Messages

Dear Families,

Welcome back to Term 4. We hope you and your families were able to enjoy the two week break. We also hope you were able to squeeze in a few extra trips to the park with friends and family over the holidays.

It has been wonderful to see students settle back into the routine of Remote Learning that we are, unfortunately, all to familiar with now.

We have been working on Galilee's roadmap back to school and have sent out communication to all families this afternoon outlining our plan for the staggered start, that will commence on Monday 18th October, when we will welcome our Prep students back onsite. 

Pay particular attention to the first link below which explains our plans for a return to school.

World Teachers Day

Here is a lovely video Dimitra in Year 2 made for the staff at Galilee. Thank you Dimitra, it brightened our day!

MACSIS Surveys

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS): 7 October – 28 October 2021

Throughout each year, we pause to listen to our students, families and staff to gauge how our learning community is travelling. This feedback is invaluable to our progress as effective school communities and is backed by evidence-based research and best practices. 

A significant and formal way in which we engage and gather data is through MACSSIS, the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys. 

MACSSIS is a set of surveys that have been built specifically for Catholic schools in Melbourne by the Learning Services team at MACS, in partnership with researchers at Learning First and in wide consultation with principals in our schools.

In 2021, students, families and staff are invited to participate in MACSSIS via our secure and purpose-built online platform. The online platform is where our school leaders will access the summary reports that visualise the results of the student, family and staff surveys.

The MACSSIS survey platform is operated by an independent supplier, ORIMA Research Pty Ltd. The platform meets with the high security and privacy standards for handling student and school data. Participating schools are in the process of updating their privacy policy to ensure school communities are fully informed and protected. 

Students from Years 4-6 at our school will be provided with supervised sessions, where teachers are on hand to help and answer any questions. 

Families and staff can complete the survey anytime over the three-week window via an emailed link and password. Feedback has indicated that previous surveys were completed across a range of mobile devices and different web browsers. One parent will have received an email today. If you do not have a family pin, please email tstuart@gsm.vic.edu.au, so that you can access the survey.

Our community’s opinions are critical to understanding how our school is performing – MACSSIS is a key data source for guiding the ongoing work to improve our school. 

All participation is invited, welcomed and 100 per cent voluntary. The surveys are not a test; they are an inclusive way to support the work we are already doing to improve our school. Everyone has the right to refuse to participate, or withdraw from the survey at any point before, during or after completion of the survey. Please notify the school if your child does not wish to participate.

If you would like more information, please contact the school. 

Uniform

In Term 4,  All students will need to wear the full Summer Uniform from Monday 18th October, once they return to school.  A reminder that the school hat must be worn from the start of Term 4. NB Galilee follows the Sun Smart policy: No hat, no play.

The new Galilee uniform is available for purchase from PSW (online ordering). Click HERE to go to PSW's website. Items of the current uniform are on sale and can be worn until the end of Term 1 2022. An exception will be made for Year 6 students. All other students must be in the new uniform by Term 2, 2022.

The Sports Uniform must be worn on allocated PE days. Please note, PE classes will resume in Week 6 and we will inform you of your allocated PE day prior to the beginning of Week 6.

Wellbeing

By understanding that the most important respectful relationship you can have is with yourself, you will grow your state of wellbeing. This involves forgiving yourself for the silly things you have done, and every week writing down what you are looking forward to the most. A kind thing that you can do for yourself, is three times each week write a positive mantra on a sticky note and stick it on your mirror to look at after. 

Staffing

Welcome back to Miss Coome after her time away in the U.K. visiting family. The Year 5 students are very happy to see her return. In her absence, we thank Miss Godfrey for the wonderful job she did teaching the students and has returned to Ireland.

Remote Learning Survey

Last term we surveyed students and families about the Remote Learning Plan that we used in Term 3. The results from these surveys have helped us to make decisions about the Timetable that we are moving to in Week 3, Week 4 and Week 5 of Term 4. It is because of the survey results that we have decided to offer live English and Mathematics lessons 5 days a week. We have also decided to offer Art Lessons to students onsite as some commented on difficulties sourcing materials for Specialist Tasks. 

Here is a link to a sample of some of the results.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xDVGUXz4btyeVLJKpSCbj_rBnsg2XOXyfiVE7xd8aX0/edit?usp=sharing

Best wishes,

Simon Millar (Principal)