FROM THE JOINT ACTING HEAD - Blue Mountains Grammar School
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Blue Mountains Grammar School
Newsletter Vol 31, 2nd November, 2018
FROM THE JOINT ACTING HEAD
The Call of the Wild
“Deep in the forest a call was sounding, and as often as he heard this call, mysteriously thrilling and
luring, he felt compelled to turn his back upon the fire and the beaten earth around it, and to plunge
into the forest, and on and on, he knew not where or why; nor did he wonder where or why, the call
sounding imperiously, deep in the forest.”
― Jack London, The Call of the Wild
Term 4 is camp season! This term the BMGS Wilderness Education team will host a series of camps
for students across the School. I am not sure of your own experience of camps. For me, I can
remember Year 8 camp at my own School where I can remember spending an afternoon sliding
down a muddy bank somewhere along the Colo River without being able to recall having a teacher in
sight. Times change! These days there is much thought that goes into the School’s camp program
which carefully introduces students to outdoor experiences and progressively provides new
opportunities for self-discovery, team-building and increased resourcefulness. Other benefits are well
documented including stronger community, increased expectations, stronger culture and creating
memories (see for example https://www.edutopia.org/blog/5-benefits-of-outdoor-education-michael-
becker ). Blue Mountains Grammar is uniquely positioned in the a World Heritage Site and camps
have been developed to showcase some of the lesser travelled paths in our incredible backyard. Can
I thank both Mr. Parrish Robbins and Mrs. Adele Stubenrauch for their work to ensure camps
continue to be such a positive feature of the School. To the students, I would encourage you to listen
to the Call of the Wild!
CHRISTMAS PUDDING APPEAL
Christmas Pudding Appeal (Kara Charlton, Year 10)
The Massive Murray Paddle is a fundraising event run every year. Our group of
BMGS paddlers this year have chosen to paddle 404km for Junction 142
Katoomba. Junction 142 is an organisation located in Katoomba that
supports homeless people by providing them with food, shelter, clothing and emergency aid.
Homelessness is a more predominant issue than many of us realise, with more than 100,000
people homeless across the country. You can help us to raise money to support those without a
home in our local community by buying a Christmas Pudding! Profits made will go towards Junction
142, and make this Christmas for homeless people of the Blue Mountains a little bit better.
To order your pudding download the order form on the School’s website. There is a huge range of
styles and flavours. All payments need to be made with completed order forms by 12 th November to
the Business Office.
Mr. Andrew Beitsch
Joint Acting Head
FROM THE ACTING CHAPLAIN
The ‘Reel’ Meaning of Christmas – Did the Grinch steal Christmas?
This is the first of a series leading up to the holiday season where we will look at some classic
Christmas movies to discover the real meaning of this very special day. Growing up in North Carolina,
my family would gather around a fire at my Grandparent’s house on Christmas Eve and watch Dr
Seuss’ 1966 TV special How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The Grinch starts out as a comical green
monster who lives high up in the mountains looking down over Whoville. The Grinch doesn’t like to
be happy and wants the Whos of Whoville to suffer with him. He plans to give them the worst
Christmas they’ve ever had by stealing their joy. He assumes their joy is wrapped up in presents,
decorations, candy canes, lights, trees, and even food such as their special roast beast.
Do you know anyone like the Grinch? I mean sure, the trappings of Christmas annoy many of us but I
am referring to someone who is never happy and therefore doesn’t want others to be happy. To be
honest, I think we all have ‘Grinchy’ days and it is easy to default into this grumpy mode when life
fails to deliver what we think we deserve. In the 1966 TV special we learn that the Grinch’s heart is
two sizes too small. When we don’t use our hearts to love one another, to encourage each other, to
give and not compare ourselves to others, we keep ourselves from growing and before we know it,
our own hearts begin to shrink a few sizes.
This is what happened to the Grinch. His bad attitude finally led him to come up with the ‘wonderful
awful idea’ of stealing Christmas. Dressed up as Santa Claus, the Grinch went down into Whoville
and stole everything. Here’s what Dr Seuss says:
Then he slithered and slunk, with a smile most unpleasant,
Around the whole room, and he took every present!
Popguns! And bicycles! Roller Skates! Drums!
Checkerboards! Tricycles! Popcorn! And Plums!
And he stuffed them in bags, then the Grinch very nimbly,
Stuffed all the bags, one by one, up the chimbley!
Then he slunk to the icebox. He took the Whos’ feast.
He took the Who pudding? He took the roast beast!
He cleaned out that icebox as quick as a flash,
Why that Grinch even took their last can of Who-hash!
How the Grinch Stole Christmas, copyright 1957, Random House Inc.
But when the Whos woke up on Christmas morning they decided to celebrate regardless of their
situation. They were filled with joy and music and spent the morning living in peace with one another
as they joined hands in song. While this exemplary attitude seems very unrealistic, Dr Seuss
nevertheless uses hyperbole to spread a message of love and forgiveness just as Christ taught. The
story begs the question, ‘what will you work to be like – ‘Grinchy’ or gracious? Frustrated or
forgiving?
