Message from Michele Marquet

Dear Parents and Carers

What a delightful day we had yesterday, welcoming over 1000 grandparents to the Junior School for Grandparents’ Day – one of our most popular community events. It is always very special to have our students’ grandparents visit the Junior School. It was wonderful to watch the interactions between the generations and the day helps to remind us all of the vital role grandparents play in the lives of our young Cranbrook students. We also thank our wonderful parents for assisting with serving morning tea on the day – it certainly helped this part of the morning to run smoothly!

Y5 – Y6 da Vinci Day with Ascham
Next week, on Wednesday 10 April, for the sixth time, we will welcome around 160 Year 5 and Year 6 Ascham students to our da Vinci day. Under the theme, ‘Utopia’, teams will compete in several discipline areas including: Ideation, Codebreaking, Mathematics, Creative Producers, Engineering, Art/Poetry, General Knowledge and English. This day is always a terrific opportunity for the young participants to strengthen curiosity, foster problem-solving strategies and resilience, as well as utilise creative and collaborative skills, working together in teams.

P – Y6 end of Term 1 and start of Term 2 Information
Please note: Term 1 finishes on Friday, 12 April. Term 2 commences on Tuesday, 30 April for all P-6 students. Students may return to School in either their full summer or full winter uniform. By the start of Week 4, Term 2, full winter uniform is required for all students.

For Junior School students, the holidays are an excellent time for students to have a haircut and for families to check that their son has only his own uniform items and each item is named clearly. We remind parents that the boys’ hair length should not fall below their collar.

Kind wishes,
Michele Marquet

Silly Socks and Crazy Hair Day

Get ready to strut your wildest hairdos and don the silliest socks in your drawer for a good cause! We’re thrilled to invite all students to unleash their creativity TOMORROW: Friday 5 April, with ‘Silly Socks and Crazy Hair Day’ at school. Come dressed with your most outrageous hairstyles and zaniest non-Cranbrook socks in exchange for a coin or note donation. Your generous contributions will directly support ongoing cancer research and prevention efforts, providing vital assistance to those affected by this challenging illness. We can’t wait to see the wild and wonderful styles you’ll bring to school!

From the Community Service Committee

Grandparents’ Day Photo Gallery

Join Us for Walk to Cranbrook Thursdays!

This initiative aims to promote physical activity, increase independence, reduce traffic congestion around the school, and encourage alternative modes of transportation.

Here are some suggested ways for your son to get to school on Thursday:

Walk: Lace up those school shoes and enjoy a refreshing walk to school! (Maybe as a family or with a friend)
Take a bus: Use public transportation for a convenient and eco-friendly commute.
Take a ferry: If you live near the waterfront, consider taking advantage of the ferry services.
Ride a bike or scooter: We have bike racks available for secure storage outside the K-Y2 gate.
Drop off at nearby locations and then walk: For those driving, consider dropping off your 3-6 student at one of the following locations:
- Rose Bay Ferry (easy access with traffic lights for you and them)
- Lyne Park Carpark

A reminder if you are driving, please try to carpool with other families where possible.

Safety is our top priority, so please remind your son of the following tips:

Always use designated crosswalks and follow traffic signals.
Stay alert and aware of your surroundings, especially when walking or biking near roads.
Helmets are a must for cyclists and scooter riders.
Walk in groups or with a friend whenever possible.
If walking alone, agree with your son their walking route and planned arrival time.

We encourage you to participate in this initiative and make Walk to Cranbrook Thursday a fun and healthy routine for our Cranbrook families. Together, we can create a safer and more active community.

Thank you for your support!

Prayer Morning

This Friday, 5 April, there will be a prayer morning with Mr. Noble for any parents or carers in our JS community. It will be held at 8am in Music Room 2 on the Junior School campus. It’s an opportunity for parents to come and spend time in prayer for each other and the School. This is usually on the first Friday of each month during term time.

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

Y3-Y6 2024 ICAS

Some Y3-Y6 families may be interested in their sons sitting ICAS assessments. These assessments are suitable for students wishing to extend themselves academically and take up the personal challenge of competing in an international assessment. ICAS papers are competitions, not standardised assessments. Please take the time to consider seriously your son’s suitability to participate in such challenging competitions. If you would like to learn more about ICAS, please follow this link.

Families can enrol their sons to sit for these competitions which will be held at an external venue. The closest venue for most families is Janison Exam Management Testing Centre which is located in Ultimo. This centre usually runs the assessments on Saturdays during mid to late August. Bookings should open shortly. To book into the external venue, please click on this link.

Calling all keen cricketers!

The Team at Pro Performance Cricket are excited to announce their upcoming Holiday Cricket Camps. They offer intensive individual and group skill development for players across all facets of the game. With an excellent coach to player ratio, and a focus on a positive and fun environment, it’s a perfect opportunity for the kids to enhance and develop their games while having heaps of fun, making new friends and taking their game to a new level.

Book the Holiday Cricket Camps here.

Junior School Music News

Term 1 has seen over 75 instrumentalists and vocalists take up opportunity to perform solos at our new Music Morning Concert series or the Junior School Soirée. I was delighted with how the boys prepared for these concerts, presenting their items so beautifully, from the moment they introduced themselves, to their final bow. The Music Morning Concert series has been very well received by our parent body and we look forward to continuing these over the course of the year. Please see below, photo galleries of our young solo performers in action.

By the end of the term, every boy in the Junior School will have taken part in some sort of solo, choral or ensemble performance as we reflect and celebrate on the following that has occurred:

Y2 String Program open rehearsal
Year 3 Instrumental Program (Strings, Wind, Brass and Percussion) open rehearsal
JSSO performance in Chapel
JS Concert Band Assembly
JSSO performance at our Open Day
Cranbrook Voices performance at the Senior School Easter Concert
Cranbrook Voices, Chamber Choir and Year Levels Choirs adorning the JS Easter Service with two music items and three hymns
Whole school choral items at Grandparents’ Day

Looking ahead to Term 2…

Training Band performing at Assembly – Wednesday, 8^th May, 2:30pm (Week 2)
Music Morning Concerts in multiple music rooms – Friday, 17^th May, 8:00am (Week 3)
K-2 Junior School Music Showcase, JS Gym – Thursday, 30^th May, 1:30pm (Week 5)
3-6 Junior School Music Showcase, JS Gym – Thursday, 30^th May, 6:30pm (Week 5)
Junior School Soirée, Senior School’s War Memorial Chapel, Thursday 13^th June, 6:00pm (Week 7)
Gala Concert, Sydney Town Hall – Monday, 24^th June, 7:00pm (Week 9)

The wheels are in motion already for these events! Please note the JS Showcase is a lot earlier than usual this year (Week 5) and the Junior School Soirée will be held in our beautiful War Memorial Chapel on the Senior School campus, for extra atmosphere and amazing acoustics.

Thank you for your support over the course of Term 1. I wish you a restful holiday and may you feel refreshed and rejuvenated for an exciting Term 2!

Warmest wishes,

Peter Fox

Music Morning 1