As experienced in so many schools across Canberra, Mother Teresa School is also noting an increase in the level of absences of students and staff. The absences are due to individuals testing either positive for Covid or in quarantine due to being a close contact with a family member. I want to express my sincere thanks to the staff for their incredible commitment to ensuring the children are still engaging in their learning, despite facing increased class numbers which is due to the limited availability of relief staff; everyone has had to cover extra playground duties and miss valuable planning time. Despite the increasing workload the teachers have continued to provide time to respond to parents via email, phone call, or conduct MS Teams meetings. 

Critical Reminders 

Road Safety -Yesterday I reminded the children of the importance of using the Mappleton Avenue crossing; when they need to cross the road. We are fortunate to have someone monitoring the crossing before and after school. This reminder is a follow-up to members of the local public reporting several children were putting themselves at risk when trying to cross the road in other locations.

Car Park Etiquette - This week I have been out and about observing the parking arrangements on the courts. This was in response to a concern raised that people were blocking others from leaving as they were waiting for their children. I understand the difficulties however patience is what is required. I have noted the car park is cleared within 10 - 15 minutes.

Masks in Schools - Masks are still required to be worn when parents and visitors enter the school grounds. This is a health directive to keep infection levels down across the school. The teachers make every effort to wear their mask all day; your cooperation is appreciated to keep our school safe. 

Refurbishment Update

In case you missed the Facebook post, our building project is progressing.  At this stage, we are not due to move into the new area until midway through next term. Part of the delay in starting was waiting for the massive steel beams required for the project.

Students absent for 25 Days or More

Families electing to take holidays for more than 25 school days must complete an "Application for Exemption from Attendance or Enrolment" form, which is available from the office and seek formal permission from the Principal.  This is a legal requirement as parents are required to carry the letter of authority when travelling.

Compass Updates

There has been a recent update to the Compass Parent Portal which has resulted in some families being unable to locate the "Absentee Note" when needing to complete this for a student who is not at school.  You can now find the absentee note through the "Shortcuts" button located in the middle at the bottom of the home screen.

Working With Vulnerable People Cards

A reminder that any visitor or volunteer (when we are able to have volunteers back on site) must carry a valid ACT Working With Vulnerable People Card.  This is available from Access Canberra and is free for all volunteers.  It is also a reminder for those who have a card to check the expiry date and action a renewal if needed. A copy of cards must be maintained at the front office. Both sides of the card must be provided. 

The canteen will be open for online lunch orders in Week 9.  Please note that students from Years 4 to 6 will collect their lunch orders at 10:20am, while Kindergarten to Year 3 will collect theirs from 11:00am. 

There are still no over-the-counter sales at this stage.

Planning for Term 2

• Students return to school on Wednesday 27th April.  
• Students are to wear their winter uniform.

God Bless

Carmel Maguire

Learning to live with change and loss

Change and loss are issues that affect all of us at some stage in our lives. At Mother Teresa School we recognise that when changes occur in families through death, separation, divorce and related circumstances, young people may benefit from learning how to manage these changes effectively. We are therefore offering a very successful education program called Seasons for Growth which will commence in Term 2. This program is facilitated in small groups and is based on research which highlights the importance of social support and the need the practise new skills to cope effectively with change and loss. The program focuses on issues such as self-esteem, managing feelings, problem-solving, decision-making, effective communication and support networks.

Mother Teresa School is pleased to be able to offer this important program and we are confident that it will be a valuable learning experience for those who request to be involved.

If you think your child would benefit from Seasons for Growth we would encourage you to talk to them about participating in the program. Every family who registers their interest with our Student Wellbeing Officer, by emailing christina.page@cg.catholic.edu.au will receive an information pack with more details about the Seasons for Growth program and an invitation for their child to attend.

Need more information? Please contact Christina.

Hello! My name is Sophie Dash and I am the EAL/D (English as an additional language/dialect) teacher at Mother Teresa. I am part of the amazing Diverse Learning Team and I started working at Mother Teresa last year.

This term I have been meeting and assessing some of the Kindergarten students, as well as some of the new students across the school. From the start of next term I will be working with a number of students from Kindergarten to Year 4.  I work with students individually, in small groups or in the classroom depending on their different needs.

If I am lucky enough to be working with your child this year I will send a note home at the beginning of Term 2 to let you know. My work days are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and I am always happy for you to contact me if you have any questions or queries. My email address is sophie.dash@cg.catholic.edu.au.

I am really looking forward to meeting you and having a great year of learning with your children.

Kind regards,

Sophie Dash

My name is Lee Revell and I am privileged to be the Defence School Mentor here at  Mother Teresa School.  

