Newsletter
Week 4 Term 4

2020 has tested the adaptability, spirit and patience of all of us, none more so than students. On top of this year’s destabilising events, the Class of 2020 has experienced the challenge of the new QCE-ATAR system.

Despite these challenges, I was inspired by the thoughtful demeanours and collective positive energy on display while observing our Year 12s this week as they prepared for their external examinations. Their upbeat attitudes while entering and exiting their exams is a testament to their self-belief and faith in their preparation.

Each day in The Lilley Centre, I observe group after group of students collaborating and sharing their thinking, encouraging each other to perform at their best. Learning is an inherently social function, and our students understand and leverage this insight to great effect.

Brisbane Grammar School is committed to providing an education that develops men who reason and respond flexibly, seek out and act on feedback and regulate their own thinking to adjust to new information and situations. Everything that I have seen from our students in this most difficult of years tells me this commitment is being realised.

Last week at a special assembly we announced the Dux of the School, Lewis Luck. I want to acknowledge Lewis on his outstanding achievement in winning the Lilley Gold Medal in 2020. We also announced the Year 12 recipients of academic and service prizes. Congratulations to all of these students who have worked hard to earn this recognition.

The formal presentation of awards will occur at Speech Day on Wednesday 18 November. The event, held at the Concert Hall at QPAC, will be attended by Year 12 students and their parents only. Online ticket details are available via the Year 12 section of MyGrammar. 

Academic awards for Years 9 to 11 were announced at assembly earlier today, and I congratulate all of the deserving winners. The dux of each year level rightly elicits special commendation for applied effort across a broad range of subjects, and we recognise in 2020:

• Dux of Year 11 – Joseph Lim
• Dux of Year 10 – Harry Dickson
• Dux of Year 9 – Henry Wang

The presentation of academic awards and prizes to students in Years 9 to 11 will occur at a special ceremony in the Great Hall on Friday 20 November. This event will recorded and a link will be made available online in the week following.

Parents of Year 11 students will shortly receive notification as to the availability of their son’s Statement of Results. This document will summarise academic results for Units 1 and 2 and indicate whether a student has met a satisfactory standard in each subject, thereby earning credit towards their Queensland Certificate of Education, awarded by the QCAA at the completion of Year 12.

Boys and parents should have acclimated by now to the different rhythms of the school year imposed by the new system: longer units of study requiring deeper focus; reduced assessment volume overall but with increased duration of examinations; and a significantly greater need for ongoing revision and the retention of learning. From what I have observed in recent weeks, our seniors have adapted to these new rhythms outstandingly well.    

Key staff across the School continue to meet regularly as we continue our work to manage potential issues in connection with COVID-19. BGS boys remain focused on good hygiene practices. I encourage you to read the below updates from different areas of the School.

Cocurricular

With the conclusion of 2020 Cocurricular events last week, we have shifted focus to 2021. In sport, preseason preparations are underway for Cricket, Volleyball, Debating, Rowing, Swimming and Sailing. Each of these training environments are adhering to our COVID Safe protocols.

Planning for holiday camps and clinics has necessarily involved some changes to our normal offerings to meet our high standards of safety for students and staff. Some planned residential camps for preseason sports have transitioned to day clinics, removing the residential component. Others have moved location to operate safely under comprehensive COVID Safe plans.

Program leaders have started advising their respective communities about the holiday offerings and, we remain committed to optimal preseason preparation. For all details about Cocurricular programs, please refer to MyGrammar.

Outdoor Education

The Outdoor Education department has been conducting residential expedition programs for Year 10 students this term. We will be welcoming Year 6 students back to Pepperina Hill in Week 6 for their overnight experience where they will be accommodated in tents.

During the December holidays, the department will also be conducting a four day expedition program for Duke of Edinburgh students in Mt Barney National Park. These experiences are operating under the approved COVID Safe Industry Plan for Outdoor Education.

