From the Principal

Dear Families,

What a way to end the term. We could not be more proud of our students; they were spectacular on stage. We would like to thank the Danceworld staff for putting together such an incredible show. We would like to thank the Galilee staff for everything that they have done, especially over the last three evenings staying back late to make sure the show ran smoothly. We would like to thank our families who have assisted in a range of different ways from helping to set-up the stage, getting students to weekend rehearsals, organising costumes and coordinating students to be at school and be collected from school after hours this week. Most of all we would like to thank our students. We were so proud to see all our students confidently perform on stage. Your resilience, self discipline and stamina were all put to the test and you all exceeded expectations. The show that you all performed in was spectacular. 

Thank you to everyone for an incredible Term 3. It has been busy, filled with lots of different events and exciting learning. Thank you to our families who have all managed to prepare students for the different activities we have planned and to our amazing staff who have continued to ensure our students have access to the very best education and opportunities. 

Next term promises to be another wonderful term. We have a number of events planned and the teachers have already started organising the learning our students will engage in. We have a number of dates that have been set and we encourage you to put them into your diary. We also encourage you to continue to check the school parent calendar, Newsletters, Dojo and email to ensure that you are armed with the most up to date information as the term progresses. 

Term 4 Events and Dates

Week 1

Monday 2nd October - All staff and students return to school 

Tuesday 3rd October - All students will be involved in a Cyber Safety Incursion

Friday 6th October - Rugby Gala Day for Year 5&6 students

Week 2

Swimming Program for Year 2-6 will take place each day in Week 2

Tuesday 10th October - 2024 Prep Transition Session 3

Friday 13th October - 2024 Prep Transition Session 3

Friday 13th October - Year 6 Icy Pole Sale after school

Friday 13th October - DOGS Pub Night - Venue TBC

Week 3

Swimming Program for Prep and Year 1 will take place each day in Week 3

Friday 20th October - Year 6 Icy Pole Sale after school

Week 4

Cyber Safety Week with online incursions organised for all students throughout the week.

Friday 27th October - Year 6 Icy Pole Sale after school

Week 5

Friday 3rd November - Prep - Year 2 Junior Athletics Day

Friday 3rd November - Year 6 Icy Pole Sale after school

Week 6

Monday 6th November - Student Free School Closure Day 

Tuesday 7th November - Melbourne Cup Public Holiday (school is closed)

Week 7 

Friday 17th November - Galilee Swimming Carnival at MSAC for all students Prep-Year 6 

Saturday 18th November - DOGS Queenscliff Camp

Sunday 19th November - DOGS Queenscliff Camp

Week 8

Tuesday 21st November - 2024 Prep Transition Session 5

Thursday 23rd November - Music Showcase - Drums, Guitar and Keyboard 5-7pm

Week 9 

Friday 1st December - Student Free School Closure Day

Week 10

Tuesday 5th December - 3H Zoo Snooze Camp 

Wednesday 6th December - 3R Zoo Snooze Camp

Wednesday 6th December - 2024 Prep Parents Wine and Cheese evening from 5.30-6.30pm

Thursday 7th December - Art Show/Carols Night at Galilee (all families are invited to attend)

Friday 8th December - 2024 Prep Transition (both Tuesday and Friday group attending 9-10am)

Week 11

Monday 11th December - Whole School 2024 Transition (including 2024 Preps)

Wednesday 13th December - Whole School 2024 Transition (not including 2024 Preps)

Thursday 14th December - Last Day for Year 6 (Year 6 students finish at 1.30pm)

Thursday 14th December - Year 6 Graduation Mass at Ss. Peter and Paul at 5pm

Thursday 14th December - Year 6 Graduation Dinner at Galilee following the Graduation Mass

Friday 15th December - Last Day for students in Prep - Year 5 (Prep - Year 5 students finish at 1.30pm)

School Uniform in Term 4

In Week 1 and 2 of Term 4 students are able to wear either full summer uniform or full winter uniform depending on the weather. From Monday 16th October all students will need to wear the full summer uniform.

From the first day of Term 4 all students will need to wear their Galilee hat to play outside as we are a SunSmart School. We encourage all students to wear sunscreen to school each day in Term 4 and bring along sunscreen to reapply at recess and lunch. Please note teachers do not apply sunscreen and the school does not supply sunscreen, students will need to supply and apply their own sunscreen. 

