The Audio Visual Department provides audio, lighting, video and other technical services that are frequently required in the School. Audio Visual Crew members are trained in the use of various pieces of equipment and are subsequently encouraged to use that knowledge to assist in the staging of the dramatic events that occur every year.

Boys wishing to join should be aware that although service in this extra-curricular activity is voluntary, membership is viewed as a long term commitment. If you become a member, you will be one of only some twelve places available in each Form. Crew members are also asked to assist in the Audio Visual department during recess, lunch or before school on a regular basis.

Crew members may also be asked to videotape Saturday sport, musical performances or other School events from time to time.

The Book Club is open to boys of all years, and in fact has members ranging form 1st Form to 6th Form. There are at present ten active members of the club. Boys meet with the teacher-librarian in one of the library seminar rooms every Tuesday at 1pm.

During the half hour meeting, members tell the rest of the group what book (or books) they are currently reading and, if necessary, what genre it comes from and a very brief summary of the plot. Discussion often arises from these reports.

Boys are increasingly becoming involved in writing reviews of the books they have read which will be added to the library catalogue and the School homepage on the Internet. Once or twice a year, members of the Book Club go to a bookshop such as Galaxy (specialising in science fiction and fantasy) to choose titles for the library collection.

Every year the Form VI Prefects nominate a charity and organise fund-raising activities. In the past, charities chosen have included widely-known international groups, such as Medicins Sans Frontieres, organisations working at home and abroad, such as Fred Hollows, and more local causes, such as Triple Care Farm (run by the Sir David Martin Foundation for Australian teenagers experiencing difficulties). Considerable funds are raised each year, through such events as Mufti Days, Barbecues, Prefects vs Staff Sports, and Computer Games. The charity chosen each year will often reflect a particular area of concern or relevant issue to the Form VI year group concerned.

In addition, we run a series of charitable events annually. These include:

World Vision Sponsorship:
The school sponsors twelve children around the world through the World Vision Sponsorship Scheme. Fundraising occurs annually to sustain this support. The children and their communities receive benefit through clean water, health schemes and a focus on completing education.

Daffodil Day and Legacy Badge Day:
Every year at least twenty Form VI boys volunteer to help with these two charities’ fundraising days in August. They sell merchandise, such as badges and daffodils, in Hyde Park and surrounding areas, supervised by the charity representatives.

World Vision 40 Hour Famine:
Although this does not take place in school hours, every year an increasing number of boys throughout the school take part by being sponsored to give something up (not necessarily food) for 40 hours. The event is co-ordinated by the boys themselves.

Read more >>

The Computer Club is open to all boys and meets during lunch once per week in the Computer Room. Meetings are conducted by older boys who happily pass on their knowledge and enthusiasm in various programming languages.

Currently the Club is working with 3D animation and its uses in the creation of computer games, architecture and more recently movies. Boys work in a collaborative manner allowing them to produce more intricate animations.

Membership is voluntary and new members are always welcome either to learn or to teach members new skills. Boys interested in joining the Club should contact Mr W T Raeside.

Sydney Grammar School has been conducting a Community Awareness Programme since 1999. We are proud of the links that the School has established with several local institutions. These institutions include Matthew Talbot Hostel, St. Canice, Jesuit Refugee Service, Oasis, Wayside Chapel and William Booth Hostel.
The programme operates through the House Tutorial system.
The School also conducts a voluntary program at Matthew Talbot Hostel. Volunteers commit to a minimum of three weeks' work in order to develop a familiarity with the Hostel's clients. The focus is on understanding and appreciating the difficulties faced by the homeless, and the fostering of community spirit. Contacts are also provided for boys wishing to do further community service outside of school hours.

The Creative Writing Group consists of boys in all Forms from I to VI. Its main aim is to provide a forum for boys interested in developing their writing skills. At present we have three different groups (Forms I and II, Forms III and IV, and Forms V and VI) meeting at three different lunch times per week. These meetings take the form of a workshop where the boys present work to the whole group. The work usually takes the form of a set exercise, such as focusing on an aspect of prose narrative – character, dialogue, point of view, scene setting, pace, etc. At other times boys bring in for discussion larger pieces of their own designing.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme (DEAS) is open to young people between the ages of 14 and 25. It is aimed at personal challenge, service and responsibility, developed through a range of activities in four mandatory areas: service, skills, physical recreation and adventurous journeys. There are three levels: bronze (for those 14 years and older), silver (for those 15 years and older) and gold (for those 16 years and older). In New South Wales the Scheme is overseen by an office connected to the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation.

At Grammar, the Scheme is co-ordinated by Ms RM Fin. She provides information to boys and issues the required books for recording of activities. There is one intake of new participants at the beginning of each year. Ms Fin will ensure that only activities approved by the School will be allowed to count as DEAS activities. All activities must be taken out of class time.

To download a full information pack including resources >>click here

The Film Club meets twice weekly. On Tuesdays the focus is on the practical aspects of the film-maker’s craft, particularly scripting, camera techniques and basic lighting conventions. Boys are issued with a camera and can experiment with team organisation and goal achievement in this session. Raw footage can then be downloaded later and edited in the home environment, hopefully with a view to presentation at a future date. The other session, on Friday evenings after school, are screenings of classic cinema masterpieces. In these sessions we view films associated with seminal points in the history of film, whether they be great performances, scripts or particularly exciting innovations in technical developments. The bill of fare can range from Melies to Sergei Eisenstein to David Lean to boys’ own work.