The Whos represent light as they choose to forgive. Their songs of worship are sung even in the dark on Christmas morning. They choose to sing in the absence of what we’re often told the day is about – decorations, food, and gifts. If you watch the 1966 TV special you will notice the Whos welcome a star on Christmas Day – the light of God’s love. When we are kind and compassionate, forgiving each other as Christ forgave us and loving others because God has loved us, our hearts will grow. Even the Grinch’s heart grows when he is so moved by the Whos’ Christlike example. So will we lean towards the Who or the Grinch within us? Will we choose light over darkness? Let us be imitators of God and live a life of love just as Christ loved us. Let us choose the life of Jesus whose forgiveness and love brings peace on earth and goodwill to all. L. Webb FROM THE PARENTS’ & FRIENDS’ ASSOCIATION Diary Date: All parents are warmly invited to our final General Meeting for the Year (Term 4) which will be held in Coorah, Senior School, on Tuesday, 13th November, at 7:30pm. Please mark in your calendars – we look forward to your company! Duncan Barrell Chair, Parents’ & Friends’ Association dba23266@bigpond.net.au FROM THE HEAD OF MUSIC Greystanes Annual Garden Party This year it was a special event for Greystanes in celebrating their 60th year. Over 80 guests attended the function and appreciated the music provided by the Chamber Ensemble: Sel Hardaker (Year 10), Indigo Franklin (Year 9), Maeve Magner (Year 7), Emily Colbran (Year 7), Michayla Clark (Year 9), and Mrs Cooney. Assembly Performance Thank you to the Hand Bell ensemble for their wonderful performance of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ at Assembly last week. Soiree #3 The final Soiree for 2018 is on Tuesday, 30th November commencing at 7:00pm. Students intending to perform need to add their name to the ‘sign-up’ list outside the Music Office SYO Summer School A reminder that registrations for the SYO Summer School and SYO HSC Preparation Program are now open. For further details see the Music Office or contact Alex Siegers (Marketing Co-ordinator): alex.siegers@syo.com.au or telephone (02) 9251 2422. Western Sydney Youth Orchestra A reminder that auditions for the Western Sydney Youth Orchestra 2019 program have commenced. WSO accepts musicians aged 12+ who play string, woodwind, brass and percussion instruments, Grade 5 AMEB standard or above. For further information contact: info@syo.com.au or 02 9251 2422. Diary Dates Soiree #3 Tuesday, 13th November Presentation Evening Wednesday, 5th December Music Camp: 14th to 17th April, 2019 D. Smith
FROM THE LEARNING SUPPORT DEPARTMENT A reminder that I will be in the Library Resource Centre (LRC) on Tuesday this term after school. This after school assistance is for homework help, however can also include help in organising a study plan or just general assistance in organising your workload. If you are interested in attending, it is a great idea to contact me on email almichielsen@bmgs.nsw.edu.au so that I can prepare best for the time spent together. A. Michielsen FROM THE HEAD OF MATHEMATICS MANSW Courses For the last three weeks, BMGS has hosted professional development provided by the Mathematical Association of NSW. Members of the Maths Department were joined by teachers from local schools to gain a refresher in content about to appear in the new Stage 6 courses. This was a terrific opportunity to network and to ensure the department is prepared for the new courses. Australian Mathematics Competition The results for the Australian Mathematics Competition are in, and of the 105 students who sat the paper we achieved 43 Credits and 10 Distinctions, which is terrific. Congratulations to the following students for achieving a Distinction – Casper Larkin, Megan Docherty, Vaughan Dugdale, Oliver Freeman, Max Lucas, Indigo Franklin, Mia Brischetto, Simon Dowd and Lasse Sweetland. Special congratulations goes to Oliver Drew in Year 7, for being awarded a Prize, placing him in the top 1% of his cohort – an amazing effort! Congratulations to all students who participated in the competition. MCYA Enrichment During Term 3, 11 students from Years 7 – 9 submitted solutions for the Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians – Enrichment stage. This in itself is a terrific effort, as it takes many hours of dedication to problem solving type questions. Congratulations to all involved, including Claudia Ivery, Charlie Burgess, Ruby Charlton, Amy Ling, Evie Archer and Kane Molla. Special congratulations to Casper Larkin, Skye Haddock and Vaughan Dugdale for achieving Distinctions and to Oliver Freeman for receiving a Credit in this challenging competition. S. Coultas CO-CURRICULAR PHOTOGRAPHS School Co-curricular group photographs were taken recently. These groups may include sports teams, prefect groups, bands or other co-curricular groups and these group images are now available for purchase at the advancedlife Blue Mountains Grammar Senior School Community Portal with the link below. Please order over the next two weeks to avoid delay.
Simply follow the link below and click order now to go directly to the community portal.
