From Our Principal

After a two-week holiday that flew by at the speed of light, teachers returned to school on Monday, 21 July. Our day was spent on planning and programming, and we all undertook professional learning in High Potential and Gifted Education as well as Explicit Teaching. We were happy to welcome our students back for Term 3 and have hit the ground running.

I am particularly excited to announce the launch of our revamped newsletter, The Canterbury Tales. This new platform will allow us to better showcase our outstanding school within the community, celebrate the incredible achievements of our students, and highlight the hard work of our dedicated staff. A special thank you goes to Ms. Denise Bova from our office staff, who has worked tirelessly to bring this new initiative to life.

In each edition of The Canterbury Tales, I will be highlighting and celebrating the achievements of both students and staff in a featured segment, ‘Cantabrian Superstars’. I encourage you to share with me examples of success, such as competition wins or stories that demonstrate our students and staff going above and beyond in their endeavours.

Cantabrian Superstars

This week, I would like to extend congratulations to the following students:

Allira Garrad (Year 7): who has been selected for the NSW Public Schools Aboriginal Dance Company’s Associate Program, an elite initiative by The Arts Unit that fosters skills, knowledge, and cultural awareness through collaboration with choreographers from the internationally renowned Bangarra Dance Theatre.

Four of talented writers from Year 11 have been shortlist in the What Matters? Writing Competition.

• Dion Stefanis for Trust Your Paintbrush
• Sophia Nguyen for Within a Girl’s Globe
• Tallulah Kircher for Stories Still Matter
• Sarah Pedroza for Chasing after fragments of hope

The What Matters? writing competition invites students in years 5 to 12 across Australia to express their views on pressing issues that matter to them, inspired by Gough Whitlam’s commitment to youth involvement in shaping Australia’s future.

This week three of our talented athletes finished in first place at the Sydney East Athletics Carnival

• Taylor Verdon – Year 9 (High Jump)
• Tallara Joseph-Riogi – Year 10 (Javelin and Discus)
• Eliza Dawson – Year 10 (400m)
  

Welcome to new staff

We are also excited to welcome two new staff members to Canterbury Girls’ High School this term. Ms. Sarah Giddy joins the English Faculty and will job share with Mr. Hopper. We thank Ms. Santina Rizzo for her relief work in this position during Term 2. And welcome to Mr. Xiao Liu will be replacing Mr. Nguyen in the Mathematics Faculty while he is on parental leave this term.

Major Projects

I am pleased to report that over the holiday period, two significant projects were completed: the air conditioning upgrade and the new STEM room. Apart from the Multi-Purpose Centre (MPC), all teaching and staff spaces around the school are now fully air-conditioned. This improvement will make a substantial difference to the learning environments for both staff and students throughout the year, enhancing comfort during both winter and summer.

The new STEM room, while still awaiting some furniture, is bright and modern, providing additional space for students engaged in technology projects. With the help of the department, we have also acquired a universal laser cutter. We look forward to incorporating this fantastic resource into our students’ learning experiences which will provide them access to new technology tools and enable them to make exciting projects.

Before images

After images

Duke of Edinburgh

Our new Duke of Edinburgh Bronze and Silver Award participants recently embarked on a challenging hike along ridges above turquoise bays. Despite battling rain and some unexpected bush visitors at their campsite, the students demonstrated remarkable perseverance and teamwork. Duke of Ed Coordinator Ms. Johnston praised their bravery, determination, and kindness, stating, “They were brave, determined and kind, and I was really impressed”. A heartfelt thank you to Ms. Johnston for organising and accompanying the students, as well as to Mr. Liam Diviney and Ms. Brooke Morely for their support during this adventurous journey.

Year 12 Trial Examinations

I would like to congratulate our Year 12 students, who today completed their HSC trial examinations. They approached these exams with maturity and dedication, and we look forward to having them back in class next week. Attendance during these final weeks of Year 12 is crucial, as the trial period marks the end of formal assessments, but the learning, exam preparation, and revision completed in class are essential for their upcoming final examinations.

