Bob Meakin, Head of Senior School / Deputy Headmaster

Dear Parents and Carers,

Congratulations to our Firsts Debating team who secured a shared CAS Premiership. This was an incredibly tight season where Cranbrook, St Aloysius, Knox and Waverley all tied for the premiership. Special thanks to D’Arcy Richardson, Marley Farrar, Tom Harnett, Jax Taylor and David Tabachnik for a very successful season.

On Monday afternoon and evening, we had our Junior School Year 6 first induction into the Senior School. The students were briefed in the afternoon and the parents in the evening. Our students from Year 7 gave speeches at both events and were simply outstanding. A very special thank you to Leonardo Buchanan, Ryan Hammad, Alex Pontifix, Sam Spry and Oscar Rouse. They spoke beautifully about different sections of the Senior School and gave very sage advice to our Year 6 students.

Well done to our Year 12 Drama students on their HSC performances on Monday and Tuesday.

It has been a busy week with Honefest, Northcott House Chapel and our CSPA Year 11 and 12 Networking event. We seem to be accelerating towards the end of term with much to do. We are also preparing an enjoyable final week for Year 12, culminating in their Valedictory Assembly and Dinner on Friday 19 September.

We are in the midst of our Cranbrook Spring Festival, with the Year 12 Visual Arts Showcase now open through to 1 September and the much-anticipated Solo Music Competition taking place tomorrow. With more than 240 students performing across multiple venues, this promises to be a wonderful celebration of the talent and creativity of our boys. I encourage you to come along, enjoy the music and art on display, and support our students in their artistic endeavours.

Our Year 11 students commence their Preliminary HSC examinations next Monday. We wish them every success as they approach this important milestone with focus and confidence.

On Monday 1 September is our Debating End of Season event, and on Wednesday 3 September we will host the Induction Ceremony for Dr Anne Johnstone, with many other distinguished guests joining us.

The CAS Athletics Championships will be held on Thursday 18 September. All students from Years 7, 9, 11 and our Prefects will be supporting our athletes at SOPAC. Transport will be provided to and from the venue, with students expected back at Cranbrook by around 9:30pm.

Have a great week.

Best wishes,

Bob Meakin
Head of Senior School / Deputy Headmaster

Adrian Harrison, Director of Academics – Senior School – Acting

Year 12s share the joy of reading with Pre-school.

As part of Book Week celebrations, three of our Year 12 students, Baxter Torrance, Jack Tremain, and Felix Anderson visited our St Michael’s Pre-school, bringing stories to life for our youngest learners. With picture books in hand and creativity at the forefront, they read aloud, acted out characters, and encouraged the children to join in.

The visit embodied the IB values of service, international-mindedness, and lifelong learning. Our seniors modelled caring and principled action, while the preschoolers experienced the wonder of imagination and inquiry through stories. Both groups were reminded that reading is not just a skill, but a way of connecting with others and expanding our perspectives.

It was a joyful day that highlighted how the IB mission—to create a better and more peaceful world through education—begins with something as simple, and as powerful, as sharing a book.

Year 12 Drama

Congratulations to our drama students who completed their HSC performances in both the individual and group categories earlier this week. This was the culmination of six years of dedication, practice and refinement of their craft. Well done to them all and a special thank you to our phenomenal Drama department, particularly to Ms Van Aalen and Ms Redwin our Year 12 teachers and Mr Benson, Ms Bamford, Mr Riorden and Ms Fisher. It takes a village.

Year 11 Preliminary HSC examination block

Monday will see the start of the examination block for Year 11 preliminary HSC students. They will run from Monday 1 September until Wednesday 10 September. There are no formal classes for these students and they need only attend when they have an examination.

PLEASE NOTE: all students MUST attend school on Wednesday 3 September for Dr Johnstone’s induction ceremony.

Year 10 MYP exhibition

A huge vote of thanks to all for their involvement in supporting our Year 10 students with their Personal Projects. The exhibition was held on Tuesday evening and was enjoyed by students, staff, parents, and even some of our new students for 2026. On Wednesday we welcomed our Year 6 students from the Junior School along with our current Year 9s who will undertake the project next year.

The Personal Project empowers students to pursue a self-directed area of interest, fostering independence, creativity, and critical thinking. It also develops essential skills in research, organisation, and reflection, preparing learners for future academic and personal challenges. This will stand them all in good stead, regardless of the qualification they pursue in Year 11.

