Please find articles of interest below;
Talking to your teen about alcohol
How to deal with teen drinking
How To Fix Your Focus & Stop Procrastinating
Helping Kids Cope with Frightening News
30 Ways to Deal with an Entitled Teenager
All best,
Matt Banes
Dear Parents and Carers
Over the next few weeks, I will be visiting the Houses to hear about how they identify and live by their House values. This project has enabled each House to distinguish itself, sharing their mottos and showcasing what makes them an inclusive and welcoming environment for all. Listening to our students articulate the significance of community, respect, a sense of belonging, and the value of service underscores the strength of our House system. Our students are truly fortunate to have a place where they feel secure, embraced, and celebrated within the broader school community. This is fostered by the hard work and care provided by their Housemasters and Mentors as well as the student leaders who set the tone and culture within that House. Our Year 7s and 10s will have the opportunity to experience firsthand how drawing on individual strengths and differences can lead to a cohesive team as they head out on CITF later this term. Our Year 7s had a CITF meeting in SWP where they heard from Mr Harding (our CITF Coordinator), as well as our Year 10 CITF Mentors and had the chance to ask questions.
Year 12 were fortunate to hear from Michelle Lee, the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean nonstop and unassisted. Her message to the students was about how important it is to act more intentionally, and to know the “Why” behind your actions. She also reinforced the need to be prepared when setting goals and that you need to welcome failures, celebrate wins and to embrace change.
Finally, as we near the end of the school term, some students may feel it is time to relax their standards. However, it’s important to emphasise to them that this is precisely the moment when they should remain focused on their assessments and finish the term on a high note. We do have ongoing conversations with our students about their behaviour and if we need to issue sanctions or consequences for poor decisions or actions we ask for your support and to trust in what we do best, that is, educate young people to be the best version of themselves.
Angelique Sanders
Director of Student Wellbeing
Our new Resonate series, written by our teachers, looks at classroom insights, research, leadership, and the future of education. The first article is written by our Director of Professional Learning, Cathleen Jin. Her article looks at how to create a holistic student experience by supporting our teaching staff and creating a culture of excellence.
Read more here.
Congratulations to the 363 students who were placed on the Headmaster’s List for Outstanding Academic Attitude and Effort from Term 3. This represents close to 40% of all students in Years 7-11 being placed on the list – a brilliant effort and one of our highest ever percentages! As always, the Headmaster’s List is drawn from attitude and effort ticks on school reports. It is not based on academic achievement, and therefore should be a realistic target for all. Students were recognised with certificates presented recently in House Assemblies.
With HSC examinations concluding this week, our congratulations are also extended to the Class of 2023 HSC candidates. Our IB Diploma candidates have another week of exams to go, and we wish them well. I look forward to sharing news our of HSC and IB Diploma Programme results with the community later this year and early next.
Have a great week,
Nicholas Jolly
On 23 and 24 October, 196 of our budding engineers and aviators took to the skies (well, indoors!) at the iFly Indoor Skydiving Center in Penrith.
This excursion was perfectly aligned with our current topic, “Come Fly with Me,” which focuses on the exploration of fundamental aerodynamic concepts: lift, drag, and thrust. The iFly experience provided Cranbrook students with a remarkable opportunity to not only learn about these principles in theory but to feel them in action.
As our young aviators suited up and prepared for their flights, there was a palpable sense of anticipation and wonder in the air. For many, this was their inaugural experience with indoor skydiving, and it certainly proved to be a real “leap of faith.” The rush of wind, the weightlessness, and the sheer thrill of being suspended mid-air left an indelible mark on each student.
One of the most exciting aspects of the excursion was the hands-on experimentation with different hand and arm positions to manipulate drag characteristics. It was awe-inspiring to witness our Year 7s actively applying their knowledge of aerodynamics in real-time. They quickly grasped how slight adjustments could lead to significant changes in their flight dynamics.
Through this unique experience, Year 7 students gained a profound appreciation for the complexities of flight. They witnessed firsthand how the interplay of forces governs the art of soaring through the air. This tangible encounter with aerodynamics will undoubtedly serve as a solid foundation for their future endeavors in Design and Technology and their current Glider Project.
We extend our thanks to the iFly Indoor Skydiving Center for their expertise and organisation throughout the day. Their guidance ensured that our students had a safe and memorable experience.
The Cranbrook TAS staff express our gratitude to parents for your ongoing support of these enriching learning experiences. Together, we are helping your son spread their wings and reach for the skies!
James King
Excursion Coordinator / TAS Teacher
On October 31 students entered the library at their own risk to participate in sharing ghost tales and spooky stories in the library to celebrate Halloween!
