Stuart Meade, Acting Head of School

It has certainly been the case of ‘music to my ears’ in the past fortnight as Cranbrook students of all ages have performed on various stages with distinction. I was fortunate to attend the AMPED! contemporary music concert and the Junior School Gala Music Concert in recent days, noting the K-2 Concert took place on the same day as the Years 3-6 concert.

Marrickville was rocking as more than 35 bands made up of Senior School students took to the stage over a four-hour period at The Factory, a venue perfectly set up for such events for the annual AMPED concert. While the musicianship was outstanding, it was the confidence of the band members, particularly the singers, which impressed. The support from the students in the ‘mosh pit’, especially the senior boys, was equally noteworthy – loud, positive and sustained which gave extra affirmation to the boys on stage. It was indeed a memorable event, as was the Junior School Music Concert last week. Performance after performance showcased the talent of the Junior School boys. The choral pieces just kept getting better each time they took to the stage and the orchestra and band items were uplifting. I love seeing enthusiastic children mastering challenging pieces set by supportive teachers. The Junior School was a joy to watch just as I am sure it was to be a performer.

Decision fatigue

From my address at this week’s Senior School Assembly:

How many of you have a routine for what you eat for breakfast, especially on school days? That is, you eat the same thing each morning, meaning you do not have to make a decision about whether to have cereal, fruit, toast, eggs, smoothie, whatever.

I read an article recently in which the author said he has had the same breakfast for past 40 years – that is a bit extreme, I know, but the point he was making is that having to make a decision about what to have for breakfast drains what he calls our ‘cognitive tank’ and disrupts our ability to make good decisions, important decisions later in the day.

He refers to members of his family wandering aimlessly around the kitchen, contemplating what to eat. Some even open the fridge, have a look, close it, go to the cupboard then return to the fridge for another look, in case their standards may have slipped. (sound familiar?)

More importantly, he adds the practice of grabbing our phones as soon as we wake up, scrolling one way or the other making decisions whether to like a post, comment on a photo, delete that email, respond to that text, accept a request, etc. They all involve having to make a decision, some simple, some not so straight-forward.

He calls this decision fatigue, which can impact your stress levels as well as your ability to make clear rational decisions later in the day. To avoid this, he says, establish as many habits as possible such as what to have for breakfast. Having a school uniform, for example, negates the need to decide what to wear to school. And that is good.

So, apart from the breakfast decision, the advice is to stay off your phone for the first hour of the day, you will find your imagination comes alive with fresh ideas and the ability to make important decisions later in the day. Perhaps even what to buy at the Hive…try it for a few days.  

Enjoy the long weekend.

With good wishes

Stuart Meade
Acting Head of School