Newsletter
Week 1 Term 3

Authenticity

It was exciting to welcome back students this week for Semester 2, which commenced after a typically busy mid-year break.

BGS students participated in everything from a Duke of Edinburgh adventure to the Red Earth immersion to Cape York and plenty of sports. Thank you to the staff who made these events and activities possible.

During assembly today, we welcomed Dr Damien Price and Mr John Hanley from unOther – an organisation that facilitates immersion programs focusing on building pathways toward inclusion and understanding for people living with a disability. It was inspiring to hear from Dr Price and Mr Hanley.

The focus of my assembly address was on authenticity, which happens when your words, actions and behaviours consistently match your core identity. It means being aware of who you are and what you stand for. An authentic person expresses themselves honestly and consistently, rather than following others.

Authentic people have considerable self-awareness and are motivated to learn more about themselves. They are equally interested in understanding their strengths and weaknesses and are willing to honestly reflect on feedback regardless of whether it is positive or negative. Most importantly, authentic people behave in line with their unique values and qualities even if they conflict with external influences.

In my opinion, living an authentic life is vastly more rewarding than hiding your true self and trying to be something other than what you are deep inside. An authentic life is one where our needs are met, we feel fulfilled, we can fully realise our talents and potential, and as a result, we flourish. Authenticity is about presence, living in the moment with conviction and confidence and staying true to yourself.

The alignment between authenticity and a BGS graduate is clear for all to see. I provided students with some guidance to assist them in developing authenticity:

• Be honest: this does not mean you can be rude or disrespectful, but rather you state how you feel or what you know in a respectful and healthy manner.
• Engage others: To be authentic, you must care about more than just yourself, so it is important to engage other people and show you are interested in them and care about them.
• Treat everyone with respect: that means everyone, at all times. Respect is one of the core foundations of living an authentic life.
• Test yourself: to be authentic, you need to be brave, push yourself outside of your comfort zone and have the courage to go against the tide at times, which means setting boundaries, speaking up, or walking away from negative situations.

Student expectations

During assembly, I reminded students to respect the rights of members of the BGS community to be free from bullying, harassment, and discrimination. BGS encourages students to achieve their full potential.

It is expected that students:

• Cooperate with their teachers in taking responsibility for their progress and that no student, through poor behaviour or lack of concern, interferes with the rights of others to pursue their studies;
• Behave in a manner that enhances their reputation and the reputation of the School. This obligation extends to behaviour outside the School and at social functions whether or not connected with the School;
• Take pride in their appearance and school uniform and present in a way that complies with school requirements;
• Participate in a wide range of activities and support others by attending events.

COVID Update

You will no doubt be aware that the media is now regularly reporting increasing COVID cases, while at the same time, the government has announced changes to the vaccine mandate for schools. As a community, we must all respond sensibly to the ongoing challenges of COVID.

Students and staff must continue adhering to the School’s COVID protocols. These include maintaining good hygiene practices and staying home if they are unwell. Those who get COVID must isolate for seven days.

Our current heightened cleaning regime will remain in place. Classrooms will continue to be well ventilated; air purifiers will operate where windows do not open, and pedestrian flow signage will remain in some areas of the School. Masks are optional for staff and students but remain the most preventative action you can take to protect yourself against COVID and the flu virus.

BGS and BGGS have reviewed the Grammar Bus Pilot 2022, which commenced at the start of Term 2, to assess its success and make adjustments for Term 3.

One of the key reasons for the initiative is to reduce traffic congestion within our Spring Hill community and support a reduction of our carbon footprint over time.

The evaluation of the pilot over Term 2 found:

• Taking on board parent feedback, we will combine the Clayfield route with a Newstead/Teneriffe/New Farm loop to cover these additional catchment areas.
• The early morning and late afternoon buses for both the Ashgrove and Clayfield routes received low patronage – these buses will be discontinued.
• The Ashgrove service is reasonably well utilised on the late morning and early afternoon run. These services will continue unchanged in Term 3.

The new Clayfield/Newstead/Teneriffe/New Farm route, including a map, bus stops, and timetable, are detailed here on the Grammar Bus Pilot webpage. The Ashgrove route and stops are also included on that page, along with an FAQ section.

The cost of the bus is a subsidised flat fee of $3.50 per trip ($7.00 return). Your son needs to use his BGS Card to tap on entry to the bus. Boys only need to tap on the bus, and do not need to tap off when exiting. There are separate terminals for BGS and BGGS which are signed clearly with each school's name.