Uniform Update

As our uniform contract with Lowes expires at the end of this term, a uniform tender has gone out this week and will close in a fortnight. This process will include feedback from the P&C and SRC to ensure that updates to the uniform improve the quality, affordability, and fit. I have reviewed comments from last year’s uniform survey, which highlighted issues with the cut, material, and affordability of many items. In the coming days, please look out for a short survey focusing on the practicalities of purchasing the uniform. I will share further updates about this process throughout the term.

Good luck Year 12 – HSC Practical and Oral Examinations

Finally, I would like to wish our Year 12 Language and Dance students the best of luck as they prepare for their HSC practical and oral examinations in the upcoming weeks.

Rebecca Cameron
Principal

Student Shout Out

Student Success at State Arts Camps

We would like to extend our congratulations to all students who attended the State Music and Drama Camps in 2025. These students demonstrated exceptional talent, leadership and enthusiasm while representing CGHS on a state level:

Lia Salomon
Samantha Chaffey
Marilla Gibian-Stuart
Alana Jacob
Kylie Batterham Chan
Eliza Dawson

Your selection is a significant achievement, and we are proud of the way you showcased the strength of the CAPA program at CGHS. Well done to each of you!

Celebrating Excellence – Eliza Dawson Shines at NSW State Drama Camp

MUSIC

Winterfest 2025 – A Night to Remember!

Winterfest 2025 was a huge success, showcasing the incredible talent and dedication of our CGHS Music students. From class performances to ensemble pieces, the evening was filled with energy, creativity, and a wonderful sense of community.

A big shout-out to our amazing P&C, who once again catered for the event. Thanks to their efforts, all funds raised on the night will go directly to supporting CG#Sounds, our original music recording project.

🎥 Missed a performance or want to relive the magic?
You can now watch the Winterfest 2025 performances via the link below:
👉CGHS Performances

We are so proud of everyone involved and extend our thanks to all students, staff, families, and the P&C for making this event so special. We can’t wait to do it all again next year!

The competition is all about songwriting, not recording quality, so don’t be afraid to enter – your lyrics and music are what truly matter.

📝 Deadline: Sunday 15th September
🔗 Enter here: ACMF Songwriting Competition 2025

This is a brilliant opportunity to express yourself through music, gain recognition for your talent, and potentially win amazing prizes for yourself and the school. We can’t wait to hear the creativity from our CGHS songwriters!

VISUAL ARTS

Year 11 Visual Arts – Virtual Exhibition
“THE CULTURAL FRAME”

This term, Year 11 Visual Arts students created a mini Body of Work exploring the Cultural Frame, using art as a way to express their own stories, values, and perspectives. Students reflected on their identities, backgrounds, and the world around them, producing works that speak to personal experiences as well as broader cultural and social themes. Each artwork offers a unique insight into how the year 11 art students see and make sense of their place in an ever-changing world.

The next yr11 CGHS Virtual Exhibition will take an exciting turn as students respond to the Postmodern Frame, experimenting with irony, parody, and unconventional approaches to meaning-making in art.

Year 7 Visual Arts – Foam Board Prints

Last semester, Year 7 students explored line and expression through the art of foam board printmaking. Inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s dynamic linear style, students created imaginative interior spaces based on their own bedrooms, transforming everyday environments into playful and surreal compositions.

A wonderful showcase of each student’s unique perspective and growing technical skills.

Year 8 Visual Arts – Nightmares & Dreams

Semester 1, Year 8 students created imaginative pull-out artworks inspired by dreams and nightmares. Using drawing, colour and layered elements, they explored surreal, spooky and fantastical scenes from their imagination.

The pull-out feature added a surprise element, revealing hidden details and unexpected twists. The results were creative, bold and full of personality. Well done Year 8!

DANCE

It has been a BIG start to the Year for Dance and I am so proud of all the effort, energy and positive attitude from all the students involved in Dance so far.

At the end of last term a group of 30 dancers went to Sydney Dance Company to experience two workshops with industry professionals in Contemporary and Jazz Funk Hip-Hop. They learnt excerpts from the work Forever and Ever by Sydney Dance Company. As well as a fun high energy dance to a 2000’s classic AM to PM. The students worked very hard and were so inspired to work with different choreographers and even toured around the studios. We can not wait to go back next year!

