Cranbrook School Council
Click here for the latest update from Cranbrook School Council.
Message from Stuart Meade, Acting Head of School
I wish all families a warm welcome to a new term; I hope you were able to enjoy some family time, be it travelling overseas, interstate or something as simple as a few unrushed meals together.
It is a pleasure to be back at Cranbrook, albeit it for a very short time as Acting Head of School while Michele Marquet enjoys some well-deserved leave. Having spent sixteen years here in two iterations, including six as Deputy Head from 1997-2002, I have great affection for the place and look forward to being part of the community for the next few weeks until Michele returns in Week 4.
As I attend staff meetings, chat with students and explore the campus, being reminded of the facilities that have not changed (the 1st XV changerooms…) and marvelling at those that have, I am being asked for my impressions of Cranbrook in 2024.
What stands out to me are the opportunities available to the students – they are endless in number, diverse in nature and exciting in prospect. One only has to read of the trips during the recent break – studying at the University of Oxford, being part of a cultural immersion trip to Arnhem land, representing the school on Rugby, Skiing or Sailing trips, or even the study and exam preparation sessions in the final week of the break to understand all that is on offer for the boys. We must not overlook the commitment of staff in organising and managing the tours that enables them to happen. My thanks to those who go above and beyond to provide these experiences to the students.
It is wonderful to have the students back on campus for a new term. Their willingness to engage with all that goes on here sustains the efforts of so many and I look forward to seeing all that unfolds in the weeks ahead.
With good wishes
Stuart Meade
Acting Head of School
Message from Genét Erickson Adam, Acting Head of Junior School
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to Term 3! I hope that everyone had a wonderful break and that you had a chance to spend quality time together as a family. It has been fantastic to see our students and families back at School after the winter break.
Yesterday, we held our Founders’ Day Assembly. Members of our Executive team, School Council and families attended this wonderful celebratory event. Ms Megan Light was our guest speaker, providing a valued reflection as one of our long-standing staff members. Ms Light spoke from her perspective of more than 30 years of service to Cranbrook, about how Cranbrook has evolved, is evolving, but also about how it has remained the same in the ways that really matter. We remembered the individuals who founded our School, reflected on the values they held dear and considered how we can use those principles to help us look to the future with confidence. It was an excellent way to start the term. View the photo gallery here.
In the School holidays, 77 of our students from Kindergarten to Year 11 travelled to Perisher to compete in the Sydney Interschools Championships for Snowsports. Although the snow conditions were less than ideal, our Junior School representatives performed beautifully, bringing home a range of podium finishes and qualifications for State. Please see the full Regional Snowsports report here.
With three rounds of Winter Sport remaining, we look forward to this coming Saturday’s games.
This evening, from 5 – 6pm, Year 1 families, new families to the school and any other interested families are warmly welcomed to a parent engagement session in the Y1 Piazza, about ‘How to read your child’s reports’. If you have any questions about Semester 1 reports, please get in touch with your child’s classroom teacher.
Staff News
In the holidays, two of our PDHPE teachers celebrated new additions to their families. Mr Josh Cohen and his wife, Lisa, welcomed Luca and Mr James Roughan and his wife, Bec, welcomed Harriet. We wish them the very best as they adjust to their busy new parenting roles. I know you will all join us in congratulating them.
Miss Tammy Ambrose, and her partner, Wes, are expecting their first child over the summer holidays. Tammy will be teaching KB until the very end of this academic year, when she will then take a period of maternity leave, as she welcomes her new baby. I am sure you will join me in congratulating Tammy and Wes on the start of a new family.
Reminders
We will hold our annual Junior School play, ‘Stuart Little’ in the Packer Theatre at the Senior School. There are three evening performances: Monday, 9 September; Tuesday, 10 September and Wednesday, 11 September and tickets will be available to purchase online soon. All families across P-Y6 are welcome to attend.
