Dear Parents

The term is rapidly coming to a close with only one week to go!  Many gatherings have been enjoyed and shared over the past week.  Last Friday evening it was wonderful to see the community come together to share the Christmas spirit through song and dance at our Community Christmas Carols.  On Tuesday we farewelled Fr Mark with a beautiful school Mass.  On Wednesday our Year 6 students were acknowledged for their leadership at the Candle Ceremony.  Wednesday evening we saw the Year 6 students presented with their graduation certificates.  To finish the week, the Year 6 students participated in their adventure fun day - what a week! 

Congratulations also to our guitar students who shared their talents with the school at a mini concert held on Tuesday.

Candy Canes

This is a special time of year when the gift of giving is enjoyed by everyone. While a lovely gesture, I do ask that the children refrain from sharing candy canes as we have a number of children who need to monitor their sugar intake, particularly at this time of year.  

Traffic Petition to the ACT Legislative Assembly 

The Harrison School P&C recently submitted a petition to the ACT Legislative Assembly seeking action on road safety around the Harrison education precinct.

The increased traffic in the area and the lack of planning for this, is causing frustrated drivers to act dangerously which is leading to an increased number of near misses and serious accidents.

The Harrison School P&C will be sharing the link to the petition with our school community, local apartment body corporates and the shop owners at Franklin shops between now and 27 March 2023. We are aiming to get as many signatures on the petition as possible so the ACT Government takes immediate action to address the multiple issues causing risk to road users, including drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.

It would be wonderful to have the support of the Mother Teresa school community in signing this petition.  The link to sign the petition is below.

https://epetitions.parliament.act.gov.au/details/e-pet-040-22

2022 School Fees 

SCHOOL FEES FOR 2023

On behalf of our school community, I wish to provide you with information regarding our 2023 School Fees and thank you for your continued support of our school.  Despite the disruptions wrought by the covid pandemic, we have appreciated families meeting their financial obligations in 2022 to ensure our school continues to thrive.

We are very mindful of the impacts any fee increase incurs on families and have therefore carefully considered what would be most appropriate for the year ahead. In setting 2023 fees, we have worked hard to strike an effective balance between our essential work of providing an excellent education for our students and keeping any increase manageable for families – especially given the current economic environment.

You also will notice that the fees look a little different this year. The names associated with our school levies will be changing across Catholic Education Canberra and Goulburn (CECG). This is to ensure consistency across all schools in support of the rollout of a new finance system which is expected to be deployed to our System over the coming year.

Our fee for a single student in 2023 will be $1,109.00 per term. Included in this amount are both Tuition and School Levies. This amount represents an increase of 7.8% on last year, in line with rising salaries and costs required to ensure our school continues to deliver quality education. Please see attached the schedule of 2023 fees, including sibling discounts, for further details.

We are committed to our policy in the Archdiocese that no student should be refused enrolment, excluded, or disadvantaged because of their inability to afford the fees. If you are experiencing financial hardship and the 2023 fees are a concern for your family, I would encourage you to arrange a meeting with me to discuss how we can help and the financial assistance available. Any discussion on fees would be strictly confidential.

If you have any questions regarding school fees for 2023, please contact me.

Yours sincerely

Carmel Maguire

Congratulations to the following students who have received a class award this week.

This week we were delighted by the talents of our musical students at Mother Teresa School.  A short guitar performance was held on Tuesday for some of those learning the guitar at school.  

We have also been provided with some photographs and videos to share of Candice from Year 4 who recently performed at the Sydney Opera House!  What an amazing experience!

Keep up the great work everyone!

BYOD Chromebook specifications - Years 4, 5 and 6

The transition of BYOD (Bring your Own Device) to Chromebooks will begin in 2023. If purchasing a new device, we ask that it is a Chromebook. We do not expect parents to be purchasing a new device if they have an iPad. 

A Chromebook is a kind of laptop running Chrome OS, an operating system made by Google. Chromebooks are made by a range of known technology brands like Lenovo and ASUS. There often is not a lot of difference between brands. You may like to shop around and see if there are student or education deals around.