In week 9, the CGHS Performance Company performed their work Girl with Balloon at the In the Spotlight Dance Festival at the Seymour Centre.  The group of 12 outstanding dancers included –Allira Garrard (7), Beth Earley (11), Daniela Baneto (10), Emma Chosid (10), Gabriella Brewster (11), Grace Johnson (11), Lara Goveia (10), Marley Jones (8), Mia Osterly (10), Phoebe Crawley (8), Sarini Alwis (10) Sophia Kari Balzan (10).

Inspired by Banksy’s Girl with Balloon, this performance explores the tension between innocence, loss, and rebirth. In the opening section, dancers embody the purity and longing of the original painting—a girl reaching for a heart-shaped balloon, a symbol of hope just out of reach with circular movement patterns and a suspended quality. As the piece progresses, the canvas begins to unravel. Movements grow erratic and fragmented as the artwork is literally shredded, echoing its infamous self-destruction. But from the remnants, a powerful metamorphosis begins. In the final moments, the dancers reconstruct meaning from the ruins—transforming loss into liberation, and destruction into a new, defiant form of art.

This group has also been successfully selected for SCHOOL SPECTACULAR 2025, and we are thrilled to be part of it this year!

As we head into Term 3 there are a LOT of Dance events coming and we hope to see you at our Dance Night on date TBC (Week 10). 

HSC Dance Showcase

Come and support our talented HSC Dance students as they perform their HSC works, Core Performance, Core Composition and Major Performance, in an intimate studio setting.

Date: Monday 11th August
Time:  6pm
Location: The Dance Studio (E1)

This is a wonderful opportunity to experience the creativity and dedication of our dancers before their final assessments. All are welcome—no bookings required!

Please note:

• Seating is limited due to the size of the studio.
• No food or drink will be provided.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Debating and Public Speaking: Mid-Season Update

CGHS students are proving themselves to be confident and capable orators and formidable opponents in an argument.

At this stage in the season, we are five formal debates into the Premier’s Debating Challenge and have completed a stellar run in the public speaking arena. Our Year 8 team also represented CGHS brilliantly at the Youth Week competition run by Canterbury-Bankstown Council at the end of Term 1.  

Term 2 kicked off with the Plain English Speaking Competition- this year hosted by Tempe High School- where Marilla Gibian-Stuart and Ismini Stavropoulos of Year 10 represented Canterbury Girls with thoughtful prepared speeches, and incredibly intelligent impromptu speeches about ‘the most important lesson’.

Ismini then progressed to compete in TWO further finals, culminating in the state semi-finals hosted by Holding Redlich firm in Martin Place. The adjudicators had the near impossible task of selecting just three students to progress, and the standard was extraordinary- Ismini even managed to weave a Goebbels quote into her impromptu speech! It is a huge achievement to have progressed so far in this prestigious competition, and we thank Ismini for contributing her time, enthusiasm and intellect to this opportunity. 

We aim to build a culture of confident and eloquent speakers at CGHS, so please consider how you can support or get involved in opportunities for public speaking and debating. If you are interested, please speak to someone on the team or see Ms Knapman in English.

Best of luck to our debating teams and junior public speakers for Term 3!

First Nations Leadership Group

Every three weeks, 10 of our First Nations Leadership Group students visit Canterbury Boys High School and their First Nations students. Together we work with The Settlement and participate in a range of different activities. These activities help the students gain skills such as team-work and communication, in a culturally safe way. This week we were cooking and made hamburgers from scratch. The students were placed into groups and each group had different jobs they had to do. All the students enjoyed their hamburgers, and the process of having to make the burgers. 

Every fortnight one of our First Nations Leadership students receives an attendance award. Our first award has been awarded to Year 7 student Bella Kelleher. Bella has worked to improve her attendance over the last three terms, and is the recipient of our first award. Great work Bella! 🤩🎉

🌍SEA NEWS🌳

Arduino LED Cube Enrichment Engineering Project

8A students were hosted by the Engineering faculty at Canterbury Boy’s High school to build a programmable LED cube.

