Week 6, Term 3, 2025 | Friday 22 August

Cultivating Connection and Finding Joy

At Canterbury, we know that joy is often found in the simplest of moments; the shared laughter, the unexpected surprises, and the connections that weave our community together from Early Learning right through to Year 12.

This week, our Book Week celebrations were a perfect example of this. The incredible effort from our ELC and Junior School students, and the parents who supported them, was on full display. The creativity, colour, and enthusiasm poured into costumes brought such energy to our campus. There was pure delight in watching the young faces light up as they paraded proudly with their peers, cheered on by families and teachers who are equally proud to be part of this vibrant community. Adding to the fun, our Year 12 students, including myself, surprised the Junior School by arriving as Cruella de Vil and her 101 Dalmatians. What unfolded was more than just a dress-up moment. It was a reminder of the unique connections that make Canterbury so special. For our seniors, it was a chance to step outside the pressures of their final year and rediscover the joy of playfulness. For our youngest learners, it was an unforgettable experience knowing that the “big kids” notice them, care for them, and want to share in their celebrations.

These cross-age interactions matter. They nurture empathy, leadership, and belonging, while reinforcing that education is about more than exams and lessons. It’s about community, joy, and showing up for one another in meaningful ways. Yes, there were spots, wigs, and plenty of laughter. But behind it all was something much more powerful: the beauty of a school that grows with you, from your very first day to your very last.

Celebrating Growth Across Canterbury

We are delighted to share the impressive progress of our students in 2025, with both Approach to Learning and Academic Grades showing measurable improvement across all year levels and our entire student population. This consistent upward trend is a strong reflection of Canterbury’s culture of academic rigour, high expectations, and the commitment of both staff and students.

Our recent review of student achievement highlights that learning growth is not confined to one group or subject area, but is being experienced broadly across the College. In the Junior School, students in Years 1 to 5 demonstrated strong and consistent achievement across key learning areas, supported by a focus on foundational skills and differentiated instruction.

In the Senior School, students in Years 8, 9, and 12 made particularly notable gains, with improved summative results accompanied by a clear lift in their Approach to Learning. Our Year 12 cohort, in particular, have shown outstanding maturity, dedication, and perseverance as they embrace the challenge of their final year. Their example sets a high standard for younger students and reflects the value of Canterbury’s focus on academic rigour.

We are especially encouraged by the positive shifts in student attitudes towards learning. More students across more year levels are demonstrating effort, resilience, and independence in their studies, which is driving higher academic performance overall.

Our NAPLAN results further reinforce this trajectory of growth, with strong upward trends in literacy and numeracy as students progress through the College. We are seeing particular improvements in writing, grammar, punctuation, and numeracy, with Year 9 results reflecting significant growth in both skill and confidence.

These outcomes affirm that our targeted teaching strategies, curriculum alignment, and focus on learning behaviours are working. They also highlight the power of a whole-school culture where every student is encouraged and supported to achieve their best.

We thank our families for their partnership in this journey and celebrate with pride the achievements of our students. Together, we are fostering a vibrant learning community where academic growth and character development go hand in hand, preparing our young people for success well beyond their school years.

A thriving Junior School Leadership experience.

It has come to the time of the year in the Junior school where we begin the selection process for our student leadership team for 2026. When students take on leadership roles, they develop essential skills such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. These experiences help them build self-confidence and learn how to make decisions that affect their peers positively. Student leadership also encourages a sense of responsibility and accountability, as leaders often represent their classmates and help organize activities or solve issues.

To kick start the leadership journey, all students in Year 5 will be participating in a special Year 5 Thrive day on Friday the 29th of August. This day provides numerous opportunities to:

• Hear from a range of people around the college in a leadership capacity
• Work as part of a team to practice and develop leadership skills and capacity in a high-energy, hands-on approach
• Hear from guest speaker Seamus Evans
• Reflect on their journey so far, and identify some meaningful goals moving forward on their own personal journey

Throughout our leadership process, we aim to identify exemplary students who model each of the school values in all elements of College life but also develop a sense of responsibility and leadership among all members of the 2026 Year 6 cohort.

Staff and students are excited to get the Junior School process up and running and begin to see the leaders of the future take up their first official leadership process. We hope to continue to build on the fantastic legacy that our current and prior student leadership team have built in the Junior School environment

Celebrating Leadership, Learning, and Community Spirit at Canterbury

As we pass the midway point of Term 3, the dynamic nature of the Canterbury community continues to shine with amazing opportunities and accomplishments in all four dimensions.

On Thursday last week, ten of our Year 11 girls attended the “She Leads” Summit held at St Hilda’s School, a leadership summit designed to empower the next generation of female leaders. Our students heard from a diverse range of speakers who highlighted the importance of resilience, determination, and innovation. It was an excellent day, giving our young women the opportunity to reflect upon and strengthen their leadership skills. Our girls represented themselves and our college beautifully as they workshopped and networked.

