Bob Meakin, Deputy Headmaster & Head of Senior School

Dear Parents and Carers

I would like to thank you for your support of Meet the Mentor Day, which was a huge success for our students as they orientated themselves into the new school year. I would like to apologise for some technical issues with bookings that some parents may have experienced and I hope this did not detract from your positive experience of the day. Monday morning began with a welcome to Year 7 from the Headmaster and myself, before they moved to House meetings and other activities.

They have since undergone a very detailed orientation programme which I hope they have found useful. Both the Headmaster and I made the comment during our welcome that there is no greater transition than from junior school to a senior school environment. Part of our Year 7 Orientation programme is a brief history of the School, which was presented by Dr David Thomas, our longest serving staff member. This provides our youngest students with a huge sense of perspective and belonging.

Given this, they have done a fantastic job. We also welcomed our new boarding families to the School on Monday afternoon and I do hope they have settled in under the guidance of Mr Banes and Mr Gill.

In assembly yesterday we spoke about the values of the School, and I reinforced the message of the ‘honest scholar’, where genuine effort and submitting best work should be a priority to every student as we commence a new academic year. Theo Walsh, our Senior Prefect also energised the student body with a message of support for all areas in the School, especially the co-curricular offerings. He also spoke of the Cranbrook integrity motto which the Prefect body are eager to prioritise this year.

Today at lunchtime our sport and co-curricular staff ran Brook Day, where activities are promoted to the student body as they enlist new members for their groups for 2024. A special thanks to Ms Claire McCabe for facilitating this.

This Saturday sees our first Saturday sport for the year and I ask all students to make sure they have all the equipment and uniforms prepared over the next couple of days to ensure they represent themselves and the School over the weekend. Good luck to all students for their fixtures and activities.

Key events next week:

Monday 5 February – Year 7 Curriculum Parent Information Evening

Thursday 8 February – Year 11 Parents Welcome Evening followed by the CSPA Welcome Cocktail Evening.

Have a great week.

Best wishes,

Bob Meakin
Deputy Headmaster & Head of Senior School

Nicholas Jolly, Director of Academics / Deputy Head of Senior School

Dear Parents

As usual, it has been a hectic start here in the Senior School! I am pleased to report that there is an excellent sense of energy being felt from the student body. Students have been encouraged this week to ensure they give themselves the best opportunity to start the term well by being organised! Students are encouraged to:

• Quickly understand their individual timetables, and report any issues to their Mentor,
• Have a pencil case and all textbooks and workbooks organised and ready for each class,
• Ensure that laptops are charged,
• Make good use of the Student Diary, and
• Develop a realistic routine for homework by making use of the template on Page 11 of the Student Diary.

Also worth mentioning are the School’s expectations on the amount of time to be spent on homework (see page 113 of the Student Diary):

Year 7:                              up to 60-90 mins 4 nights a week

Year 8/9:                           90-120 mins 4 nights a week

Year 10:                             Two hours 4 nights a week

Year 11 and 12:               Up to three hours 4 nights a week, especially in peak periods around exams

Some work on a Sunday afternoon or evening would also be encouraged. All students should also be engaging with at least 20 minutes of reading every night in addition to the above expectations around homework. 20 minutes of reading just before bed would also serve as a great chance for a digital detox!

Parent Curriculum Information Webinars:

A reminder to parents of the following webinars to be conducted this week and next:

Year 9:                Tonight at 5.30pm

Year 11:               Tonight at 6.30pm

Year 7:                 Monday 5 February at 5.30pm

Please see the separate email from Ms Paula Simpson with the link for these events.

I’d like to wish everyone all the very best as we start another exciting school year. Please reach out with any questions or concerns.

Nicholas Jolly
Director of Academics / Deputy Head of Senior School

Angelique Sanders

Dear Parents and Carers

It has been wonderful to see our students return to school looking relaxed and ready for the new year. Welcome to all our new parents, be it in Year 7 or other year groups.

Our Year 7 students have started strong and are taking part in a four-day orientation programme which aims to set them up for success from the start. There are many changes and new things to learn and experience so they will be tired and a little overwhelmed. If they are feeling that way please try and encourage them to speak to their Mentor, Housemaster or one of the Peer Support Leaders.

