Adrian Harrison, Acting Director of Academics
“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” Confucius
This term our students have moved beyond passive learning to active engagement, taking ownership of their education through inquiry-based approaches and real-world applications. Whether in considered and critical debates in English, problem solving in Mathematics, investigations through Science, creation of new and original work in the Arts and everything else in between that has been on offer this term, our students have truly grown.
Looking ahead to the new semester, we are excited to continue nurturing our students’ natural curiosity and supporting their journey toward becoming confident, reflective learners ready for the challenges ahead.
Honours Curriculum – High Potential Learning
Last Friday saw the Honours Curriculum host Professor Simon Haines, currently Adjunct Professor, The Australian Catholic University; and Founding CEO, The Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation to give a lecture to an extended number of students across Years 8, 9 and 10. In what was a real coup for the School, Professor Haines was able to draw upon his vast experiences across roles in higher education and research both at home and abroad. Students were treated to an engaging session which had them pondering concepts such as the pursuit of wisdom.
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Mr James Adams for the significant contribution he has made to the development broadly of our High Potential offerings at Cranbrook, in particular the Honours Curriculum. Mr Adams leaves us at the end of the term to take up a promotion at MLC running High Potential in a K-12 role. His stewardship of our programmes and high skill and enthusiasm in establishing the Honours Curriculum in particular have had a significant impact to many of our students. Thank you James for your significant contributions.
It is our pleasure to announce that Mr Rhys Briscoe-Hough has been appointed as our High-Potential Coordinator from the start of Term 3. He is currently completing a Masters in Gifted Education through UNSW and brings a wealth of experience running similar programmes in a range of independent and government schools.
Academic Reports
As with Term 1 we have taken the decision to print all reports and distribute them directly to the students. This is to avoid any technical issues with families receiving their reports as we transition to a new system in Semester 2. Students will be receiving their reports this term via their mentors during House periods. The table below outlines the reporting types for Term 2.
| Year group | Report type | Contains |
| 7-10 | Full Report | Achievement levels, grades, attitude & effort, pastoral comment |
| 11 IBDP | Full Report | Achievement levels, grades, attitude & effort, teacher comment, pastoral comment. |
| 11 HSC | Progress Report | Ranks, attitude & effort |
| 12 HSC | Progress Report | Ranks, attitude & effort |
| 12 IBDP | Progress Report | Grades, achievement, attitude & effort |
A reminder that the more specific feedback on student work within subject areas can be accessed via your child’s CANVAS courses for Years 7 – 10. Below is an excerpt of information sent previously by Ms Schmidtke our Director of Digital Learning and Research
We have prepared resources to support your access and navigation of the platform. You can access Canvas HERE. For first-time users, you will need to select ‘Forgot Password’. We have created this guide to help you. Our comprehensive ‘Canvas for Parents’ training site offers detailed information about how to access teacher feedback. Should you require additional support, please don’t hesitate to contact us at digilit@cranbrook.nsw.edu.au.
Subject Selection for Years 8 – 10
Thank you to all students who have submitted their choices.
Access to the relevant Subject Selection Portal is gained by using the email sent directly to students from EDVAL.
A reminder that these are initial selections. There is still an opportunity for students to make changes into next term if required. We are seeking these preferences now to get a start on the construction of our 2026 timetable.
Best regards
Adrian Harrison
Acting Director of Academics