Week 7, Term 3, 2025 | Friday 29 August

Stronger Together: Parents, Students and Staff

Community voice sits at the heart of a flourishing school. When parents, students and staff are invited to speak and be heard, we gain a fuller picture of how our decisions land in real classrooms, homes and playgrounds. It builds trust, improves decisions, and reminds us that education is a partnership in which everyone has a distinct role to play.

Parent voice is gathered through our Parent Consultative Committee (CPCC). This group offers grounded insight into how policies, programs and communications are experienced by families. It is a forum for respectful feedback and practical problem solving, not a place for special pleading. When parents test ideas with us, share what is working, and identify pain points, leadership can refine priorities and implementation plans so that good intentions translate into good outcomes. This year we have had good engagement on the issues of student supervision before and after school, the cocurricular registration and communication cycle, online safety matters, semester reporting and approach to learning, pick up areas and carparking. The CPCC has functioned successfully in 2025 and now has good momentum and a clear concept of its purpose and function.

Student voice is championed through our Student Parliament. Young people bring a fresh lens to questions of culture, belonging and wellbeing, and they often see simple improvements that adults miss. This year, the Student Parliament has discussed service opportunities, innovation on the campus, uniform tweaks, equipment or capital requests and a myriad of other student-centric matters. When students help shape initiatives, they are more likely to own them, and their peers are more likely to engage. The Parliament also builds capability in listening, negotiation and service, qualities that prepare students to be World Ready citizens.

Staff voice is supported through our Staff Consultative Committee. Teachers and education and corporate services staff carry deep knowledge of how ideas meet the realities of time, resources and academic system realities. The SCC as a representative group of the whole staff, can give feedback on professional development, school day structure or new complexities of teaching and learning. This committee helps us surface the operational impacts of change, attend to workload, and keep our focus on teaching and learning. When staff are partners in design and review, the whole community benefits.

These three voices are distinct, and that is their strength. Parents bring the family perspective, students bring lived experience in the learning environment, and staff bring professional expertise. Alignment does not mean uniformity. At times we will hold healthy tension between aspiration and affordability, innovation and tradition, or pace of change and workload. Our task is to listen carefully, test proposals with evidence, and explain the why behind our decisions so that even when we differ, we remain connected to a shared purpose, which is to make Canterbury the best school it can be.

More info: Parent Consultative Committe (CPCC) – MyCC

Junior School Book Week Celebration

Our annual Book Week Parade was a huge success, bringing smiles, laughter, and a shared love of reading to our school community. Students and staff alike arrived dressed as their favourite book characters, from classic heroes to modern storybook stars. The creativity on display was truly inspiring, with costumes crafted at home showing just how much thought and care went into the day. Lots of students coordinated their costumes with a friend or themed with their peers.

Walking through the school grounds in the morning, it was impossible not to feel the excitement. Our teachers joined in the fun with their own imaginative costumes, sparking joy and curiosity among students. The parade wasn’t just about dressing up — it was a celebration of storytelling, imagination, and the power of books to connect us all.

Events like this remind us why reading matters. They encourage children to explore new genres, discover favourite authors, and develop a lifelong love for books. Seeing a beloved character come to life in costume can inspire even the most reluctant reader to pick up a book.

Thank you to all the parents for your support in helping make the day so special. Your involvement plays a key role in fostering a school culture that celebrates literacy, creativity, and fun.

Enhancing Coaching for Long-Term Success in Sport

At Canterbury, we are committed to building a Sports Program that delivers long-term, sustainable success. One of the most significant challenges facing sport at all levels is the quality of coaching, and we are taking proactive steps to address this head-on.

For the Term 3 TAS season, we have reinforced a clear message to our coaching team: “coach to teach, not coach to win.” This approach prioritises the individual development of every student, ensuring that our success is built on collective improvement rather than relying on standout performances from a few. We believe this philosophy will raise the overall standard of our sporting program in the years ahead.

