Spotlight on Learning

Dear Families,

We have had another wonderful week in Foundation and can't believe we are already two weeks into Term 3! This week, students enjoyed participating in the Kids Roar incursion, where they learnt valuable personal safety skills in a fun and engaging way. We also loved celebrating 100 Days of School with a range of fun learning activities.

Kids Roar

Students learned about personal safety, emotions and wellbeing. They explored a range of feelings, discussed strategies to help manage their emotions, identified trusted adults they can go to for help, and learned about safe and unsafe situations. Students also learned about consent, understanding that they are the boss of their own body and can choose whether to say "yes" or "no" when appropriate. As part of the session, students were taught the importance of using the correct names for body parts and understanding that private parts are private, helping them develop the knowledge and confidence to communicate clearly and stay safe.

100 Days of School - Friday 24/07

Today we celebrated 100 Days of School! It was a fantastic day filled with exciting activities to mark this special milestone. Students loved completing writing activity Things I've Been Told 100 Times and a maths task If I Had $100, I Would..., they created their colourful 100 Days of School crowns, and enjoyed a delicious cupcake treat. It was wonderful to celebrate how much our students have grown and learned over their first 100 days of school, and we are so proud of all they have achieved.

*Photos from the day will be published in next week's newsletter.

Learning for the week ahead

Religious Education:

In Religious Education, students will learn about the sacrament of Baptism and why it is an important celebration. They will also explore the Baptism of Jesus and discuss what happened during this special event and why it is significant. 

English:

In English, we will be continuing our reading of 'The Gruffalo' by Julia Donaldson. The story follows a little mouse who uses his quick thinking and imagination to outsmart the animals he meets in the forest. Students loved joing in with the repetative phrases, discussing the characters, and exploring the important message that intelligence and confidence can be just as powerful as size and strength.

If you would like to read the story with your child, please follow the link below.

Mathematics:

In Mathematics, students will continue building their understanding of subtraction within 10. They will use pictures, counters and ten-frames to represent and solve subtraction number stories. Students will also compare two collections to identify the difference between them, helping them develop confidence in recognising the whole, the parts, and how many are left or how many more one collection has than another.

Integrated Curriculum: 

This term, our Integrated learning will focus on The Arts.

Next week, students will continue exploring The Gruffalo through Drama and Music. They will step into the shoes of different characters using role play and hot-seating, while also creating simple sound patterns and singing to represent each character in the story.

Social Emotional Learning (SEL):

In SEL, students will explore the idea that toys, games, colours, activities and interests are for everyone. Through stories, discussions and classroom activities, they will learn that everyone is free to make their own choices, regardless of gender. Students will also practise being fair, including others in play and learning, and respecting that we all enjoy different things.

Auslan:

Next week, we are learning that when asking an open-ended question, we put our eyebrows down to show confusion.

What you can do at home

• Reading together at home is one of the best ways to support your child's learning. Enjoy this week's focus book by reading it together or listening to a read-aloud online (many can be found on YouTube).
• While reading, you could:
• Discuss the main events and important messages in the story.
• Ask your child to retell the story in their own words.
• Talk about the characters, the setting and what happens throughout the book.
• Look for words that begin with our focus sound/s.
• Encourage your child to think deeply by asking questions such as:
  • Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How?
  • I wonder why...
  • What makes you think that?
  • Can you show me where it says...?
  • What do you think will happen next?
  • That didn't make sense to me. Let's read it again.
• You can also support your child's learning by:
• Practising correct letter formation and handwriting.
• Bringing our Mathematics learning into everyday life.
• Look for other opportunities to talk about maths during your daily routines. Example of this could be:
  • Count everyday objects, such as toys, fruit, stairs or cars.
  • Look for numbers on houses, letterboxes, clocks and number plates.
  • Talk about shapes you can see around your home or neighbourhood.
  • Compare quantities, such as "Who has more grapes?" or "Which pile has fewer?"
  • Use maths language like more, less, bigger, smaller, before, after, next to, behind and between.
  • Involve your child in cooking, asking them to count, measure or estimate ingredients.
  • Play simple board games or card games that involve counting, matching or recognising numbers.
  • Practise number stories using everyday objects, for example, "There were 8 strawberries. We ate 3. How many are left?"
  • Ask questions while shopping, such as "Can you find 5 apples?" or "Which item costs more?"
  • Notice patterns on clothing, wrapping paper, tiles or fences and encourage your child to continue the pattern.

Important Reminders:

• Fidget Toys

  We kindly ask that students do not bring fidget toys to school unless their use is a planned adjustment in consultation with Allied Health Professionals. Students who bring fidget toys without an approved adjustment will be asked to place them in their school bag for the remainder of the day to take home. We appreciate your support in encouraging your child to leave fidget toys at home.

• Wednesday 29th July - Community Mass: Foundation and Year 3.
• Wednesday 5th August - Photo Day - please use QR code in the flyer below
• Monday 24th August - Book week dress up day and Parade
• Thursday 17th September - Last day of Term 3
• Monday 5th October - First day of Term 4

Students are encouraged to participate in the Premier's Reading Challenge.

Stickers with usernames and passwords have been placed on the back of the Little Learners Love Literacy tag on your child’s reader pouch. A bookmark containing a QR code linking directly to the challenge website has also been placed inside your child’s reader pouch.

The Victorian Premiers' Reading Challenge concludes on Friday, 4 September 2026. Students must complete their reading and have all of their books logged online before this date to finish the challenge.

Alternatively, families can access the website using the link below:

• Please ensure that you are labelling your child's belongings.

• Can we please ask for a pair of socks and underwear to be placed in the front zip pocket of your child's school bag in case of a toileting accident.

Enjoy your weekend,

The Galilee Team

Contact Us @ Galilee

galilee@cranbourneeast.catholic.edu.au  (all teachers) or