Message from Michele Marquet, Acting Head of School

Dear Pre-school and Junior School Parents,

I hope all our families have enjoyed a restful break. It was truly delightful to see all the students across P-Year 6 back at school this week, eager to see friends and staff and ready for the final term of the year.

After being inducted into their 2025 roles yesterday, next Monday, our Senior School Prefects will join our Year 6 students and staff to take part in the Head of House and Prefect Challenge Afternoon. Our Year 12 leaders will organise a range of competitive, simple, but enjoyable, team building activities for the Year 6 boys to participate in with the Senior School students. Opportunities such as this are aimed at helping our Year 6 boys to build some supportive relationships with the older students in preparation for the step up to Senior School. We thank staff from across both campuses, as well as the Year 12 leaders, for organising the afternoon and helping ensure it is a great success for our Year 6 boys.

Next week on Friday (25 October), it is World Teachers’ Day. This is a lovely opportunity for students across P-Year 6 to remember to say thank you to their teachers, for looking after them, for teaching them important things to know and for helping them to learn how to care for each other.

We look forward to a busy and productive term of learning and celebrating.

Kind wishes,

Michele Marquet
Acting Head of School

Message from Richard Baker, Acting Head of Junior School

Dear Junior and Pre-school families,

It was wonderful to welcome back all of our P-Y6 students this week, ready to learn and embrace what will no doubt be an exciting and eventful Term 4.  

I would like to encourage all parents and carers to ensure our Junior School students arrive before 8.10am each day. Term 4 is an especially busy term, and it is vitally important that we set our students up for success each day.  We kindly ask for your support in ensuring your child arrives on time, so they can benefit fully from each school day. The Cranbrook Junior School carline opens at 7:45am with many students who are walking to School entering via the gate from 7:40am.

As an adult when we are running late to an important event, we may experience the stress and the feeling that we’re already behind before we’ve even started. For our Cranbrook students, arriving late to school can feel very similar. By arriving on time each day, this allows them to settle in, connect with friends and prepare for the day ahead.  

Research shows that children who arrive early are more likely to feel focused and ready to engage with their learning from the start. They also have a better chance of developing positive relationships with their peers and teachers, as they’re present for important social interactions and instructions at the beginning of the day. Regular and punctual attendance has been linked to improved academic outcomes, as students are more likely to grasp key concepts when they are consistently present for the full day’s learning.  

We have noted a trend in parents walking into campus at the end of the day and meeting their son at the K-Y2 pedestrian gate thus saving time. The students enjoy being able to greet their parents at the gate and having a little more time to talk about their day.

Upcoming Events & Important Dates 

• K-Y6 Swimming Programme: W1-W6 (+ Monday W7) Term 4 during PE lessons
• World Teachers’ Day – Friday, 25 October
• Y6-Y7 Immersion Day at Senior School – Thursday, 7 November 
• K-Y2 Carols Service – Tuesday, 26 November 5pm at All Saints Woollahra 
• K-5 Moving Up Morning – Wednesday, 27 November 
• 2025 New Parent Information Session – Wednesday, 27 November 8:30am – 10:00am 
• Y3-Y6 Christmas Lunch – Thursday, 28 November  
• Y3-Y6 Swimming Carnival (at AFC) – Friday, 29 November (all day) 
• Y3-Y6 Carols Service – Tuesday, 3 December 5pm (at VCH) 
• K-Y2 Christmas Activities – Wednesday, 4 December 
• Y6 Valedictory Service – Friday, 6 December – 1:45pm 
• Last day of classes – Tuesday, 10 December 
• K-6 JS Prize Giving – Wednesday, 11 December 10am 

Y7 Scholarships 2026
Parents of boys in Year 5 2024 who may be interested in applying for a Senior School Scholarship for their son, should follow this link to find out more about the 2026 Academic and Music Scholarships on offer.

Warm regards,

Richard Baker
Acting Head of Junior School

From the Deputies

Next Monday, 21 October, we are blessed to have Dr Marcelle Moore read her heart-warming and beautifully illustrated picture book ‘Even Lions get scared’ to the Kindergarten cohort.

‘Even Lions get scared’ is about a cheeky, mischievous lion called Scout. Scout has it all…courage, strength and definitely NO fear! Scout finds himself having to face fears he didn’t know he had when he has to do something new. Suddenly his body and his thoughts change and he tumbles into an unknown world of fear. Help comes from an unlikely friend who teaches Scout the value of togetherness, and that courage comes from within.

This is the first book in a series which aims to give children and parents tools to help them manage the trickiness of anxiety and fear. Child Psychologist, Dr Marcelle Moore seamlessly blends her professional expertise with storytelling, creating a masterfully crafted picture book that addresses childhood anxiety with sensitivity and insight. 

