Michele Marquet, Acting Head of School

Dear Senior School Parents,

It has been a real delight to meet so many of our new Senior School families and catch up with old Junior School families at recent events held on the Senior School campus. Our community loves to come together, enjoy each other’s company and celebrate our students and their achievements. The strength of our community has been evident to me in the many heartwarming messages of support for the School, for which I’m very grateful. Thank you to those who are also sharing their concerns, we are committed to doing everything we can to understand and address these as we continue to build a safe and inclusive environment for all.

Although many of us are still processing and trying to make sense of the events of recent weeks, as a staff, we are now seeking to refocus our attention on ensuring our students are cared for, engaged and learning effectively. This will be balanced by attending to the varying needs of our students, with specific modules within the Student Wellbeing Program in development and additional counsellors available to support students as needed. Further details regarding these resources will be announced shortly. If your son has questions or concerns, we encourage him, in the first instance, to speak with his House Mentor or Housemaster.

In all our interactions as a community, and particularly with our students, we encourage the use of language and conversation that contributes to fostering a culture of kindness, respect and understanding. We have seen countless examples of students, staff and parents supporting each other, showing kindness and making a positive impact in our community. This is a testament to the values that we strive to instil in our students every day.

Should you have any concerns or questions please do not hesitate to contact my office, or your son’s Housemaster, Peter Young, Angelique Sanders or Bob Meakin. We welcome your conversations and will do all we can to support your son during this time.

Kind wishes,

Michele

Bob Meakin, Deputy Headmaster & Head of Senior School

Dear Parents and Carers

Last Thursday saw Cranbrook finish third in the CAS Swimming Championships at Homebush.  Our Swim Team performed superbly and the very best since 1985. Congratulations to all swimmers, and especially to Max Moylan and Axel Robinson, the Swimming Co-Captains. I would also like to thank the tremendous support that our boys showed in the stands with a genuine interest and support for our swimmers in the pool. 

Congratulations also goes to our sailors who competed in the State Championships last weekend taking out the title in the Firsts.  This is a tremendous achievement with the following students Spencer McKay, Henry Myers, Luca Alexander, Ethan Rushton, Harrison Lucas Martinez and Hugo Charles enjoying wonderful success.  I would like to thank all of our sailors in the Second, Third and Fourth teams who performed extremely well.  Cranbrook School also won the Sportsmanship Award during the competition.  We are very proud of you all.

On Saturday night, we enjoyed the End of Season Rowing event held in the Dining Commons hosted by Mr Sam Carroll.  We have over 100 students involved in this program and our Captains Jack Stone and Tom Gloster presented the Head of the Lake trophy to Ms Michele Marquet, our Acting Head of School.

Last night was the opening night of Cloudstreet which I hear was extremely successful and I look forward to attending tonight.  I would like to thank all of the cast and crew, including Cormac Watt, Wesley Woodhouse, Noah Teitler, Sam Collison, Lex Baldwin, Gus Heerey, Elliot Lindley, Oliver Berger, Alessandro Biles, Dash Bouvier, Alexander Greenhill, Felix Malcolm, Tobias Minnet, Edward Neal, Sebastian North, Rohan O’Donnell, Carson Proutt, Jai Rastogi, Jet Robinson, Andrew Benson, William Murray, Tomas Crennan, Adam Lindberg, Luke Falla, David Tabachnik, Sean Cahill and Anthony Swinbourne for putting on such a wonderful production for our entertainment.

Next week we look forward to the Cranbrook Easter Concert on Tuesday 26 March in the Memorial Chapel.

My final comment for the week is to reassure parents that their sons remain our top priority as the School has been through a challenging period.  May I encourage parents to please reach out to their Mentors or House Masters with any concerns.

Have a great week.

