Senior School Link – Week 2, Term 2 2024 - 3 May 2024
Michele Marquet, Acting Head of School
Dear Cranbrook families,
Despite the wet weather we have experienced over the last few weeks, the students from P-Y12 have been wholeheartedly engaging in their learning and co-curricular activities. As I have walked around our School in the last week or so, whether at St Mark’s Pre-school today, the Junior School or on the Senior School campus, it has been a delight to see the students focusing on their learning both in classroom, or outside in various co-curricular activites, so positively. What a delight it was to celebrate at all campuses this year the significant role mothers play in the lives of their children. We wish all mothers a very happy Mother’s Day this Sunday.
Over the last year, we have been undertaking a survey of our culture. This is an important ongoing project for our School. We started in Term 4 last year with asking our students in Year 5 – Year 11 to share their experiences of our school culture and their sense of belonging. Most students reported they find the culture at our School positive. Some of the most common terms used by students to describe the culture include kind, inclusive, supportive, community, respectful, friendly and caring. This was encouraging news! But we also wanted to drill down into why some of our students might not always have that experience and asked questions around what the circumstances were when they did not feel such a strong sense of belonging or when others may have been unkind and why. As we look to place continued focus on ensuring results in the area of cultural experience are consistently high, we will be using that information to help us strengthen our Student Wellbeing Programmes across the entire school and also improve the way we, as a school, respond to issues, particularly those between students. Using this data to inform our next steps is an important component in our approach to strengthen our wellbeing offering at Cranbrook.
To that end, under the leadership of Angelique Sanders, Director of Student Wellbeing, strongly supported by a focus steering group with staff from across the school, we have undertaken a yearlong student wellbeing project with the AIS (Association of Independent Schools) with all staff K-Y12. Research strongly indicates that emotional regulation skills, social skills and self-motivational capacity were stronger predictors of academic achievement than cognitive skills.
Grounded firmly in research, the AIS Wellbeing Project works collaboratively with a variety of independent schools through professional learning and consultancy support to select evidence-based strategies and implement a whole school vision and approach to wellbeing. Key outcomes for our school include:
• Establish new, or strengthen existing, whole-school processes and practices for monitoring and developing student mental health and wellbeing unique to our community;
• Prioritise professional learning focused on developing staff knowledge, understanding and capacity to support student mental health and wellbeing;
• Increase understanding of evidence-based, age-appropriate approaches, interventions and practices;
• Establish networks and supportive relationships with wellbeing specialists beyond our school.
Whilst the initiative focuses on supporting student wellbeing, it is recognised that this is closely interconnected with positive relationships across the school staff, so this element will also be a key focus for us as we complete the project.
We have already undertaken the whole staff survey about wellbeing, attended some professional learning with our AIS Consultant, Laura Brennan, and started to review our policies, practices and programmes thoroughly. We are excited by the opportunities that this project presents to us to firmly embed programmes and practices that will best support our students and staff in the area of wellbeing.
As the year continues, we look forward to updating you on initiatives that flow from this project and the many other avenues we are currently pursuing as we seek to better understand our culture and how to strengthen it for the benefit of all our community.
Kind wishes
Michele Marquet Acting Head of School
Bob Meakin, Deputy Headmaster & Head of Senior School
Dear Parents and Carers
I would like to thank so many parents who drop their sons off at school for using the school carline on the Senior School campus. Aside from when there are busy events on at school, this has drastically reduced the congestion and improved the safety of our students.
Related to this theme, Mr Condie (Head of Cutler House) addressed the School during Assembly about Walk to School Week. This is something that Michael does from Edgecliff station every day and he spoke to us all about the wellbeing effects of doing so. This concept is linked to our Green Travel Plan which is about reducing the carbon footprint of travel to and from school. This basically involves those who can walk should do so. Those who are able to cycle to school should do so and use the bike racks provided. Those who are able to catch public transport, bus or train or both, are encouraged to do so. Finally, only those who absolutely have to drive to school should do so. I realise that this is an incredibly difficult request of some families where convenience trumps everything, but could I please ask that you think about how your child arrives at school and ask yourself is this the best option for them and indeed for our carbon footprint.
I would like to congratulate our ISDA debaters for their success across the School. For the first time in Cranbrook’s history, we have all teams from all age groups into the finals. This is a tremendous achievement, and I would like to wish all the debaters the very best for the semi-final debates.