At first glance the LED cube seemed very complicated to assemble because there were so many parts. However, students worked diligently to create a 3D-matrix of LEDs onboard an Arduino-compatible controller to produce a mesmerising light shows controlled by software.

Congratulations to Lotte’s team who successfully built the cube in record time.

Year 10 STEM Workshop

On the 23rd of June, 10MJ participated in a STEM workshop with Resmed and Robogals. The class was introduced to Resmed’s sleep apnea products and the engineering behind the development of those products. Engineering students from the University of New South Wales and the young women in engineering organisation, Robogals, ran a lesson on coding where our aim was to design a code for Resmed’s sleep apnea masks. 

We were tasked with developing a code that will increase the air given to a patient from a Resmed device in different increments where the air would increase if the device detected that the patient was experiencing apnea. We worked using the ‘scratch’ website to create code, with increasingly difficult goals. As a cohort, we each faced different challenges whilst trying to create the code; however, the Robogals students were extremely helpful in getting us through the program.

Afterwards, we were welcomed to ask the Robogals and Resmed representative questions about their careers and interests, providing us all with invaluable information for a future career in engineering as young women in Australia.

By Phoebe-Grace Scott

Year 8 Science Excursion to Taronga Zoo

On Friday 20th June, Year 8 students visited Taronga Zoo as part of their science unit on animal adaptations for their upcoming assessment task. They took part in engaging lessons led by zoo educators at the Taronga Institute of Science and Learning, where they explored how different species have adapted to survive in their environments.

Afterward, students split into their science classes for keeper experiences, including the Lion Keeper Talk, Reptile Keeper Talk, Gorilla Keeper Talk, and the always-exciting Free Flight Bird Show. It was a fun and educational day filled with fascinating facts and memorable animal encounters!

Year 8 Awards

Congratulations to the wonderful Year 8 cohort who have been receiving multiple merit awards and certificates this year. Here are some of the awards given at our recent Year 8 meeting:

Students who attended 99%-100%

Alena Kazi – 100% attendance	Mylla-Lea Morris – 100% attendance
Millie Cheung	Mina Kim
Liselotte Schneider	Arika Ulak
Anna Xie	Angelina Xu
Annabella Xu

Students who received Sapphire Awards

Ellena Baik	Oriana Collier
Isabelle Homeres	Harnoor Kaur
Alena Kazi

 Students who received Amber Awards

Ellena Baik	Josie Breen	Irene Choi
Oriana Collier	Molly Ellis	Akilah Holub
Isabelle Homeres	Paris Htet	Amita Indra
Marley Jones	Harnoor Kaur	Alena Kazi
Simone Lentros	Erika Michael	Mylla-Lea Morris
Jasmina Musseme	Audrey Palmowski	Luisa Pereira De Jesus
Qonita Pitono	Isabelle Rached	Gwen Surawski
Emma Truong	Wen Jun Wang	Anna Xie
Angelina Xu	Annabella Xu

Year 8 Maths Excursion

Year 8 Maths Excursion to the Sydney Royal Botanic Garden

Did you know the fountain at the Woolloomooloo entrance to the Royal Botanic Garden holds 9378 litres of water? We didn’t either—until we had the chance to calculate it ourselves during our excursion, putting our classroom maths skills to the test (just be careful not to get your feet wet!).

On Monday 28th July, Year 8 visited the Sydney Royal Botanic Garden as part of their Stage 4 Mathematics studies. The excursion allowed students to explore real-life applications of Measurement, Statistics, Ratios, Rates, Area, and Volume.

Here is what our students had to say about their adventure at the Botanic Garden – where numbers met nature and we may have set a new school excursion step-count record.

On the excursion, we really enjoyed the stunning harbour views and exploring different parts of the garden. The surroundings were peaceful and beautiful, and having a relaxing picnic lunch with our friends made it even better. It was fun chatting with friends and spending time talking to the teachers in a more casual way. We loved walking around to the different activities and admiring all the colourful flowers. It was such a great day that gave us the chance to enjoy nature and spend time together outside of school.