Best wishes

Bob Meakin
Deputy Headmaster & Head of Senior School

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

As we near the end of Term One, I am taking the opportunity to raise some points regarding School Reports.  There are no changes for students in Year 11 and 12.  That is, at the end of this term, parents can expect to receive the following:

Year 11 HSC : Full Report

Year 11 IB Diploma : Progress Report

Year 12 HSC: Full Report (Start Term 2)

Year 12 IB Diploma: Full Report (Start Term 2)

Parents of students in Years 7-10 will receive a Progress Report. However, please note that our Progress Report was only ever designed to offer a quick ‘snapshot’ of a student’s progress.  The most comprehensive feedback is on offer on full semester reports and on Canvas through our Continuous Report.  The Progress Report will now therefore only offer a snapshot of student attitude and effort via ticks against the best descriptors. As usual, it is from these ticks that the school determines its termly Head’s List of Outstanding Academic Attitude and Effort.  To log in to Canvas, remember to use your school registered email:  https://cranbrookau.instructure.com/login/canvas  . The first time you log in you will be required to select Forgot password. You will then be sent a link to your email to create your own password. Please note the parent ‘how to’ guides found here : https://cranbrookau.instructure.com/courses/3277 .  I will soon write separately to Year 7 families with more information regarding the Continuous Report.

For the first time this year, we will trial a Parent Teacher Interview Day for students in Years 7-11 (Year 12 students/families have two other separate opportunities for discussions). More information will follow in time, but please note for your diary that this day will occur on Friday June 7^th from approximately 8am.

In Wednesdays Student Wellbeing Session, Year 12 HSC students enjoyed the opportunity to get an insight in to how HSC exam papers are set and marked, drawing on the vast experience we have on staff in this space. My thanks to our panel of Mr Harrison, Mr Henriques, Ms Munn, Ms O’Shea and Mr Benson for your time and expert insights. I am certain the students gained a great deal from the session.

Have a great week.

Nick Jolly
Director of Academics / Deputy Head of Senior School

Adrian Harrison, Director of Curriculum and Academic Operations

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

This term students involved in our Honours Curriculum dived into a deep exploration of Psychology. Using an undergraduate Princeton University textbook, Honours Curriculum students explored the most famous psychological studies of the twentieth century. Students also explored different fields of Psychology, including Psychoanalysis, Behaviourism and Cognitive Psychology.

This Sunday our Year 7-8 da Vinci Decathlon students will be combining aspects of training and service. In a partnership initiative with the Junior School they will have the opportunity to mentor participating Year 5-6 da Vinci students in preparation for the events in May 2024.

Finally for interested participants the Oxford University Computing Challenge (OUCC)  registration link has been sent to all students in Years 7-10. This is an externally run competition that helps students develop skills to produce programmed solutions to computational problems.

For further details on any of these or other enrichment related opportunities please contact Mr Adams at jadams@cranbrook.nsw.edu.au.

Adrian Harrison
Director of Curriculum and Academic Operations

Peter Young, Director of Students

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

The Student Representative Council has now held two meetings this term. With a junior and senior student selected from each of the Houses, the committee this year will be led by Sam Collison (President) and Matthew Downes (Secretary). One of the aims of the SRC this year is to provide more opportunities to build upon school culture and to continue to build on the effectiveness of the “student voice”.

Congratulations to the large number of Year 8,10 and 11 students as well as Prefects who attended the CAS Swimming Carnival at Homebush last Thursday evening. Inspired by some outstanding performances in the pool, our supporters remained loud in voice for the majority of the night and the enthusiasm and passion they displayed for the School left a lasting impression on the staff who attended.

With Term 1 rapidly drawing to a close can I remind parents that the final day of term is Friday 12 April. We would ask parents to respect the term dates and defer any holiday plans until after this date. If that is not possible then requests for leave of three days or less should be made to your son’s Housemaster whilst leave over three days should be directed to me at pyoung@cranbrook.nsw.edu.au.

