From the Deputies

Year 6 Parents’ Survival Guide to Senior School 

Moving from the Junior School to the Senior School is an exciting time for our Cranbrook students, and experience has taught us that our students achieve more when they feel prepared for the change. Successful transitions help students to feel more confident in their ability to step into new situations. 

Students who experience a successful transition into their new school, or onto a new campus, are more likely to feel valued and accepted, have a more positive attitude to learning and are more willing to open up about any issues that arise. Therefore, we have worked together with Cranbrook Senior School to arrange a series of experiences to set up our Year 6 students for success in 2024. 

Monday, 21 August 5:30pm – 6:30pm (for parents)

A reminder that Year 6 parents are invited to attend the Year 6 Parents’ Survival Guide to Senior School to be held next Monday, 21 August 5:30pm – 6:30pm in the Junior School Gym with Bob Meakin (Head of Senior School), Angelique Sanders (Head of Wellbeing), Peter Young (Director of Students), Michele Marquet (Head of Junior School), Grant Andrews (Deputy of Wellbeing), Lara Fleetwood (Head of Year 6), together with some Junior School old boys who wish to share their experiences of life as a Year 7 student, what to expect and how to set up your child and you for success in 2024.

The carline gates will be open at 5.15pm for limited parking; we invite you to park on our JS site. 

Option for care for your children at the event

Attending after school events can be tricky when you have a few children at home, and we want Year 6 parents to be able to attend. For this event, Mr Cohen and Mr Taylor will provide some supervised games and activities, if required, for Kindergarten or older aged children between 5:30pm – 6:30pm. Please RSVP to rbaker@cranbrook.nsw.edu.au if you wish to take advantage of this. 

Message from Michele Marquet

Dear P-Y6 Parents,

Our Junior School parents are no doubt aware that along Kent Road, between our School and the New South Head Road lights, parking is restricted during school drop off and pick up times. We know this helps improves traffic flow for our families and other users of Kent Road. However, please be very careful not to speed in the left-hand lane to make the lights, as usually there are children and parents crossing New South Head Road. It is also important that parents do not drop off or collect their children in Kent Road itself. This is very unsafe and frequently causes hold ups for the traffic flow. We appreciate the full support of our families with this matter.

Next week is Book Week and we look forward to all of our students embracing our Book Week Parade on Wednesday, 23 August at 8:45am. Parents are welcome to join us as the students parade through the passive play area, once the carline has ended. Ms Light and our teachers have planned some other wonderful experiences for our students to celebrate the joy of reading too, including K and Y1’s Books at Bedtime on Thursday, 24 August at 5:30pm. This year’s theme is ‘Read, Grow, Inspire’ and we look forward to the students and staff creating wonderful ways to represent this in their costumes.

Important: If your son is performing at the JS Eisteddfod next Wednesday, 23 August, please ensure he brings his school uniform to school to change into after the Book Week Parade is over, as well as his musical instrument.

We have a busy few weeks coming up, with Book Week and the Music Eisteddfod next week, followed by Father’s Day and then in Week 8 the JS Production of ‘Alex in Wonderland’ and the Y12 Farewell Assembly.

We look forward to sharing many of these events with our Junior School families.

Kind wishes,

Michele Marquet
Head of Junior School

TheirCare Update from our Before & After School Care Provider

We have just wrapped up a week themed, ‘World Cup Soccer’.

Indoor activities included soccer themed colouring-in pictures, word searches and quizzes.

We enjoyed lots of outdoor play, including 3 on 3 soccer, soccer skills development games and penalty shoot outs!

Our Breakfast menu highlights from this past week included pancakes, waffles and croissants. Afternoon tea highlights included ham and cheese toasties, 2 minute noodles and yogurt mixed with fresh berries. All meals have a fresh fruit platter too!

This week’s theme is ‘Boardgames Galore’ – snakes and ladders, chess, checkers, Jenga and marble run! We will also be creating our very own board game too!

Our weekly numbers are slowly increasing and boys from all ages are enjoying the activities and the community we are building at TheirCare.