During our visit to the garden, we used a lot of maths in practical ways to complete different activities. We created a tally chart to count which groups of people use the garden the most, then turned that data into a column graph to make it easier to analyse. We calculated the area of fallen leaves on the ground and even worked out the volume and capacity of a fountain. To determine if two sculptures were in proportion, we used ratios by comparing their height and length. We also used rates to calculate how fast water was flowing from the Morshead Fountain. To track our journey, we drew a travel graph showing our trip from school to the garden and back again.

An activity that everyone enjoyed was reading the sundial. Luckly it was a nice sunny day as sundials rely on the shadow cast by the sun to indicate the time. If there is no sun, there will be no shadow, and therefore, no way to read the time on a sundial. It was really interesting to see how all the maths we learn in class applies to real-life situations.

Written by 8E and 8M.

Sport News

ZONE ATHLETICS

Congratulations to Stefanie Meissel & Alkira Joseph Riogi. Stefanie placed 1^st in all her events, the 100m, 800m and the relay for the 17s girls. Alkira also placed 3^rd in 800m for the 17s girls. 

STATE CROSS COUNTRY

Congratulations to Mara Winkler (Yr 7), Penny Ayliffe (Year 10),  Eliza Dawson (Year 10) who all competed at the NSW State Cross Country Championships on Tuesday 22nd July at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre.

FUTSAL TOURNAMENT

Congratulations to the students that played in the recent Futsal tournement, they played against Ryde Secondary College, Amity Illawara College and Picnic Point High School. 

Team: Ruby Hawkins, Maya Ishiyama, Amara Codmani, Nyah Leong, Grace Pezzulo, Annabelle Faure-Brac, Lilly Anderson, Izzy Guzmicka.

STUDENT SERVICES

Student Services – Who are we?

Our dedicated Student Services Team supports student’s wellbeing, learning, and future pathways. Whether it’s academic support, mental health, career planning, or health and wellbeing, our team provides personalised assistance to help students succeed at high school and beyond. 

The team consists of:

HT Student Services – Ms Stacey Naisbett

Careers Adviser – Mrs Rita Evangelista

EALD Teacher – Mrs Laura O’Donnell

Learning and Support Teacher – Ms Leila Bianca

School Counsellors – Ms Betty Wong and Ms Josephine Rynsaardt

Student Learning and Support Officers (SLSO) – Ms Caitlyn Joseph and Mrs Eliza Vamvoukakis

Student Support Officer (SSO) – Ms Brooke Morley

Teacher Librarian – Mr Liam Diviney

Library Assistant – Ms Jesse Matstro

If you have any questions or would like to reach out for support please contact Ms Naisbett. 

EALD/LST

We welcome two new EAL/D students to Canterbury Girls High School this term. EAL/D stands for English as an Additional Language or Dialect and these are students who were born in another country and speak another language other than English. 

In Year 9, we welcome Yizenan (Tiffany) Qiu, who recently attended Marrickville Intensive English Centre, and comes originally from China. 

In Year 10, we welcome Jiaxi (Eva) Zhang, who is an international student who also joins us from China. 

Pink Stumps Day – Staff vs Students Cricket Match!

On Friday 15th August, our school will be celebrating Pink Stumps Day with a staff vs students cricket match during lunchtime. This fun and friendly competition aims to raise awareness and funds for the McGrath Foundation, supporting breast cancer care across Australia. Students are encouraged to wear a pink accessory and bring gold coins to buy some yummy cakes at our bake sale. All proceeds will go directly to the McGrath Foundation to help fund Breast Care Nurses in communities across the country. 

If you would like to donate to this cause please click on the link here: https://www.pinkisthecolour.com.au/s/8214/9037 

Thank you for supporting our school’s efforts to make a difference.

Student Support Officer (SSO) Term 3 Update

Our First Nations Leadership Group were lucky enough to be invited along to the Blak ‘N’ Deadly Soccer Tournament on 26 June. We took along 10 of our most enthusiastic soccer players and played our hearts out. We got to connect with other local schools and our students got to fuel up on a BBQ. We did not walk away with the trophy, but the students had a really great day. We look forward to the next Blak ‘N’ Deadly event.

