Newsletter
Week 5 Term 3

Last week, Deputy Headmaster – Teaching and Learning, Steve Uscinski offered excellent advice to parents and Year 10 students going through the Year 10 subject selection process.

This week, I focus on what happens once the subjection selection process is complete. My comments apply to all major transitions along the BGS journey.

Choosing senior subjects is exciting for Year 10 students as they consider their options. After choosing subjects that align with personal interests and strengths, boys should think about how to make the most of their learning. They can turn their attention to the character traits, thinking skills and learning habits they need to optimise the learning in their chosen subjects.

The subject selection process goes beyond choosing what to study. Boys are also preparing to be the best thinker and learner they can be in Year 11. This takes commitment.

Ambition and the desire to be successful must be matched by intentional and strategic effort. Aspiration is not enough.

To successfully tackle challenges, each student should consider his development as a learner – developing thinking skills and scholarly habits to achieve in his senior studies. To do this, boys need to be aware of the systems in the brain interacting together when we think and learn effectively. They are the cognitive system, the metacognitive system, and the self-system.

The cognitive system involves very conscious intellectual activity. This will not be new to students because these are the skills they have used up to this point. Boys will need to master the thinking skills explicitly identified in all units of study that are specific to their chosen subjects. Marking guides set the standards for each assessment task, and students must understand the language used, and what is valued in each skill.

Thinking skills operate on three levels of complexity. To be metacognitive, students are aware of their own thought processes associated with planning, doing, and reviewing their work. Senior students will benefit if they use prior knowledge to plan how to tackle a learning task. They then take these steps to problem solve, reflect on and evaluate results, and modify their approach as needed. In other words, students can analyse a task and choose the right cognitive tool to respond successfully and adapt if necessary.

The third system involved in effective thinking and learning is the self-system, which consciously controls behaviour, emotions, and thoughts in the pursuit of longterm academic goals. Senior studies require students to manage disruptive emotions and impulses. They need to pause between a feeling and an action, to think things through, make a plan, and persist to complete that plan.

These qualities will be invaluable. In an exam, students need to know how to proceed with a problem if they first do not know what to do. Being able to stay calm and search through memory for a strategy to tackle the problem is a critical ability to nurture.

Students who commit to developing their cognitive, metacognitive, and self-regulatory abilities are prepared to face challenges, sweat in their learning, and accept that they need to collaborate with teachers and peers.  The do not sit passively, waiting for others to do the heavy lifting in the classroom.

Teachers create a learning environment where students can optimise their senior studies experience, but this will not be enough. Students need to commit to the attitudes, skills and habits needed to achieve their goals.

In Term 4, all Year 10s will be invited to review their past academic performance, set goals for the start of Year 11, and discuss them with their Form Tutor.

Reflecting on their strengths and weaknesses is an important process for all students – especially at major points of transition, such as moving from Middle School to Senior School, or in lead up to exams.

Parents can support their son in this process by talking to him about strengths and weaknesses in his learner profile and challenging him to develop strategies and seek support.    

Sleep is the key

The first five weeks of Term 3 have been exceptionally busy for the boys, who are now moving towards their assessment in the second half of the term. Boys will need to plan for how to achieve their best while maintaining intensity in Cocurricular and Public Purpose activities.

Revising for assessment, and cocurricular training or rehearsal are necessary for peak performance – but so is self-care and planning. Poorly organised, last minute revision sessions will not achieve the desired outcomes. Boys need to plan for these sessions and seek assistance from their teachers, coaches and directors.

Most importantly, boys need to strike a balance, with good eating, exercise and – most importantly – good sleep patterns. Without this combination, students run the risk of hitting the wall just when they need to be performing at their peak. As parents, you can assist by helping your sons maintain consistent sleep – something we dismiss too easily. As sleep is the glue that holds it all together, this is neither healthy nor advantageous for your son. If you can make sure he is eating well and getting exercise, combined with quality sleep time, you will help him navigate the next five weeks of Term 3.

Catching up on sleep on the weekends is not good enough. The processes that occur during nightly consistent sleep are incredibly important for the next day. I encourage you to talk with your son about this and model the practice for him as well. Tips for maintaining good sleep can be found here.

This Saturday 15 August marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in the Pacific – VP Day. Over 27,000 Australians lost their lives in the war. The service honour board in the Great Hall records the names of 2332 BGS Old Boys who enlisted. Of those, 252 made the ultimate sacrifice.