Year 11 and 12 participated in the workshops facilitated by Tomorrow Man.

Year 11 explored how fear of judgement and excessive ‘banter’ affects individuals and the culture of a cohort. They also identified the ways in which men hide and protect themselves and the vast benefits and opportunities that they can experience by opening up and show vulnerabilities.

Year 12 explored adult themes of how your early sexual experiences can establish a sexual future blueprint. They discussed the current state of pornography and its impact on the brain. The aim was to gain an awareness of how to have healthy, balanced intimate experiences and relationships.

All students had time next Wednesday to record their goals for the semester. How students progress with achieving these goals will be monitored by Mentors. The satisfaction from achieving a goal is very powerful and allows students to build confidence, gain a sense of achievement and improve motivation. Failure to achieve a goal is also an important learning experience and the students are supported to understand why they did not achieve the goal and what they can do differently next time.

As we settle back into the rhythm of the term, my advice for you is to establish a routine around sleep, homework, exercise, and family time. There also needs to be clear boundaries around screen time. There will be push back but we need to teach them how to live with technology rather than have it rule their lives.

Angelique Sanders
Director of Student Wellbeing

Matt Grice, Director of Sport K – 12

Dear Parents and Guardians

A big welcome to the 2024 sports year for all returning and new members of our community. The Cranbrook Sports programme is wide, varied and undertaken in a spirit of genuine education. The programme promotes inclusiveness, opportunity, and competition. We believe sport teaches valuable lessons about resilience, challenge, courage, failure, teamwork, and success. Students are driven to challenge themselves through the development of their skills, through training and conditioning, with a strong focus on balancing the comradery of team success with the satisfaction of individual achievement. I am looking forward to a fantastic year of sport!

A massive thank you to all who were involved in the numerous holiday activities. Camps, tours, and the weights centre were well attended, and our top squads were working hard in preparation for the remainder of the summer season. It was fantastic to see so many students so active in their holiday break. Well done to everyone who got involved.

A huge congratulations to Luca Alexander who won the National Sailing 420 Championships over the break.

We have 6 weeks until the CAS Swimming Championships. For those interested in the 2024 Cranbrook CAS Representative Swim Team selection or have any questions regarding selection or swimming at Cranbrook, please email:

Daniel Arnamnart – darnamnart@cranbrook.nsw.edu.au – Head of Aquatics 

We look forward to a big weekend of sport as we launch into the continuation of the summer season. The majority of sports have trial matches before the CAS season kicks off next week (see attached Fixtures for 3rd February)

Please find details of training sessions and activities in the T1 Week 1 CC Sport and Academy Timetable (attached).

Looking forward to seeing everyone around the grounds this weekend.

Kind regards

Matt Grice
Director of Sport

Phil Beverley, Director of Music

Embarking on a musical journey through Eastern Europe, the combined talents of St. Catherine’s and Cranbrook School created a harmonious blend of culture, tradition, and musical excellence. From enchanting performances in historic venues to exploring age old cultures and the magic of a winter Christmas market, over a hundred students reveled in the delights on offer and represented our schools with distinction.

The sheer scale of a tour group that required two separate planes, three coaches with trailers and multiple hotels in each city was an exhilarating yet somewhat daunting way to end the year. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Hayes Travel for their incredible work in ensuring the success of the trip for everyone. Our tour kicked off with a mesmerising performance at the renowned St. Nicholas Church in Prague. This baroque masterpiece provided a stunning backdrop for the musicians, as they captivated the audience in this awe-inspiring space. The acoustics of the church enhanced every note, creating a magical atmosphere that resonated with the rich history of the city.

We ventured north to a small rural town called Chlumec (population 5000) where we performed to an audience of over 200 and joined in concert with their local award-winning choir.

Moving further south to Southern Moravia, the tour reached the charming town of Hodonin, where St. Lawrence Church became the setting for another memorable performance. Just prior to the performance another small-town Christmas market with a preset stage saw many of our senior students perform Christmas repertoire.

A quick stop for some ballet in Bratislava to see The Nutcracker, performed in the Slovak National Theatre, then onto Hungary where we made Budapest our home for a few nights. This incredible city gave the ensembles an opportunity to work with Reka Csernyik and Margit Szlobmayer as well as the students from Patrona Hungaria School for Girls and Piarista School for Boys. In these workshops we were excited to share our indigenous songs as they shared some of their traditional folk music with us then perform later that evening.