Also in Assembly yesterday, we were honoured by the presence of Grae Morris (Class of 2021). Grae was accompanied by his father and gave a wonderful speech to the School. He also honoured our Winter Sport Captains. Grae was a tremendous sportsman at school and had a keen talent in windsurfing which he has specialised in since leaving school. I am delighted to announce that Grae has been selected to represent Australia in windsurfing for the Paris Olympics later this year. His speech spoke about failure and the ability to move past that in order to succeed. He was grounded, personable and quite brilliant in his delivery and on behalf of everyone at Cranbrook, I would like to wish Grae the very best as he chases success in Paris.
I would like to thank all the mothers who attended our Mother’s Day Breakfast yesterday. This was a wonderful community event and I know that the many photographs that were taken of mothers and sons will be cherished for years to come.
Tomorrow evening there are more community activities with Rugby at Easts Rugby Club, Football at Hensley Athletic Park, and AFL at Bat and Ball Oval. I encourage the students to choose an event and support our senior teams, if at all possible.
Next Tuesday, we welcome new students including girls to the Year 11 2026 Twilight Open Evening in the Chapel from 5pm. On Wednesday, we have our Jazz night in the Packer Theatre with our jazz musicians.
We have been alerted this afternoon that a student in Year 12 and another student in Year 8 have tested positive for Pertussis (Whooping Cough). The symptoms of whooping cough are a like a common cold in the early stages and then later develop to a persistent cough. To protect the vulnerable in our communities and to prevent on outbreak at the School, can you please keep your child at home if they are displaying these symptoms and take them to a doctor for testing. If you have any concerns, please contact the Health Centre.
We are hoping for as many outdoor fixtures over the weekend. Can I please ask parents to keep an eye on their emails for any cancellations or change of venue.
Have a wonderful week.
Bob Meakin Deputy Headmaster & Head of Senior School
Hannah Thomas, Director of Professional Learning
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Did you know that many gifted students are overlooked because they don’t display the ‘positive traits’ that teachers often consider associated with giftedness?
Thank you so much to Rhys Briscoe-Hough for his informative and thought-provoking presentation to Cranbrook School teachers on Debunking the Myth of the Gifted Child, which reinforced the importance of recognising every learner as unique.
The session emphasised that gifted students who exhibit traits such as underachievement in areas of disinterest, extreme perfectionism and variable frustration may not be identified as gifted, because many teachers expect giftedness to manifest in stereotypical characteristics such as an eagerness to learn, attentiveness and intrinsic motivation. This means that some gifted students are not offered the support required to help them reach their potential.
Rhys’ presentation also offered tips and tools for engaging the diverse range of gifted students, highlighting the importance of offering constructive feedback and the opportunity to develop skills at a deeper level.
Hannah Thomas Director of Professional Learning
Angelique Sanders, Director of Student Wellbeing
Dear Parents and Carers,
Term 2 has begun well! Our SWP programme launched with Year 12 completing the final Tomorrow Man workshop, making them the inaugural group to finish the full programme. Student feedback highlights included:
The value of sharing and hearing personal experiences previously unspoken.
Insights gained from understanding diverse life experiences.
The Term 2 SWP themes are:
Year 7: Respectful Friendships
Year 8: Connections
Year 9: Relationships
Year 10: Academic Choices
Year 11: Leadership
Year 12: Looking to the Future
Students will explore these themes through various engaging activities throughout the term.
We extend our gratitude to the CSPA for their generous support of the Tomorrow Man programme and the enlightening Year 7 parent presentation by Yasmin London, which focused on parenting adolescences in the modern world.
Reminder: This Friday marks National Walk Safely to School Day. Encourage your son to take advantage of this healthy routine—walking might even beat the morning traffic!
Lastly, warm wishes for a joyful Mother’s Day this Sunday. Cherish your time with loved ones.
Kind regards,
Angelique Sanders Director of StudentWellbeing
Daisy Turnbull, Director of Coeducation and Academy
Dear Parents and Carers,
On Wednesday afternoon the 2024 student leadership team hosted over 40 students from our local area to hear s. Allegra Spender MP speak about service and leadership. Ms Spender spoke about how as School Prefects, they are already leaders and that working as a team they are far more effective than on their own. She spoke about the importance of empowering people, and the challenges in engaging everyone in a community. The ability to convince people has to come from both the head and heart and being able to make changes relatable and concrete. Prefects asked questions about how to tell stories without seeming superficial, and how to encourage global mindedness in a social media focused world. Ms Spender highlighted the importance of speaking with people you don’t agree with, and remembering that we are competing against polarisation, post-truth, popularism. While it may be easy to post the divisive culture war raging tweet or story, it doesn’t help bring people together, but drives them apart.