BGS students do not need to register to use the service, but please email transport@brisbanegrammar.com if your son plans to use the service for the first time in Term 3.

 

Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard has deemed that schools are no longer high-risk settings for COVID-19. Consequently, staff, contractors, volunteers and service providers are no longer required to be vaccinated for COVID-19 to attend schools in Queensland. The above decision will not affect our focus on maintaining high standard hygiene measures.

An exemption to this update is health staff working in schools. The Healthcare Setting Direction mandates COVID-19 vaccinations requirements for workers in a ‘healthcare setting’, which will apply to staff in the BGS Health Centre.

The School continues to encourage staff, students and family members to get vaccinated.

BGS students and staff must continue to:

• Maintain good hygiene practices, including regular hand washing, use of hand sanitiser and containment of coughing and sneezing. This helps to minimise the spread of COVID-19 and influenza.
• Stay home if they feel unwell – even with mild symptoms such as a sore throat, low grade fever (above 37.0 degrees) and a slight runny nose.
• Positive COVID-19 cases and close contacts should follow Queensland Health advice outlined below.

What to do if you have COVID-19

If you get COVID-19, follow the steps below. These important steps protect yourself and others.

• If you get COVID-19, you need to immediately isolate yourself at your home or other accommodation for seven full days from the date you tested positive.
• Tell the people that live with you that you have COVID-19. If they are close contacts, they must follow the steps for close contacts.
• Manage your symptoms and health. Most people who are fully vaccinated will be able to care for themselves at home, as they would for other viral infections.
• Tell BGS. It is possible you may have spread the virus to others in the two days before you had symptoms or found out you have COVID-19.
• Follow the steps on what to do after having COVID-19.

Infection Control

• The current heightened cleaning regime will continue at BGS.
• Classrooms will continue to be well ventilated, air purifiers will operate where windows don’t open, and pedestrian flow signage will remain in some areas of the School.
• Staff and students are encouraged to wear masks to and from School where social distancing is not possible (e.g. on public transport). At school, masks are optional and may be worn by any staff member or student.

Please note that all blazers sent for embroidery have been returned, and are now ready for collection from the Grammar Shop.

Re-establishing routines

It was exciting to have all members of our community back on campus this week. Pleasingly, the overwhelming majority of students returned to school in correct uniform and with appropriate haircuts. Thank you to all parents for your support in this area.

The importance of re-establishing routines has been reiterated to students this week, with our focus being on their punctuality, appearance and readiness for learning (materials, use of CP time and homework). A focus on routines and meeting obligations have also been apparent in Harlin House and the Cocurricular program.

While every effort is being made to ensure all students experience a productive start to the term, please contact your Head of Year should you have any concerns so we can work collaboratively to support your son.

This weekend is a GPS bye round for BGS, but numerous trial fixtures are scheduled. Consistent with our expectations for competitive GPS rounds, I ask for your support in ensuring that students who remain to support flagship teams are in full school uniform.

Parent Observer Access

The School is currently trialling the role of parents as observers of their son’s subject courses on Canvas, one of the School’s learning management systems. To access this feature, click the ‘MyClasses’ link once logged into MyGrammar. This limited level of access allows parents to support their son’s studies by seeing such things as due dates, announcements, and published results. Some parents may have initially received emails regarding some of these automatically generated by the system. Please be aware that this platform only provides part of the digital resources, activities and materials related to curriculum at the School. The trial will run until Friday 22 July, at which point the School will determine its future.

Year 10 Subject Selection Evening | Wednesday 3 August 2022

The Year 10 Subject Selection Evening is being held Wednesday 3 August. The evening commences at 3.30pm with a welcome from the Head of Year 10, Craig Timms in The Lilley Centre Learning Commons. Below is information regarding the evening’s schedule. Please note this is a parent-only event.

Time	Topics	Location
3.30pm – 3.45pm	Welcome and registration	The Lilley Centre Learning Commons
3.45pm – 4.00pm	Mathematics General Mathematics, Mathematical Methods, Specialist Mathematics	Forum
4.00pm – 4.45pm	Humanities Geography, Literature, Ancient History, Modern History, Economics	Forum
4.45pm – 5.30pm	Arts, Technology, PE, Languages Visual Art, Drama, Music, Design, PE, French, German, Japanese, Chinese, Latin	The Lilley Centre LC411, LC408, LC406/407, LC309, LC310
5.30pm – 6.15pm	Sciences Earth and Environmental Science, Biology, Physics, Chemistry	Forum
6.15pm – 7.15pm	QCE, ATAR	Forum

Any enquiries regarding should be directed to the PA to the Deputy Headmaster Teaching and Learning at Rochelle.Lynch@brisbanegrammar.com.