When purchasing, please be aware of the following specifications:

• 4GB Memory (RAM) minimum
• 32GB Storage for use in primary school is fine, many will have 64GB anyway
• 11-13 Inch screen minimum - personal preference
• At least 8 hour battery life
• Must have the ability to connect to headphones, whether it be via a port or bluetooth - whatever your student has access to
• Must have a camera
• A touchscreen can be useful for some students (but it's optional)
• Stay away from the Chromebook tablets. These are not recommended.
• In terms of price, don't spend too much on the Chromebook. A budget of up to $500 is reasonable. One of the deciding factors in moving from iPads to Chromebooks was the comparable/cheaper price.
• A protective case or cover for the Chromebook is required
• Headphones or earphones are required
• Warranty should be a consideration when purchasing a device
• We recommend that you consider adding the device to your insurance policy

Chromebooks do not require active firewalls, or anti-virus and anti-malware software. When the Chromebook is connected to the school network via specialised BYOD WiFi, it will utilise the online security settings set up by Catholic Education.

Support during the school holidays

This resource has some helpful apps, resources, and external support services that you can turn to if you're looking for some support for your child during the school holidays, or any time. 

Helpful Apps for kids

Breathe, think, do with sesame 

• Teaches skills such as problem solving, self-control, planning, and task persistence.

Mindful powers

• An award-winning, kid-first, holistic approach to helping young minds learn and practice mindfulness so they can respond more effectively to stressful situations through the power of play.

Children's Bedtime meditations

• This app has meditations and mindfulness tracks for children of all ages and covers a range of themes to help your kids to sleep soundly at night.

The Zones of regulation

• Helps kids gain skills in consciously regulating their behaviours, emotions, and level of alertness.

Support for parents

Raising healthy minds app

• The Raising Healthy Minds App offers practical tips and information to help you support your child’s social and emotional wellbeing, from ages 0-12. It’s funded by the Australian Government, reviewed by experts and non-commercial.

Parent Line A.C.T

• Parentline offers advice, support, information, and referral for parents and families in the ACT. They offer free telephone and face-to-face counselling.

Beyondblue healthy families

• Healthy Families is all about giving you the information, knowledge, and confidence to support the young people in your life. They are also here to help you take care of your own mental health and wellbeing.

Kids Helpline

• You might know Kids Helpline as the 24/7 phone counselling service for children, but they also have a variety of helpful information for parents and kids on their website.

Families Under Pressure

• Try these simple tips and tricks, formulated by researchers and mental health experts, which are backed by science and proven to work with families. Families Under Pressure offer short videos that cover a range of behavioural and emotional concerns.

COPMI national initiative

• The COPMI (Children of Parents with a Mental Illness) national initiative develops information for parents, their family and friends in support of children and young people.

Who to talk to during the holidays

Your GP

• Your GP is available to chat about how your child is feeling and can discuss a range of options with you, as well as refer you to other services, such as a Psychologist or Paediatrician.

Kids helpline

• Kids HelpLine is Australia's only free, 24/7, confidential telephone counselling service for young people. Your child can call them any time on 1800 55 1800

Your local youth centre

• Most youth or community centres have free school holiday programs and have drop-in times for a safe space for children and young people to be social and have fun!

Beyondblue

• BeyondBlue free telephone and online counselling service is open 24/7 for everyone in Australia. Head to their website, or call 1300 22 4636

Head to Health

• Head to Health has more than 500 digital resources to support wellbeing and mental health.

Mindmap

• Mindmap is a dedicated portal for children and young people (up to 25 years of age) to help navigate Canberra’s mental health system and to find the right service and support.  It also provides helpful resources for parents. 

Tips for supporting your child

Talk to your child about emotions

• Encourage them to recognise and name their emotions, and let them know that it is normal to have all sorts of feelings. If something is bothering your child, you could offer them hugs, reassurance and validation.

Role model a positive outlook

• Show your child how to deal with feelings such as frustration, anxiety and disappointment in a constructive way, through your behaviour in every-day situations.
• Help them learn to manage small worries before they turn in to bigger problems.  You can encourage your child to try things that they fear, instead of avoiding situations that cause them anxiety.

Offer healthy food and eating habits

Encourage a variety of physical activity

Make sure that your child gets enough sleep

• Try to keep consistent bed and wake-up routines as much as possible, limit screen time before bed and try out sleep meditations if your child has trouble with sleep.

Use a positive, constructive, and consistent approach to guide your child’s behaviour

• This looks like rewarding desired behaviour with praise and attention, rather than a focus on negative consequences when they display challenging behaviours.

Make time each day to talk and listen to your child

• Find things you enjoy doing together and take an interest in their interests. 

School Student Support Referrals and Counselling

To direct our families to access the best support available through Mother Teresa 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.