This week is a special time in the life of our Parish as many of our Year 6 students will be confirmed. For those of you new to the Sacrament of Confirmation - this is a Catholic Sacrament that completes the series of sacraments known as the Sacraments of Initiation - Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation. Confirmation strengthens us as sons and daughters of the Church with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit - Wisdom, Courage, Awe and Wonder, Reverence, Right Judgement, Understanding and Knowledge. The Holy Oil of Chrism is used to anoint the candidates and to seal them with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Congratulations to all the students and families involved.

NAPLAN

Year 3 and 5 students will participate in NAPLAN assessments next week. Please ensure students are at school for a 9.00 am commencement time. 

• Tuesday - Writing
• Wednesday - Reading
• Thursday - Language Conventions
• Friday - Numeracy

Good luck to the students involved and to the teachers overseeing and administering these nationwide tests.

Mother's Day

We wish all our mothers, grandmothers and significant mother figures in our lives a wonderful Mothers’ Day this Sunday!  We hope you are spoilt and have a great day with your family.  We pray for all our mothers and grandmothers who cannot be with us or who have passed away.

Have a great day Mums!

Mother Teresa School Dates for Additional Pupil Free Days

Following consultation with the other Catholic Primary Schools in the Gungahlin area, we have nominated the following dates for our additional Pupil Free days granted to school by the CE Director.

• Tuesday 31 May & Friday 24 June

During these days the teachers will be engaged in additional PL to support our Catalyst program and provide time for class preparation and student assessment.  KidsBiz will be open on these days.  

Our school rolls are an official legal document and must accurately account for a child's attendance and the reason why a child is not at school.  Today a letter has been sent home, via the children, indicating if you have not provided a reason for why your child was not at school. Please process the absences through your Compass Parent Portal so that it automatically links to the class roll. You can find the absentee note through the "Shortcuts" button located in the middle at the bottom of the home screen.  If you are having trouble completing the online absence please contact the front office for assistance.    

Students absent for 25 Days or More

Families electing to take holidays for more than 25 school days (consecutively) 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.

Media Update

Last week a Media Permission form was sent home with each child.  We are updating our media permissions for use on social media. Thank you to those families who have returned their forms. If you have lost the form please contact your child's teacher so a new form can be sent home.

Afternoon Mother Teresa School Pick Up

Following the success of using the courts for parking and afternoon pick up, the staff have asked to continue to use this area for pick up. The traditional car line will not be reintroduced which has made the front of the school a much safer pedestrian area for everyone. The teacher on duty will remain in the pick-up area until 3.20pm and then bring those children not collected through the gate.

Parents are permitted on the school grounds while they pick up their child from the designated area outside. A reminder that children are NOT permitted on the play equipment following dismissal. 

Critical Request Regarding Local Parking

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. 

Following discussion with our canteen provider they will only be open on Wednesday to Friday for online lunch orders  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. 

Building Update

Our rooms are starting to take shape and we are expected to be in by mid-June. 

Term 2 school fees have been emailed to all families this afternoon.  Fees are due for payment by Friday, 27 May unless you are paying by regular instalments or alternative arrangements have been made with either myself or Mrs Betts.

God Bless

Carmel Maguire

Please find the Grade Overviews for Term 2. These overviews provide parents with a guide to the curriculum being taught in each grade level across the term.

Supporting Children to Build Resilience 

Resilience is a person’s ability to cope with life’s ups and downs.  Supporting children to build skills to face challenges and to even be strengthened by them can aid in protecting and promoting their wellbeing.     

Parentlink explains, there are 3 main building blocks to resilience: 

I can… 

Control myself when needed, talk to others about my worries and fears and get help if I need it. 

I am…. 

Worthwhile, loved, respectful, responsible and able to do nice things for others 

I have….. 

People in my life I can trust and who can lead by example. 

As is demonstrated in these 3 building blocks; with care and guidance we can provide children with the foundation they need to be resilient.  This comes with a self-belief that is founded in being loved and protected and knowing they have help available if needed. 

With these foundations in place, parents can further support children to develop resilience by providing opportunities to learn to solve problems for themselves, to make mistakes and learn from them and to make choices that are right for them.  Demonstrating your respect for their opinion will also build a further foundation of self-belief and confidence.  As they grow, giving children extra responsibilities gives them opportunities to do things for themselves and to build further belief in their capabilities.   

When life gets especially challenging, seeking outside support for your child if needed can also promote resilience as they build skills in talking through their worries, expressing themselves and they also learn a valuable message that it is always okay to ask for help if you need it.   

