Dear Parents and Carers

This fortnight’s newsletter is a bumper edition. Read on for all the warm and fuzzies!

Principal’s Afternoon Tea
Congratulations to the very special guests invited to this term’s afternoon tea. You should be proud of your efforts and achievements which were recognised by your teachers. A big thanks to the full house of parents and carers able to join us in encouraging and celebrating these outstanding students.

External Validation
External validation is a required process for all NSW public schools that happens once every four years. During this process, schools review their own progress using the School Excellence Framework (SEF) and share evidence with an independent panel. The panel checks the school’s self-assessment to make sure it’s accurate and gives feedback. This helps schools improve their plans and strategies for the future. Overall, external validation supports schools in continuously improving and achieving better results for students.

I am pleased to report that the independent panel reviewed our school’s self-assessment against the School Excellence Framework and confirmed the quality of our practices and strategic direction. This positive result reflects the hard work and dedication of our staff, and asserts that our learning community is on the right path towards continuous improvement. We will use the panel’s feedback to further enhance our school plans and continue providing the best learning environment for your children.

I want to thank Mr Searle, Ms Grimes, Ms Askin, Ms Aitkin, Ms Murray, Ms Aiello, Ms Talati, Ms Sevenoaks and Ms Silva for their exceptional leadership, team work and the 300+ hour collective commitment to complete the submission. The panel sang the school’s praises and we all have a lot to be proud of.

Kindergarten 2026 Enrolment Interviews
Interviews for Kindergarten 2026 students and their parents commence this Friday. Interviews are an important component of our school’s comprehensive orientation program. Information sharing ensures every child is supported according to their individual strengths and needs so they experience a positive and successful transition to primary school. We look forward to meeting our newest Cantabrians. 

Public Speaking Finals
Inika and Millie are representing the school today in the Strathfield-Canterbury Network Public Speaking Finals. We wish these talented orators the very best of luck and congratulate them on their winning prepared and impromptu speeches.

Congratulations
Ms Lee and Ms Koursaris’ dedication and hard work played a significant role in our school achieving third place at the 19th Korean Performance Contest last week. This result is a wonderful reflection of the teachers’ passion and commitment, and the effort of all the students involved. Read on to hear more about the success of the Korean Dancers and their talented teachers.

Swim Scheme
Students who participated in Swim Scheme will shortly receive a certificate of achievement and progress report. The data below shows tremendous progress over 10 x 45 minute lessons. We also received lovely feedback from the swimming teachers. “Thank you for a wonderful program. The School Swimming team had a wonderful time working with the students and staff. Congratulations to all the students on their achievements. We look forward to seeing your school next year.”

Students were assessed at the beginning of the program to allocate instructional groups.
Pre-instruction (i.e. freestyle benchmark achieved on day one):
0m: 23
5m: 24
10m: 4
25m+:0

Students were assessed at the conclusion of the program to measure growth:
0m: 7
5m: 17
10m: 18
25m: 5
50m: 4

Students had an opportunity to attempt a longest distance swim using a survival stroke:
0m: 4
5m: 7
10m: 6
25m: 0
50m: 34

School Security over the Holidays
If you hear or see suspicious activity in or around the school over the holidays, please contact 1300 880 021. The hotline is a 24 hour service.

Thank you
As we come to the end of the term, I would like to sincerely thank each and every member of our Canterbury learning community. Our students’ hard work, engagement and positive attitude have been truly inspiring and led to outstanding progress and achievement this term. Our parents and carers’ ongoing support and active participation continue to make a real difference to the lives of students and the school’s relentless efforts in continuous improvement.
To our teachers, administration and support staff, your dedication and commitment to providing quality education are greatly appreciated. Together, we have achieved so much, and I look forward to continuing this great work next term. 

Wishing you all a safe and restful break from the daily school routine. Students return on Tuesday 14th October after School Development Day (staff only).

Best Part of my Day

Tracy Considine
Principal