The Online Order Code for the 2018 Senior School Co-Curricular Photos is DQ8 FJY 77A
Online Order link:
https://www.advancedimage.com.au/keycode/keycodefinder.aspx?keycode=DQ8FJY77A
Important Information:
Extra-curricular group photos can only be purchased online DO NOT return payment to
school
If your child’s group or team has not yet been photographed and is scheduled to be
photographed at a later date, you will receive an additional email notification when the
images are ready to be ordered
Photos will be returned to School for distribution approximately six weeks after photos
are ordered
Past years’ photographs including sports, extra-curricular and representative groups are
also available at the School’s advancedlife and your advancedyou photo sites (follow
the link above)
advancedlife offer a 100% money back guarantee on our products to ensure your peace of
mind. We would also love to receive your feedback or resolve any issues you may experience
as fast as possible, to ensure your satisfaction. If you have any questions, comments or
feedback relating to your advancedlife experience please contact them at
enquiries@advancedlife.com.au
Photos for the groups below can now be ordered using the link above.
1st V Boys’ Basketball 2017/2018 Concert Band
1st V Girls’ Basketball 2017/2018 Cricket 2017/2018
1st VII Netball Girls’ Basketball 2017/2018
1st XI Boys’ Football Girls’ Football
1st XI Cricket 2017/2018 Handbells
1st XI Girls’ Football HICES Debating
1st XI Hockey Hockey
1st XV Rugby ISA Cross Country Representatives
BMGS Athletics ISA Swimming Representatives
BMGS Cross Country Netball
BMGS Debating NSWCIS Cross Country Representative
BMGS Swimming Orchestra
Boys’ Basketball 2017/2018 Rugby
Boys’ Football Senior Choir
Chamber Ensemble SRC
Chess Stage Band
K. Hunter
COMPASSION $3 A DAY CHALLENGE!
Did you know that if everyone on the planet consumed as much in food, water and energy as the
average Australian, we would need 3 earths to sustain us! Furthermore, almost 50% of the world’s
population live on less than $3.00 a day. This is not fair or equal. So, the Compassion team is
putting out a challenge to raise awareness as well as some funds for our Compassion Project, which
goes directly to those who have to try and live on $3.00 a day, or less.
So our challenge, to students and their families, is to try and live on $3 a day for 3 days, with the
money we would normally spend on ourselves (on food and drink) going to those who have to live on
less than $3 a day, every day. A Registration Form, with all the details, is below. Please return forms
and registration by Monday, 3rd November to your Tutor. If three days is too much, you can choose
the one or two day option. The official challenge time can be any 3 days from 1st to 16th November,
with all money raised to be returned to Coorah Reception by Wednesday,, November 21. Good luck!
Any questions please email Katrina Knight on kknight@bmgs.nsw.edu.au
Compassion $3 a day challenge!
#compassionthreedollarsadaychallenge
WHAT?
This challenge is raising awareness of the fact that almost 50% of the world live on less than $3 a
day. So our challenge is to try and live on $3 a day for 3 days, with the money we would normally
spend on ourselves (on food and drink), going to those who have to live on less than $3 a day, every
day. Sign up using the form below and bring in your $3 registration fee.
WHEN?
Any three days from 1st to 16th November. All money raised should be returned, to Coorah Reception
or your Tutor, labelled ‘$3 a day Challenge’ by Wednesday, 21st November.
HOW?
Is it possible? Yes. Will it be easy? No - otherwise it wouldn’t be a challenge!
You won’t be starving, but don’t expect to eat what you would normally eat everyday (you
obviously won’t be able to afford takeaway coffees for example, but you can still drink coffee!)
Plan your 3 day, $9 budget, looking out for special deals.
You can use parts of packets of food you already have at home as long as you calculate how
much it is worth and take it off your $3 a day budget. Eg. if want to use 2 tea bags a day, find
out the cost of the box of tea bags, and the price per tea bag, then take this away from your
$3 a day budget.
Collect all the food you are going to use in one place (eg. box or fridge shelf) and keep it
separate from other food in the house.
Plan your meals! Take a photo of each meal you make and how much it cost eg. porridge for
breakfast, with milk & half a banana, costing 67c, upload to Instagram using the hashtag!
Go onto Instagram and use the hashtag above to share awareness of this issue, tell people
you are taking the challenge and challenge others to take it too, or to sponsor you!
Don’t forget to include some protein every day if you can! (eg. An egg, peanut butter,
lentils/chickpeas etc)
Share on Instagram tips and ideas and what you learnt from the experience. Have fun!
Three EXCEPTIONS:
1) You can choose one oil or butter to use for the challenge (without taking from your $3 day).
2) You can use salt/pepper and herbs/spices already in your cupboard.
3) You can use fresh herbs/greens already growing in your garden if you have them.
