From the Principal
Dear Families,
I would like to extend a very warm welcome back to everyone within the Galilee community. It has been an absolute joy to see the students and families return to school and walk through the gates with big smiles on their faces each morning. During the first two weeks of school, the classrooms and playground have been buzzing as students engage in lots of activities to help them transition into a new year level and class grouping.
It was wonderful to connect with lots of families yesterday afternoon at our Open Classroom’s and Welcome BBQ. It was lovely to see families and teachers chatting in classrooms and students proudly showing their families around the school. This year we are committed to strengthening the link between home and school with an emphasis on helping families understand more about the learning and teaching that happens at school. Galilee boasts sensational student academic results and we believe this is largely due to the teaching practises our teachers employ. Our aim this year is to share more about what we are doing at school so that families have a greater understanding about the wonderful learning and teaching program we provide.
Thank you to the Year 3 parents who volunteered to help with the sausage sizzle and very popular zooper doopers. I would also like to thank the Gardening Club for setting up a stall to sell produce from our Garden.
Special welcome to new families, new Prep students, new staff members
I would especially like to welcome our 2024 Prep Students, new families to our school and two new staff members who have joined our team this year.
Our 2024 Prep students have all had a wonderful start to their Primary School education. They have settled very quickly into our school community and look very much at home in their classrooms and on the playground. Last week they were introduced to their buddy. The buddy program at Galilee is a key component to our Prep students successfully transitioning into school life. It is also an important part of our Year 5 and 6 leadership program where they take on a range of responsibilities around the school. We couldn’t be more excited to have these 78 new Prep students with us and are excited to see the wonderful things they do.
We have two new staff members joining our community this year. We would like to welcome Leagh O’Byrne who is teaching in Prep and Sinead McGlinchey who is teaching in Year 5. Both of these teachers come to us from Ireland with lots of experience in teaching a range of year levels in Primary School. We are looking forward to working with them this year.
We also have a number of new families joining our community this year. If you see a new face around the school, please make them feel welcome. We are very fortunate to have such a wonderful community here and I am sure everyone will go out of their way to make our new families feel welcome and included.
Introducing the 2024 Galilee Staff
Please click on the link below to read all about our 2024 staff as they introduce themselves to you, our community.
1:1 Devices at Galilee in 2024, thanks to a very large donation from the Galilee Parent’s Association
We are very excited to announce that all students from Year 2-6 will now have access to one-to-one chromebooks in 2024. Each student will be assigned a chromebook that will travel with them as they progress through the school. Student chromebooks will stay at school and give students access to technology they need for their learning.
This large purchase was funded by the school and money raised through the Galilee Parents Association. Late last year, we were able to make a larger than normal technology purchase, thanks to the GPA fundraising. This purchase has allowed us to upgrade a greater number of devices and increase the number of devices that we have at school. Technology is an integral part of our learning and teaching program at Galilee where students are asked to be familiar with a range of programs, and processes. We have also increased the staffing allocation in the area of Digital Technology this year, with Marcus Paige and Mikalila Greenan both taking on a Digital Technology Leadership position in 2024. We are excited to see and hear about all the wonderful opportunities our students will be able to engage in with greater access to devices.
Student Wellbeing at Galilee
This year we have increased the staffing allocation in the area of Student Wellbeing. At Galilee, we place a high priority on student wellbeing and understand that wellbeing and teaching and learning go hand-in-hand. We have two Wellbeing Leaders at Galilee in 2024; Julie Fergeson and Paddy Edwards. Both of these staff members have a passion for student wellbeing and a range of experience in leading in this area.
Over the first two weeks at school we have been focusing on starting the year in a positive way. Students have been talking about playing safely on the yard. We have released new expectations for our yard and students have been working in their classroom to understand them. Teachers have been very impressed by the way students have been calmly and respectfully playing on the yard these past two weeks. Many students have received recognition at the end of each playtime for being extraordinary students on the yard.