Boarding

Within the Boarding community, we remain vigilant in our everyday operation and continue to encourage and practice good hygiene throughout.

As we near the end of the year, our focus turns towards the summer break and I thank those parents who have already completed the MS Forms Audit of travelling intentions. We understand the challenging circumstances being presented to our overseas families. Our clear advice is that students should not leave the country unless suitable exemptions have been gained and families are confident of both return transportation and of quarantine arrangements.

Our hope is that progress will be made with our international borders in the coming weeks. We will communicate any developments directly to our boarding parents.

Anthony Micallef
Headmaster

In mid-December, Brisbane Grammar School will be emailing 2021 fee accounts.

For 2021 fees, the School will again provide a 4% discount on tuition, boarding and technology levy for payments received in full by 15 February 2021.

If you wish to amend your payment method for next year, please complete the Fee Instalment Nomination Form and return it to BGS Accounts before the end of October 2020.

For example, if you wish to change to:

• Annual payment (to receive the 4% discount);
• Quarterly payment; or
• Monthly payment (a Monthly Instalment Fee of $200 pa is charged for this option).

The Fee Instalment Nomination Form can be downloaded here.

Your payment instalment option may be changed without incurring a fee up until Friday 30 October 2020. An Instalment Change Fee of $200 may be charged for changes after this date.

Direct debit from your savings account is also available on monthly accounts. This form can be downloaded here.

Please contact BGS Accounts at accounts@brisbanegrammar.com if you have any questions.

2021 Payment Dates

Instalment type	Issue Date	Payment Date
Annual	December 2020	15 February 2021
Quarterly
Term 1	December 2020	15 February 2021
Term 2	20 April 2021	4 May 2021
Term 3	13 July 2021	27 July 2021
Term 4	5 October 2021	19 October 2021
Monthly
February 2021	December 2020	15 February 2021
March to November	First of each month	15th of each month

Payment via MyGrammar

All fee statements issued to parents this year are available via MyGrammar. Your receipt and transaction history are also available via MyGrammar.

School fee payments can also be made via MyGrammar by clicking ‘Make a Payment’. Visa, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted, with no surcharge. You can, if you choose, securely store your card details on your account for future use. Your card details will only be visible to our bank, not school staff.

An instructional document explaining how to make payments via MyGrammar can be accessed here.

If you experience any difficulties in accessing this information, please contact ICT staff at ictadmin@brisbanegrammar.com or 07 3834 5777.

Alternative Payment Options

Brisbane Grammar School is pleased to offer various payment options to our parents.

Edstart is an easy, flexible and low-cost way to pay for your son’s education over an extended period of time, up to five years after your son finishes school. Edstart also allows you to fund boarding fees, amounts in arrears and additional charges such as the technology levy, camps and excursions, and voluntary contributions.

Click here to apply online. Once approved, Edstart will pay the School the invoice amount due. You will then make regular monthly, fortnightly or weekly payments to Edstart.

Please note, in providing information about Edstart, we do not provide any recommendations, brokering or advice services. BGS does not receive referral fees, commissions or other remuneration from Edstart.

If you have any queries, please contact Edstart on 1300 139 445 or chat with their team at contact@edstart.com.au.

Kay Goodwin
Director of Finance

New BPAY payment option and decommissioned legacy option

School fees can now be paid online without logging into MyGrammar. Your BPAY reference number can be provided to a third person (e.g. grandparents), so they can make a payment on your behalf. If you let them know your account balance, they will be presented with the amount outstanding during the payment process and will therefore be assured that it is going to the right account.

All you need to know to be able to make a payment is:

• Your BPAY reference number
• The amount you wish to pay
• The email address that you would like the receipt emailed to

Click here and select the Pay with Statement option to make an anonymous payment.  

You can continue to log into MyGrammar to make a payment, view your account transactions, receipts and statements. 

Please note, the legacy payment gateway previously available for anonymous payments is now decommissioned. If you have used the legacy payment gateway, please delete any bookmarks you may have kept and replace it with the link above.