REGISTRATION FORM:
Name:________________________________________ Year ________ House ___________________
I am going to take up the $3 a day challenge for 3 DAYS___ 2 DAYS____1 DAY____ (tick one)
We will donate what I/my parents would normally spend on myself for food and drink over 1, 2 or 3
days (aside from the $3 a day) ____and/or, I will get sponsors ____ (tick which one)
Parent/guardian signature:_______________________________________
Please hand this note and your $3 registration fee in to your tutor by Nov 3. After the challenge,
please hand in all money raised with your name, to your Tutor, or Coorah Reception, by 21st
November. Any questions please contact Mrs Knight on kknight@bmgs.nsw.edu.au
K. Knight
FROM THE HEAD OF SPORT
Congratulations to all teams on their good sportsmanship over the past weekend. It was great to
hear so many positive comments from coaches, managers and players.
There were some issues with basketball uniforms due to our manufacturer going offshore. If you
have a problem with your uniform can you see your relevant MIC to discuss an alternate strip.
Uniform
It is very important that students understand the school requirements for uniform during Saturday
sports.
Students are only permitted to wear BMGS gear on game day. When at home this can be any form of
BMGS clothing (except for the Firsts). The Firsts will be required to be at the venue in full School
uniform.
When travelling away all Firsts players must wear their full School uniform including blazer. All other
players may wear their yellow polo and shorts or the full School tracksuit.
Students are not permitted to wear thongs or slides with their uniforms. If you play in sport specific
shoes and wish to change them at the end of the game please change back into your running shoes.
Bus pick up/drop off
PLEASE NOTE: There will be no pickup or drop off at Buttenshaw Park. This decision is for safety
reasons and all Springwood pick up/drop offs will be at Springwood Station.
Depending on the number of teams travelling on the bus the bus will commence at either
Blackheath or BMGS. Please check carefully the times each week to confirm.
The allocated bus stops going east are Blackheath (TBA), BMGS, Lawson, Springwood Station and
Blaxland (just past McDonalds).
The allocated bus stops going west are Glenbrook (Tourist Information Centre), Blaxland (at
overpass), Springwood Station, Lawson, BMGS, Blackheath (TBA).
M. Harris
Saturday Sports Fixtures - 3rd November - Round 2
Team Opponent Venue Time Court/Field Bus INFO
Cricket 1st XI CCGS Home 10:00am Main
N/A
15s W/F Warriors Top Reserve 8:00am Main
Touch
Football 1sts Kinross Home 08:30am Pitt 1
Junior A Kinross Home 09:30am Pitt 1
Junior B Kinross Home 08:30am Pitt 2 N/A
1sts SAS Home 11:00am Pitt 2
Junior A SAS Home 11:00am Pitt 1
Junior B SAS Home 10:00am Pitt 2
Boys’
Basketball 1st V BYE BYE BYE BYE N/A
U17 St Pat's St Pat's 12:00pm Auburn 2 Blackheath 7:30am
U15 Gold St Pat's St Pat's 12:00pm Auburn 1 BMGS 7:45am
U14 St Pat's St Pat's 11:00am Auburn 1 Lawson 8:00am
U13 Gold St Pat's St Pat's 10:00am Auburn 1 Springwood Station
8:15pm
Blaxland 8:30am
Bus return approx.
U13 Blue St Pat's Gold St Pat's 10:00am Auburn 3 2:30 pm
U15 Blue St Pauls St Pauls 8:30am 1 Own transport
Girls’
Basketball 1st V Barker Home 9:00am 1 N/A
Open C Oakhill Oakhill 8:00am
Inter St Spyridon Home 9:00am 2 N/A
Junior A Chevalier Home 10:00am 1 N/A
Junior B Chevalier Home 10:00am 2 N/A
MATCH REPORTS – 27TH OCTOBER, 2018
Touch Football – A day out at Bathurst
Junior As
On Saturday the Touch Football girls played their first games at the Scots Collage in Bathurst. It was an
amazing day and all the teams had fun getting to know new people on their team and getting to know
the competition. The games the Junior As played were a very good start to the season. We played a total
of three games; we won two and tied the last one. In our first game we defeated Chevalier 3-1. Rosie’s
run from halfway down the line dodging all the defenders was the best try in the game. For our first
game of the season we played very well as a team. We can improve on driving the ball forward and not
running sideways or backwards, passing and dumping the ball quickly. In our second game we defeated
Redlands 6-1. This game was a very fast game and our team worked very well together, driving the ball
up the field was an easy task and by the time we had reached the 5m line scoring became very difficult.
Most of these tries were run from half way and had some amazing passes. Ellen’s amazing intercept
5m from our try line was amazing and left the other team in shock. Our final game was by far the
hardest and the best one we had played in the whole day. We had a 2-all draw with Kinross Wollaroi. In
this game we had a bit of a sloppy defence line but we had a good attack line. Overall the Junior As had
an amazing day playing very well together as a team.
