From the Head of Junior School

The Joy of Hosting

In an increasingly busy world, where truncated text messages, emojis or a quick wave in the car park after school are as much as we can fit in, there is something deeply human about opening our doors to others. Whether it is a family dinner, a community gathering or a school event, hosting creates opportunities for connection that are becoming increasingly valuable in modern life.

Recent research highlights the strong link between social connection, purpose and wellbeing. Sharing meals and meaningful time with others is consistently associated with higher life satisfaction and improved emotional health, though we often replace this meaningful time with whatever is leftover after swimming lessons, dance, music practice and other commitments. We too often fall into the trap of overfilling schedules which pushes out the opportunity for slow, purposeful, deliberate time with others. 

Hosting is not simply about providing an event or venue. At its heart, it is an act of generosity that creates space for relationships to grow and for people to feel they belong. Strong social connection is consistently shown to support emotional wellbeing and resilience, but this cannot happen when the only time together is the leftover, rather than the meaningful time.

Hosting and being together also supports cognitive growth. We think more effectively when we test ideas, listen to others and participate in shared experiences. In many ways, learning and thinking are strengthened in community. We refine and question our own positions on issues, which is particularly important in the current geopolitical climate. 

The greatest impact of hosting, however, comes not from perfection but from authenticity. People rarely remember every detail of an event; they remember how included and welcomed they felt. This sense of belonging sits at the centre of meaningful community life.

Blue Mountains Grammar School understands this well. While we are a place of learning, we are also communities. Every concert, carnival and gathering is an opportunity to strengthen relationships between students, staff and families.

This week we have seen this clearly in action at both campuses. 

Our Springwood campus proudly hosted our Early Years athletics carnival this week, where students demonstrated enthusiasm, effort and sportsmanship in a celebration of participation and personal achievement. Families, staff and students came together to create a strong sense of encouragement and community. Many thanks to the P&F, who ran a wonderful BBQ lunch and to the Stage Two students who ran the obstacle course, parachute games, egg and spoon races etc. 

At Wentworth Falls we are hosting our Junior School musical from Thursday - Saturday, with parents and staff onsite supporting student performers. The production showcases creativity, collaboration and growing confidence across our students. The Little Mermaid has been a real hit – well done, Mr Forbes and his team for this production. 

In a special highlight, we welcomed residents from a local nursing home to a matinee performance of the musical. This intergenerational experience brought genuine joy to both guests and students, reinforcing the power of shared experiences to connect people across age groups.

Across these events, one theme is clear: hosting is about connection. It is about creating moments where people feel seen, valued and part of something larger than themselves.

Thank you to staff, families and students for making these events possible. The joy of hosting lies not in the event itself, but in the relationships it strengthens and the community it builds.

Christopher Sanders

Head of Junior School

A Very Special Creative Arts Day

On Friday 6 June, K-2 students from Springwood and Wentworth Falls spent the day hosted by the Creative Arts team at Senior School. It was a memorable day of fun and learning for all involved.

We are so fortunate at BMGS to have access to the Performing Arts Centre and a Creative Arts team that so generously shares its time and passion with our youngest learners. The day began with short performances by our Year 7 students, who brought popular storybooks to life on stage. Our Early Learning students were awed by these performances, seeing so many books they know come to life. From there we moved into three workshops, each led by an expert in their field.

We worked with Mrs Rebecca Matthews, a director from the Q Theatre in Penrith BMGS has a longstanding partnership with the Q Theatre and this workshop was a highlight of the day. Mrs Matthews led us through a dramatic role play where we explored a forest and found a pet! It was full of movement and imagination.  In Dance, Ms Danie Evans led an interpretive dance workshop to “Also Sprach Zarathustra” by Richard Strauss, centred on a dream of travelling to space. The children were completely captivated.

In Visual Arts, we visited the Kedumba Gallery where Mrs Marlene Plummer, the gallery director and curator, and Ms Catriona Secker spoke to us about the artwork currently on exhibition. The children listened with great interest and then created their own artwork inspired by the line techniques of Paul Klee. As Klee himself said, "A line is a dot that went for a walk" and our students took that idea and ran with it beautifully.

A very special thank you to Ms Pecovnik and the Creative Arts team for organising such a thoughtful and well crafted day.

We would also like to thank the Year 10 students who gave their time to support our children throughout the day. They were wonderful role models for our youngest students and shared their joyful and fun enthusiasm for the creative arts with us throughout the day. Their involvement is a lovely reflection of the collaborative and caring culture that BMGS fosters across all year groups.

Patricia Vaughan

Kindergarten Teacher - Wentworth Falls