Ms Spender also discussed the importance of making mistakes, and to not let the mistakes we will inevitably make dominate how you do things, leaders need to have the courage and also the ability to forgive themselves in order to lead others in a vulnerable and honest way. She said this can be particularly hard in school where you are leading your friends, and it can be hard to talk to your friends about when they are not doing the right thing.
It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to engage with other school leaders and listen to Ms Spender speak. Thank you to Ms Spender, and the prefect team for running the session.
Daisy Turnbull Director of Coeducation and Academy
Matt Grice, Director of Sport
Dear Parents and Carers,
It was an absolute pleasure to have Grae Morris, Class of 2021 attend assembly to present the Winter Sports Captains and address the Cranbrook Senior school. Grae has been selected to represent Australia at the Paris Olympics for wind surfing/foil, becoming the first male selected for this event since the 2000 Sydney Games. We wish him all the best for his Olympic journey!
This week saw the start of the CAS Competition for most of our sports, while Rugby began trials. Football kicked us off on Friday night at Knox, with things beginning brightly as the 2nds scored a very impressive 2-0 victory. The 1sts were right in the contest until a red card gave Knox the advantage and they quickly pulled away. Lots of positives throughout the Football Program and I know they are looking forward to their match with Waverley this weekend.
Our Cross-Country Team once again started brilliantly as they begin their quest for a 3rd straight CAS Championship. A big congratulations to Huon Groves for winning the opens race at UpJohn Park, while Matthew Radvin and Julian Kelly also finished in the top 10. We are hoping to see more excellent results in the weeks to come.
The Lewis Report. 7Es Football.
As part of my role at the school, I have the pleasure of watching a range of teams compete in all sports, every week. These sports report each week will showcase the efforts and events of one of my favourite games of the weekend.
Kicking off with a thrilling showdown between the 7Es football team and Knox – the energy was palpable from kick-off to the final whistle. Despite a valiant effort in the first half, the 7Es found themselves trailing 1-0 at halftime after a closely fought battle.
The second half began with Knox gaining momentum, quickly scoring two goals, and putting the 7Es on the back foot. However, rather than succumbing to despair, the 7Es remained positive and refused to let the deficit crush their spirits. With determination and resilience, they fought back, managing to find the back of the net twice, including the final goal of the match.
In the end, despite a gallant effort, the final score stood at 4-2 in favour of Knox. Although it wasn’t the result they had hoped for, the 7Es demonstrated great resilience and sportsmanship throughout the match. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this match and wish the 7Es the best of luck in their game next week against Waverley!
Eddie Lewis, Sport operational Coordinator P-12
This week sees our annual Friday Night Lights Rugby game played at Easts Rugby Club against St Patricks. This event has always been one of the highlights of the Cranbrook sporting calendar and we would love to see as many parents, staff, and supporters as possible to come and watch a great night of schoolboy entertainment. We look forward to seeing you there!
1sts 7:15pm
2nds 6:00pm
16As 5:00pm
Prep 6As 4:00pm
We also have the 1sts and 2nds Football and AFL playing Waverley on Friday night. It’s certainly going to be a massive night of sport!
Please note, unfortunately we do have another wet weekend on the way. As always, we endeavour to get as many games on as possible. Cancelled games will be sent through the clipboard app and the wet weather line will be updated by 7:00am Saturday morning.
To find details of all Co-Curricular Activities and Sport Training sessions – please review the Term 2 Schedule here.
Looking forward to seeing everyone around the grounds this weekend.
Matt Grice Director of Sport
Running Lines
Volume 1 2024
After a highly successful and enjoyable Rugby Lunch on Friday afternoon, the season kicked off on Saturday morning.
Unfortunately, the weather caused Centennial Park to be closed so several fixtures were cancelled. However, Oxford Falls was in surprisingly excellent condition as we took on St Pius X College from Chatswood.