As part of our broader strategic vision of Continuous Improvement, we are proud to introduce several key initiatives aimed at aligning our coaching practices with the College’s long-term goals:

New Role Development
Canterbury is leading the way as one of the first schools in Queensland to introduce a dedicated Head of Athletes and Coaching position. This role is focused entirely on enhancing coaching quality across all sports.

Head Coach Recruitment
We have begun appointing experienced Head Coaches whose values and coaching philosophies align closely with those of our Sports Program. This has already led to improved processes and outcomes across our Term 3 teams.

Pathways for Senior Students
A structured program is being developed to support Senior students in gaining coaching experience and skills before graduation, fostering the next generation of confident and capable coaches.

Improved Induction Processes
A new Coach Induction Program ensures that all coaches are aligned on expectations, planning, and our overarching coaching philosophy from day one.

These initiatives are just the beginning of our journey toward a stronger, more inclusive and development-focused Sports Program. We are confident they will significantly enhance the student experience.

Term 3 CaRE and Year 9 Outdoor Education  

The Term 3 CaRE program has seen students unpacking and developing strategies and skills across a range of different topics. It has been great to witness the work of our students in Cranmer and Kime Houses delivering sessions for their House initiatives, with Cranmer students delivering a lesson across the cohorts which raised awareness for the Cancer Council and Kime Students leading fun and engaging activities as a part of the Sudsy Challenge.

However, this week’s spotlight is on the upcoming Year 9 Outdoor Education experience which will take place early in Term 4. As part of the work Canterbury has undertaken with the Rites of Passage Institute, this Outdoor Education experience has been engineered as a Rite of Passage where students are utilising their strengths and areas of interest to choose their own journey. Students will be able to choose one of two options which have been designed to make students step out of their comfort zone, work collaboratively while supporting their team members to overcome the tasks set. The theme of this Outdoor Education experience is ‘Elige Iter Tuum’ which when translated means Choose Your Journey. Students will begin their preparations in Week 7 with a guest presentation from James Macqueen for Adventure Alternatives. I look forward to sharing further updates as the Year 9 cohort are deeper into their preparations for this activity.

Term 3 CaRe Themes

Year 7: Healthy Mind, Healthy Body 

Year 8: Dealing with Setbacks and Building Resilience/Leadership Journey for Year 9 

Year 9: Promoting Self Care through Decision Making and Risk Management 

Year 10: Stay Smart, Celebrate Smart (Alcohol and Substance Abuse) 

Year 11: Social Challenges – Digital Wellbeing and Social Media Pressures 

Year 12: Mindset Matter – Managing Stress, while remaining Optimistic and Confident`

Tweens, Teens and Screens – A presentation to Parents and Carers by Justin Coulson   

On Monday 8 September, Dr Justin Coulson will be at Canterbury to talk to our families about Tweens, Teens and Screens. Parents and Carers from ELC – Year 12 are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Dedicated to helping families thrive through his research-backed and hard-won wisdom, Dr Justin Coulson is a leading voice in parenting in Australia. Justin is the co-host and parenting expert on Channel Nine’s Parental Guidance and his Happy Families podcast, which he co-hosts with his wife Kylie. Justin is also the founder of happyfamilies.com.au and the author of 9 books, with his 10th book (on raising boys) soon to be published.  Justin is a sought-after public speaker, appears regularly in the media and his viral content has racked up over 100 million views. We are very fortunate to have Justin coming to Canterbury to present to our community on such an important issue which faces our students and wider society.

In this presentation, Dr Coulson, will unpack:

• Why screen time is an unhelpful way to talk about kids and screens.
• How boys and girls are affected differently by their screen use.
• The real impact of social media and video games.

When:  Monday 8 September 6:30pm – 8:00pm

Where:  Canterbury College Performing Arts Theatre

Light refreshments will be available outside the Performing Arts Theatre from 5:30pm 

Please use the link below to book your tickets before Wednesday 3 September 4:00pm 
Book Tickets Here! 

For more Information – MyCC News

Kime House Service Update

Kime House has always been known for its strong sense of community and spirit, and this shines brightest when we come together to support important causes. Nothing demonstrates this more than our leadership of the Sudsy Challenge in support of Orange Sky.

