Week 2, Term 1, 2025 | Friday 7 February

To our Canterbury Community,

Welcome to our first edition of The Canterbury Weekly.

It will be published every Friday afternoon in-term and contain articles from our Leadership Team across the full life of the College, as well as a summary of MyCC posts organised by category.

After we have published the first few editions, we will seek some feedback from the Canterbury Parent Consultative Committee (CPCC), so we can continually refine the content.

Class of 2024 Scholars Ceremony

We welcomed back the Class of 2024 on Friday 31 January, to recognise and celebrate their academic achievements with the whole College community.

The guest speaker, as is tradition, was the College Dux from 10 years ago – who was Mr Jacob Olsson. I know Jacob’s messages about being open to rapid changes of direction in your tertiary and professional trajectories resonated with students across the College.

I congratulate again our Dux of the College, Alec Dyer, who was one of only 36 students across Queensland who achieved a 99.95 – the highest possible ATAR. The Proximae Accessit to the Dux was Zach Vasquez who achieved a 99.75, and I also acknowledge Lucas Consolati who achieved a 99.45.

Canterbury has now produced three 99.95 results within the past four years, and I made the observation in my address at the Scholars Ceremony, that there are many outstanding schools around the country who have never produced a 99.95 result.

We also launched the 2024 World Ready Report available HERE for downloading, which profiles the Class of 2024’s achievements across academic, sport, performing arts, leadership, entrepreneurship and service fields.

More Info: MyCC News OR Website News

St John’s Cathedral Annual College City Service

The Years 6-12 student body, our staff and dozens of parents and carers, joined together in our annual pilgrimage to St John’s Cathedral on Tuesday 4 January.

Canterbury College filled the Cathedral and the beautiful sounds of our choirs and strings resonated around this beautiful building. The calibre of the music was remarkable. Year 12 students were honoured to receive their Senior ties while the Year 7s received their House badges.

Bishop of the Southern Region, The Right Reverend John Roundhill, presided over the service with a provocation to consider when you last did something for the first time. He made the observation in his sermon that we frame our worldview about favourite things in our life, often when we are teenagers.

Canterbury College is proud to be an Anglican school, and over the course of the year, we partake in chapel services, prayer and reflection across a range of formal and informal venues. And of course we welcome students from all faith traditions to explore and reflect on the values of compassion, respect and gratitude, which sit at the core of many major world religions.

More Info: MyCC News OR Website News

Canterbury Parent Consultative Committee (CPCC) and Campus Improvements

The first meeting of our new CPCC will be held on Monday 10 February. Prior to subsequent meetings, we will communicate the process for items being added to the agenda for Committee discussion, with the MyCC Page available for all parents and carers HERE.

As I shared with the community in my Principal’s Welcome To Term 1 Video HERE, students and staff are enjoying many new improvements to the campus, including refurbishment of 16 classrooms in the Senior School, and the re-opening of the enlarged Junior School Meadow, OSHC Facility and renovated Prep classrooms.

I wish all Canterbury families a successful Term 1.

The Importance of a Positive Home School Partnership

The beginning of a school year is an excellent time to think about the importance of the home school partnership and how we work together to strengthen this. Research consistently tells us that when the home school partnership is strong and aligned, children will thrive.

The transition from an Early Learning Centre to Junior School Prep environment for any family is certainly an exciting – yet sometimes daunting one – for students and parents. It is also a crucial one, because it not only marks a shift in focus for a child’s educational journey, but a very specific shift in the way a child sees themselves, and the way parents need to adjust their expectations of both their child and the school.

The Early Years Framework guides the educational focus prior to Prep, however, once students enter Junior School, the educational program is guided by the Australian Curriculum. A child’s first year of formal schooling means they are required to adapt to a more structured program of teaching and learning in eight defined learning areas.

For the first time, their learning is assessed formally against academic criteria. They are expected to attend to teacher instructions for more lengthy periods of time, and they have more formalised routines associated with school engagement.

However, all of these changes are developmentally appropriate, and the vast majority of students easily settle into their new way of learning, enjoying the challenge and fun of their day. Parents and schools work together to support the development of a child’s sense of self as being confident and capable, with a growing sense of independence and resilience.

Please keep an eye out for opportunities to engage with the school and learn more about how we nurture confident, optimistic and compassionate young people who are world ready. And if you have any questions, please don’t ever hesitate to ask.

Scholars Ceremony, Year 12 Seniors Soiree, Valedictory Dinner and Term 1 Coming Events

It has been an action-packed start to the 2025 school year, as we have celebrated our 2024 graduates, welcomed our new student leaders, and engaged in some key milestones for our Years 7 and 12 cohorts.