Our results were;
Team
Opposition
Result
Win/Loss
1sts
St Pius
25-19
Loss
2nds
St Pius
19-5
Win
3rds
St Pius
38-0
Win
4ths
Sydney Boys High
Cancelled
NA
5ths
Barbarians
Cancelled
NA
6ths
Sydney Boys High
Cancelled
NA
7ths
Sydney Boys High
Cancelled
NA
16A
St Pius
36-0
Win
16B
Barbarians
Cancelled
NA
16C
Sydney Boys High
Cancelled
NA
15A
St Pius
29-24
Loss
15B
St Pius
14-7
Win
15C
Sydney Boys High
Cancelled
NA
14A
St Pius
10-10
Draw
14B
St Pius
45-0
Win
14C
Sydney Boys High
Cancelled
NA
13A
St Pius
33-26
Loss
13B
St Pius
35-24
Win
13C
Sydney Boys High
Cancelled
NA
Player of the Day: Junior Teams (13s, 14s & 15s)- Duke Laurie (13Bs)
Player of the Day: Junior Teams (16s & Opens)- Chester Mobbs (3rd XV)
Rugby All Rounder of the Day (for effort/attitude on and off the field): Vinne Tagg
Age Group in Focus- U13s
What a fabulous start to the season for the youngest players in the Senior School. Under cloudy skies, the boys headed in the Northern Beaches to take on St Pius with an extended squad as the Cs game was cancelled.
The Bs let St Pius take charge early in the proceedings but stormed back in the second stanza with some fabulous running rugby to take the win.
Props Dylan Buki and Duke Laurie were a tower of strength in the tight exchanges while Harry Retief and Gus Pulford were a handful whenever the ran the ball. Emmanuel Hansimikali delivered accurately from halfback and Steven Haritos marshalled his outside backs with aplomb.
It was a similar script in the 13As game with a slow start from Cranbrook. However, this time the visitors coulkdn’t quite ctach the hosts, falling short by just seven points.
Rocco Uguccioni and Oliver Pietor were powerful in the tight while skipper Carter Mollison carried the ball regularly and with gusto. Outside backs to stand out were Aidan Manning and Ethan Sweeney who both finished lovely passing movements to score fine tries.
It’s a big home weekend coming up with Friday Night Lights at Easts and a full round of fixtures on Saturday against St Patrick’s Strathfield.
Mark DeBrincat Master in Charge of Rugby
Cranbrook Swimming: Meet Report
Cranbrook had 12 students representing CAS at the CIS Championship swim meet on Monday 6 and Tuesday 7 of May. This was Cranbrook’s biggest representative team at the swim meets history and the team achieved some excellent results. CIS brought together all the independent schools from across the state, battling it out for a top 3 position in any event to gain selection for the All-Schools Championships late May.
Highlights
4 Golds
5 Silvers
5 Bronzes
7 Fourth places
2 CIS Records
15 New School Records
8 Students qualified for All Schools
Full Report Night One All 12 students competed on night one with the 50m Freestyle “Dash for Cash” races and the Freestyle & Medley relays being held. From the 7 races Cranbrook competed in on night 1, Cranbrook broke 6 new school records. The night kicked off with Noah Kemp in the 50m Freestyle, finishing 4th in a time of 25.70 breaking the school record by .10 of a second and missing selection by less than .10 for All Schools. Marcus then tried to bring out his 50m speed skills which is his less favoured event, finishing a strong 3rd place in a 23.69.
Our Junior 13-14 Years Relay team consisting of Noah Kemp, Aidan Park, Carter McGee and Preston Irawan went on to get two 3rd place finishes in the 4 x 50m Freestyle and Medley Relays. In the Medley Relay they smashed their own school record by 5.7 seconds, which they had already broken at CAS by 5 seconds, so in total this season the team had broken the record held since 2013 by 11 seconds. They continued their recording breaking form by going on to break their own Freestyle relay record by 2 seconds.
The Senior 17 & Over Relay teams also competed in both the Medley and Freestyle relays. The Medley team consisting of Tate Sirianni, Oscar Holland, Marcus Da Silva and Max Moylan bettered their own record by 1 second and finished a commendable 7th place. The Freestyle relay team with the same members except Oscar substituted for Axel Robinson, finished 3rd gaining selection for All Schools and breaking their own school record by 2 seconds.
We finished the night with the all age 6 x 50m Freestyle race which has a swimmer from 12yrs Charlie Roberts, 13yrs Carter McGee, 14yrs Noah Kemp, 15yrs Luke Cassidy, 16yrs Oliver Minning, 17 & O Marcus Da Silva, the team set a new school record and finished 4th behind Trinity, Knox and our next door rivals Scots. We were narrowly beaten by Scots with a very close finish with Scots hitting the wall just over 1 second in front of us.
