Week 10, Term 3, 2025 | Friday 19 September

Looking Back on a Wonderful Term 3 and Ahead to an Even Bigger Term 4!  

What an extraordinary Term 3 we’ve just shared! From the energy of JTAS and TAS to the joy of Student-Led Conferences and Dance Spectacular, this term has been a vibrant reminder of why Canterbury is such a special place.  

Term 4 promises to be just as fabulous, with milestone events, celebrations of achievement, and chances to come together as a community to support our students.  

One of the great joys of being part of Canterbury is witnessing our children’s growth and celebrating alongside them. When families show up, whether in the audience, on the sporting fields, or in the car park after a big performance, students feel seen, valued, and encouraged. Your presence makes all the difference.  

Key Term 4 Events  

Here are the major dates to lock into your calendar:  

Investiture Ceremony and Presentation of Year 12 Senior Ties 

Thursday 9 October 2025, 1:30pm-2:15pm
Canterbury Events Centre

Senior School Speech Night (Years 7–12) 

This is a compulsory event for students in Years 7, 11 and 12
Tuesday 14 October 2025, 6:00pm-8:30pm (doors open 5:30pm)
Logan Entertainment Centre  

Co-Curricular Awards Evening  
Wednesday 22 October 2025, 6:00pm–8:00pm (arrive 5:45pm)
Canterbury Events Centre  

Pink Ribbon High Tea
Thursday 30 October 2025, 10:00am-12:00pm
Canterbury Functions Centre  

Valedictory
Thursday 20 November 2025, 7:00pm-9:30pm
Movie World   

Year 12 Graduation and Guard of Honour Ceremony   
Friday 21 November 2025, 9:00am-11:00am
Canterbury Events Centre

Junior School Speech Day (Years 3–6)  
Tuesday 25 November 2025, 9:00am–11:00am (arrive 8:45am)
Canterbury Events Centre  

ELC – Year 2 Celebration  
Friday 28 November 2025, 5:30pm-6:30pm
Canterbury Events Centre 

Year 6 Celebration Evening  
Wednesday 3 December 2025, 5:00pm-7:00pm
Nabei 

Each of these occasions represents a chance to celebrate, reflect, and recognise the efforts of our students across all stages of their Canterbury journey.  

Special Event — Exploring the Future of AI  

Earlier this term, I wrote about Canterbury’s commitment to exploring Artificial Intelligence and how we can harness its potential in the classroom. I am delighted to now invite you to a very special immersion evening:  

Thriving in an Increasingly AI World: How Students Can Turn Change into Opportunity  
Thursday 23 October, 6:00–8:00pm  
Hosted by James Jenkins, Head of AI and Digital Transformation  

The pace of AI development and its potential impact on our world can feel overwhelming, but what if we reframed it as the greatest opportunity of our generation?  

This 2-hour session will help students and families shift from anxiety to advantage. Together, we’ll explore how to partner with AI tools to amplify learning, creativity, and problem-solving, while also identifying the human skills that become even more valuable in an AI-driven world.  

More details and a registration form will follow soon, but for now, save the date for what promises to be an inspiring and practical evening.  

With such a rich calendar of events, Term 4 is set to be an exciting and meaningful conclusion to 2025. Thank you for walking this journey with us and for sharing in the joy of your child’s success. 

Term 3’s Treasured Moments in the ELC

This term, our ELC students have had the pleasure of celebrating and participating in a number of special events with the wider Canterbury community. Highlights included the ELC–Year 2 Athletics Carnival, Book Week Parade, Father’s Day celebrations, Prep Orientation, a collaborative day with the Year 9 and Year 10 Micro-Credential students and engaging in storytelling sessions led by Year 7 English students who proudly shared the children’s books they had written in class.

These occasions provide more than just wonderful memories – they enable our ELC students to develop meaningful connections within the broader Canterbury community, while also fostering confidence, resilience, creativity, self-help skills, and gross motor abilities. Most importantly, they support each child’s learning and growth in a way that is both meaningful and engaging. The excitement and determination on our students’ faces throughout these moments reflects the very principles underpinning the National Quality Framework.

Celebrating Student Success in Service and Leadership 

This term has been a remarkable one for student leadership and service at Canterbury, with students from Years 5–12 stepping up to make a difference in both our local community and beyond.

Congratulations to all students from Years 5 to 12, along with Canterbury families and staff, on your outstanding participation in the Sudsy Challenge. Thanks to your enthusiasm and generosity, our community raised enough funds to provide 2653 loads of laundry for those in need. With 385 students and staff involved, this inspiring effort supports Orange Sky in delivering dignity, respect, and hope through clean laundry and heartfelt conversation.

