Dear Parents and Carers

It has been an exciting two weeks at Canterbury since the previous newsletter and I would like to acknowledge staff for going above and beyond as always to provide students with enriching educational experiences beyond the classroom.

Thank you, Ms Grimes, Ms Tzodouris, and Mr Fowler, for leading Kindergarten's 100 Days celebrations. Your dedication and enthusiasm made this milestone a memorable and meaningful experience for students and parents. The day provided many benefits: For students, it fostered a sense of achievement and excitement about their learning journey, boosting confidence and motivation. For parents, the event offered a wonderful opportunity to engage with their child's education, build stronger connections with teachers and other families, and celebrate their child's growth and progress. Your leadership made this day truly special for all involved. 

Thank you, Mrs Ryan, for providing senior choir students with the unique opportunity to perform at the Sydney Opera House during the Festival of Choral Music. Incredible experiences like this not only enrich our students' musical education but also inspire and send a strong message that they can achieve anything they put their mind to. Your commitment to creating these memorable moments and giving students a deeper appreciation for the arts is truly appreciated.

Thank you, Ms Murray, for organising the Stage 2 overnight camp at Taronga Zoo. Your efforts in coordinating this exciting and educational experience provided students with a unique opportunity to learn about and connect with wildlife as part of their Science and Technology studies, and build independence and social skills.

Also, thank you to Ms Midori, Mr Wallin, Ms Murray, Ms Matar, Ms Phillips, and Ms Valastro for supervising and supporting the participating students throughout the camp. Your dedication and care ensured the safety and enjoyment of all students, making the overnight excursion a valuable experience for everyone involved.

Thank you, Ms Sevenoaks, for your dedicated work with the Senior Drama students throughout the year, culminating in their outstanding In the Spotlight performance at Campbelltown Arts Centre. Your commitment to nurturing their skills and confidence is truly appreciated. The play was well received and popular with the audience due to the quality of our students' performance, storytelling and passion. This performance served as an audition for the State Drama Festival, and we are confident that Ms Sevenoaks and the students' talent and hard work will earn the ensemble an invitation to participate.

Students from Kindergarten through Year 6 were fortunate to enjoy a special visit and presentation by Paralympian Taylor Gosens. Taylor, a judo athlete with a vision impairment, shared her inspiring journey to the 2024 Paralympics in Paris. She captivated the students with incredible stories about trying a variety of sports and activities, encouraging everyone to be inclusive of all peers in their games, regardless of ability. Thank you, Ms Valastro, for organising this powerful incursion.

Year 5 Enrichment Program

Select Year 5 students participated in a two-day enrichment program hosted by our wonderful neighbours, the outstanding Canterbury Girls High School and Canterbury Boys High School. This new initiative provided participating students with an early opportunity to experience the high school learning environment, which supports the transition from primary to secondary education. The program challenged students with advanced activities that stimulated critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Additionally, it allowed them to explore new subjects and interests, broadening their academic horizons. Participating in the enrichment program fostered confidence and independence, with students building relationships with high school teachers and peers from other schools, supporting their social and emotional development. 

Canterbury Staff at the Forefront of Educational Leadership

When our staff present at conferences and network meetings, they play a vital role in building the capacity of educators and leaders in Public Education by sharing their expertise, innovative practices, and successful projects. For example, Ms Sevenoaks recently delivered professional learning on writing assessment for all Assistant Principal, Curriculum and Instruction leaders in our network and the Canterbury Director of Educational Leadership. Ms Sevenoaks provided valuable strategies and insights for other leaders to adapt to enhance students' writing skills and understanding in their schools.

Similarly, Mr Wallin was invited to share his highly successful and engaging Mongolian Podcast project at the Sydney Metropolitan EAL/D Conference, inspiring educators across Sydney with creative and engaging methods to support students' English language acquisition.

Through these opportunities, our staff showcase the superb work happening at Canterbury Public School and contribute to professional growth beyond our school, fostering collaboration and raising teaching standards across the broader educational community.

Punctuality and Before School Extracurricular Clubs

If your child participates in before school programs including junior choir, yoga, green thumbs, strings, and PSSA training, please ensure they arrive on time so they do not miss out. Arriving late causes unnecessary disruption to students and staff, delays to the program and disappointment when students find the gates are already locked. Parents are responsible for ensuring their child is ready to start the activity at the scheduled time. Thank you for your cooperation.

SASS Appreciation Week 

SASS Appreciation Week (Monday 25th to Friday 29th August) is an annual event dedicated to recognising and celebrating the valuable contributions of School Administrative and Support Staff (SASS) within the education community. During this week, public schools and offices of the NSW Department of Education acknowledge the hard work, commitment, and essential roles that SASS employees play in supporting the smooth operation of schools, assisting teachers and students, and enhancing the overall educational environment. SASS Appreciation Week is an opportunity for teaching staff, students and parents to show gratitude for their often behind-the-scenes efforts that make a significant difference in the daily functioning and success of schools. 

This week mainstream students in Years 1 to 6 are focusing on strategies to use to regulate emotions and energy. They are specifically learning how to identify the triggers that have got them there and the tools they can use to get back into the green zone. Practising these strategies while they are calm helps students remember to use them when it matters most. Ask your child which tools they like to use. 

Early Stage 1 students are learning about the Zones of Regulation and the emotions that can be found in each zone. We aim to be in the green zone (optimal for learning and life). When at home, see if your child can identify an emotion/feeling they are experiencing and which zone it sits in. There are no good or bad zones - all feelings are valid. See the list here:

• Blue Zone - hurt, sad, tired, sick and shy.
• Green Zone - calm, happy, ready to learn and proud.
• Yellow Zone - silly, worried, upset, excited and scared.
• Red Zone - anxious, angry and elated.