Last week was science week. On Thursday we welcomed a range of people to the science labs to engage in a science showcase, celebrating the world of science. On Friday a group of our Year 9 students shared their enthusiasm for science knowledge and inquiry with an eager audience of junior school students at recess two in Nabei, who marvelled at their science shows.

Last week also saw the conclusion of Cranmer weeks where a number of students and staff lost some or all of their hair in the name of the Cancer Council’s Ponytail Project. Through their efforts, the Canterbury community raised over $21 000 towards cancer research and support for people experiencing cancer. At the “Rock the Chop” event, we celebrated the generosity of our students and the wider community as we listened to our rock bands play during the loud lunch.

This week sees us transition into Kime weeks. Many of our senior school students will be hearing from the team at Orange Sky to build awareness of those in our community experiencing homelessness while providing tangible actions they can take to make a positive difference. In line with Kime week, this Sunday (24/08/25) we will be celebrating the Kime family chapel. It would be wonderful to see many of the Kime community there to build connections within the Kime community.

Finally in sport, we had a great round last weekend against St Paul’s with some notable wins by our girls First touch football and volleyball teams. We will strive to keep this momentum going as we make the trip out to West Moreton Anglican College for this week’s round of TAS fixtures. We wish all teams the best of luck, confident that win, lose or draw, they will play with spirit and pride.

Life & Living in Year 3 Science

This term, our curious Year 3 scientists are exploring the fascinating world of Life and Living. We are learning how living things can be classified based on their observable features and how they grow and change through different stages of their life cycles.

We began our learning journey with the life cycle of a plant. Each student planted a bean seed in the classroom and is now carefully observing its growth each week. Through hands-on investigation, students are discovering the stages of germination, stem and leaf growth, flowering, and seed production. They are recording their findings in “bean diaries” using drawings, labels, and written observations.

Later this term, we will compare plant life cycles to those of different animals, exploring the similarities and differences between species. Students will also develop important science inquiry skills such as asking questions, making predictions, recording observations, and communicating their findings.

This unit is aligned with the Australian Curriculum – Science, which encourages students to understand how living things grow, change, and interact with the world around them. It’s a wonderful opportunity to nurture curiosity, build scientific thinking, and develop an appreciation for the natural environment.

Junior School Spanish Day

On Tuesday 19 August, Canterbury’s Junior School celebrated its third annual Spanish Language Festival, celebrating the rich cultures of Spain, Central America and South America. This exciting day allows students to immerse themselves within the cultures of Spanish speaking countries and to practice their language skills, highlighting the importance of respecting and appreciating cultural diversity. With the help of the year 9 Spanish classes, students from the ELC to Year 6 took part in a variety of activities, including learning how to dance, playing the classic Spanish children’s game la oca, testing their knowledge with bingo and trivia as well as creating traditional Mexican masks and papel picado. This year we were joined by Diego and Katya from Destino Latin Dance who gave a fantastic performance showcasing Bachata and Salsa dance styles and then taught both dances to the year 4, 5 and 6 students. A big thanks to Destino Latin Dance for their performance and dance lessons, to the year 9 Spanish students for sharing their Spanish expertise and to the Spanish teaching team for organising the activities.

Luke Harmer
Languages Coordinator

Global Studies Highlights

In addition to the successful Junior School Spanish Day, our Global Studies Faculty has incorporated other enriching experiences this term that bring students’ learning to life. Our Year 7 students have channelled inspiration from their Term 2 museum excursion into creating their own Egyptian exhibits for assessment. This creative project demonstrates how experiential learning transforms into meaningful academic work. Our Year 12 Japanese students recently visited the Japanese Consulate in the city, where they discovered exciting opportunities for future study and employment in Japan. The day concluded with an authentic obento lunch and relaxing karaoke session, perfectly blending cultural immersion with friendship. In Mandarin classes, Years 8 and 10 students have been participating in Kung Fu sessions, while our Year 7s eagerly anticipate an upcoming dumpling-making incursion that promises to be both delicious and educational. Looking ahead, our Year 11 Legal Studies students will journey to the city’s Law Courts, where they’ll witness legal theory in action and hear directly from a judge about real-world legal processes.

These diverse experiences exemplify our commitment to students’ World Ready education that extends far beyond the classroom walls.

Helen Tani
Head of Faculty – Global Studies

Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Campus Maps | Uniform Shop | Canterbury OSHC

Canterbury College, 182 Old Logan Village Road, Waterford QLD 4133 Australia. CRICOS Number: 01609C | RTO Number: 30254 | ABN: 46 010 575 747

Join us for an afternoon to celebrate our Canterbury Fathers!

RSVP Here!