Dear Parents

As a Catholic learning community,

all at Mother Teresa School are called

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

Congratulations to Jackman who was the winning house for our athletics carnival. We would also like to congratulate our age champions. 

Matt Giteau Cup 

Cross Country 

Congratulations to the following students who have made it through to the North/Gungahlin Cross Country Carnival. Do not forget to register via QKR to be able to attend.  

Oz Tag

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 Semester two 2023 and beyond.  

Enrolment Time

The Catholic Schools enrolment period has officially commenced and concluded on 26 May. All families with siblings attending our ELC need to also enrol by the end of May to secure a place. 

Please encourage friends and family to complete the enrolment form, available on our website.

Enrolment time for all Systemic Catholic schools occurs from Monday 1 May until Friday 26 May. This includes our Systemic Schools of St John Paul II College, Merici College and St Francis Xavier College, and the Holy Spirit and Mother Teresa Early Learning Centres (ELCs) for our pre-schoolers.

Please spread the word! 

ELC Open Days

ELC refurbishment and car park arrangements 

With the plans of the ELC refurbishment approved it is expected that construction will commence soon. Due to delays with several building approvals required the commencement date has been pushed back.  Once the project commences the access driveway in front of the ELC will be blocked off. This will mean that ELC parents will need to park in the car park and school afternoon pick-up for everyone will be at the back of the school near the covered walkway.  

Uniform Shop Opening 2023

Principal

WHOLE SCHOOL FOCUS

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

Our value for the next two weeks: ‘HONESTY’ and we can do this:

‘The Mother Teresa School Way’:

• Stand up for what is right
• Recognise right and wrong
• Follow rules
• Align words and actions
• Communicate with honesty
• Seek meaning
• Tell the truth

PRAYER FOCUS

Thank you to Mrs Francis, Mrs Reeves, Mrs Ryan and Year 1 Ocher and Coral who presented a beautiful focus assembly about Honesty. They sang beautifully and captivated their audience. The scriptures reference was: "I am the way, the truth and the life." This is about being honest with yourself, others and God. Thank you to all the parents who came along to lend their support.

THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD

The Ascension of Our Lord, a Holy Day of Obligation, celebrates the day that Christ, in the presence of His apostles, ascended bodily into Heaven. The Ascension occurred on the 40th day of Easter, so it falls on a Thursday, and thus is often called Ascension Thursday; however, in Australia, the celebration of the Ascension has been transferred to the following Sunday, six weeks after Easter.

 

​ “All authority in heaven and on earth

​has been given to me.”

Something to Think About

Jesus is with us through His Spirit. The Spirit will help us to show love and know what to say.

How do you show love to people with your actions? How do you show love with words?

The Story

Jesus does three things for the disciples. 1. He reminds them of his power. He tells them: 'I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth'. 2. He gives them a special mission: 'Go and baptise' and make disciples, not just in their own community but in all nations. Everyone deserves to hear the Good News. 3. Jesus is not deserting them. He says: 'I will be with you always, even until the end of time'. Wow!

Video https://youtu.be/XOgKAAuEpcE

Confirmation 2023

Our Confirmation ceremonies last week were very prayerful, and spirit filled.  Thank you to all the families and sponsors who came to support the candidates on the night. 

We would appreciate your feedback on the Confirmation preparation and ceremony by completing a short, 7 question survey.  It’s always very valuable to have your suggestions and comments as we review our processes.  Please follow this link to access the survey:

https://forms.gle/jzrTpFvZQpdrb2U5A

or scan this QR Code:

Peace and Best Wishes.

Anne Leet

Religious Education Co-ordinator

Social media and safety

Nowadays, social media is a part of our daily lives and kids are spending more and more time online. Whilst, social media can provide many benefits for kids, such as keeping in contact with friends and family, opportunities to explore different ideas, learn with others and develop digital media literacy, it can also expose our children to risks. 

By staying informed and educating ourselves and our children about how to stay safe online and the steps to take if things get unsafe, we can support our children to keep their time online safe.

Parentline provides us with a list of guidelines to help our kids stay safe online:

• Encourage them not to share passwords with friends
• Change privacy settings to make sure their information is private and limit who can connect with them
• Encourage them to connect only with people they know offline
• Set a good example - role model safe, healthy and positive online behaviours
• Use strong passwords and update them regularly
• Asking a trusted adult before posting any personal information online, including for competition entries
• Be involved and stay involved – take an interest in the sites they are visiting and get to know them
• Teach them about the consequences of sharing something online
• Keep identifying information to a minimum - eg. do not reveal their location
• Contact the Police immediately if you become aware of grooming on social media
• Be aware of what your child is doing online and who they talk to
• Monitor your child’s time online - keep computers or devices in shared areas
• Encourage them to talk with a trusted adult about online issues
• Use filters or parental controls to manage content your child has access to
• Educate and empower – help your child develop strategies to deal with issues (eg. reporting to an adult) 

Your child might ask you to sign them up to a popular game or online social media site.  If this occurs, it’s important to check the minimum age requirements and to continue supervising your child’s use.  Parentline and Common Sense Media provide us with some useful information on the age requirements for different online platforms:

• ​​​​​​ ​​​Multi-player online games –
• Moshi Monsters, Club Penguin, World of Warcraft, Minecraft (ages ranging from 5-12+)
• Media sharing -  YouTube, Tik Tok (ages 13+, and/or requiring parent permission)
• Social media networks – Facebook, Instagram, Discord (ages 13+)
• Microblogging - Twitter, Tumblr (ages 13+)
• Video conferencing -  Skype, FaceTime (18+ or adult permission)

Importantly, if you do see unsafe content or behaviours online, report it:

• The Office of the eSafety Commissioner
• Crime Stoppers:Make a report online or call 1800 333 000
• Police:Contact your local police station

For more information visit:

Social Media and Safety | Parentline

Being safe on the internet | Kids Helpline

Online safety | eSafety Commissioner

Common Sense Media: Age-Based Media Reviews for Families | Common Sense Media

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.

Active travel program evaluation

Transport Canberra and City Services (TCCS) is undertaking an evaluation of the school active travel programs, including the Ride or Walk to School, Active Streets for Schools and School Crossing Supervisor programs.

As part of the evaluation, TCCS is requesting school communities to complete a short online survey about their travel habits to and from school. The survey can be accessed through this link or via the QR code below.

TCCS has engaged First Person Consulting (FPC) – a Melbourne-based evaluation consultancy – to manage the evaluation and the surveys. FPC will not be collecting any identifiable information from anyone completing the survey, and all responses will be kept confidential and anonymous.

TCCS appreciates your support to evaluate these programs to continue to enhance the program offerings to schools.