Dear Families, 

Congratulations to staff at Danceworld and Galilee who have worked tirelessly to prepare the students for our upcoming concert; Galilee on Broadway.  Many thanks also to Carlo Martello for coordinating with Danceworld, Wendy Dalton for organising ticketing and Paul Mapley for coordinating the set-up of the new Basketball Stadium for the concert.  It has been a great team effort!  Tickets went on sale this week and they are selling fast. Please refer to information in the Dojo or in this Newsletter about how to purchase tickets.

2022 Deputy Principal Conference 
A fortnight ago, Amy and Carlo gathered with the Deputy Principals from the Southern Region in Healesville for a Deputy Principal Conference.  The focus for the 2022 conference was Positive Psychology presented by Danielle Jacobs and Faith Formation with Andrew Chinn.  These conferences are so important in building our knowledge and capacity to lead our community.  Wellbeing continues to be a major focus as outlined in our School Improvement Plan and Annual Action Plan.  Having the opportunity to meet with colleagues and learn about other schools' practices is also very important. 

Prep 2023 Orientation
Last Thursday, we held one of our orientation sessions with approximately 52 children visiting us.  My sincere thanks to Holly Evans and Brighid Fahy for the organisation and incredible care that went into the orientation session.  The next whole group orientation session is scheduled for Tuesday 8th November at 9am.  We currently have 52 children in our 2023 Prep cohort - 3 classes with 17 or 18 students in each.

Staffing for 2023
As is customary each year we will have a change over of some staff moving into the new year. 

We would like to thank:

• Cassandra Gleeson who has been teaching at Galilee for the past seven years, 
• Sammy Bamford who has been teaching at Galilee for the past five years, 
• Sheridan McAuliffe who has been teaching at Galilee for the past three and a half years, 
• Amanda Readon who has been teaching at Galilee for the past two years,
• Kingsley Hill who has been at Galilee for the past two years,
• Laura Mason who has been teaching at Galilee for the past four years.

The above staff all started at Galilee as Graduate Teachers.  We couldn’t be more proud of the development that they have made while at Galilee and the contribution they have each made to students and their learning.

Cassandra has taken up a position at St. Joseph’s in Elsternwick, Sammy has taken up a position at St. Joan of Arc in Brighton, Sheridan has taken up a position at St. Paul’s in Bentleigh, Amanda has taken up a position at St. Columbus in Elwood, Kingsley has taken up an opportunity outside of teaching and Laura Mason has taken up a position at St. Peter’s in Bentleigh East.  We wish them all the best and will farewell them at the end of the year.  

We are pleased to announce a number of staff who will be joining us in 2023. 

• Mr. Richard Harding will be joining us from Stella Maris in Point Cook. He has over 10 years experience in a range of Catholic Schools around Melbourne,
• Mr. Alex Pensini will be joining us from St. Augustine’s in Perth where he has been for the past four years,
• Ms.Rebecca McCormack will be joining our staffing team in 2023. She comes to us from St. Joseph's in Ireland where she has been teaching for five years, 
• Mr. Seb Greene will be joining us as a Physical Education Teacher in 2023. He comes to us from Wyndham Primary School with 3+ years experience teaching PE,
• Paddy Edwards will be joining us in 2023, he comes from St Andrews in Clayton South with 8+ years of experience.

We wish the staff who are leaving us all the best and we look forward to welcoming the staff who are joining us in 2023. 

School Advisory Council
In this week’s Bulletin, parents can access documents regarding our School Advisory Council (SAC). Please send in the Expression of Interest form by 10th November if you would like to be considered for the SAC.

School Masterplan
Over the previous six months, we have been seeking additional funds from the major parties to complete our Building Masterplan. We have been endeavouring to get a pledge from both parties prior to the upcoming state election. Our local member Martin Foley (Labor Party) will be retiring from politics. Nina Taylor will be contesting our seat at the next election. Lauren Sherson will also be contesting the seat for the Liberal Party. Both parties have acknowledged the need for a further grant to Galilee. Daniel Andrews recently pledged a large grant to a local state school in our neighbourhood. Local state schools have received a significantly higher amount of money from the state government over the last eight years in the seat of Albert Park. At this stage, neither party has committed funds to our school but we are still hopeful of gaining their support and getting a fair deal for students at our Catholic school.