Onto Croatia to embrace a passionate peoples love of the arts. The strings and wind ensembles were very fortunate to have the opportunity to workshop their pieces with Davor Kelić in preparation for our final concert at Lisinski Hall in Zagreb, Croatia. The impressive architecture and modern facilities of the hall provided a fitting stage for the culmination of the tour. The combined talents of St. Catherine’s and Cranbrook School took centre stage, delivering a powerful and emotional performance that left a lasting impression on both the performers and the audience.

The St. Catherine’s and Cranbrook School music tour to Eastern Europe was not merely a series of performances; it was a celebration of cultural exchange. I’m so immensely proud of each the musician who showcased the universal language of music and added to the rich tapestry of life.

Welcome to the start of another year. The Music Department is excited for the events that are ahead this year. A warm welcome to our Year 7 parents who have joined the Cranbrook family. It is my hope that the information below helps ease the transition into high school for both your son and your family.

Curriculum classes

The next week will see some changes to the classes for our Year 7 and 8s although all students study the same content, we design the classes to group ‘like-instruments’ where possible. This helps us support students at their level and allows us to place teachers with the best skill set to solve musical problems together with the students.

Beyond the classroom

Instrumental lessons and ensemble performance is the biggest optional co-curricular activity at Cranbrook. We are immensely proud of the music our students produce across are range of musical opportunities. If you are new to the School and thinking about getting involved, please reach out to music@cranbrook.nsw.edu.au so we can point you in the right direction. Students who wish to find out more simply need to come to the Music Department and speak to one of our staff. Brook day will also be another opportunity for new students to speak with older students involved in the programme whether it be, Choirs, Bands, String ensembles or Rock Bands.

Performance Plus

Underpinning all the excellent work happening in the classroom and co-curricular music space is the Performance Plus programme. Students enrolled in instrumental lessons are encouraged to attend our termly masterclass series and participate in the regular concert practices and soirees that are set up throughout the year. This programme provides a pathway for any student to develop their solo performance skills and encourages a culture of improvement while building their confidence and self-discipline. Skills that are definitely transferrable to all aspects of life. Click here for more info regarding Performance Plus.

Co-curricular schedules online

Clipboard has all your co-curricular information you need in one place. This is available via the Cranbrook App. Click here for more information on how to access this app.

Students can access clipboard directly by going to portal.clipboard.app/Cranbrook and using their single sign on they can view all cocurricular times for the comings weeks. For music this includes all ensembles and instrumental lessons.

Key Dates for Music Term 1

Phil Beverley
Director of Music

Duke of Edinburgh 2024

To all students and caregivers, welcome back to 2024 for what promises to be another rewarding year of learning, growth, and development across our amazing community.

I have been delighted by the strong interest already this year in the Duke of Edinburgh programme across the student body and would like to thank those parents who attended the information sessions during Meet the Mentor Day earlier this week. For those of you unable to attend and whose sons are interested in participating in the Duke of Edinburgh programme this year I would like to extend an invitation for any interested students to attend our bi-weekly meetings in V4.13 on Mondays and Wednesdays during lunch.

Three staff members, Ms Pedersen, Mr Lilley and Mr Nolan as well as Cameron La, Student Leader for the Duke of Edinburgh Programme, will be present to discuss all things Duke of Ed including sign-up processes, programme requirements, ideas for service and so on.

Students in Year 8 and up are eligible to participate and so we strongly encourage all students to consider the benefits of partaking in this prestigious and globally recognised award. The benefits of involvement are many and set students apart as leaders and changemakers.

We look forward to meeting many of your sons over the year.

Aaron Nolan
Director of Service (Acting)

CETOP Tour to Ladakh September 2024

CETOP is very excited to be offering another tour to Ladakh, Northern India this year to continue its incredible 30+ years of work and support for the local communities in this area. After the success of last year’s trip, the Cranbrook Explorers and Travellers Overseas Programme is delighted to be working with World Horizons to provide staff, students and parents of Year 10/11 with an opportunity to visit this beautiful region in the September holidays. From Saturday 21^st September to Sunday 6^th October, this 16 day trip will allow participants to visit and engage with students from our original nursery school in the Shara Valley, trek into the Himalayan mountain range and work closely with CETOP supported initiatives in the town of Leh.

