This week we have been able to finalise our teacher arrangements for Year 1. Miss Rebecca Brown will be working with Mrs Ali O'Brien in 1 Ochre. Miss Brown will be teaching in 1 Ochre on Thursdays and Fridays; we are delighted to welcome Rebecca to our teaching staff.  

Student Behaviour and Uniform

I request that parents monitor that their child is following our uniform code. There should be no makeup or nail polish, and shoulder-length hair must be tied back.

We do have beautiful children at MTS, however, I have had several reports this week of children excluding others in games or being disrespectful to their peers. Parent support is critical; we can only deal with a situation when we are advised by the children early so we can follow up immediately. Thank you to parents for keeping the teachers and school leadership well informed.  

Class Contact Network

We would like to invite parent volunteers to join the Class Contact Parent network we introduced last year at MTS.  One or two parents per class would be fabulous. Thank you to the parents who have responded, however, we still have lots of classes that do not have a Class Contact Parent Rep. We would love to fill our the gaps by early next week so we can organise a gathering of our class contacts.

Class Contact Reps needed for:    

• K Rose
• 1  Ochre
• 2 Jade
• 2 Mint
• 4 Amethyst
• 4 Magenta
• 4 Indigo
• 5 Platinum
• 5 Pearl
• 5 Ivory
• 6 Onyx
• 6 Charcoal
• 6 Ink

The aim of the Class Contact Parent initiative is to continue the tradition of building strong community partnerships at Mother Teresa. The Class Contact Parent is a fun and rewarding liaison role between class teachers and families and can be shared between parents if there is more than one volunteer. 

We invite you to consider this opportunity to get to know your child’s class and teacher and become a vital part of fostering and building a supportive community at Mother Teresa School.  If you are interested in volunteering as a Class Contact Person for your child’s Class, please contact communitycouncil.mts@gmail.com and respond to the questions provided in the email link. 

Kinder Health Check

On Monday the Kinder Health Check envelopes were sent home to all Kinder families, the 2025 Kinder Health Check includes:

• A physical health check of vision, hearing and growth(height,weight and BMI)
• Two questionaires - the Parent Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) and the Strenghts and Difficulties Questionaire (SDQ)

The Child and Adolescent Immunisation Team will arrange the collection of the completed forms by the 3rd March 2025. The health check will occur later in the year, we are waiting on dates.

Food Allergies

We have a young boy in Year 2 who has a serious anaphylactic reaction to cheese, cheese spores, and cheese-based products. As we are now eating in the classroom for 10 minutes at 10.50am we are trialling no cheese in just 2 Lime for this term. Please remember we do have lots of children with allergies to many types of nuts; avoid peanut butter and Nutella as a sandwich spread. 

Absentee Notification

The school class rolls are considered legal documents regarding a child's attendance. It is essential that absences are submitted as soon as possible via Compass. Children who arrive after the bell need to come through the office. For children being dropped off at 8.55 am they need to be formally signed in by a parent. 

Cheer Teams Kick Off the Season!

Our MTS cheer teams, Mini Magic and Luminosity, are officially back in action! Training has started at Sirens Cheer Gym in Mitchell. The first session was all about meeting teammates, getting to know the coaches, and jumping right into skills and stunts for the season ahead.

Every Thursday, the teams will be working hard to learn their new routines and perfect their skills. It’s amazing to see their dedication and teamwork come to life.

A huge shoutout to our incredible coaches and the families who support these cheerleaders every step of the way. We can’t wait to see what Mini Magic and Luminosity achieve this year—stay tuned for updates on their progress and upcoming performances!

Let’s go, Mini Magic and Luminosity!

Appointment of a New Counsellor 

I am happy to inform you that Lauren, our new school counsellor from Catholic Care Marymead, will be starting at Mother Teresa on Tuesday 25^th February. Lauren will be working from Tuesday to Friday each week. New referral forms will be available on request from the office.

Reminders 

Do not forget to complete the following

• Kinder to Year 6 - IT Agreement via Compass Events
• Kinder to Year 6 - Photo permissions via Compass Events
• SeeSaw - Kinder to Year 3
• PG Movies - Year 2 to 6
• NAPLAN Year 3 & 5
• Netball for Years 3 & 4
• Netball for Years 5 & 6 - Event Closed 
• Year 6 Camp Permission

Class Overviews were sent out last weekend, via Compass, so parents can review what is being taught this term. 

Playground arrangements

We have spent time this week reviewing our playground equipment arrangements. We plan to let the children know what is happening on Monday, at our school morning assembly. 

Have a lovely weekend and enjoy the Canberra Show if it is on your list of things to do this weekend

Kind regards 

Carmel Maguire  

Principal 

The Sports Spectacle

Last Friday we had two Raiders players come and speak to the Year 5 cohort. They presented to the grade the importance of teamwork, persistence, being prepared and being the best you can be. Raiders Hooker Owen Pattie and Half back Jamal Fogarty facilitated some teamwork games with the students and teachers. Turns out the teachers of Year 5 are a little competitive.

Family Technology agreements

With the possibility of new devices entering your home and an increase in screen time over the Christmas holiday break, it is an excellent time to create or revise your family's expectations around device use. This can include where devices are used and for how long, where devices go overnight and what to do when something goes wrong. It can include computers, TVs, gaming consoles and tablets.

There are several resources to support you in setting these boundaries.

The eSafety Commissioner has downloadable customisable family tech contract templates for pre-schoolers to primary-aged children. They include discussion points about how to be a responsible user of technology and develop digital intelligence. Click here for more information.

The ThinkUKnow and Carly Ryan Foundation family online safety contracts are suitable for older students and the whole family. Click here to see an example and a blank contract.

Education and Support

Further education and support around devices, apps, cyberbulling, gaming, deciding age-appropriate entertainment and reporting abuse is available at the following websites:

eSafety Commissioner resources

Family online safety in more languages

Guides to popular social medica and gaming apps and websites

Reporting Harm with eSafety Commissioner or

Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation

Setting up your child's device for safety and success

MTS Second Hand Uniform Store

 Wednesday and Friday, 8:45-9:15 am

FREE winter sport jackets for the month of February or until stock runs out.

 We are becoming overwhelmed with poor quality donations – please check the clothes you are donating and if they are dirty, ripped, torn or broken, dispose of them yourself.

Also, do not donate clothing that is not the official school uniform as per the policy on the school website. Stockings, socks, bike shorts and underwear should not be donated.

 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 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.