Grammar School Brighton

Brighton Grammar School is fully committed to the protection of children and the promotion of a culturally safe and supportive working environment for diverse communities. All staff are expected to satisfy child protection screening and adhere to the School’s Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and Child Safety Code of Conduct. Applications should contain a covering letter including commentary addressing your skills, qualifications and experience relevant to the role along with your resume. This may suit boys with interests in business, arts, construction , hospitality, events and AFL traineeships. The Creativity and Entrepreneurship Scholarship holders are expected to complete their secondary education at BGS. Scholarships may only be awarded to students who are permanent residents or citizens of Australia.
We had some good success at the Generations in Jazz competition, notably our Senior Big Band placed 8th out of 16 entrants. We also celebrated our first of the Autumn Concert series on Tuesday night, well done to all the boys for a putting on a great event. Thank you to Rosy Clarkson, mother of our School Captain James Clarkson, for her heartwarming speech and to all those that assisted in putting together this event. The ELC4 boys are already looking forward to heading back to the lab next term.

This was the first occasion within Australia that one school sent two category class teams to the World Finals. Thus, Brighton Grammar School has advanced to the World Final for this competition with Constellation. Brighton Grammar offers its senior students the Victorian Certificate of Education . The program BGS2032 was created by the school to mark where BGS would be at its 150th anniversary.
This year’s Mother’s Day celebration at school provided the boys with a very special reading experience. With their mums by their side, each boy created a wonderful poster that displayed images and information based on an imaginary book character that had evolved from the boy’s favourite book character, and his mother’s favourite one. Our boys have not only embraced the array of reading opportunities offered to them, but most importantly their understanding of the significant value of reading has continued to grow. They are becoming more aware that those individuals who have a love of reading can potentially have a big advantage in life.

Our boys have been working hard behind the scenes on their JPG Mothers’ Day gifts which we know our mums will love. Next week we begin our Easter discussions for the final two weeks of the term. The Centre has been filled with a wide range of music as we enjoyed traditional songs from around the world. We would like to thank all of our parents for supporting this special day. Our Harmony Day on Tuesday was  the highlight of the week as the boys arrived in a variety of cultural outfits to celebrate our diverse backgrounds. We began our day, like every day, with our Welcome to Country and then discussed the countries from where we all come from.
By creating an atmosphere where students feel safe, supported, and connected can lead to higher engagement of learning and a greater sense of purpose for our boys. Very often the move to secondary school means travelling further to and from school on public transport. You may find it useful to go on a ‘test run’ during the summer holidays.

I recommend parents of students transitioning to Year 7 in 2024 register and tune in to next week’s Crowther webinar to hear more about our Effective Learner Model. Based on the best available research about how students learn, you will be presented with strategies to support your son’s learning at home. The sessions were facilitated by a team of professionals with a range of different skills and experiences. The six sessions built on the themes of regulating emotions, self-awareness and reflection. The boys were guided through a variety of practises and taught some new skills they can use in their daily lives. The sessions included meditation, sound healing, breathing techniques, yoga, art therapy and journaling practises.
Online ordering is available through Flexischools online ordering system and must be placed by no later than Thursday 30 March 2023 at 5.00pm – no late orders will be accepted. Please note that normal canteen ordering will not be available on this day. I look forward to spending time with the boys in the ‘wilds’ of Camp Charnwood on Thursday and Friday. Congratulations to our Year 3 and Year 5 boys who completed NAPLAN testing this week.
Even though it can be a daunting time, there are some practical things that parents can do to help support their child navigate the final few weeks of their secondary schooling. Our Parent/Teacher Interviews over the past few weeks have provided an opportunity to strengthen links between home and school. I appreciate the time commitment from our Junior School staff and the support of our parents to ensure our boys learning and progress is our main focus for Semester 2. Students have embraced learning and co-curricular activities both in and out of the classroom.

This week we marked an important milestone in our journey to provide our students with innovative learning environments as part of our strategic blueprint BGS2032. We know that engagement with subjects and with school life more broadly is an important part of what makes a great school. That’s why we’ve designed our subject structure and offerings in the Secondary School to ensure we’re meeting the needs of our students while providing strong pathways for them. The structure and type of offering have a purpose, outlined below, that changes as students move through the Secondary school.
Adjusting to secondary school can be a challenge, but your son will soon discover that he will always be well supported by our staff and will develop a genuine sense of belonging very quickly. We work hard to ensure boys embrace the breadth of opportunities that are available throughout Year 7. We are committed to fostering their natural curiosity, while they are establishing new friendships and learning more about themselves and the community in which they learn.