Regards,

Peter Young
Director of Students

Matt Grice, Director of Sport K – 12

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The CAS Swim Team of 33 students led by Captains Max Moylan and Axel Robinson competed at Olympic Park last night at the 93^rd CAS Swimming Championships. Cranbrook showcased a multitude of brilliant individual performances as well as fantastic teamwork in the relays. The atmosphere was electric at SOPAC thanks to years 8, 10 & 11 who cheered and supported all night long allowing our swimmers to showcase their exceptional skills in all disciplines. Each participant demonstrated remarkable talent and determination, pushing themselves to achieve their personal bests. The team’s hard work and rigorous training paid off, resulting in an outstanding CAS championship that will leave a lasting impression on both the participants and the audience. It was a true celebration of excellence in swimming and a testament to the team’s dedication and commitment to their sport.

The Cranbrook CAS swim team finished 3rd place on the night, with 411 points. 82 points better than 2023 and our best finish since 1985. The final team results were:

Knox 561
Trinity 533
Cranbrook 411
Barker 354.5
Waverley 331
St Aloysius 310.5

Well done to the students who broke school and CAS records on the night!

Marcus Da Silva
Open 50m Freestyle 23.42
Open 100m Freestyle 50.17 + CAS Record
Open 100m Butterfly 25.97
Open 100m Butterfly 57.12
Noah Kemp
14 yrs 50m Freestyle 25.92
Tate Sirianni
17 yrs 50m Backstroke 27.90
Boys Open Medley Relay
Axel Robinson, Oscar Holland, Marcus Da Silva & Max Moylan 1:53.54
Boys Open Freestyle Relay
Max Moylan, Oscar Holland, Axel Robinson & Marcus Da Silva 1:39.32
Boys 17 yrs Medley Relay
Tate Sirianni, Felix Sheldrick, Robert Ingham & Matt Alexiou 1:57.38
Boys 14 yrs Medley Relay
Noah Kemp, Aidan Park, Hugo Mertens & Felix Preston 2:05.79

The good news continued over the weekend as our Sailors stepped up and produced some amazing results at the NSW Schools Championships. The Cranbrook 1sts successfully defending their title over 3 days of tight racing. We are now state champions two years in a row and the boys will focus their attention on the national championships in July. Not only do we return with the trophy, but we put 3 teams into the top 6 places, with our 3rds and 2nds finishing in 5^th and 6^th place, respectively. Additionally, the boys were noted at the presentation as the school with the best sportsmanship and the teams that were always there to help launch and retrieve boats as well as helping with breakdowns. To both the performance and the recognition of their character is a great credit to the boys, and the whole coaching team in the sailing program.

It was great to see so many Cranbrook students competing at the NSW State Nippers championships last weekend. Big congratulations to all students who competed and those who won medals.

Charles Carrano (Y7): 2 gold, 1 silver.
Patrick Gisz (Y7): 1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze.
Sam Creegan (Y7): bronze
Charlie Roberts (Y6): gold
Hugo Croft (Y5): bronze

This weekend sees Winter sport trials start. I wish everyone the best of luck. 

A schedule of the Winter Season training and Co-Curricular Activities can be found here.

Kind regards

Matt Grice
Director of Sport

CAS Swim Team – 2024 Report

The CAS Swim Team of 33 students led by Captains Max Moylan and Axel Robinson competed at Olympic Park last night at the 93^rd CAS Swimming Championships. There was strong support from Cranbrook School with all senior school students completing the tradition of the student tunnel from Chapel Lawn to Hordern, with the band playing rocky in the background, the team was fired up by the school gathering round them to chant the school song.  The support didn’t finish there with Yr 8,10 & 11 all making their way out to SOPAC to continue the support.

The team noticed the support and we set the meet off with team Co-Captain Max Moylan racing the 1^st event of the night, the Opens Division 50m Freestyle. Max, normally known for his 5km & 10km races, used the crowd to find some speed and finished 3^rd in the race with a new personal best time of 25.08, which he later went on to better in the lead off the Men’s Open Freestyle relay breaking 25 seconds for the first time in 24.98.

