Senior School Link – Week 3, Term 1 2024 - 15 February 2024
Bob Meakin, Deputy Headmaster & Head of Senior School
Dear Parents and Carers
It was wonderful to welcome back our high achieving 2023 scholars for our annual Scholars’ Assembly. I know that Mr Jolly will cover this in more detail, but these recent graduates were a tremendous group of students who continue to be a fine example to our current students at this school. Emmanual Travassaros and Edward Zahra gave a short address of gratitude and we celebrated with their parents as special guests over a morning tea afterwards.
The term is now in full swing, and it is sometimes observed that after the start of term enthusiasm can wane slightly. May I ask that if any parent notices any concerning disengagement with academic work or any co-curricular activities, that they contact their Housemaster without delay. For the record, Year 7 continue to burst with enthusiasm!
There are three full rounds of summer sport remaining; I encourage all students to finish this season well, whatever their sport. This weekend most teams will be playing against Trinity Grammar School. This is a school we have a tremendous relationship with, and I encourage all students to be excellent guests and hosts on Saturday.
On Monday 19 February, we will enjoy our House Swimming | Multi-Sport | Binball Day. May I ask students to familiarise themselves with the swimming and sport offerings and ensure they are punctual and in their House sports uniform for the entire day.
Time
Activity
8:20am – 8:45am
House mark roll on oval & move to pool.
8:45am – 12:00pm
Swimming Carnival
12:00pm – 12:40pm
Lunch
12:40pm – 1:50pm
House Binball Comp. (Until defeated)
1:00pm – 3:20pm
Multi-Sports
A reminder to our Year 12 parents that there is a social catch up on Thursday 22 February commencing at 6pm. Click here to view the details. We look forward to seeing as many Year 12 parents there as possible.
Have a great week.
Bob Meakin Deputy Headmaster & Head of Senior School
Nicholas Jolly, Director of Academics / Deputy Head of Senior School
Dear Parents and Carers,
On Wednesday this week we had the great pleasure of hosting our Scholars’ Assembly for the graduating Class of 2023. Every year we invite the scholars back to school and celebrate their exceptional IB Diploma Programme and HSC achievements. This year we had students who achieved an ATAR of 95 or better, students who received a State rank in an individual course, and students who had a major work or performance in the Creative Arts nominated for inclusion in showcases of exemplary work from students across the State. In all, we had a very impressive 64 students on this list, 40 of whom received an ATAR in excess of 95. A sincere thanks to Edward Zahra, Dux of the HSC, and Emmanuel Travassaros, Dux of the IB Diploma Programme, for their humble and heartfelt speeches. At the assembly, we also acknowledged the entire performance of the Class of 2023, so many of whom achieved personal bests and excellent individual results. The Class of 2023 had the School’s highest ever percentage of students with an ATAR above 80, and the highest ever percentage of students with an ATAR above 90. We offer our congratulations to them all once again and wish them well for their future endeavours.
Please see the full list of 2023 Academic Scholars in the assembly programme found here.
Please find the full results brochure for the Class of 2023here.
Have a great week.
Nick Jolly Director of Academics/Deputy Head of Senior School
Angelique Sanders, Director of Student Wellbeing
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Last Wednesday students across all year groups had the opportunity during SWP to set their goals for Semester 1. They were asked to set an academic and a co-curricular goal as well as how they will contribute to their House. They were also asked to set a Service goal. Students were encouraged to be specific and realistic in their goal setting and their Mentors will monitor their progress. 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 a very important learning experience and the students are supported here to understand why they did not achieve the goal and what they can do differently next time.
We encourage you to engage in regular conversations with your sons about their goals and progress. These discussions can be very motivating for them, offering them the support and accountability they need to persevere over the Semester.
Angelique Sanders Director of StudentWellbeing
Matt Grice, Director of Sport K – 12
Dear Parents and Guardians
I’d like to congratulate the 130 students that turned up to Speed & Agility last Friday, as Mr Hallam and his team put the students to work through a range of fun rotations. I know we will be pushing the 200 mark this Friday and encourage all to get along. Thanks to the staff that help to facilitate this fantastic program.
This term we will be talking to our students about our weights room and its benefits. The Cranbrook weights room is an incredible resource that all students should enjoy, extending beyond just rugby players.
Engaging in weightlifting exercises offers numerous advantages. Firstly, it helps individuals build overall strength and endurance, leading to improved performance in various sports and enhancing physical fitness.
Additionally, weight training promotes proper posture and body mechanics, by strengthening core muscles and supporting proper alignment. This is particularly valuable for students who spend long hours sitting or studying. Moreover, strengthening muscles through weightlifting aids in injury prevention both during physical activities and in everyday life, providing better joint support, balance, and stability.
The focus and concentration gained from weightlifting can also translate into better academic performance.
