From the Principal

Dear Families,

Thank you for your continued support while Simon is away. Simon is at home now, and is improving each day. His spirits are high and he is frequently checking in and asking about how everything at school is going. He would like to thank everyone within the community, who has gone out of their way to wish him well. At this stage it is looking like he will return to school at the beginning of Term 3. We will continue to keep you informed on his progress. 

Mathematics at Galilee

As you are all aware, Galilee is involved in a Maths Partnership Grant through Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools. We have been working with two Maths Consultants from the Southern Region; Jo Pringle and Mark Mudge. Jo and Mark work with staff each month, facilitating their level planning and ensuring staff are up to date with the latest research, pedagogical content knowledge and understanding of curriculum.

Over the past year and a half, staff have engaged with the work of Professor Peter Sullivan from Monash University. He has introduced us to a lesson structure with four stages; Anticipate, Launch, Explore and Summarise. It is a lesson structure where students are challenged and encouraged to find-out/discover how to solve something for themselves, rather than being told or viewing a demonstration of how to solve something and repeating the demonstrated model over and over. When a student finds out something for themselves they are more likely to remember it and understand how and why it works. The lesson structure we are trialing is outlined in this article: Challenging tasks lead to productive struggle! co-authored by Peter Sullivan, Tracey Muir and Sharyn Livy. 

This semester staff have been engaging in lots of ‘Number Talk’ at the beginning of a lesson, focusing on Mental Strategies in Mathematics. We understand Mental Strategies in Mathematics are very important because over half of all Maths that adults engage in, outside of their profession, is Mental Mathematics. Please see this video where Jo Boaler explains what a Number Talk session looks like in the classroom. In the second half of this year, Galilee Staff will engage in further professional learning about Mental Strategies in Mathematics and we will be exploring a Mental Strategies sequence from Prep - Year 6 to ensure that students are being explicitly taught mental strategies throughout their schooling. 

Reconciliation Day at Galilee

Tomorrow, Friday 2nd June, we are celebrating Reconciliation week with a special day at Galilee. We are inviting staff and students to wear colours of the Aboriginal or Torres Strait flag - red, yellow, black, blue, green, white. All gold coin donations will go towards the VACCA, the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency.  

First Eucharist

This weekend many of our Year 4 students will participate in the Sacrament of First Eucharist for the first time. It has been wonderful to watch them this term as they have learned about the Sacrament. Eating and drinking with the rest of the community at the Table of the Lord is a sign of belonging to that community. First Eucharist, that is, sharing the body and blood of the Lord at Mass for the first time, is an extremely important part of the initiation process. We would like to thank Helen, Rachel, Alex and Sue for preparing the students at school and Year 4 families for building upon what students have learned at school, at home. We wish our Year 4 students every blessing as they embark on this very special moment within their faith journey.

Homework at Galilee

We have updated our Homework Policy at Galilee. We decided to review and revise our existing practices based on survey data, with input from parents and guardians, staff and students in Years 3-6, together with relevant research in the area of homework. We have worked with parents, students and staff to come up with a shared belief that homework should be purposeful, relevant, and develop the whole person in the world we live in today.

As a school, we are excited to present our updated Homework Policy for Galilee.

Please see attached formal communication with additional Frequently Asked Questions and the  updated Homework Policy.

Sporting Achievement at Galilee

Each week we are blown away by our students, this week was no different. This week Ella B from Year 3 and Zac U from Year 6 participated in the District Cross Country. They both did an exceptional job and have made us very proud. Ella came 18th in her race and Zac came 16th. We would like to congratulate them on their outstanding results. 

I would once again like to thank you for your support while Simon has been away. I wish you every blessing in the coming weeks.

Amy Burns

Deputy Principal

Galilee Gala Silent & Live Auction Items - We need every single one of you!

This year we are calling on each and every Galilee family to help build our auction items. No item or voucher is too small!! Think about where you work … Where your brother/sister/aunty/cousin or partner works … How can they help our school? 

Ask your local pub, nail salon, dentist, hairdresser, in fact anywhere! 

We’re even happy to take that unwanted bottle of wine for our lucky dip wine wall on the night! 

Donations can be dropped at the office & vouchers emailed to gpa@gsm.vic.edu.au. 

Please reach out to us via the above email if you have any questions in regards to donations.

Thank you

Jodie & Nat on behalf of the GPA