Dr Moore’s profound understanding of childhood anxiety and her ability to make complex ideas about anxiety and coping mechanisms understandable for children, coupled with the artistic brilliance of the illustrator, makes this picture book an essential resource for fostering emotional well-being in young readers.  This is a book for ALL children to help them find their inner brave.

Pre-schools’ News – Week 1

Dear Families,

We are excited to welcome everyone back for Term 4. It is wonderful to see the children, who have returned a little taller and more grown-up! As we dive into this busy term, please keep a close eye on the noticeboards at the sign-in areas for important updates and upcoming events.

A gentle reminder: all children should wear their summer uniform. However, don’t forget to pack a raincoat for those rainy days! Additionally, all children must have a sunhat for outdoor play to keep them safe in the sun and follow our Sun Smart Policy.

Kind regards,

Abigail McFarlane
Pre-schools’ Coordinator

Message from the CSPA Committee

Dear Parents and Carers

The Cranbrook School Parents Association (CSPA) is a not-for-profit association of all Cranbrook parents run by an elected committee of Year Representatives, General Committee Members and the Executive. The primary role of the CSPA is to support Cranbrook School, particularly the parent community, fostering goodwill and creating a community that is inclusive and welcoming to all. We are seeking nominations from parents across the whole school community for volunteer roles on the CSPA Committee. 

To find out more information about the CSPA, what we do, the Constitution and lots more, please go to Cranbrook Connect Parents Association – Cranbrook Connect. 

If you are interested in joining our Committee, either as a Year Representative or on the Executive Committee, please fill out a nomination form and send it to the CSPA secretary (cranbrookspasecretary@gmail.com). Nominations for positions close on Friday, 18 October 2024 ahead of the CSPA AGM on Monday, 18 November 2024 at which the 2025 Committee will be elected. 

If you would like more information about any of the roles and what opportunities are available, please get in touch with Angelique Haritos cspavpjuniorschool@gmail.com, Meg Tudehope cspavpseniorschool@gmail.com or me, Sam cranbrookspapresident@gmail.com. 

Please see below the upcoming CSPA event:

Notice of CSPA Meeting

The CSPA AGM will be held on Monday, 18 November 2024 at 7:00pm in the Nugent Boardroom, Senior School, followed immediately by the CSPA Term 4 Meeting.

Many thanks

Sam Roberts
CSPA President

Changes to Public Transport: Message from Transport for NSW

Transport for NSW is making adjustments to the public transport network to connect the new Sydney Metro City & Southwest with Sydney’s trains and buses.

Some changes are already in place including the North and Northwest bus changes on 4 August and Sydney Metro from Chatswood to Sydenham which opened on 19 August.

Transport is preparing to make permanent adjustments on the train and the regional outer metropolitan bus network from 20 October 2024. View the Rail Timetable Fact Sheet here.

The changes will support the final conversion of the T3 Bankstown Line between Sydenham and Bankstown to Metro operations and respond to the introduction of Metro services from Chatswood to Sydenham.  

This change will occur during the NSW Higher School Certificate so we therefore encourage students to familiarise themselves with what this may mean for travel to and from school before that date by visiting transportnsw.info 

When the train timetable changes, some of the usual transport connections may also change. The Transport for NSW Trip Planner will be updated before the changes take effect.

Please remember to plan ahead via https://transportnsw.info/trip before travelling and allow extra travel time.

To provide feedback on any Transport services, please visit transportnsw.info/contact-us/feedback

Year 4 Incursion – Digital Games with Nick Cellini

This week, Year 4 had an exciting opportunity to hear from guest speaker, Nick Cellini, who is a games developer and a former Cranbrook student!

As part of their ‘How we express ourselves’ unit of inquiry, Year 4 are exploring how algorithms are used in various fields, including games development. Nick shared his experience and taught the students about the different roles involved when creating video games, demonstrating how algorithms are central to his work. The students showed their curiosity by asking thoughtful questions and thinking about how they could apply this knowledge to their own learning. They explored new ideas and perspectives from Nick’s real-world experiences. This session inspired the students to be risk-takers, as they discussed creating their own algorithms and reflected on the teamwork needed to solve complex challenges in games development.

Student led Conferences Photo Gallery

Year 4

Year 5

JS Music News – Week 1

It has been fantastic to welcome our students back to what is going to be an exciting and rewarding term of music in the Junior School! Please find below, a list of Term 4 music events to note in your diary. As you can see it is going to be another busy period and we can’t wait to see many of you at these upcoming events very soon.

Best wishes,

Peter Fox
Head of Music, Junior School

Little Shop of Horrors

Click here to book your tickets.