To mark this anniversary, two new displays have recently opened in the War Memorial Library. Oliver Martin (Year 11) has curated a display of WWII artefacts from his collection, including German helmets, Russian mess tins, shrapnel from a Stuka dive bomber and a deactivated 1941 Lithgow No.1 (Lee-Enfield) .303 rifle. BGS Archivist, Ms Vivien Harris, has curated a display centred around the Distinguished Flying Cross won by Old Boy Frank South with artefacts from other DFC winners featured.

In addition, a new database recording the school and service records of those 252 boys who died is nearing completion. The information has revealed some interesting statistics and stories. For example, BGS Old Boys who died on active service came from all branches of the forces and all theatres of conflict: 

• 168 served in the Airforce, 78 in the Army, 10 in the Navy
• 101 died in Europe, 90 in the Asia-Pacific, 31 in the Middle East and Mediterranean, the remainder in Australia.
• Over half of all deaths occurred across 1942-1943 and 57 of the boys who died were aged 21 or younger.

Many Old Boys were part of bomber crews who flew raids over occupied France and into Germany, while some flew Spitfires in the Battle of Britain. Six of our Old Boys who died were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Some were at the fall of Singapore and others fought in the deserts of North Africa. Four Old Boys were killed when HMAS Sydney II was destroyed by the German cruiser Kormoran on 19 November 1941; three were killed when the Hospital Ship Centaur was sunk in Moreton Bay in 1943; seven died as prisoners of war on the Thai-Burma railway, while four perished in the Sandakan death marches. Others perished in U-boat attacks and in the defence of Darwin.

We hope that these displays and research will help pay quiet tribute to all those young men from the BGS community who gave everything.  

Pictured below are the co-curators of the WWII display in the War Memorial Libary, Oliver Martin (Year 11) and Ms Vivien Harris (School Archivist).

Chris Price
Associate Dean – Curriculum

Online orders available

Tutor Group, individual and sibling photos for all students in Years 5 to 12 were taken today. Photos can now be ordered online here.

Online orders close Wednesday 27 August.

If you have any queries, please contact Just Photography on 0412 732 797 or email info@justphotography.com.au.

Gregory Tier
Head of MS Administration and Events

Dean of Curriculum
Greg Dabelstein

Subject Selection Year 11 2021

Year 10 students can now choose their subjects for Year 11. The deadline is 5.00pm Friday 28 August. After this date, changes will not be permitted until 2021.

All students have received a personalised email with access details for the portal used to enter their subject preferences.

Information is available from MyGrammar > Academic > News and Subject Selection. Heads of Departments and senior leaders have recorded video presentations explaining their subjects and the selection process. Documents to assist with your choices are also available. 

Director of Boarding
Berian Williams-Jones

Resilience

Resilience in boarding used to conjure up visions of large barren rooms with a mass of beds, bland food, cold showers, and a community largely run by the boys! This would have been the case 50 years ago, but thankfully those days are long gone.

Our recently constructed Griffith House is a testament to the new world of boarding where boys live in large and bright areas with excellent facilities and the privacy they deserve, along with an ongoing adult presence.

Unsurprisingly, the new boarding house has attracted a good deal of interest from around Australia and abroad in these most challenging of circumstances. Griffith House has a waitlist should a spot become available this year, and only one place remains for 2021.

However, despite the facilities, and the wonderful family culture being inculcated by Mr Graham and Mrs Debbie Power, we recognise that living away from home isn’t always easy. Boys inevitably miss their home comforts, Mum’s signature dish or a simple cuddle on the sofa with the family dog, despite the very welcome presence of ‘Daisy the Griffith Dog’ in the Griffith Common Room.

These challenges have been made more difficult this year by the complexities of international and interstate travel. Thankfully, apart from one boarder who is in Taiwan, all our boys are with us in either Harlin House or Griffith House.

However, some boarders have been unable to see their parents this year and have relied on other family members or friends of their parents as an extended support network. These challenges are now being faced by boys who live in NSW, and as restrictions stand, they won’t be able to return home over the next term break. To their credit, they have shown unfailing resilience in the face of the most extraordinary of circumstances.

Boys have naturally developed a sense of resilience that, on occasions, isn’t celebrated enough. While boarding can present challenges, the resilience that the boys develop can be a real advantage. As our Class of 2020 boarders begin to plan their move to university, and eventually the world of work, they will emerge with the advantage of resilience that few others can match, in addition to a sense of independence and ability to relate to others.

Director of Outdoor Education
Derek Jervis

8G and 8H came to Moogerah with plenty of energy and enthusiasm for activities and a keen willingness to engage in the outdoors. Numerous students in both classes were recognised for their contributions. They were willing to support their mates and demonstrate the attributes of an effective team member.

