From the Principal
Dear Families,
Over the past two weeks I have had the pleasure of attending a range of events where students' many gifts and talents have been highlighted.
On Thursday I was lucky enough to attend the Netball Lightning Premiership with a team of 30 students from Year 5 and 6. On Friday I headed off to Waverly Stadium with 64 Year 5 and 6 students to attend the Hooptime competition. I could not have been more proud of our students on both of these days. Their conduct, sportsmanship and ability to perform at a top level in sport, was amazing.
On Wednesday I was able to see some of our incredible musicians at the Soiree. The dedication that these students have towards learning to play and master an instrument is outstanding. Not only did they display such skill in playing their instrument on Wednesday evening but they also managed to play their instrument to a packed audience full of families watching and listening.
Two weekends ago I felt honored to witness many of our Year 4 students receive the Sacrament of First Eucharist for the first time. Seeing the smiles on the students' faces during the Mass was so lovely and watching them celebrate with their families afterwards was incredibly special.
I have also had the pleasure of sitting with staff these past two weeks as they moderate work samples and analyse data in preparation for the Semester One Student reports. It has been wonderful to hear teachers speak of their students’ achievements and growth. It has also been wonderful to see work samples and assessment scores during meetings and planning sessions, that highlight how students are progressing.
I am so proud of the achievements that our students and the growth and development they are showing in all aspects of school life.
Grandparents and Special Friends Day at Galilee
This coming Monday 17th June we look forward to welcoming our student’s Grandparents and Special Friends for a morning at Galilee.
From 8.30am - 9.30am, Grandparents & Special Friends are invited to a morning tea in the Maguire Hall. During this time, they are also able to visit their grandchild’s classroom and visit our book fair (located next to the Maguire Hall) for a special gift for their grandchild.
At 9.45am we will celebrate mass together as a community and we welcome Grandparents and Special Friends to join us at St Peter and Paul’s Church. We will farewell our Grandparents and Special friends at the end of mass, finishing our special morning together.
Mathematics Professional Development Day last Friday
Last Friday, Galilee had a pupil free day. On this day, staff came together and focused on the teaching and learning of Mathematics. They worked with James Russo and Jane Hubbard from Monash University.
James and Jane are world renowned leaders in the academic field who have focused their research on pedagogy in Mathematics. Not only do they come to us with a research background but also a background in teaching primary school students. We feel very lucky to have partnered with them as we advance our pedagogical practice in Mathematics. Jane and James introduced us to ‘Sweaty Brain Time.’
‘Sweaty Brain Time’ is a time when students engage in problems which typically have more than one solution. These thought-provoking problems encourage students to problem-solve and aim to include all students in each lesson.
Students are often challenged to work in new ways, with an emphasis on mathematical thinking and reasoning.
Netball Lightning Premiership
On Thursday we took 30 students to represent Galilee at the Netball Lightning Premiership.
They played netball against other Catholic Schools in the Dendy District. They played some beautiful netball showing off their skills in netball and their skills in playing as a team.
One team progressed to finals but unfortunately didn’t make it through to the next round of competitions. Congratulations to all our Netballers and to the staff and parents who coached and supported us.
Soccer Lightening Premiership
Congratulations to the Galilee Girls Soccer Team, who this week, won the grand final and were awarded district champions. They showed great spirit and skill to get themselves there. We are so happy for them!
Congratulations also goes out to our Galilee Boys Soccer Team who also performed very well on Wednesday, only losing in the final by the finest of margins.
Well done to both teams.
Thank you to Mr Greene, Miss McGlinchey and all the parents who supported.
Sacrament of First Eucharist
On Sunday 2nd June, our Year 4 students celebrated the Sacrament of First Eucharist at St's Peter and Paul’s Church.
It was a beautiful service and an absolute honor to witness this special occasion in the lives of our students.
Thank you to the families and the staff who prepared the students so well. Thank you to Fr. Paul and Fr. Vinchey and Sue Kidd for their continued support in the faith lives of our students.
Galilee School Disco
On Friday 31st May, our community came together for the Galilee School Disco. We had a Prep- Year 2 Disco followed by a Year 3-6 Disco.
With DJs at both events providing the tunes and suggesting moves, students from P-2 and 3-6 had a ball!
Thank you to the Prep and Year 4 families for providing volunteers for these two events, supported by the GPA and some staff in attendance. What a wonderful community we have!
Music Soiree
On Wednesday night we had over 70 students from Year 1-6 perform at our Galilee Extra Curricular Music Program on either drums, guitar or keyboard. It was a wonderful night of musical delight!
A huge congratulations to our incredible performers for their dedication to their chosen instrument.
Thank you to our amazing teachers Richard, Trent and Leonard and to our community and staff for coming out and supporting our students.
Mr. Edwards has a new baby
We are delighted to share with you that Paddy Edwards, Year 6 teacher and Wellbeing Leader, is now the proud father of a baby boy.
His partner Steph gave birth on the 1st of June, and they named their son Jude Patrick Edwards. All are doing well and we look forward to welcoming Paddy back at the beginning of Term 3 to hear all about it.
New Staff
We would like to welcome Maya Kypuros to our Galilee staff.
Maya will be joining our Learning Support Officer team for two days a week.
Maya brings experience and a skill set suited to our environment. Maya will work with small groups of students across the year levels on Thursdays and Fridays.
Staff Anaphylaxis Training
As part of our commitment to Child Safety and Wellbeing, all staff are involved in regular anaphylaxis training in line with the Government’s Ministerial Order 706.
Over the past few weeks, all staff have successfully completed their online ASCIA Anaphylaxis e-training for Victorian Schools.
The online training course includes 6 modules on anaphylaxis emergency management:
- what are allergies and anaphylaxis
- signs, symptoms and recommended action for allergy and anaphylaxis
- adrenaline autoinjectors
- ASCIA Action Plans
- anaphylaxis management in Victorian schools
- a final assessment module.
Staff then completed an assessment to check competency in the administration of an adrenaline autoinjector - both epipen and anapens.
Staff are briefed twice yearly as per Government requirements.
Semester One Student Reports
Semester One Student Reports will be sent out via email on Wednesday 26th June, which is Week 11.
Teachers have been working hard to analyse data and write reports that show an understanding of where your children are at in their learning.
The student report will be available on Wednesday 26th June, via a portal. Information about how to access the portal will be shared with all families closer to the date.
Please see the attached letter to see more informatio about Semester One Student Reports.
Year 5 and 6 Hooptime Basketball
Today 64 students from Year 5 and 6 attended the Hooptime Basketball at Waverly Stadium. It was a wonderful day.
Each team competed in different divisions and performed exceptionally well. We had two teams progress to finals and one of our Future Stars teams won their division and walked away with Hoop Time Championship Medals.
Not only were we impressed by the basketball skills our students displayed but also their sportsmanship and conduct throughout the day. They were exceptional. Thank you to the many staff and parents who coached, scored and cheered on our students.
News from the Parish of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and St. Joseph's
For those of you who are not parishioners of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Middle Park or St Joseph’s Port Melbourne, you may not have come across the formal release of information regarding Fr. Hugh Brown. Please click on the link below:
I wish you and your family every blessing in the comming weeks.
Amy Burns
Acting Principal