Bob Meakin, Deputy Headmaster & Head of Senior School

Dear Parents and Carers

Happy New Year and welcome to 2025 at Cranbrook Senior School.

Today we welcomed our new Year 7 students on to campus with their parents. Thank you to all of our Year 7 parents who joined us for a short briefing and a meeting with their new Mentor and Head of House. I do hope the morning was productive and informative.

Year 11 and 12 students were also on campus completing some orientation programmes and commencing classes.

As you can see from the picture below, there are many new and squeaky shoes being worn, and I do hope they are not too uncomfortable over the next few days.

As you are aware, Mr Peter Young retired at the end of 2024, and he has been replaced by two Deans of Students: Mr Matthew Banes for Year 7-9 and Ms Elizabeth Fletcher for Years 10-12.

We also welcome a few new members of the teaching staff to the Senior School; Adele Della Mura, Marilee Li, Lillian Cheng, Emmanuel Alter, Yanake Tennant, Emily McNab, Thomas Corcoran, Seamus Gribbon and Stuart Symes (Term 1).We wish them the very best.

I met with Years 8, 9 and 10 online today. We did cover some study tips and some new rules regarding mobile phones, as well as goal setting for the year.

With the exception of Year 7, from Period 3 tomorrow, all students will be in classes. Period 1 for all students will be House and Period 2 will be the SS Assembly.

Many thanks to the students who were involved in various camps and activities over the holidays and many of them were in preparation for their summer sporting commitments.

Just a reminder that all parents are to use the internal Kiss & Drop at senior school to drop off/pick up their children.  Entry into and exit from the Kiss & Drop is to be a left in/left out movement to minimise disruption to traffic and improve traffic safety.  Parents are also reminded that their sons (and daughters from 2026) are strongly discouraged from driving to school and parking in surrounding streets.

2025 promises to be an exciting year and warm wishes to all for the start of Term 1.

Have great week!

Best wishes

Bob Meakin
Deputy Headmaster & Head of Senior School