Week 4, Term 3, 2025 | Friday 8 August

Personalised Learning in the AI Era: Tools that Empower, Not Replace

As education rapidly evolves, one of the most exciting developments is the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in classrooms. At Canterbury, we’re exploring AI not as a replacement for teachers, but as a tool to enhance the learning experience supporting more personalised, adaptive and engaging education. We are working with some leaders in AI technology to understand more about how it can be utilised to benefit our students and create immersive and exciting curriculum experiences.

AI-powered systems such as formative quizzes, feedback tools, and writing assistants are beginning to complement our existing practices. How incredible to think education is now in a time where students can receive instant feedback on drafts, enabling them to iterate and improve their writing in real time. These tools help us differentiate instruction, offering both support and extension tailored to individual needs.

At Canterbury, we’re taking a thoughtful approach to integration balancing innovation with safeguards. Students are learning to critically evaluate AI outputs, cite responsibly, and use these tools as collaborators rather than crutches. We are also looking forward to heading to the Educator Awards in Sydney this week, where we are proud to be nominated for the second year running for our Technology programs.

Ultimately, our goal is to empower students to become agile, reflective learners equipped for a future where human creativity and technological fluency go hand-in-hand. AI can support differentiation and efficiency, but it’s the teacher’s insight, empathy and expertise that bring true meaning to learning.

As we continue exploring these tools and participate in pilot programs through innovative leaders like Education Perfect, we remain committed to keeping our learners, teachers and community at the centre of all we do.

100 days of Prep

How time flies!

Last Thursday, the whole Junior School celebrated with our youngest students as they reached an important milestone – they completed their first 100 days of ‘big school’. The day saw our littlies come to school dressed up as old people – it was great to see how proud they were of themselves. It was also so good to see so many parents and grandparents join us for our Junior School assembly which featured our Prep cohort singing and dancing up a storm.

For those of us carefully watching on, we have seen the transformation. Our students have grown so much over this time. They are all making great progress in learning to read and write. They are developing their understanding of numbers, shapes and measuring. They now confidently navigate their way around the playground and easily mix with new friends. They have learned to work independently and as part of a co-operative group. What an achievement!

The early years of school are so important. It is a time when the development of those crucial dispositions and skills that support children to experience ongoing success at school are laid; emotional self-regulation, resilience, social skills, literacy and numeracy competencies. We know that children are learning at a rate in these early years that will never again be experienced in their lifespan and it is always important to celebrate the journey along the way. The 100 Days of Prep is a fantastic way to do this.

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Discovery, Development and Dreams: A Joyful Start to Term 3 in the ELC

What an exciting time we are having in the Early Learning Centre this term. Both the Pre-Kindy and Kindy classes have begun the term with such anticipation, curiosity, inquiry and enjoyment. As early childhood teachers and educators, we are privileged to observe the children’s love for learning evolve as they grow and develop their skills and knowledge over the year. Here is a snapshot of what some of the classes have been working on this term.

Bilin’s interest for Term 3 has been the theme of ‘pirates’. We took this theme as an opportunity to build on spatial awareness, positional language and collaboration through the mathematical concept of mapping. The children have been busy exploring imaginative play in the pirate ship corner that we have built as a class, measuring ‘gold’, counting coins, practicing fine motor through arts and craft, and learning about the /p/ sound for pirate and parrot!

In Mibunn this term, the children’s learning has centered around the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline (QKLG) Outcome: Communication. The children have been actively engaged in experiences that support both literacy and numeracy development. In literacy, our focus during the first part of Term 3 has been on rhyming words. Children have explored rhymes through shared reading experiences and reinforced their understanding by playing a memory card game, where they match words and pictures that rhyme. Our numeracy learning has concentrated on patterns – recognising patterns in everyday environments and expressing their creativity by designing their own patterns using various visual art materials. We’ve also revisited our Bridge Builders social-emotional learning program, helping children strengthen their skills in peer negotiation and conflict resolution. In the area of gross motor development, the children have enjoyed a variety of physical challenges including climbing, balancing, jumping, and hopping. These activities have been supported by resources such as hopscotch layouts, obstacle courses, and jump mats, encouraging coordination and confidence.

Term 3 has started off with great energy in Geira as our children dove into name recognition activities. From writing and bingo-dot tracing their names to creating individual name puzzles, the focus on identity has sparked excitement and creativity. This naturally led into practicing scissor skills through a variety of cutting experiences—magazines, name and letter shapes, and dotted line patterns—all aimed at building fine motor confidence. Our little learners have also been exploring their growing personalities and self-awareness by crafting self-portraits using natural materials like leaves and sticks. To top it off, we’ve begun imagining the future, with children expressing what they want to be when they grow up. It’s been a joyful and inspiring start to the term, filled with discovery, development, and dreams!