Day 2 After a late finish on night one, the students were back at the pool by 7:30am the next day for a full day of individual races.
Aidan Park started that day off with the Junior 200m Breaststroke finishing 2nd in a time of 2:33.40, which was a 3 second PB and a 10 second PB from the start of the season. Aidan went on to swim the 50m Breaststroke finishing 5th in a time of 31.60, which would have placed him 3rd in the 15yr age group and also went on to come 5th in the 100m Breastroke. Aidan was swimming in a very fast age group, which beat majority of the 15 years age group. Aidan narrowly missed Nicholas Stoupas Cranbrook record in the 50m breaststroke by .30 of a second, Nichloas’s time break the national record back in 2022.
Next up was Noah Kemp in the 50m Butterfly. Battling sickness Noah showed true Cranbrookian spirit by finishing 2nd in a new school record of 27.53. Noah went on to race 4 more individual races. He went on to set 2 more school records in the 50m Backstroke coming 1st in a 29.39 and 2nd in the 100m Freestyle in a time of 56.53. Noah’s final race of the day was 100m Butterfly were he won the race in a 1:03.69. Noah also placed 3rd in the 100m Backstroke in a time of 1:06.00. Noah finished the meet with 2 Golds, 3 Silvers, 1 Bronze, 2 Relay Bronzes and 7 swims at All Schools.
Max Moylan and Marcus Da Silva were next up in the 200m Freestyle. This is one of Marcus’s pet events and he did not disappoint. Marcus swam the race in a 1:51.81 winning the race in a new CIS and School record. Marcus broke Olympian and old Cranbrookian Swim Coach David McKeon’s record by over 4 seconds and the school record by 8 seconds. Max also swam a fantastic race finishing in 4th place with time which was 1.5 seconds quicker than the Cranbrook School record which shows how incredible Cranbrook is to have 2 such great talents at our school in the same event. Marcus went on to win the 100m Freestyle in a new CIS record of 50.55, he also finished 4th 100m and 7th in 50m Butterfly.
Tate Sirianni gained selection for All Schools after coming 2nd in the 100m Backstroke in a new school record of 58.80. Tate also finished 2nd in the 50m Backstroke in a school record of 27.74 and finished 6th in the 200m Backstroke. Tate raced fellow teammate Axel Robinson in the same Backstroke races were Axel finished 4th in the 200m Backstroke, narrowly missing individual selection by .30 of a second, and finished 7th in the 50m Backstroke missing the school record by .03.
Carter McGee was other individual swimmer on Day 2 in the 13 years 100m Freestyle. Carter showed that size doesn’t matter as he stood behind the blocks with competitors all 2 foot taller than him. He finished a commendable 4th place in 59.87 breaking the 1 minute barrier for the first time.
Overall, on Day 2, of the 20 races swum by Cranbrook students, 14 races were eligible to have their School Records broken, and the students broke 9 which is an amazing feat. Marcus set two new CIS records and the team finished the meet with 4 Golds, 5 Silvers, 5 Bronze and 7 fourth places. Cranbrook will send 8 swimmers to All Schools Championships, again our largest team to compete at the championships. These students will aim to make the NSW team compete at the School Sport Australia Championships on the Gold Coast.
