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- Principal's Message Term 1 Week 5 2025
- Religious Education News - Anne Leet
- Journey with Jesus - Youth Minister News
- Class Awards
- Second Step
- Sport News from Mrs O'Keefe
- Mini Magic and Luminosity Update
- Student and Family Counsellor
- MTS Harmony Week Plans - Save the Dates
- Community Council
- Scholastic Book Club
- Local Community Events For Families and Students
- Enrolment Information - St Clare's College
- Extra Curricular Activities at MTS
- Canberra Chinese School Enrolments
Dear Parents and Carers,
This week marked the beginning of the season of Lent, which included two important rituals in the Catholic Church. On Tuesday, we were blessed with the presence of Father Troy, who burned palm leaves in preparation for Ash Wednesday. On Wednesday, staff members distributed ashes to the children, symbolic of our commitment to "turn back to God" during this season of Lent.
A big thanks to Mrs Anne Leet, who coordinated these events.
Year 6 Leadership Assembly
Our community gathered today for our Year 6 Leadership Ceremony. This provided an opportunity for our Year 6 students to make a pledge to support the staff and students at MTS. It was great to see so many parents able to attend, supporting the children as they enter this exciting year.
Reconciliation Retreat
Many of our students from Year 3 attended the Reconciliation Mercy Day Retreat at Holy Spirit Parish today. This is a special day of prayer and reflection where the children made their final preparations for celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
During the day Father Troy Bobbin and Fr Eden Langlands spent time with the children and talked briefly with them about the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the ceremony.
Staff Meeting Next Week
Next week, the MTS staff will combine with Holy Spirit, Good Shepherd, and St John Paul II College to share some of the successful initiatives occurring at each school. A shared learning experience. This is an exciting step in galvanising the relationship between our schools in the Gungahlin region.
NAPLAN Next Week
Week 6 and Week 7 will see Year 3 and Year 5 students undertake their NAPLAN testing.
It is extremely important that all students arrive at school on time to ensure we are able to begin our testing on time each day, this is particularly important for the Year 3 students. If you can avoid removing students for appointments or similar during the testing times it would be greatly appreciated.
Please ensure your child has a set of headphones, preferably wired rather than bluetooth, at school during the entire testing period.
You can still access the NAPLAN familiarisation site at home: NAPLAN Public Demonstration Site using the link below:
https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/public-demonstration-site
Mother Teresa NAPLAN Timetable
Morning Drop Off and Afternoon Pick Up
A reminder that supervision for our students is from 8:15am. While most schools only have supervision from 8:30am, we have always provided this to give our parents a better opportunity to get to work on time. Please ensure that your child is not dropped off prior to this time, unless they are attending before school care. In the afternoon students need to be collected by 3:30pm at the latest. For students consistently being collected later, our staff will suggest registering them for after school care or to find alternative arrangements
Wishing everyone an enjoyable Canberra Day Long Weekend.
Craig Hart
Assistant Principal
WHOLE SCHOOL FOCUS
The Whole school focus theme for this JUBILEE 2025 year is ‘PILGRIMS OF HOPE’
This term at Mother Teresa School we will use the theme that:
The Journey of Faith: Dream, Slow Down, and Reflect
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah 29:11
We will show the value of Compassion towards those we meet in our class and on the playground by following ‘The Mother Teresa School Way’:
- having harmony in the group
- doing something together at the same time
- working together with a shared goal
- respecting everyone
- making big tasks seem easy.
- creating a sense of belonging and increasing well-being for all.
- having fun and makes us feel like a family.
PRAYER FOCUS & YEAR 6 LEADERSHIP ASSEMBLY
Thank you to our Year 6 teachers and students who presented a fabulous Leadership and focus assembly on Unity. The students did an amazing job at presenting what unity looks like at MTS and how they are going to lead the school by living our motto ‘Do Small things With Great Love’.
Our Year 6 students were presented to the school where they pledged their commitment to serve Mother Teresa School and the roles that they will fulfill this year.
RECONCILIATION
Please pray for our Year 3 teachers and students who are currently preparing for the Sacraments of First Reconciliation.
A great day was had by our students preparing for their First Reconciliation at their Mercy Day Retreat.
Burning of the Palms Liturgy
In preparation for Ash Wednesday, blessed palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday are burned. Fr Troy explained this beautifully to the students and the special connection these palms have, which symbolize the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem
PROJECT COMPASSION
This week the season of Lent began with Ash Wednesday, which also marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Donations to Project Compassion allows Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to alleviate poverty, hunger, oppression and injustice.