For more information, please visit Coping skills (resilience) - Parentlink (act.gov.au) 

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 this term. 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.  Late orders or orders from the previous catalogue are charged a flat rate for home postage.

The order cut-off date for issue 3 is Friday 13th May.

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.  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.

Thank you.

Support Mother Teresa School in ACT and purchase your Entertainment Membership from us today!!

Order your Book Here

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! 
Mother Teresa School in ACT 
Adelle DeZilva 
 
mtscommunitycouncil@mail.com 

ACT Health COVID-19 guidelines have changed for schools.  Mother Teresa's priority will be to deliver on-campus learning with COVID smart measures in place to minimise transmission of COVID-19 onsite.  Mother Teresa will regularly review, and update where required, our approach to managing COVID-19 as appropriate.  Our approach is informed by the National Framework for Managing COVID-19 in Schools and Early Childhood Education and Care Settings, and the latest advice on winter season preparedness from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee. 

The following is a brief outline of changes for Term 2 2022.

Check in requirements

Digital check in with the Check In CBR app is no longer required for staff and students. However, QR codes will continue to be available for voluntary use, including for community hirers holding events on school sites.

Masks

The use of face masks has been eased from Term 2. Staff, students and visitors are not required to wear masks on school or ELC sites. (Masks will need to be worn if a person is a close household contact of a positive COVID case – see below.)

Cohorting

Cohorting will no longer be required. However, schools are advised to where possible minimise the length of time or number of students involved in organised activities that bring mixed groups together.

Physical distancing   

Physical distancing should be maintained on school sites where possible. Density quotients no longer apply.

Parents and carers on school sites

• Parents and carers can attend outdoor areas of the school/ELC site for drop off and pick up, or when attending a permitted activity to be advised by the school.
• Parents and carers can enter school/ELC classrooms or indoor settings with an appointment,  including to access enrolment support, or when attending a permitted activity.  Parents and carers can book an appointment with their school/ELC.
• Parents and carers must follow COVID smart measures (physical distancing, hygiene practices, staying away if unwell).

Staying home when sick and hygiene requirements - Staff, students and visitors must not attend school or ELC sites if they are unwell and will be sent home if they any have symptoms of COVID-19.  All staff, visitors and students should, at all times, maintain appropriate hand and respiratory hygiene.

Close Household Contacts

Household contacts will not have to quarantine if they have no COVID-19 symptoms but will need to comply with the following requirements for seven days from the time the first person in their household tests positive for COVID‑19:

• Advise ACT Health that they are a household contact by completing a COVID-19 online declaration form.
• Wear a face mask in all indoor spaces when outside of the home, if aged 12 years and over.
• Students study from home, where it is practical to do so.
• Parents/Carers notify the school of their child being a household contact via the school COVID email - covid.motherteresa@cg.catholic.edu.au. Don't forget to submit an absentee note via COMPASS.
• If it is not practical to study from home, students must undertake COVID-19 testing and return a negative result in the 24 hours prior to returning to school and then every 48 hours if ongoing attendance is required.

Daily Reporting of COVID Cases

Schools will notify parents only if there are a significant number of cases within the community and/or a cohort.

The health and safety of students and staff remains as always our priority.  If there are high numbers of COVID-19 exposures at our school, consideration will be given to whether additional COVID-19 Safety Measures should be reintroduced, with authorisation by Catholic Education Office.  These measures aim to limit the potential for further transmission and will generally be limited to a short period of time (e.g. 1 to 2 weeks).  

• Additional testing recommendations such as to test before returning to school/ELC and again in 48 hours.
• Masks Staff, students in Years 7-12, and visitors may be asked to wear a mask when indoors and when physical distancing of 1.5 metres cannot be maintained.
• Limiting parents and carers on site Parents and carers may be asked not to attend a school/ELC site without an appointment.
• Cancelling permitted activities Any of the planned permitted activities may be cancelled or rescheduled to another date.
• Strict Cohorting It may be necessary to cohort a particular class or year level so that they don’t mix with other students or staff across the school.
• Remote learning Some or all students may need to return to remote learning. This measure will be limited as much as possible, however may also be enacted in response to workforce shortages arising from COVID-19.

Rapid Antigen Tests
Our school/ELC will have access to Rapid Antigen Tests for distribution as needed and requested by parents. Parents or students who are symptomatic should not attend the school/ELC to collect a Rapid Antigen Test. Those families are encouraged to access testing through an ACT Health testing facility.

I look forward to working with you as we continue to manage COVID-19 and acknowledge that educating your children is as always our priority.