To facilitate the continuation of progress on the current external review process and engagement with regulators, Mr Stuart Meade will be Acting in the role of Head of Cranbrook School. A highly experienced and capable Head, Stuart is very familiar with our School having previously held the role of Deputy Headmaster. When he left Cranbrook at the end of 2002, Stuart was appointed the Headmaster of Hale School, an independent, Anglican day and boarding school for boys, in Western Australia and more recently, the Principal at Matthew Flinders Anglican College, an independent Anglican co-educational primary and secondary day school, in Queensland. His presence will mean that our Executive team across the School will be fully available as usual for all our students, staff and the Cranbrook community.
Please get in touch with any interesting experiences that your son took part in over the school holidays, so that we can recognise them in their cohorts or whole-school contexts.
Kind regards,
Genét Erickson Adam
Acting Head of Junior School
From the Deputies
CETOP
This term, Week 3 has been designated as CETOP Week at both the Junior School (JS) and Senior School (SS). The week will be dedicated to educating the student and parent body about CETOP: who we are, what we do, why we have chosen specific projects, and most importantly, how students can get involved and contribute through service.
On Monday, 5 August, to launch CETOP Week, each year level will be pledging something they will do without. Please look out for upcoming communications about how families can support and raise funds for CETOP through sponsoring our students’ pledges.
Year 6 Valedictory Service – New Date
We wish to inform our Year 6 families about a change to the date of the Year 6 Valedictory Service at the end of the year. The new date is Friday, 6 December 2024 from 1:45pm-3:00pm in the Junior School Gymnasium. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Important dates in Term 3:
Wednesday, 7 August: Music & Special Group Photos
Monday, 12 August – Friday, 16 August: Science Week
Friday, 16 August: Sport Group Photos (remember to bring summer and winter gear)
Monday, 19 August – Friday, 23 August: Children’s Book Week
Monday, 26 August – Wednesday, 28 August: Y5/Y6 Art Immersion Camp, Bundanon
Monday, 9 September – Wednesday, 11 September: JS Play: Stuart Little
Tuesday, 17 September – Thursday, 19 September: K-Y5 Student Led Conference
The Term 3 Events Overview can be found on Cranbrook Connect and here.
Pre-schools’ News – Week 1
Dear Families,
Welcome back to Term 3! Our excited Pre-schoolers have given us a warm welcome and were eagerly awaiting reunions with their fellow peers.
This term, we have planned some wonderful experiences to support our unit of inquiry with the central idea: “Through exploration, we uncover new ideas.”
Friendly reminder: Please respond to the Operoo E-form for the upcoming incursion.
Upcoming Events:
Week 2
Monday, 29 July: St Michael’s 3 and 5 Day Class- Aboriginal Experience Incursion at 9:30 am.
Week 3
Tuesday, 6 August: St Mark’s Class- Aboriginal Experience Incursion at 9:30 am.
Friday, 9 August: St Michael’s 2 Day Class- Aboriginal Experience Incursion at 9:30 am.
Additionally, please ensure all children’s belongings are labelled and that they return with their sun hats.
Kind regards,
Abigail McFarlane
Pre-schools’ Coordinator
Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)
Please follow this link to view the notice explaining the purpose and process for this compulsory governmental data collection that occurs in August this year.
JS Community Prayer Morning
On Friday, 2 August there will be a community prayer morning with Mr. Noble for any parents, carers or staff in our JS community. It will be held from 7:45am in Music Room 2 on the Junior School campus. It’s an opportunity to spend time in prayer for each other and the School. We run prayer meetings on the first Friday of each month during term time.
Founders’ Day Assembly Gallery
Special French Assembly Gallery
At the end of Term 2, we held a special French Assembly. The students were fascinated to hear from our guest speaker: Mrs Danielle Roche, who represented Australia in the Women’s Hockey at the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996.
Becoming a Member of Cranbrook School
Cranbrook School is a public company limited by guarantee which was established to provide students with a well-rounded, liberal education based on Christian beliefs.
It is governed by the School Council in accordance with its Constitution and has a membership comprised of eligible persons who have made significant contributions to Cranbrook or who are key stakeholders in its mission.
Parent of students in Kindergarten to Year 12 attending Cranbrook are eligible to become a Member of Cranbrook School for so long as they have a child attending the School.
