Wellbeing &

        Diversity 

Occupational Therapy at Galilee

It is with great pleasure that we welcome to the school Ms Tanya Borg. Tanya is a qualified Occupational Therapist and Primary School Teacher. She will join the staff team on Thursdays and Fridays in the role of Occupational Therapist, assisting in the following areas:

• Promote independence in activities of daily living. 

• Improve visual motor skills and eye-hand coordination. 

• Develop balance, movement and coordination. 

• Improve handwriting 

• Support sensory processing and 
regulation for attention and 
concentration. 

• Improve planning and organisation 
skills. 

• Recommend adaptations or 
specialised equipment for home and/or school to improve participation. 

• Provide specialised seating or wheelchair. 


If you have concerns about your child with which you believe Tanya could assist, please contact Jane Ferris at jferris@gsmelbournesth.catholic.edu.au.  Teachers will also refer children to Tanya for assistance with fine motor skills, organisation, concentration and behavioural concerns. Parents will be informed of initial consultations regarding your child.

Speech Therapy

We are also happy to announce that we have employed a Speech Therapist from Speech Therapy for Schools to work in the school for two days each week.  We are expecting the therapist to begin next week.  Teachers are nominating children for assessment by the speech therapist, based on the following criteria:

Are there speech sounds students are not saying correctly?

Do they have difficulty following simple instructions?

Do they have grammar errors or find it difficult to structure a sentence?

Are they below bench marks with their reading?

Do they have difficulty with social skills with peers?

If you have concerns about your child with which you believe a Speech Therapist could assist, please contact Jane Ferris at jferris@gsmelbournesth.catholic.edu.au and Laura Cox at lcox@gsmelbournesth.catholic.edu.au

Working Together

Parents have a particularly important part to play in the educating community, since it is to them that primary and natural responsibility for their children’s education belongs (Congregation for Catholic Education 1997).

At Galilee, staff work together with parents in educating your children. The partnership between you and the school, especially your child’s teachers, is crucial to ensuring that your child has the best opportunities to enjoy the school experience and to learn effectively. There are many ways in which parents can work together with the school to improve educational experiences and outcomes for our children. You can help your child in many areas of school life, as suggested in the list below:

Learning

• Encourage your child to take increasing responsibility for his/her learning and organisational skills.
• Establish regular contact with your child’s teachers to discuss his/her learning and progress.
• Encourage reading by setting an example of reading yourself.
• Ask whether homework has been set and ensure your child keeps a homework diary.
• Acknowledge your child’s success and ask how his/her learning and class work are progressing.
• Help your child to plan and organise a time and space for completing work at home.
• Assist your child to complete work at home by discussing key questions and directing him/her to resources.
• A pictorial organisational chart can be very useful for children of various ages. Add your own pictures or photos to this schedule to create a personalised flow chart of home activities: (Copy and paste this link into your browser)  https://drive.google.com/file/d/13ZV6PRkybgLR0BQ68MpsIPDxxEzAMOW_/view?usp=sharing

Wellbeing

• Encourage a balanced diet, sufficient sleep and regular physical activity.
• Encourage positive attitudes, values and behaviours such as courtesy, confidence, persistence and ‘doing your best’.
• Celebrate your child’s efforts, resilience and successes.
• Help your child balance the amount of time spent on school work and in recreational pursuits.