If you have any questions, please contact the BGS Finance Office.

Kay Goodwin
Director of Finance

Brisbane Grammar School has a long and proud tradition of offering scholarships and bursaries to boys who have demonstrated they have the potential to derive great benefit from a Brisbane Grammar School education.

Trustees’ Scholarships are awarded on the basis of demonstrated academic excellence to boys commencing Years 7 and 10 in 2022, based on their performance in the annual ACER Scholarship Exam and a willingness to contribute to the wider school program.

The ACER Scholarship Examination will be held at the School on Saturday 27 February 2021. Registration is available here until midnight AEDST Monday 8 February 2021. The cost of registration is $130.

Jamie Smith
Director of Enrolments

2021 Form Seniors | Years 5 to 7

I extend my sincere and personal congratulations to the Year 11s who have been appointed as Form Seniors for Years 5, 6 and 7 for 2021. This is a significant responsibility guiding young students on their Brisbane Grammar School journey.

Younger boys look to their Form Seniors as examples of what it means to become a “Grammar Man”, embodying the School Values – Learning, Leadership, Endeavour, Respect and Community – in everything they do.

Years 8 and 9 Form Seniors have been announced. Their names will appear in the Week 6 newsletter.

Year 5	Raphy Athanasiou Alexander Cain Arjun Dhanani William Emery Scott Evans Noah Guthrie Lucas Raaymakers Max Simonidis Josh Sommer Caleb Sultana Nayan Thapar Hamish Wall
Year 6	Prankul Bansal Sebastian Beirne Ollie Elgood Tom Gehrmann Hamish Goodwin Lachie MacNicol Charlie O’Sullivan Alex Patane Matt Pyman Eddie Salter Harry Snape Anton Vassallo
Year 7	Ken Anulomsombat Charlie Bassingthwaighte Josh Blake Tobias Carter Ari Coroneo Jacob Donald Will Douglas Oliver Early Thomas Fennon Jack Fewster Tom Freeman Joel Gorman Nicholas Ho Alex Kiers Hugo Lau Oscar Meutermans Walter Nedov Thanh Nguyen Conrad Pun Ben Rainbird Luke Schwartz Andrew Shuttleton Nicholas Sullivan Ben Tran Kirijan Vijeyakumar Max Wagland Charlie Williamson

Bullying Educational Program review: Request for feedback from Parents

This year the Student Wellbeing Team and external experts conducted a bi-annual review of how the School manages reports of bullying. Brisbane Grammar School has also engaged Dr Karyn Healy to audit the School’s educational programs.

Dr Healy is a registered psychologist with extensive practical experience working with schools, parents and children to prevent and address bullying, and resolve conflict. Her PhD investigated intervening with families of children bullied at school, which is a promising new approach to complement schools’ anti-bullying programs.

Dr Healy is co-author of the Resilience Triple P program and presented at the 2016 National Centre Against Bullying Conference in Melbourne. In 2018, she developed staff resources for Australia’s Safe and Supportive School Communities; this is now available to all Australian schools.

Dr Healy’s work was recently highlighted in The Courier Mail article, “Why some schools anti-bullying programs may be harming kids”. We are fortunate to have Dr Healy assist us with our work at BGS.

Dr Healy will be on campus in mid-November to interview staff and students. I encourage you to fill out this parent survey to have input into Dr Healy’s important work.

For further information, please contact me on (07) 3834 5200.

Speech Day 2021 | QPAC | Year 12 students and parents

This year, Speech Day (Wednesday 18 November at QPAC) will only be attended by Year 12 students and their parents.

Information about tickets is available via the Year 12 MyGrammar page. Live stream details will be advised in a future newsletter for BGS community members interested in viewing the event.

