Dear Parents,

On behalf of the staff at Mother Teresa School I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to all of the parents who provided the goodies for consumption during this week in light of the Staff Appreciation theme. Not only were the delicious treats appreciated, but also the gesture and kind words that accompanied them.  

Book Week
Book Week is always a special time of year in schools across the nation and that is certainly no different at Mother Teresa School. In line with Catholic Education's commitment towards ensuring that every child becomes a competent reader, we have spent this week celebrating the important role that reading plays in education and also the enjoyment it brings to so many. It was Dr Suess who once said that "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go".

A huge thanks to the entire community at Mother Teresa School who embraced the week and made today's festivities such an amazing success. A particular thanks to Mrs Fiona Matchett and Mrs Leet for all of the work they have done in preparation for Book Week.

Learning Journeys
This term we will be holding Learning Journeys rather than parent teacher meetings. These will be held on Tuesday 10 September, details in flyer below. Please note that due to the nature of the open classrooms for this event, this is not an opportunity for a meeting with your child’s teacher. 

Rostrum Speaking Success
Congratulations to Xavier Johnson for winning through to the ACT Rostrum Grand Final. More information can be found in this edition of the newsletter.

Alcott House Celebration 
Next Friday 30 August we will celebrate Alcott's victory as the winning house for Term 2 . More information will come out via COMPASS in the coming days with regards to their celebration.

Student Pick Up Procedure
Can parents please remind their children that they are not to be contacted directly to come to school to collect them during school hours. As there has been an increase in this activity, the students will be reminded to let their teachers know if they are unwell and the school will in turn contact parents or family contacts for collection if deemed necessary.

Allergy Season
Spring has come early this year and we have had many children at sickbay with hayfever like symptoms including red, itchy eyes. 

If your child suffers from hayever please seek medical advice and consider giving your child medication before attending school.

Welcome Mrs Julie Douglas
As Ms Maguire is absent for the next two weeks, we welcome Mrs Julie Douglas to our school as co-principal. She can already feel the spirit that embodies Mother Teresa School and we hope that she enjoys her short time with us.

God Bless,

Craig Hart & Julie Douglas

Acting Principals

WHOLE SCHOOL FOCUS

The Whole school focus theme for this year is ‘COME HOLY SPIRIT’

This term at Mother Teresa School we will use the theme that:  We are called to Innovate.

Something to Think About

Think about the kinds of decisions you make each day.  Perhaps you have to think about what to wear, and what you would like for breakfast. What other choices do you make?

The Story

Many people were finding it too hard to follow Jesus, and so they were turning away from him. In the gospel story we hear today, the disciples too were faced with the important choice of whether or not they were going to follow Jesus. Simon Peter declares that there is no one else that they can go to. He tells Jesus that the disciples have faith in him, because the words of Jesus give eternal life.

Video

Click to watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POKPmF4Bm2k

Please save the date:

Mother Teresa Mini Mission

School Feast Day Wednesday 4^th September

More information will come out via COMPASS

Peace and Best Wishes,

Anne Leet
Religious Education Co-ordinator

A huge congratulations to Xavier Johnson (6 Onyx) who has successfully won through to the ACT Grand Final for Rostrum Speaking, after competing in the semi final on Tuesday evening at Throsby School. Xavier's topic was titled "Get Involved", where he spoke about the need to help others less fortunate than us in our community.

This is a huge achievement and we wish him all the best for the big dance in the coming weeks.

On Mother Teresa’s Feast Day, Kindergarten are holding a Great Book Swap to support the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF). The ILF provides books and learning resources to children living in remote Communities across Australia. 

We're asking all students (P-6) to donate a pre-loved children’s book in good condition. Books can be anything suitable for P-6 children. Please send these in any time from now and hand to your class teacher. 

On MTS’s Feast Day (Wed 4 Sept), all the children will have an opportunity to choose a book from this large collection to bring home to keep, making it a true 'book swap!' 

A portion of the funds raised on MTS’s Feast Day will go towards the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF). Feast Day is $7 per child – paid for on Compass – flyer sent out this week. More details to come via Compass. 

If you would like to find out more about the foundation or indeed donate additionally, check out our MTS Book Swap Page! https://edu.greatbookswap.org.au/mtssgreatbookswap

Any queries, please contact Amy Slaven – amy.slaven@cg.catholic.edu.au

Second Hand Uniform Shop
The Second Hand Uniform shop is run by the MTS Community Council in the school hall.

This term the shop will be operating Wednesday and Friday from 8:45am to 9:15am, with payment by QKR! app and cash. The QKR! by Mastercard app can be dowloaded via Apple or Google store.

Please ensure your car is off the basketball court by 8.50am as we must close and lock the gates for safety. 

Donations of uniforms that have no rips or stains and are freshly washed are always welcome to be dropped off at the front office.

This term our school will be teaching Protective Behaviours to students using current resources from the Daniel Morcombe Curriculum and Education 2 Empower Publishing. We understand the content of Protective Behaviours can be confronting for some students and we are therefore keen to ensure there is an opportunity for families to engage with the contact before lessons are taught. To achieve this an overview of the program is attached and weekly updates will be provided.

The following document outlines the term days and pupil-free days for 2025.

The teachers will engage in professional learning and preparation during the additional professional learning days next year. 

Years 1 to Year 6 will commence on Tuesday 4 February 2025.

Our Kindergarten classes will commence on Wednesday 5 February 2025, in line with our other Catholic Gungahlin schools.