Our students started back on Wednesday 29 January, and it was wonderful to see so many smiling faces returning from their holidays. Equally, the nervous energy of so many new students joining our school, quickly transitioned to a sense of comfort, as they found their spaces and met new friends.

Friday 31 January was a huge day as we started the morning with our Scholars Ceremony, where we heard of the academic successes of our 2024 graduates. So congratulations to the Class of 2024 and it was great to hear from our 2014 Dux Jacob Olsson.

In the evening, we marked a key milestone in the final year of our 2025 Year 12s at their Seniors Soiree. It was a beautiful evening with an opportunity for students, parents and staff to come together and connect over some tasty hors d’oeuvres and light refreshments.

In his address, Principal Mr Dan Walker set the bar high for the cohort with their academic goals for the year, and we all believe they will step up to these heights.

New Head of Senior School Mr Nick Stansbie made the exciting announcement about the venue for this year’s Valedictory Dinner. It will be hosted at Movie World in Oxenford, and there was an invitation for students to nominate a ride that would be made available prior to the dinner, for students and their parents and carers to enjoy!

More Info: MyCC News OR Website News

While much has already transpired in the first two weeks of school, there is still much to look forward to. The College Calendar available on MyCC HERE is filled with key dates throughout the year, although some notable dates to look forward to this term include:

• Monday 10 – Wednesday 12 February | Year 10 Outdoor Education @ Emu Gully Adventure, Helidon
• Friday 21 February – House Choir Competition
• Tuesday 25 – Thursday 27 February | Year 7 Outdoor Education @ Adventure Alternatives, Kenilworth
• Monday 3 March | Year 10 Immunisations
• Friday 14 March | College Foundation Day & Cursus Magnus
• Friday 21 March | 2025 Canterbury World Ready Futures Expo
• Wednesday 2 April | Year 12 School Formal
• Friday 4 April | Last Day Term 1

TAS Swimming, TAS Sport Trimester 1, MyCC & Clipboard and Co-Curricular Schedules

Welcome back to 2025, and a special welcome to the new families joining our school and the co-curricular programs. It has been exceptional to see so many students engaging in our programs and preparing for the upcoming round of TAS fixtures, with TAS swimming fast approaching and training commencing this week.

Our Senior School girls’ teams are preparing for basketball, football (soccer) and tennis, while the boys’ teams are focusing on cricket and volleyball.

In Week 3, our Term 2 activities will open on Clipboard for students to nominate for girls’ hockey or netball, and boys’ rugby or tennis, with pre-season commencing for these sports shortly. All sport nominations are submitted through Clipboard which can be accessed using MyCC HERE.

Both MyCC and Clipboard highlight training times, venues and fixture information. Parents and students will need to join BOTH the Senior Sport webpage, and the relevant individual sport webpages, to receive all relevant information.

Please see our summary video HERE which includes a section on how to join groups on MyCC.

There are so many options for our students to join, that we are creating a Student Co-Curricular Menu, to assist our parents and carers to navigate our busy co-curricular schedules. This document gives a snapshot of the daily training or rehearsals, and student development schedules for the term, including each venue, and the coordinator or staff member overseeing each activity.

As we approach our first TAS interschool matches this Saturday, I extend my thanks to the coordinators and coaching teams who’ve been planning for the upcoming season, and striving to achieve our best results. I encourage all our athletes and families to represent the true Canterbury Taipans spirit, by showing commitment, support and sportsmanship for the duration of the season.

Term 1, 2025 Co-Curricular Schedule – Junior School  |  Term 1, 2025 Co-Curricular Schedule – Senior School

Our Chapel Program: Getting Involved

Canterbury College is proudly Anglican, a heritage that connects us to a rich history in Australia and the world. Our Anglican identity is central to our values, and shapes our collective spirituality, while also fostering inclusivity and respect for diverse beliefs.

This year, we have embraced our Anglicanism by visiting the Cathedral in Brisbane’s CBD, participating in chapel prayers, and engaging in prayers during various College events. There are no less than 140 opportunities throughout the school year to be involved in our Chapel Program, open to staff, students and their families alike.

We are excited to offer seven Sunday Services this year, each dedicated to our House groups and their Patrons, but open to all at our on-campus Chapel of the Good Shepherd. Additionally, we will host a special Pet Blessing Service in our outdoors Bush Chapel to celebrate St Francis Day – the Patron Saint of animals.

We warmly invite you to join us and be part of what makes Canterbury College uniquely Anglican.

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