Ash Wednesday

Staffing News 

This week, we welcome two new Classroom Support Assistants to our Diverse Learning Team. Mrs Kim Martin and Mrs Jessica Hanison. Mrs Rafif Moussaoui will join the team toward the end of March.

While sad for MTS we will be saying farewell to Chris Sambolec, who has been filling in as our Grounds and Maintenance person since late last week. Chris will be leaving us at the end of the term to follow his professional career. The maintenance position has been advertised, so please spread the word. Chris has enjoyed his time working outdoors and being part of the staff; we have appreciated his efforts to improve the grounds.

Car park

MTS parents and carers need to use the basketball drive-through drop-off area each morning. With the increase in families using the ELC, we are seeing our ELC sliplane often being blocked as parents park to let their school-age children of in the morning. Your help is needed to keep the traffic flowing smoothly.

Timber Removed - Help 

If there is anyone available to take the old table desk tops and timber pallets to the tip, please call the office. Your help would be appreciated.

Student Behaviour and Uniform

I request that parents monitor that their child is following our uniform code. There should be no makeup or nail polish, and shoulder-length hair must be tied back.

We do have beautiful children at MTS, however, I have had several reports this week of children excluding others in games or being disrespectful to their peers. Parent support is critical; we can only deal with a situation when we are advised by the children early so we can follow up immediately. Thank you to parents for keeping the teachers and school leadership well informed.  

Class Contact Network

We would like to invite parent volunteers to join the Class Contact Parent network we introduced last year at MTS.  One or two parents per class would be fabulous. Thank you to the parents who have responded; however, we still have lots of classes that do not have a Class Contact Parent Rep. We would love to fill our the gaps by early next week so we can organise a gathering of our class contacts.

Class Contact Reps still needed for:    

• 2 Jade
• 4 Magenta
• 4 Indigo
• 5 Platinum
• 5 Pearl
• 5 Ivory
• 6 Onyx
• 6 Ink

We invite you to consider this opportunity to get to know your child’s class and teacher and become a vital part of fostering and building a supportive community at Mother Teresa School.  If you are interested in volunteering as a Class Contact Person for your child’s Class, please contact communitycouncil.mts@gmail.com and respond to the questions provided in the email link. 

Kinder Health Check

The Child and Adolescent Immunisation Team will arrange the collection of the completed forms by the 3rd March 2025. The health check will occur later in the year, we are waiting on dates.

Lollies

This is to remind parents that the staff do not reward children with lollies and that children should never be encouraged to share lollies at school. A small treat can be packed in the lunchbox to be enjoyed by your child, however, any child with large quantities of lollies will be asked to put them in their school bags. Please avoid lollipops as the small sticks can be bumped if a child is running around, causing a serious mouth injury. 

Absentee Notification

The school class rolls are considered legal documents regarding a child's attendance. It is essential that absences are submitted as soon as possible via Compass. Children who arrive after the bell need to come through the office. For children being dropped off at 8.55 am they need to be formally signed in by a parent once it is 9.00am 

Appointment of a New Counsellor 

I am happy to inform you that Lauren, our new school counsellor from Catholic Care Marymead, will be starting at Mother Teresa on Tuesday 25 February. Lauren will be working from Mondays to Thursdays each week. New referral forms are available on request via the office. 

Reminders 

Do not forget to complete the following

• Kinder to Year 6 - IT Agreement via Compass Events
• Kinder to Year 6 - Photo permissions via Compass Events
• SeeSaw - Kinder to Year 3
• PG Movies - Year 2 to 6
• NAPLAN Year 3 & 5
• Netball for Years 3 & 4
• Year 6 Camp Permission and payment
• Year 5 Camp Deposit
• Year 3 Retreat day

Playground arrangements - Kinder to Year 2 Equipment

The teachers spent time last week reviewing our playground equipment arrangements. To allow the children across Kinder to Year 2 access to the junior equipment, the following plan is currently being trialled.

• Kinder - Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays
• Year 1 - Every day
• Year 2 - Wednesdays and Fridays

Principals' Retreat

Next week, I will be away from midday Tuesday attending a 3-day Principals' Retreat in Bowral. I am looking forward to meeting the Interim Executive Director CE, Pam Betts, and sharing all the many qualities we experience at Mothe Teresa School.  Please direct any concerns to Mr Craig Hart in my absence.

Project Compassion 

Next week, the children will bring home a special box to collect small cash donations to help families and support the project Compassion initiative - Unite Against Poverty for Lent. Funds will be collected by the parish towards the end of the term. 

Kind regards 

Carmel Maguire  

Principal 

On Tuesday, February 25, Mrs. Reeves and I attended the Northside 5/6 Netball Gala Day at Lyneham. Our four teams represented MTS exceptionally well, consistently demonstrating the 5C’s throughout the event.

I would like to extend a special thank you to the parents who volunteered to coach the teams. Your support is invaluable, as it enables us to take teams to these events.

Looking ahead, we will be taking the 3/4 teams to their Gala Day next Tuesday. I am confident it will be another wonderful day filled with sportsmanship and enjoyment.

The Annual Swimming Carnival is coming up in two weeks, (Monday 17 March) the consent form is located on Compass Events. Please complete asap so that your child can attend a fun-filled day. If you are able to assist with the competitive races in the morning, select this option on the google form. I will be in contact with you soon.

Family Technology agreements

With the possibility of new devices entering your home and an increase in screen time over the Christmas holiday break, it is an excellent time to create or revise your family's expectations around device use. This can include where devices are used and for how long, where devices go overnight and what to do when something goes wrong. It can include computers, TVs, gaming consoles and tablets.

There are several resources to support you in setting these boundaries.

The eSafety Commissioner has downloadable customisable family tech contract templates for pre-schoolers to primary-aged children. They include discussion points about how to be a responsible user of technology and develop digital intelligence. Click here for more information.

The ThinkUKnow and Carly Ryan Foundation family online safety contracts are suitable for older students and the whole family. Click here to see an example and a blank contract.

Education and Support

Further education and support around devices, apps, cyberbulling, gaming, deciding age-appropriate entertainment and reporting abuse is available at the following websites:

eSafety Commissioner resources

Family online safety in more languages

Guides to popular social medica and gaming apps and websites

Reporting Harm with eSafety Commissioner or

Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation

Setting up your child's device for safety and success

MTS Second Hand Uniform Store

 Wednesday and Friday, 8:45-9:15 am

FREE winter sport jackets for the month of February or until stock runs out.

 We are becoming overwhelmed with poor quality donations – please check the clothes you are donating and if they are dirty, ripped, torn or broken, dispose of them yourself.

Also, do not donate clothing that is not the official school uniform as per the policy on the school website. Stockings, socks, bike shorts and underwear should not be donated.

 If you are interested in volunteering to join us in running the second hand uniform store, please come along, we would love to have you.

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.