Taylor McLeod (Year 8)
Senior Firsts
Our first game of three was against Oxley College. Under the harsh sun we tired quickly but the buddy
system worked well and everybody had a good amount of game time. A strong defence prevented the
other team from gaining too much ground and they failed to score. We worked our way up the field on
attack and Annabelle and Brodie made a wrap, resulting in a try. Maia also scored in this game. The
referee called us out on being off the mark and not knowing where our line was meant to be, but we
learned from our mistakes. Overall, it was a great first game and first win. The second game was
against Scots All Saints. We lost 5 - 6. Maia, Hayli and Annabelle scored. In the third and final game, we
defeated Barker 4 - 3. I scored with a great pass from Mia, then Brodie with a great pass from
Annabelle, Kara scored and Mia scored twice. Although it was our first time playing as a team and the
first time playing Touch Football for most of us, everybody put in a great effort and picked it up really
quickly. We won two out of three games and closely lost the third and everyone was really pleased with
the outcome of the day.
Molly Lewis (Year 11)
Junior B
On Saturday, the Junior B team played two fantastic games of touch football, which was most players’
first game ever. We were very successful and won both of these games. The first game we won 2-1,
with Kat scoring both tries. We also won the second game, 3-1, again, with Kat scoring all 3 tries. Our
teamwork was very good and the players were also very supportive of each other. It was a beautiful
start to an exciting season and the weather in Bathurst was great.
Katerina Reynolds (Year 8)
Girls’ Basketball
First V: BMGS First V were defeated by Oxley College, 24-21
For the first game of the season the First V girls played at Oxley. Traditionally, Oxley College has proven
to be tough competition and the game on the weekend was no different. Oxley got off to a strong start,
taking a commanding lead in the first ten minutes. Unfortunately, the effort from the girls was not there.
However, after a quick timeout the girls put their best foot forward, playing both strong offence and
defence, allowing them to bring the score back to a closer deficit before half time. The second half was
a tug of war for the lead, with multiple changes to the lead throughout the half. Sadly, some last minute
turnovers for BMGS saw Oxley take a five point lead with only a few minutes left. A last flurry of strong
defence provided our girls with some scoring opportunities to regain the lead, however, our shots would
not fall and the girls lost their first game of the season by three points. Next week is the first home
game and the girls are hoping to have a stronger and more consistent second game.
BMGS Intermediate B defeated St. Paul’s Grammar School, 35-5
The first match of the season brought the Intermediate Bs up against St. Paul’s Grammar School. As
many of the girls have never played in a team together before, the outcome of this game was uncertain.
However, every player came out firing. Taking advantage of gaps in the opposition’s defence enabled
the girls to score a few easy layups early in the game putting us ahead. Throughout the rest of the
game, the Intermediate Bs continued to pull ahead demonstrating extremely strong defence in a half
court press. I look forward to seeing the progression of the team as a whole and the season ahead.
BMGS Junior A defeated Oxley College, 18-14
The Junior As played their first game at Oxley College on the weekend. For many of the girls it was their
first time playing as a team, however, this was not noticeable as the girls started the game with strong
offence and defence. Oxley did not score too well into the first half of the game and the girls had a
commanding lead at half time. Unfortunately, the girls had limited numbers and this impacted their
performance during the second half. With Oxley having 11 players, the BMGS girls were run off their
feet. The score was within three in the closing minutes of the game and the BMGS girls valiantly played
strong defence to shut out Oxley and hold on to win their first game of the season.
BMGS Junior B were defeated by St Spyridon 43-13
The Junior Bs played a tough game this week, coming up against strong defence. However, despite this,
the girls continued to fight for the ball and did not give up, their effort should be commended. Coming
together as a new team, these girls played with confidence in each other and encouraged each other on
an off the court. Although they lost, the Junior Bs have implemented new skills which will continue to
grow and develop.
D. Rajasekar, MIC Girls’ Basketball
Boys’ Basketball
BMGS U13s Gold were defeated by St. Andrew’s Cathedral School, 41-11
After an exciting lead up to the first game of the season, the 13s boys took to the court enthusiastically
and ready to perform. Although a win was unfortunately not on the cards, the boys certainly played with
spirit right until the end. The next coming weeks will see the further development of the boys’ skills - the
competition had better watch out!
BMGS U14s were defeated by St. Andrew’s Cathedral School, 33-24
The 14s came out firing in their first game of the season. It was a rough game and the boys put up a
good fight all the way through, only to be pipped at the post in the last quarter. Not a bad first effort for
this great bunch of boys.
BMGS U15s Gold defeated St. Andrew’s Cathedral School, 44-35
The boys had a slow start on Saturday, which is to be expected for the first game of the season. Despite
this slow start the boys came together as team and lifted their energy to play a better second half. In
the second half the game began to flow as the energy lift on defence transferred to offence. We
executed some great plays on Saturday and we are excited to see what the future holds for us this
season. If we stick together as a team and work hard, some great things are ahead for this team.