The Members of Cranbrook School play an important role in the governance of Cranbrook. Being a Member entitles you to attend and vote at general meetings of Cranbrook School. This includes attending and voting at the Annual General Meeting, where the matters considered include receiving the statutory financial reports and electing members of the School Council.
If you are not already a Member of Cranbrook School, and wish to become one, please indicate your willingness to do so by completing and returning the application form which can be found on Cranbrook Connect here.
Applications are subject to approval by the School Council, and will be considered at the next possible School Council meeting after receipt of your completed application.
We encourage you to apply to become a Member of Cranbrook School and to take up the opportunity to contribute to the governance of the School.
If you have any questions regarding membership of Cranbrook School, please contact Sarah Deveson, Company Secretary, by email on councilsecretary@cranbrook.nsw.edu.au.
Geoff Lovell
President of School Council
Regional Snowsports Report
In the last week of the School holidays, Cranbrook Junior School and Senior School students competed in the Sydney Interschools Snowsport Championships at Perisher. 77 of our students, K – 12, competed in Alpine, Ski Cross, Snowboard Cross, Snowboard GS and Moguls events in this Regional competition. Our team had a fantastic week, with multiple individuals and teams achieving podium positions, as well as qualifying for the upcoming State championships in Week 5.
The first day of Interschools racing was purely dedicated to Snowboarders. Our Division 2 team, Ziggy Edwards, Milo Gibney and Oscar Croft, earned a Bronze medal in both the Snowboard GS and Snowboard Cross events. Our younger team, in Division 4, maintained this standard and also brought home a Bronze medal in both of these events! Congratulations to Sam Spry, Charlie Roberts and Cohen Salamon.
Wednesday saw clear skies and sun, as well as a jam-packed race schedule, particularly for our younger students. In Division 4 Alpine, Charlie Roberts, James Cowan, Rhys Au and Hugo Croft came in with a Silver medal, while Charlie Roberts also earned the individual Silver medal. Division 1, 2 and 3 Moguls qualifiers also took place, and we were extremely pleased with the efforts that the boys showed on the bumps, securing several qualifications to State. In Division 6 Ski Cross, Wynn Au, William Zahra and William Britten-Jones qualified for State in 4th place, whilst Sam Cowan qualified individually. In Division 4 Ski Cross, Charlie Roberts, James Cowan and Rhys Au came home with the Silver medal. Charlie Roberts also came in with another individual Bronze medal for the same race and Hugo Croft qualified individually for State with a 9th place finish.
To cap off Wednesday, Division 5 Alpine saw Team A get the GOLD medal! This team included Sebastian Salter, Imanol Plante, Xavier Fern and Hunter Whittle. Imanol Plante earned the individual GOLD for this race as well! Three of these same students made up the Division 5A Ski Cross, who had a tremendous run, winning another GOLD. Well done to Sebastian Salter and Xavier Fern for also earning the individual Silver and Bronze medals for this race. The 5B Ski Cross team, consisting of Orlando Fern, Ryan Shi and Hunter Whittle, won the Silver medal, while Hunter Whittle won the individual GOLD! The future of Cranbrook Snowsports is evident in these younger divisions!
On Thursday, both Divisions 4 and 5 had Moguls qualifiers, and despite some team members being a bit nervous to pursue the bumps, they gave it a really good go, securing a few spots at State. In Division 6 Alpine, team A won a Silver medal. Well done to Wynn Au, Sam Cowan, Willian Britten-Jones and William Zahra. The Division 6C team also podiumed, earning a Bronze medal in the same race. Congratulations to Billy Speer, Edward Darke and Hugo Fern. Division 3 Ski Cross had a record-breaking turnout of students, with 19 Cranbrook representatives competing on a tough course. Whilst the podiums did not include any of our Division 3 teams, we are particularly proud of this group of students for all coming in the top 50% of the field and for demonstrating Cranbrook’s spirit on the mountain. Congratulations to Oli Klaas for his individual State qualification in this event. In Division 2 Alpine, the Cranbrook A team with Sach Edwards, Remy Philips, Charlie Cowan and James Walker came in at 5th, securing a place at State. Our Division 1 Ski Cross team came in at 6th place by a fraction of a second. John Maxwell-Fuller had two great runs in this race, coming in at 15th place individually – sending him through to State.
