Filter Content
- Principal's Message Term 1 Week 9 2025
- Religious Education News - Anne Leet
- Second Step
- Class Awards
- Sport with Mrs O'Keefe
- Do you speak other languages at home?
- Easter Raffle
- Community Council
- MTS Second Hand Uniform Store
- Tech Talk with Mrs MacArthur
- St Clare's College
- JPC Key Dates
- The MTS Yearbook request for photos
- Extra Curricular Activities at MTS
- Local Community Events For Families and Students
Dear Parents and Carers,
Staffing News
Next Friday, we will say farewell Chris Sambolec, who has been looking after the school grounds for the last five months. We are very grateful to Chris for all he has done around the school grounds to make the school look neat and tidy. The oval is looking fabulous, thanks to Chris' handy work.
On Monday, we will welcome our new grounds person, Steve Hancroft, who has previous experience looking after school grounds and doing general maintenance work.
Term Awards - The Mother Teresa Way
Following a staff discussion regarding our end of term awards, the staff have requested that the purpose of the awards be accessible to more children across the school. We have elected to move away from the Academic and Effort awards to an award called 'The Mother Teresa Way'. The class teachers will nominate two awards per class from a possible range of reasons displayed across the term eg academic, effort, 5Cs, sporting commitment, commitment to learning in ..... etc. The teachers will provide a comment on the award that will be read out at an assembly.
Families will be notified via Compass at the commencement of the week when the awards will be presented. This term, the awards will be issued on Thursday at 1.00pm in the hall, due to Friday being a pupil fee day.
Easter Story - Jesus Day
Families are invited to share the Easter Story re-enacted by the children from Kinder to Year 6 on Wednesday
| Time | Event | Location |
| 9.10 | Palm Sunday | ELC & Kinder - Hall |
| 9.20 | Cleansing the Temple | Year 5 - Hall |
| 9.30 | Anointing One Another & Betrayal of Judas | Year 6 - Hall |
| 10.20 | Washing the Feet & Last Supper | Year 3 - Hall |
| 11.45 | The Garden & The Arrest | Year 2 - Hall |
| 1.00 | The Crucifixion | Year 4 - Hall |
| 2.15 | The Resurrection | Year 1 - Turf |
Swimming Ribbons
Congratulations to our swimming squad, who attended the regional carnival with Mrs Kate O'Keefe and Miss Carly Salmon. Ribbons will be present on Monday morning at our assembly gathering. Several children will now go on to compete at the ACT carnival for the North Canberra and Gunghalin area. Parents will be responsible for advising of their child's absence on Compass as they are in their parent's care.
We are pleased to announce that Mother Teresa is introducing the BPoint Enterprise Solution to manage direct debit arrangements for the payment of school fees. We are hoping to release the information next week so families can set up arrangements
What is BPoint and What Do You Need to Do?
BPoint is a secure Commonwealth Bank payment processing platform designed to facilitate online payments, while ensuring the highest security standards. This system safeguards your financial information using industry-leading security measures.
Our new direct debit platform will allow you to pay school fees using either a bank account or a credit card (excluding AMEX). Please note that payments made via credit card will incur a 0.5% surcharge.
Establishing Direct Debits.
Next week, families will receive an email outlining estimated weekly, fortnightly, and monthly repayment options to ensure all fees are paid by the end of the year. These amounts will also include any outstanding 2024 balances.
What next?
You will receive an email that will provide a start date for direct debits and options for selecting your preferred payment frequency. Once a payment frequency is selected, you will be directed to enter your bank/credit card details. Once the information is entered, you will receive an email from no-reply@bpoint.com.au . The email will contain two links,
1. The first link requires confirmation of the direct debit arrangement. Please note that the link will expire within 7 days.
2. The second link provides a copy of the eDDRSA for your records.
While using the direct debit payment option is not compulsory, many families find it helpful in staying up to date with their financial obligations.
For any questions or further assistance, please contact the school.
Pickup Car Signs
A reminder to consider displaying your family name when you are using our drive-through arrangement. It would be a great help to teachers supervising the car line and directing children to their family car. Consider ordering a special sign for your family visor.