Lastly, engaging in weight training at a young age can foster a lifelong habit of physical activity, promoting a healthy lifestyle whilst at school and long after it.
We encourage all Cranbrook students to please use this amazing space.
If you have any questions about the weights room, please reach out to Mr Hallam at phallam@cranbrook.nsw.edu.au who is more than happy to answer any queries.
We had a mixed round against St Aloysius in the 1st’s competitions over the weekend. Aloys got the better of us in the Basketball and Tennis while Cranbrook took the honours in the Cricket and Volleyball.
Our 1sts Water Polo team secured a win for the ages, with Ethan Negrin scoring with 30 seconds on the clock to take the lead. Our Goalkeeper, Hugo Miocevic making his 1sts debut, executed a brilliant save in the final play of the game to secure our first ever victory against St Augustine’s in the 1st’s competition. Well done to entire team and coaches.
Well done to the Swim team who competed in the CAS swimming invitational on Friday. The team lead by Co- Captains Axel Robinson and Max Moylan had some fantastic results on the night. The team is building nicely as we head to the CAS Championships on Thursday the 14th of March. Students in Year 8, 10 and 11 will travel to Sydney Olympic Park to support our CAS Swim team – all families in these age groups will receive an Operoo Permission Form shortly.
Mr Meakin’s good sports award of the week goes to the 7H Basketball team. After Cranbrook took a commanding 20-point lead early in the game against Shore, our students and coaches responded with great sportspersonship, taking a player off the court, and not contesting offensive rebounds. Well done to all for playing in the true spirit of the game.
We look forward to hosting Trinity next weekend in another tough summer round – full fixture list can be found here. Cricket, Tennis and Water Polo will all be home on Saturday, while our Basketballers return for Friday night lights. As always, we would love to see as many supporters as possible at the games to cheer on the Cranbrook Students.
The co-curricular and Academy timetable can be found here.
Monday 19 February sees the return of our House Swimming Carnival & Multi-Sport Day, which will be held in Cranbrook’s state-of-the-art Aquatic & Fitness Centre. Attendance is compulsory for all students and exemptions will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.
If your son is absent from School on this day, he will require a medical certificate upon his return to School. All students will be expected to arrive at School for an 8.20am start.
The morning will see the boys in Years 7-9 battle it out in the pool for House points, while Year 10-12 students will engage in a range of sporting activities around the School, including Golf, Baseball, Lacrosse, Pickleball, Bubble Soccer to name a few.
After lunch, the seniors will head to the pool, and we all look forward to the much-anticipated Year 12 inflatable race. The juniors make their way onto the oval for more fun with Volleyball, Lawn Bowls, Hockey, and Table Tennis.
Clothing: PE uniform – including swimming kit, as well their House Sports uniform or PE Uniform and runners. Special Requirements: It is recommended that students bring drink and food to the venues. Epi Pen: It is a requirement for students to bring their own Epi Pen. Lunch: For Years 10-12 lunch will be between 11.15am and 12.15pm whilst lunch for Years 7-9 will be between 12pm and 1pm. The canteen will be open during these times.
We look forward to a great day of House spirit and competition.
A heads up that the transition to Winter Sport will take place in Week 7 of this term. All students will receive an email tomorrow (Friday 16th February) to confirm, amend or update their Winter Sport Choice – the deadline to complete any changes will be Thursday 2nd February.
Looking forward to seeing everyone around the grounds this weekend
Kind regards
Matt Grice Director of Sport
Basketball Report – Round 6
The Cranbrook 1sts & 2nds played against St Aloysius on Friday in the VCH, see report below. It was the Sixth round of the CAS competition for the Brookie Ballers against St Aloysius and the Brookie Ballers won 29 games and lost 17 games. Next challenge is Trinity in Round 7.
1sts
The Cranbrook 1sts started slowly, and they stayed at a slow pace for the first three quarters, down too many at three quarter time, 37-76. It wasn’t pretty, Cranbrook could not get their offence to click into gear and defensive rebounding as an issue. In the fourth quarter, the Cranbrook 1sts did what they have done all season, they kept playing hard. Out scoring Aloys 43-11 in the fourth quarter, they cut the lead back to 5 points with just over one minute left. It looked like an impossible win just might happen, but Aloys made a couple of plays at both ends and the Cranbrook 1sts lost 80-87. Captain of Basketball, Jesse Sher, took the heavy load offensively and finished with 31 point. Tex Christenen had his best for Cranbrook with 16 points including four 3-point baskets. Finn Haysom and Justice Single both chipped in with 11 points and 10 points respectively.
2nds
The Cranbrook 2nds started well against Aloys leading 17-13 at quarter time. Aloys came back and Cranbrook out score the 2nds in the next three quarters, Cranbrook lost 46-65. ‘Lightning’ Hayden Rosen played great basketball through the game finishing with 20 points including some incredible circus shots.
