Dear Parents,

It is lovely to experience the warmer days, however, many children are experiencing hay fever and allergies to the local grasses. I understand this is going to be the season when the pollen count is going to be high. Please check with your local chemist or doctor for the best treatment to reduce the impact of seasonal allergies. 

Next Friday we will formally farewell Mr Geoff Howarth, our PE Specialist. Geoff is moving overseas with this family. He may be in for an occasional day, prior to leaving at the end of the month, all depending on how the packing is progressing! I would like to thank Geoff for his contribution to developing your sports program over the last two years. Our children have engaged in a wide range of sports due to his insights and enthusiasm. We wish Geoff and the family all the best for the future.  

Traffic Concerns

This is a reminder to all parents to be considerate of staff as they are directing traffic, each afternoon through the car park. It does get very busy in our car park and while some people may be in a hurry the safety of the children and staff should be given priority at all times. No car should be turning right out of our school driveway at the end of the day. It creates a serious hazard due to the proximity of our school crossing and impacts the general flow of traffic. Thank you to all the parents who endeavor to follow our end-of-day traffic directions.

Mental Health and Wellbeing Week

This week the staff and students of MTS have been participating in various events, celebrating Mental Health and Wellbeing Week. We have been treated to some amazing jokes, great dancing, buddies, guest speakers, and lots of great learning. Thanks to all of our hard-working staff for making this a fun and enjoyable week for all. Thank you to the MTS Wellbeing Team and Mr Hart for your planning and for encouraging everyone to get involved.

Maths Workshop for K - 2 Parents and Children - Places Limited to 25. 

We are hosting 3 consecutive Maths workshops for parents and their child, commencing in Week 5 on a Tuesday morning starting at 8.00am. Please refer to the flier and contact Penny Brown. Information shared via Compass to book a place. 

Community Council Meeting

Our next Council meeting is on Tuesday evening 5 November, commencing at 6.00pm in the staffroom. Everyone welcome. This year we will be farewelling John Mikita, our Council Secretary, as his time at MTS is coming to a close as his youngest daughter moves on to high school in 2025. 

Year 2 Excursion

Our Year 2 students had a wonderful day at Questacon today. A day filled with exploration and discovery. Thank you to the parents who were able to provide additional supervision.

Ride Safely to School Week

Today was our MTS Ride Safely to School Day. It was lovely to welcome all the children as they arrived at school, either on wheels or by using leg power. To all the parents who very kindly provided fruit, it was enjoyed by all the children on arrival and during the day. Thank you to the early morning helpers. 

Second Hand Uniform Shop
For the next 4 weeks, all winter uniforms at the Second Hand Uniform Shop will be half price.

Year 1 Orientation
On Monday, November 4 from 9:30am to 11am we are welcoming our new 2025 Year 1 students for a morning of activities. Letters have been sent inviting the children and parents. 

Year 5 Camp

Our Year 5 students are heading off on their 3-day camp on Wednesday. This is a great opportunity for the children to experience a variety of outdoor activities and engage in cooperative and leadership activities. The following staff will be accompany the group - Mrs Blackwell, Miss McInnes, Mrs Hunter, Mrs Matthew, Mrs Francis & Mr Howarth. Refer to the latest Compass information for final arrangements.

Families Leaving MTS
A reminder that if your family is not returning to MTS in 2025 to please email the front office ASAP as we have waiting lists for many of our year levels.

God Bless,

Carmel Maguire & Craig Hart

Principal & Acting Principal

Part 4 - Welcome Defence Families

My name is Carly Flemington,

I am the Defence School Mentor (DSM) here at Mother Teresa.

With my husband in the ADF and a mother of 2, I know first hand the challenges and impacts the ADF life can have on our families, from postings, changing schools, deployments, living away from loved ones and making new connections.

As DSM, my role is to advocate for you and your family within the school environment. I am here to assist your children and family with any issues that may arise during your time at Mother Teresa School, by providing assistance and guidance to your children as they settle in to our school and support them during challenging times such as deployment, changes in family circumstances, friendship issues and any other situation where they just need a friendly ear and someone to chat to. 

I am also here to support the family, so if there is something I can help you with please reach out.

I run a Defence Kids Club once a week during at lunch time, after eating time. This is open to all the Defence students, from Kinder to Yr 6.  It’s an opportunity to meet and mix with the other Defence children and gain support from our community. We do art / craft activities, play board games and active games. Most weeks the Defence children can bring along a non-Defence friend if they wish. This club is not compulsory. 

It is a pleasure to welcome you to our school and I look forward to meeting you and your family very soon.

About The Defence School Mentor (DSM) Program

The DSM program provides funding to schools to minimise the impact of the mobile lifestyle on Defence students' education. This funding provided by the Defence Forces allows for the employment of a DSM to work within the school to raise awareness of the Defence lifestyle and to support students of Defence families.

The program, administered by Defence Member and Family Support (DMFS) (formerly known as Defence Community Organisation), reflects the commitment by Defence to support its members and their families and recognises the partnership between education authorities, Defence and schools.

Mother Teresa School is a proud participant of the Defence School Mentor Program and our DSM provides support in the following key areas:

• Welcoming
• Integrating
• Support during absence
• Farewelling

The Defence School Mentor may provide support in the following areas: 

• Assisting new children and their families to integrate into the school and local community,
• Monitoring the social and emotional wellbeing of Defence students,
• Assisting students develop self-confidence, self-reliance and resilience,
• Supporting teachers to monitor Defence student's transition and any personal challenges they may face (such as friendship, peer group or classroom difficulties)
• Referring students to services, or school and community programs that meet their needs,
• Enhancing awareness and appreciation of the unique Defence lifestyle in schools and communities, and
• ​Providing support to children during times of parental absence.