In 8G, Tim Hinton proved to be a very valuable teammate. He was outstanding on the hike, taking time to help his mates, showing excellent navigation skills, and even carried other boys’ backpacks. Raff McDonnell showed great leadership potential during the group initiatives. He made a lot of helpful contributions and had the support of his peers.

Michael Wong was recognised by the teachers and his peers for his resilience and for demonstrating the ethos of the program that “it’s the effort put in that counts”. Michael was recognised and applauded by the group after his efforts. Thomas Ruddell maintained a positive and enthusiastic attitude over the two days. His fun and mature approach to the activities motivated the group. Thomas was very helpful and looked beyond his own needs with a focus on the whole group.

8H finished their hike to Mt Alford in some much-needed rain. The change in weather hit as they started their descent and to their credit, they stayed positive to the end!

Alistair Jackson made excellent contributions across the entire program giving ideas and encouragement during the group initiatives tasks and the hike. Max Balthes and Harvey Brand got involved in the team collaboration and decision making during the initiative tasks. Their guidance kept the group on task. Jordan Donald shared great insights during group discussions. He demonstrated a good understanding of the program outcomes and teamwork focus.

Esa Hussain had a great ability to read the situation to assist and motivate the group. Max Liberatore made positive motivational contributions to the group this week. He supported others with his enthusiasm and lifted the group during the challenging walk.

Year 11 Outdoor Education Leader, Liam Scheel was a proactive leader and embraced all the opportunities of his position with 8H. Matthew Pyman, Sebastian Powell and Charlie O’Sullivan led 8G students through the program and set a great example.

A short movie of the boys' experiences can be viewed via the 8G Video and 8H Video links.

Outdoor Education photos are now be 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 Year 8 folder in Pixevety.

Director of Student Wellbeing Programs
Philippa Douglas

Public Purpose | Years 10 and 12

Through various activities and programs, we aim to increase meaningful leadership opportunities for all students. At the core of our Public Purpose program is servant leadership; a form of leadership where the main goal of the leader is to serve others. If leadership is to be authentic, it is not just about speeches and badges, but rather about being role models and active, spirited members of the community who serve others with humility, grace, kindness and selflessness.

This week, boys in the Public Purpose program demonstrated leadership as a form of service to others through various fundraising activities. Boys in Years 10 and 12 joined teams to bring the Ekka to BGS, selling strawberry sundaes to raise funds for The Prince Charles Hospital. It was an extremely successful event with ice creams selling out in record time. 

Public Purpose | Year 11

Year 11 boys continue to raise money for the Leukemia Foundation and are determined to reach their goal of $30,000 by the end of Term 3. They have done a wonderful job so far and haven’t been swayed by the interruptions presented throughout the year. Their promotional video to encourage their peers to be involved can be viewed below.

The BGS Literary Competition is open to students in Years 9 to 12 and aims to encourage and acknowledge student writing. There are categories for narratives, poetry, biographies and essays. The winner of each category will receive a Speech Day prize and will potentially have his work published in The School Window.

More information about the competition and its categories is available in an announcement in each year level’s English course.

Entries must be submitted to the relevant dropbox by Tuesday 1 September.

Greg Howes
Head of English

Congratulations to the following boys on being named our player of the week for their respective teams. 

Team	name
5A	Liam McCormack
5B	Edison Nagl
6A	Angus McNeill
6B	No Game
7A	Ferdi Rombola
7B	Luke Saywell
7C	Jackson Leong
7D	Angus Benjamin
8A	Max Balthes
8B	Bowei Chen
8C	Julian Burcham
8D	Max Moore

Team	name
5A	Jonathon Tennakoon
5B	Clement Chan
6A	Elliot Gillman
6B	Joel Wu
6C	Jasper Chen
7A	Fionn Murphy
7B	Cormack Willersdorf
7C	No Game
7D	No Game
8A	Minh Tran
8B	Euan Mortimer
8C	Anu Wilke
8D	Jack Sinclair

Team	name
11A	Edward Mulholland Oscar Vanderstoep
11B	Hugo Liberatore Angus List
12	Lachlan Russel
13A	Aidan Lee
13B	Kayzer Ali

Team	name
5A/B	Quinn Goodall
5C/D	No Game
6A/B	Cashy Luo
6C/D	Eamman Conomos
7A/B	Matthew Young
7C/D	Kerry Li
8A/B	Caspian Tuckwell
8C/D	Keaton Baxter

