Dear Parents

As a Catholic learning community,

all at Mother Teresa School are called

to care, to dream, to innovate, to inspire!

The cute meter was exploding on Wednesday when our Kindergarten students celebrated 100 days of school. The halls were adorned with the elderly, including features such as grey moustaches, hair rollers and even some walking sticks. A big thanks to the Kindergarten teachers and parents, who went to so much effort to make this a memorable day for the children. Imagine what they’ll look like after 200 days!

Science Week Competition

A reminder that our annual Science Week Competition will take place in Week 5, from 14th to 18th August. This year the students are invited to construct a bottle rocket to launch. These rockets are easy to construct. Information on how to build them will be sent out on COMPASS. Parents are welcome to attend the final launch on Friday the 18th August. (Time to be confirmed).

Parking

Over the past 3 weeks the school has received several phone calls from residents living in the surrounding areas, complaining about some of our parents parking in their personal car spaces. I have assured them that I would remind our parent community to be more considerate and not use these private car parks in the future.

Are You Leaving MTS?

We are receiving lots of enquiries for enrolment in all grades across the school. If you are aware of a possible move, please advise as soon as possible. This will help with our planning for 2024.  

Staffing News

Congratulations to Mrs Karen Garrity who will be stepping into the Assistant Principal role in my absence from Monday 28 August to Friday 12 November. We are so lucky to have someone of the calibre of Karen to fulfil this role and we know she will do an amazing job.

Craig Hart
Assistant Principal

WHOLE SCHOOL FOCUS

The Whole school focus theme for this year is ‘Walking Together’ Every family received a beautiful prayer card supporting the theme. Please place it in a prominent place so it can be share with those in your family.

‘The Mother Teresa School Way’:

We will show the value of Unity towards those we meet in our class and on the playground by: 

• having harmony in the group
• doing something together at the same time
• working together with a shared goal
• respecting everyone
• making big tasks seem easy.
• creating a sense of belonging and increasing well-being for all.
• having fun and makes us feel like a family.

Confirmation 2023

Please pray for our Year 6 Confirmation Candidates, their teachers, and families as they embark on this important time in their faith journey. This weekend when you attend mass you will notice a display of all our Confirmation Candidates at Holy Spirit Parish in the foyer. Don’t forget to bring your item of food for the ‘Food Pantry’.

Year A | Sunday 12th March | purple

 ​"The water that I shall give will become

​a spring of eternal life.”

The Story

In this story Jesus meets a woman who other people avoided. Jesus listens to her as an understanding friend and tells her about the ways in which she can quench her thirst for God. The woman believes, and then shares the Good News with others.

Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QszHeIUsbTQ

LENT & PROJECT COMPASSION  

The theme of Project Compassion 2023 is ‘For All Future Generations’ and reminds us that the good we do today extends to impact the lives of generations to come. It invites us to make the world a better place by working together now and finding long-term solutions to global issues.

At Mother Teresa School, we are trying to reach out to others and bring hope to those who are less fortunate than ourselves during this time of Lent by raising money for Project Compassion.  We encourage you to talk to your child about the importance of giving to those in need and to give generously.  Each class has a Project Compassion box available for the children’s donations. 

We invite all families to contribute by sending in the envelops each week.  Please talk to your child/ren about this important project and aspect of Lent. Let us remember though that it is not how much we give, but the compassion that accompanies our giving.   This week we raised $381.00 a total of $1,113.45. Thank you for your generosity!

Priscilla's story - Zimbabwe

Living in Harmony

Tuesday Week 8:

• Wear something orange and bring a gold coin.

It is an annual celebration held in Australia that aims to promote social cohesion, cultural diversity, and respect for different cultures, traditions, and beliefs.

• https://movingforwardtogether.org.au/poster-competition/
• Enter a poster or song writing competition. The theme for the 2023 competitions is 'Living in Harmony' and the deadline is 14 April. Entry is free and financial prizes are awarded at a ceremony at NSW Parliament House

Peace and Best Wishes.

Anne Leet (Religious Education Co-ordinator)

Let’s try to get as many students as possible to ride to school on National Ride 2 School Day on Friday March 24. Riding to school is great for our bodies, our minds and the environment and it will also be a great way to earn extra points for your house! Every child that rides to ride to school on National Ride 2 School will receive a token for their house. The house with the most bike riders on this day will receive bonus house points! So why not get on your bikes or scooters, prepare your bodies and brains for a great day of learning, look after the environment and earn some points for your house on Friday March 24.  

Apply now for the Future of Education Equity Fund 2023.

Apply now for the Future of Education Equity Fund for the 2023 school year.

Eligible low-income ACT families can receive one-off payments for financial assistance to help cover the costs of their children’s educational expenses such as sport equipment and activities, music lessons, school uniforms and excursions.

The Fund is open to eligible students enrolled in preschools (attached to a school)
through to Year 12 in the ACT.

Further information and the online application form is available here.

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.