Harrison Herald Newsletter

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1 DATES TO REMEMBER DATES TO REMEMBER Monday, 6 December 2011 Enrolment Period Swimming Lessons 27 April 28 May 2010 Tuesday, 7 December Friday, Thank You 7 May Mothers Day Celebration (info Morning on page Tea 2) 11.00am Thursday, 9 December Tuesday, 11 May 9-11am and 4-6pm Nativity Concert Open Day for School and Early 6pm Learning Centre Sunday, 12 December Tuesday, 11 May 7.00pm Giving Mass Information 9.30am Evening for current preschool parents seeking Friday, 17 enrolment December for Kinder 2011 Term 4 ends Thursday, 20 May 7.00pm Community Council Meeting Just For Fun Friday, 11 June Grandparents Day (Make was Hamlet? the calendar. More info to follow) Little Joey: Pop who Herb: Don t they teach you even the simplest Monday, 14 June Queen s things in Birthday school? Public Holiday Little Joey: Not that! Friday, 2 July Term 2 ends Herb: I ll have to talk to your teachers. Meanwhile, bring me our Bible and I ll show you who Hamlet was. Home Learning Focus Light the first Advent candle. Perhaps you could make an Advent wreath at home Mother Teresa School 40 Wimmera Street Harrison ACT 2914 Telephone: office@motherteresa.act.edu.au Newsletter No 38 2 December 2010 Harrison Herald Newsletter Dear Parents This week marks the end of the first week of 45 minutes. If there is a change of venue, I shall send out a letter to all families on the day. Advent. During this Advent we have been The information will also be placed on the asking families to donate food items for the St school web page. Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. We have Music Corps been very gratified by the generosity of families attending Mother Teresa. Some families have donated more than one item for the hamper. In 2011 families shall have the opportunity for their children to learn a musical instrument on a fee for service basis. A company called Music We know that your generosity will make Corps will be providing this service. The Christmas for some disadvantaged families a company offers a whole range of services special one. Thank you for your generosity including hire and or purchase of musical because we know that God loves a cheerful instruments. The company also offers children giver. Christmas Nativity Play With all the rain we have booked Good Shepherd hall as a wet weather venue. If rain is the opportunity to be part of a school band once the children reach Year 3. Music Corps will be here on this Friday afternoon at 2.15 pm to present a range of their services to the forecast for next Thursday December 9 we shall children. Interested children can take home an have our nativity presentation at Good information sheet for their parents. Parents Shepherd. The starting time will not change. It are most welcome to attend this presentation will be 6.00pm. The concert will last for about in the breakout space. Classes for 2011 The following is a list of staffing arrangements for ELC Director Alice Castrission Green Rosellas (5 day fortnight Wed, Thurs, Fri) Hazel Haydon (Teacher) Robyn Raward (Assistant) Red Rosellas (5 day fortnight Mon, Tues, Wed) Deb Hoffman (Teacher) Robyn Raward (Assistant) Purple Pelicans (Mon, Tues, Wed) Bronwyn Newth (Teacher) Angela Kelley (Assistant) Yellow Cockatoos (Mon-Fri) Janene Sadler (Teacher) Sirima Jinadesa (Assistant) Blue Kingfishers (Mon Fri) Clare Addinell (Teacher) Jacqui Watts (Assistant) Out of School Hours Care Ieysha Issac and Jane Monoja Primary Office Manager Donna Betts Kinder Liana White / Anna Williams (Friday) Kinder Anne Leet / Anna Williams (Thursday) Kinder Tammy Adams Year 1 Justine Watt Year 1 Brooke Jeffries / Cherie Kelly (Friday) Year 2 Stephanie Travers Year 3 Brendon Pye Library / Special Needs Janet Bruce Learning Assistant Margie McDonald We warmly welcome our new staff members. Class lists will be sent home to parents in the last week of school. Assembly Week 9 There is no assembly Week 9.