Dale Nicholas
Director of Counselling and Academic Services

Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) Guides

The print run of the QTAC guide for Year 12 students in 2022 has been delayed, and is now expected in late July. I have attached a PDF copy of the guide for parents and students to use until the print versions arrive. Click here to view or download.

Tertiary Studies Expo (TSXPO) 16–17 July 2022

This is a reminder that the annual Tertiary Studies Expo is on this weekend at the Brisbane Showgrounds. This is a great opportunity for Year 12 students to meet with local and interstate institutions in one place. Click here for more information.

Director of Boarding
Berian Williams-Jones

Welcome back to school for all returning boarding families. I trust you have had a good break with plenty of family time.

A special welcome to our eight new families joining BGS Boarding this semester. I assure all of those joining that we are committed to ensuring a seamless transition to boarding, and making sure each boy feels valued and heard. We look forward to becoming part of the extended family that will help support your son during his formative years.

The return to school has coincided with the delivery of our 2022 Boarding shirts, designed and voted on by our boarders. They were excited to receive their shirts and have proudly sported them since our Boarding Assembly on Tuesday evening. Thank you to the Boarder Support Group who raises funds through their Open Day Coffee Shop to purchase a shirt for each boy.

The 2022 flu season has been challenging with a mixture of viruses circulating around Brisbane. Our proactive approach in boarding is to maintain the highest hygiene and social distancing standards possible. Further immunisations are likely, but I will communicate further details as they become clear. If required, we will facilitate boys attending local clinics.

Wearing masks is not compulsory, although many boys are choosing to wear masks. We encourage boys to take every precaution available to them, especially considering boys have many key upcoming academic and cocurricular commitments.

Parents are reminded of our upcoming Boarding Parent Dinner on Saturday 20 August. A formal invitation will be sent outlining details. I hope you will be able to join us for an enjoyable evening together.   

Director of Outdoor Education
Derek Jervis

Semester 1 finished at Moogerah with an enthusiastic and motivated group of students in 9D. The class engaged in the program focus of 'leading self' and were ready to take on more responsibility as they moved through the sequential experiences of the Outdoor Education program.

Will Yuen was celebrated for his collaboration as part of an effective expedition group. Will was a reliable and valued group member, well organised and demonstrated the behaviours associated with leading self. Ethan Liang maintained his enthusiastic attitude even during the challenges of the week. Ethan stayed positive as he climbed Mt Greville, completed the high ropes course, and went about campsite duties.

Noah Taylor stepped up to every activity, ready to demonstrate the motto at Moogerah that ‘it's the effort put in that counts’. Noah was a valued group member and showed great initiative around the campsite at Bitenbar. Hugo Spencer was recognised for the way he led the group during the expedition. The hike to the camp site and on to Mt Greville is student led, and Hugo took the time to consider his peers and keep the group together.

James Lollback proved to be a capable and skilled student in the outdoors. James was very active in his group, completing the tasks around the campfire, cooking, tents, and campsite living. James was very organised and well prepared for every session. Liam Hardie and Roc Woodhouse contributed greatly to their group during the centre-based experiences and the expedition. Liam got involved in the service project, planting, and watering as part of the reforestation plan and Roc took on maintaining the campfire. He collected plenty of wood and kept the fire going during the cold evenings and mornings.

Ryan Quinell, James Lollback, Will Yuen and Liam Lang came together as the champion group of the knot-tying competition. The class were vocal and enthusiastic during the contest and supported each other with great chanting and cheering.

Year 11 Outdoor Education Leaders Harrison Fitzgerald and John Kim did a wonderful job of supporting the 9D boys at Moogerah. These leaders worked hard during all activities and duties.

A short movie of the boys' experiences can be viewed via the 9D Video link.

Outdoor Education photos are now available via the School’s photo management system, Pixevety. The platform helps the School safely manage and share our photos. This user guide provides instructions on how to access, navigate, search and download photos. The system uses single sign on and must be accessed via MyGrammar > Useful Links > Pixevety. Once activated, you will be prompted to enter a login email and password, but please do not attempt to login this way. Instead, go back to MyGrammar and click on Pixevety again. You can then view the photos by clicking on the Outdoor Education Year 9 folder in Pixevety.

