Dear Parents

This is our final newsletter for the year, and as the 2022 school year draws to a close, I would like to thank you for your welcome and the wonderful support you give to your children and the school community.  I thank the Community Council who have worked tirelessly for the school during the year. 

A huge thanks to our staff for the great work they have done with your children throughout the year.  We are blessed to have such an amazing group of dedicated professionals who contribute so much to MTS.  Thank you also to Father Mark and Father Thonn for their work in supporting our families, students and staff.

This week we farewell many staff members who go on to other adventures. Best wishes to the following:

Brooke Jeffries who has given so much to our community and will take up the Religious Education Coordinators role at Good Shepherd.

Stephanie Travis who is relocating to teach in Cairns due to her husband's posting. 

Katherine Morris who is following her dream to teach Science at Merici College. 

Shaylie Weston who is heading to England to teach and adventure through Europe. 

Angela Kelley who is heading to St Thomas Mores at Campbell to take up the Office Manager role.

Fr Mark Croker our beloved Parish Priest, who has been here for the past 14 years and moves to the Parish of Cooma in 2023; and

Fr Thonn Riosa who will move to St Mary’s Moruya as Assistant Priest in 2023.

We wish them all the best for next year and beyond. Thank you for all you have done for the students, staff and parents.

As Angela is an original staff member of MTS and then the ELC I would like to share a poem written for Angela from one of our students Izzy O'Brien, presented at our staff farewell earlier this week.

A - Always has a smile in the morning

N - Nice to people when they are sad, like when I broke my thumb you gave me skittles

G - Good listener when people are talking

E - Epically awesome in every way!

L - Loves to have a laugh

A - Always going to be missed

Special congratulations to our Mother Teresa School Award recipients for Semester Two. We are very proud of your achievements. 

	Elena truly embodies the values of Mother Teresa School through the way that she conducts herself in the classroom and within the wider community. Elena consistently does “small things with great love” irrespective of recognition. She is a proactive and self motivated learner who consistently strives to grow personally and academically. You will often find her looking out for those who need a buddy on the playground, independently providing assistance to her peers during learning time to ensure they are able to complete tasks and offering her own time to help teachers during lunch. Elena sets a great example to all those she meets and brings a smile to our faces each day with her cheeky sense of humour and gentle nature.
	Sam is an incredibly polite and caring young man who has the utmost respect for adults and students alike. He shows the 5 Cs daily and can be trusted with any task. Sam looks out for younger students with a calm, mentor-like energy, and is a role model for his peers of all ages. Sam is courageously unique and holds true to his morals and values despite the pressures that can come with growing up. He has an excellent sense of humour and a compassionate, kind heart. Sam  is a true representation of a Mother Teresa student.
	During her primary school years Chelsea has consistently lived up to the Mother Teresa School ethos. Chelsea models the 5 Cs, seemingly effortlessly, and is authentic in her relationships with peers and adults alike. Chelsea displays a level of empathy beyond her years and her consciousness of others is to be admired. She has represented Mother Teresa School over the years with grace and has displayed the kind of sportsmanship that we expect. She has a natural gentleness which, combined with a spirited but appropriate sense of humor, has seen her grow into a mature young lady who will be a wonderful asset to the MTS name as she moves into high school.

The Students:

You are the reason why I teach – how you treat each other, how hard you work, how motivated you become, what you achieve and the difference you make to yourselves and to each other. You are such a major part of the reason why I have stayed at MTS for so long and literally have refused to leave until now, when my next dream job came up.

I have gotten to watch you grow and learn and become fabulous children in your own right. I am so proud of and inspired by you every day!

I am so grateful for: all the chats I have had on playground duty with you, all the fabulous, fabulous ToM times we have had together, all the brilliant classroom learning and the hard work and effort you have put in, finally all the beautiful, inspiring, and amazing things we have achieved together.  

For those of you I didn’t get to teach or work with, I have still really enjoyed getting to know so many of you, I would have loved the opportunity to teach you.

MTS is such a wonderful, amazing school, it really is my home away from home and I have been so blessed and privileged to be part of your MTS family for so long!

Thank you for all your support and care, thanks for looking out for me and helping me to be brave and learn and grow too! Thanks for making me feel like it was ok to “go for it”, to try my best; and even if I didn’t always succeed, thank you for always making me feel good about myself and about trying and never giving up!

Just remember, that mistakes are proof that you are trying and learning, they are expected and respected, you cannot learn and be better if you do not try! So always try, keep trying, and each time you mess up or fail, keep trying again, because every time you get back up again - you get a little stronger, a little wiser, a little better – eventually will you soar!