Individual Results Charlie Roberts – 12 Years
6 x 50m Relay 4th – New School Record
Carter McGee – 13 years
100m Freestyle 4th – New School Record
Freestyle Relay 3rd – New School Record
Medley Relay 3rd – New School Record
6 x 50m Relay 4th – New School Record
Noah Kemp – 14 years
50m Backstroke 1st – New School Record
100m Butterfly 1st
100m Freestyle 2nd – New School Record
50m Butterfly 2nd – New School Record
100m Backstroke 3rd
Freestyle Relay 3rd – New School Record
Medley Relay 3rd – New School Record
50m Freestyle 4th – New School Record
6 x 50m Relay 4th – New School Record
Aidan Park – 14 Years
2nd 200m Breaststroke
Freestyle Relay 3rd – New School Record
Medley Relay 3rd – New School Record
5th 100m Breaststroke
5th 50m Breaststroke
Preston Irawan – 14 Years
Freestyle Relay 3rd – New School Record
Medley Relay 3rd – New School Record
Luke Cassidy – 15 years
6 x 50m Relay 4th – New School Record
Oliver Minning – 16 Years
6 x 50m Relay 4th – New School Record
Tate Sirianni – 17 Years
100m Backstroke 2nd – New School Record
50m Backstroke 2nd – New School Record
Freestyle Relay 3rd – New School Record
100m Freestyle 4th
200m Backstroke 6th
Medley Relay 7th – New School Record
Oscar Holland – Opens
Medley Relay 7th – New School Record
Max Moylan
Freestyle Relay 3rd – New School Record
200m Freestyle 4th – Under the old School Record but Broken by Marcus Da Silva in the same race
Dr Elizabeth Scott unpacked the secrets of intonation in our Term 2 Keynote Presentation. IT was wonderful to have so many make the time to join us as they work on developing their musical craft. Dr Scott was engaging and captivated the students with her presentation on what intonation is and its relevance to young musicians in the development of their practice. Austin Fairfax said “it was a fascinating deep dive into the physics behind Music”
As part of the Music Elective programme, students explore the topic ‘Music of a Culture’. Year 10 Elective Music students travelled to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music on Monday. The students were given a guided tour of the campus, including the extensive score library. They then took part in a practical workshop led by Peter Dunbar-Hall. It provided students with an authentic experience of Balinese music using the instruments of the Conservatorium’s Balinese Gamelan. This was an excellent way for students to learn about Gamelan music and play as an ensemble on traditional Indonesian instruments. It was very practical and challenging. Students will now be composing their own piece of music in the Gamelan tradition, and they are sure to have been inspired by this authentic, real-world experience.
As we look ahead we have several key performances approaching.
Wednesday Week 3 Jazz Night
Our Stage Bands and Jazz soloists will thrill us with their improvisational prowess while the second act we will have some of Sydney’s best Jazz Musicians performing the original Music of Dave Panichi. Spanning 4 decades as one of Australia’s best Jazz performers and composers, his music has been performed with every major Jazz Orchestra in every continent. His band will feature the beautiful solo playing of several of its members including, Hugh Barrett (Piano) , Tessie Overmyer (Tenor Sax) to name a few. This will be a night to remember. Bookings are essential. Please click here to book.
Tuesday Week 4 AMPED! OZ Rock
Continuing the love of supporting Australian music, with over 32 bands, our Contemporary showcase will be held as two big shows at the Marrickville Factory Theatre. Booking for event are essential and details on how to book will be made available next week.
Finally, I’d like to thank the MAD committee who continue to help support the wonderful work of our students through assisting on the night of these performances, and raising funds to make it all possible. If you are interested in being part of this group, please contact Music@Cranbrook.nsw.edu.au
I look forward to welcoming you to these upcoming events.
Phil Beverley Director of Music
Oratory Article
Last Friday’s Competition Debates
Last Friday night was the make-up round of the ISDA Competition, with Year 8 and 9 completing their final preliminary debates against St Catherine’s and Ascham, respectively. Although the 9s narrowly lost their debate, the Year 8s won theirs and succeeded in achieving an undefeated preliminary season – consequently topping their division! Well done to Rahul Loomba, Ethan Goldberg, Finn Dusseldorp, Felix Evans, and Peter Wang.
See below the ISDA topics on the night:
Division
Topic Area Make Up Round ISDA
8
That we should fine children for unsafe road behaviour (for example, not wearing a helmet while bike riding or jay-walking).
9
That we should fine children for unsafe road behaviour (for example, not wearing a helmet while bike riding or jay-walking).
See below the final preliminary season tally:
ISDA Division
Round 1 vs SACS
Round 2 vs St Caths
Round 3 vs Kincoppal
Round 4 vs Kambala
Round 5 vs Shore
Round 6 vs Scots
Round 7 vs Ascham
7
WIN
Loss
WIN
Loss
Loss
WIN
Loss
8
WIN
WIN
WIN
WIN
WIN
WIN
WIN
9
WIN
WIN
WIN
Loss
Loss
WIN
Loss
10
WIN
WIN
WIN
WIN
Loss
WIN
WIN
Senior B
WIN
WIN
WIN
Loss
Loss
WIN
Loss
Senior A
WIN
WIN
Loss
WIN
WIN
WIN
WIN
The 2024 season has seen Cranbrook further build on more than half a decade of back-to-back achievement. In 2018, we sat firmly in the bottom 8 – ranked 28th of 32 independent schools within the competition. The drive and efforts of teachers involved with the programme, a diverse and experienced coaching team, and the fostering of a culture of high expectations among students has seen us gradually rise in the ranks, first into the low 20s, then to 14th place last season. This year, Cranbrook catapulted into the top 5 schools in the competition at 4th place, firming further our reputation as an institution committed to academic and co-curricular excellence.