STEM MAD

The STEM MAD Student Showcase is a celebration of student learning designed to acknowledge and promote STEM learning initiatives that address real-world problems and demonstrate the particularity of Catholic Schools; encouraging students to make a difference (MAD) in the world by acting for justice and the common good. This aligns with the papal call for action in Laudato Si': On Care for our Common Home.

STEM MAD has been taking place in Melbourne since 2018 and the inaugural STEM MAD National took place as an online awards event and student showcase in 2021 at the NCEC conference, with dioceses from around Australia participating.

Earlier this term a number of students submitted work to the STEM MAD showcase panel. We have had two successful submissions.  We have a team of students from 2M and 6P who have been selected to showcase their design solutions at STEM MAD. We would like to congratulate; Chloe, Scarlett, Imogen and Harriet from Year 6 and Haell, Alexander, Luca and Robyn from Year 2 who will be showcasing their work at STEM MAD in Term 4.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN results have been published for our Galilee. Our students have achieved outstanding results, particularly in Reading, Writing and Numeracy. We are thrilled at the number of students achieving above the expected standard. The high results are a direct result of staff professional learning over the last five years. More detailed results will be published early next term.

Camps

We have an extensive camp program at Galilee focussing on: increasing independence and confidence, development of closer friendships with peers, experiencing different experiences and learning from off-site venues.

The camp program has been going through a detailed review over the last six months. Some students, staff and parents (School Advisory Committee) have been consulted. An outcome of this review will be outlined early in Term 4.

MACSSIS - Very Important

On August 28, families were emailed links with invitations to complete very important surveys regarding Galilee. It closes this Friday so if you are yet to complete it, please do so ASAP. Last year we had an insufficient amount of families complete the survey to be able to use it for our 2023 planning. The information we get from the surveys are strongly considered by the staff and the school advisory committee when planning for the following year. It provides a very important piece of data for our school and we encourage you to please complete it. Please note that the completion of the survey is both anonymous and confidential.

Bike Education at Galilee

Next term Year 3 - 6 will be participating in Bike Ed at Galilee. Both Mr. Greene and Paul have been trained to be Bike Ed instructors earlier this year. The Bike Ed program is a program that gives students the opportunity to learn about safe riding behaviours, road rules and riding in a shared environment. Students will participate in practical lessons with Mr. Greene and Paul to ensure they have the physical abilities to ride independently and safely. 

Swimming Lessons in Term 4

Swimming Lessons will take place in Term 4 for all students Prep - Year 6. All students will be participating in lessons, pitched at their level, at MSAC. On days students are participating in Swimming Lessons, they are to wear their bathers under their sport school uniform to school.  They also need to bring a towel, underwear, a pair of thongs (not compulsory) and a plastic bag for wet items in a small backpack.  Please ensure each item inside the backpack (clothing, towel etc.) is clearly labeled.

Please note that we require all students to wear swimming caps and goggles during their lesson - most students should still have their Galilee swim cap from last year.

All Preps and new students in 2023, you will receive a free swim cap.

If you have misplaced your cap you can purchase one from Wendy at the office for $3.00.

We encourage that students eat healthy food and drink plenty of water during the day, especially as they need extra energy whilst swimming. A post swim apple or other piece of fruit is an essential to be eaten on the return trip to school.

We thank Mr Greene for organising these lessons for our students. 

Staff who will be on leave in early Term 4

We have a number of staff who are on pre-approved leave in early Term 4. 

• Muiread McKeown, our Prep M teacher, will be on leave in week 1. Becky Kavanagh will be teaching Prep M in the first week of Term 4.
• Linda Florenca-Grillo, our Art Teacher, will be on leave for the first four weeks of Term 4. Ciara Spollen will teach Art in week 1 and Beck Kavanagh will teach Art in weeks 2-4.
• Colleen Giles who works in 3H and other various grades will be on leave for the first three weeks of Term 4. Jenni will be replacing Colleen in the first three weeks of Term 4. 
• Bighid Deamer, our NCCD and Learning Diversity Leader will be on leave for the first week of Term 4. Julie Furgeson is assisting with some of Brighid’s duties while she is on leave.

Thank you for your continued support this term. We hope everyone within our community has a wonderful holiday. We look forward to seeing you all on Monday 2nd October for the start of Term 4.

Simon Millar and Amy Burns

Principal and Deputy Principal