Our sincere thanks to Erin Munn for her expert stewardship of this project and pulling this exhibition together.

Best regards,
Adrian Harrison
Director of Academics – Senior School – Acting

Angelique Sanders, Director of Student Wellbeing/Acting Deputy Head of Senior School

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Our Student Wellbeing Programme has continued to foster growth, connection, and curiosity across the Senior School this week. Year 7 students continued to explore the theme of Identity through their “Virtual School Bag” activity, reflecting on what makes them unique while recognising the shared values that connect them as a mentor group. This terms focus has created a meaningful way to build connection early in their Cranbrook journey.

Year 8 engaged in an important session on Risk Taking, featuring guest presenter Tom Reynolds, who delivered an informative talk on the dangers associated with vaping, drugs, and alcohol. While our students are still young, equipping them with factual knowledge now ensures they are better prepared to make informed decisions when faced with peer pressure or risky situations. Tom also offered practical advice on how students can support one another if they find themselves or their friends in dangerous situations.  We strongly encourage all students to download the Emergency Plus App as a valuable safety resource.

In an inspiring showcase of student-led inquiry, Year 10 exhibited their Personal Projects this week, while Year 9 students had the opportunity to explore the breadth and depth of these projects to spark ideas for their own upcoming journey. Tuesday evening’s exhibition was a highlight, with students articulating their motivations, challenges, and key learnings. It was a pleasure to engage with them and witness the IB Learner Profile attributes in action—students demonstrated curiosity as inquirers, critical thinking as thinkers, respectful dialogue as communicators, open-mindedness, principled behaviour, and deep reflection on their learning journeys.

Year 11 students were divided into their respective academic pathways, with IBDP students attending a session with Mr Hanrahan and HSC students receiving a briefing on examination procedures in preparation for their Preliminary exams beginning Monday. This targeted support ensures each cohort is well-prepared and confident heading into this important phase. In addition, both groups heard from our school counsellors, who spoke about stress management. They reassured students that experiencing stress is a natural part of the learning journey and, when understood and channelled effectively, can serve as a powerful motivator. Students were encouraged to view stress not as something negative, but as a signal to pause, reflect, and apply strategies that support their wellbeing and performance.

Finally, Year 12 students are entering the “Last of Everything” stage of their Cranbrook journey—a time filled with reflection, celebration, and anticipation. This week, they had the opportunity to share honest and thoughtful insights about their experiences by completing the Leavers Survey. Their reflections are incredibly valuable and offer us a deeper understanding of their journey, helping us to continually improve and evolve our programmes to better support future cohorts.

Angelique Sanders
Director of Student Wellbeing/Acting Deputy Head of Senior School

Matt Grice, Director of Sport

Dear Parents and Guardians,

A huge congratulations to all our Year 7–10 students for their tremendous effort this week in the make-up House Athletics Carnival. After the disappointment of last week’s cancellation due to rain, it was fantastic to see everyone out there competing with such energy and enthusiasm. From the 100m and 300m races, to the shot put, high jump, and the intense tug of war battles to prove which House really is the strongest, the House spirit on display was outstanding. Well done to everyone involved!

Next Thursday we will run a 100m race to see who the quickest student in the School is.

Below you will find the eight fastest 100m runners of Year 7-10 so far. Once we finish the Year 11 & 12 races tomorrow, we will announce the finalists for the race.

Preliminary Runners (Pending Year 11 & 12)

Year	Name	House	Time
Year 9	Harry Keats	Rawson/Street	11.72
Year 10	Harry Middleton	Thomas	11.78
Year 10	Will Goodall	Wakehurst	12.10
Year 10	Luke Cassidy	Davidson	12.12
Year 9	Luca D’Alisa	Harvey	12.20
Year 10	Malvin Lu	Hewan	12.25
Year 9	Jaysal Kooner	Cutler	12.27
Year 10	Sun Yuan-Hare	Woodward	12.30

A huge congratulations to our State Cranbrook Snow sports team who competed in Perisher last week, achieving fantastic results across the board. It was a brilliant effort from all involved, with strong performances across multiple disciplines and plenty of personal bests recorded. We are proud to announce that 28 Cranbrook students have now qualified for the National Championships in Mt Buller next week, a tremendous achievement that highlights both their talent and determination. Our students have been training extremely hard in the lead up to this prestigious event, and we wish them every success as they take on the best competitors from around the country.