The SGS Fly-fishing Club runs camping trips for boys who are interested in learning to fish with a fly – mainly in freshwater for trout.

For more details contact the Master-in-Charge, Mr AG Yabsley

The French Club is open to boys in Form IV, V and VI and meets every Friday at 1pm. The main purpose of the club is to develop the boys’ interest in the French language and culture in an informal setting.

Depending on the theme chosen, we watch a French movie, read and talk about French current affairs, French poetry and literature or listen to French songs. We then share both our opinions and ideas in French and English.

The Junior Science Club is for Form I and Form II boys who enjoy working in a laboratory, solving problems and designing experiments. All our sessions involve practical work which might involve analysing soft drinks, growing crystals, checking levels of physical fitness, ’zapping’ solutions, making wine or making part of a DNA molecule for the Garvan Institute.

The Club meets twice a week after school in laboratory 12 between 3.15 pm and 4.45 pm. Most Form II boys attend on Tuesday afternoons, while Form I boys come on Thursdays.

For further information please email Ms A Rothbart at acr@sydgram.nsw.edu.au

Librarians spend two sessions per week performing a variety of activities. As they progress through the School they also progress through the Library with new tasks and responsibilities. During their first years they are involved with shelving, shelf checking and processing. In Third and Fourth Forms they begin to help with the Circulation Desk and accept supervisory roles in this area. Senior Library Boys help to train and support the new Library Boys, and supervise the shelving and shelf checking. They also assist with the setting up of displays throughout the Library.

The Philosophy Club at Sydney Grammar School had its first meeting in 1991. It has continued since then, attracting a membership of about thirty boys each year. The aim of the Club is to stimulate interest in philosophy among the boys. Although any boy may join, most of the regular attenders are from Forms IV, V and VI. A few boys from the Club have gone on to study philosophy at university.

The School’s Public Speaking Program aims to develop confidence and fluency in speaking, and to foster analytical thinking and a broader awareness of public events and issues. It is open to boys from Forms II to VI. Speakers participate in a number of competitions, some of which offer opportunities to progress to a national or even an international level. Places in these competitions are limited, however, and not all boys in the group will be able to compete in a given year. Some events are held during school hours, in which case short leave is provided and boys much catch up in their own time any work missed. Training sessions are held twice per week as arranged at the beginning of each year, although boys need only attend one of the two sessions. Session times are arranged as far as possible to suit boys’ other commitments. At these sessions boys present prepared and impromptu speeches and are instructed in aspects of speaking that include how to structure and characterise the material in a speech, and how best to use gesture, projection and variety of expression.

We learned more from a 3-minute record, baby
Than we ever learned in school - from No Surrender

There’s wisdom in this observation of Bruce Springsteen’s but at Rock Club, the polarity between school and music is overcome.

Rock Club is for boys who enjoy listening to rock n roll, blues and roots, punk, metal and even, occasionally, rap. The club provides the opportunity for discovering new artists and for sharing one’s new (or old) finds with others. Each week a different boy introduces his choice of band or artist with biographical information, anecdotes and images and then plays a selection of their songs. On occasion, School Masters attend as guest presenters and this expands the range of tastes and eras that are explored. In the course of the year, members are exposed to a remarkable mix of new, old, popular and obscure music.

Rock Club meets at lunch-time on Wednesdays in the School Audio Lab.

Writing Reports for The Sydneian
For information for external coaches writing reports for The Sydneian >>click here

The aim of this business skills program is to develop work-related skills and knowledge in young Australians through first-hand experience of the commercial world. Participants gain a practical insight into business operations and how to make informed career choices, as well as acquiring useful contacts from both the business community and amongst colleagues.

In mixed groups of up to twenty-five students, boys are assigned to an organisation to learn how to establish and manage their own small company. This will involve selling “shares” to raise capital, developing an organisational structure and electing a management team before researching, manufacturing and marketing a product of their own choice.

Accounts, salaries and taxes must all be managed before the companies are liquidated and any profits returned to shareholders. The experience culminates in State and National Awards, including the highly prestigious Young Achievement Student Business Awards.

The program is open to all boys in Form V and runs for twenty-four weeks between March and August. Each week a time commitment of 3-5 hours is expected.

Grammar's Science Beyond the Curriculum creates opportunities for boys and their parents to take part in hands-on, science-based learning. The program also provides an enjoyable, shared experience to aid parent/child communication, and a forum for parents to encourage a curiosity and inquisitiveness that goes beyond marks-oriented learning. Activities range from mid-week evening lectures by university professors and Sunday afternoon activities for the inquisitive during term, to guided two and three day excursions to sites of scientific interest away from Sydney during the school holidays.

To download Science Beyond the Curriculum 2012 program >>click here

As and when any group of boys becomes interested in running a committee to publish this now famous (or infamous) satirical magazine, Tiger is published within the school community. Any profits raised by sales are usually donated to charity. Meetings take place when the committee is in session, usually at agreed lunchtimes in the Library. The magazine is entirely dreamt up, written, illustrated and formatted by the boys concerned, and in this way every new edition is likely to be different and varied. There are some established features, such as Brian Told Me, in which ridiculous or embarrassing phrases unwittingly uttered by Masters are mercilessly mocked.