Director of Student Wellbeing
Philippa Douglas

Respectful Relationships Education

During Student Wellbeing lessons this semester, students will discuss various aspects of respectful relationships education. Students will be challenged to consciously consider their relationship values, attitudes, and expectations, in a social climate that feeds misleading and often harmful messages about sex and relationships. We hope that by engaging boys in robust and pragmatic discussions, they will be empowered to make good choices about relationship expectations, enabling them to establish safe personal boundaries for themselves and others. The resources used to support our lessons have been developed in consultation with Dr Opie, founder of In Your Skin.  

Early to mid-adolescence is a critical life stage in the psychosexual development of young people, including ideas about sexuality and corresponding attitudes and values. Research shows that school-based sexuality education improves the sexual health outcomes of young people. 

Student Information Sessions with Dr Tessa Opie

To further support the curriculum delivery, Dr Opie will return to speak to Years 7, 8, 9 and 11 students about the world of relationships on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 July. Each presentation is tailored to meet the needs of boys at different stages of their development.

Year 7	Year 8	Year 9	Year 11
Media analysis Gender, sexuality and relationships Gendered stereotypes and their impact on health and wellbeing Explicit material online	Critical thinking around media messages relating to relationships, gender and sexual activity Explicit material online	Media analysis Masculinity and intimacy Consent and coercion Explicit material online	Social and sexual ‘norms’ Explicit material online Sexual health and wellbeing Consent and coercion Developing language for safe and consensual sexual activity Assessing sexual readiness

About Dr Opie
Dr Tessa Opie has extensive experience in education delivery and training facilitation. She has worked as an educator across the government, not-for-profit and private sectors, and has ongoing experience as a guest lecturer at various universities. Dr Opie has expertise in discussing and exploring sensitive topics with young people in a range of settings, including mainstream schools, alternative education settings, tertiary institutions, juvenile justice facilities, and amateur and professional sporting associations, including the AFL.

Information for Parents and Caregivers

Brisbane Grammar School is continuing our commitment to working in partnership with parents and caregivers to equip students with the skills they need. Resources to help parents and caregivers to initiate conversations with their children can be found in the For Parents section of GrammarWell.

unOther Beyond the Chair | Immersion Opportunity for Years 10, 11 and 12

We are excited to offer a two day Beyond the Chair Immersion opportunity to students in Years 10, 11 and 12 during the September holidays. unOther will be running this immersion experience on campus at Brisbane Grammar School on Tuesday 20 and Wednesday 21 September.

Students will gain first-hand experience of what it is like to navigate the world with a disability. They will hear the stories of mentors who live with disability and have the opportunity to experience life in a wheelchair. The program provides students with an evidence-based learning framework to make meaning of their experiences and transfer their learning to life beyond the chair.

Event: Beyond the Chair Immersion

Dates: Tuesday 20 – Wednesday 21 September (8.30am – 3.10pm)

Cost: $180 per student

Immersion Summary

Session	Tuesday 20 September	Wednesday 21 September
Session 1	Ice breakers and set-up Story and Q&A with mentor Tristram Peters (Australian Powerchair Football Athlete, Guest Lecturer School of Health and Rehabilitation UQ, Podcaster and Muscular Dystrophy Ambassador) Wheelchair activity Reflection and discussion	Story and music from John Hanley (diagnosed with motor neurone disease, appearances on The Project, ABC series The Recording Studio and Sunrise)
Session 2	Concepts and framing discussion Sports chairs and chair basketball skills Story and Q&A with mentor Tracey Jackson (Australian Para Shooting Team and podcaster) Reflection and discussion	Community experience in groups – Brisbane CBD. Students are paired up as they experience the world from the confines of the chair.
Session 3	Wheelchair basketball competition	Reflections and discussions of the impact of this experiential learning experience.

More information about unOther and the Beyond the Chair program is available on their website.

If you have any questions, please contact Crystal.Thompson@brisbanegrammar.com.

Crystal Thompson
Public Purpose Coordinator

Innovation Summit (Effective Thinking in Practice)

This week, we launched the Year 8 Innovation Summit: a new STEAM-BASED immersion program that builds the scientific, creative, technical, mathematical, and digital agency of Middle School students. 

The STEAM approach fosters adaptive competencies, innovation, real-world application, metacognitive skills, collaboration, and hands-on learning. 

What does it look like for our students?

