From the 

Head of  Senior School

As we reach the end of another incredibly rewarding term, there is a real sense of anticipation across the Senior School. For most of our students, the holidays provide an opportunity to rest, recharge and prepare for Term 4. For our Year 12 students, however, this moment feels very different. This week marks the conclusion of their everyday school experience at BMGS and the beginning of their final preparations for the HSC examinations.

It is difficult to capture in a few paragraphs what this moment represents.

For our Year 12 students, BMGS has been so much more than classrooms, assessments and examinations. It has been early mornings, camps and carnivals, performances and sporting fixtures, House competitions, Wild Ed adventures, rehearsals, excursions, lunchtime conversations and countless ordinary school days that, in time, may become some of their most treasured memories.

It has been friendships formed, challenges faced, mistakes made and lessons learned. It has been teachers who have encouraged, challenged and supported them, and families who have stood alongside them through the highs and lows of their school journey.

To our Year 12 students, it has been an absolute privilege to have you as part of our Senior School community. We have watched you grow into an impressive group of young adults, each with your own strengths, interests, ambitions and hopes for the future.

Throughout this year in particular, you have taken your place as the senior students of our School. You have led Houses, represented BMGS in sport, music, performing arts, service, outdoor education and academic pursuits, supported younger students and contributed to the culture of our School in ways both large and small. Leadership is not always found in a badge or a title; often it is demonstrated through kindness, encouragement, participation and simply choosing to contribute. In so many different ways, the Class of 2026 has done exactly that.

As you leave the familiarity of school and begin thinking about what comes next, I hope you remember that there is no single definition of success and no single pathway that you are expected to follow.

Some of you already know exactly where you want to go. Others may have a plan that changes several times over the coming years. Some will head to university, further education or training, while others will enter the workforce, travel, pursue creative opportunities or take time to work out what comes next. All of these pathways have value.

The years ahead will bring opportunities that you cannot yet imagine. They will also bring setbacks, disappointments and moments when things do not go according to plan. Often, those unexpected turns become some of the most important parts of our journey.

There is a saying that there are three types of people in the world:

• Those who make things happen.

• Those who watch things happen.

• And those who wonder what happened.

Our hope for each member of the Class of 2026 is that you will be among those who make things happen.

Be willing to step forward when opportunities present themselves. Have the courage to try something even when success is not guaranteed. Ask questions. Be curious. Surround yourself with people who challenge you to become better. Learn from your mistakes rather than allowing them to define you. Most importantly, never underestimate the difference you can make through the way you treat other people.

The world you are entering will ask much of you. It will require adaptability, creativity, resilience and courage. But it also offers extraordinary possibilities. You will have opportunities to contribute to communities, professions and causes that matter to you. You will meet people who change the direction of your life, and you will have the opportunity to do the same for others.

As educators, one of the greatest privileges we have is seeing young people begin to discover who they are and what they might become. We know that the young person who walks through the gates of BMGS for the final time is not the finished product. In many ways, you are only just beginning.

Wherever life takes you, I hope you carry something of BMGS with you. Remember the importance of community. Look after the people around you. Be prepared to serve as well as lead. Have the confidence to stand for what matters to you and the humility to listen when someone else sees the world differently.

And remember where you came from.

Although you are leaving school, you do not cease to be part of this community. We hope you will return in the years ahead and share your stories with us. We want to hear about the university courses, careers, adventures, successes and unexpected turns that become part of your lives. There will always be people here who remember the students you were and who will be delighted to see the adults you become.

Before all of that, of course, there is one final challenge ahead: the HSC examinations.

In the coming weeks, trust in the work you have done. Establish good routines, study purposefully, look after yourselves and support one another. Ask for help when you need it and remember that your teachers remain here to support you throughout this final stage.

Work hard and give the examinations your very best effort, but also keep them in perspective. Your HSC results are important, but they are not a measure of your worth, your character, your potential or the contribution you will make to the world. They are one milestone in a much longer journey.

This final week is also a time to celebrate. Enjoy the Formal, the Valedictory celebrations, the House farewells, the laughter and the opportunity to be together as a cohort. Take the photographs. Thank your teachers. Thank your families. Look around at the people who have travelled this journey beside you and appreciate just how far you have all come.

For our staff, saying farewell is always bittersweet. We are excited about what lies ahead for you, but we will also miss the personalities, conversations, energy and humour that you have brought to our School.

To the Class of 2026: thank you.

Thank you for your contribution to BMGS. Thank you for the leadership you have shown and the memories you have created. Thank you for supporting one another and for the many ways you have enriched our community.

Walk away from BMGS proud of what you have achieved, grateful for those who have walked alongside you and excited about what is still to come.

Be courageous. Be curious. Be kind. Take opportunities. Back yourselves. When things do not go to plan, regroup and try again.

And above all, be the people who make things happen.

On behalf of the Senior School staff and the entire BMGS community, I wish every member of the Class of 2026 all the very best for the HSC examinations and for the extraordinary adventure that lies beyond them.

We are incredibly proud of you, and we cannot wait to see where life takes you.

Warm regards,

Alicia Michielsen

Head of Senior School