Developing Leadership Skills 

This term, our Year 5 and Senior School CaRE teaching teams facilitated targeted leadership development programs for students in Years 5, 8 and 11. These sessions focused on building a shared language of leadership and strengthening the skills that empower all students to step up as leaders in their classrooms, houses, and the wider community.

External Recognition and Service and Leadership Opportunities 

Canterbury students continue to shine on larger platforms, receiving recognition from external organisations for their leadership, service, and initiative. We are proud to celebrate the following outstanding service and leadership achievements this term:

Morgan Watt was awarded a Certificate of Community Service by the Order of Australia Association, Queensland Branch, for her commitment to serving the wider community. Morgan, her family and Mrs Jennifer Russell celebrated her achievement at a ceremony held at Parliament House in the presence of Her Excellency, the Honourable Dr Jeannette Young AC PSM, the Governor of Queensland. Congratulations, Morgan!

Chloe Booth was appointed to the Metro South Health Youth Advisory Council, representing the voices of young people aged 15 to 25. As one of only 12 members, Chloe will contribute to the planning and improvement of health services across our region. This role provides a genuine opportunity for Chloe to advocate for more youth-friendly healthcare.

Amelia Ryan gained valuable civic leadership experience through her mentorship with Mayor Jon Raven and his Chief of Staff, Mel Arnost. She attended a Logan City Council meeting and engaged in one-on-one mentorship with the mayor, an inspiring opportunity that strengthened her leadership, communication, and organisational skills, and deepened her understanding of public service

Cooper McIntyre and Ashutosh Vaitha were recognised for their contributions to the Youth Leadership Academy Australia’s National Youth Advisory Board in 2025. Their involvement highlights their passion for shaping national youth leadership initiatives and amplifying young voices. This week, Ashutosh also delivered a keynote presentation at the Somerset College’s Ignites Festival, where he inspired an auditorium of primary and secondary students by sharing lessons from his journey as a teen entrepreneur and his experiences in personal and leadership development.

Corey Bertsch has been appointed to the Queensland Youth Parliament as a member of its Advisory Council. Corey has had the opportunity to work with peers on the FIRTH (Fire, Disaster and Volunteers, Transport and Main Roads, and Housing and Public Works) Corey played a key role in bill development, amendments, and debates on issues such as youth wage reform and social media use. Queensland Youth Parliament provides opportunities for advocacy, leadership, and growth. Years 11 and 12 students are invited to attend sitting weeks of Youth Parliament. Interested students are to reach out to Corey Bertsh or use this link to find out more information. 

Mikaela Williams and Grace McIntyre recently volunteered at Juiced TV’s 10th Birthday Celebration at South Bank. Juiced TV, the in-house TV channel for the Queensland Children’s Hospital. The program brings joy and connection to children in care. Mikaela and Grace ran creative activity stalls and reflected afterwards that it was “an absolute pleasure to help out such an amazing and rewarding organisation.” 

Their commitment to service didn’t stop there. Together with Milla Smith and Student Parliament, Mikaela and Grace helped bring Sporting Wheelies to Canterbury. This inspiring organisation creates sporting opportunities for people with disabilities, and our Year 11 students had the chance to experience this first-hand by taking part in a wheelchair basketball game.  

As the 2025 Junior Chamber of Commerce year concludes, we celebrate the outstanding work of Executive Members Connar Smith-Miller, Dekota Henwood, and Lucy Johnston. These students attended planning meetings, organised networking breakfasts, and represented Canterbury’s voice in the wider business community. Thank you, Connor, Dakota, and Lucy, for your service and dedication.

These achievements highlight the generosity, leadership, and dedication of our students. Whether serving locally or representing youth on regional and national stages, Canterbury students continue to inspire and make a meaningful impact.

Term 3 Wrap-Up: Celebrating Sporting Excellence 

Term 3 is always action-packed, busy, and seems to fly by in a flash. Our Trimester 3 sports have kept the momentum going strong, even during the peak of assessments.

Congratulations to the following teams on their top 3 finishes this season: 

Shield Basketball – Premiership Winners
Firsts Volleyball – 2nd Place

 Seconds Volleyball– 3rd Place
 Year 10 Volleyball– 3rd Place
 9 Navy Volleyball– 3rd Place
 Shield Touch– 3rd Place
 Girls Volleyball– 3rd Overall

The TAS Athletics Carnival was the perfect grand finale for the term. With quiet ambition, our team set out to defend their 2024 Champion School title. Under the leadership of Mrs Brooke King and her dedicated coaching team, our athletes showed incredible spirit and determination.

