Dear Parents and Carers

Enhancements to Pedestrian Bridge Access
Last week, students Charlie and Felix, parent rep, Carly and I met with Transport NSW to discuss planned improvements to the Canterbury Road pedestrian bridge. I am happy to report that bike ramps will be installed with a deadline of February next year, allowing members of the public to wheel their bike up and down the stairs safely when the bike is too large for the lift.

Transport NSW will also be exploring drainage issues, a 40km school zone on Canterbury Road and safer solutions than the current right-hand turn into and out of Church Street. 

I would like to thank Carly, Charlie and Felix for their insightful contributions. We look forward to more good news in the coming months.

Canteen Tender
Made Fresh is the successful applicant of the recent canteen tender. They have a three year lease with an extra two year option. I would like to thank our office manager, Janet and parent rep, Liz for their work on the panel. Today, Janet and I met with Made Fresh to share some positive and constructive feedback from the community. Made Fresh is committed to providing a quality service to Canterbury students and staff and we look forward to the improvements ahead.

Creative Arts Night
Overture, curtains, lights, This is it, the night of nights! 153 students are excited to be performing at this evening’s Creative Arts Night. Parents of performing students, please check your emails to ensure you are across all organisation. 

Korean Cultural Experience
Congratulations to Ms Lee for her incredible dedication and creativity in developing immersive Korean learning programs. Her recent efforts, including the cultural food experience for Stage 2 last Wednesday and the engaging folk tales and Korean craft activities for Stage 1 last Friday, have enriched our students' understanding and appreciation of Korean language and culture. Thank you, Ms Lee, for your outstanding contribution to our educational community! 

School Development Day
I would like to acknowledge Ms Sevenoaks for her outstanding leadership of the whole-school professional learning session on Explicit Teaching during our recent School Development Day. Ms Sevenoak’s workshop facilitated meaningful and engaging discussions among staff, particularly around explicit teaching strategies and the enabling factors that support effective instruction. Thank you, Ms Sevenoaks, for your leadership in building our collective capacity as a teaching staff, and the advancement of teaching practices across the school.

Kindergarten Enrolment Interviews
Big thanks to Mr Searle and Ms Grimes for facilitating interviews with our incoming Kindergarten students and their parents. This is a critical part of our enrolment process, providing an opportunity to welcome new families into our community and gather important information to support each child’s successful transition to school. This work allows our school to plan appropriately for the individual learning and social-emotional needs of each new student. 

Tracy Considine
Principal

We are incredibly proud to celebrate the achievements of two of our talented athletes who have represented our school and their sporting teams at the highest levels of competition.

Isaac recently competed at the Oz Tag Nationals, showcasing outstanding athleticism, teamwork, and sportsmanship throughout the tournament. Although this is an out of school achievement, he demonstrated commitment and skill against some of the best young players in Australia.

Meanwhile, Savannah represented our school and district at the PSSA State Rugby League Championships. Competing at this level is a tremendous accomplishment and reflects her dedication, resilience, and love for the game.

Both students have shown what can be achieved through hard work, perseverance, and a positive attitude. They are wonderful ambassadors for our school, and we congratulate them on these outstanding achievements!

Mark Healey
Sport Coordinator

Last week, students continued to use the language of the Zones of Regulation and revisited PBL expectations as a refresher after the holidays.

This week, the PBL focus for students in support classes is about asking for help. It is important to ask for help at times, and although we may feel anxious or embarrassed, we can feel relieved and calm after we get the help we need. Students were reminded to be polite (say please and thank you), be direct (say what you need), choose the right time (is the teacher available?), and use the word “I” (focus on your feelings), for example, “I am feeling confused. Can you please help me with my writing task?”

This week mainstream classes are reassessing their growth goals. Students can achieve their goal at any point. Students are reflecting on, working towards and evaluating their goals. 

At home, you can ask your child:

• What is your current growth goal? How can we help at home?
• Check in with your child when they look like they need help.

Meghan Ryan
PBL Committee Member

At the beginning of this term, Stage 2 students had a very special Korean class — a Korean food and traditional games experience!

The day began with a delicious Korean food tasting. This year, Korean fried chicken and tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) were newly added to the menu, and they quickly became the students’ favourites. As the classroom filled with the mouthwatering aroma of sweet and spicy tteokbokki and crispy fried chicken, everyone happily exclaimed, “It’s so delicious!” while enjoying their meal.

After tasting the food, students had the chance to take a closer look at traditional Korean tableware and watch a kimchi-making demonstration. They learned how kimchi is made and what ingredients are used. Many students were fascinated and said, “We want to try making kimchi too!”

Once the food experience was over, it was time for some traditional Korean games! Students played tug-of-war, ttakji (paper tile flipping), and jegichagi (a Korean shuttlecock game) together, filling the room with laughter and excitement. Every time someone flipped a ttakji successfully, cheers broke out, and everyone clapped for the student who kept the jegi in the air the longest.

Through this special activity, students didn’t just learn about Korean culture — they saw it, tasted it, and played it! It was a truly joyful and meaningful experience for everyone.

Meanwhile, Stage 1 students read the Korean folktale “The Two Stingy Men” and took part in a fun craft activity inspired by the story. They created their own artworks based on scenes and items from the book, proudly sharing their creations with friends and teachers.

Both Stage 1 and Stage 2 students had a wonderful week exploring Korean language, food, and culture — a learning experience full of fun, creativity, and laughter!

Sang hee Lee
Korean Teacher

Welcome back to Term 4! We hope you all had a good break. Here are a few updates from the P&C.

Uniforms
If you are interested in helping out once a term around second hand uniforms or if you (or your child) have ideas for a school sports shirt please get in touch via our email.

Walkathon
The very popular Walkathon is back this year on Thursday, November 6th, at 9.30am at the school. Your child will receive an information sheet and a sponsorship card in class, which they use to collect sponsorship pledges from family and friends. Money is due after the event.  All funds raised will go towards financing the school hall’s vital new AV system.

You are welcome to come along to watch the kids, or there are some fun 20 minutes slots for jobs on the during the walk-a-thon. Sign up here to let the coordinators know you can help out https://volunteersignup.org/BALJQ or via QR code below.

Garden
There are only 2 more garden bees before the end of the year, so we look forward to seeing you there. The next one is on Saturday 1st November 2-4pm. The amazing Alicia who has coordinated the garden bees for the past few years is leaving this year, so a new coordinator (s) are needed. Could that be you?

Support our school community
Do you (or the business you work for) want to give back locally? Partnering with our P&C means supporting the very place your child learns, plays, and grows. We’re always excited to team up with businesses and families who can help bring our school events and projects to life. Whether it’s sponsorship, donations, or simply connecting us with someone who can help, every contribution makes a big difference for our kids. If you’d like to get involved, please reach out to the P&C.

P&C contributions
You will hopefully have seen a letter about the change in the way P&C collects voluntary annual contributions from families. Thank you to all those who have been able to contribute.

P&C meeting
Our next P&C meeting is held on Wednesday, 29th October at 7.15pm. As always, you can join us in the Canterbury Public School staffroom or on zoom. We would love to see some new families, so please let others know they are welcome to come along - there is no need to be a member.

You can join us through zoom here.

Meeting ID: 771 292 7026

Passcode: 123456

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

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