Our strong performance in the preliminaries also mean a record number of our teams will progress to the out-rounds of ISDA. All six teams proceed to the Octo finals over the next fortnight. We wish all of them well on the next stage of their debating journey, which we hope will end with some Grand Final appearances, especially since Cranbrook is hosting it!
On the Eastside front, debaters had a rigorous first round back after the holidays, facing Sydney Girls in Round 6. At the end of the night, the Year 9s and 11s had achieved wins and by doing so pushed Cranbrook into new territory for achieving our best ever Eastside Competition tally since joining in 2013! With one more preliminary round to go, we hope to not only knock that record out of the pack but also ensure some of our teams can follow in the footsteps of last year’s 7s and 8s who went to semi-finals.
See below the Eastside round topics:
Division
Topic Area Round 5 Eastside: Social Movements
7
That we should significantly increase the costs of driving a non-electric car (e.g. higher toll prices, parking fees, speeding fines and registration).
8
That we should significantly increase the costs of driving a non-electric car (e.g. higher toll prices, parking fees, speeding fines and registration).
9
That we support hacking as a form of protest.
10
That the environmentalist movement should refrain from discussing the environmental costs of green technologies (e.g. flooding caused by hydroelectric dams, lithium mining for batteries).
11
That the environmentalist movement should refrain from discussing the environmental costs of green technologies (e.g. flooding caused by hydroelectric dams, lithium mining for batteries).
12
That the environmentalist movement should refrain from discussing the environmental costs of green technologies (e.g. flooding caused by hydroelectric dams, lithium mining for batteries).
See below the updated tally for Cranbrook:
Eastside Division
Round 1 vs Sydney Grammar
Round 2 vs Scots
Round 3 vs Reddam
Round 4 vs Sydney Boys
Round 5 vs SCEGGS
Round 6 vs Sydney Girls
7
Loss
Loss
WIN
WIN
WIN
Loss
8
Loss
WIN
Loss
WIN
Loss
Loss
9
WIN
WIN
Loss
Loss
TBC
WIN
10
Loss
Loss
WIN
WIN
WIN
Loss
11
Loss
WIN
WIN
Loss
WIN
WIN
12
WIN
WIN
WIN
Loss
Loss
Loss
Competition Debating this week
This Friday 10th May sees the following debates take place:
Details
ISDA vs MLC
Eastside vs Sydney Girls High School
Round
Octos 1 for Years 9, 10 and Senior As only (all other ISDA teams train at Cranbrook – usual times apply)
Round 7
Venue
Kings – TLC and CLL Buildings (click here for map)
Rose Bay Secondary
Address
87-129 Pennant Hills Rd. North Parramatta.
34A Hardy St, Dover Heights NSW 2030
Entry via
Enter at traffic lights on Pennant Hill Rd go through first roundabout and left after second round about and then parking available on the immediate left-hand side – clearly visible. Cross the pedestrian crossing above car park and then turn left and walk to reception and then follow signs to the CLL Building.
Enter via the main gates on Hardy Street. There will be signs directing visitors to debates.
Transport
Debaters in Years 9, 10 and Senior As going to Kings will be transported by school vehicle. There is the option to travel back to Cranbrook, leaving at the end of the senior debates, approx. 9pm with a return time of approx. 9.40pm.
Being in the Eastern Suburbs, debaters must make their own way to the venue on Friday afternoon.
Years 7-9 debate / finish
Debates start 6.30pm / Debates finish 7.30pm
Debates start 6.15pm / Debates finish 7.15pm
Years 10-12 debate / finish
Debates start 7.30pm / Debates finish 9.00pm
Debates start 7.15pm / Debates finish 8.45pm
Topic area
None advertised
Social Movements
Spectator policy
Spectators welcome for Years 9, 10 and Senior As.
Spectators welcome for all divisions
A reminder that all Years 7-9 debaters must be collected by a parent or guardian at the end of the night.