2 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS WHOLE SCHOOL FOCUS for God loves a cheerful giver. Dear Parents Here s an unlikely conversation. It s between Joseph St Joseph and his mother-in-law, Anna St Anne. Anna: You re taking her where? I do not believe my ears! Joseph: Bethlehem. I have to go there, so I ll take her with me. Anna: My daughter. Nine months pregnant! You want to walk to Bethlehem? You want to take her with you? Joseph: Not want to take her with me. I m going to take her with me. If she s out of town the gossips can t pin down the date of birth. Besides, a son of David should be born in David s town. Where else? Anna: A son, is it? Where else, you say? On the road there, maybe? If the robbers don t get you first, God forbid. Joseph, nobody knows when the baby is due. This is not the moment to take her on a walking tour. Joseph: It is a long way to walk. I could find her a donkey. Anna: A Donkey! Why not a chariot? And this is supposed to be an improvement? You should try being pregnant and riding a donkey! Joseph, be reasonable. Leave her here, in her mother s care. Joseph: She s in my care now; I take care of her. How can I take care of her if I leave her behind? Anna: You ll take care of her? Suddenly you re a midwife as well as a carpenter! Joseph, this is her first baby. The only one who knows less about it is you. Joseph: Don t try to frighten us out of it; we were both told by the angel, Don t be afraid. Anna: Did the angel mention any other details? Like how to manage in her condition, in a strange town, with no help, only Joseph, the midwife carpenter! Who dreamed it would be all right? Joseph: I dreamed that I was told not to be afraid to take her. So, if I have to go to Bethlehem, then, she s coming with me. Anna: Oh well, if an angel comes to your dreams with a special message, then, why listen to the voice of common sense? I m amazed that the angel didn t tell you that you were pregnant too! Joseph: He also told me it was going to be a boy; and to name him Jesus. Anna: Jesus? My grandson? What about Rouven after my father? Or David, even? Why Jesus? What sort of name is that? Oh, Joseph! Listen to your mother-in-law Radio sketch by Cecily Cupit. This imagined conversation between Joseph and his mother-in-law, paints a picture of God coming into people s lives in totally unexpected ways. A teenage girl is to be the Mother of God and a carpenter is going to be a midwife! During Advent we are encouraged to prepare for Christ to be born into our lives but, as Mary and Joseph experienced, you don t have to be highly prepared with your spiritual life in total order. Christ, during His life, showed that He was not seeking people who are perfectly prepared and in control of things. He was interested in people who had difficulties in their lives but who wanted a way out of these difficulties; people who were honest with themselves and of good intention. Christ, today, does not expect us to be perfect but to be people of hope, who trust that His coming will have meaningful consequences in our lives. The teenaged Mary and the midwife Joseph are wonderful examples of how amazing things can occur, if we have hope and trust in God s word. Jesus, as Joseph and Mary experienced, being associated with You is full of the unexpected for You take people in their lives to where they would not have chosen to go. Help us not to be afraid but to be people of courage as we live Your values and reflect Your image. Amen. St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal Thank you to the wonderful families who have already donated to the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. This is not only a vital service for our community, and an important way that children can be involved to see that Christmas is not just a time for receiving, but a time for helping others too! Our school will present all donations to representatives from St Vincent de Paul Society at the Giving Mass on Sunday 12th December.

3 Nativity Concert We will be celebrating the end of year with a Nativity Concert starting at 6pm on Thursday, 9 December. It will most probably be held at Good Shepherd School Hall. We hope to see everyone there!. GIVING MASS All students and families who are available to attend the Giving Mass at Holy Spirit Church on Sunday 12th December are to be at the church by 9.00am to practice the procession they that they will be involved in. Please the front office if you are going to be at the Mass. Otherwise you can print out the sheet and return the slip to Mrs Leet. Please return your slip ASAP if you are available. Peace and best wishes, Anne Leet (Religious Education Co-ordinator) Giving Mass Sunday, 12 December at 9.30am My child/ren Will be at the 9:30 Mass on Sunday 12th December and would love to take part in the Offertory Procession. Signed:. Parent/Guardian Happy Birthday this week to: Happy birthday to Sarah Watt and Willem Hudson Tielens (1/2 Yellow), and Jordan Burgess (Orange Giraffes) who are celebrating their birthdays this week. Awards this week go to Hannah Freire and Daniel Blockley (Blue Dolphins), Royce Brennan and Nicholas Colquhoun (Green Frogs), Jackson Hahn and Anika Bettiol (Kinder Purple), Bianca Di Iulio and Dominik Tomalin Marek (Kinder Red) and Jake Thorpe and Grace Howse (1/2 Yellow). Well done!

