Student opportunities and activities

Canterbury has an impressive array of extracurricular clubs and programs on offer. These programs are taught by specialist teachers or teachers with a particular passion for a subject or discipline. There is something for everyone because we want every child engaged by exploring interests and honing their talents, and connected by finding like-minded friends.

In addition there are a number of leadership opportunities for students from Kindergarten to Year 6 including library monitors, K-6 student representative council, student leadership, and house captains.

We ensure that there are authentic opportunities for students to perform, compete and contribute e.g. student newspaper is issued to every family, garden club grow and sell their produce, sports teams compete against other schools, knitting club donate their creations to charity, SRC and student leaders improve the school and their community through student initiatives, strings and band perform at venues including the Opera House and band festivals.

You can find out more by visiting https://cpsclubs.info/ (while this page is under construction).

The core curriculum is also extended through exciting excursions and overnight camps. Students attend camp once a year from Year 3 to Year 6 at Canterbury.

We have strong partnerships with the girls and boys high schools next door to our school which allows Year 3 to Year 6 students and teachers to engage in additional programs across disciplines that challenge and extend Canterbury students.

In summary, we offer a variety of programs in the classroom and across the school to help students build new skills, make friends and explore new interests.

Our programs include:

Contact us to learn more about what’s available and how your child can get involved.

Bands

Canterbury Public School offers students the opportunity to be part of a training band or school concert band which rehearse once a week under the guidance of Mr Martin Davison. Mr Davison has performed in jazz bands, plays the saxophone and many other instruments and conducts school bands all over Sydney. The training band rehearses every Wednesday from 3:20pm to 4:20pm in the school hall. The concert band rehearses every Thursday from 3:20pm to 4:20pm in the school hall. Small group tuition takes place during school hours on site.

Strings Ensembles

Students can choose to be part of a strings ensemble, which meets once per week under the guidance of Mr Hugo Ceran-Jerusalemy. Participants must be enrolled in weekly lessons during school term, either with a tutor at school or an external tutor of your choice. Students must also commit to weekly ensemble rehearsals.

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Strings ensembles

as per below.  See full T&C.

String rehearsal times:

Senior Strings (Tuesdays, 8:00am)
Stringlets (Wednesdays, 8:20am)
Junior Strings (Thursdays, 8:00am)

Instruments

Prices for hiring and or purchasing instruments vary.

The school has a small collection of instruments to hire. Please email the school for more information canterbury-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Parents can also hire instruments from commercial hire businesses. The String Centre at Annandale or Chatswood hire and sell string instruments. Information can be obtained by contacting the school music liaison teacher, ensemble leader or talk to your child's tutor about what would be the best way to proceed.

The Arts Unit has a large collection of band and orchestral instruments available for hire to government schools and to the parents of children attending government schools. Instrument loans can be initiated at any time and have no fixed term. Please direct all enquiries about instrument hire to: CARL@det.nsw.edu.au

Unfortunately ebay/gumtree instruments rarely offer good value for money as the quality and workmanship is poor and little or no warranty is given. Typically, they are difficult to play and this can lead to frustration…exactly the thing we don’t want in encouraging children learning to play.

Tutors

If you would like your child to learn an instrument at school, please contact the school so that your child's place in one of the bands or one of the strings ensembles is secured for the year.

Show/hide Video Transcript

Rhea Sullivan

CANTERBURY PUBLIC SCHOOL

Participation, Equity & Excellence

"Hi, my name is Rhea Sullivan, and I'm the strings coordinator at Canterbury Public. Today, we're introducing some of the instruments that we have on offer in our string program. String instruments have a wooden body and strings that can be plucked or bowed. The orchestral string family has five instruments, and we have three on offer here: violin, viola, and cello. For an introduction to the instruments that we have on offer here, I'm now gonna hand you over to some of the students from the senior string ensemble.

Student 1

The smallest member of the strings family is the violin, and it makes the highest sounds. You play the violin by placing it between your chin and your shoulder and bowing or plucking the strings like this.

Student 2

The viola is bigger than the violin, has thicker strings, and makes a warmer sound. Like the violin, it is also placed between your chin and shoulder, and bowed or plucked like this.

Student 3

The cello is much bigger than a violin or viola and is played sitting down. The cello plays lower notes than the violin

Student 4

but it can also play high notes.

Student 5

There are lots of sounds you can make with string instruments by playing them in different ways.

Bowing, plucking, harmonics, tremolo, and extended techniques, such as playing behind the bridge, Bartók pizzicato, glissando, or col legno.

Rhea Sullivan

We have three string ensembles at CPS. We have the Stringlets group, the

Junior Strings, and Senior Strings. The Stringlets group is the first group that

a student will join, and it usually starts halfway through term one to ensure that

everyone has had a few lessons before we start. This ensemble starts halfway during term one

and covers ensemble basics, such as basic baton cues, playing together, and learning to

listen to each other, and reinforces string playing basics. After completion of the first year, students

will then move on to the Junior String Ensemble.

We reinforce the ensemble basics that we cover in the Stringlets program. We also start material that

includes playing different parts. So the highest ensemble at CPS is the Senior

Strings, which covers more complicated repertoire, with each part playing different

parts and learning how these parts work together.

The students will cover more advanced instrumental techniques, and there are more

external performance opportunities, such as Festival of Instrumental Music at the Opera

House and performance at places like Kegworth Fair.

To enroll in the strings program, students must commit to a weekly lesson with a tutor,

either on-site or externally, and also commit to a weekly rehearsal. Enrollment is done through the cpsclubs.info

website, where you will also find rehearsal times and locations for

each of these ensembles. Thank you for watching. I hope it was useful and inspires you to get

involved.

CANTERBURY PUBLIC SCHOOL

Participation, Equity & Excellence

Phone: 02 9718 2884

Email: canterbury-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Before & After School Care

Primary OSH Care
Canterbury Public School
Church Street, Canterbury NSW 2193
0417 267 719
cboshc@primaryoshcare.com.au

Opening Hours:

Before School: 7:00am - 9:20am
After School: 3:00pm - 6:00pm
Vacation Care: 7:00am - 6:00pm

Come and join the fun at Canterbury Primary OSHCare. Every day we offer a program based on your child's emerging and recognised interests.

Clubs cater for topics with ongoing appeal and homework, science and gardening clubs operate regularly throughout the year. Our Health & Wellbeing program runs each term and is provided at no additional cost to families. H&W engages with external coaches offering specialist and extension experiences.

Our program is regularly supplemented by a special focus topic designed to challenge children's thinking and introduce contemporary themes. There are always plenty of activities to join or free time to enjoy too.

Primary OSHCare services are regularly assessed by ACECQA and to date, 100% of our services have met all NQS assessment criteria. In fact, the majority have exceeded expectations as we aim for excellence in OSHC.  Exceeding the standard is significant and a hard won achievement.

We aim to exceed expectations in all areas of care, we support and care for children from non English speaking families in a diverse and inclusive environment. Get in touch soon to secure your place.

Vacation Care

During the holidays a varied program that works within the family budget is offered. Look forward to many local excursions and special events, mixed with centre based incursions and activities to ensure the holidays pass as they should, with a mix of fun and down time.

For more information including enrolment, click here.

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