This Friday 16th February marks the commencement of the 2024 competition for the Independent Schools Debating Association (ISDA). Those students involved will be training and then debating St Andrew’s Cathedral School here at Cranbrook:
Years 7-9 ISDA debate 6.30pm, finishing by 7.30pm
Years 10-12 ISDA debate 7.30pm, finishing by 9.00pm
Spectators are most welcome for this week’s ISDA debates. All ISDA debates will be held out of Level 4 of the Vicars Centenary Building, with best access via the Rose Bay Avenue pedestrian gate. Our Eastside Years 11 and 12 teams will be training and watching the ISDA debates, also finishing by 9.00pm.
Pre-season debates online against James Ruse are scheduled for Years 7-10 Eastside teams, with those groups finishing by 7.30pm. There will be no spectators for these debates.
A reminder that all Years 7-9 debaters must be collected by a parent or guardian at the end of the night from the Rose Bay Avenue pedestrian gate.
Social and Legal Debating
Social Debating begins 3.30pm this Thursday 15th February for students who signed up and completed the student agreement form. Students involved with train with their coach, prep and then debate, finishing at 5.30pm. Social Debating is closed to spectators, and parents collecting their son at the end can do so from the Rose Bay Avenue pedestrian gate.
Also starting this Thursday 15th February is our Mock Trial group. Students who previously signed up will meet from 3.30-5.30pm to learn more about the process of Mock Trial and receive introductory guidance on the competition, which commences soon. Mock Trial will run every Thursday Week A, alternating with Mooting every Thursday Week B.
Public Speaking
The 2024 Public Speaking group met for the first time this Monday afternoon. There was a palpable energy in the room, encouraged by the magnificent introduction work by our student Head of Public Speaking, Piers Alcott.
Students received insight into the direction of the programme, which will engage them in a wide range of speaking contexts that includes: traditional speeches, panels, podcasting, television-style hosting, and more. The interactive focus of this opening session got off to an excellent start, with students working in groups to identify the qualities of great presenting and conducting minute-wonder impromptus on personal interests.
Supporting the students this semester will be coach Luisa, who has an esteemed background in public speaking. She will join us in the coming fortnight, and I look forward to bringing you updates on her Monday afternoon sessions.
Model United Nations
This week, students involved with our Model UN lunchtime sessions launched into the first of two weeks of debate over the question of violent civil war in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and a number of other actors. A most current issue impacting the African continent, students received video tuition and a fact sheet provided by our Model UN coach, Jack, and then selected a country to represent on the mock Security Council.
Debates have been held in the appropriately round-tabled Nugent Boardroom, where junior and senior students have cooperated and respectfully disagreed on how to best deal with the crisis. It has been especially pleasing to witness some of our new members dive into the deep end of debates and spar with some of the more experienced MUN students!
Upcoming oratory events
ISDA Competition Debating R2 vs St Catherine’s (away) next Friday 23rd February
Eastside Competition Debating pre-season vs Reddam (away) also next Friday 23rd February
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 and Student Journalism
Articles of Interest
Please find articles of interest below compiled each week by members of the boarding staff team.
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.
Don’t miss out on a CRU Camps for K-Y12! Choose from residential activity camps, HSC & IB study camps or daytime-only camps, all with fantastic activities like sailing, horse riding, rock climbing, archery, canoeing, abseiling, cooking, Year 12 study, plus new friends, engaging Bible talks & more! For more info or to register, visit crucamps.com.au ‘CRU Camps’ is a division of the Crusader Union of Australia which has 90 years’ experience running safe, Christian camps for kids.
The booking links for the 2024 subsidised Cranbrook private bus services are now available. Please use the link below if you wish to purchase a bus pass for your child.
Please note that our pricing structure has changed and the minimum period that a bus pass can be purchased for is one semester. The price for a semester pass is $1,034, or you can purchase a discounted annual pass for $1,965.
For public transport information, including how to apply for a School Opal Card, please refer to the Transport Information website.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in contact with us.
Kind regards
Cranbrook School
CSPA Welcome Drinks
At the CSPA, we work to strengthen the Cranbrook Community, providing opportunities for parents to build friendships that endure beyond the school gate. We were delighted to bring the Cranbrook Community together last Thursday night for our CSPA welcome drinks. The energy was palpable as more than 800 parents spanning our pre-schools to Year 12 filled The Hive with laughter and positivity as they reconnected, forged new friendships and strengthened existing ones.
We would like to thank our wonderful year representatives who sacrificed the beginning of their night to make the arrival process so seamless. We also would like to extend a special thank you to Mr Beverley and the Cranbrook musicians for treating us to a background of fabulous live music.
Our thanks also goes to our forever ready to help Facilities Team and Chartwells Catering for helping to make the night such a success.
From us all at CSPA we wish parents, boys and the School a wonderful year ahead for 2024.
