Dear Parents,

Welcome back to the 2019 school year. We especially welcome all our new students to Mother Teresa School and hope your association with MTS is a rewarding one.  There are a few reminders, some of which parents may have already seen on Szapp, that I would like to point out again.

Parent Information Sessions – 12 February

These will run this coming Tuesday.  There will be two sessions presented by teachers with the first from 6.00pm – 6.25pm and a repeat session from 6.35pm – 7.00pm.  Should you not be able to attend or can’t attend all of the sessions for your children, overviews of what is happening in your child’s class will be sent home on SZapp following the sessions.  The sessions will be held in breakout spaces adjacent to your child’s classroom.

St Vincent de Paul Doorknock – 17 February

Every year our school participates in the St Vincent de Paul Doorknock.  This is an ideal opportunity for the school to put many of what we believe are our core beliefs, into action.  It is also an opportunity for parents to model to their children, concern for those less fortunate in our society.

Last year we had just over thirty families which was a wonderful effort and they raised a considerable amount of money for our local St Vincent de Paul branch.

The St Vincent de Paul Doorknock occurs throughout the month of February.  As a school we will be conducting ours on Sunday 17th February.   All those taking part can pick up bags up from the Kinder breakout space at 9am.   If you would like to come along, please let the front office know how many people will be attending from your family so that we can cater lunch for you on your return.

I hope to see a great turn out from our school community.

School Uniforms

A reminder to parents to please ensure that the correct school uniform is being worn, especially school shoes on non-sports days which must be black leather.  Please see our full uniform policy on our website https://mtsharrison.schoolzineplus.com/uniforms. 

In addition, Term 1 sports days for each year level are listed below:

School Counsellor

We have been advised by CatholicCare that the school counsellor that worked at MTS last year has resigned.  CatholicCare are currently seeking a new counsellor for our school.  Parents will be advised once someone has been appointed.  In the meantime, if you have any concerns please contact Mr Hughes or Mr Hart who will be able to provide you with contact details for other service providers.

Defence School Transition Aide

Mrs Charlie Dyce-McGowan our DSTA is on leave for the first two weeks of this term caring for elderly family members.  Next week we will touch base with all children of Defence families. Following her return to work, we will advise parents of an opportunity for them to gather to meet other defence families at our school.

Holiday Projects

Well done to all the students that completed the Seven Wonders project over the holidays.  I was surprised by the number of students that took part.  The projects were judged today by our Year 6 students and the winners will be announced at our next assembly.

Maths Problem

Every week I will put a problem in the newsletter for students to solve.  Some are easier than others. All entries must be received by the front office in the class note bag or emailed to Mr Hughes by no later than Wednesday morning.  The first correct answer drawn out at assembly receives a small prize. This week’s problem is below and has a swimming theme.

The Lap Clock 

 

At the local swimming pool, a lap clock like this is at one end of the pool. It is used by swimmers to give the time taken to swim 50-metre laps. The numbers indicate seconds.

Julie swims at a constant rate of 42 seconds per lap while Sam swims at 45 seconds per lap. They always start with the hand at zero.

1. How many laps would Julie have swum if her total time was exactly 7 minutes?
2. Julie and Sam each swam 1 km. How many revolutions of the hand would there be for each swimmer?

God Bless

Peter Hughes

Front Office Reminders

• Absentee Notes—If your child is absent from school due to sickness, holiday or other reason, please ensure a note is submitted via SZapp or provided to your child’s classroom teacher on their return. 
  
  
• Sickness—If your child has been sick and has been vomiting or had diarrhoea then they must be excluded from school for at least 24 hours after the symptoms have ceased.
  
  
• Chess Club Term Fees for Term 1, 2019 will be $64.00.  
  Could you please arrange for payment to be made at the front office or over the phone by week 5. 
• School Start & Finish times
  
  • School supervision starts at 8.15am with classes beginning at 8.45amLunch break is from 11.00am to 11.55am
  • Recess break is from 1.25pm-1.55pm
  • School finishes at 3.00pm with supervision at car line finishing at 3.30pm.
  • Parents who cannot collect their child/children by this time should arrange for after school care with Kidsbiz. In the case of any emergency which prevents you from collecting on time, please contact us so that we can make arrangements to ensure the safety/supervision of your child/children.
  • Late to school procedure:-
  • If you are dropping off your child to school late please remember to sign in at the front office (any time after 9:15am).  Every student needs to have their late slip with them to hand on to their class teacher upon arrival at their classroom.
    
    
  • Early Pickup procedure:-
  • If you are planning to collect your child early please try to let the class teacher know beforehand so that your child/children are at the front office waiting for you.
  • If you have an unplanned early pickup please contact the front office and let us know what time you will be arriving so that we can have your child/children ready.
  • Please remember if this is happens, we will do our best to locate your child but this is not always possible especially if they are out of class or on lunch or recess break.
  • In addition, if you are collecting your child early and you have requested they arrive at the office at a specific time, please ensure that you arrive at that time to collect them.  It is not appropriate that children be removed from class to be collected and then sit at the office and wait for extended periods of time for you to arrive.
  • A sign out slip will need to be completed for each child leaving the school prior to the end of the school day.

January & February Birthdays