4 News from the ELC Our Nativity preparations are now in full swing, and you may have noticed your child humming some really catchy tunes when they return from Preschool. The children have been discussing the Christmas story and have retold their favourite part in their own words. They have also been using some wooden figures to retell the story. The tadpoles legs have finally decided to grow! Last Thursday Abbie was the first to spot them on our largest tadpole. The children have been observing them and trying to draw this next stage. We have also discovered that now they have started to grow legs they are no longer called tadpoles, but froglets, thanks to a book that Harry brought in. Despite being very busy we are still managing to continue with our cooking, this week we tackled meringues! Thanks to all those children who brought in Christmas tree decorations, we decorated the tree on Wednesday and it looks fabulous. Also don t forget to look out for the Mother Teresa School Christmas tree in The Market Place. It has a very Australian theme. Please vote for our tree as if we win we will be able to buy some more books for our library. Both the Green Frogs and Orange Giraffes have been practising hard to learn the songs for our nativity concert which will be held during week nine. It should be great fun and a special night for all. We have asked the students from both classes to come dressed up as shepherds or angels which will reflect the focus song we have been allocated for the concert. During week seven both classes have asked magnificent questions. The Orange Giraffes looked at why ice melts and under what conditions ice melts faster in. Below are some pictures of the class conducting their ice experiments. The Green Frogs explored where water comes from. They also talked further about why the sky is blue. Thanks to Toni Pfeiffer, the students had a wonderful time making and decorating their own yummy Christmas tree.

5 Gungahlin Marketplace Tree Decorating Competition Mother Teresa School has entered a Tree Decorating Competition at Gungahlin Marketplace. Our school has decided upon the theme of an Australian Christmas and the children have been busy this week making decorations. Anyone can vote on the best decorated tree by giving a gold coin donation and all proceeds go to Barnardo s Charity. The voting begins on Wednesday, 1 December and ends on Friday, 24 December. The school with the most votes will win $ of books for the library.

6 Holiday Care December/January If you require School Holiday Care during December or January,and have not yet returned your form, please complete the details below and return to school tomorrow. My child/children require Holiday Care on the following days: December 20 Monday December 21 Tuesday December 22 Wednesday January 17 Monday January 18 Tuesday January 19 Wednesday January 20 Thursday January 21 Friday January 24 Monday January 25 Tuesday (26 Wednesday Closed due to Australia Day) January 27 Thursday January 28 Friday January31 Monday February 1 Tuesday February 2 Wednesday February 3 Thursday February 4 Friday Name Signature

7 It is with great pleasure that I announce that all members of the 2010 Community Council have accepted the challenge of completing their 2 year appointment. There has been one slight change in roles with Charmaine and Louise swapping. I would like to thank all members for their hard work and dedication throughout the year and for their character in committing to another year. I look forward to 2011 as the council has set a fantastic platform for the school to move forward going into its second year. Early in term the relevant sub-committee chairs will be calling for people to join their subcommittee. Sub-committees formed last year showed great success and again we would like to continue this into I invite everyone to have a think about what they may like to be part of over the holy season and during the school break so they will be prepared when the call for subcommittee members comes out. We have had many parents express an interest in getting involved through sub-committees and we look forward to each and everyone s involvement in whatever manner possible. Below is the structure of your community council. As always all contact details for council members are on the website if you would like to discuss the relevant areas, or alternatively i invite you to contact me regarding any community council matter. Mother Teresa School Community Council (CC) 2011 Executive Sub s Chairperson (Mike Whyte) Parent Representative/ Deputy Chairperson (Charmaine Whyte) Secretary (Danielle Mugridge) Treasurer (Damien Howse) School Principal (Mick Lowe) Parish Representative (Fr Mark Croker ) Staff Nominee (Claire Adinell) Ex officio (Cherie Kelly) Parent Liaison Sub (Louise Steinman) Fund Raising Sub (Trudy Thorpe) Grants Sub (Brett Bettiol) Facilities and Grounds Sub (Tony Fabrizio) Pre School Sub (Rowena Jimmieson) Finance Sub (Treasurer/ Damien Howse) I wish everyone a wonderful break over December/January and a safe and holy Xmas season. Mike Whyte Chairperson