Next up was crowd favourite and Olympic hopeful, National Champion Marcus Da Silva, with the crowd behind him, Marcus proved once again that he is the dominate freestyle swimmer in Australia at the moment for his age, winning the Opens 50m Freestyle in a new school record time of 23.42. The good results kept coming with commendable results from Noah Kemp who finished 2^nd in a new school record time of 25.92 and from Oliver Minning, Aidan Park & Charlie Roberts all placing top 3 in 50m their freestyle race. With the Cranbrook crowd at the loudest point of the night, Ben Haddock raced the final 50m Freestyle race of the night with a new personal best time of 55 seconds and finishing 2^nd.

At the end of the 50m Freestyle races, we were sitting equal 3^rd on the point score with Barker on 94 points and Waverley 2 points behind us on 92 points. We then moved onto the Breaststroke races, which normally signals the fall for Cranbrook. However, this year, the team had been working to diversify their team by improving our form strokes.

Aidan Park 14yrs old from yr 8 stepped up, to race against the 17yrs in the 100 Breaststroke finishing 4^th before going on to come 2nd in his age group 50m race, in a time that would win any other year but except 2 previous years. Jack Charles 15yrs raced the Opens 100m Breaststroke in 1:15 time coming 4th before going on to come 3rd in his 15yrs 50m Age group. Hugo Mertens & Preston Irawan are also highly commended for their Breaststroke swims finishing in the top 3 and swim up age groups.

Cranbrook was now in 3^rd place following the breaststroke. Our strategy this year was to dominate both Waverley and Barker in the relays to secure our overall podium finish. The teams certainly put this plan into action with 4 out of 6 teams coming 3^rd and 3 of those teams breaking school records with the 14 yrs team being the fastest Cranbrook team in history by over 5 seconds. The Opens, 17yrs and 14yrs broke records:

Boys Open Medley Relay
Axel Robinson, Oscar Holland, Marcus Da Silva & Max Moylan 1:53.54
Boys 17yrs Medley Relay
Tate Sirianni, Felix Sheldrick, Robert Ingham & Matt Alexiou 1:57.38
Boys 14 yrs Medley Relay
Noah Kemp, Aidan Park, Hugo Mertens & Felix Preston 2:05.79 – by over 5 seconds

The relays proved that we have not only developed some great individual talents within the swim program, but the depth and diversity of our swim team has also improved. There was no looking back after the relays with Cranbrook 25 points clear of Barker.

We continued to have great results in the 100m Freestyle where Marcus Da Silva broke the CAS and School record in a time of 50.17, Tate Sirianni turned 4^th at the halfway mark and swam over the top of the competitors from Knox, Trinity, and Waverley to win the 17yrs in a time of 53.78. Noah Kemp finished 2^nd narrowly missing the school record and Carter McGee finished 2^nd in the 13 yrs.

In the Backstroke Tate Sirianni continued his form, taking 2 1sts places in a school record time for the 50m backstroke of 27.90 and 1^st in the 17 yrs 100m backstroke. Noah Kemp won the 14 yrs 50m backstroke missing the school record by 0.02. Co-Captain Axel Robinson got 2 3^rd places in the open 50m & 100m races and Carter McGee finished 3^rd in the 13yrs 50m backstroke.

The butterfly we held our position with Marcus Da Silva swimming outside his normal freestyle races to break 2 schools records after finishing 2^nd in the 50m and 1^st in the 100m fly and Carter McGee continued his bronze medal streak finishing 3^rd in the 13yrs 50m fly.

We finished the individual races with the 200m Freestyle, where Captain Max Moylan raced the final individual race of the night and of his CAS swimming career. He boosted the mood leading into the freestyle relays by winning the race and beating the inform and strong swimmers from Knox and Trinity. A great way for the captain to finish his time on the Cranbrook CAS Swim team.

We finished the night with Freestyle Relays, which was the backbone of our CAS swim training in 2024. We built our team culture on being able to stand up as a team and deliver in these races. We felt confident going into these races that we can hold our position on the point score and we didn’t disappoint by finishing 3^rd and 4^th in most age groups. The Men’s Open relay was the last event of the night with Captain Max Moylan leading off in a time of 24.95, the team went on to break the school record by over 2 seconds. The team finished 2^nd beating Trinity for the first time in history.