BMGS U17s were defeated by St. Andrew’s Cathedral School, 30-0
A new season presented new challenges for the group. With a lot of new faces, the group struggled to
find any chemistry to start the game and dropped to an early deficit. Leading in to half time the group
found a purple patch of play, showing glimpses of positive play, demonstrating good teamwork and
injecting more effort. In the end, the team were outplayed by a very strong St Andrew’s team who led
from start to finish. The team will look to develop its skills on defence and team chemistry to improve on
their Round 1 efforts.
BMGS 1st V were defeated by St. Andrew’s Cathedral School, 59-17
The boys had a tough start to the season on Saturday with some larger disruptions prior to Saturday’s
game. The boys’ energy was low to begin with but as the game progressed each quarter became better
and better. Although the boys lost this game, by the fourth quarter they seemed to find their feet and
were playing better together than in the first few quarters. The boys did well to stay strong and finish the
game with their heads high. The first game of the season is now behind us and we are excited to work
hard to see where this season can take us.
C. Ingold, MIC Boys’ Basketball
Cricket
1st XI vs St Spyridon
Last Saturday was the start of the ISA
cricket season playing St Spyridon’s at
home. Christian Wright won the toss
electing to bat first. Batting was difficult
early but Dylan Hunter dug deep scoring a
very patient and well-made 44. He was well
supported by Ethan Cusick 15, Charlie
Campbell 33, Jackson Prowse 23, Christian
Wright 16, and a quick fire 15 not out by
Tom Bloodsworth. BMGS batted out the 50
overs scoring 7/181. St Spyridon’s lost
early wickets putting them on the back
foot. The BMGS bowling was outstanding
with many highlights, Christian Wright 6/3
including a hat trick, Henry Horwood 2/5,
Jerry Colbourn 1/4 with Oscar Lee 1/0
taking the final wicket. This week we take
on Central Coast Grammar School at
home.
S. Collins, MIC Cricket
FROM THE PARENTS’ & FRIENDS’ ASSOCIATION
Diary Date:
All parents are warmly invited to our final General Meeting for the Year (Term 4) which will be held in
Coorah, Senior School, on Tuesday, 13th November, at 7:30pm.
Please mark in your calendars – we look forward to your company!
Duncan Barrell
Chair, Parents’ & Friends’ Association
dba23266@bigpond.net.au
FROM THE HEAD OF THE JUNIOR SCHOOL
A couple of weeks ago a number of Year 3 girls who attend the Shine Dance School performed for
The Ladies Probus Club of the Upper Blue Mountains for their Annual Revue. The Shine Dance
School is taught by Ms Georgina Khoo (mother of China in Year 3). I am told that the ladies, some of
whom are ex-Grammar students and a former Teacher/Librarian, absolutely loved the girls attending
and were happy to chat to them over morning tea prior to the event. The girls involved were Georgia
Anicic, Rose Burgess, Amelie Emmerson, Nina Howarth, China Khoo and Georgia Kustra.
A week later Ms Khoo received a lovely letter of thanks from The Ladies Probus Club. It reads:
“On behalf of the Ladies Probus Club of the Upper Blue Mountains, I would like to thank you
and your students, for performing at our annual revue, the ladies absolutely loved all the
performances.
This delightful and polite group of girls represented the Blue Mountains Grammar School and
Shine Dance School most admirably. All girls were fabulous, the ladies were very appreciative of
their performances and were also very impressed, (although not surprised being Grammar girls),
with their manners and friendliness.”
What a wonderful acknowledgement of these girls and I would like to congratulate them on being
outstanding ambassadors for our school.What a fantastic time many of us had on camp last
week. Years 2 and 3 visited Bungawarra, the School’s
property on the Cox’s River, while Years 5 and 6 enjoyed
a beautiful setting with fun and challenging activities at
the Anglican Youthworks campsite of Rathane in the
Royal National Park overlooking Port Hacking (right). I
was fortunate enough to visit Rathane for a couple of
days and had a great time. I especially enjoyed the
canoeing with a couple of different groups. Read on for
some reflections from a couple of our students regarding
their highlights of camp. There are reports from
Bungawarra also.
Following camp, it was my pleasure to join colleagues
and family of Mr John Forbes at the annual NSW
Teachers’ Guild Awards Dinner. Mr Forbes was in
attendance as one of four finalists in the category of
Early Career Educator Award.
This award recognises teachers in the early stages of
their careers who have
demonstrated excellence as an
educator. We were all very proud
to hear of Mr Forbes’ selection as
a finalist and although it was a
teacher from another school who
received the award, we all had a
wonderful night celebrating
excellence amongst our
colleagues. Congratulations Mr
Forbes!
Another significant achievement of
last week in which BMGS had a
hand was the success of the NSW
CIS cricket team who were victorious in the final of the PSSA
cricket championships.
Our own Flynn Nicholls (5B) was a member of this successful
team and even took a wicket in the final. Great work Flynn
and all the boys from the CIS team!