This will include the women’s welfare group, Leh Mahila Mandal – a group dedicated to improving the lives of women in the local areas. Topped off with a trip to see the iconic Taj Mahal, a visit to Agra Fort and the chance to play street cricket with the children of Delhi, this promises to be an extremely memorable, service driven trip for all. IBDP students can use this experience to contribute towards their CAS project and, students interested in completing their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, can work towards their adventurous journey and residential project whilst on the trip. For those interested, please refer to the detailed itinerary attached and we look forward to seeing you at our Information Evening, including a presentation from World Horizons, on Wednesday 14^th February, 5.45pm, V4.13.

Depending on interest, students may be asked to submit an application detailing why they would like to attend this trip.

For any further details, please contact Elizabeth Fletcher: Efletcher@cranbrook.nsw.edu.au

Elizabeth Fletcher
Head of Year 11 College / English Teacher

Articles of Interest

Please find articles of interest below; 

Mind the generation gap — teenagers need it 

25 Quick Ways to Connect With Teens

10 questions to ask a teenager to start an important conversation

Introducing Stricter Message Settings for Teens on Instagram and Facebook

Online Betting Awareness

All best,

Matt Banes

NBA Basketball Flyers

Access the Term 1 flyer here.

Swimming Achievement

Year 12 student Marcus Da Silva swam at the South Australia State championships from the 18^th – 20^th of January as part of the NSW Swimming squad. The squad was selected with the top 20 NSW swimmers to give them race experiences outside of NSW.

Marcus had the opportunity of racing Olympic Gold Medalist Kyle Chalmers in his pet event 100m freestyle, also in the race was Olympic Medalist Matthew Temple. Marcus broke 50 seconds for the second time in the heat, going a blistering 49.92 with .08 PB.

Moving into the final, Marcus was in lane 3 next to Kyle Chalmers where Marcus swam a 49.45, which is an impressive half a second PB which resulted in Marcus equaling Ian Thorpe’s 17 years 100m NSW Freestyle Record.

What makes this swim even more impressive, is Marcus is in a full training load with no rest leading into the meet.

Daniel Arnamnart
Head of Aquatics

Oratory at Cranbrook

Cranbrook Oratory is a broad church that consists of the following societies, clubs and activities:

• Competition and Social Debating
• Legal Debating (Mooting and Mock Trial)
• Model United Nations
• Public Speaking

These programmes support students in thinking critically about issues, developing the art of reasoned argument, being active listeners and expressing themselves with purpose, clarity and respect. Cranbrookians involved with one or more of these programmes for a sustained period of time consistently represent in the School’s lists of strongest academic achievers, having gained vital academic qualities in the co-curricular space that translated into the classroom.

Last year’s achievements

In 2023, Cranbrook’s oratory programmes achieved numerous successes. Some of the highlights included:

• Climbing to 14^th ranking in the Independent Schools Debating Association, with 4 out of 6 teams making the final rounds,  
• Runners-up in the Years 7 and 8 Eastside Debating Competition and doubling our overall number of wins to record the best tally board since joining in 2013,
• Securing 3 Cranbrookians in the CAS Representative Debating squad, all Year 11s who beat out many Year 12s across rival schools,
• One of our junior teams ranking 5^th / 85 teams in their division of the International Debating Championships and all junior teams ranking in the top half of schools for that tournament,
• Placing in the Top 32 teams in the International Public Policy Written Debating Competition, building on the previous year’s Top 64 achievement,
• Earning our first win in the Rostrum Public Speaking Competition and fourth place in the prestigious Lawrence Campbell Speaking Competition,
• Securing 3 teams in both the state-wide Evatt and Negotiations Competitions, with our seniors going all the way to the Evatt Grand Final and being offered a chance to attend nationals.

While there is much to celebrate, it is important to remember that these successes – and the many personal and collective achievements not listed above – come off the back of sustained effort by students and their coaches and teachers. The energy and rigour of Cranbrook’s oratory programmes enable students to develop fundamentals, gain personalised feedback, and thrive in social and competitive environments.