• Discipline adaptability
• Student centred
• Ownership of learning
• Active learning
• Learning-focused risk taking
• Imaginative
• Collaborative
• Flexible
• Non-judgmental
• Fun

We were excited to trial the three-day summit, which was developed and facilitated by a team of BGS Middle School, Senior School and Business and Services Staff with expertise in coding, DJ software, engineering and sports science. We were also fortunate to have support from The University of Queensland and some guest speakers, including Terry Reader, CEO of Dolphins NRL.

The boys were abuzz with excitement this week. It was a pleasure seeing them extend their skills, build their confidence and display tremendous teamwork in an enriching learning environment.

Special thanks to the teams who created and ran the following programs: 

• Engineering (Mars Life) UQ School of Engineering: Sara Bell and Naomi Russell
• Gaming (coding): Jonathan Burns and Stephen Harrow
• Sports science: Nathan Parnham and Adam Block
• Robotics: Simon Canfield
• Theatre maker: Andrew Kennedy and Patrick Last
• Drones (SES): Ben Newth and Rhys Cox
• E-textiles (Illuminated Man): Anne Kennedy-Levesque and Renee Coombe
• Aerodynamics (Speed Racer): Ally Kettle
• DJ and multimedia: Michael Allport and Jack Woolrych

Tanya Neilsen
STEAM and Related Learning Principal Project Officer

Welcome to Term 3. I extend a very warm welcome to the new families who have joined our Brisbane Grammar School community this term. 

Term 3 commenced with our first Year 8 Innovation Summit, and Signature Programs for students in Years 5 to 7. As I visited each learning space over the past three days, I witnessed high levels of engagement and collaboration as the boys worked together to tackle a range of ‘real life’ problems and devise creative solutions. Thank you to Ms Tanya Neilsen and our staff who created and facilitated this week’s activities. Photos can be viewed via the STEAM and Related Learning article. 

Term 3 Date Claimers

There are several key Middle School events taking place this term:

• 19 July – Year 6 Parent Reading Engagement evening
• 26 July – Year 5/6 Book Week Breakfast and Year 7/8 Book Week Trivia Night. Tickets can be purchased for each of these events using the following links:
  • Years 5/6 Book Week Breakfast
  • Years 7/8 Book Week Trivia Night
• 2 August – Year 6 students depart on their tour to Far North Queensland
• Week 5 – Years 5 to 8 Parent Teacher Interviews
• 30 August – Year 6 Grandparents' Day
• 31 August – Year 7 Father’s Day Breakfast (7A – 7E)
• 1 September – Year 7 Father’s Day Breakfast (7F – 7J)

Further details for each of these events will be sent to parents in the coming weeks.  

A reminder that Term 3 Date Claimers can be accessed via MyGrammar.

Book Week events

In Week 3, the Middle School community will be celebrating Book Week. This year’s theme is ‘Dreaming with eyes open’ and there are two community events where boys and families can be involved.

The Book Week Breakfast is a signature event that will be held on Tuesday 26 July from 7.00am – 8.20am in Centenary Hall. Boys and parents in Years 5 and 6 are invited. Tickets cost $25 per boy and adult. The guest speaker will be author Pat Flynn, who has written numerous books for young readers including Don’t Kiss Girls and Other Silly Stories, My Totally Awesome Story and The Tuckshop Kid. There will be hot and cold food on offer to satisfy all appetites. If your son wishes to attend but you unable to accompany him, he is still able to come – he simply needs to find another student who is coming with a parent so that when he arrives at the hall, there is someone looking out for him. As this event usually sells out, I encourage you to book early to avoid disappointment. Click here to book now.

Parents and boys in Years 7 and 8 are invited to attend the Trivia Night on Tuesday 26 July in The Lilley Centre from 6.00pm – 8.00pm. Our special guest is Richard Yaxley, who will be running the trivia competition and sharing his experiences as a published author. This is a fun evening where parents and boys test their knowledge amid a spirit of friendly competition. There will also be light snacks and drinks on offer. Tickets for all attendees cost $21. Click here to book now.

Please note the RSVP date of Wednesday 20 July for both functions.

Please contact vicki.palmer@brisbanegrammar.com or dani.smith@brisbanegrammar.com if you have any questions.

Junior Dramatic Production | Tickets on sale now

Purchase tickets to this year’s Junior Dramatic Production, DNA, here.

DNA explores the difficult situation that arises when a group of teenagers take things too far and are left with an unplanned death on their conscience. How far are they willing to go to cover up their darkest secrets?