On Monday this week we held the annual Le Tour de
Montagnes Bleues bicycle race around the Junior School
oval and Adventure Playground.
Our older students learn about the Tour de France as part of
their studies in French and this bike race is in celebration of
what they had learned. However, the challenges of a
swooping magpie followed by inclement weather resulted in
the race being delayed twice! Nevertheless, more than 40
riders from Years 3 to 6 took part enthusiastically cheered
on by their classmates.Many thanks to Madame for orchestrating this event and to the teachers and parents who helped
with supervision and came along to support. Congratulations to our winners and runners-up, and well
done to all the boys and girls who took part.
Last week in Assembly a number of our talented mathematicians were presented with certificates
from UNSW in acknowledgement of their achievement in the 2018 ICAS Mathematics Competition.
This is a challenging competition designed to stretch and challenge students in applying their
mathematical knowledge and thinking. Well done to all the recipients of an award, but particular
congratulations go to Nicholas Roberson (4G) in being awarded a certificate of Distinction (top 2% of
Year 4 in Australia) and Kalan Cusick (5B) in being awarded a certificate of High Distinction (top 1%
of Year 5 in Australia).
Other students to receive awards were:
Credit Merit
Ryan Ivery (4G) James Reynolds (5/6F)
Sophia Huckel (5/6F) Sebastian Cooke (5/6F)
Zach Ivery (5B) Kate Fraser (6G)
William Jones (5B) Jack Laurie (5/6F)
Indie James (6G) Hayley Ling (6G)
Charlie Mannes (5/6F)
Connor Snedden (6G)
On Thursday, 8th November we are holding an Open Morning, from 9:00am to 12:00pm, for
prospective families. If you know of anyone currently considering which school to send their children
to in 2019 be sure to let them know of this date and the opportunity to tour the school while it is in
action.
This Sunday at Wentworth Falls Lake from 11:00am, BMGS Junior School is partnering with Blue
Mountains City Council in celebrating a Grandparents and Elders Day. We are hoping to have some
of our choristers and musicians performing around noon and our expert bakers from 6G, Kate Fraser
and Hayley Ling, will be running a cake stall selling home-baked goodies. If you are at a loose end on
Sunday it would be great to see you there!
N. Cockington
Student Awards
In Assembly this week the following ward was presented:
Bronze - Clare Tierney (Pre-Kindergarten)
LE TOUR DE MONTAGNES BLEUES
The 10th anniversary of our wonderful
bicycle race, the Tour de Montagnes
Bleues, took place on Monday!
It was a great success with over 40
riders pitting themselves against the
challenges of the adventure playground
and the bush section of our course!
We enjoyed great support from parents
and all of our students during the races.
Merci and thank you all.I extend a huge Merci also to Mr. Cockington, the Year 3-6 teachers and Maintenance Staff for their contributions and support. Our lunchtime cafe was thoroughly enjoyed and created happy memories for all. Felicitations, Congratulations! Madame O’Hara JUNIOR SCHOOL’S STAGES 2 AND 3 GO TO CAMP! Year 2 At Bungawarra Last Thursday, the Year 2 students enjoyed a fabulous trip to our School campsite, Bungawarra. This provided the children with an opportunity to enjoy the outside environment and participate in a range of hands-on activities, such as cubby house building and floating rafts in the creek. Some of us got a bit wet but that was all part of the fun! After a picnic lunch, we all set out to conquer 'Horror Hill'. The climb may have been steep but it was well worth the effort, as the view from the top was magnificent. It was great to mix with the other Year 2 students from Valley Heights and new friendships were forged. The children are already looking forward to spending the night there in Year 3. Many thanks to Mr Robbins and his team for organising such a fun day for us all. B. Knebel Year 3 At Bungawarra Stage 2 went on the most amazing camp at Bungawarra last week. Many of us loved getting wet in the river, building cubby house shelters, putting up our tents and climbing the all famous Horror Hill. Luckily nobody fainted! When we got to the top we could relax, enjoy the view and forget about all our worries. It was great fun, making and racing rafts built from sticks, bark, string, coloured pencils, scissors and sticky tape. Putting our tents up was challenging but we managed to do it. We ate camp
food and did the washing up to help out.
Another highlight was toasting marshmallows
by the campfire. Year 3 enjoyed being cosy in
their tents and having
pancakes in the morning for breakfast. On
the second day we did a range of activities
such as designing our own Bungawarra T-
shirts, doing a scavenger hunt and building
bridges in a STEM challenge.
When we got back everyone was really tired
but happy.
Henry Laurie, Year 3
Years 5 and 6 at Camp
Students in Years 5 and 6 thoroughly enjoyed attending 2018
camp at Rathane in Port Hacking. The highlights for many
were:
Playing basketball with the group leaders because it made the game more challenging.
Being capsized by Mr. C when canoeing
Sliding with friends down the waterslide
Participating in the night time
activities (Trivia and games)
Indoor rock climbing
Hitting bullseyes in archery
And hanging out with friends in
the cabin.