Team	name
Epee	Kris Dark
Foil	Lachie Smith
Sabre	Noah Lauder

Cast and Crew

Year 12	Year 11	Technical crew
Oliver Cichero Angus Elliott Ethan Farr Fred Forno Lachlan Jones Jonno May Thomas McCarthy Jack O'Brien Jack Richardson Louis Willmott	Alexander Cain Alex Carew Hugo Malone	Jackson Mathias (12) Cameron Quagliotto (11) Theo Dickey (10) Rahul Kumar (9)

Junior Dramatic Production | WAR OF THE WORLDS: CYBORG EDITION – Casting Announcement

We are thrilled to announce the cast of the Junior Dramatic Production. Congratulations to:

Alden Sommerfield Alexander Graves Alexander Thakur Andrew Beckingsale Andrew Smith Angus Tweed Angus Woodrow Arran McKenzie Bayden Kohn Charlie McCauley Charlie Petersen Charlie Stilwell Chris Allen David Butler Declan Mount Elliott Dudgeon Eoin Mullan Harry Cardell-Ree Hugh Mowbray	Isaac Bassingthwaighte Ishaan Keane Jack Whittam Jacob Duncan Jonty Davis Josh Anderson Josh Lotzvie Joshua Stamatellos Kiran Patel Lachlan Nye Mitchell Groot-Esler Ned Boorer Nicholas Michael Nicholas Driessen Oliver Buck Oliver Christie Ollie Taylor	Ozair Rahman Robbie Gilbert Sam Mellick Sean Han Sean Moyle Taj Saini Timothy Marendy Tobias Dunglison Toby Logan Tom Jackson William Dwyer Will Motley Atticus Jackson Bernard Kang Connor Von Hoyer-Davies Sebastian Roy-Bryant

Last week we revealed some of the magic behind our adventurous photo shoot of this incredible and diverse young cast. Thanks to Maxim Varghese for photography. You can see the results of this on our Instagram page @grammarplay.bgs.

Belinda Lindsay
Creative Team

Arrive Play and Go

A reminder that all students and parents are required to follow the GPS Association guidelines at sports grounds this weekend. Remember their instruction: Arrive, Play and Go.

For students: Unless you are a reserve for the next game, you must leave the ground after your game as soon as you can. Student spectators are not allowed, including at First level games.

For Parents: Only two parent spectators are allowed at venues. Siblings, grandparents and other spectators are not permitted.

Several GPS schools are issuing wrist bands to permitted spectators. Please support this process so that we can continue to provide cocurricular experiences for students.

It has been very pleasing to see our boys enacting our values across the Cocurricular program. I wish to highlight the 8A Tennis team and their application of learning and endeavour. In 2019, this team lost to BBC. Last weekend, down 5-0 in a doubles game, they battled to score a game and eventually go down 6-1. This made the difference with the end being a tied result based on games.  Similarly, the 6C Football team has progressively improved to record their first victory, 4-2.

Our development approach in our program is having a positive effect. Highlights thus far are the Football program, with 35 wins and 10 draws. Similarly, the Basketball program has produced 36 wins, two draws and 30 losses. Chess has competed well, with the Premier team having three wins. The 11A and 11B Rugby teams had great wins last weekend as well, and the 13A and 13Bs had solid victories in the first round.

Well done to the Cross Country team for their hard fought fifth place at the Championships in both the Seniors and the Juniors last week. Highlights included Archie Boorer winning the 12 years event; the Open Age group winning their race; and Captain Harry Chapman convincingly winning the Open race.

I encourage all boys to continue to apply themselves, reflect on their performance and learn as we continue through the season.

A friendly reminder: stay up-to-date by loading the BGS app and the BGS Cocurricular Facebook page and BGS Cocurricular Instagram.

The first round of internal fixtures last Friday was a great chance for students to participate in some competitive fencing. The space in the Indoor Sports Centre cricket nets had five pistes to accommodate 30 teams of fencers.

Junior Epee 1 fenced victoriously, not losing any points to the Junior Epee 2 team. The Senior Sabre 1s also chalked up a perfect bout record against the Senior Sabre 2s.

A special mention to Lachie Smith who dropped only two points over his three bouts.

Well done to all new fencers who competed for the first time. Thank you to our senior fencers who mentored the younger boys – helping with gear, directions on getting to the correct piste, some tips for improvement, and gentle advice on proper fencing competition etiquette. 

Round 2 of internal fixtures is on Friday 21 August. The team lists and draw will be available from the Fencing page on MyGrammar soon.

Students are reminded to:

• Check the draw for bout times
• Let Ms Chin and your teammates know if you have been allocated a team but cannot fence
• Bring all your gear with you
• Remember a water bottle - bubblers are for refilling only, so you need your own water bottle

Melanie Chin
MIC Fencing

Team Photos

Football team photos are on tomorrow, Saturday 15 August for teams playing at Northgate. Please find the schedule here.