We are proud to announce that  Canterbury has once again been crowned Champion School of Athletics and Champion Girls’ Athletics! 

Special congratulations to our 8 Age Champions: 

12 Years: Izabel, Riley, Mason

13 Years: Byron

14 Years: Zarayah

15 Years: Matilda

Open: Hayley

Multi-Class: Peter

These achievements will be celebrated at our next assembly. As we continue to build and develop our sports programs, it’s important to take time to celebrate our wins, learn from our challenges, and set our sights on what’s next.

Growth doesn’t happen by chance; it is instead a choice we make together. As a community, we choose to rise, to support one another, and to push the boundaries of what we believe is possible.

Next season presents another opportunity to elevate, to lead, and to leave a legacy we’re proud of. 

Go Taipans!  

On Tuesday 9 September – Thursday 11 September, Year 4 students headed to Tyalgum Ridge Retreat for their Outdoor Education experience. Located in Northern New South Wales, Tyalgum Ridge Retreat is nestled amongst three spectacular World Heritage National Parks, with breathtaking views of Mt Warning, especially at sunrise.

Enhancing resilience and coping skills was the central theme for the Year 4 Outdoor Education program, with students having to navigate and make decisions to the benefit of their group, while also stepping out of their comfort zone to overcome the tasks at hand. Activities ranged from learning new camp skills and team initiatives, working with animals, kayaking, high ropes and Flying Fox, as well as a short hike to the waterfall on the property. Nighttime saw the fun continue with students involved in an outdoor trivia spotlight activity run by Tyalgum Ridge Camp staff and a change of pace for the second night with a very luxurious movie night in the auditorium.

A special thank you must go to Miss Kirrilee Ellul, Ms Suzanne Koberler, Mrs Genevieve Powell, Ms Jodie Salmond, Mr Declan McBride, Ms Natalie Birt, Fr Dan Talbot and Mrs Brittany Sinclair for their efforts and support of the students in the lead up and while on Outdoor Education.  

Below are some reflections from the Year 4 Students 

Eloise C:

My favourite activity was the waterfall hike because I got to speak with people in my group and share camp stories. I learnt about Mt Warning and its backstory. My favourite moment was when a goat stood up on her back legs then ran around.

Elise N:

My favourite activity was kayaking because I was able to swim and have lots of fun. I learnt how to make damper when I was at camp. My favourite moment was seeing the beautiful sights on the waterfall hike.

Leo M:

My favourite activity was the rock hopping and waterfall hike because we got to play with ochre rocks and get wet. We learnt that when we go to nature we connect with it because we breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide, however trees breathe in the carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. My favourite moment was when we found out that we were standing in the middle of a volcano that erupted 23 million years ago and it won’t erupt again.

Finn H:

My favourite activity was rock hopping because it was fun and challenging and we got to get wet. I learned that being closer to nature makes you have a connection to mother nature. My favourite moment was seeing the animals because they were fluffy. 

Sunday’s At Canterbury

Throughout this year, families have had the opportunity to gather in their house groups and share in Anglican worship within our chapel on Sundays. It’s been a truly special time of connection and faith, and a joy to spend these moments with so many of you.

Now, for those in Ramsey who’ve been wondering, “When is our turn?” — your moment is coming soon! We’re excited to invite you to your Ramsey Family Chapel Service on Sunday, 2nd November at 9am.

We’re looking forward to seeing you all there and sharing this meaningful time together.

Register here: Ramsey Family Chapel 2025

Pet Blessing Service – 12th October at the Bush Chapel

On Saturday, 12th October, we’ll be holding a special Pet Blessing Service in our beautiful bush chapel. This cherished Anglican tradition celebrates the life and ministry of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and the environment.

Everyone is warmly invited to bring along their pets—no matter the species—as we give thanks to God for the joy and companionship they bring to our lives. We’ll also take time to remember and honour our beloved pets who are no longer with us.

As the service will be held outdoors to allow plenty of space for our furry, feathered, and scaly friends, please bring a hat and a chair for your comfort.

We look forward to sharing this meaningful and joyful occasion with you and your animal companions.

Register here: St Francis Sunday Pet Blessing Service 2025

First Holy Communion – Year 4 Families

On Saturday, 19th October, families of students in Year 4 are warmly invited to register their children for First Holy Communion.

Throughout Term 3, students have spent time learning about the meaning and significance of this sacred sacrament. Now, they are ready to take this important step in their faith journey.

To register your child, please follow this link: First Holy Communion – Year 4 Families

We look forward to celebrating this special milestone with you and your family.

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