We think that everyone can
agree that camp was a blast.
By Oscar and ConnorJUNIOR SCHOOL SPORTS REPORT Basketball – Round 2 5/6 Boys’ Gold played Thunder from Down Under - Thunder from Down Under won 20 to 16. 3/4 Mixed Red played the Cheerios - The Cheerios won 43 to 4. 3/4 Mixed Gold played Aqua Power - Aqua Power won 16 to 10. 3/4 Mixed Blue played the Misfits - The Misfits won 21 to 13. 5/6 Girls’ Red played the Superstars - The Superstars won 44 to 3. L. Gerrard FROM THE HEAD OF THE PREPARATORY SCHOOL Year 2 and 3 Camp Last week students in Year 2 and Year 3 from both the Valley Heights and Wentworth Falls campus enjoyed the opportunity to visit for the day or spend the night at our unique outdoor education facility at Bungawarra. This day and overnight camp was filled with excitement, adventure and fun. It also marked the beginning of our younger students’ journey toward developing independence and responsibility. Here are some of the students’ thoughts about their experience: “Year 3 went on camp and Year 2 went for a while too. We got to test our raft models in the river and it was fun. We also went up Double Horror Hill and built cubby houses. After Year 2 left we made tents and I shared a tent with Hester. I found that grass hoppers are attracted to our tents. The next day we had pancakes for breakfast then drew on our white t-shirts, went on a treasure hunt and built bridge models.” Ariel “On the 25th – 26th of October Year 2-3 went to Bungawarra for the annual outdoor education camp. We made rafts that floated down the creek and we made it out of wood. We made shelters. We also went up Horror Hill and Year 2 returned to the bus to school.” James and Declan “On camp we did lots of fun stuff. We went with our class. We went to have fun and learn. My favourite thing is setting up tents. My least favourite part was going up Horror Hill. There were lots of grass hoppers.” Nate Popcorn Day Fundraiser Next Thursday, 8th November, we will be having a popcorn fundraiser at the Preparatory School. Students will be able to purchase a bag of delicious popcorn from the Canteen for $1. All of the funds raised will go toward supporting our Compassion sponsor child Michael. Thank you to Mrs Kate Klein for the donation of the popcorn machine! Parents’ & Friends’ Meeting: Our next Preparatory P&F meeting will be next Friday, 9th November at 8:15am. A. Brace
NEPEAN TRIATHLON
The annual Nepean Triathlon was held on a brisk
and early Sunday morning this week and BMGS
were there with an entry in the Team Event. The
Nepean Triathlon is Australia's longest running
triathlon event and often features Olympian and
Commonwealth Games competitors amongst its
winning athletes.
Our team consisted of Mr Andrew Phillips (Stage
1 teacher from Valley Heights), Taylor Phillips
(2017 Alumni), and Mr Peter Verhoeven (Alumni
member and husband of our Valley Heights’ Pre-K teacher). They were optimistic for an enjoyable
race, but could not have predicted such an amazing outcome when faced with strong competitors
from across the state which included representative teams from Penrith Anglican and St. Paul's
Grammar schools.
At the gun, Taylor attacked the 1km swim section with enthusiasm and emerged from the icy waters
of the Sydney International Regatta Centre in second place. Surprised and inspired by this brilliant
start, Peter closed down the gap to the lead cyclist over the 30km cycle section before tagging
Andrew for the final 10km run. After crossing the finish line, the team were somewhat astonished by
what they had achieved. In the end, the BMGS team gained 1st place by more than 3 minutes,
ahead of some very competitive athletes. The full results for 2018 can be found on the Nepean
Triathlon website.
This was to be the group's first triathlon together, but they look forward to representing BMGS again
next year and would encourage another BMGS team to join them for what is a very exciting and well
organised event.
A. Phillips
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY – NOVEMBER 2018
Friday, 2nd November to Friday, 9th November – HSC Examinations continue and conclude
Friday, 2nd November – Junior School Kindergarten visit to Katoomba Fire Station
Friday, 2nd November – Junior School P & F Fun Run
Friday, 2nd November – Year 10 Wilderness Education Bushwalk to Nymphs Dell
Sunday, 4th November – BMCC Grandparents’ and Elders’ Day, Wentworth Falls Lake
Monday, 5th November to Wednesday, 7th November – F1 in Schools State Finals, WSU
Monday 5th November to Friday, 9th November – Year 8 Camp, Bungawarra
Wednesday, 7th November – Year 9 (Class 1) Climbing excursion, Mt Piddington
Wednesday, 7th November – Year 5/6F Christmas Play, matinee and evening performances
Thursday, 8th November – Junior School Open Morning
Friday, 9th November – Junior School Ziele Pitt Christmas Fundraiser (Toys’n’Tucker)
Friday, 9th November – HSC Art & Design Showcase EveningYou can also read