We are also excited to announce the opening of the Wellbeing Hub at Galilee. Paddy and Julie have been working together over the holidays to set up this new space for our students to use. The Wellbeing Hub is an optional space for students to attend throughout the day. It is a space where staff and students work together in the area of Wellbeing, giving students access to practical strategies to support their wellbeing and ability to successfully re-engage with learning in the classroom or playing on the yard. The Hub is a research informed initiative that has been successful at a number of Catholic Primary Schools across Melbourne. There is more information on the Wellbeing Hub in the Wellbeing section of the Newsletter. I encourage you to take a look at the information.
Priorities for 2024
In Term 4 of last year and on the closure days at the beginning of this year, staff have worked together to set our school’s priorities for 2024. We are two years into a four year cycle. Our annual priorities fall under the four year priorities publicised in our School Improvement Plan (SIP), which you can find on our website.
There are four key areas which will be our main focus this year, but of course they won’t be our only focus. They are written as ‘Intended Outcomes’. We will go into each of them in detail in future newsletters.
By the end of this year we intend to have:
- A clearly defined and visible Galilee Catholic Identity
- A shared pedagogical understanding for the teaching and learning of mathematics
- A shared pedagogical understanding for teaching and learning in STEM & English
- A shared understanding of whole school wellbeing at Galilee
We have many new faces on our team of staff, each of whom brings a wealth of experience to the existing quality we have at Galilee. You may already have seen small changes that relate to these priorities. We endeavour to have clarity and consistency across our school on best practice in all of these areas; practice that is evidence based and backed by recent research.
Staff Professional Development
Staff at Galilee are continually updating their professional understanding and engaging in professional development.
New Victorian Mathematics Curriculum
During the first two days of the school year, staff also engaged in professional development on the new Victorian Mathematics Curriculum. They had the opportunity to unpack the new curriculum and learn about the changes. Staff also had an opportunity to work through the key ideas in Mathematics and the developmental sequence for each area of mathematics. We worked on assessing, planning and teaching mathematics in teams. We are excited by the changes in the new curriculum and look forward to continuing to update you as the new curriculum in mathematics is rolled out this year. If you are interested in exploring the new Victorian Mathematics Curriculum, please use this link.
First Aid Training for all staff
Staff have also engaged in and updated their first aid training. Staff updated their CPR training and engaged in online and face-to-face learning.
Post Graduate Study in 2024
We have four staff members who are engaging in further postgraduate study this year. Our English Leader Holly Evans will be attending post-graduate study at ACU in the area of Literacy Intervention. Richard Harding, our Deputy Principal is halfway through a Masters of Educational Leadership at ACU, and Adrian Webster our Maths Leader and Amy Burns our Acting Principal are both studying their Masters of Educational Leadership in Mathematics at Monash University.
Prep Meet the Teacher Meetings
Next week our Prep families have the opportunity to meet their Prep students’ teacher. These meetings are taking place on Monday 12th February. Meetings will be held in the Library. We are asking anyone attending these meetings to go directly to the Library. These meetings are scheduled for ten minutes and are an opportunity for parents to talk to the teacher about their child. Teachers will not have assessment data to share with families at this early stage of the year. If you need a longer time limit, we ask that you make a separate appointment with your child’s Prep teacher.
Parents of students in Year 1-6 will have an opportunity to meet with their child's teacher at the end of Term 1.
Gardening Club
We have an enthusiastic group of Year 5 students who have started a Gardening Club with the help of Holly Evans. They have been working hard during recess and lunch times to tend to the garden. Yesterday afternoon they held their first sale, selling produce harvested from the garden. All money made is going to purchase new plants for the garden.
School Library
Thanks to substantial contributions from the Galilee Parents Association we have purchased new furniture and painted our Library. We are currently installing the furniture and organising the books. Our Library is looking fantastic and will be back up and running in the next fortnight. Thank you so much for all the fundraising that has gone towards this much needed refurbishment.
Opening School Mass
Today we celebrated our Opening School Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Middle Park. Fr. Paul and our Year 6 students led the Mass and students from Year 1-6 participated. It was a beautiful start to the school year where students were reminded that Jesus walks with them in everything they do. Fr. Paul spoke to us about being like Jesus when we are kind to others, when we teach someone something and when we learn something new. I would like to thank Fr. Paul, Year 6 and Alex Pensini our new Religious Education Liturgy and Sacraments Leader for organising and running a wonderful Mass.