THE BENEFITS OF USING A PERSONALISED CAR IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM
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A one time purchase designed to last from Kindy to Year 6
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Duty staff have a uniform position to locate each family name and have children ready to board
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Customised Vel-stretch fixings mean there is no damage to car upholstery and will fit every make of car
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Retain your privacy with the magnetic closure as you depart
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Names become uniformly visible from 30m
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CarIDs open below the passenger visor to aid visibility
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The slimline unit remains attached so it’s never missing or lost
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Two hands remain on the wheel while driving through a school zone
- Details can be easily updated with a customised insert
Visit the weblink below and order your car ID
http://https://www.signsafekids.com.au/online-store
Sample in our school office, should you want to see what the sign is like before you order. I recommend just using the family name as per my sample attached.
Have a lovely weekend
Carmel Maguire
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 Consideration towards those we meet in our class and on the playground by following ‘The Mother Teresa School Way’:
- Including others
- Listening attentively
- Showing good sportsmanship
- Treating others equitably.
LENT & PROJECT COMPASSION
A heartfelt thank you to everyone for your generous donations to Project Compassion this year. Once again, the families of Mother Teresa School have truly shown their support for those in need. Thanks to the incredible generosity of both the children and their families, we raised $291.55 this week! Well done, everyone! Please continue to encourage your child(ren) to bring in their donations to add to the class Project Compassion Box
IRENE from DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Irene’s childhood was marked by hardships – after her father died in a war, Irene along with her mother and siblings were displaced. Her mother worked very hard to provide for her family.
Irene lives in the Kongolo region in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Her father was killed during a war when Irene was young, leaving Irene to live with her mother and siblings on very meagre resources, often going hungry for extended periods of time.
Irene first became pregnant as a teenager and later had to raise her two children with the support of her mother, after her husband abandoned her. As a single mother, it was challenging for Irene to care for her two sons without a stable income.
Irene’s life changed after she participated in the Youth Capacity Strengthening program, run by Caritas Australia’s partner, Caritas Kongolo. Through the program, she undertook training in sewing and agricultural farming, enabling her to generate income to support her family. Irene is determined to use her new income streams to support her children’s education and hopes her two boys can one day become doctors.
Together, we can Unite Against Poverty this Lent by donating to Project Compassion, offering pathways out of poverty for people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and beyond.
“I want to say a big thank you to Caritas Australia and Caritas Kongolo. Thank you so much for uplifting me. I never thought I, Irene, could become someone. I never knew this life was possible,” Irene said.
CONFIRMATION ENROLMENT & COMMISSIONING MASS
Thank you to the parents who attended the Parent Information Session on Tuesday it was great to see you all there. Please ensure you bring your enrolment form along with a copy of the baptismal certificate and your child’s prayer card this weekend.
Saturday 29 March @ 5pm Mass & Sunday 3o March @ 8am, 9:30am or 5pm. Enrolment and commissioning for students preparing to make Confirmation
The Sports Spectacle
North Gungahlin Swimming Carnival
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all 26 swimmers who showcased exceptional performances at this week’s Regional Swimming Carnival.
During the event, we witnessed outstanding individual results, including numerous personal bests and several ribbons earned. We will distribute the ribbons on Monday morning.
A photo of some of our outstanding swimmers at the AIS
In the next week, details regarding our School Cross Country event, scheduled for Week 2 of the upcoming term, will be available on Compass. If you are available to assist with tasks such as recording and course supervision on May 7 from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, please reach out to Kate O’Keefe at kate.okeefe@cg.catholic.edu.au. Your support would be greatly appreciated.
Upcoming Events - Term 2 Events
- ACT Swimming Carnival (6 May)
- MTS Cross Country (7 May)
- Primary Nth/Gungahlin Region Cross Country (Stromlo) (26 May)
Do you speak other languages at home?
This will not hold your child back at school
Published: February 25, 2025 6.09am AEDT (The Conversation)
It is common for Australian children to grow up with languages other than English in their family lives. More than one-fifth of Australians report speaking a language other than English at home. But when it comes time to start school, it’s common for parents to worry about raising a child to be bilingual or multilingual. They may wonder, am I harming my child’s English development if I speak another language at home?
The short answer is no. Research shows speaking more than one language doesn’t hinder a child’s academic progress – in fact, it can even help.
What does the research say?