This made it 6 school records from 6 races for Marcus Da Silva and 11 new School records in total:

Marcus Da Silva
Open 50m Freestyle 23.42
Open 100m Freestyle 50.17 + CAS Record
Open 100m Butterfly 25.97
Open 100m Butterfly 57.12
Noah Kemp
14 yrs 50m Freestyle 25.92
Tate Sirianni
17 yrs 50m Backstroke 27.90
Boys Open Medley Relay
Axel Robinson, Oscar Holland, Marcus Da Silva & Max Moylan 1:53.54
Boys Open Freestyle Relay
Max Moylan, Oscar Holland, Axel Robinson & Marcus Da Silva 1:39.32
Boys 17 yrs Medley Relay
Tate Sirianni, Felix Sheldrick, Robert Ingham & Matt Alexiou 1:57.38
Boys 14 yrs Medley Relay
Noah Kemp, Aidan Park, Hugo Mertens & Preston Irawan 2:05.79

The Cranbrook CAS swim team finished 3rd place on the night, with 411 points. 82 points better than 2023 and our best finish since 1985. The final team results were: Knox 561
Trinity 533
Cranbrook 411
Barker 354.5
Waverley 331
St Aloysius 310.5

The 33 students who represented the swim should be proud of their achievement. Congratulations to our top 10 individual points scorers:

The following students were automatically selected to swim at CIS Swimming Championships on the 7^th of May with the final team being announced on the 26^th of March:

Marcus Da Silva, Noah Kemp, Tate Sirianni, Carter McGee, Aidan Park, Max Moylan, Axel Robinson, Oscar Holland, Hugo Mertens and Preston Irawan.

Congratulations to the whole Cranbrook representative swim team for a fantastic job.

Daniel Arnamnart
Head of Aquatics

Sailing State Championships

It was a fantastic weekend for our sailors at the NSW Schools Sailing Championships, with Cranbrook 1 successfully defending the title over 3 days of tight racing. We are now state champions two years in a row and the boys will focus their attention on the nationals champs in July. Not only do we return with the trophy, but we put 3 teams into the top 6 places, with our 3rds and 2nds finishing in 5^th and 6^th place respectively.

Additionally, the boys were noted at the presentation as the school with the best sportsmanship and the teams that were always there to help launch and retrieve boats as well as helping with breakdowns. To have both the performance and the recognition of their character is a great credit to the boys, and the whole coaching team in the sailing program. Our sailors are a humble bunch who choose to quietly go about their business, but I know they would be thrilled if you congratulated them in the hallways and classes this week.

Teams lists, and more detail on the competition below.

School events race in a teams racing format where teams of 3 boats race against each other on a tight track, involving 4 turning marks in what usually amounts to an 8 – 10 minute race. The team of three boats with the best placing win the race and sailors spend their time blocking and slowing their opponents to allow team mates past. The regatta format allows schools to enter multiple teams, and this year our depth of skill and talent was so significant that we chose to enter 4 teams. They all compete into the same swiss league system for a qualifying series over 2 days. By Sunday morning as qualifying concluded our squad was dominant, with three of our teams occupying the top 4 spots on the card, and the 4^th VI sitting in 23^rd place.

The regatta is then decided over a finals series for the top 8 teams. Two and a half hours of qualifying boils down to an hour and a half of rapid fire 8 – 10 minute races to decide the event, lots of pressure and lots of jeopardy. With light winds the pressure was on for the race start where the teams jostle for position and attempt to block opponents from starting on time, whilst the 1^st VI executed beautifully, the 2^nd and 3^rd VI mis-times starts in critical races and narrowly missed the semi finals and ending 6^th and 5^th respectively.

The 1^st VI then quickly dispatched Scots 2 in the semi finals before facing Scots 1 in one of the most closely fought finals I’ve seen. The final is a best of 5 races between the two teams, meaning that to win the event a team needs to accumulate 3 race wins. Our boys went out to an early 2 – 0 lead, but Scots responded with a brilliant performance under pressure to win the next two races and level the board at 2 – 2. With one more race as a final decider for series the boys stepped it up a gear at the start line and left the opposition late to the line and with penalties. They so completely dominated the start that the race essentially became a victory lap for a resounding win.

