tally, a reflection of the strength and consistency of our program from Years 7–12.
Read full report from Mathew Steed, Head of Snow Sports.
Dance at BGS
The Brighton Grammar School Dance Sport Season 2025 has been an exciting and rewarding year of growth, achievement, and performance.
Under the guidance of our new Dance Coach, Angus Eastwood, the team has made remarkable progress in fitness, strength, technique, and overall confidence. Angus has brought fresh energy and a professional approach that has lifted the standard of every dancer, inspiring students to push themselves further and perform with greater precision and passion.
Read full report by Chris Horsey, Head of Dance.
French NGV Trip
Our Year 11 French students visited the NGV this week to explore the Impressionists exhibition. The afternoon began with an engaging 45-minute interactive presentation, followed by a guided tour of the Gallery.
Throughout the visit, students photographed their favourite works, which they will later present as part of their Unit 2 oral assessment. Some may even draw on this experience for inspiration in their final VCE oral exam.
Diane Priaud
French Teacher
Strength Training for Youth
For years, strength training for young people has been met with scepticism, largely due to persistent myths and misconceptions. Parents and coaches have often worried about potential injuries, stunted growth, or the fear that lifting weights will turn kids into overly muscular ‘mini bodybuilders’. These myths have since been debunked by modern research, confirming that tailored, age-appropriate programming, coupled with supervision and technical proficiency, is not only safe but also profoundly beneficial.
Read full article by Rob Cooper, Director of Sport
Pink Dinner
Last chance to get your Pink Dinner 2025 tickets. Support the Leukaemia Foundation and have a fun night out with the girls this September.
From Reverend Waterhouse
Last week, I wrote about a remarkable display of forgiveness that was witnessed on television, when a Sydney father visited in prison the man responsible for drunkenly killing three of the father’s children. Both men were able to pray for one another and participate in Communion together.
Earlier this week, I listened to The Australian’s The Front podcast, which used voice actors to read out the victim impact statements of those directly affected in the recent mushroom murder trial.
One of these statements was made by the only survivor of the fateful meal, pastor Ian Wilkinson. In addressing his niece-in-law in the court, he calmly stated: ‘I make an offer of forgiveness to Erin … In regard to the murders of Heather (his wife) and Gail and Don (Patterson), I am compelled to seek justice … Now I am no longer Erin Patterson’s victim, and she has become the victim of my kindness.’
In amongst the trauma of his own ongoing physical and emotional suffering, this is a remarkable statement to make and may well make us ask, how is it possible to offer the hand of forgiveness in such circumstances?
Mr Wilkinson is obviously guided and bound by the biblical injunction in the Lord’s Prayer to ‘forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.’ [cf. Luke 11:4].
It is not an easy thing by any measure, but as always, it is the sacrifice of Jesus that puts all things in perspective. The apostle Paul writes, ‘God made you alive in Christ. He forgave us all our sins’. [Colossians 2:13].
Even in the loss, there is life.