Galilee Community

Dear Families,

What a wonderful week of learning and celebrating we have had in Foundation! Our students have continued to learn, grow and challenge themselves across the classroom, while also taking some time to celebrate the special people in their lives.

On Friday 4th September, we celebrated our Father’s Day Morning. It was wonderful to see so many of our students sharing this special morning with their fathers and special people who fulfil a father role in their lives. Our students were so excited to share their special performance and spend some quality time with their special person.

A big thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the morning so special. We wish all of our fathers and special people a very Happy Father’s Day this Sunday! 💙

Learning for the week ahead

Religious Education:

Next week in Religious Education, students will learn that the Church is a community of people who follow Jesus and His teachings. They will explore how members of the Church show God's love by caring for others, praying together and helping those in need. Through stories and discussions, students will reflect on how they can follow Jesus by showing kindness, respect and compassion each day. 

English:

Next week we will be reading Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson. It is a story about a kind witch who welcomes new friends on her broom as they help her find her lost belongings. When the witch faces danger, her friends work together to help her. We will use this story to talk about kindness, friendship, teamwork, and including others. 

Please follow the link below if you would like to pre read the story with your child.

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

Mathematics:

In Mathematics, we will begin learning about measurement. We will explore length, mass and capacity through hands-on activities and everyday experiences. Students will compare and describe objects using mathematical language such as longer, shorter, heavier, lighter, full and empty.

Integrated Curriculum: 

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

Next week in Inquiry, students will continue exploring Room on the Broom through dance, drama and music. In dance, they will work together to create movement as the broom grows, exploring different ways of travelling and using space. Through drama, students will collaborate to solve a problem in a role as they work together to outsmart the dragon. In music, they will combine beat, rhythm and melody to create a group performance, discovering how different musical parts work together to tell a story. 

Social Emotional Learning (SEL):

Next week in SEL, students are learning that all children have rights, including the right to feel safe, be heard and have their voice matter. We will explore the importance of talking to a trusted adult when we have a worry, a question or something exciting to share. Students will learn to name some rights they have, identify a trusted adult they can talk to, and describe how it might feel to share a worry with someone they trust.

Auslan:

Next week in Auslan, students will be reviewing and practising signs they have previously learnt.

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 Classroom 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.

• Spare clothes/change of clothes

  Please pack spare clothes with 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 or when they get muddy during recess and play time. 

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

Important Dates to Remember:

• Thursday, 10 September - RU OK? Day
• Friday, 11th September - Deadline of submissions for Christmas Card Competition 2026
• Thursday 17th September - Coffee and Connect - Meet our Primary School Nurse, Erica McWIlliams at the Staff Room
• Thursday, 17th September - Last Day of Term 3
• Monday 5th October - First Day of Term 4

Enjoy your weekend,

The Galilee Team

Contact us @ Galilee

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