Future Problem Solving National Qualifying Problem

On Tuesday, four Brisbane Grammar School teams from Years 7 to 9 competed in the 2020 Future Problem Solving (FPS) national qualification booklet competition. Teams of four students from all around Australia had only two and a half hours to complete the booklet process. First, they read a future scene set in 2046 on the topic of ‘Gamification.’ Gamification is the application of elements of game playing – for example, point scoring or competition with others – to other areas of activity such as online marketing, education, healthcare or business. Next, they had to uncover 16 problems/challenges associated with the future scene, select one underlying problem, develop 16 futuristic solutions to that underlying problem and then develop a plan of action for solving their most favourable solution. Research and a knowledge of future trends are valued very highly in this competition and have been the focus of our preparations this year.

Qualification booklets have now been sent away for marking by professionals around Australia. We are hoping our teams qualify for the national competition taking place in October. If successful at the national competition, teams are invited to attend the international competition in the USA in 2021.

FPS is an academic competition in which students apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to hypothetical future situations. The program looks at current technological, geopolitical, and societal trends and projects those trends 20 to 30 years into the future in order to train students to develop solutions to challenges they may face as adults.

Simon Canfield
Future Problem Solving Coach

2021 GPS Rowing Season 

Boys currently in Years 7 to 11 are now invited to sign on for the BGS Rowing 2021 season by Friday 28 August. Information about Rowing is available on MyGrammar. You will receive updates about the Rowing season after you sign on.

Click here to sign on for the 2021 Rowing Season. 

Safety Inductions

All BGS boys must perform these safety requirements to permit them to row on the Brisbane River:

• 100m swim
• Rowing boat re-entry from the water

After boys have signed on, their names will be compared to previous records to ensure they have completed inductions. If not, they will be asked to attend Safety Inductions.

Safety Inductions will be held at lunch time in Week 8 in the Indoor Sports Centre pool. Boys will be asked to attend one of these days.

• Monday 31 August and Tuesday 1 September: Years 9 to 12 (new students)
• Wednesday 2 September and Thursday 3 September: Year 8

Matt Marden
Director of Rowing

Tuckshop +61 7 3834 5229
Grammar Shop +61 7 3834 5347
Roster Secretary Wendy Smith - wsmith@visis.com.au

Grammar Shop hours
Weekdays 7.30am – 11.00am

Tuckshop hours
Weekdays 7.00am – 2.00pm

Due to social distancing, we can only have three volunteers for breakfast and six volunteers for morning tea and lunch.

Term 3
Tuesday 14 July – Friday 18 September

Term 4
Tuesday 6 October – Friday 27 November

Click here for more information on upcoming events.

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.

The Tuckshop and Grammar Shop are currently operating cash-free, so please plan accordingly. Safety guidelines regarding social distancing and hand sanitising will continue in both locations. 

Request for volunteers

Thank you to all our new and continuing volunteers who assist regularly in both shops, including the lovely team (pictured) who did such a wonderful job on last week’s busy Thursday in the Tuckshop.

We are seeking Tuckshop volunteers for Monday Week 1 (to help on 7 September and 2 November) and Thursday Week 3 (for 27 August, 22 October and 19 November). Volunteering is a great opportunity to meet other parents and make a contribution to the BGS community. We would be very appreciative of your help for whatever time you can spare: a couple of hours or the whole day!

Our convenors and volunteers are very welcoming and we would love to see you there.  Please contact Wendy Smith on wsmith@visis.com.au if you think you may be able to assist.

Tuckshop

Open school days before school, during breaks and at lunchtime.

The Tuckshop provides a selection of hot food, fresh salads, wraps, rolls and drinks. Please recharge your MSA cards here.

Grammar Shop

Open school days from 7.30am to 11.00am.​​

The Grammar Shop has recently relocated to the basement level of The Lilley Centre and we look forward to showing you our new premises. Staff need to maintain social distancing parameters of 1.5m, but students are welcome to try on uniforms themselves, or parents may wish to come to the shop to fit their son/s if they prefer. Please call us on 07 3834 5347 to discuss your needs and we’ll do our best to help.

Light Dark Blue: 150 Years of Learning and Leadership at Brisbane Grammar School is available for purchase. The beautiful 500-page hardcover book updates the BGS story with previously untold anecdotes, rare photographs and illustrations. With a limited print run, it is sure to become a sought after collector’s item. Standard edition and limited editions are available.

Click here to view all BGS150 merchandise – limited stocks remain.