As we reach the end of another busy term, and indeed year, we have celebrated a series of wonderful successes and performances across the School. I should like to take this opportunity to reflect on all that has been accomplished during this term. To view a selection of the highlights of this term, please click on the video link below.
I wish you all a wonderful and relaxing Christmas holiday.
Nicholas Sampson
Headmaster
Dear Parents and Carers
Please read the important message about whooping cough from our Health Centre below. Can I ask for parents, particularly Year 8 parents, to look out for these symptoms as we would not want this to spoil the start of the holidays. Whilst we think this is an isolated case, this is courtesy information for you, just in case.
There has been a case of whooping cough (pertussis) diagnosed in a Year 8 student and due to the current outbreak of whooping cough in NSW schools, the following information from NSW Public Health should be noted –
On Tuesday evening, we enjoyed our Carol Service at St Andrew’s Cathedral. Sincere thanks to all parents who attended and made the occasion special for our students and in particular our musicians, our readers, and our choir.
Our Year 11 IB Diploma students presented their Group 4 projects on Sustainability within the Household on Tuesday. The standard of their work was extremely impressive as was their pitch to students and staff on their innovations and solutions to household sustainability.
Our innovation presentation continued with our Year 7 Visual Arts display in the Dining Commons, where stadiums with an Australian theme were presented by our Year 7 students. The display generated a lot of interest among the students and our artists gave some outstanding presentations on their ideas and creativity. So many senior students were incredibly impressed with this Year 7 cohort of artists. Some of these may end up as Christmas present for you if you have a son in Year 7!
In assembly yesterday, we welcomed Angus Pitt OC’90 and son of Martin Pitt, our former Deputy Headmaster. It was wonderful to welcome Angus back to the community and he presented the Pitt Cup for the 2023 Inter-House competition to Hone House. Congratulations Hone!
A reminder that Prize Giving is on Tuesday 12 December at the Hordern Pavilion with a 6.30pm sharp start. We look forward to seeing you all there.
As this is the final Link message of the year, I would like to wish all families a safe and joyous Christmas and warmest wishes for a Happy New Year.
Have a good week.
Bob Meakin
Deputy Headmaster & Head of Senior School
Parents can expect to see Term 4 School Reports by early next week. As usual, please spend some time discussing the school report with your child/ren. A reminder to parents and guardians of Years 7-10 that these reports do not contain narrative comments from teachers. These parents should therefore check the Continuous Report on Canvas in conjunction with the School Report for further written feedback.
Here is a link to the Canvas Parent Training guide should these parents need a refresher on how to access the Continuous Report. There are videos and FAQs to view. For first time users:
Step 1: Use school registered parent email and select forgot password
Step 2: Type in your chosen password
For any questions or issues relating to the Continuous Report, please email: digilit@cranbrook.nsw.edu.au
A mandatory component of the IB Diploma Programme is the Group 4 Science Project. Students are placed in groups so that there is one member representing each of the Sciences. The students are tasked to solve an issue using their combined scientific knowledge and skills they have gained throughout their IB Diploma journey. This year, the students had to create a smart kitchen appliance that helped tackle a world issue such as nutrition, human health improvement and sustainability. Our students worked for two full days and were able to create apps, 3D-printed prototypes and experimental demonstrations.
The staff were truly blown away with the ingenuity, knowledge and communication skills of our Scientists. Well done IBDP students!
This week, Daniel Li (Year 11), with the help of Mr Hamblin, hosted the inaugural History Trivia Quiz in the school library. This activity contributes toward Daniel’s Creativity, Activity and Service commitment in the IB Diploma Programme. A wide range of historical facts were covered, from the Mesopotamian Empires all the way through to the Cold War. The final prize was a book covering Cranbrook’s history, provided by the History department. Well done, Daniel! And congrats to our first ever winner, Caspar Wenck (Year 9)!
Nicholas Jolly
Director of Academics / Deputy Head of Senior School
Dear Parents and Guardians
Last week our 1st Basketball team competed in the National Championships on the Gold Coast. Attending this prestigious tournament is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and unwavering determination. We are immensely proud of our team’s accomplishments and know that they have inspired our school and community. Their journey to the national championship was well deserved, and we are excited to witness their continued success in the future. Well done to all students involved along with Mr Whitehead and Mr Farraway.
We are delighted to be able to offer a number of Sports Camps and Training sessions over the upcoming holidays. A Holiday Schedule of sessions can be found here.
Please visit the links below to find out more information about the sessions on offer and book your child’s place.
Cricket: https://properformancecricket.com/sydney-cricket-camps/
Tennis: https://events.humanitix.com/cranbrook-tennis-tournament-january-2024
Basketball: https://events.humanitix.com/cranbrook-senior-school-basketball-camp-january-2024
Water Polo: https://events.humanitix.com/cranbrook-water-polo-holiday-camp-december-january-2023-24
Kind regards,
Matt Grice
Director of Sport
The Inner West Cranbrook Bus will be adding in new stop at the Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre in Pyrmont from 2024.
The Term 4 2023 Rowing Season has been run at breakneck speed. 108 boys commenced the season in September, a record number for the Boat Club in recent years.
A successful Holiday Rowing Camp in September was followed by an equally successful Season Launch held on the School’s Chapel Lawn with several hundred boys and guests turning up to christen new additions to the fleet.
After a month of training all boys travelled to the Olympic Course on Penrith Lakes to contest the Independent Schools Championships and were rewarded with a 2nd overall placing amongst Boys Schools. Individual highlights included Max Allchin and James Campbell winning the Gold Medal in the Year 9 Double Sculls while a Silver Medal was won by the Year 8 Quad Scull of; Forbes Blackstone, Sam Farquhar, Fred Emmanuel, Sandy Clegg and James Walsh who overtook the early leaders in the last 100 metres of the race.
The time-honoured Mitchell Cup Regatta was run on 25 November from Rose Bay Beach. The multi boat format proved a big hit with students and parents alike with School getting the better of the Old Boys to retain the Mitchell Cup. World Cup Wallaby and Old Cranbrookian Josh Kemeny graced us with his presence and christened a boat named in his honour. Josh rowed for Cranbrook at the 2014 National Championships.
Term 4 racing culminated with the Rowing NSW State Sprint Championships again held on the Olympic Course on Sunday 3 December. Cranbrook came away with Bronze Medals in the Under 16 Coxed Quadruple Scull, the U21 Double Scull and a Silver Medal in the Under 17 Coxed Quadruple Scull.
Please find articles of interest below;
Australia has its first framework for AI use in schools – but we need to proceed with caution
Safety concerns surge as iPhone iOS 17 unveils risky new feature
Does screen use really impact our thinking skills? Our analysis suggests it could
Why it’s tougher than ever to be a teenager
How to Not Lose It on Your Kids This Holiday Season
How to ease holiday stress: 6 tips to survive the holidays
All best,
Matt Banes
It has been a pleasure working with a small group of Year 7 students every week in Crystal Club this year. The students displayed true investigative qualities as they tried to find out the best method of growing their crystals. Here are the final products for Term 4 which the students took home last week. Well done to everyone who participated this year!
Crystal Club will be on hiatus next year but will hopefully return in 2025!
Kathryn Whiten
Laboratory Technician
