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

• Tuesday 3 December, 9:15am - Thanksgiving Mass and Light Ceremony 
• Tuesday 3 December MTS Community Council Executive Meeting, 6.00pm 
• Wednesday 4 December, 5pm - ELC Christmas Concert
• Friday 6 December, 1.00pm - 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,

Our Local Hero!

We are so proud of Carly Salmon

Last Community Gathering for the Year - Carols on the Oval - Save the Date

Cheerleading Teams

Best of luck to our Cheerleading teams competing for their final competition for the year late next week. They showed great skill and talent in their school demonstration on Friday.

Merici Community Service

Last week, as part of the Merici Service program, we hosted seven Merici students in the school and three in the ELC. They were a great help to the school, and all the teachers appreciated their help. All the best, girls!

Community Council Nomination
Information was sent, via Compass, regarding our call for nominations to fill the vacant Community Council positions. Check the NewsFeed. People nominating for a coordinator role are not required to be responsible for all the activities listed. They are the person who would help reach out to other members of the community to run an event. 

Have a lovely weekend and God Bless,

Carmel Maguire & Craig Hart

Principal & Acting Principal

As part of the Holy Spirit Parish, we support SVDP Giving Appeal annually as an important link to help those in need in our local community.

The Christmas Appeal also provides a tangible way for our students to be involved in helping others; and to see that Christmas is not just a time for receiving, but a time for reaching out and giving too!

 Your child will be bringing home a slip of paper this week informing you of the item we encourage you to purchase. Please ensure that your items have not passed the used by date and are non-perishable.

We hope you can support this appeal in some way. Donations will need to be at school by Friday 6th December in readiness for the Christmas    Giving Appeal.

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.

This Term as We are called to inspire.:

• we believe in and love Jesus.
• Live with honesty and integrity.
• Be patient with others and make peace.
• Give our unique talents, time, and money and
• Be consistently kind.

Something to Think About

Are there any kings and queens living in the world today? Where do they live? What do they do? Can you name a fairy tale about a king or queen? Describe the king or queen.

The Story

Today’s gospel shows us what sort of a king Jesus is, although his kingdom is not of this world. As Jesus talks with Pontius Pilate, he shows himself to be peaceful, fair and honest. Jesus tells Pilate that he came into this world to tell people about the truth of God’s kingdom.

Video

Click to watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z56AWDpHzCE

ILLUMINATE 2024

On Friday, our Year 6 CSYMI students attended the Illuminate Conference at St John Paul II College.

The day was filled with exciting workshops that kept everyone engaged. Lily Howell shared an inspiring testimonial, and the JPC Youth Ministry led an energetic drama performance. The day also featured plenty of singing, prayer, and of course, delicious food that everyone thoroughly enjoyed!

SACRAMENTS 2025

First Holy Communion, Reconciliation, and Confirmation Program for 2025 Sacrament Online registration for the Sacraments for 2025

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

Early registration is greatly appreciated.     

Peace and Best Wishes,

Anne Leet
Religious Education Co-ordinator

Our recent school book fair was a tremendous success, made possible by the incredible support of our families and community! The event raised over $1,000 to purchase new books for our school library, and we also received generous book donations from families and grandfriends, further enriching our collection.  Thank you to all who visited our Book Fair last week. Students are excited to see their donated books on the shelves in the coming weeks.

BYOD - Bring your own device - Chromebook

A Chromebook is a kind of laptop running Chrome OS, an operating system made by Google. Chromebooks are made by a range of known technology brands like Lenovo and ASUS. There often is not a lot of difference between brands. 

The preferred device is a Chromebook laptop. Unfortunately other makes like Samsung/Android tablets are not supported and do not reliably work with the Catholic Education systems.

You may like to shop around and see if there are student or education deals around or keep an eye out for upcoming shopping events like Black Friday (October/November), Cyber Monday (November), Boxing Day (December), event the January sales.

When purchasing, please be aware of the following specifications:

4GB Memory (RAM) minimum

• 32GB Storage for use in primary school is fine, many will have 64GB anyway
• 11-13 Inch screen minimum  
• personal preference
• please consider the size and weight of the device - your child is transporting the device to and from school each day - not too heavy or large
• consider if the device fits into their school bag 
• At least 8 hour battery life 
• Must have the ability to connect to headphones, whether it be via a port or bluetooth - whatever your student has access to
• Must have a camera
• A touchscreen can be useful for some students (but it's optional) 
• Please do NOT provide Samsung/Android tablets - these are not recommended and do not operate well on Catholic Education systems.
• In terms of price, don't spend too much on the Chromebook. A budget of up to $500 is reasonable. One of the deciding factors in moving from iPads to Chromebooks was the comparable/cheaper price.
• A protective case or cover for the Chromebook is required
• Headphones or earphones are required
• Some students have a mouse (optional)
• Warranty should be a consideration when purchasing a device
• We recommend that you consider adding the device to your insurance policy

Chromebooks do not require active firewalls, or anti-virus and anti-malware software. When the Chromebook is connected to the school network via specialised BYOD WiFi, it will utilise the online security settings set up by Catholic Education. 

The life of most hardware is three years. Please be realistic when purchasing a device, especially regarding cost.

Today students and teachers at MTS were treated to a private concert of the very talented MTS cheerleaders displaying their routines for nationals.

The cheerleaders were very excited for the end of year school concert and looked forward to celebrating their skills and achievements with the students and staff of Mother Teresa.

The two teams Mini Magic which consisted of cheerleaders from Kindergarten to Year 3, and Luminosity which consisted of cheerleaders from Year 4 to Year 6, did amazing routines, showcasing tumbling, cartwheels and other tricks amongst the amazing teamwork on display. 

We wish both teams well at Nationals next weekend and can’t wait to hear all about it.

A special thank you to the coaches Belinda, Kate, Indi and Beth and should anyone be interested in participating next year please contact them to answer questions or queries on cheermts@gmail.com

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.

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