Week 9, Term 2, 2025 | Friday 20 June

UN Day – Celebrating Diversity and Cultural Inclusivity at Canterbury College

At Canterbury College, we believe that diversity is one of our greatest strengths. Celebrating the many cultures, backgrounds, and stories that make up our community fosters a sense of belonging, understanding, and unity among our students. When young people are encouraged to embrace their heritage and to appreciate the uniqueness of others they grow into more empathetic, globally minded individuals.

This week, our community came together for one of the most vibrant and meaningful events on our calendar: United Nations Day. It was a powerful celebration of cultural pride and inclusivity, with 58 countries represented in our joyful Parade of Nations. Students dressed in traditional attire proudly carried their flags, sharing a piece of their identity with the wider College.

We were treated to 30 exceptional performances, from traditional dances to music that reflected the rich cultural tapestry of our school. These performances not only entertained but also educated and inspired, showing the beauty that comes from embracing and honouring difference.

Adding to the celebration, 46 families generously prepared and served delicious dishes from their home countries, transforming our campus into a global food market. The joy, connection, and pride felt across the day reminded us of the deep value in recognising and celebrating each other’s cultures.

As I reflect on my final week as Acting Principal, it fills me with pride to have been part of such a special occasion in the life of our school. United Nations Day was a perfect reminder of what makes Canterbury so unique, our commitment to inclusivity, unity, and community spirit.

I would also like to warmly welcome back Mr Walker as he returns from his sabbatical and resumes his role from the beginning of Term 3. Thank you to every student, staff member, and family for your support and for allowing me the honour of serving as Acting Principal throughout Term 2.

Under Eights Day

Last Friday, our ELC to Year 2 students enjoyed an outstanding Under Eights Day filled with fun and educational activities. This year’s theme was ‘Unleashing Scientific Thinking Through Play’, and it was wonderful to see so many of our families join us for the morning. The students loved participating in teacher-led activities, including face painting, kite making, paper helicopters, sensory play, and sand art, just to name a few.

We were delighted to have visits from our local Fire and Police services. Highlights included meeting the police puppy ‘Jaws’ and learning about snakes, turtles, and lizards at the True Blue Reptile Show.

The CEC was buzzing with high-energy sporting activities run by our very own Canterbury Taipans team, along with special visits from AFL Qld and the Queensland Firebirds. Their presence added an extra layer of excitement and learning to the day.

After our families departed, the students enjoyed a Circus Show from Big Top Entertainment and danced the afternoon away with our special guest DJ, Mr. Michael Brown.

Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make this event a success. We look forward to many more enriching experiences like this for our students.

More info: MyCC News

It is hard to believe that Term 2 is drawing to a close already. It has been a fantastic term with our students excelling in so many domains, it makes me feel incredibly grateful and proud to be a part of the Canterbury community. Over the last two days we have marvelled at the athletic prowess of our students and the sense of pride they share in their houses at the athletics carnival and then celebrated the diverse cultural heritage of our community at the extravaganza that is the Canterbury UN Day.

During Term 2 we celebrated Goldsworthy and Becket as they led their community initiatives supporting the Smith Family and Rosies respectively. Our Year 8 cohort had an amazing time on their outdoor education experience and our Year 11’s enjoyed their THRIVE Day. Our chess players played, our debaters debated, our musicians performed, and our sports teams competed. Every term has such a rich tapestry of opportunities for students of all interest levels to engage, connect and shine. This term was no exception.

Of course, while the official end of term occurs on Friday, there are many members of the Canterbury community who will continue to engage in exciting opportunities during the holidays. We wish all attending the languages tour to Switzerland happy travels. Our Cantabile students travel to perform in Tasmania and of course this weekend there are the TAS rugby representative trials. In the second week of the holidays our netballers compete at QISSN championships. We wish everyone engaged in these activities the best of luck knowing they will form some incredible memories and lasting connections.