• Venue: BGS Theatre
• Dates: Thursday 11 August and Friday 12 August
• Time: 6.00pm
• Ticket prices: Adults – $30, Students – $20

Follow BGS Drama on Instagram (@grammarplay.bgs) for updates and snapshots during the final weeks of rehearsals.

Dominic Russell, Sarah McDonald, Sally Loane, and Michael Moloney
Junior Dramatic Production Creative Team

Australian Combined Schools Music Festival 2023

It is with great pleasure that I share with you some information about an exciting domestic touring opportunity for our experienced BGS musicians. The Australian Combined Schools Music Festival (ACSMF) brings together the finest student musicians from around Australia to perform under the guidance of outstanding national and international conductors. Next year’s event will run from Wednesday 28 June to Saturday 1 July in Perth. This will involve three days of intensive rehearsals, social activities, and a special final concert on the last day of the festival. The event is tremendously exciting and rewarding, with generations of BGS musicians benefitting greatly from previous festivals.

Three ensembles will be formed for the festival: Symphony Orchestra, Concert Band and Choir. They will each be performing very challenging repertoire –  so this event is aimed at our more experienced musicians. Nonetheless, all interested students are encouraged to apply. Go to the Music page of MyGrammar for application forms which are due back at the Music Office by Monday 25 July.

Renaissance Faire Concert

Thursday 21 July (Week 2)
6.00pm
Great Hall

This is an exciting new concept, with a variety of instrumental and vocal ensembles presenting music either from the Renaissance or contemporary era. To set the scene, we are very excited to confirm there will be a special renaissance fencing display from visiting experts that will occur from 5.30pm on the Boarders’ Lawn.

The Invicta Fencing Academy is a school of renaissance fencing based on the historical teachings of the Old Masters of the 16th and 17th centuries. Students learn rapier, side sword, great sword and companion weapons including cloak, dagger and bucklers. Plan to come along to support our visitors while enjoying some food from the barbecue. There will be special costumes and other entertainment on display, so don’t miss out on this special night!

Ensembles involved: Grammarphones, Chamber Choir, Paganini Strings, Corelli Consort, Tartini Strings, Guarneri Strings, Sousa Band, Holst Band, Double Reed Ensemble, Flute Ensemble.

Participating students/families should refer to previously distributed information for details.

String Fest (Senior String Festival)

Some of South East Queensland’s finest string players will gather at BGS to form a massed string ensemble under the directorship of Mr Stephen Chin to perform some outstanding repertoire, with performances by individual ensembles including our own Grammar Chamber Strings. The festival will run from Saturday 23 July to the final concert on the evening of Tuesday 26 July.

Around the World in 80 Minutes

Thursday 28 July (Week 3)
6.00pm
Centenary Hall

We will celebrate music from all over the world with plenty of variety and fun on offer. Special theming, costuming and food will again be a feature.

Ensembles involved: Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra, Grainger Band, Williams Band, Grammar Vocal Ensemble, Vocal Group, Saxophone Ensemble, Clarinet Ensemble.

Latin Fiesta

Thursday 4 August (Week 4)
6.00pm
Centenary Hall

Come along and enjoy some Latin music, jazz and other favourites as all of our jazz bands and percussion ensembles entertain you.

Peter Ingram
Head of Music

Musketeers Support Group AGM – Thursday 11 August, 7.00pm

The Musketeers  Support Group for BGS Fencing will hold its Annual General Meeting via Teams on Thursday 11 August at 7.00pm, followed by a short Ordinary meeting.

All voluntary positions on the support group committee will be declared vacant. Please consider nominating for these positions as we need them filled to continue providing whites hire and fundraising for our fencing boys.

Nominations for the following positions must be received by Thursday 4 August 2022:

• President
• Vice-President
• Secretary
• Treasurer

To make a nomination for a position, please email Musketeers Secretary Rebecca Lowe (musketeers.support@brisbanegrammar.com) for a completed Position Nomination Form or Ordinary Membership Form. These forms can be found on the Fencing MyGrammar page. 

To RSVP to the Teams Meeting, please email Fencing Director Melanie Chin at fencing@brisbanegrammar.com. A Teams invite will be forwarded to your email address.

For more information about the Musketeers Support Group or the AGM, please contact President Julia Lim at musketeers.support@brisbanegrammar.com.

Continuing Fencing

Students who would like to continue fencing should look for opportunities from QFA or consider joining a club. More information is available on MyGrammar, from any of our coaches, or contact Ms Chin. 

