From the Director of Strategic Initiatives

Dear Blue Mountains Grammar School community,

This will be my last newsletter article as the Director of Strategic Initiatives before I begin as the Head of Junior School (Springwood and Wentworth Falls) in 2026. I want to take the opportunity to think about my time here and identify some key moments.

As I reflect on the past four years at Blue Mountains Grammar School, I am filled with a deep sense of gratitude for the opportunity to contribute to a place so committed to the flourishing of its young people. Serving as the Director of Pedagogy and Innovation, and later as the Director of Strategic Initiatives, has been a profoundly meaningful chapter in my professional life.

One of the greatest privileges of my role has been the ability to see the full sweep of learning at BMGS. I’ve seen the wonder and enthusiasm of our Prep students, through the rapid growth of the middle years, to the emerging independence and clarity of purpose in our senior students. Observing this progression has reinforced for me just how powerful learning becomes when it is nurtured consistently over time. Each year level builds on the last; each new skill, insight, and challenge compounding to shape the capable, thoughtful young adults who eventually walk out our gates as graduates. It is rare in one’s career to witness learning from such a broad vantage point, and I have treasured this perspective. Being a through school is such a blessing for our students, especially with our size, as students can be known and valued personally all the way through their schooling.

Another highlight has been the daily joy of working with students of so many different ages. Each stage of schooling comes with its own distinctive humour, rhythms, challenges and delights. Younger students have a disarming honesty and a boundless curiosity that constantly reminds me of the joy of discovery. These years are simple ones where I open chip packets, tie shoelaces and get treated as a king simply for showing up. 

Our middle years students bring energy, emerging self-awareness, and a wonderfully quirky sense of humour. In this current media age, these are tricky years as everyone is developing with an audience and a constant stream of messages about how to look, speak, act and believe. Our older students, especially those approaching their final years, offer insight, developing maturity, and a refreshing ability to engage in robust conversation about ideas, identity, and the world beyond school. The jokes and interactions I have had with these students counterbalance and complement the simplicity of the younger years. Working across these ages has made me a better educator, and I have appreciated the richness that comes with engaging the full tapestry of learners.

A third highlight, and a source of real professional pride, has been working with our teachers to strengthen the connections between subjects and foster a more integrated experience of learning. The Odyssey program, in particular, has been a cornerstone of this work. Designed to prioritise the essential learning skills students need for a rapidly changing world, it has demonstrated the power of cross-curricular thinking, sustained inquiry, and well-designed collaboration. Watching teachers lean into new approaches, experiment with interdisciplinary planning, and find creative ways to make learning purposeful and connected has been immensely rewarding. It has reaffirmed my belief that when teachers are given space to innovate, extraordinary things happen for students.

A further significant highlight has been leading at a time when education itself is in a state of profound change. Schools are navigating shifting technologies, global conversations about the skills young people need, and evolving expectations of what it means to prepare students for an uncertain future. It has been a privilege to engage with global educators and thought leaders throughout this period, learning from their insights, challenging our assumptions, and translating global thinking into approaches that make sense for BMGS. Being able to take international ideas and tailor them to our context, our values, and our unique community has been both exciting and affirming. It reinforced that while the world is changing rapidly, a school rooted in strong relationships and clear purpose can adapt with confidence. I am thankful for the people that trusted me to do this, wrote to me about my newsletter articles when I shared this and those who were in there in the grey with me.

And at the heart of all of this has been teaching itself. No matter the leadership roles I have held, the classroom has remained the place where I feel grounded and purposeful. Many of us enter the profession because of a subject we love or because we have a special affinity for a certain age group. I consider myself fortunate to have taught a rich variety of subjects over these four years—Visual Arts, HSIE, RAVE, Mathematics, Odyssey and Endeavour. Each of these classes has stretched me, delighted me, and connected me with students in ways that leadership alone cannot replicate. I have also had the privilege of tutoring a wonderful group of students who are now in Year 12, and I am very much looking forward to continuing with them over the next three terms as they complete their final steps through school. These relationships, built lesson by lesson and conversation by conversation, have been among the most meaningful parts of my work.

As I prepare for the next phase, I want to sincerely thank the students, staff, families and leaders who have shaped my time so far. Obviously, this is a role change and not good bye so I look forward to this support in the future also. BMGS is a school characterised by generosity, curiosity, and a shared belief in what young people can become. It has been a privilege to walk alongside you, to learn with you, and to contribute to the story of this community so far and I look forward to sharing stories from the junior school next year.

With warm regards,

Christopher Sanders

Director of Strategic Initiatives