Cranbrookians involved in oratory competitions
Our training sessions and workshops not only prepare students to become better-rounded individuals and excellent communicators, they also prepare those keen to participate in a range of external competitions. On Friday night, Year 12 student Piers Alcott represented Cranbrook at the prestigious Lawrence Campbell Competition at Scots College, going up against students from GPS and CAS schools. An impromptu speaking event, it is one of the more challenging out there. We currently have teams competing in the annual Evatt Model UN Competition, with some engaging in their mock Security Council debates at the Cranbrook hosted round on Tuesday this week. Many more will have their preliminary rounds at various weekends at UTS over the month of May.
This Wednesday evening, Kernel He in Year 9 will compete in the Regional Final of the Rostrum Voice of Youth and we wish him well in this next stage of competition. Next week, Year 12 students Alex Hong and Owen Woolford will journey to Sydney Girls High School for the heats of the annual Plain English Speaking Competition – an event that draws on public and independent school students, and is one of the major state speaking competitions of the calendar year. A little further ahead, our Mooters are about to commence their Bond University competition, and our Mock Trial students have their second round coming up against Moriah College on Thursday 23rd May.
Competition opportunities are published to students involved in oratory programmes through TEAMS groups. For those who have yet to try their hand at an external event, it’s a great opportunity to learn from other speakers and to meet socially with other passionate peers from a wide range of schools. Over the course of the year, Cranbrook will also host some internal events for non-programme students, including our annual House Debating Competition (starts Week 4 of this term) and some soon to be announced public speaking house and evening occasions. Stay tuned!
Upcoming oratory events
Rostrum Voice of Youth Regional Final (Easts Leagues Club) on 4.15-6.15pm Wednesday 8th May
Model UN on lunchtimes Wednesday 8th, Thursday 9th, and Friday 10th May
Mock Trial and Social Debating 3.30-5.30pm Thursday 9th May
AMEB Voice and Communication 3.30-5.00pm on Friday 10th May
ISDA Octos 1 debates (Years 9, 10, Senior As – all vs MLC at Kings) and Octos 2 preparations (Years 7, 8 and Senior Bs – all at Cranbrook), and Eastside R7 vs Rose Bay Secondary (away at Rose Bay) on Friday 10th May
Public Speaking Club on Monday 13th May
Plain English-Speaking Competition (Sydney Girls High School) on 9.30am-12.30pm Thursday 16th May
Oratory programmes above are fully subscribed for Semester 1
There has been a lot of recent interest in participating in one or more of our oratory programmes listed above. However, close date for sign-ups have long passed and we are presently fully subscribed across all debating, public speaking, and Model UN. We are therefore unable to accept new enrolments. However, students keen to gain access to our resources and prepare themselves for Semester 2 sign-up are welcome to reach out to me (note, we only accept expressions of interest from students directly). Sign-up for Semester 2 offerings will circulate via student email in mid-June.
Contact
Should you or your son have any further questions about any of Cranbrook’s oratory programmes, you are welcome to reach out to the Head of Oratory and Student Journalism, 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 Head of Oratory & Student Journalism
Resonate
In the next in our Resonate series, Assistant Head of English Kate Kovalik rethinks teaching poetry. Kate was recently faced with the classroom conundrum of making poetry interesting and engaging for a class of high potential Year 7 English students. To connect students with poetry, she explored what happened when she united curriculum with social media, with surprising results.
Read more below.
Articles of Interest
Please find articles of interest below compiled each week by members of the boarding staff team.
Cranbrook School is a public company limited by guarantee which was established to provide students with a well-rounded, liberal education based on Christian beliefs.
It is governed by the School Council in accordance with its Constitution and has a membership comprised of eligible persons who have made significant contributions to Cranbrook or who are key stakeholders in its mission.
Parent of students in Kindergarten to Year 12 attending Cranbrook are eligible to become a Member of Cranbrook School for so long as they have a child attending the School.
The Members of Cranbrook School play an important role in the governance of Cranbrook. Being a Member entitles you to attend and vote at general meetings of Cranbrook School. This includes attending and voting at the Annual General Meeting, where the matters considered include receiving the statutory financial reports and electing members of the School Council.
If you are not already a Member of Cranbrook School, and wish to become one, please indicate your willingness to do so by completing and returning the application form which can be found on Cranbrook Connect here.
Applications are subject to approval by the School Council, and will be considered at the next possible School Council meeting after receipt of your completed application.
If you have any questions regarding membership of Cranbrook School, please contact Sarah Deveson, Company Secretary, by email on councilsecretary@cranbrook.nsw.edu.au.