This Saturday, sees the second of the CAS Athletics Invitationals held at ES Marks, please see approximate timing for events below – we recommend you arrive one hour prior to the start of your event.  We wish all our competitors the best of luck!

If students have any questions regarding athletics, please email Miss Williams AWilliams@cranbrook.nsw.edu.au

To Note:

• The T3 2025 Co-Curricular and Sport Schedule can be found here.

Sports Resources – contain essential information regarding sports events, schedules and important updates for the year ahead

• 2025 Sports Welcome Booklet
• 2025 Sports Calendar

Matthew Grice
Director of Sport P-12

Aquatics Update

NSW Senior State Championships
At the NSW Senior State Short Course Championships, held 22–24 August at SOPAC, Cranbrook Aquatic Swim Club (CASC) delivered outstanding performances. A total of 41 CASC swimmers, including 12 Cranbrook students, competed across 62 events, showcasing both depth and excellence.

The club achieved:

• 11 Gold, 6 Silver, and 6 Bronze medals
• 32 top 10 finishes

These results placed CASC to 6th place overall on the point score, a rise of four places from last year and, notably, ahead of CAS rivals Trinity for the first time at a State Championship.

Cranbrook Student Highlights

• Noah Kemp (Year 9)
  • Won 5 individual medals: 4 Gold (50m & 100m Backstroke, 50m & 100m Butterfly) and 1 Bronze (100m Individual Medley).
  • Highest male point scorer of the meet for CASC
  • Two Bronze medals as part of CASC Medley and Freestyle relay teams
  • Recorded huge PBs to place 4th in the 200m Freestyle and 50m/100m Freestyle.
• Aidan Park (Year 9)
  • Achieved a 100% PB record.
  • 2 Gold medals in the 50m (29.12) and 100m (1:04.02) Breaststroke.
  • Also placed 10th in the 50m Freestyle, scoring valuable points outside his specialty events.
• Tate Sirianni (Year 12)
  • Competed in the Open age category for the first time, with PBs in 4 of 5 races.
  • Won Bronze in the 100m Backstroke.
  • Finished 4th in the 200m Backstroke and 5th in the 50m Backstroke.

Other notable top 10 results from Cranbrook students:

• Carter McGee (Year 8) – 6th in 200m IM
• Preston Irawan (Year 9) – 4th in 50m & 100m Breaststroke, 6th in 200m Breaststroke
• Jack Wilkinson (Year 10) – 5th in 800m Freestyle, 8th in 400m Freestyle, 9th in 200m Freestyle
• Jack Charles (Year 10) – 5th in 200m Breaststroke, 9th in 100m Breaststroke

Other Cranbrook student representatives included Matthew Alexiou (Year 12), James Lee (Year 11), Max Mason (Year 11), Hugo Mertens (Year 9), and Lawson Worrall (Year 9).

Cranbrook Alumni student Marcus Da Silva (2024) won 3 Gold medals in the Open 50m, 100m and 400m Freestyle.  Highlights from our club swimmers include Mila Hall, who achieved 100% PB rate and won her first individual State Medal in the girls 16 years 50m Freestyle. Frankie Somervile was the highest Female points scorer for CASC, claimed two Silver Medals in the 17 years 50m & 100m Freestyle.

Our Relays impressed taking home five medals and six top 10 finishes. But it was our girls 16-17 years teams that shone, winning two Gold Medals in the 4x25m and the 4x50m freestyle.

Special mentions go to another four swimmers who achieved 100% personal bests – Xavier Jacks, Ryder Cowling, Matthew Lee, Yuna Nagai.

Overall Club Progress (compared to 2024 Winter SC State Championships)

• Swimmers: 41 (+8)
• Medals: 25 (+1)
• Points: 1544 (+181)
• Placing: 6th (up 4 places)

Daniel Arnamnart

Head of Aquatics

Cranbrook Gala – Save The Date

Dear Parents,

As we embark on our exciting new chapter in Cranbrook’s history, we are delighted to bring together the Cranbrook Community to mark the beginning of co-education and to warmly welcome Dr Anne Johnstone, our new Head of School.

We will be hosting a Gala Evening on Saturday 6 December 2025 6pm at Cranbrook School. Please mark the date in your calendar. Further details will be announced over the next few weeks. The event is open to all parents from Preschool to Year 12. Tickets will go on sale in September.

We look forward to celebrating this exciting new era together!

Kind regards,

Angelique Haritos
CSPA President