Term 3 commences on Tuesday 15 July.  I hope every student enjoys their holidays with family and friends and I look forward to hearing their stories upon their return.

Semester Reporting Update for Parents and Carers

Throughout this semester, we have undertaken a comprehensive review of our student reporting processes to ensure they are clear, meaningful, and supportive of student growth. As part of this review, we introduced an updated Approach to Learning rubric for the Senior School in Term 1, along with an Approach to Learning summary report card for both Junior and Senior Schools in Terms 1 and 3.

We are pleased to share that, at the end of the first week of the upcoming school holidays, students in both Junior and Senior Schools will receive a newly designed semester report card. This updated format includes several enhancements aimed at improving clarity and usefulness for families and students.

A new cover page has been added to the report card, making it a more polished and presentable document. This will be particularly useful for students when applying for employment, training programs or representative opportunities.

Junior School

Cohort Distribution Data: Parents and carers will now be able to see how their child’s academic results compare to the broader year level, providing helpful context for understanding placement.

Approach to Learning Snapshot: This section has been redesigned to present a clear visual summary, replacing detailed descriptors with a simple overview of learning behaviours. The detailed rubric will be provided in the explanatory notes.

Senior School

Approach to Learning Snapshot: The updated Approach to Learning snapshot offers a clearer picture of how students are engaging with their learning, both in the classroom and at home.

As part of our ongoing commitment to improvement, we are exploring ways to streamline the presentation of data in the Semester 2 report card to support greater readability and accessibility.

We understand that receiving reports may raise questions. Should you wish to discuss your child’s progress or feedback in more detail, we encourage you to contact your child’s teacher once school resumes on Tuesday 15 July.

We thank you for your continued support and look forward to working together to support your child.

Term 2 Sports Highlights

Term 2 has been action-packed, featuring three carnivals, TAS fixtures, and numerous students competing at district, regional, and state levels. Our students have shown incredible dedication and sportsmanship throughout the term.

Inter-House Cross Country Carnival

Due to inclement weather, our Inter-House Cross Country Carnival was adapted into a competitor-only race. Despite the rain, our runners gave it their all to earn selection for the TAS team. We’re proud to announce that our TAS Cross Country team secured pennants in both the 12 Years Boys and 15 Years Girls divisions.

Congratulations to the following students who placed in the top three of their age groups:

TAS Trimester 2 Sports

Trimester 2 sports wrapped up with outstanding results. We congratulate all teams and commend every athlete for their contribution to our impressive 2nd place overall in the TAS Champion School standings.

Special congratulations to our premiership-winning teams:

• Netball: First VII, Second VII, 8A, 8B
• Rugby: Year 8 and Year 7

A huge thank you to Mrs Hamilton and Mr Afu for their leadership in our Netball and Rugby programs, both of which achieved Champion School status this year.

We also extend our best wishes to our QISSN Netball team and TAS representative Rugby players as they prepare for their upcoming tournaments over the school holidays.

Looking Ahead: TAS Trimester 3 Sports

Training is now underway for Trimester 3 sports:

• Girls: Touch Football and Volleyball
• Boys: Football and Basketball
• Carnival: Athletics

Students and parents are reminded to join the both Senior Sport page and relevant sport-specific pages to stay updated with training schedules and fixture information. Please see our summary video here which includes a section on how to join groups on MyCC.

Celebrating Student Athletes

We love celebrating the achievements of our student athletes—whether through TAS, Queensland School Sport pathways, or external state and national competitions. If your child has a representative update or photo to share, please email Mrs Krzensk.

Students Inspired at the Brisbane Careers & Employment Expo

On Thursday 12 of June, Year 11 students had the exciting opportunity to attend the Brisbane Careers & Employment Expo, Queensland’s largest event of its kind. With over 160 organisations and employers in attendance, the event proved to be a wonderful success.

