Friendship Groups

On Monday, we all met together for our next Friendship Group activity.

Our focus was FAMILIES. We learnt that all families are different and are special to US - no family is the same.

We listened to the story ‘Family Forest’ and then likened it to our ‘Family Forest’ at Galilee.

Each group designed their own tree. Then each student selected a piece of fruit or leaf to represent their family. They then drew a design that represented their particular family and then placed it on their Group’s Friendship Tree.

Our Friendship Trees will be displayed in the stairwells, so that we can all see what a wonderful Family Forest we have grown within our Galilee Community.

Grandparents' Day

GRANDPARENTS/SPECIAL FRIENDS Day was a huge success with 200+grandparents & special friends attending to take part in our mass & open classrooms.

It was a wonderful day & both our children & grandparents/special friends enjoyed themselves – as you can see by our photos!

A big thank you to Store 6 for supplying the delicious Morning Tea & to our Class Reps, who worked tirelessly ensuring all received a hot drink and a delicious bite to eat.

A special thanks to the Yr. 2 teachers and the Yr.2 students for preparing & reading at mass. It was a very moving mass & we had many, many wonderful positive comments from the grandparents. Well done to all involved. The grandparents also purchased $2000+ worth of books at the Book Fair for their grandchildren & our library. Over $7800 was spent throughout the week.

National Child Protection Week (3-9 September)

As mentioned in last Thursday’s School Bulletin, this week is National Child Protection Week. This gives everyone in the community an opportunity to think about how we can work together to keep all children safe.

Importantly:

• We ALL have a part to play in protecting ALL children

• Even small actions can help to improve a child’s future

• By building stronger communities, we are creating safer environments for our children.

National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN)

Top Tips for Playing your part:

• Be kind to children and families

Look out for all children and not just your own

• Be a positive role model for children

• Support families to get help

• Stop and listen to children

Please take the time to watch this clip released by NAPCAN this week.

http://napcan.org.au/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Napcan-Continuum-30th-August-1.mp4?_=1

On Friday, 31st August, we had our school closure day.

This allowed our whole staff to participate in a full day of Professional Learning together.

Along with the staff from St. Joseph’s, Elsternwick, St. Anthony’s, Glenhuntly and Trinity, Richmond we were privileged to learn about the Berry Street Educational Model.

The Berry Street Education Model

provides schools with the training, curriculum and strategies to engage challenging students. It is unique because it equips schools to promote cognitive and behavioural change, thereby engaging the young person in learning and progressing their academic achievements.

In today’s changing and complex world, many primary and secondary school students face daily adversity including chronic and traumatic stressors, lack of environmental supports, and other barriers to their own learning success. The Berry Street Education Model supports schools to increase engagement with struggling students and successfully address student healing, growth, and achievement.

How has the Berry Street Education Model been developed?

The Berry Street Education Model has been developed and applied at the three campuses of the Berry Street School. The model combines Berry Street’s approaches to welfare, wellbeing, and academic learning for individuals whose trauma or experiences of chronic stress has impacted their neurodevelopment. The model has made possible significant academic growth in some of Victoria’s most vulnerable students. The success of their model is measured by the Berry Street School students averaging 1.8 years learning in one academic year.

What will we learn through a Berry Street Education Model course?

Participants learn classroom and whole school strategies to promote an understanding of the five domains of the Berry Street Education Model:

• BODY: Building school-wide rhythms and body regulation through a focus on physical and emotional regulation of the stress response, de-escalation in school and classroom contexts, and mindfulness opportunities throughout the school day

• RELATIONSHIP: Increasing relational capacities in staff and students through attachment and attunement principles with specific relationship strategies with difficult to engage young people

• STAMINA: Creating a strong culture of independence for academic tasks by nurturing resilience, emotional intelligence and a growth mindset

• ENGAGEMENT: Employing engagement strategies that build willingness in struggling students

• CHARACTER: Harnessing a values and character strengths approach to enable successful student self-knowledge which leads to empowered future pathways Through these healing and growth lenses, participants will learn personal strategies, pedagogical connections to the National Curriculum, and whole-school practices for healing and growth.

Last Friday, we concentrated on the first domain: BODY and are now beginning to use the language recommended, having Brain Breaks throughout the day to keep the students alert and focussed and using Mindfulness techniques e.g. belly breathing to prepare them for learning.

For more information:

E: info@childhoodinstitute.org.au

T: (03) 9429 9266

W: childhoodinstitute.org.au/educationmodel

Please contact me if you would like any further discussion on this program.

Julianne Price

Student Wellbeing /Student Services Leader

email: jprice@gsmelbournesth.catholic.edu.au

Galilee Newsletter

Issue 13 · 07 Sep 2017

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