Final results:

Cranbrook 1^st VI – 1^st Place

Cranbrook 2^nd VI – 6^th Place

Cranbrook 3^rd VI – 5^th Place

Tom Brewer
Head of AFL and Sailing

Phil Beverley, Director of Music

Dear Parents and Caregivers

On Monday we were thrilled to have four master clinicians share their expertise, as part of our Performance Plus Series. Individual improvement and commitment over time, is a t the heart of music-making. The Masterclasses were split up into four categories for the first: Strings, Winds, Contemporary Music and Piano. Thank you to Ms Janet Davies, Dr Nightingale, Mr David Stratton, and Francis Greepe for giving their time and sharing their expertise with our musicians. Thank you to all the participants for preparing their pieces so diligently.

Ensemble Rehearsals

As the seasons change, so will sport training times. Mr Grice and I work closely to ensure students can participate in both music and sporting activities throughout the year. Rehearsal I’d like to remind all parents and students that Core ensembles on Monday through Friday morning are to be prioritised over sporting sessions. If any student has an individual request, it should be made in writing to myself and Mr Grice.

Events

Our Easter Concert is our final performance of Term 2 and will take place next week on Tuesday 26 March in the Memorial Chapel.

Term 2 Dates for the Diary

Phil Beverley
Director of Music

Cloudstreet Drama Production

Cloudstreet penned by Australian author Tim Winton, is a literary masterpiece that transcends generations with its poignant exploration of family, identity, and the Australian experience. Set in post-World War II Perth, the novel-turned-play follows the lives of two disparate families – the Pickles and the Lambs – who find themselves sharing a large, ramshackle house on Cloud Street.

At its core, Cloudstreet is a saga of resilience and redemption, weaving together the stories of its colorful characters against the backdrop of a rapidly changing nation. From the affable yet flawed Sam Pickles to the stoic and resilient Oriel Lamb, each member of the two families grapples with their own trials and tribulations, ultimately finding solace and strength in their shared struggles.

Cranbrook Drama is excited to present this senior production in the round as an immersive production for the audience to experience in the Packer Theatre.

Click here to buy tickets.

Andrew Benson
Head of Drama (Acting)

Oratory Article

Competition Debating

Friday night was one of our toughest rounds as we came up against one of the strongest schools in our pool: Shore. That said, we saw many close debates. Our Year 8 team continued their winning streak, and our Senior As ended Shore’s undefeated status in that division!

See below the ISDA topics, for which Cranbrook was affirmative in all debates:

See below the updated tally:

Eastside debaters had their re-match against Reddam, who they versed in the pre-season. This round proved highly successful for our teams, with wins recorded by Years 7, 10, 11, and 12. This was Year 7’s first win of the season and our 12s continue to be undefeated. After 3 rounds, Cranbrook’s Eastside debaters have achieved our strongest ever start to a season!

See below the Eastside pre-season round topics:

See below the results for Cranbrook:

This Friday 22^nd March sees the following debates take place:

A reminder that all Years 7-9 debaters must be collected by a parent or guardian at the end of the night.

AMEB Voice and Communication being introduced

Starting after the Easter break, Cranbrook will be introducing the AMEB Voice and Communication syllabus to students in Years 7 and 8 who find speaking publicly a challenging experience and who are eager to develop the confidence and skill to express themselves with purpose, clarity and flair. The AMEB course may be familiar to those whose children work through grades of Music for their chosen instrument. For Voice and Communication, it will involve engaging with a range of text types like prose and poetry, speaking in a range of contexts (some favourites include performing a magic trick to an audience or presenting a verbal media report) as well as learning good vocal exercises and posture techniques to communicate well.