We are also looking forward to our ELC-Year 2 Athletics Carnival and the Junior School Book Week Parade coming up over the next couple of weeks, where we can demonstrate our athletic skills and creativity.

Canterbury Esports Take Gaming to the Next Level

A New Era Begins

The start of this term marked a significant milestone with the opening of our new Canterbury Taipans Esports Lab. This space has become a hive of activity, where students from Year 4-12 gather twice a week to hone their skills, build teamwork, and compete.

Our new lab has been designed to create multiple learning environments within one space, supporting everything from intense competitive training to collaborative projects and casual social gaming. The facility features ten high-spec gaming stations in 5v5 formation with broadcast capability, three Nintendo Switch setups with large play screens and couches, racing simulation equipment, and a vintage arcade machine. This diverse range of gaming options ensures students can engage according to their needs and interests, whether developing competitive skills in titles like Rocket League and Valorant, working on collaborative Minecraft projects, or enjoying console favourites like Mario Kart, and Super Smash Bros and Just Dance.

National Competition Excellence

Canterbury College proudly competes in the Fuse Cup, a national schools competition featuring Rocket League, Super Smash Bros, Mario Kart, and Just Dance. This platform allows our Canterbury teams to represent our school values on a national stage across three competitive rounds throughout the year. Winners of each regional round advance to compete in the State and national finals held in November. Canterbury College also serves as a host venue for Fuse Cup events across the Logan region, demonstrating our leadership in the Esports community while providing our students the advantage of competing on familiar ground.

Outstanding Recent Performances

Earlier this year, Canterbury fielded a skilful Mario Kart team whose consistent performance made us proud. This week, during Fuse Cup Round 2, our Year 5-6 Just Dance teams delivered exceptional performances. The team consisting of: Summer Burgess, Emma Fu, Hasrat Kaur, and Adelyn Shields secured second place overall, with Emma achieving the highest individual round score of the entire event. The following day’s Year 9-12 Super Smash Bros competition saw Michael Chilver, Lincoln Homann, Alex Sayers and Jonathan Skirving face tough opposition. Despite missing out on victory, Alex’s exceptional sportsmanship earned him MVP of the tournament, exemplifying true Canterbury spirit.

National Minecraft Champions

Perhaps our most exciting recent achievement comes from Minecraft, where five Year 8 students – Riley Berryman, Lachlan Cole, Pushpinder Chahal, Humdhaan Ikhlas and Kelvin Jung, participated in a Science and Technology build challenge. After investing hundreds of hours designing and constructing a comprehensive science facility with a fully functional Tesla Coil, the team earned first place in this prestigious national competition. This outstanding achievement highlights how our Esports program extends into educational applications that enhance STEM learning.

Building Tomorrow’s Skills

Canterbury’s Esports program represents more than gaming. It’s about preparing students for an increasingly digital future while maintaining our core values. Through competitive gaming, students develop problem-solving abilities, learn to handle pressure, and understand the importance of practice and dedication in achieving success

Learning to Live Sustainably

This term, Year 4 students have embarked on a purposeful and inspiring journey through English, HASS, Science and Mathematics, with sustainability at the heart of their learning. With creativity as their tool and curiosity as their guide, students are developing important skills while exploring the question: how can we protect and care for our planet?

In English and HASS, students have been exploring persuasive writing through a real-world lens, learning to advocate for change and communicate with impact. As part of their integrated unit, students have been delving into the sustainability practices of First Nations Australians—uncovering how traditional knowledge and deep connection to Country allowed environments to thrive for tens of thousands of years. These rich understandings have inspired students to reflect on modern habits and the importance of living more sustainably.

Looking ahead, students will soon be putting their persuasive skills into action by designing and pitching their own upcycled products. These creations will be a powerful reminder that we don’t always need to buy new—sometimes, the best solutions come from reimagining what we already have. Through this learning, students are becoming passionate voices for the environment, championing the need to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

As mathematicians, Year 4 students have been diving deep into the world of fractions. They have explored equivalence, converted between proper, improper and mixed fractions, and sharpened their reasoning skills through hands-on tasks and real-world problems. With their fraction knowledge growing stronger each week, students are now shifting their focus to the concept of time. They will be applying their mathematical thinking to solve time-based challenges, connecting their learning to practical, everyday situations.

In Science, students have been captivated by the magic of the Water Cycle. Through interactive experiments, including the creation of their own mini water systems in zip-lock bags, students have observed the processes of evaporation, condensation, precipitation and collection in real time. These engaging experiences have sparked deep discussions about the critical role each stage plays in sustaining life on Earth. As scientists, students are now investigating each stage more closely to understand how this vital cycle supports both the environment and human activity.

Year 4 continues to inspire with their unwavering dedication, thoughtful empathy, and an ever-deepening sense of responsibility. With minds open to big ideas and hearts attuned to global challenges, they are embracing a term defined by purposeful learning, imaginative problem-solving, and bold steps toward creating a more sustainable future.

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