Principal's Report

Eucharist Faith Night

Last night we held a Year Four Faith Night in preparation for the First Eucharist.

It was incredibly well attended by the families with a wonderful atmosphere.

We are a Catholic school and these events are important and I thank Mrs. Ford for her professional facilitation with support from Ms Giles, Mrs Petrarca & Mrs Price. I enjoyed seeing the families having discussions around our Catholic faith.

Cross Country

Yesterday Mr Tobin ran an excellent afternoon for the annual Galilee Cross Country with Year 3-6 students. Thank you to the parents who volunteered their time to help in many ways, events like this would no be possible without you.

Congratulations to all students and the winning house team Galilee Green.

The parents who were in attendance either as helpers or spectators were excellent role models to the students. At all school events, there is an expectation that all adults are role models to the students and take note of our Parents, Visitors and Volunteers Policy. We have all heard the phrase: students are a product of their upbringing and I acknowledge that our parents are outstanding role models at school events but I encourage you to watch the attached clip that shows the impact of inappropriate adult behaviour:

https://www.playbytherules.net.au/resources/videos/let-kids-be-kids-the-kids

Staffing

Joss Coaley will be on approved Long Service Leave from the 21st May - 1st June with Helen Walker replacing him.  Mrs Grillo will continue to work in 6C on Wednesdays.  Brittany Ford will be on leave from the 29th May - 29th June with  Andrea Garofolo replacing her. Miss Carnovale will continue to work in 5F on Mondays.

NAPLAN

Next week our Year 3 & 5 students will take part in national testing, NAPLAN. The attached article discusses the possibility of NAPLAN being reviewed. The results are published on the MYSchool website. When Victorian testing (called AIM) was introduced there was an assurance that the results would not be published (league tables) with a comparison between schools. NAPLAN, as we know it today, does show a comparison of results between schools.  Everyone has a different opinion of NAPLAN but I personally think it offers valuable information to parents. The data is generally accurate when showing the trend of a school but is not always the most accurate reflection of an individual student's progress. At Galilee, we conduct regular assessments that better reflect the progress of each student.

Mother's Day

With the celebration of Mother’s Day this Sunday, it is a good opportunity to reflect on the role of mothers in our families in raising our children. Children treasure their families and feel they are special and irreplaceable. Families, including immediate and extended, provide children with a sense of belonging and identity. They are a source of emotional support and comfort, warmth and nurturing, protection and security.  There is amongst families a sense of reciprocity—a giving and taking of love and empathy by every family member. This Sunday is a very important and special day for all mothers throughout the world. It is a time to acknowledge the great job that our mothers do in looking after us and guiding us through our lives. Thankyou to Jess Conway, Mal Orr and the classroom teachers for assisting the students with their special surprises. 

At Galilee we will be celebrating our mothers and significant females with a morning and afternoon tea, Mass and luncheon. I know that the students of Galilee will be making sure they recognise their mothers and significant females, particularly on Sunday.

Tomorrow morning we are hosting a Mother's Day Morning Tea in the Hall from 8-9:20am with a performance from the Preps at 9am. Thanks to Store 6 for the catering, Flowers For Jane  and the parents from Year One for organising the event.

This will be followed by Mass at 9:30am hosted by Year Two at Sts Peter and Paul's and all are welcome.

The Mother's Day Luncheon will be at the Railway Club Hotel http://www.railwayclubhotel.com.au/ from 12pm. See the Community Page for last minute tickets. I have eaten at the Railway Club Hotel and they are famous for their steaks. Thankyou to Annalaise and John for their generosity.

Simon Millar

(Principal of Galilee)