Students engaged directly with tertiary education providers, industry professionals, and career advisors, gaining valuable insights into a wide range of career pathways. The expo offered an environment where students could speak one-on-one with training providers and industry representatives, receive free expert career advice, and learn about emerging jobs and industries of the future. They also were able to attend informative career seminars, in hands-on activities in the engaging Try’a Skill Zones, and explore career pathways with the Australian Defence Force at the ADF Careers Expo.

The experience was both informative and inspiring, helping students to clarify their interests and begin planning their post-school journeys with confidence. Events like this are an invaluable part of our school’s commitment to supporting students in making informed decisions about their futures.

We look forward to attending again next year!

Year 6 Term Update

It’s been a vibrant and dynamic term for Year 6, filled with discovery, creativity, and meaningful learning across all subject areas.

English
In writing, students have been crafting powerful character and setting descriptions set within historical narratives. Focusing on the lives of First Nations Australians during the 1960s—a pivotal era of struggle and resilience—they’ve brought complex characters and settings to life using rich descriptive language and figurative techniques. Through vivid depictions, students are exploring history through the lens of storytelling.

HaSS
Our HaSS investigations have taken us deep into Australia’s 20th-century history, with a strong focus on the evolving experiences of First Nations Australians. Students have examined how these communities were represented in the Constitution and explored the impact of segregation and discrimination. Key events such as the Freedom Rides and the Wave Hill Walk-Off have helped bring these important stories to life.

Mathematics
In maths, we’ve delved into the fascinating world of fractions—and it’s been much more engaging than it sounds! Students have been ordering fractions on number lines, comparing them using equivalence, and tackling the challenge of adding and subtracting fractions (all without calculators!). We then connected fractions to decimals and percentages, building strong number sense for the future.

Science
Our science unit took us beyond the classroom and into space. Students explored the movements of the Sun, Moon, and Earth, uncovering the causes of day and night, the lunar cycle, and seasonal changes. It’s been a stellar journey through our solar system that’s sparked awe and curiosity.

Visual Arts
This term in Art, we explored the traditions of Japanese, Chinese, Indian and Indigenous artworks. Students studied the various techniques used by artists – shape, line, colour, form, texture – to create different forms of visual art. They thoroughly enjoyed creating artworks of their own demonstrating their knowledge and skills.

Design & Technologies
Year 6 have stepped into the role of real-world problem solvers in Design & Technologies. Students collaborated to design innovative systems for building wind proof houses, and moving water from areas with too much to those with too little. From brainstorming and prototyping to testing and refining (sometimes with a lot of sticky tape!), their ingenuity and teamwork have been nothing short of inspiring.

We look forward to our next exciting units in Term 3.

Written by the Year 6 Team

Michael Brown

Joelene Anderson

Juanita Purvis

Emma Barnes

Yesterday, our Year 9 students had the exciting opportunity to participate in a vibrant science incursion led by Mr. Sidney Hooker from Griffith University, as part of the ‘Science on the GO!’ program. This initiative was designed to engage students with a series of visual and hands-on experiments, sparking their curiosity and enthusiasm for science.

Throughout the session, Sid demonstrated various scientific principles through captivating experiments that not only entertained but also educated the students. These activities were carefully chosen to prepare the students for their upcoming assessment celebrating Science Week 2025! Next term, the Year 9 students will have the chance to present scaled down, yet equally intriguing scientific experiments to our Junior School students as part of Science Week. These shows have proven in the past to be important memories for both the Junior school students and Year 9s and helps foster a sense of mentorship and collaboration.

The positive reactions and enthusiasm from our Year 9 students were evident, as they eagerly participated and asked insightful questions. This experience highlighted the engaging and fascinating nature of science as a subject, and the importance of practical, hands-on learning in fostering a deeper understanding of scientific concepts.

Overall, the ‘Science on the GO!’ demonstration proved to be a resounding success, leaving our students inspired and excited about their future scientific endeavours.

Written by Head of Faculty – Science 

Nick Gillin

More info: MyCC News

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