Dear Parents

As a Catholic learning community,

all at Mother Teresa School are called

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

Term 2 Commences on Wednesday 26 April 2023

It is very hard to believe Term 1 is over. It has been a busy term as life returns to normal with school events happening and parents being actively involved. It was very special to be able to gather as a school to reflect on the Easter events, beautifully represented by a group of Year 6 students. 

Staffing News

Today we farewelled our beautiful Sarah Campbell who is taking up a teaching position in one of our local schools. Sarah has been a valued staff member who has held a range of positions during her years at MTS - Art Teacher, Year 1 and Kindergarten.

Next term we welcome Mrs Amy Slaven, our new teacher for Kinder Crimson. Amy will commence on Monday 1 May (Week 2) as she has to be released from the school where she is currently working. Amy comes to MTS with 20 years of experience with 10 years teaching in Kindergarten.

End of Term House Celebration

It was a very close competition between the house groups as they worked to receive tokens towards the end of term special surprise for following our MTS ways. Thanks to Mr Craig Hart for the coordination of the BBQ and Kids Biz for allowing us to use one of their large jumping castles. 

Anzac Day Assembly

Our annual Anzac Day Assembly will be held on Friday 28 April at 1pm in the hall. Due to space restrictions we will only be inviting parents of our Defence families.  We look forward to seeing you next term for this special occasion.

No Canteen Week 1

There will be no canteen facilities available in Week 1.

Urgent - Community Council - Position Vacant Treasurer 

The Mother Teresa School Community Council is urgently looking for a parent volunteer to manage the day to day financial activities of the Community Council accounts. This includes receipting money from fundraising activities including the uniform shop, parent community events and then arranging payments as required. A monthly Income and Expenditure report must be prepared for Council meetings and end of year documentation prepared for Catholic Education in December. 

Book keeping or accounting skills are required. A detailed handover will be arranged as our current Treasurer no longer has a child in the school.

If interested or for more information please email carmel.maguire@cg.catholic.edu.au as soon as possible.

Principal

WHOLE SCHOOL FOCUS

The Whole school focus theme for this year is ‘Walking Together’.

‘The Mother Teresa School Way’:

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

• • Including others
  • Listening attentively
  • Showing good sportsmanship
  • Treating others equitably

Palm Sunday

Thank you to some of our Year 6 students who had the honour of being involved in the dramatization of the Passion on Palm Sunday along with the Kinder and ELC students who formed part of the entrance procession. They did a marvelous job celebrating this important mass at Holy Spirit Church.

HOLY WEEK & EASTER LITURGUES

What a fabulous and joyous occasion we had on Wednesday as part of our Holy Week liturgies. A big thank you to all the children who sang so beautifully and participated so reverently during the liturgy and to the fabulous. The dramatization and re-enactment of the events helped everyone to remember the journey and struggle for Jesus and the joyous event of Easter where He rose to new life. Most importantly to our fabulous staff at Mother Teresa School who as always rose to the occasion to provide memorable teaching and learning experiences for the students. Thank you!

LENT & PROJECT COMPASSION                

A very big thank you to everyone for your generous donations to Project Compassion this year.  Once again Mother Teresa School families have come to the fore to help others: Thanks to the wonderful generosity of the children and their families, during Lent we raised over $3,195.45.  Well done and congratulations everyone.

Easter Sunday 9 April 2023 - Year A

“The teaching of Scripture is that

Jesus must rise from the dead.”

The Story

After Jesus died, his body was placed in a tomb. The disciples were all very sad and afraid. Early on Sunday morning, so early that it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been rolled away. The tomb was empty! She ran to tell Peter and another disciple, and they ran back to the tomb. The disciples saw the strips of cloth which had been covering Jesus’ body, but Jesus was not there. He was no longer dead, but alive!

 

Confirmation 2023

Please pray for our Year 6 Confirmation Candidates, their teachers, and families as they prepare this important sacrament. An email has been sent to all MTS Confirmation students confirming whether the details are correct and important information that needs be completed by 31 March. Please contact me if you have not received the email. anne.leet@cg.catholic.edu.au

All our Confirmation candidates are truly embracing their ministries and getting involved in the Parish Masses. Well done!  Don’t forget to bring your item of food for the ‘Food Pantry’.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Loss and grief are issues which affect all of us at some stage in our lives. Learning to deal effectively with these issues is central to personal wellbeing and happiness.  Unresolved grief can also affect a student’s learning. ‘Seasons for Growth’ is an Australian education program which supports participants who have experienced change in their family because of a death, separation or divorce.  This program explores issues such as change, loss, managing feelings, coping strategies and support networks. ‘Seasons’ is an eight-session program which concludes with an additional celebration session.

The program is available to students in years 1, 2, 3,4, 5 & 6. Please contact anne.leet@cg.catholic.edu.au   if your child has not enrolled and you still wish them to participate in the program ‘Seasons’ will commence in Term Two.

EASTER PRAYER

God made you and God made me, He made the world for us to see. God loves you and long ago, He sent his Son to tell us so. Jesus showed us many things, to love and share and dance and sing. To learn and pray, to help and care, He promised he’d always be there. He died but then came back to life, let’s celebrate for he’s alive! Amen.

— Unknown

Peace and Best Wishes.

Anne Leet

Religious Education Co-ordinator

What an amazing Easter Egg Raffle with 35 amazing prizes drawn out to some lucky winners!  It was a chocolate lovers delight when those prizes came home yesterday!

We would like to thank parents for your generous chocolate donations and special thanks to our Community Council fundraising team, especially Janice Van Zomeran, Adelle De Zilva-Stewart, Jodie Gleeson, Kristy Mellor and Kaillin Palombi.  Over $2000 was raised for the school.

Supporting Children with Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety is the fear of being separated from a parent or carer, and is sometimes accompanied by stranger anxiety, or wariness and distress around unfamiliar people.   These anxieties are a normal part of your child’s early development.

By the time children reach preschool and school age, they will generally be comfortable leaving their parent or carer, particularly in situations with familiar environments and people, although new situations may still cause some initial anxiety.

If your child is still experiencing regular and significant anxiety upon separating from you, they may need some extra support. 

Below are some helpful ideas to support your child to cope with separation anxiety:

• Ask yourself if you are anxious about leaving your child. Children are very quick to pick up on anxiety from caregivers, and your anxiety may be sending a message to your child that it is not safe if you leave them.
• Teach yourself and your child some breathing exercises to help you relax.
• Practice saying goodbye – eg. Have your child stay with your partner or a friend for 5 minutes at a time while you go outside to hang out washing, put out the bins etc. Say goodbye to your child each time, and don’t allow your child’s distress to delay your leaving.  Let them know that they are safe, and that you will be back. 
• Introduce your child to new environments and people in advance whenever possible.
• Always say goodbye – tempting as it is to sneak out when your child is occupied, this could result in an increase in your child’s anxiety.
• Keep goodbyes brief - it could be helpful to talk to your child’s teacher and have a plan in place to distract your child with a fun or comforting activity while they settle after you have left.
• Consider using the ‘stepladder approach’ to managing anxiety (see “Raising Children Network” in the online resources list below)
• If the anxiety is causing regular distress, or interfering with daily life, it may require some specialist support. Consider visiting your GP to discuss your concerns or contact your School Counsellors, Bron and Ryoko. 

Helpful online resources for separation anxiety:

http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/anxiety_stepladder_approach.html

http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/separation_anxiety.html/context/734

http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/feelings/worrying.html

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.