Part 3 - Maths

At Mother Teresa School we use the Australian Curriculum and current research to ensure children grasp and apply concepts that are required by the end of the year. We use a hands-on approach with concrete materials to help embed these concepts as well as daily reviews.

How you can help – activities and games

Numeral recognition and counting

• point out numbers on letter boxes and houses.
• Play card or board games that involve numbers such as snakes and ladders.
• Counting races – forwards and backwards.
• Practise counting to 10 on your own portable number line your hands. Face your palms towards you with the left thumb always being number 1 and count all the way to the right thumb which is 10.

Subitizing

The capacity to visually recognise the size of a small set of objects without counting – dominoes and dice games.

Measurement

Kitchen work – which is heavier or lighter, which container holds more? How can we work this out?

Outside work – which stick is longer? Which tree is taller?

Who can build the tallest tower?

Patterns

Play with beads, blocks, and stamps. Create patterns with craft work. Look for patterns in nature.

Position

Play games using positional language such as Simon Says put your hands on top.

Part 2 - Literacy Ideas

Welcome to the Mother Teresa School Kindergarten Orientation News Centre. We have set up this platform to reach out to all families, especially new families, with all the relevant information about our orientation process. We would love all members of the families to get involved in their child’s preparation for the first day of school. Over the coming weeks, there will be games and activities for the whole family to enjoy and information about the school, school readiness, and upcoming dates. Check the newsletter weekly via Compass or the school website. 

Orientation Dates

I look forward to meeting you, please look out for our next update in our next newsletter.

Carmel Maguire 

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 inspire.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

Our value for the next week is: PEACE

We can show this the Mother Teresa School way by:

• Christian Meditation
• Positive relationships
• Managing conflict
• Effective communication
• Identifying peaceful practices
• Reflecting on our behaviour

STUDENT FORMATION RETREAT

On Thursday, the 31st of October, Maddie Greenwood our Youth Ministry Officer, Year 6 students in the CSYMI Youth Ministry team ran a retreat for Year 2 called the ‘Nature of God’. Students in Year 2 learnt about the presence of God through activities, inputs, student testimony and prayer. They prayed about where they had seen/felt/heard God look after them through others and shared the ways they can spread joy and love to others.

The Year 6 team led icebreakers, activities, prayer and inputs, and Lily shared her testimony with the students about how she has felt God’s presence in her life.    

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Holy Communion, Reconciliation and Confirmation Program for 2025

We invite all Parents of Year 2, 3, and 5 Catholic Students

Please note that there will be a Sacrament Information Session at 6.00pm on Tuesday 12 November, at Holy Spirit church. Parents are strongly encouraged to attend this session, as important information will be presented by our Parish Priest, Fr Troy.

To help us plan for the 2025 Sacraments, we invite you to complete a Google form to indicate which Sacraments your children will be receiving in 2025.

Please follow this link:  https://forms.gle/EfkV5q9ayunnS2EHA

Something to Think About
How would you describe what a rule is? Why do we need rules? Can you name some rules in your family or school?

The Story
One of the important men in the community asked Jesus what the most important commandment is. Jesus tells the people, 'You must love your neighbour as yourself. However Jesus took the command a little further. In its original context, 'neighbour' meant only the Jewish people. However, Jesus' mission is to everyone. The command is to love all people, not just our own kind.

Video
Click to watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIvRafB07Rc&t=86s

Peace and Best Wishes,

Anne Leet
Religious Education Co-ordinator

A message from the Parish:

Sacraments of First Reconciliation, Holy Communion, and Confirmation in 2025

Dear Parents of Catholic students,

Holy Spirit Parish will hold a Parent Information Session

on Tuesday 12 November 2024 at 6.00pm

for the three (3) Sacraments offered to our students in 2025:

The Sacraments of First Reconciliation, Holy Communion, and Confirmation

We invite you to attend this information session which will be presented by our Parish Priest Fr Troy, and the Religious Education Coordinators of our three (3) Parish Catholic Primary Schools, where you will receive important instructions regarding Sacrament planning for 2025.

In addition, please follow this link to a Google form to indicate which Sacrament your child will receive in 2025:

https://forms.gle/EfkV5q9ayunnS2EHA

 Thank you for supporting your child receiving the Sacraments of our faith.

Our annual Remembrance Day gathering will be held on Monday 11th November at 8:45 following the morning announcements. As we will be outside all families are welcome to attend and invited to stay for morning tea afterwards.

Please RSVP for catering purposes to  carly.flemington@cg.catholic.edu.au

Looking forward to seeing you.

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.

The enrolments for 2025 are now open at the Canberra Chinese School (CCS). The CCS is a non-profit community language school run by parent volunteers. We offer a comprehensive curriculum, dedicated teachers, and a supportive environment to the local students in Belconnen, Woden and Gungahlin. We welcome new and returning students to join our school to learn Chinese. To learn more about our programs and how to enroll, please visit our website or contact us at:

·         http://www.canberrachineseschool.net

·         https://www.canberrachineseschool.net/2025-student-registration-form

·         admin@canberrachineseschool.net

We look forward to welcoming your child to the Canberra Chinese School.

For all schools and families – the Sustainable Canberra Expo – this Saturday!

The Sustainable Canberra Expo is a family-friendly event for ALL Canberrans!

There will be face painting, colouring in and a scavenger hunt for children, along with cooking demonstrations, EVs on display and an array of stallholders with information for householders who are interested in sustainable living.

The Sustainable Schools Program team will be there, and you are invited to vote for the People’s Choice award in the Sustainable Steps Poster Competition.

Come along to EPIC this Saturday 2 November between 10am and 4pm.