Director of Student Services
Dale Nicholas

University updates

The University of Queensland has announced guaranteed minimum ATAR thresholds across a range of programs. This information provides some certainty for Year 12 students. Students will still need to meet English standards, prerequisites and other entry requirements. Full and detailed information can be found here.

QUT has added programs to their early offer scheme. To be eligible for this scheme, students must have applied to QTAC no later than Saturday 31 October.  If you have selected any of the eligible courses in your top three QTAC preferences, you will receive an email from QTAC inviting you to apply for the scheme. To support your application, you will need to upload requested documentation to your QTAC application by 4.30pm Friday 6 November 2020. Details of the scheme can be found here.

Students who wish to be considered for an early offer from Griffith University must apply to QTAC by Saturday 31 October and then respond to an email invitation from Griffith to upload additional information. The program details and requirements can be found here.

Director of Boarding
Berian Williams-Jones

Last week, five of our boarding community members represented the School at the GPS Track and Field Championships. We recognised Kruz Rimene, Campbell Watchris, Doug Champman, Hugo Elix and Harry Champman as our House Heroes given the wonderful examples of Endeavour and Community shown to their peers in Griffith House and Harlin House.

Several other boys were also in the Track and Field program and, while they did not make the championship team, we equally value their commitment to the training sessions and recognise the personal growth each has made.

It’s heartening to see boys’ ongoing commitment to the Cocurricular program, despite the pressures and expectations that come with Term 4. Countless studies reveal the importance of a balanced lifestyle, particularly when the pressures of everyday life build. This is particularly relevant for our Year 12 boarders who have entered their first external exams; it has been great to see them keeping active and acknowledging the well-known benefits of physical exercise.

As we move towards the end of the academic year, our thoughts naturally turn towards Term 1 2021. Preseasons are now underway, and many boys have shown their commitment to their Cricket, Music, Rowing, Swimming, Tennis and Volleyball activities.

It remains an expectation that boarders in Year 10 and below are wholly engaged in school life, and it is encouraging to see such a positive response by so many boys. We certainly look forward to a very busy Term 1 next year.

Help BGS Boarding win again!

BGS Boarding has submitted an entry to the Australian Boarding Schools Association (ABSA) Facebook photo competition. We have won in the past, and we need your help to win again! Please click here, like and share the photo and encourage your family and friends to do the same. The photo with the most likes wins. 

Director of Outdoor Education
Derek Jervis

10D and 10E have completed their final class Outdoor Education experience. The Year 10 classes facilitated their own expeditions by organising groups, deciding on a route for their journey and the activities along the way.

In 10D, Tom Macpherson was a helpful and reliable group member. He maintained a positive attitude and embraced the challenge of bushwalking to Mt Moon. Patrick Holmes was motivated and very determined. He pushed through some challenging conditions to complete the bushwalk.

Alex Thakur was a valuable group member. He demonstrated some excellent navigation skills, which helped his group on their journey. Alex was willing to embrace the challenges of the program and was a great role model for his group. Tom Jackson was also great with a map – he paid attention to the details and collaborated to make good decisions. Tom proved to be capable in the outdoors and kept the group motivation high.

In 10E, Felix Cavalerie had a great attitude towards the program. Felix was mature and consistently looked to help his peers where he could and made the most of the outdoor activities and challenges. Lucas Sherington was an effective group leader. He demonstrated the dispositions of ‘leading others’ and was a great participant in all aspects of the program.

A small group of students from 10E chose to dedicate their expedition to hiking and set the goal of the summit of Mt Moon. Ryan Tavakol, Charlie Petersen, Edward Sommerville, Josh Cory and Billy Tanner hiked through rain and cloud to the summit and were greeted with a whiteout. Luckily, in their planning, they had left enough time to rest on the summit and the weather cleared to reveal the stunning view of the main range.

Blake Linley shared the following thoughts while reflecting on his experiences: “…there hasn’t been a single moment when I haven’t learned something. The extent of classroom education gets you a long way, but the things you learn at Moogerah can’t be taught in a classroom. Trust, initiative, perseverance; these are just some of the things that Moogerah has taught me.”