Always look after others and support each other – do small things with great love and keep doing and saying all the things you do that make such a difference and ensure that Mother Teresa School is the place to be!

I want each of you to remember, no matter what happens in your futures, that you are truly, remarkable, outstanding human beings, your attitude, your effort, your resilience is so important, it is not what you do in life, but who you are, and I am so blessed that I had the privilege to get to know you and work with you while I was at MTS.

I wish you all the very best!!

Take care!

Miss Jeffries

By many MTS was assessed.

The result, a resounding – impressed!

Staff, kids and fam’lies all know,

it’s totes the place to grow-glow.

Simply belonging, I know I’ve been blessed.

The Parent Community

To our wonderful Parent-Family Community;

You, I must say, are one third of the reason why I have stayed so long at MTS and have thoroughly loved what I do, what we have achieved together and the difference we have made!

While words will not adequately convey my sentiments towards each of you, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you the parents and families who I have walked with while I have been blessed enough to work at MTS. The support you have provided me with and the professional relationships we have created I will hold dear and treasure long after I have left.

The love, care, understanding and support you give your child/ren and all you do for them is inspiring, motivating and heartening. I have loved working with and journeying with you. It has been a privilege.  

I hope your futures are blessed.

Take care

Miss Jeffries

Thank you for supporting our School!

The MTS Community Council Social and Fundraising Committee would like to end the year with a very big THANK YOU to all in our school community who helped out with volunteering, organising and supporting our events and projects throughout 2022, including the raffle prize donors and our generous sponsors. This includes the successful events of the Zumba night, Trivia Night and the Carols picnic as well as the fundraising projects: Recycling/10c, Family Portraits, Environmental Collections (socks & toothpastes), Gingerbread Houses, School Year Book, Entertainment Books, Scholastic Books and the Second Hand Uniform Shop.

The last two events of the year saw the year out in a great success!

The family portrait fundraiser saw 28 families being photographed by Kieran from Lasso photography. This resulted in us raising a total of $750.00, and the very lucky Hackett family won a portrait value package worth $248.00. Families each received a family print while we raised $20 per family. This take-up meant the school received booking bonuses! As a further bonus, Lasso photography donated a $50 movie voucher and box of chocolates for our Christmas Carols Raffle. 

Our school’s Christmas Carols picnic event brought our school’s families together in huge numbers for a fantastic joyful time to celebrate the year together. Thank you to the MTS committee who assisted by decorating, organising the Gingerbread houses and a very generous raffle. Thank you again to the local businesses and school families who donated the below prizes:

• Kieran Lasso Photography box favourites and $50 movie gift card 
• $100 gift card Bunnings
• Air fryer Woolworths Franklin
• Gift basket valued over $100 from M&M Perfection cleaning services- Maydaa and Michleen El Maydaa
• 2 x $100 Physio voucher from SportsCare Canberrafrom Louise and Gareth Roantree 
• 2 x $50 Kmart gift cards
• Book Face Book pack valued at over $150
• 8 x Funland vouchers worth $120
• A $70 Norwex gift Pack from Adelle De Zilva-Stewart (Norwex Consultant)

The raffle raised over $1000 toward our fundraising goal to introduce sustainability projects into our school.

We look forward to having even more opportunities to come together as a community in 2023 and to your continued support. Did you know there are a few different ways to support our school during the summer school holidays? 

• Entertainment Books can be purchased throughout the year and are a great way to save money during the holidays. https://au.entdigital.net/orderbooks/9661w78
• RETURN-IT If you would like to donate your 10c cans/bottles straight to the school - just use the school’s phone number when taking your cans and bottles to a depot (ph: 02 6241 5604).

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Your Community Council Friends.

Congratulations to Lily M (Kinder) on competing in her first National Level 1 gymnastics competition over the weekend.  Well done also to Max from Year 1, and Eloise from the ELC who also competed in this competition.

As the school year comes to an end we would also like to congratulate Joel, from Year 6, who has had a great year competing for the Canberra Kart Racing Club.   

With the final race for the year completed a couple of weeks ago, this weekend past, on Saturday, was the end of year presentation.  After 9 rounds of competition, close to 500 racing kilometers, and a class that had 47 entrants over the year, Joel took out 2^nd overall in the Club’s Rookie class.  This accomplishment is in addition to all the other races that he’s competed in throughout the year, including the ACT State Titles, City of Sydney Titles, Wollongong Kart Club rounds and a round at the Dubbo Kart Racing Club, in each of which he had great success against very competitive fields.

Well done Joel!

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

While the school levies cover most of the supplies your child required throughout the year there are a few special requests. Children are to provide the following 

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.

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 the 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.