Update on Simon Millar
As many of you would be aware, our Principal Simon Millar, was involved in a serious bike accident last year. Following the accident, he had back surgery and has slowly been on the road to recovery since then. He has been attending regular physiotherapy sessions and doctors appointments as he recovers.
Most of you will have seen Simon at the school gate last week, when our students commenced their 2024 school year. Simon enjoyed welcoming you all back for the 2024 school year. Simon's recovery is going well, but it has been slower than he and his medical team were anticipating.
Most recently his medical team have advised him to take his return to work more gradually, to ensure his recovery. In Simon’s absence, Amy Burns has been appointed Acting Principal. Simon continues to remain in contact with Amy Burns - Acting Principal and Richard Harding - Deputy Principal about school matters.
Simon will not be onsite for the next few weeks. He is hopeful that he will be ready to return onsite in a part time capacity towards the end of Term 1. We will be sure to keep you updated and please continue to keep him in your prayers.
Year 4 Camp
Next week our Year 4 students are heading off to camp at Angahook. They will enjoy three days and two nights in Anglesea and will participate in a range of outdoor educational experiences including mountain bike riding, canoeing, a low ropes course, giant swing and a hut building competition. It promises to be a wonderful experience for the students who are challenged to push themselves out of their comfort zone and try new experiences. I would like to thank the staff attending: Mikaila Greenan, Rachel Leahy, Seb Green, Holly Evans, Shane Gethings and Amy Burns. I thank them for taking time away from their busy lives, family and friends to care for our students and give them an experience of a lifetime. Please note a replacement teacher will be organised for Seb Green and Shane Gethings while they attend camp.
Ash Wednesday Mass
Next Wednesday our Year 1-6 students will attend Ash Wednesday Mass at Ss. Peter and Paul at 9.15am. Families are invited to join us. Students will be receiving ashes on their forehead during the service as we mark the beginning of Lent. Traditionally, this ash is produced from burning the palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday. During the 40 days of Lent, which starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday, Catholics around the world take part in fasting, prayer and almsgiving.
There is a long tradition of giving something up for Lent. In the Christian tradition, the forty days originated from Jesus’ forty days and nights in the wilderness. Ever since, people have followed this in a variety of ways, giving up specific items (abstaining) or doing something extra to help them to be more like Jesus.
Students will be talking about Lent with students next week as we enter into this very special time in our Catholic calendar.
Uniform Reminders
I would like to thank students and families who have made a special effort to arrive at school each morning in the correct uniform. We have noticed that most students are wearing the correct uniform each day which is fantastic. We have had to remind some students that they are not to wear jewellery, nail polish or colourful hair accessories while in school uniform. If you could please help your children ensure they are not wearing jewellery, nail polish or colourful hair accessories while at school, that would be wonderful.
Student Social Justice Intiative over the holidays
Lily Edmunds and Lily Lichtfuss, both in Year 4 in 2023, were inspired by our wonderful student Tae Yoon's challenging journey to organise a garage sale to raise funds for the Royal Children's Hospital during Term 4 and over the Christmas holidays. They held the garage sale in front of the Port Melbourne Yacht Club in late December and, despite the inclement weather, raised $620.85 by combining the sale proceeds, public donations, and family contributions. In January, they donated the funds during a visit to the hospital and all remaining garage sale items to the Red Cross in Port Melbourne.
Both Lilys would like to express their gratitude to Isobel Sangster, also in Year 4 in 2023, and the Tan family from Albert Park for donating items to the sale. They also thank the Port Melbourne Yacht Club for allowing them to set up at the club, the 1st Victorian Sea Scouts for lending equipment, and the community, cruise ship crew, and passengers who generously donated on the day. (Please see on the Community Page about RCH 'Run for Tae')
I wish you and your family every blessing in the coming weeks.
Amy Burns
Acting Principal