The DSM Program provides support to children of Australian Defence Force (ADF) members and their families, through support during times of transition (into and out of a school on posting), or during parental absence due to deployment, exercise or courses. 

As the DSM:

• I assist the school to understand the needs of ADF families and their children
• I welcome and farewell Defence students
• I provide support to Defence students through class interaction, Kids Club and one on one support (as required)
• I publish a Defence newsletter every week  - which is emailed out to the primary communication email of Defence families
• I let teachers know, and provide support to students, if ADF members are  deployed, MWD(U), on exercise or absent for extended periods—please let me know if this occurs
• I assist with access to programs such as KidSMART, the Education Support Scheme and other relevant initiatives for Defence Families

I work every Monday and Tuesday and half day Wednesdays in even weeks.  I can be contacted on my email (leanne.revell@cg.catholic.edu.au)  or via the school phone number (6241 5604).

Thank you to those who took on the Farmer’s fence activity. We had several entries this week. A big congratulations to all of you for some clever maths thinking. Well done to Emma from 2 Emerald for receiving this week’s prize! 

This week it is our Year 3 and 4 students who get to share their wonderful maths thinking with me.

Tea cups and saucers:      

There are four sets of tea cups and saucers: a set of white, a set of red, a set of blue and a set of green. In each set there are four cups and four saucers altogether. How many different combinations of cups and saucers can you create? Estimate before you try and solve this.

This problem is sourced from nrich maths.

Send your answers (don’t forget to show me your working out) via email to Mrs Blackwell catherine.blackwell@cg.catholic.edu.au or write it all out on paper and put it in your notebag to send to the office by next Friday morning. The winner will be drawn at the end of our Friday Assembly.

Self-care for the Whole Family

Self-care is important for all of us: adults, children and families as a whole.  Prioritising self-care can aid in reducing stress, maintaining health and enhancing resilience and energy.

Making self-care a priority can help parents to feel more able to give of themselves as care-givers and it also models behaviour to children that it is okay to take time out to care for yourself and to listen to your needs. 

Choosing the self-care that works for you

Taking time and finding time for self-care is not always easy and it will look different for everyone.  A good start would be engaging in something small each day, week or month.  If you’re having trouble thinking of something that would work for you, ask yourself -

• what activities make you feel good and recharged?
• What would you like to do more of?
• Are there any activities that you look forward to during the week?
• What would your ideal day look like? What activities would you do?
• What did you used to enjoy doing before life got so busy?

If coming up with a self-care activity feels too much, sometimes self-care is also about paring back expectations of yourself a little.  You may not have time for an hour recharge session, but how about a cup of tea outside in your break?  Reachout suggests using ‘dead time’. Listen to a podcast on the way to work or instead of watching TV or scrolling through your phone in the evening, do something that you’ve been wanting to find time for. 

Support your child to also find their own self-care strategies.

Ask them what activities help them to feel relaxed and recharged.

If they have trouble thinking of something, give them some ideas of things you’ve noticed them enjoying.

Commit to routine

Tell your family about your individual self-care plans and make it a priority, not just something you get to in an emergency.  Support children to also prioritise a little down time for themselves after a big day at school.  This can contribute to building resilience and emotional regulation as well as also demonstrating to your child that you value their needs for self-care too. 

For more information, please visit https://parents.au.reachout.com/skills-to-build/wellbeing/things-to-try-self-care/how-to-make-self-care-a-family-priority

Or contact your school counsellors Bron or Ryoko if you feel your child could benefit from any further support. 

Scholastic Book Club

The Scholastic Book Club trial will resume in Term 2. Catalogues will be sent home with students, and parents can order online via the LOOP parent portal on the Scholastic website. No orders or cash will be accepted by the school, all orders must be made online. Order cut-off dates will be advised on Compass, and late orders or orders from the previous catalogue are charged a flat rate for home postage.

While school Covid restrictions remain in place, orders will be available for pick up from the school second hand uniform shop when they arrive. Dates will be advised on Compass. Students in years 5 and 6 may pick up orders themselves on the way into school, however all other orders must be collected by parents. Please only order if you are able to collect at the second hand uniform shop Monday, Wednesday or Friday from 8.30-9.00am. If you are unable to do so, please order direct to your home after the catalogue has closed for school orders.

A reminder that missing or damaged orders can be reported to Scholastic using their online contact information, and that out of stock items already paid for are usually credited to the LOOP account. Parents concerned about missing, misplaced or damaged orders are advised to wait until the catalogue is closed and use the home postage option. MTS Community Council parent volunteers will be running the Book Club, so please ensure any inquiries are directed to them via the office email or to Scholastic, rather than to school staff, teachers or librarians. We will be doing our best to make the trial run smoothly, and look forward to using school reward points earned to purchase additional books for classroom readers.