Up until the 1980s, some studies incorrectly suggested early exposure to more than one language could harm a child’s academic achievement. But these findings have since been widely criticised because many of the children in the studies came from economically disadvantaged backgrounds (and so were already disadvantaged in terms of their schooling).
More recent Australian research has found when socioeconomic status is accounted for, multilingual children are “indistinguishable from their monolingual peers” in literacy and numeracy by the time they are eleven years old. This is provided they have adequate English vocabulary skills by the time they finish Year 2.
Some studies show multilingual students even surpass monolingual children in different academic areas. This includes English reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation as well as numeracy. Research suggests multilingual students’ enhanced mental flexibility from switching between languages may explain their higher academic performance later in school, but this is not yet confirmed.
Recent Australian studies show bilingual and multilingual children keep up with their peers at school.
Do you need to learn one language before starting the other?
Research shows children can learn multiple languages at the same time, starting from infancy. This means you don’t have to wait for a child to become fluent in one before you start learning another.
Similarly, a child does not have to be a highly skilled English speaker to start to learn to read in English. They can develop their spoken and written/reading language skills at the same time. It is also important to look at children’s skills across all the languages they know.
Research on children aged up to 30 months found multilingual children often had smaller vocabularies in English than their monolingual peers. But they had a healthy range when assessed on words they knew in all languages.
A common misconception is multilingual children may “confuse” words between languages, but this is not the case. They actually learn quite quickly whom they can communicate with in each language, and switch between languages without much effort.
Regular calls or visits with family members who speak the home language will help your child develop their languages skills.
How can I help my child learn multiple languages?
Research shows it is important a child receives lots of exposure to each language through meaningful interactions with people who speak those languages.
There is no clear definition of the amount needed, but it should be regular – for example, everyday talk with parents or visits or phone calls with grandparents who share the home language.
Also, if you’re worried your child isn’t getting enough English exposure outside school, do not abandon your home language. Instead, create other English opportunities, such as in playgroups, daycare, sports teams or other out-of-school activities.
Ultimately, the best thing parents can do to support their children’s multilingual learning is build a community filled with native speakers of English and the home language(s).
Staying consistently connected to this community of people who value each language, especially after children start school, will also support a child’s motivation to keep growing in each language.
MTS Easter Raffle Ticket Sales are now open on QKR!
Dear Families,
Easter Raffle ticket sales close midnight tonight!
We have been so generously donated some Bounce passes to giveaway with our beautiful Easter raffle hampers.
So don’t miss out as we have 8 FREE passes to Bounce and two x 2 for 1 passes to Bounce to giveaway with our easter hampers.
$1 raffle tickets on sale via the Qkr! app now, closes midnight tonight!
Raffle draw is next Weds at morning lines at 8:45am.
Thank you for your support - MTS Social and Fundraising Working Group
Opening hours: Wednesday and Friday, 8:45-9:15 am
Apologies for delayed opening Friday morning, but we will be open again next week for last chance to get winter uniforms before Term 2 starts.
For week 10 we will have HALF PRICE for winter dresses, and for size 12+ only winter sport jacket and pants.
We have low stock for long sleeved shirts in smaller sizes, please donate if you have any good quality ones you are not using.
Please do not donate clothes if they are dirty, ripped, torn or broken, or not official MTS uniform as per the policy on the website.
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 Mother Teresa School Yearbook has been confirmed for 2025, but this year, we are going to need your help to get it across the line.
Families that have been with us for a few years would know that each year, with the help of our school committee and dedicated parents and our amazing teachers, we have produced a 200 page, professionally printed yearbook featuring all classes and highlighting the momentous occasions and experiences throughout the year.
The Yearbook has always been wonderfully received in the school community and are great keepsakes for the children to reflect on their journey here. To help in that undertaking we are hoping for your assistance
We would specifically like to request any photos from the events that have occurred in term 1 while they are fresh on your memories
-swimming carnival
-Reconciliation
-Harmony day
- Excursions
If families have any photos or if you’re attending school events (sporting, social etc) and you take any photos we’d love for you to snap and send a few back to us to use in the yearbook (appropriate permissions will be sought).
If you can help us with the above, please reach out and contact the Yearbook team via the yearbook email MTSYearbook00@gmail.com
Kind regards
Lindsay Hackett