We encourage you to put your compassion into action this Lent through your prayer, fasting and almsgiving by supporting Project Compassion. All students including the ELC, have received their own individual Project Compassion boxes for their weekly donations.
The theme of Project Compassion 2025 is Unite Against Poverty. As Catholic communities celebrate a Jubilee Year in 2025 with the theme Pilgrims of Hope, Caritas invites people to action the theme of Hope by coming together to Unite Against Poverty.
What a great start everyone! We have raised $366.25 today. Thank you for your contributions towards Project Compassion.
ASH WEDNESDAY
On Ash Wednesday we celebrated a beautiful Liturgy and the students participated reverently and sang well. Thank you to all the parents and friends who came along to celebrate and receive the ashes. Lent to be looking at ways we can follow the example Jesus showed us.
Something to Think About
Have you ever been really hungry? How long did you have to wait before you had something to eat? Spend a moment to say a prayer for children around the world who are hungry and who may not have any food to eat today.
The Story
In the first week of Lent, we always hear the story of Jesus’ time in the wilderness where he is tested by the devil. Jesus went to the desert to make him stronger and to give him time to understand the focus of his mission on earth. The devil tested Jesus in all the ways he could think of, but Jesus did not give in. Then the devil went away.
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc-x4qKY6Wc
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VmlkG8O6ag
Anne Leet REC
Term 1 Netball Gala Day Update
Unfortunately, the Term 1 3/4 Netball Gala Day was cancelled this week. I understand the disappointment this has caused among the students. We are actively exploring the possibility of re-entering our teams for the Term 2 Gala Day.
MTS Swimming Carnival Reminder
The MTS Swimming Carnival is rapidly approaching. Thank you to all who have provided consent. Please note that consent is required for students in Years 3-6 and ONLY for competitive Year 2 swimmers for attendance at the Carnival. A special thank you to the parents who have volunteered their time to assist with the competitive swimming races on Monday morning. If you have not received a confirmation email from me, please reach out for more information.
Team Officials Needed for School Sport ACT
School Sport ACT is seeking Team Officials for the upcoming School Sport Australia Championships. There are numerous opportunities available for parents interested in coaching or serving as team managers. Only one member of the coaching team needs to be a teacher. For dates and locations, please visit https://schoolsportact.org.au/. Applications are due by Friday, March 14, and can be obtained by contacting School Sport at info@schoolsportact.org.au.
MTS Ninjas Oztag Grand Final Recap
Two weeks ago, our MTS Ninjas participated in the Oztag Grand Final. The MTS Ninjas are a mixed team of girls and boys aged 6 and 7 years old, all of whom are in Years 1 and 2 at MTS. They put forth their best effort but were ultimately defeated by the Volcano Rabbits, who were exceptionally skilled. We wish the team better luck in the next season! Go Ninjas!
Upcoming Events
- MTS Swimming Carnival (17th Mar)
- U12 SSACT 12&U Golf Trials (Register on School Sport website)
It’s been an exciting week for our cheer teams, with two big milestones to celebrate.
First, the athletes received their team training t-shirts, which they’ll wear to their weekly sessions. While they may not have the sparkle of their competition uniforms, they look fantastic and help bring the team together. There were lots of smiles as everyone put them on for the first time!
The second exciting update—the teams have started learning their routines! Over the past few weeks, the coaches have been getting to know each athlete’s strengths and abilities. Now, they’ve used that information to shape the routines for the season ahead. Over the next few weeks, the teams will be learning all the different components before bringing it all together and performing it to music.
Lots of fun (and hard work!) ahead—stay tuned for more updates!
As highlighted in the newsletter at MTS we are going to celebrate Harmony Week with our own Culture, Community & Connection celebration in Week 7 (March 17 to 21).
Along with an opportunity for students to dress in their cultural attire on Friday, rock decorating and a Harmony Day Prayer Focus Assembly, families are also invited to share their culture to their child's class. In order to do this please contact your child's teacher via email to find a mutually convenient time.
We look forward to celebrating the many cultures that make being at MTS such a rich and vibrant learning community.
Due to reduced volunteer availability the Issue 2 catalogue for 2025 will not be available for order to the school. The home delivery option remains available for those who wish to order from this catalogue. Hard copy catalogues will be available in the office for those who wish to collect one. We are looking for more volunteers to join our team, so please contact the office if you are interested and have time free during school hours to assist for future catalogues.
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.