Dear Parents

This week has been a very busy and engaging time around the school. I have thoroughly enjoyed hearing the children and teachers talking about and sharing the many wonderful experiences that support the class programs. Please take the time to read about many of the events in this week's newsletter. 

• Amazing science experiments culminating in a grand final car race.
• Year 4 groups headed to Lanyon for the day to experience colonial life in Australia. 
• Anna Battese visited MTS and spoke to our Kinder to Year 2 children as we prepare for Book Week.
• Year 6 engaged in an interactive presentation by GWS Giants called 'Harmony Program".
• Keen Year 3 & 4 students continue to rehearse for their Star Warts Musical 
• Tournament of Minds (TOM) students from Years 3 to 6 prepare for their weekend of competition next weekend. 

To stay in touch with events as they unfold, please follow us on Facebook - MTS Facebook Page.

Congratulations to Kate and Matt on the arrival of Isabelle Grace born on 6 August.  A beautiful sister to William. All are doing well and I know the staff and children in 2 Lime are all looking forward to meeting Isabelle soon.

Please keep our Year 3 families and children, who are preparing to make their First Reconciliation next week and First Eucharist in the coming weeks, in your prayers. This is a very special time for the children. 

Sincere thanks to families who use the car park each afternoon.  I very much appreciate your patience as we navigate the number of cars parking and leaving.  I plan to be a presence on the courts, most afternoons.  Occasionally, I may have a meeting so may not be available.  

Kinder 2023 Interviews 

Between now and the end of term I will be conducting interviews for our Kinder siblings starting in 2023.  We will be in contact soon to begin setting up the interview times. 

COVID Reminders 

Families still need to advise the school should a child be at home with COVID via our specific email address, covid.motherteresa@cg.catholic.edu.au then followed up with a Compass absentee notification through the Compass Parent Portal.

RAT kits are still available from the office should you require kits for regular testing, particularly if your child is a close contact. 

Large Tables - Free! Last Chance

We have 2 large tables in good condition 1.5m x 1.5m which are available for free.  If you are interested please contact the front office on 62415604.

Do not forget MTS will host our book parade on Monday! This is a  fun day when the children dress up as their favourite book characters. 

God bless and have a lovely weekend

Carmel Maguire

The children will be encouraged to buy a $5 golden ticket that gives them the opportunity to engage in a range of fun activities on offer during the day.  This $5 ticket cost will be a donation to support Global School Partners and Catholic Missions.

Golden Tickets to be distributed on the day.

Students please wear sports uniform for photo.

Students can purchase more than 1 ‘Golden Ticket’.

The more tickets purchased the more chances to win a lucky draw prize of $50 Visa card.

Tickets are available now through QKR! 

Congratulations to the following children who have received

a class award from their teacher this week.

Our Year 4 students had two great days visiting Lanyon during the week to experience Colonial life in Australia. So much fun!

In the lead up to Book Week, Author Anna Battese visited Mother Teresa Library during the week. She spoke to all students in Kindergarten, Year One and Year Two. She shared her stories, encouraged students to persevere when things get tough and inspired all students to enjoy thinking creatively to write fantastic stories! What a wonderful experience!

On Tuesday 16 August Year Six participated in an interactive workshop called the 'Harmony Program' run by the education team from GWS Giants AFL Club. The program infuses First Nations knowledge, culture, and traditional practice to help bring peace and understanding of our shared Australian history to a new generation of children. The students participated in a range of activities including storytelling, dance and exploring tools and artifacts. 

The Year 6 students were very engaged and it's safe to say the Giants have definitely gained a few more fans!

Thanks to Rebecca Cartwright for coordinating this special opportunity. 

A complement to our Year 6 group

Thanks so much for having us earlier in the week. We really enjoyed coming out to Mother Teresa Primary and your students were so well behaved, a real credit to you and the other teachers.

Thanks again for your support of the GIANTS Harmony program.

All the best

Jack Masters

Head of Canberra Operations

Our 3 / 4 students have been rehearsing for our school musical Star Warts- The Umpire Strikes Back. There are 50 students who have auditioned and have been giving up each recess and lunch to rehearse in the hall as actors in our play. In class time all Year 3 / 4 classes have been learning the music for the musical, as every child is involved in the chorus for the musical and will have a turn on stage to perform.

At this stage, our students will be performing for their peers at school on Tuesday in Week 10 of this term. We are hoping that the rules may change so that we can have some parents in attendance. We will let you know closer to the time if this changes.

In terms of costumes for the show, as always, all children will be asked to wear blue jeans or blue school trousers and we will provide a coloured t-shirt.  Class teachers may choose to accessorise their class if they wish.

Actors will wear the same clothing and will accessorise to make them stand out according to their character. I have lots of accessories and will discuss what is needed with the actors in the next few weeks.