A short movie of the boys' experiences can be viewed via the 10D Video and 10E Video links.

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 Year 10 folder in Pixevety.

Director of Student Wellbeing Programs
Philippa Douglas

Year 6 Global Citizenry | Solar Buddy Program

In its third year, the Solar Buddy program has become an essential learning experience within the Year 6 Student Wellbeing Curriculum. Boys learn about the enormity of energy poverty and the impacts on children, their families and communities living in some of the most at-risk regions of the world.

The program encourages student collaboration, intercultural understanding, and creative and critical thinking. Boys are also inspired and challenged to consider how they can make a difference in their global community.

Over three weeks, boys listened to an engaging presentation by a member of the Solar Buddy team, built solar lights, and wrote individual letters to children receiving the lights.

This year, the lights will transform the lives of children in remote villages in Tanzania.

At the completion of the program, boys were asked to reflect on what they learned and enjoyed.  Here is a snapshot of what they had to say.

“I have learned that there are many places that are affected by devastating poverty. I also learned that there are people who want to make a difference in the world and not just let things happen around them.” – Nicholas Bade

“I have loved the Solar Buddy challenge as of course being able to build something really fun and intriguing but also that is helping so many kids around the globe. We had one lesson where we were taught about the movement of this program but what made me so curious was how child friendly and smartly designed the Junior Buddy light was. Basically, all the sort of things for a kid’s needs and accidents such as waterproofing, long-life batteries and even a solar panel. In a nutshell, I absolutely loved the Solar Buddy and how the program was so well designed. I highly recommend to all schools and families!” – Arnav Thapar

Queensland Economics Teachers Association UQ Students Economics Competition

During Term 3, all Economics students in Years 11 and 12 participated in the QETA UQ Student Economics Competition. This year, more than 1600 students across Queensland entered the competition.

The students were required to respond to 40 multiple choice questions in 45 minutes. The exam asked questions relating to current economic events and issues and content from the QCAA Economics Senior Syllabus.

Congratulations to the following students who finished equal first in Queensland for their respective year levels:

• Year 12 – Tim Rainbird
• Year 11 – Sam Bizzell, William Staib and Pat Trappett

Tim, Sam, William and Pat will each receive a cash prize and certificate for their efforts.

Suncorp ESSI Money Challenge

The Suncorp ESSI (Earning, Spending, Saving, Investing) Money Challenge is an online financial literacy game coordinated by the Financial Basics Foundation. The competition simulates six months of real-life decisions around concepts of financial management focused on earning, saving, spending, and investing. 

All Year 11 Economics students were given the opportunity to participate in the national competition this year.

Congratulations to Justin Liang and Jaguar Ngo who finished first and third in Queensland respectively.

Tim Fulton
Teacher of Economics

The Middle School interwing swimming carnival took place at Centenary Pool last Friday in a different format to previous years. Despite the event being held as three mini-carnivals, school spirit was high as the boys participated in various events and cheered on swimmers from their wing. Thank you to Mr Glenn McFarlane and all staff who were involved in organising this event. A special mention to our Year 8 Wing Captains who demonstrated great leadership by assisting in various roles throughout the day.

This week, our Year 8 boys participated in their Tie Ceremony. The ceremony symbolises the end of a boy’s Middle School journey and his transition into Senior School. It also represents the shift from boyhood to manhood. It is a ritual designed to celebrate the unique and critically important relationship between a boy and his dad (or other significant male). This year, dads were invited to send in a message for their son, which was then presented to boys along with their school tie. From this week, our Year 8 boys will wear their school tie with pride as they embark on their final few weeks of Middle School. 

