Year 5 Entry at Canterbury

Years 5-6 Spark Program

Spark is an elective-based ‘hands-on’ STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics program for Years 5 and 6 students, unique to Canterbury and Queensland.

Each semester, our students choose one genuinely engaging subject to study, from a wide range of 12-14 topics.

Then students from both year levels who select the same option are combined into the one classroom and taught by relevant staff.

Spark is about building curiosity, encouraging students to try something different, and providing an exceptional opportunity for them to embark on their own ‘World Ready’ learning journey.

Spark happens once per week for two hours, with students encouraged to continue their learning beyond the classroom.

Spark focuses on the Australian Curriculum’s general capabilities of critical and creative thinking, personal and social capability, ethical understanding and intercultural understanding.

At the end of each semester, our Junior School hosts a Spark Learning Expo, where the students exhibit their special topic projects to parents, carers, staff, other student years, and the wider Canterbury community.

Giving students a choice in their learning early on can boost engagement, encourage them to capitalise on their strengths, and build student autonomy.

Spark also exposes students to subjects from Senior School, further strengthening their transition and familiarity with staff.

Lumina

Lumina provides opportunities for high performing students to challenge their thinking and develop academic skills beyond their classroom environment.

The program fosters higher order thinking skills, meta-cognition and problem-solving via participation in school team challenges, external academic competitions and various enrichment activities.

Coaching sessions are offered leading up to events after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

All Lumina students are expected to fulfil their commitments around attending these coaching sessions, in-school competitions and off-campus events.

Year 5 Lumina Activities:

Interschool DaVinci Decathlon where students compete in teams of eight across 10 disciplines: Engineering, Mathematics and Chess, Code Breaking, Art and Poetry, Science, English, Ideation, Creative Producers, Cartography and Legacy; Interschool Public Speaking Competitions; Interschool Debating Competitions; Australasian Mathematical Problem-Solving Olympiad; Canterbury Spelling Bee and Interschool Spelling Bee Competitions; ICAS: International Competitions and Assessment for Schools Academic Competitions – Skills-Based Online English, Mathematics and Science Tests; BRAINways Education Off-Campus Workshop Program Days; It’s All About The Backstory Writers Program; Geometry In Nature; Premier’s Book Reading Challenge.

Year 5 Immersion Band Program

As part of our Music curriculum, students begin their Immersion Band Program during Year 5, and continue through into Year 6.

Each week in-term, they have a group lesson with specialist instrumental teachers, as well as a full band rehearsal with our Coordinator of Bands.

Students can learn the flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone, euphonium or percussion instruments.

They may also opt to further their learning by taking music lessons in our Studio Tuition Program and/or playing in the Performance Program’s Beginner Band.

The Year 5 Band performs at Term 3’s Canterbury Spring Music Festival’s Panorama Concert while the Beginner Band performs at Term 2’s Canterbury Winter Music Festival’s Panorama Concert.

Wellbeing, Leadership, Service & Character

Canterbury offers its Year 5s a pastoral care curriculum backed up by a Wellbeing Blueprint, leadership courses, the industry-leading The Resilience Project, our RaVE: Religious and Values Education Program, House Spirit events, and the Year 5 Outdoor Education Camp – 3-4 days of outdoor adventures in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

In conjunction with professionally facilitated workshops like the Years 5-6 Sacred Sister Project for girls, and Years 5-6 Rock And Water Program for boys, they all set the tone for self-awareness, personal growth and the development of young people with integrity, respect, gratitude and effort.

The Resilience Project

This leading nationwide organisation delivers emotionally engaging programs and provides evidence-based, practical wellbeing strategies to build resilience.

Their mission is to teach positive mental health strategies to help people become happier and more resilient.

This is based on research which clearly shows the more positive emotions you experience, the more resilient you will be.

For that reason they focus on three key pillars proven to cultivate positive emotion: Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness (GEM).

The Resilience Project also has a strong focus on Connection, Purpose, Kindness, Emotional Literacy and Physical Health.

Not only do our Year 5s experience this wonderful program, but their parents and carers can attend an adult-level virtual or in-person evening workshop during the year.