Weekly eNews
Ross Featherston
Headmaster, Brighton Grammar SchoolLater this term, our staff will provide feedback to each boy and his family on his overall performance in 2025 and help plan his next steps for 2026.
At the heart of our Effective Learner Model and coaching programs is a commitment to helping boys become thoughtful, reflective learners.
Through Parent-Teacher-Student Discussions, ongoing feedback and reporting, and regular conversations with House Tutors and teachers, students across all year levels are supported to embrace feedback, reflect on their learning, and set meaningful goals for the year ahead.
Just as we ask our students to reflect and grow, we also strive to do the same as a school community, and listening to our families is a vital part of that process. That’s why we’re inviting you to take a few minutes to complete our annual School Improvement Tool Survey.
Your insights will help us celebrate what’s working well and identify areas where we can do even better. Thank you in advance for your support in providing feedback.
Finally, celebrating creativity has been a key focus this year. Our Creative Arts Showcase, which opens tonight in the Duigan Centre, highlights the talents of our Secondary School students in the fields of visual arts, design, media and photography and is now a major event in our arts calendar. My thanks to our 2025 Artist in Residence, Noni Drew, who has been a welcome extension of our Arts team, inspiring and nurturing artistic expression among students across both the Junior and Secondary School this year.
Simon Angus
Deputy Headmaster, Head of Secondary SchoolWelcome back after an extended long weekend. It was great to have a bit of time to reflect on everything that’s happened so far this term, and get ready for what’s still to come.
Today and tomorrow, our Year 9 students are completing their end-of-year exams. On Monday, they will embark on the Great South West Journey, exploring the stunning landscapes of the Lower Glenelg, Discovery Bay and Cobboboonee National Parks. This journey, featuring canoeing, mountain biking and bushwalking, encourages the boys to step outside their comfort zones and embrace challenges within a supportive environment.
I’m also looking forward to the Creative Arts Showcase, which opens at 5.30pm this evening in The Duigan Centre. It’s a great chance to celebrate the creativity of our students and community, you won’t want to miss it.
Lastly, our Year 12s continue to feel well-supported through their examinations and are showing positivity in the Quad before and after sitting their exams, which has been great to see.
Meliora Sequamur.
Happenings & Reminders
- Thursday 6 November, 5.30pm – Creative Arts Showcase at Duigan Centre
- Wednesday 26 November – Secondary School Presentation Evening
- SchoolPix Term 2 sports group photos are now available for purchase, order details here
Romeo + Juliet
Our second annual Year 9–11 Play took to the stage last week, playing to a full audience of supportive friends, families and community members. This year’s production reimagined Romeo + Juliet in modern day Melbourne, tackling complex themes and rich language with maturity and confidence.
It has been inspiring to see our young performers rise to the challenge and embrace the incredible opportunities this program offers. We were also thrilled to welcome back Old Boys into our creative team, giving them a chance to return, share their talent and continue shaping the future of our performing arts community.
Read full report by Henry Barber, Year 10.
Important Update: Student Device Safety and Usage Policy
In line with the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024, which restricts social media and YouTube access for children under 16 from 10 December 2025, the School is taking proactive steps to protect our students online.
From 10 December 2025, all BGS student laptops will remain child-safe and learning-ready at all times, extending our current school-hours restrictions to home use.
To support focus and wellbeing, gaming will no longer be permitted on school devices. This aligns with expert recommendations from Headspace and our commitment to a safe, productive learning environment.
Creative Arts Showcase
This year’s BGS Art Show will be held for the first time in The Duigan Centre, providing a wonderful new setting to celebrate the creativity and imagination of our students.
The exhibition will feature a range of works from across our creative faculties, including Visual Arts, Design, Media and Photography. Each piece reflects the skill, curiosity and unique perspective of our young artists.
Guests can also enjoy a live performance from our student rock band, sample delicious catering prepared by Food Technology students, and take part in an Art Auction featuring a work donated by our Artist in Residence.
From Reverend Waterhouse
During the recent long weekend, I took the opportunity to fly up to Sydney for two days, in order to spend some time with my aging parents, which was a valuable time.
My brother, finding out that I was travelling north, encouraged me to go and see the Back To The Future musical, being shown at the Lyric Theatre, since there are no plans at present for the show to come to Melbourne. I’m glad that I attended.
The show was a real nostalgia trip for me – one of my childhood memories being my dad taking me to the local cinema to see the original film – and both the musical’s staging and special effects were extremely impressive. I also had the bonus afterwards of standing by the stage door and meeting several cast members, including one ensemble member who is a former school student of mine.
From a more eternal perspective, the BTTF story entices us with the prospect of how life might be different if we could travel through time and either meet our younger selves or manipulate past events.
While we are creatures limited by both space and time, God is not. In Psalm 90:2, we read that He is ‘from everlasting to everlasting’; a poetic way of describing the fact that God has no beginning or end and stands above time and space.
As we approach the season of Advent, we are also reminded of Paul’s glorious affirmation that, ‘when the time had fully come, God sent his son’ into the world, in order to save us. [Galatians 4:4].
Thank God that he does all things right in due time!