Orange Sky is a not-for-profit organisation that provides free mobile laundry and warm, meaningful conversations to people experiencing homelessness. Their mission is about restoring dignity, connection and hope through the simple act of listening. The Sudsy Challenge reflects this by encouraging participants to wear the same clothes for three days, sparking conversations and raising vital funds and awareness for Orange Sky.

In previous years, we have raised incredible amounts, with last year’s efforts raising over $46 000 to fund 1 955 loads of washing. supported by 283 participants. Already this year, we have surpassed that participation number with 336 students signed up, and we’ve raised more than $35,000 three weeks out from the challenge! This incredible amount is enough to fun 1 487 loads of laundry for people doing it tough. Our Junior School deserves a special shoutout, contributing a remarkable $22,000 so far, and many of our Canterbury students are proudly standing at the top of the Sudsy fundraising leaderboard.

As part of Kime Weeks, students across all year levels engaged with Orange Sky’s mission. Our Years 5 and 6 and Year 11 and 12 students were especially fortunate to welcome Lucas Patchett, Orange Sky’s Co-Founder and CEO, who shared the story of how Orange Sky began, the challenges of running a not-for-profit, and answered all our burning questions. It was an invaluable opportunity to learn directly from someone whose work is making such a substantial impact in communities across Australia.

Meanwhile, our Years 7 to 10 students brought Orange Sky’s values to life through fun and interactive CaRE lessons. The Year 9s and 10s focused on building positive conversations, participating in scenarios that highlighted the importance of connection and empathy – the very heart of Orange Sky’s mission. Years 7 and 8 worked together in laundry-themed games after being taught by their fellow Kime students, who did an amazing job leading their peers.

Kime’s Service and Leadership Weeks have once again shown what makes our house so special: our ability to step up, lead, and create real change, both in our school and in the wider community. As House Captain, I could not be prouder of the progress we have made and the passion our students continue to show.

To help spread our support of the community we need you! Staff, students and alumni alike, anyone from Years 5–12 can still take part in this year’s Sudsy Challenge! All it takes is raising $48 before September 8, and you’ll receive your orange Sudsy shirt in the mail. The link to signing up is below, and we would love nothing more than to see as many people rocking orange on September 17^th-19^th as possible.

https://www.thesudsychallenge.com.au/join/canterburycollege2025

Science Showcase

Last week, our junior students were treated to a lunchtime of science wonder and discovery during a special incursion led by Mr. Mills and an enthusiastic team of Year 9 students. Students were captivated by a series of dazzling demonstrations designed to showcase just how fun and fascinating science can be. The afternoon began with an explosion of colour and foam as students watched the classic “elephant’s toothpaste” experiment, which had everyone gasping at the rapid eruption. This was followed by the “hidden glass” demonstration, where objects seemed to disappear before their eyes, leaving many puzzled about the tricks light and refractive indices can play. The highlight for many, however, was the thrilling use of liquid nitrogen, which showcased the extreme effects of ultra-cold temperatures.

The Science Afternoon Showcase, held on Thursday 14 August, was not only an opportunity for students to marvel at experiments but also a reminder of how curiosity and creativity are at the heart of scientific discovery. Events like these inspire our students to ask questions, think critically, and, most importantly, see the joy in learning. The showcase didn’t stop there. Our talented Year 9 Scientists took to the stage to share their own knowledge of science. Evelyn and Inaya impressed with their engaging presentation on the science of sound, sparking curiosity with hands-on activities that allowed students to hear science in action. Meanwhile, Lyla and Zoe transported the audience into the explosive world of volcanoes, explaining how pressure and chemical reactions shape some of Earth’s most dramatic natural events.

Teachers also joined in the fun, igniting fire bubbles and freeze-drying marshmallows in liquid nitrogen – a crispy treat that delighted the crowd. To finish off the afternoon, students explored interactive displays, getting hands-on with tuning forks, microscopes, and other engaging scientific activities.

Written by Sarka Baiada – Acting Head of Faculty Science

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