Dear Parents,

This week saw a very settled start by all the students at Mother Teresa School. I was particularly impressed by how well the kindergarten students adjusted to school routine with most walking in class lines from the main assembly area to their classroom on Thursday morning.

This morning the decision was made to call off the swimming carnival and the Year One water fun day. At the time the decision was made, it was raining and the radar showed more rain about. Postponing carnivals is not an easy decision. If we went ahead and it continued to rain, or we had intermittent showers, we would have had very cold children and parents rightfully asking why we took the children out in those conditions. After the decision was made the weather cleared and we possibly could have at least held the competitive swimming races. It is a no win situation when you postpone sporting carnivals unless it rains heavily and everyone can see the reason for the decision.

I apologise to those that were inconvenienced by the decision. We will try to schedule a day for another carnival and will advise parents once the details have been finalised.

This week’s newsletter contains a lot of reminders and requests, many of which link to student safety and the smooth operation of the school. Before I commence on those, I will put forward our first maths problem of the year.

Maths Problem

At St Fred’s they have four Year Three classes. Altogether they have 104 students. Two of the classes have 26 students while the third class has two less. How many students must be in the fourth class?

All entries need to be to Mr Hughes by Wednesday morning and can be sent to the office in the morning note bag or emailed to school. Parents are allowed to assist younger students.

Every week one of the correct answers is chosen out of the hat and they receive a new handball and a canteen voucher for $2.

They degree of difficulty changes from week to week.

Car Parking

Thank you to everyone for their patience during the first week when there is alot of traffic. Parents using the drive through pick up facility of an afternoon are asked not to queue in the line between the two orange cones to allow other cars to move around you and access other car parks.

Next week all families will receive a carline name tag with your family name on it. It is to be placed on the driver’s side of your dashboard so the teacher calling out names does not have to ask every driver their family name and it will assist with traffic flow. You may like to consider permanently fixing it to your visor.

Families parking on the black top at the back of the school are reminded to walk their children from the car to school grounds as there is a lot of car movement. If you are picking your child up from this area please arrange to meet them near the shade structure.

When leaving the carpark on to Boddington Circuit you must turn left as trying to turn right holds up traffic behind you.

We have a number of families that use the parking at the units across the road and parents who cut through the back of the units to access Mapleton Crescent. I ask that parents please refrain from parking in private parking spaces and please do not driving through the units as a units are home to a high number of children who movethrough the complex after school.

Equipment

There are signs on the fence near each set of equipment telling families that no children are allowed on the equipment before school and again after school. This is to ensure students get to car and bus lines and do not end up on the swings. It also ensures safety as we want all children on swings to be supervised.

Of an afternoon the teacher on duty at the back of the school ensures no children are on the equipment while pick up is taking place. Once the majority of children have gone and the teacher on duty is sure all children have a supervising adult present they will allow children on the swings. This takes place at approximately 3.15pm.

Dogs

ACT Government laws forbid any dogs from entering any school grounds. This week I have noticed two dogs on our grounds. If you bring your dog to school and are either dropping off or picking up your children they can be tied to the trees on the road side of the main office.

Forms

This week all children took home forms related to acceptable use of ICT and a local excursion forms. They need to be signed and returned to your child’s teacher otherwise they cannot engage in any tasks using ICT or go on local walking excursions.

School Shoes

We have noticed a number of children wearing black runners as part of their normal uniform however they are either of the mesh variety or have other colours in them. These are NOT acceptable as normal school shoes. School shoes need to be leather which can be in a traditional school shoe style or a black runner style shoe made of leather. There is a range of this type of shoe available from specialist shoe shops but also from retailers such as Big W.

I know some families may have just purchased these shoes which is fine however I ask you purchase leather shoes when the current shoes wear out.

On sports days normal runners are acceptable.

Parent Helpers

Under government legislation all people working or volunteering in schools must undergo screening and obtain a WWVP (Working with Vulnerable People) card. These are free for volunteers and the form can be obtained from the front office, from the Government Shopfront in Mitchell or by clicking here.  Without a card parents must fill in a Statutory Declaration form at the front office each time they come in to school to assist. This can only be done seven times in a year or a maximum of three times in one term.

Volunteers

We are seeking volunteers to assist with school banking each Wednesday morning and in the our second hand clothing pool. Currently the used clothing pool is open from 8.30am each Monday morning. Please contact the front office if you can assist in any capacity.

School Fees

You will soon receive your school fees for Term One via email. If you have any questions regarding your fee statement please contact our office manager, Donna Betts.

Families who were on fee remission last year are reminded that a new application needs to be submitted for the 2020 school year. These are available from the front office.

Fee support is available to all families that are experiencing financial difficulties. The school offers assistance to genuine cases where families have an inability to pay the school fees rather than an unwillingness to pay.

All arrangements are confidential.

Parent Information Evening - Tuesday 11 February

Lastly, a reminder that our Parent Information Evening is on Tuesday 11 February commencing at 6pm.  We hope to see you there.

God Bless

Peter Hughes

Further information and webinar links are available by clicking on this link https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars