Dear Families,

As we come to the close of Term 3, we want to take a moment to reflect on what has been a vibrant and enriching term for our Galilee community. It has been a term full of learning, celebration, faith, and togetherness, and we couldn’t be prouder of our students.

Galilee at the Disco

Our school concert this week, Galilee at the Disco, was nothing short of outstanding.

The performance was a true celebration of talent, joy, and community, a reflection of the strong, supportive family we’ve built here at Galilee. Our students didn’t just shine individually, they shone together, as part of something bigger. That spirit of belonging and teamwork is what makes Galilee so special.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to our Performing Arts teacher, Carlo Martello, for bringing this inspiring vision to life. It was incredible! Thank you also to all our dedicated staff who worked behind the scenes - your passion and love for our students was evident in the smile of every student on stage.

A special thank you goes to Chris and Pamela Apostolidis, along with Yasmin, Ethan, Elena, Geremy, Isabella, and the amazing team at Danceworld. We partnered with Danceworld for this performance and it was evident that their guidance, creativity, and care. The work that they did with our students brought a whole new energy to the performance, helping our students feel confident, joyful, and ready to shine.

We’re also grateful to Jack Jones, Joseph Wasson, and the team at Outlook Communications for their professional support, and to Jolene Mackenzie, our volunteer ushers, parent helpers, and everyone who contributed their time and talents behind the scenes. Your efforts made this event run smoothly and beautifully.

To our parents, carers, and the wider Galilee community — thank you for your ongoing support. Events like this simply wouldn’t be possible without you.

And of course, to our wonderful students: you were brilliant. You performed with heart, with teamwork, and with joy. You reminded us what it truly means to be part of the Galilee family.

Sacrament of Confirmation

Our Year 6 students took a significant step in their faith journey as they received the Sacrament of Confirmation at St. Patrick’s Cathedral last week. They also attended a reflection day at St Patrick’s Cathedral earlier in the week. The Sacrament of Confirmation was a deeply moving and reverent occasion, and we thank our families, staff, especially Alex Pensini and Paddy Edwards and the parish team for their support in preparing the students so thoughtfully. Congratulations to our students – may the gifts of the Holy Spirit continue to guide and strengthen you.

Father’s Day and Special Friends celebrations at Galilee

Last week we gathered to celebrate our fathers, grandfathers, and special men in our students' lives with a beautiful Father’s Day Breakfast and Liturgy. The sense of gratitude, love and appreciation for these special people in our student’s lives was evident, and we thank all who joined us for this special morning and assisted with cooking and serving breakfast. We also thank our incredible Year 2 students who led our liturgy.

R U OK? Day

Today is R U OK? Day, a national day of action dedicated to reminding all Australians to check in with the people around them and ask, “Are you OK?”

At school, we will be encouraging students to think about kindness, connection and looking out for one another. Sometimes a small question and a caring conversation can make a big difference.

We also recognise that R U OK? Day is not just for students but for our whole school community, parents, carers and staff. Life can be busy and stressful and many of us are juggling a lot. This week, with our school concert and the end of term approaching, is an especially important time to pause and check in.

If you or someone you know needs extra support, the following services are available 24/7:

Lifeline – 13 11 14

Kids Helpline – 1800 55 1800

Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636

Sometimes, simply asking “Are you OK?” and listening with care can start a conversation that changes a life. Together, as a community, let’s keep supporting one another.

Parent Teacher Conferences are next week

We value our partnership with families and invite all Prep – Year 6 parents to attend our upcoming Parent Teacher Conferences on Thursday 18th September, 8:35am–5:00pm. Please note: this will be a normal school day for students.

Appointments are 10 minutes and can be booked via Operoo, where you can also choose between an onsite or virtual (Google Meet) conference.

Onsite attendees: Please enter via the Bank Street glass doors and wait in the Stadium.
Virtual attendees: A Google Meet link will be emailed by the teacher on the day.

These conferences are a chance to discuss your child’s learning progress, behaviour and effort, and future goals.

We look forward to connecting with you to support your child’s learning.

MACSSIS

From the 1st September to the 19th September you will be able to complete the annual MACSSIS. MACSSIS is the acronym for Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys. This survey is completed by families, students in Years 4-6, and teachers, across all MACS schools.

A letter has been sent home with information about how to complete the survey and a link.

Last year, we had a huge increase in the number of parents/carers completing the survey, but it was still a moderate percentage of families - around 30%. This year, we would like to beat that number. For this, we need your help.

Below is a table to help

Our 2024 MACSSIS data showed many positives at Galilee. The majority of domains for Families, Staff and Students were an improvement on previous years, with many sitting above MACS averages. Notably increases and way above averages were in the staff domain, mainly collective efficacy, feedback and collaboration around an improvement strategy.