The year ahead

2024 promises to be another exciting year for our programmes, which have attracted incredible numbers of students (Model UN drew an expression-of-interest list of over 100 students – a far cry from the 8 or so students who irregularly met less than 3 years ago). The desire to engage in the big issues of our time and to cultivate confidence and skill in speaking publicly is palpable, and so we look forward to continuing our growth mantra for all oratory areas.

Debating welcomes the elevation of long-standing coach Jeremiah Edagbami to the newly minted role of Head Coach, who is already delivering a dynamic and visionary agenda for further enriching our nationally and internationally experienced coaching team so they can continue to enhance the student experience. In Semester 1, we reach for another rung up the ISDA and Eastside rankings. Beyond our Friday night competition schedule, students have the opportunity to enter a range of debating skills building and competition events, with one in partnership with the University of Oxford and Cambridge already open for sign up. We are poised to enter senior debaters into the Bond University Mooting and NSW Law Society’s Mock Trial competitions, commencing our offering of this unique branch of school-based debating. For the first time, we also intend to host weekend debate gala days that will invite teams from near and far, connecting debaters with the university circuit and introducing them to a whole new level of speaking.

The significant expansion of Model UN sees us welcome our first external coach, who will support our senior students to master the nuances of diplomatic debate and negotiation and enable them to achieve their dream of making our popular weekday lunchtime sessions truly student led. In addition to encouraging students to enter the annual local, state and national competitions, we will also be participating in crisis summits for the first time. Our ever-popular Cranbrook-hosted inter-school MUN days will return with some new features, and we look forward to offering Cranbrookians opportunities to engage with fellow MUN students from overseas via video call until such time it proves viable to travel abroad (regrettably, our planned Debating and Diplomacy Tour to the USA was unable to proceed this year, though we will be pursuing fresh ventures in the near future).  

Public Speaking will continue to offer students developmental support on Monday afternoons and target individuals to represent Cranbrook at major competitions. Last year’s successful resurrection of the Eastside Oratory evening will return this year and there will be other speaking events organised to provide our students with exposure to as much practical application as possible. New this year will be the introduction of a Voice and Communication curriculum, which will offer students enrolled the capability of sitting formalised exams and attaining certification in the discipline of Public Speaking. Senior student leaders are also being offered a bespoke staff-led series of workshops to better support their engagement with the student body through powerful, pointed and performative speech.

Throughout the year, students will receive details and sign-up forms via their school-based communications. We will also be updating our wider community through Cranbrook Connect articles like this one. Stay tuned for so much more in 2024!

Commencement of oratory programmes

The following table lists all major oratory programmes, their commencement date, year groups invited, and details about student sign-up. In all cases, it is the responsibility of students to enquire or sign-up. We do not accept sign-up by parents.

Community involvement

While processes like trials are closed to spectators, we welcome parents, families and friends of students to attend most oratory events. For those wishing to attend throughout the year, we encourage you to keep an eye out for notices on Cranbrook Connect.

Earlier in this article, credit for the successes of our programmes was given to the efforts of students, coaches and teachers. It has also been the unwavering support of our wonderful community that enhances the atmosphere of numerous competition evenings and special events. We look forward to seeing familiar faces and welcoming new members to our fraternity over the coming terms.

Contact

Should you or your son have any further questions about any of Cranbrook’s oratory programmes, you are welcome to reach out to Mr Benjamin Smith at bsmith@cranbrook.nsw.edu.au. In the first instance, students should be making contact about getting involved.

Essential information and highlights for parents will be posted here on Cranbrook Connect as part of the Thursday Link. Students involved in oratory programmes will receive updates via their respective Canvas or TEAMS channels.

Benjamin Smith
Debating Coordinator

Daisy Turnbull, Director of Coeducation and Academy

Dear Parents and Carers

It was wonderful to meet with parents, sons, and daughters on Meet the Mentor Day this week. I spoke about the transition to coeducation and what it will mean for current Cranbrook students, as well as some excellent questions from younger sisters who joined their families. 

As you would all know we are two years away from coeducation commencing in 2026, and it was a great opportunity to remind everyone that all of our current students from Years 7 – 10 (and of course everyone in the Junior School as they progress through to the senior campus) will be part of a coeducational campus. This means that while students in Years 7 – 9 currently won’t be in coeducational cohorts from 2026 their Houses, assemblies, chapels, co-curricular activities, recess and lunch will be coeducational. 

