Dear parents,

Recently the enrolment period for 2021 closed. Offers of place will be sent to prospective students on the 1^st of July.  We do have a number of year levels that were in high demand and some students that applied for these years will be placed on a waiting list should places become available.

Each year the school losses a substantial number of students due to postings, families moving interstate or relocating to other areas of Canberra. We know it is early but we ask anyone that knows that they are leaving MTS for any reason to let us know ASAP.

With bookings currently being organised for parent/teacher interviews, I take this opportunity to advise parents that elect to come to school for a face to face interview rather than a Zoom interview that COVID 19 precautions will be in place. These include

• maintaining social distancing while waiting for the interview to commence and also while the interview is taking place
• asking parents to use hand steriliser when arriving for the interview
• wiping down tables and chairs after every interview
• reminding parents not to attend if they display any flu like symptoms.

SICK STUDENTS

A reminder that if a student has any kind of illness, even if it is runny noses and/or cold like symptoms, they must not attend school. If a student is showing signs of illness, their parents and carers will be called to collect them.  If a student has been tested for Covid-19 they (and any siblings who attend MTS) should be excluded from school until the results are known of the test.  Please advise the school if this is the case.

Students who have been vomiting or have diarrhoea must also be excluded from school for a minimum of 24 hours after the symptoms have ceased.  If a student has symptoms due to allergies, families will be asked to provide written advice from their GP so that we can ensure they are not unwell and are able to continue attending school. 

Thank you for your continued support in this regard.

Maths Problem

Congratulations to Jonty Duvall who had the first correct answer drawn out yesterday.

This problem links well to the MTS tennis Championships held recently at school.

Imagine we had 32 students enter the MTS Tennis Championships. In round one each player played one other player. The losers were eliminated. For round two, the winners then played another winning player and all the winning players progressed while the losing players were again eliminated. This continued until we had one player left who was crowned champion.

How many rounds were played and how many games were played in the tournament?

Year 6 Ebony & 6 Onyx Assembly

This week it was 6 Ebony & 6 Onyx who presented their assembly.  Thank you to all the students involved and to Mrs Shelley and Mrs Travers! I hope you enjoy.

God Bless

Peter Hughes

WHOLE SCHOOL FOCUS

The Whole school focus theme for this year is: Be Just Like Jesus This term we will be focusing on: Think Like Jesus: Jesus’ character and the way he lived offers excellent examples of ways we can copy him. We can do this by doing our best to live peacefully with others, study the scriptures, be gentle and humble, trust God, help others, make good choices, and always obey God.

SEASONS FOR GROWTH

Dear Parents and Carers,

Loss and grief are issues which affect all of us at some stage in our lives. Learning to deal effectively with these issues is central to personal wellbeing and happiness.  Unresolved grief can also affect a student’s learning.  ‘Seasons for Growth’ is an Australian education program, which supports participants who have experienced change in their family because of a death, separation or divorce.  This program explores issues such as change, loss, managing feelings, coping strategies and support networks.  ‘Seasons’ is an eight session program which concludes with an additional celebration session.   Later in the year, each group will have the opportunity to meet on two further occasions to discuss issues arising from the program.  We are now seeking expressions of interest.  The program is available to students in years 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6.  Please contact anne.leet@cg.catholic.edu.au or your classroom teacher if you wish your child/ren to participate in the program. ‘Seasons’ will commence in Term Three.

Confirmation

Please keep our Year 6 students at Mother Teresa School and the Parish, as well as their teachers in your prayers. The Confirmation Candidates have been preparing for this important event, Sacrament of Confirmation over the past 2 terms.

Please save the date: Week 10 Term 2

Tuesday 30 June 6:30pm via zoom

Attention all parents who have a child in Year 3 who will be making the sacraments of Reconciliation and First Eucharist! Please be aware and ensure you do not book a parent teacher interview during this time, as we really would like you all to be available for this important zoom meeting.

Sunday Mass:

Fr Mark and Fr Jiss invite you to please sign in to the Mass at 9.15am using Meeting ID 824-036-573 or click here to join.

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
 (Corpus Christi)
Year A
​14 June 2020
“I am the bread from heaven!
​Everyone who eats it will live forever.”
​

Something to Think About

This special day in the Church year is a time to remember the great gift of Eucharist in our lives. The bread which is broken and shared for us at Mass is a sign of our unity.

The word Eucharist means ‘thanksgiving’. Let us give thanks today for Jesus who remains with us always. What would you like to thank Jesus for today?

The Story

In this story from John’s gospel, Jesus says that whoever eats this 'bread from heaven' will last forever.
​This is a way of saying that people need God to live, not just physical food and material goods, though they are very important.
​
​The Scriptures
​A reading from the holy gospel according to John     6:51-58 

Jesus said to the crowd:
"I am the bread from heaven!
Everyone who eats it will live forever.
The bread that comes down from heaven
is not like what your ancestors ate.
They died,
but whoever eats this bread will live forever."
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Video
Click to watch the video.

​THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK
​Mealtime Prayer

Family Discussion

In the gospel story, Jesus refers to himself as 'bread from heaven'. Bread is a symbol of nourishment. Talk about the image of nourishing and 'feeding'. Many people 'feed' us in different ways. Some people provide for our physical needs. Others teach us important things. Some people help us grow through friendship.
​
Chat about the ways in which we are 'fed' and the people who 'feed' us. 

​Family Activity

This week be a family that nourishes and ‘feeds’ each other and the people you meet during the week through prayer, words and actions.
Try praying together at bedtime; trying to always use words that are loving and kind; giving to and helping others; caring for our environment.