At today’s Middle School Assembly, Mr Ian Grice announced this year’s academic prize winners. Those receiving general merit and subject prizes will be formally recognised at the Middle School Presentation Afternoon on Wednesday 25 November. General merit prizes are awarded to students who achieve in the top 10% of each cohort. Subject prizes in Years 7 and 8 are allocated to the highest achieving student in each subject. Congratulations to all students who have achieved these outstanding results. In addition, many more students who achieved commendable results were announced as recipients of Certificates of Merit and Certificates of Academic Endeavour (Years 5 and 6). These certificates will be formally presented at upcoming cohort assemblies.

As indicated in my assembly address today, striving for academic excellence and focusing on personal best has been at the core of a Brisbane Grammar School education since its foundation and is reflected through our School Values of Learning and Endeavour. All students are encouraged to apply themselves fully over the next few weeks to ensure they achieve their very best through the upcoming assessment period.  

Please note, Middle School Presentation Afternoon (morning) will be held in Centenary Hall this year and will be live-streamed to parents at 11.00am. Further information will be communicated to parents prior to the event.

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

Our students, especially senior students, had many highlights over the last few weeks as we concluded 2020 Cocurricular programs.

The recent Sing and Swing concert in the Roma Street Parklands was certainly one such highlight. With a comprehensive COVID Safe plan in place, our students brought their wonderful music to life; music which rang more clearly than we could imagine, given the passage of time since our last live performance.

Those present heard a wide range of repertoire from the Grammar Singers, Chamber Choir, Basie Jazz Band, Grammar Voices, Morrison Jazz Band, Grammarphones, Parker Jazz Band, Grammar Vocal Ensemble, Vocal Group and the Grammar Big Band.

I wish to thank and commend all of our musicians, staff, tutors, the Music Support Group and the Head of Music for their extraordinary efforts in bringing this concert together.

Last Friday, our Track and Field team contested the GPS Championships at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre. Without spectators, this event took on a different tone this year. We know many were watching via the live stream and tracking the performances across the day. Having stood trackside, I can assure you that our students gave their all.

There is little doubt that the truncated season impacted preparation for all, but as we have throughout the year, these challenges were faced head-on and members of the team recorded many personal best results, with strong leadership from our Class of 2020. We congratulate the students and staff of Ipswich Grammar School on their decisive win this year.  

Our Cocurricular programs have now transitioned into the preseason phase for all Term 1 2021 sports and activities. These include Cricket, Volleyball, Debating, Rowing, Swimming and Sailing. Program leaders are providing timely updates and information via their respective MyGrammar pages.

The recent tropical weather has provided a timely reminder of the importance of our BGS App as a means for communicating last-minute changes in programming, including cancellation of training due to weather events.

Finally, we will post a summary of the feedback received from the Term 3 End of Season Survey on the respective MyGrammar Cocurricular program pages in the coming week. Your feedback enables our growth. Thank you.    

Lights, Camera, Action: Middle School Dramatic Production

This week, we wrapped up the recording phase for the Middle School Dramatic Production. Our talented Year 7 cast were in focus on Sunday as they worked in front of the camera to bring their melodramatic fairy tale characters to life. It has been wonderful to see these young actors engage with a modern adaptation of The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids – a lesser-known tale from the Brothers Grimm which explores morals related to courage, dignity and respect.  

Cameron Quagliotto (Year 11) and Rahul Kumar (Year 9) assisted the directors with their technical skills; their dedication and prowess were integral to the smooth running of the day. We thank these boys for their continued support of the BGS Drama Department.

Post-production editing is now underway for all three fables that comprise The Untold Tales. We look forward to sharing details about how you can enjoy these innovative pieces of theatre in the coming weeks.

Amy Irvine, Bella MacDiarmid, Jeffrey Lewis
Directing Team

2021 Ensembles

Congratulations to hundreds of boys who auditioned for 2021 ensembles across the last two weeks. BGS Music staff have worked hard at establishing well-balanced groups for next year and are excited about the possibilities of what these ensembles will achieve. Students should refer to MyGrammar to see the confirmed lists and rehearsal times. Rehearsals will commence this week and continue through to the end of Week 7.

