• Friday 22 November, 9:30am - Cheer Performance K - Year 10.00am - Cheer Performace 10.00am Years 4 - 6

• Friday 29 November, 12.45pm - Assembly and Guitar Students Concert 

• Tuesday 3 December, 9:15am - Thanksgiving Mass and Light Ceremony 
• Wednesday 4 December, 5pm - ELC Christmas Concert
• Friday 6 December,  - Kinder Nativity 

• Monday 9 December, 12:30pm - Year 6 Certificate Presentation 
• Monday 9 December, 6.00pm - Year 6 Graduation and Farewell Dinner 
• Wednesday 11 December,  6.00pm - 7.00pm- School Christmas Carols, Picnic on the Oval, and a visit by someone special
• Thursday 12 December - Year 6 Fun Day Out
• Thursday 12 December - Reports released via Compass
• Friday 13 December - Meet the teacher for 2025 (students only)
• Friday 13 December, 12.45pm - Final Assembly and End of Term awards
• Friday 13 December, 2.40pm - Year 6 Final Walk-through

• Monday 16 December - Last day of school for students 

Dear Parents,

GrandFriends Day

Friday was a very special day at MTS as we welcomed many grandparents and grandfriends who enjoyed the musical talents of the children, a visit to classrooms,  our book fair then off to have a special family photo. A big thank you to Mr Craig Hart for his organisation and to Mrs Xandria Davern for preparing the amazing musical items shared by the children. Thank you to all the staff for your help and support in making it a great day for our visitors. 

Staffing News

Last week it was confirmed that

• Miss Annabel McInnes has accepted a 12-month transfer to St Michael's Primary, Kaleen. Annabel was keen to experience a different school environment to further develop herself professionally. She will be missed.
• Misty Griggs will be leaving MTS at the end of November to take up a position in the Public Service. It was an offer and opportunity she couldn't knock back. Misty is a valued member of our administration team, overseeing medication and office duties. Misty's job will be advertised in the new year. 
• Shenae Bourke, one of our ELC teachers, will be leaving at the end of the year. Shenae has worked in our centre for the last 12 months and is keen to further her experience in another education setting.
• Gemma Francis has been awarded a permanent Coordinator's position at Mother Teresa School, overseeing our Diverse Learning Team. Gemma has held the position in 2024, in a temporary role. Congratulations Gemma on this appointment.
• Kim Harris will be joining our teaching staff in 2025. Kim is an experienced teacher who has worked in several schools in Queensland. Kim has recently moved to Canberra and has become our regular relief teacher this term; this has enabled her to get to know the staff and children in preparation for next year.

Orientation Sessions

We look forward to seeing our 2025 Kinder families and children again on Wednesday 20 November at 3.30 for their second 'Big School' visit. 

Last Community Gathering for the Year - Carols on the Oval

Community Council Meeting
Apologies for the delay in circulating to families our call for nominations to fill the vacant Community Council positions. Will be sent by Compass by the end of the weekend.

Have a lovely weekend and God Bless,

Carmel Maguire & Craig Hart

Principal & Acting Principal

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

THANK YOU
Thank you to all the parents of Year 2, 3, and 5 Catholic students who attended the Holy Communion, Reconciliation, and Confirmation Program for 2025 Sacrament Information Session. The session was held at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, 12 November, at Holy Spirit Church. Fr. Troy provided important information about the Sacraments and their schedule for 2025, including guidance on the process for catching up if your child has missed a sacrament.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
Do you sometimes think about the future? What would you like to be when you grow up?

The Story
There are some amazing images of God’s creation in today’s gospel story.  The message is that we don’t know what will happen in the future – only God knows.

Video
Click to watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teu7BCZTgDs&list=PL3KVLw8Ze_tyeLUQBZIAJ_l-Hgj48IeT7&index=19

Peace and Best Wishes,

Anne Leet
Religious Education Co-ordinator

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.

Part 5 - The Reading Room

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 

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.