Peace and best wishes

Anne Leet REC

Live Streamed Marriage Seminars Sundays in June

The local Archdiocese has organised a series interactive live-streamed presentations for Marriage & Family Month immediately after the 11am Online Mass at St Christophers Cathedral for the next three Sundays (14^th, 21^st, 28^th June).

Listeners will be able to interact online and ask questions of our impressive line-up of international, interstate and local Catholic couples speaking at 11.45am each Sunday from mid-June. See full program at https://www.catholicvoice.org.au/marriage-family-month-june-2020/

Free Online International Catholic Marriage Summit this week

Starting this Friday, 50+ high profile Catholic speakers & social media personalities will be appearing online with their spouses to share openly about the highs, lows and challenges of married life. 

This free International Catholic Marriage Summit is the first of its kind. The instructions to the committed Catholic speakers was to ‘keep it real’.  Talk topics include finances, grief, communication, conflict and sex. It should be a great resource for any engaged or married couple. Register for free here or at https://www.joyfuleverafter.org/

Award winning Canberra wine maker Tim Kirk and his wife Lara, a Catholic marriage educator, will be speaking on the topic: “I Can’t Make You Happy”.

Beating stress and worries about coronavirus (COVID-19)

by THE BRAVE TEAM on MARCH 15, 2020

There are a lot of negative and stressful events occurring in our world every day – but when something like coronavirus (COVID-19) becomes so pervasive that it affects almost every country in the world, and is talked about almost every hour of the day, our children and teenagers can become quite anxious.

They may worry about many different things related to the virus – whether they or their family members will get sick, whether schools will close, whether they will be asked to stay away from loved ones and friends, whether they will be safe, or whether the virus will ever end. Sometimes, it is simply not knowing what will happen that creates the most fear (for young people and adults).

Children and teenagers are very observant – they see things changing, they hear the news and they talk with whoever they can about what’s happening. For some young people, this is a natural and healthy way to manage their worries about the situation. But for other young people, excessive focus on the issue can increase their fears and become unmanageable. Either way, the chances are young people will have lots of questions and will be seeking reassurance from those around them, and those they trust. As parents and caregivers, you might be wondering how best to respond to these questions.

The BRAVE Team are a team of Clinical Psychologists and experts in child and adolescent anxiety and have put together a set of simple tips for you and your young person to manage the stress associated with the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Stay calm yourself

Children and teens look to their parents to work out how to respond. When parents are not calm it sends young people the message that they too should be panicking. Pay attention to how you talk about the virus to your children, each other and other people. Stick to the facts when talking about the virus. Speak calmly about it. Behave in a considered and rational way. Fear is just as contagious as this virus – and it is not helpful. The best way you can ‘vaccinate’ your child against fear around COVID-19 is to remain calm and rational yourself.

Think about the way young people receive their information

It can be helpful for parents to consider the way in which children and teenagers consume information about COVID-19 coronavirus. Constant exposure to news broadcasting can cause additional stress– children can’t always recognise fine differences between facts and messages designed to convey exaggerated threat. Help your child receive factual information in ways that are young-person friendly. Focus on the messages that are most important to children (think about what you want them to do – Regularly wash hands). Don’t forget to pay attention to how you talk about the virus to your children, each other and other people. Try not to panic – children are much more likely to keep calm if you do too.

Think about how you can answer questions

When young people are anxious, they tend to focus on the worst-case scenario and seek a lot of reassurance. Remind your children that there are a lot of people out there working hard to keep them and their loved ones safe, and we need to help in whatever way we can. Be there to listen and answer their questions, but try and keep an optimistic outlook. Help them see the range of possibilities and focus on what you can do right now to keep safe and manage stress. Try not to let them continue asking questions over and over – instead engage them in other activities and use the strategies from our Guide for Parents and Young people below, which you can use, print and share.

Remember that everyone worries about different things

We also need to remember that children may have different worries than teenagers and adults. For many younger children, their fears may focus on being separated from loved ones (including pets and toys) whereas older children and teenagers may worry about getting sick themselves or social isolation and missing out on things. It’s important to acknowledge their individual worries and help find strategies to manage these.

Help your young person find a strategy that works for them

Help your young person find some strategies for managing their anxiety. This might include family activities which can distract from fear and focus on positive experiences, or it might be things like encouraging your young person to listen to music, rediscover old hobbies, practice relaxation or mindfulness or connect with family and friends online. Encourage them (and all family members) to focus on other things during these activities. Remember, young people learn through experience – set a good example and try and remain calm as much as possible. Try and keep to your family routines as much as possible, stay healthy and active.

Finally, remember that it is normal to feel overwhelmed by such events. Reach out and find the right support for you and your child if required.

About The Brave Program

The BRAVE program is an evidence-based cognitive behavioural program which helps people understand how anxiety works and identify strategies for overcoming fears and worries. There are programs for Parents of young children (3-6 years), Children (7-11 years), Teenagers (12-17 years) and Parents of Children and Teenagers.

If you are in Australia you can learn more about how to help your child or teenager manage stress and anxiety generally by accessing the BRAVE Self-Help program at www.brave4you.psy.uq.edu.au .

Please note that the program is only available to Australian IP addresses at this time.

Useful Links – Australia

Youth Beyond Blue: https://www.youthbeyondblue.com/ OR https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/looking-after-your-mental-health-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak

Emerging Minds: https://emergingminds.com.au/ OR this video on Talking to Children about natural disasters and traumatic events.

Kids Helpline: https://kidshelpline.com.au/ OR call 1800 55 1800

Reach Out: https://au.reachout.com/

Lifeline: https://www.lifeline.org.au/ OR call 13 11 14