Virtual Concerts

The virtual concerts featured in recent weeks are still available. Click on the links for:

• Grammar in Concert featuring our very finest ensembles
• Our most recent Term 4 Showcase Concerts (Bands, Strings and Orchestras)
• Term 3 concerts featuring our intermediate and junior ensembles are accessible via the Music page of MyGrammar.

Peter Ingram
Head of Music

King of the Hill

Congratulations to boys in Years 9 to 11 who contested the King of the Hill event against Gregory Terrace last weekend. The traditional head to head time trial is part of the longstanding rivalry between the two schools and is always a lot of fun. While it is early in the preseason and crews have not been formalised, it is still a great race against another GPS school.

The BGS boys were well represented and rowed well. Well done to all the boys on their efforts last weekend.

Over the past three weeks, our focus has been on the quality of our rowing; we are taking the time to develop foundations that will pay off in Term 1 2021.

Rowathon

On Saturday 31 October, BGS rowers will be participating in their rowathon fundraising – a pledge-based dollar per kilometre event. The boys find sponsors to pledge an amount toward their efforts on Saturday. All funds raised go directly back into the BGS Rowing program.

Please see MyGrammar for details on how to get involved.

Camps

Camps are an important part of the season, and all boys should attend. A successful crew depends on every member, including the cox and the coach. Without a full crew, it is difficult to have a successful session. These boat camps are particularly important to ensure the boys are fully prepared for GPS competition in Term 1 2021.

Please add the below camp dates to your calendar. Camp sign-up will be available shortly.

December Sculling Camp

• Type and Venue: Non-residential – BGS Rowing Shed
• Who: Years 9 and 10 2021 (current Years 8 and 9)
• Dates: Monday 30 November to Friday 4 December
• Time: 6.00am to 12.00pm each day
   

December Sweep Camp

• Type and Venue: Residential – Maroochydore
• Who: Years 11 and 12 2021 (current Years 10 and 11)
• Dates: Monday 30 November to Saturday 5 December
   

January Senior Camp

• Type and Venue: Residential – Noosa
• Who: Years 10, 11 and 12 2021 (current Years 9, 10 and 11)
• Dates: Saturday 16 January to Thursday 21 January
   

January Junior Camp

• Type and Venue: Non-residential – BGS Rowing Shed
• Who: Year 9 2021 (current Year 8)
• Dates: Monday 18 January to Thursday 21 January
• Time: 6.00am to 12.00pm each day

Matt Marden
Director of Rowing

GPS Swimming Camp | Years 7 to 12 2021

I recommend all swimmers in Years 7 to 12 (2021) who are interested in the GPS team attend the annual swimming camp in the Christmas holidays. Registration for this camp closes on the 16 November 2020. Click here or visit MyGrammar for details.

The camp will be held at the Sunshine Coast during the last week of the Christmas school holidays (Monday 18 - Wednesday 20 January 2021).

The camp is essential preparation for boys who are interested in trying out for the 2021 GPS Swimming team. The camp will include pool sessions, beach visits and a range of other activities.

Swimming Clinic | Years 5, 6 and 7 2021

The annual swimming clinic for boys in Years 5, 6 and 7 (2021) will be held at the BGS Indoor Sports Centre on the final Friday of the Christmas school holidays on 22 January 2021. Click here for details and to register.

The intensive swimming clinic is an excellent opportunity for boys who want to try out for the swimming team and kick start their preparations. Boys new to the BGS community can also familiarise themselves with the school and some of the staff and students.

Sessions involve stroke technique work in the pool, dry land training and race practice as well as some fun team-building activities.

Matt Logan
MiC Swimming

GPS Track and Field Championships

The Senior GPS Track and Field Championships were held on Friday 23 October at QSAC and saw BGS finish seventh.