More and more students in support classes are discovering unfamiliar parts of our playground so the lessons from last week reinforce where it is safe to play. There are places where there is no supervision so students need to have these ‘out of bounds’ areas pointed out. When at home or entering the school, ask your child to show you where they can play and where they should avoid playing.

Last week, students were practising different tools to help them get to the green zone. We all have different energy levels at different times of the day and it is important that we maximise learning time by being in the correct zone.There are lots of tools we can use to get back into the Green Zone:

• Some are physical, e.g. fidget toys
• Some are mental, e.g. Inner Coach and Inner Critic
• Some are breathing e.g. 6 sided breathing

There are preventative measures parents can help with. These include; having good sleep routine, asking clarifying questions, and reducing and monitoring screen time. Ask your child what helps them best.

Early Stage 1 students are reviewing expected behaviours in the playground and reflecting on times when they may have had uncomfortable thoughts about someone at school because of what they were saying or doing. These thoughts can also happen in other settings. It is important to ask your child if they have had any of these thoughts and how they can best handle it.

Meghan Ryan
PBL Committee Member

What a fun and exciting day! On Friday 1st August Kindergarten celebrated their 100th day of school. Students were treated to a visit from Ashfield Fire Department and listened to a safety talk from Constable Gary from Burwood Police Area Command. The day continued with 100-day-themed activities, a disco, a viewing of Stickman and some snacks. We ended the day with a party with our wonderful Kindergarten families. The Kindergarten teachers are so proud of how far our littlest Canterbury Public School students have come and are looking forward to celebrating further successes this semester! 

Nadia Grimes, Chrisoula Tzodouris and Gerard Searle
Kindergarten Team

Last Monday, 19 members of the Senior Choir had the opportunity to rehearse and perform in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House. They were part of the massed choir in the Argyle Concert of the Festival of Choral Music. We started with the free rail bus to Sydenham and train to Circular Quay. Weather prevented a little sit down in the Botanic Gardens, however we had little extra time after the rehearsal to walk up to the Argyle, visit The Rocks Discovery Museum behind ‘Sticky’ (the candy making shop) and dinner at Pancakes on the Rocks, prior to the evening performance. Performing under lights in the Concert Hall in the stalls behind the stage is such a buzz, and our students were beautifully behaved and sang their hearts out. I'm pretty sure the kids will remember being there for years to come, but some may still be talking about the candy! 

Meghan Ryan
Senior Choir teacher

Last Wednesday, the Senior Drama Club represented Canterbury Public School at the ‘In the Spotlight’ Drama Festival at the Arts Centre in Campbelltown. Canterbury students performed their play ‘UFOh No’ to two packed out audiences. The organisers of the event made special mention of how impressed they were by Canterbury’s performance! Well done Senior Drama Club!

Karla Sevenoaks
Drama Club Coordinator

On Monday 4th August, 70 students from Stage 2 including the support unit, attended an overnight camp at Taronga Zoo. Luckily we were treated to some spectacular sunshine and dry weather. 

Our camp included a night walk where we were fortunate to see some very active and adorable red pandas in the trees and get up close to a Sumatran tiger (with some very strong glass keeping us safe!). Some early morning kookaburras and loud sea lions woke us up pre-dawn. We got to experience some behind the scenes animal encounters. Students saw the bird show with birds being fed or a Tasmanian Devil looking for its food. 

We learnt how we can help protect these awesome animals. 

• Only buy fish that has a blue Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) label which is an independent certification and eco-labelling scheme for wild-caught seafood
• Only buy products with sustainably sourced palm oil to protect tiger habitats
• Plant native trees for bird habitat

Huge thanks to our teachers and SLSO for their professionalism and positive attitude on very little sleep, Mrs Matar, Ms Phillips, Ms Valestro, Ms Midori and Mr Wallin. Congratulations to our Stage 2 students who were praised for their excellent manners and vast knowledge of animals. They did a fantastic job adapting to sleeping arrangements and following instructions setting up and packing up. 

Reminder to families that having notes and medication returned in a timely manner makes it easier for teachers to keep everyone safe. Labels on clothing makes it easier for it to be returned. 

Anna Murray
Stage 2 Assistant Principal

Students in Years 3–6 attended a special Imagine Presentation. This inspiring program features Paralympians who share their stories to promote inclusion, resilience, and goal setting. Taylor Gosens, a talented Paralympian, was our guest speaker at our session.

Grace Valastro
SU teacher

At our last hybrid P&C meeting, we welcomed staff from Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) who shared information and answered all the parents' questions. Thanks OSHC. Everyone is welcome to the meetings which are held in Week 3 and Week 8 of each term, in the staffroom and online. If you are thinking you might like to be more involved at any stage, or have a topic you'd like to hear more information from the school on, please reach out.

Uniforms
If you are interested in helping out once a term with second hand uniforms or if you (or your child) have ideas for a school sports shirt please get in touch via our email. We are looking for a parent/s to be involved in ONLY the sports shirt aspect of the uniforms if you're interested.

Save the Date:
Fathers Day - Thursday 4th September 8:30-9:20am

Walkathon - Term 4 - keep an eye out for the date.

If you are willing to be involved in either of these events, please email the P&C.

P&C contributions
We will be sending out a letter about annual P&C contributions soon, as the method for collecting this has changed from this year.

P&C membership
To become a member renew your membership, please  fill in a membership form online here. It costs just $2 for this calendar year. 

For any questions or comments, email us on canterburypublicschool.pandc@gmail.com.