Students involved will be led by a public speaking coach and teacher with experience in this field, receiving small group tuition and support so they can prepare for the formal external assessment component of the AMEB. This involves speaking in small groups and individually to a panel of assessors, who will provide marks and feedback. Involvement in Voice and Communication is designed to be long term, with students moving up grades (levels) each year, eventually having the opportunity in senior years to try their hand at the Voice and Communication Certificate course. More details can be found on pages 71-92 of the syllabus guide.

It is planned to host weekly prep sessions for students on Friday afternoons at Cranbrook, 3.30-5.00pm. There will also be a weekly lunchtime check-in for students. The formal assessments by the AMEB are typically held in August-September each year, with back-up dates in the final months of the academic year. Preference will be given to students not already involved in our programmes and numbers will be limited.

This will be a paid extra for those students who ultimately participate. The cost will include tuition throughout the year, a light afternoon snack each Friday, and the fee for the formal assessment (cost will exclude having to re-sit an assessment for any reason, which will be charged extra).

A webinar with more information will be held via TEAMS at 6pm Monday 25^th March. If you and your Year 7 or 8 child are interested in attending, please register your interest here no later than 9pm this Friday 22^nd March. Only those who register interest will receive the webinar link.   

Upcoming oratory events

• Rostrum Public Speaking Competition heats at Ascham this Thursday 21^st March
• ISDA Competition Debating R6 vs Scots (away) and Eastside Competition Debating R4 vs Sydney Boys High (away) this Friday 22^nd March
• Public Speaking next Monday 25^th March from 3.30-5.30pm
• Mock Trial Competition Round 1 vs Scots next Wednesday 27^th March during school time

There will be no Thursday afternoon Mooting, Mock Trial, or Social Debating, no Friday night Competition Debating next week, and no Public Speaking on Monday 1^st April due to the Easter Long Weekend.

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

F1 in Schools National Final

Dear Parents and Carers,

Team Australis (consisting of William Colquhoun, Diego Lerma, Lachlan Anderson, Alex Hong and Jackson Parker) recently competed in Adelaide at the National F1 in Schools Competition (held at St Peter’s College.) The team did incredibly well considering it was the first time Cranbrook has competed at the national level. Students were assessed and competed in a range of activities;

• Design and Manufacture of C02 Car i.e. Scrutineering 
• Engineering – Computer Aided Design Portfolio 
• Engineering Manufacturing – Team Interview
• Team Poster  / Branding and Marketing 
• Enterprise Portfolio
• Trade Display with Verbal Presentation 
• Grand Prix Race and Reaction Time Racing 
• Knockout Racing 

The team finished 20^th from 26 teams consisting of teams from both Australia and New Zealand. If you see the students around, please congratulate them on their efforts. 

Thank you. 

Regards, 

Joel Budd
Head of TAS

Articles of Interest

Please find articles of interest below compiled each week by members of the boarding staff team.

How Adversity Makes You Stronger

How art improves mental health and wellbeing

Lucy Hone: The three secrets of resilient people | TED Talk

Blue spaces: why time spent near water is the secret of happiness

Benefits of #Greendesking

All best,

Matt Banes

NBA Basketball Flyers

Access the Term 1 flyer here.

Three Islands Classic 2024: Sunday 24 March

The Old Cranbrookians’ Association is proudly supporting the Three Islands Classic (3IC), to be conducted as usual on Sydney Harbour. It’s open to all who are owners or skippers and can beg, borrow or by other means produce a keelboat for the day! The event will be held on Sunday 24 March 2024 and will commence at 11am with most yachts sailing for approximately one and a half hours. Arrival at Royal Australian Naval Sailing Association (RANSA) will then be around 1pm for an award ceremony at about 2pm. Old Cranbrookians and Cranbrook families are all welcome to come along!

Cost: $70 to cover the cost of running the 3IC, the use of the venue at RANSA for the post-race raft, TryBooking fees and trophy regeneration.

To register and pay, please click here.

For all enquiries or if you’re just keen to be part of a crew, please contact Rebecca Curran in the Development Office on +61 2 9327 9409 or email alumni@cranbrook.nsw.edu.au

CRU Camp

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.