Mother Teresa Catholic Primary School Newsletter

• Tuesday 26th May

National Sorry Day

• Monday 8th June

Queen's Birthday Public Holiday

• Wednesday 10th June- Friday 12th June

Book Fair

• Sunday 14th June

First Holy Communion

• Thursday 18th & Friday 19th June

Whole School and ELC photos

• Friday 26th June

Last Day of Term 2

Dear Parents and Friends of MTCPS,

Our Lady Mary Help of Christians Feast Day- The Name of our Parish Church in Palmerston

The feast day of Our Lady Help of Christians has been celebrated in Australia on 24th May since 1844, but the history to this day dates back to the start of the 1800s. Pope Pius VII was imprisoned by Napoleon Bonaparte in the early 1800s and swore that if he was ever released, he would institute a special feast in honour of Mary. The military eventually forced Bonaparte to release the Pope and on May 24, 1814, Pius VII returned in triumph to Rome. Twelve months later the Pope decreed that the feast of Mary Help of Christians be kept on 24 May. The infant Church in Australia had a special reason for turning to Mary. In those early and mostly priest less days, it was largely the Rosary that kept the faith alive. Catholic Australia remained faithful to Mary, and was the first nation to choose her, under the title of Help of Christians, as Principal Patron. Mary holds a special place in the Church for all Catholic Australians. To rejoice in Mary is to celebrate God’s greatest creation- Jesus.

To help reflect, below is a list of 5 things we can learn from Mary.

 1. To trust God completely

2. To be humble

 3. The importance of perseverance

4. Kindness and unselfishness

5. To rejoice and be grateful

A Step Closer for the Return to ‘Normality’

What better way to celebrate our parish feast day than to announce that schools are edging so very close to ‘normality’ as the NT continues its efforts to minimise the risk of Covid-19 reactivating?

In Week 6 Catholic Education and NT Government advise that we are allowed to have the following restrictions lifted:

Visitors from Week 6

• Covid restrictions continue with regards to hand hygiene, 1.5 social distancing, completing the health declaration form at the front office and ELC.
• Visitor declaration form filled only on initial visit but not on further visits unless health circumstances change

 Visitors and Events- What’s Allowed:

• School support visits from CEO (with principal approval)
• Priests (in discussion with the principal)
• Other visitors (with principal approval)
• Class Masses (with social distancing)
• Intra Sport (with no spectators) and Inter school sport from Week 8
• Excursions (following NT Government Covid guidelines)

 Parents- What’s Allowed:

• Meetings such as  P and F and School  Board with 1.5 rule
• Individual meetings- including enrolments, or all other parent teacher meetings, with declaration form completed

 Parents, Visitors and Events -What’s Not Allowed

• No whole school prayer/assemblies/ Masses
• NO parents are allowed to enter school without prior arrangement  utilizing Seesaw/ email or an office booking. The usual declaration forms & social distancing rules prevail

Drop Off and Pick Up Arrangements- Status Quo

Staff from across the school, particularly the Early Years and ELC have indicated the benefits of the current Covid 19 arrangements for parent drop offs and pick-ups. They are telling me how much the children have matured and have become more independent with their new found displays of resilience. It is for this reason we are keen to stay with the status quo in regards to parent drop offs and pick-ups.

Mornings

1.      Parents drop off their children at the front gate of the school or the foyer of the ELC.

2.      Gates remain locked until the supervised duty commences

Afternoons

Parents can collect children from 4 points:

1.      Kiss and Go

2.      Middle and Upper Primary -The front gate entrance

3.      Lower Primary-The parent room

4.      ELC -The ELC foyer

 We look forward to recommencing Parents and Friends meetings, and all those plans which make Mother Teresa Catholic School such a fun place to be.

Regards

Denis

The Roman Catholic Church dedicates the month of May to Mary-Mother of God. The entire month falls within the liturgical season of Easter, which is represented by the liturgical colour white — the colour of light, a symbol of joy, purity and innocence.

Bishop Charles has beautifully explained that for a long time May and October have had a special focus on Mary, the mother of Jesus. Respect for Mary, Our Lady, has been part of life in the Christian community from the beginning. In John’s Gospel Mary is there at Cana when Jesus does his first public ministry, at the instigation of his mother, at the wedding feast turning water into wine. She is also there at the cross in His final great act of ministry when Jesus offers Himself to the Father for the salvation of the world. So, while Mary is important because she is the physical mother of Jesus, she is also very important as a woman of faith. The Vatican Council, and many other Church statements in the past, call her ‘Mother of the Church”.

Jesus on the cross gives us Mary as mother when he gave her as a mother to the ‘beloved disciple’.

So, the month of May is a reminder of Mary for us as a friend, mother, role model. As a member of the communion of faith she helps us by her prayers and love.