Below is a table that shows some of the work we have done to address areas of growth that we have seen in our MACSSIS, as well as other data that we collect around the school.

Domain	Examples of work undertaken since 2024
1. Family Engagement	Leadership worked with teachers on reporting expectations - both formal semester reports, and informal Dojo Portfolio / Story posts. Direct discussions between Wellbeing Leader and parents about Wellbeing concerns. Parent Information sessions on Cyber Safety and on Wellbeing, in 2024 and 2025.
2. Barriers to Engagement	Parent Focus Group to formalise the school’s listening processes, to help reduce barriers to engagement and connection. Connections made with community groups/individuals such as the Australian African Foundation for Retention and Opportunity.
3. School Fit	Principal and Deputy Principal visits to secondary schools that our students go to, to better understand them, in order to improve preparation and transition of Galilee students.
4. School Climate	Staff Professional Development to align all staff to the same expectations on students, and the approach we take to make those understood by students. Improving the classroom and school environment to be more orderly, e.g. how students are expected to line up at the end of recess/lunch.
5. School Safety	Staff Professional Development Day delivered by Team Teach, supporting the positive behaviour approaches and culture across the school. Development of Wellbeing team, delivering actions and support across the whole school, via the Wellbeing Hub and Mini-Hubs in each class.
6. Communication	Collaborate with the School Advisory Committee on how to improve communication channels - how we use them, what goes where, frequency etc. Weekly summary information provided via Dojo by Amy Burns.

Next week is the final week of Term 3

Next Friday 19th September is the final day of Term 3. Students will finish at 1:30pm on Friday 19th September. Gates will open at 1:25pm.

We thank all of our incredible students, staff and families for a very successful Term 3. We hope you all have a wonderful break and we look forward to seeing you back at school on Monday 6th October for the first day of Term 4.

Thank you to our school community for everything that you did in Term 3

As always, the events and activities and learning experiences that we offer students would not be as rich without the incredible support of our families. Thank you for your partnership, encouragement, and involvement in the life of our school. Whether it’s attending events, helping with homework, or volunteering your time, you help make Galilee the thriving, welcoming, and faith-filled community it is.

I would also like to acknowledge and thank our dedicated staff for their passion and commitment to every child’s learning and wellbeing. Their hard work each day makes a lasting impact.

Staffing Update

Today marks Ms Florenca Grillo’s final day at Galilee for the 2025 school year. She will be on approved leave for the remainder of the year. We sincerely thank Ms Grillo for her outstanding contribution to our Art program and the creative guidance she has provided to our students throughout the year.

We look forward to welcoming her back to Galilee in 2026.

Shauna Haughney will be teaching Art for the next two weeks. Shauna is a familiar face at Galilee, having worked across various year levels over the past two years. Our students know her well, and she is excited to be working with them again.

Looking ahead to Term 4

Term 4 is shaping up to be a wonderful final term of the 2025 school year. We will spend time in Term 4 celebrating the achievements of our Graduating Class of 2025. This incredible group of students have made a lasting impression on our school community and we are going to miss them dearly. We look forward to making Term 4, their final term of Primary School, an extra special term for them.

Some of the events and activities that we have to look forward to next term are:

Prep - Year 6 Swimming Lessons
Prep - Year 6 Swimming Carnival
Prep - Year 2 Junior Athletics Carnival
Year 3 Zoo Snooze Camp
Year 6 Graduation

Some dates that you will need to know:

Monday 6th October - Term 4 starts for students and staff
Monday 3rd November - Student Free School Closure Day (GOSH will be open)
Tuesday 4th November - Melbourne Cup Public Holiday
Friday 28th November - Student Free School Closure Day
Monday 15th December - Last Day of the school year for Year 6 (1pm finish for Year 6 students only)
Tuesday 16th December - Last Day of the school year for Prep - Year 5 (1:30pm finish)

Here is what is coming up next week at Galilee

Monday 15th September

8am Running Club (all welcome)
Year 5 excursion to Scienceworks
Glee Club after school for students who have signed up

Tuesday 16th September

2026 Prep Transition Session (Tuesday Group)
Chess Club after school for students who have signed up

Wednesday 17th September

Year 1 Excursion to Scienceworks
Year 3 Excursion to Werribee Treatment Plant

Thursday 18th September

Parent Teacher Conferences (Thursday will be a normal school day for students)

Friday 19th September

Running Club at 8am (all welcome)
Last Day of Term 3 for students and staff
Students finish at 1:30pm (gates open at 1.25pm)
GOSH is open from 1.30pm. Please book your child(ren) in early if you intend on using this service.
No Assembly today

We wish you and your families every blessing in the coming weeks,

Amy Burns (Principal), Richard Harding (Deputy Principal) and Holly Evans (Deputy Principal)

Community

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