Can you help? We need a brown onesie for one of our characters Nigel the Nookie! We also need a Star Wars Obi-One cloak/shirt .

Thank you so much for your support.

Susan Curbishley

Susan.Curbishley@cg.catholic.edu.au

Newsletter Week 5 Tech Talk - Chromebooks

Last week it was announced in the newsletter that the Community Council endorsed the decision to move to Chromebooks from Year 4 as our preferred BYOD device from 2023. Over the coming weeks we’ll share further information about the change. This week we’ll share information about the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) journey. 

Why BYOD in the first place? Some history:

The purpose of the Bring Your Own Device program (BYOD) is about getting technology into the hands of all students and not relying on shared school devices. We wanted all students to have access to a device that supports their learning and allows them to develop and apply Information Communication Technology (ICT) knowledge and skills, including digital citizenship, as per the ICT capability in the Australian Curriculum. The learning opportunities that technology promotes include:   

• communicating ideas in a variety of ways;
• problem solving and thinking critically;
• creativity and creating content;
• facilitating access to, management of, and sharing of information;
• collaboration among students and the global community.

When MTS began planning for and implementing a BYOD program in 2015/2016, iPads were chosen as the sole device due to their portability, functionality and features as a learning tool. The options for student appropriate devices were slim and iPads accomodated the purpose at the time. Initially the program was implemented in Year 6, then Years 5 and 4 were added to the program over subsequent years.

Since the inception of our BYOD program, a variety of devices have come onto the market and are better tailored to student learning needs. While these features and functions of iPads are still valuable and still have a place at Mother Teresa School, the feedback from teachers is that there are currently limitations on what can be achieved with iPads and more suitable devices should be explored and considered. 

The Years 3-6 teachers have noted the limitations of iPads: 

• Difficulty researching and switching between tabs.
• Recording information - while possible on an iPad, it’s not an ideal setup for students. 
• Not all websites and resources are compatible with iPads or best suited to iPad use, for example, Canva.
• Storage and accessibility of work.
• Students are not receiving the experience of typing on a full size keyboard which means students are going into high school without appropriate typing skills.

A set of 30 school laptops has been available to Years 4-6 for class use, but they are slow to load and log in. Chromebooks boot up in a matter of seconds, an attractive feature within the classroom setting, especially when compared to laptops.

Due to limited IT personnel to service and respond to technical issues and to streamline the classroom experience, MTS has restricted the number of device makes and types to one single device. Once the transition from iPad to Chromebook is complete, Chromebooks would be the only device for BYOD.

School Student Support Referrals and Counselling

To direct our families to access the best support available through Mother Terese School, we are setting up the following process to assist with referrals and the most appropriate use of our resources.

1. Enquiry (teacher or parent) – Request a referral form from the office
2. The principal will talk with you and guide you to appropriate support

Support types:

• • • • Diverse Learning Teacher and team,
      • Student welfare officer (individual or small group guidance and/or mentoring support),
      • Defence School Mentor,
      • School counselling (individual or small group)
      • External agencies

If school counselling is recommended the School Counsellor will contact the parents and go through the online CatholicCare referral process if school counselling is suitable. Once the online referral has been submitted and consent is signed, the School Counsellor can begin working with the student.

To make it easier for payments to be made at Mother Teresa School, we have introduced the use of Qkr! by Mastercard, a secure and easy way to order and pay for school items from your phone at a time and place that suits you.

Please refer to the attached document for instructions on how to download the app to your phone. I have also included several screenshots from my phone so you will know what it looks like once registered.

This will become our preferred option for many school payments in the future. Additional payment options will be added as required eg, sporting events.

TerraCycle has partnered with Colgate® and Chemist Warehouse to give seven schools the chance to win a community garden kit for their school grounds. Between 24 February - 31 October, Australian schools are invited to join the Terracycle recycling program for oral care waste. Each unit of oral care waste (toothpaste tubes and caps, manual plastic toothbrushes, electric toothbrush heads, toothbrush plastic packaging, floss containers) equals 10 garden points, the more units of oral care waste recycled the better chance of winning. There are seven grand prizes to be won and each is valued at $4780. 

The grand prize pack contains:  

* Two garden beds made from TerraCycle recycled materials

* Bench with planter boxes made from TerraCycle recycled materials 

* Bug Hotel

* $100 Bunnings Warehouse gift voucher

* $100 Australian Seeds Voucher

* Plantastic! A to Z of Australian Plants Book

A collection point for parents has been placed out the front of the hall which has already collected over 200 pieces of oral care waste. Children are also encouraged to bring their waste to school as a collection point will be located near the student reception desk. Toothpaste tubes don't need to be empty but please ensure everything is dry.

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