Letter from the President of the CSPA

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.

Reminders for Term 3

Some Key Events for Term 3 include:

The Term 3 Events Overview for Parents can be found here and on Cranbrook Connect.

Boots in the Bush

End of winter sports has arrived! Have you outgrown your football boots, but they are still in good condition?

Jersey Day + Boots in the Bush

A reminder that tomorrow, Friday 18 August (Week 5), we encourage all students to wear their favourite sport jersey or casual top to school. We kindly ask for a $1-$5+ donation. 

We are also collecting used, but in good condition football boots for our Boots in the Bush campaign to help provide sporting wear for remote Indigenous children. 

Students should give their donation to their class teacher who will pass it onto the Community Service Reps.

Pre-Schools’ News – Week 5

Dear Parents,

We have enjoyed a busy week celebrating Science Week. Our boys and girls immersed themselves in some fantastic experiments during their science lesson with Mr Josh Botto who visited from the Junior School. Continuing the celebrations of Science Week, Pre-school invited Reversable Garbage: Giant Loose Parts for an incursion and a brilliant time was had by all.  The children were also visited by Sophie Boniface and Megan Light from the Junior School, to hear all about CETOP and where the toothbrushes they have been collecting will be going.

A gentle reminder that next week is Book Week! St Michael’s 3 and 5 Day Group Dress Up Day, Wednesday, 23 August. St Michael’s 2 Day Group Dress Up Day, Friday, 25 August. St Mark’s Dress Up Day, Thursday, 24 August. Please speak with the teachers if you are unsure about your class’s plans.

Kind regards

Abigail

Managed Laptop Fleet – Years 4 – 9

Good Afternoon

I should like to share with you the details of a significant enhancement to Cranbrook School’s technology programme which will further strengthen your child’s educational experience at our school.

Over recent months, the School has undertaken a thorough review of its ICT operations. In response to the invaluable feedback we have received from our community, we will be transitioning from a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) system to a Managed Laptop Fleet operational model across all student devices. 

This approach will provide greater accessibility and equitable access to technology for all students whilst simultaneously fostering a more secure and engaging educational environment. Please be advised that there will be no technology levy charged to parents.

Year Group Roll-Out
This transition will commence in 2024 for Year 7 and Year 10 students, and will continue for the same Year Groups in the subsequent two years; 2025 and 2026. The Year 7 students will be issued with a replacement device when they enter Year 10 ensuring their device remains current and meets the technology and learning requirements of all students. 

Managed Laptop Benefits
The Managed Laptop Fleet will provide the following benefits aimed to enhance your child’s learning journey at school:

1. Enhanced security and safety: With the Managed Laptop Fleet, the School can ensure robust security measures are in place, safeguarding your child’s digital data and privacy. Centralised management and monitoring systems will improve our ability to protect against potential cyber threats, promoting a safer online learning environment.
2. Increased pedagogical outcomes: By standardising devices and software applications, our teachers can deliver consistent and innovative learning experiences, integrating technology seamlessly into their lesson plans. This uniformity empowers educators to explore creative teaching methods and engage students with dynamic digital resources, enhancing their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
3. Reduced student device downtime: With managed fleet devices, ICT Services can swiftly address technical issues and provide prompt support, including instant swap out of devices, minimising device downtime and disruptions to your child’s learning journey. Technical assistance will be readily available on-site, ensuring students can focus on their studies without interruptions.
4. Streamlined communication and collaboration: The Managed Laptop Fleet will foster improved communication and collaboration among students, teachers, and parents through intuitive tools and platforms.
5. Integrated learning ecosystem: The Managed Laptop Fleet will be seamlessly integrated into our existing educational ecosystem, supporting various learning activities, assessments, and coursework. Your child will have access to a wide array of software and resources tailored to their specific Year Group and curriculum.