With our new uniform announced at the end of last year, we are now working on the sporting uniforms and looking at the expansion of our excellent sporting programmes to include netball, football, basketball and touch football for girls and offering coeducational opportunities for other sports including rowing, tennis, sailing, swimming, volleyball, cricket, cross country, athletics and cross country. 

We continue to prepare our current students for coeducation through the Student Wellbeing Programme run by Mrs Angelique Sanders, Director of Student Wellbeing, and looking at the way our school can build its great culture to be inclusive and equitable for all students and staff. Beyond our school gates it is becoming increasingly clear that social media and explicit imagery online is impacting all of us, but especially children and teenagers. According to the Esafety Office website half children aged 9 – 16 have seen explicit sexual imagery online. 

Recently the Financial Times (apologies, it is paywalled) released data showing that in young people aged 18 – 30, the gap between men and women with where they sit politically is growing as well. There is a chasm forming between young men and women. That chasm can only be bridged through empathy and experience. Fascinatingly Korea was mentioned in the data as having the greatest gender divide, and their schooling system is between 90 – 95% single sex schools. 

As a school community, including parents, staff and students, we need to focus not just on correcting the impact of what young people see online, but building and developing empathy for other people. We will continue to endeavor to have events with other schools to deliver coeducational opportunities, and bridge that gap so our students are able to celebrate a kind and compassionate companionship with all around them. 

For the Academy, co-curricular activities will all be up and running this and next week, with study centre commencing in week 2. I encourage parents to look at enrolling their sons in study centre to embed an effective study routine. You can register here. We will also be holding an International Women’s Day event on 7 March (Women’s day eve, if you will) with exceptional members of our school community speaking, the invitation will be sent out soon. 

I wish you all a wonderful start to 2024.

Daisy Turnbull
Director of Coeducation and Academy

Celebrating the Women Leaders at Cranbrook

In celebration of International Women’s Day 2024 on Friday 8 March, we are proudly profiling our female leaders at Cranbrook as part of our commitment to championing diversity and fostering inclusion in education. This year’s theme, Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress, underscores the importance of celebrating the invaluable contributions of women in the teaching profession. By spotlighting female educators, we are sharing their inspiring stories, and showcasing the diverse perspectives they bring to the classroom, whilst instilling a sense of belonging and empowerment for us all.

Read the full interviews here.

Perspectives Podcast

The third episode in our Perspectives podcast series; a series of conversations between our Headmaster, Nicholas Sampson, and his peers and colleagues in education on matters of mutual interest is now available to listen to.

In this enlightening podcast, Phillip Heath AM, Head of Barker College, discusses with our Headmaster their pathway to the full implementation of coeducation, exploring how the school’s ethos and rich history paved the way for the transition.

Phillip and Nicholas discuss the importance of finishing your schooling with friends of both genders, and in this way stepping aside from some of the social concerns, deconstructing what is classed as ‘traditional pathways’ for each gender and how coeducational schooling is very much the springboard for the next stage, into tertiary education and beyond.

Providing personal insights and anecdotes, they reflect on the culture of each school, the pastoral culture and the tone of conversation around coeducation. 

To listen please click here.

CSPA Term 1 Meeting

The Term 1 CSPA Meeting will be held on Wednesday 7 February at 7.00pm in the Nugent Boardroom.

Gotcha4Life Event

Date and time: Friday, 2 February, 6-8pm

Location: Bondi Pavilion

Event description:

Created by Matt Banes and Tim Marriott and developed in consultation with professional sports bodies and mental health charities, Lifeline Bondi brings you – Jack’s Ashes.

Jack’s Ashes is a one-hour, live performance designed to engage the audience through humour in order to reduce stigma and promote conversation about mental fitness.

Performed by Tim Marriott (BBCTV’s The Brittas Empire) with recorded contributions from David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd, Shane Watson, ‘Crash’ Craddock and others from the cricket world. 

Jack’s Ashes offers a humorous insight into the mental frailties that can cloud the mind and the distractions that can lead to ruin.

Profits from the event will support Lifeline Eastern Suburbs – Bondi