Friday was a wild and blustery day on the mountain and marked the final day of competition. The Division 1 Alpine team consisting of John Maxwell-Fuller, both Captains, and Thomas Southwell Keely placed 4th, earning a team qualification at State. In Division 3 Alpine, 5 teams from Cranbrook competed on a very windy Front Valley course. Congratulations to Oli Klaas for his individual State qualification in this event. The final race of Regionals, the Division 2 Ski Cross, was very competitive with 35 total teams. The Cranbrook teams, placing 13th, 19th and 25th did not qualify for State, however, demonstrated real grit on a challenging course and horrible weather.
What a great week for our Cranbrook Snowsports representatives! We are so proud of each and every participant who competed this past week! From those who competed for the very first time, to those who are seasoned racers, all students represented Cranbrook School beautifully. A huge shout out to the parents, who patiently (or frantically) got their children where they needed to be, kept them nourished and pumped up, calmed their fears and celebrated their successes.
We have thoroughly enjoyed our roles as Captains so far. A highlight for us was spending time with the younger divisions on the mountain, prepping them for their races, supporting them and taking them through course inspections. We look forward to the State competitions at the end of August in Perisher and are pleased to see so many of our students make it through to the next level of competition.
Finally, we thank Mrs Erickson, Mr Scardino and Miss Whitten for their support in the lead up to and during the week of competition.
2024 Snowsports Captains, Jude Middleditch and Chester Mobbs
Music News – Week 1
Welcome back to Term 3 in what will be another eventful and inspiring term of events in the Music Department!
What a wonderful Term 2 we had celebrating all things music, from our Music Morning Concerts, Assembly performances, Junior School Soirée, our K-2 and Y3-6 Showcases, and finally our Threads Gala Concert at Town Hall. Congratulations to all our performers in achieving excellence! The Music Department is thrilled to have witnessed the growth, enthusiasm and artistic sensibility of our young musicians. I want to thank you for all your support during Term 2 and being such enthusiastic audiences.
The following outlines the Music calendar for Term 3. Further information can be obtained by clicking on the appropriate links, where applicable.
Performance opportunities:
K- 6 Music Morning Concerts
Music Morning Concerts are held on certain Fridays from 8:00am to 8:30am in Music Room 1. These concerts are open to boys in K to 6 who have a piece at performance standard, regardless of level, to perform. It’s always wonderful to hear their great work and witness our students’ progress in an encouraging environment. Instrumental teachers sign up their students, as appropriate, and you will receive an email from me with an invitation to attend should you like to hear your son perform.
- Friday, 16 August (Week 4)
- Friday, 6 September (Week 7)
Click here for further information.
Junior School Music Soireé
On Thursday, 22 August (Week 5) there will be a Junior School Music Soireé held in Music Room 1 from 6:00pm to 7:00pm. This event is for more accomplished instrumentalists and vocalists in Years 3-6 who are well prepared and can perform with polish and regard to the musical style. Your son’s instrumental teacher (or Mr Fox) will send home a Soireé form should they feel this event is suitable for your son. Please note: this event is also open to students who have private instrumental lessons outside of the School. Please click here for more information.
Spring Festival: Year 3 to 6 Junior School Music Eisteddfod – Thursday, 29 August, from 1:00pm (Week 6)
As part of the Spring Festival, the Cranbrook Junior School Eisteddfod has been designed for boys in Year 3 to 6 to showcase their performance on piano, strings, woodwind, brass, percussion, guitar and voice.
This year’s Eisteddfod will be judged by external adjudicators who will write an encouraging report on the boys’ performances, give feedback and award grades of achievement.
Entry forms (yellow) can be found in the Music Studio hallway or via the information link below.
Click here for further information and entry form.
Best wishes,
Peter Fox
Head of Music, Junior School