As a school, we are ever conscious of our environmental footprint, and the increasing need for sustainable practices across each of our campuses. With this in mind, we are considering transitioning our school publications to a digital format, specifically our school magazine, EQV, produced twice-yearly and our yearbook, The Cranbrookian, produced once a year.
Whilst the benefits of a move to a digital format are clear; from a reduction in paper consumption, minimising energy usage and decreasing waste production, we understand that this transition might not suit everyone’s preference. As such, we invite you to complete a quick survey to indicate whether you would prefer to keep receiving EQV and The Cranbrookian as printed publications, or you would be happy to move to a digital version.
Click here to participate in our survey.
Thank you for your continued support in our efforts to create a more sustainable future.
In Week 4, Year 10 students conducted fieldwork on the human impacts on the Sydney Harbour and Rose Bay coastal ecosystem. Students explored the balance between human activity and natural functioning of the Rose Bay foreshore, investigating the effects of urban development, pollution, and climate change. Through hands-on experiences and presentations from experts in the field, the students gained a deeper understanding of the local environment’s vulnerability and the innovative strategies employed in its preservation. The fieldwork data collected will be utilised in an upcoming assessment which aims to evaluate the effectiveness of management strategies in addressing the issues explored.
James Harte
Assistant Head of Social Science
Dear Parents and Carers
This week sees our final exams for the 2023 HSC. There are many Year 12 students with the widest smiles I have ever seen on campus as they complete their final papers. The IBDP students will finish at the end of next week; we wish them well.
Last night saw the opening of the Junior Production, Great Expectations. This runs through to Saturday, and I am looking forward to seeing the performance this evening. For young Senior School students to put on a play such as Great Expectations is extraordinary as the demands of these parts are immense. I commend all students involved and thank them for their tireless efforts to showcase this play.
Next Tuesday, we see our Contemporary Rock Bands perform for us in the Packer Theatre with this year’s NEU! I wish all students the very best with their final preparations for this extremely entertaining evening.
As we look forward to 2024, we welcome our new Year 7 students next Thursday 9 November where they will visit the Senior School for Immersion Day. This will involve meeting Mentors, Housemasters, Senior Staff and most importantly, senior students of their House for an orientation around the School and some of its procedures in preparation for the start of next term.
Yesterday, I emailed all students the new Clipboard arrangements which allows students to see their co-curricular and sports programmes rather than needing to gain information from you as parents. This is in addition to what we currently offer and hopefully it streamlines sporting and other co-curricular arrangements for the week ahead.
Finally, I would like to congratulate Georgia Neeson for her appointment of Head of Visual Arts from 2024. Ms Neeson is currently on maternity leave but returns next year to replace Ms Fiona Crawford who will be retiring after 24 years of service at Cranbrook.
Have a great week.
Best wishes
Bob Meakin
Deputy Headmaster & Head of Senior School
Dear Parents and Guardians
I’d like to congratulate the 150 students that turned up in the rain to Speed & Agility last Friday. Once again, it showed that Cranbrook doesn’t mind a little adversity as Mr Hallam and his team put the students to work through a range of fun rotations. Weather looks to be far better this Friday and I know we will be pushing the 200 mark. Thanks to the staff that helped in the trying conditions, it’s always appreciated more than words can say.
Speed and Agility continues every Friday Morning 6.30am on Hordern. We would love to see as many students as possible at Mr Hallam’s amazing free sessions. The program is designed for all skill sets and athletic abilities. We encourage everyone come down to get a little better each week for their chosen sport.
We had a tough round of fixtures over the weekend. Trinity got the better of us in most of our 1sts fixtures, but it was great to see a marked improvement in performance for these teams, compared to the previous week. We are moving in the right direction and look forward to some strong results over the remainder of this term. Well done to our 2nds Tennis and Basketball teams who had strong wins and remain undefeated. 1sts Cricket came agonisingly close to a win but had to settle for a draw after bowling 120 overs on the flattest piece of earth known to existence.
Congratulations to the Sailors who took part in the ACT Optimist Class Championships last weekend. This was the first step on the road to the National Championships in January 2024. All students sailed well in difficult, variable winds. Special congratulations to Walter Heeley (YR07) who finished second overall, and to Angus Baker Wood (YR08) who finished tenth in a field of 63. Juliun Doumit (YR07), and Harrison Rudham (YR07) completed their first regatta and will be looking forward to the Sail Sydney event on home waters in December.
We look forward to hosting Knox this weekend in another difficult summer round. Basketball, Cricket, Tennis and Water Polo will all be home on Saturday.
Please view the full round of this week’s fixtures here.
Please find the Term 4 Schedule of Co-Curricular, Sport and Academy here.
Looking forward to seeing everyone around the grounds this weekend.
Kind regards,
Matt Grice
Director of Sport