The following boys had memorable performances:              

• Kobi Griffiths (Year 8)
• Will Gatehouse (Year 9)
• Tom Stunden (Year 11)
• Thomas Leeuwendal (Year 8)
• Alex Thakur (Year 10
• Marcus Bean (Year 11)
• Jack Spencer (Year 11)

Congratulations to the following Track and Field Speech Day award recipients:

• Elijah Wong (100m)
• James McCoombes (400m)
• Harry Chapman (1500m)

The effort by all team members to strive for ‘one more place’ saw numerous personal bests recorded over the 69 events. Thank you to all athletes for their effort on the day, and to the coaching staff for ensuring boys were as well prepared as possible.

Tim Holzgrefe
MiC Track and Field

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. 

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.

Year 8 students should plan to come to the Grammar Shop this term to purchase their Senior School uniform of a blue shirt, trousers, trouser socks and tie. It is not necessary to make an appointment, just come on in either before school or at morning tea.

Year 11 students are welcome to come to the Grammar Shop to purchase their Units 3 and 4 textbooks and senior ties.

Grammar Shop staff would very much appreciate parents arranging payment for their sons prior to their arrival where possible. Students can pay using their students ID cards (log into My Student Account to top up the balance), using funds on their account with the Grammar Shop or by credit or debit card.

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.

Joanne Villiers
P&F Auxiliary

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

Grammar Shop hours
School days 7.30am – 11.00am

Tuckshop hours
Weekdays 7.00am – 2.00pm

Term 4
Tuesday 6 October – Friday 27 November

Click here for more information on upcoming events.

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” ― Plato

Despite the challenges, our boys have continued to make music in 2020!

However, without live concerts, the Music Support Group has not had the opportunity to raise much-needed funds. Money raised supports the work of the Music Department – purchasing new instruments and performance equipment, as well as commissioning new works.

This year, we are running an online raffle with four gorgeous baskets of goodies, including Body Shop products, homewares, gourmet food and everything you need to make Christmas festive. Tickets are only $2, or $50 for 30, with a quick and convenient online purchase. Visit our raffle page to view our fantastic prizes. The raffle closes on Wednesday 25 November.

Please show your support of BGS Music by buying tickets and sharing our online raffle link (www.rafflelink.com.au/bgsmusicraffle2020) with:

• friends and family via Facebook
• at your workplace via email or a chat during lunchtime
• sporting clubs or community groups that your family are involved in
• your neighbours during a chat or a note in their letterbox

Good luck and we thank you for your support!

Tanya Graves
President Music Support Group

The Musketeers Support Group AGM will be held on Thursday 5 November at 7.00pm via Teams.

Please RSVP to Melanie.Chin@brisbanegrammar.com to receive a link to the meeting. The agenda, position nomination form, and other relevant documents are available via the Fencing section on MyGrammar.

Melanie Chin
MiC Fencing

The Normanby Blues Annual General Meeting will be held Monday 9 November 6.30pm to 8.00pm. To make it a social occasion, we are hosting it in a private room on level 3 at the Normanby Hotel. 

We would be delighted for interested Middle School Rugby parents to consider nominating for the Normanby Blues Committee. This is not only because the younger age groups are an important stakeholder in BGS Rugby, but also because the work done by the committee today has the most impact on those boys coming through the Senior School in the future.

Items of business will be:

• 2020 Normanby Blues Highlights
• Treasurer’s Report
• Table 2021 Budget
• NB Resignations/Appointments of the 2021 Office Bearers (President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary)

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Jonte Lowe
President Normanby Blues
jonathon.lowe@bhp.com
0411 476 472

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. Standard edition and limited editions are available.

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

The Wimbledon Club (Tennis Support Group) Annual General Meeting will be held next Wednesday 4 November (6.00pm) at Siam Spice Thai Restaurant, Kelvin Grove.

If you have any questions or would like to know what positions are available, please contact Harry.Lee@brisbanegrammar.com.

Harry Lee
Tennis Administrator