There were numerous state and national fencing competitions over the school holidays. Congratulations to all fencers who participated in these events. 

Queensland U15 & Cadet Championships, 18 June, Yeronga, Brisbane

Cadet Men’s Epee 2nd : Justin Lowe (Year 11) 5th : Sansith Warusamanna (Year 10) 6th : Taj Saini (Year 11)	Cadet Men’s Foil 1st : Hanbi Seo (Year 10) 2nd : Theo Chan (Year 10)	Cadet Men’s Sabre 1st : Ian Wong (Year 12) 3rd (tie) : Henry Ballentine (Year 9) 3rd (tie) : Vikram Kumar (Year 9)
U15 Men’s Epee 3rd : Tim Hinton (Year 10)	U15 Men’s Foil 1st : Hanbi Seo (Year 10) 3rd (tie) : Will Yuen (Year 9) 3rd (tie) : Armand Hamilton (Year 8)	U15 Men’s Sabre 2nd : Aiden Seo (Year 7) 3rd : Vikram Kumar (Year 9) 5th : Henry Ballentine (Year 9) 6th : Spencer Ballentine (Year 8)

Australian Intermediate School Championships, 18-19 June, Canberra

Boys' Foil 2nd : Daylin Johnson (Year 8) 11th : Oscar Zhong (Year 8) 12th : Owen Zhong (Year 7)	Boys' Foil Teams 3rd : Brisbane Grammar School (Daylin, Oscar, Owen)

Oceania & Australian Cadets & Australian Youth Tournaments, 1-5 July, Sydney

Cadet Men’s Foil 3rd : Hanbi Seo (Year 10) 21st : Daylin Johnson (Year 9) 22nd : Theo Chan (Year 10)	Australian Cadet Men’s Foil Teams 3rd : Queensland (Theo, Daylin, & Hanbi)	Oceania Cadet Men’s Foil Teams 1st : Australia (Hanbi)
Cadet Men’s Epee 7th : Justin Lowe (Year 12)	Australian Cadet Men’s Epee Teams 3rd : Queensland (Justin)
Cadet Men’s Sabre 3rd : Jackson Xu (Year 12) 7th : Ian Wong (Year 12) 19th : Lucas Lu (Year 9)	Australian Cadet Men’s Sabre Teams 2nd : Queensland (Lucas, Ian, Jackson)
Youth Boy’s Foil 1st : Hanbi Seo (Year 10) 10th : Daylin Johnson (Year 8) 18th : Oscar Zhong (Year 8)	Australian Youth Boy’s Foil Teams 3rd : Queensland (Daylin, Hanbi, Oscar)
Youth Boy’s Sabre 7th : Aiden Seo (Year 7) 8th : Lucas Lu (Year 9) 11th : Vikram Kumar (Year 9)	Australian Youth Boy’s Sabre Teams 3rd (tie) : Queensland A (Lucas, Aiden) 3rd (tie) : Queensland B (Vikram)

Koala Mini Challenge, 6-10 July, Sydney

	U14 Men’s Foil 7th : Daylin Johnson (Year 8) 13th : Oscar Zhong (Year 8) 16th : Owen Zhong (Year 7)	U14 Men’s Sabre 11th : Aidan Seo (Year 7)
	U12 Men’s Foil 13th : Owen Zhong (Year 7)

Term 3 Internal Fixtures

The first round of Term 3 fixtures is on tonight for all Year 9 to 12 students who signed on for this activity. Check Teams for the sign-on list. 

These are informal internal fixtures and out of season. Students wishing to fence who are involved in other sport or activities in Term 3 should honour their in-season commitments as a priority.

Whites Return

Fencers wear their whites for the School Magazine photo. Students should keep their whites until the photo session. More details on exact date and time will be confirmed in Term 3 by email. Whites will be collected after the photo for most fencers. Those with annual hire are required to return whites before the last week of school at the end of Term 4.

Years 5 and Year 6 students should have already returned their whites. Any students who have not done so should contact Ms Chin to make alternate arrangements.

Melanie Chin
Fencing Director

BGS Volleyball was represented by two current students and an Old Boy at the Australian Junior Volleyball Championships in Sydney last weekend.

As a result of Queensland’s incredible depth and talent, two teams were entered in the tournament. Although the teams fell short of a gold medal showdown, in the bronze medal match Kai Mizuno and Liam Scheel ’21 played for the Queensland Maroon team which beat a Queensland White side including Lucas Sherington.

