Learning and Teaching
Learning Sprints
This year, staff have had professional development in Learning Sprints.
Learning Sprints is a powerful and simple process to help teachers continually improve their practice. There's only really two parts of a Learning Sprint. The first is about team learning. During team learning, year level teachers meet to engage with research and have effective discussions about how to improve student learning.
The second part is running a sprint in the classroom. There's not much use as educators trying to get better by just talking about practice. We've also got try to do something, and that leads us into the Sprint. The Sprint is where we take some of the discussions and the things we've decided together during our team learning time, and then define something that's very specific to go and take back into the classrooms and to try out to see whether we can cause learning for our students in a particular area. Learning Sprints are about team learning followed by deliberate action in the Sprint. As we move through cycles of team learning and taking action, bit by bit individually and as a team, we continually improve our professional practice.
The focus of Learning Sprints this year will be in the area of Spelling.
Year 2 News
Writing:
In Writing we have been learning about Information Reports. We have worked together to research on iPads and in books to gather information about animals. We sorted the information into different topics; diet, appearance, habitat and behaviour. We are very excited about publishing our information reports!
Belonging:
We were very excited to receive a letter from a local wildlife protection service asking for our help! We have been brainstorming ideas about how to help local wildlife and are enthusiastically planning and designing our own animal shelter! Keep posted to track our progress and check out our designs when they come to life!
Harmony Day:
Through Harmony Day, we have been exploring where we come from. With both Miss Burke and Miss Coome coming from different countries we have had many fun filled activities! 2B have made a class Korowai (Maori Cloak) that displays our strengths and the different personalities that make up our class. 2C have been reading stories from England, such as The Enchanted Wood and will be celebrating Harmony Day on Friday with some different craft activities.
Number Intervention
Our first session of training for parents in Number Intervention took place last week, with a repeat session scheduled for this Wednesday, April 3 from 9am to approximately 10.30am. All parents are welcome to attend!
Our Number Intervention Coordinator, Anastasia Kritikos, along with several of our Learning Support Officers, will accompany parents at their initial intervention sessions with children to provide support and instruction. We look forward to more success as we implement this programme in Term 2, building children's confidence while increasing their skills and knowledge in the area of Number.
Maths apps to use at home!
rED Writing
rED Writing has been designed to make it super fun, easy and motivational for Aussie children aged 3-8 to learn to hand write Australian education approved fonts and numerals. Featuring Aussie accents, a complete set of Australian school fonts; numerals and shapes, along with correct pronunciations and sounds for each letter and an exciting reward system, rED Writing has consistently been featured in the top 10 Aussie Education Apps on the App Store for the last 2 years.
Library Books Due
As we enter the last week of Term 1, please ensure all Galilee Library books are returned by Friday next week.
Garden Club
Garden Club have met for the last few weeks on a Thursday at Recess break with Miss Evans and Miss Fahy. The children have helped plant some herbs in Learning Street and clear out the garden beds at the side of the Prep Building. Check out our photos below.
Parents, if you have an interest in gardening, we'd love to hear from you! We will be developing the Park Street Entrance over this year and we may need some help. Please email Miss Fahy at bfahy@gsmelbournesth.catholic.edu.au
Victorian Premier's Reading Challenge
The Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge is now open and Galilee is excited to be participating.
The Challenge is open to all Victorian children from birth to Year 10 in recognition of the importance of reading for literacy development. It is not a competition; but a personal challenge for children to read a set number of books by 6 September 2019.
Children from Prep to Year 2 are encouraged to read or ‘experience’ 30 books with their parents and teachers. Children from Year 3 to Year 10 are challenged to read 15 books.
All children who meet the Challenge will receive a certificate of achievement signed by the
Victorian Premier and former Premiers.
To read the Premier’s letter to parents, view the booklists and for more information about
the Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge, visit: www.education.vic.gov.au/prc
Information about the challenge was sent home asking parents to sign permission for your child/ren to enter the challenge. Once registered, your child will receive login and password details to enter the books they've read. If you have any questions, please email Laura Cox lcox@gsmelbournesth.catholic.edu.au