Our CGHS x CBHS First Nations Leadership group program with The Settlement is in full swing and we will continue to build connection and engage with one another and community throughout Term 3. This term we are looking forward to our first cooking session together.

Operation Organisation

I run a small group program aimed at supporting students to further develop their planning, organisation and stress management skills for Year 7 students throughout terms 2 through 4. If you have a student in Year 7 that you feel could benefit from this 8 week program (run once weekly, during Friday DEAR), please get in touch with me for more information – brooke.morley3@det.nsw.edu.au

Breakfast Club

Breakfast Club runs every day of the school week. Students can come to the Learning Hub from 8-8:30am, where they are able to have some toast or cereal and hang out with their friends before school starts. Breakfast is available to all students and is completely free of charge.

Vaccination Program

The Year 10 Vaccinations will take place on Monday 4th August, during period 1 & 2. Keep an eye out in future newsletters and for emails closer to the date that will detail how to provide consent for your student to receive their free vaccination at school.

This date will also serve as a catch-up vaccination session for any students in Year 7 who missed out on their vaccination earlier in the year.

Student Support

I am located at the back of the library, and I am available here at school every day of the week. Students are welcome to come and chat to me if they have wellbeing concerns or are needing additional support.

What’s coming up in the Wellbeing Program in Term 3;

Year 7
Operation Organisation (select students)
Digital Thumbprint – Cyber Security workshop – 21 August

Year 8
University of Technology Sydney – Friendship Formula – 16 September

Year 9
Digital Thumbprint – Digital Discernment workshop – 12 September

Year 10
Consent Labs – Consent Fundamentals & Consent in the Digital World workshop – 31 July

Careers

What’s going on?

Content Creator Course July 25th

On Friday the 25 of July, a group of year 10 students attended a Content Creator course. It was presented by Stephanie, who runs her own small social media company. In the course, students learnt about the different jobs available in the social media space as well as how to craft advertisements for businesses. We were fortunate enough to have Tim from Grade A Mobile Café come in and make us coffees and hot chocolates that we then had the opportunity to film content for. At the conclusion of the day, we sent our content to Tim which he will upload to his social media pages and credit us! A truly incredible day.

Phoebe Scott

Photo by Iris Tu

Click the link to see one of the videos that was made.

Future Focus at University of Sydney July 31

On July 31, a group of Year 11 students attended the Future Focus Day at the University of Sydney. Despite the rain we had a short tour of the beautiful grounds and then each student attended their faculty experience activity where they were able have a taste of what their course preference may be like. Students also took part in a scholarship writing workshop, which was so valuable- literally. We had a delicious kebab lunch and then listened to current USYD students answer questions about their courses and experiences in the student panel session.

What did the students say?

Grace Johnson

During the Health Science Faculty Session on the excursion at USYD, we explored different body organs, from healthy ones to ones that have been impacted by diseases, shock, environmental factors and more. 

Saige Francis

I did my workshop with the law faculty and really enjoyed it! I had the opportunity to hear from current law students at USYD, discuss cases, hear about the faculty, and argue a real negligence matter where I acted for the plaintiff and debated the side acting as the defendant. I also got to experience what USYD is like and speak to students and professors. 

Zacha Chaiyurawat

The experience USYD provided for Year 11 was such a great opportunity to be a part of. Especially the Health Science Faculty that allowed fun interactive activities for students; looking around at the biological specimens whilst it being a ‘scavenger hunt’ and having a feel at certain objects made the experience more enjoyable.

To see more information about upcoming events and career information click on the button below.

Library News

NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge – Closing Soon!

The NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) will be closing on Thursday, 22nd August so be sure to enter your reading records before that date. The PRC is a fantastic way to celebrate a love of reading and discover new authors. To complete the challenge, students read 10 texts of their own choice and 10 from the PRC list. The list includes many manga, graphic novels, and picture book titles that can help anyone squeeze over the 20 books milestone in the last month. To help students track their progress, the library has foldable PRC zines available, and Mr Diviney is always happy to help students log their reading. Make sure all reading is recorded before the deadline!

Community News