Further Information
Further information will be shared with the relevant Year Groups and their parents ahead of the start of the 2024 academic year. In the meantime, should you have any questions at this stage regarding the programme and what it means for your child, I do encourage you to email cranbrook@cranbrook.nsw.edu.au

This transformative initiative will enrich your child’s learning experiences and will ultimately empower them to thrive in an increasingly digital world. Your continued support and collaboration will be invaluable as we embark on this way forward together. 

With warmest wishes

Yours sincerely

Nicholas Sampson
Headmaster

Cranbrook Parent App

The Cranbrook School app is being updated next week to support Google Analytics 4, please download any updates on your phone to ensure the latest version of the app is running.

To access the app 
Click here to view the information on how to download this app from the App Store.

Username and password discovery 
Click here to view information on how to access your username and password to enable access to the app.

Please remember to check your spam/junk email folder as sometimes codes and password resets can be sent there.

Junior School Parents
If Junior School families have difficulties downloading the new Parent App, please contact the Junior School Reception on 9327 9100.

Common Issues

1 – If you can’t log on

You cannot use your username and password for Cranbrook Connect. You must follow the exact steps for setting up a new username and password: https://www.cranbrook.nsw.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023_How-to-log-in-to-Parent-App_v4-1.pdf

2 – If none of the teams and fixtures are loading for your son

If you have logged on with your child’s school email address, you will not get any relevant information. The app will work, but with none of your child’s data. You will need to delete the app and start over again. Follow the steps above to set up a new username and password.

3 – If you cannot download the app Both Android and iPhone users can both download the app. If you are having trouble accessing it, the app has been created by Digistorm, which you can add into the search box.

Years 3-6 Sport News

General details about each sport can be found in your son’s Year Level tab on Cranbrook Connect.

K-Y6 Music News

The following outlines the Music calendar for Term 3. Further information can be obtained by clicking on the appropriate links, where applicable.

Performance opportunities

Spring Festival Year 3 to 6 Junior School Music Eisteddfod

• Wednesday, 23 August, 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 link for further information and entry form

Curriculum

Opera Australia’s comes to perform El Kid at Cranbrook Junior School for K to 6

• Monday, 11 September (Week 9)

Opera Australia’s Schools Tour aims to capture some of the passion and feeling of largescale theatrical operas in a more informal and accessible way for children. All of the songs and instrumental music used in El Kid come from the well-known opera, Carmen, composed by Georges Bizet and first performed in 1875, while the story of El Kid is based on the Norwegian folktale, Three Billy Goats Gruff. Leading up to this performance, students will study the combined creative and dramatic elements of opera and engage with many musical excerpts, through singing, moving and playing.

Mr Peter Fox

Head of Music Performance JS (P-6)

iCentre News for Term 3

Book Week – Read, Grow, Inspire

Next week, we will focus on this national celebration of Australian children’s literature and reading. We are excited to bring the school together once again for our K-6 Parade (23 August) based on this year’s theme – Read, Grow, Inspire; as well as welcoming guest speakers, viewing theatrical book adaptations, and a special ‘books at bedtime’ event for our youngest readers.

Littlescribe Mini Writing Festival

Years 2-6 students will be participating in this series of engaging incursions, giving students the opportunity to dive headfirst into the art of writing presented by sixteen of Australia’s top children’s authors. We can’t wait to read what the students create!

NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge

Congratulations to the readers who have already completed the challenge. The final date to register books read this year is tomorrow (Friday, 18 August). A reminder that login details are in student diaries. For assistance, please contact Mrs de Wit edewit@cranbrook.nsw.edu.au 

SAVE THE DATE ITEMS

Tomorrow:

• Friday, 18 August 2023

NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge

Final day to register books read.

For assistance, please contact Mrs de Wit edewit@cranbrook.nsw.edu.au

• Wednesday, 23 August 2023 8.45am

K-6 Book Week Parade – Read, Grow, Inspire

Students and staff are encouraged to interpret this year’s theme.

Parents are warmly invited to this outdoor event.

Happy reading!

Ms Light and Mrs de Wit

Optional Co-curricular News

Please contact Annabel Boyd (jscocurricular@cranbrook.nsw.edu.au) if you have any queries.