The moment captured below illustrates the special connection our players have with one another, not only within their own teams but more broadly across year levels and even between current students and Old Boys.

The next event, the Australian Youth Volleyball Championships (Under 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18), will be held in Bendigo later this term. BGS will once again have a strong showing, more on this in a future newsletter.

Rhys Cox
Volleyball Director and Head Coach

Term 2 saw the beginning of BGS Film Club. Seven members from Years 9 to 12 participated in weekly tutorials covering continuity filming, editing using Abode Premiere Pro, green-screen editing, stop-motion animation, and special effects with digital animation. BGS Film Club allowed the students to complete a series of mini-filmmaking tasks using the above skills. The enthusiasm and commitment of the students is to be commended. We look forward to continuing the club in years to come.

Thanks to the club members:

• Martin Wallis
• Ryan Quinell
• Jack Telford
• Louis Patterson
• Jacob Matthews
• Tom Harris
• Henry Ballentine

Sally Loane
Club Director

The P&F Auxiliary is a subcommittee of the P&F Association that facilitates fundraising and fosters parent fellowship and the sense of strong community at Brisbane Grammar School. All profits are returned to the School to enhance the experience for students and families.

Grammar Shop

Open weekdays from 7.30am to 11.00am.

PAYMENT and ONLINE ORDERS

The Grammar Shop is currently operating cash free.  Purchases can be made in-store and online using Visa, Mastercard or your BGS Card account, which can be accessed here (MyGrammar > MyStudent > BGS Card).  

When the Grammar Shop is busy, it is difficult to stop and make calls to parents for payment.

Please ensure funds are available for students before they come to make purchases. If you have selected a 'daily limit' for the BGS Card account, this will need to be removed prior to the student making the purchase. 

The online store can be accessed by entering the BGS Card system and then clicking the ‘Grammar Shop Online’ link at the top centre of the screen.

Safety guidelines regarding social distancing and hand sanitising will continue in the Grammar Shop. 

Returned embroidery

Please click here or go to MyGrammar | P&F Auxiliary | Embroidered Blazer/Item Pick up list to check whether your blazer or other embroidered items are ready to be picked up. We appreciate your collecting these items as soon as possible.

Tuckshop

Open weekdays before school and during breaks.

The Tuckshop provides a selection of hot food, fresh salads, wraps, rolls and drinks.

The Tuckshop is currently operating cash free. Therefore, the BGS Student ID Card is the only payment method. Please add funds to your Student ID Card here (MyGrammar > MyStudent > BGS Card).

Safety guidelines regarding social distancing and hand sanitising will continue in the Tuckshop.

P&F Auxiliary

Tuckshop +61 7 3834 5229
Grammar Shop +61 7 3834 5347
Roster Secretary Lana Szumowski - auxiliaryvolunteers@brisbanegrammar.com

Grammar Shop hours
Weekdays 7.30am – 11.00am

Tuckshop hours
Weekdays 7.00am – 2.00pm

The 2022 GPS Rugby season kicks off this Saturday with our traditional bye round against Downlands and a couple of games against Nudgee. It will be a busy day as Northgate is hosting the Under 11s Rugby Festival and nearly all of the Downlands matches.

We need all the help we can get from parent volunteers to service these two events. Please sign up here.

Many volunteer positions are available, including in the canteen or at the barbeque. It is a great opportunity to meet like-minded parents with a great view of the main oval.  If you volunteer before your son’s match while he is warming up, that is great, and if you can stay behind after enjoying his game, that will be even better. Your son can support the teams playing after him.

We encourage you and your son to make Saturday afternoons at Northgate a thing this year. The senior teams thrive in front of a rousing stand overflowing with their schoolmates. These displays of school spirit make for special school memories.

If your son does not have a game, please consider coming along to meet some new people in the canteen or barbeque anyway. We will need all the help we can get serving both the GPS games and the U11 Rugby Festival.

The game day schedule can be viewed below.

The online merchandise shop has closed, so Normanby Blues Merchandise Sales will now be solely at home games. Come and say hello at the merchandise table on the main field next to the canteen.

In case you missed it… please sign up here to volunteer in the canteen or barbecue.

Jonte Lowe
Normanby Blues President
M 0411 476 472
normanbyblues.support@brisbanegrammar.com

Click here for more information on upcoming events.

Term 3
Tuesday 12 July - Friday 16 September

Term 4
Tuesday 4 October - Friday 25 November