STEM Excursion for select Year 3 and 4 students next Wednesday at Scienceworks
Select students from Year 3 and 4 will be immersed in a day-long STEM design challenge at Scienceworks next Wednesday. The design challenge will use a human-centered approach to “design a better world”. They will also explore Scienceworks exhibits, meet experts in science, design, health and technology. Students will get hands-on with the technology materials to begin making and tinkering and prototyping physical solutions to real problems.  We thank Dave McLeish and Amy Burns for organising this exciting opportunity for the students. We can’t wait to hear all about it when they return back to school. 
                                           

Student Leadership at Galilee
We have many opportunities for our students to lead at Galilee.  The past fortnight has been a wonderful example of active student leadership at Galilee.

Last Friday, our Social Justice Leaders organised and facilitated a very successful Socktober Day at Galilee.  Students were encouraged to wear their favourite socks to school and donate money to Catholic Missions.  The leaders organised posters that were put up around the school, spoke to their class about the day and presented at Assembly.

Student Representative Council have been meeting with Mr. Martello on a regular basis this year and have worked on a wide range of initiatives.  They are currently working on updating the school playground rules, now that we have lots of new play spaces. At the meetings they are asked to bring the ideas of their classmates and share it with everyone on the SRC.  Their ideas and suggestions are listened to, and are often actioned by the group.  We look forward to hearing from the SRC soon with a new set of Playground Rules. 

Our current Year 5 students are in the process of applying for 2023 Year 6 Student Leadership Roles. The students have been seeking referees from staff as part of the application process, they have written incredible letters explaining why they should be considered for the role and they will present speeches to students and staff next week. We wish them all the best and look forward to working with them in 2023. 

Year 5 & 6 Basketball at Recess
At recess Mr. Booth and the Year 6 students have been organising and running fun, informal basketball competitions.  Students have divided themselves into mixed teams and they are playing 8min games in a round-robin style competition.  It is wonderful to see our Year 5 and 6 students displaying exceptional sportsmanship as they compete against each other.  We thank Mr. Booth for volunteering his time to referee games during his scheduled breaks.
                                

Swimming Carnival Next Friday 
Our swimming carnival will be held at MSAC on Friday 11th November. 

On the day, students are to wear their bathers under their sports uniform to school.  They can wear a t-shirt that is the colour of their house team.  They will need to bring along a towel, underwear, a pair of thongs (not compulsory), their Galilee swimming caps and a plastic bag/wet-bag.  They will also need to bring along their recess, lunch, water bottle and plenty of snacks that can be eaten between events.  Please ensure each item inside their backpack (clothing, towel etc.) is clearly labeled.  Students must wear their school hat on the day and we encourage them to apply sunscreen the morning of the swimming carnival and pack it in their bag so that they can re-apply throughout the day. 

Information for Students in Year 3-6
Students in Year 3 - 6 will compete in the 50m Freestyle, Breaststroke, Backstroke and Butterfly.

The MSAC pool we are using is a 50m pool that will be divided into two 25m pools. 

Year 3-6 will be swimming in a depth of 1.3m and will swim 2 X 25m laps. Please discuss with your child the events in which they will swim and pool depths prior to the carnival so that they are well prepared for the day. Students will be organised into heats on the day. 

The school has formatted all of the events on the day of the carnival to ensure all students, irrespective of their swimming ability, get to represent their House.  Our leading swimmers will be given the opportunity to represent the school at the Dendy Swimming Carnival in 2023.

Years 3-6 will bus to MSAC leaving school by 9.15am ready for a 10am start to the races. 

The carnival will finish at approximately 2pm and students will return to school before 2:30 pm.

Information for students in Prep - Year 2
Prep, Year One and Year 2 students will participate in a series of fun races/activities such as, noodles and kickboard races. 

The MSAC pool we are using is a 50m pool that will be divided into two 25m pools. Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 will be in a depth of 80 - 90cm.  Swimmers of all abilities will be accommodated throughout the day.  The school has formatted all of the events on the day of the carnival to ensure all students, irrespective of their swimming ability, get to represent their House.

Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 students will be bussed to MSAC from 10.15am for a staggered race start.  

The carnival will finish at approximately 1:30pm and students will return to school before 2pm.

I wish you every blessing in the coming week,

Simon Millar

Dream City Excursion

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Hello everyone,

With the recent floods, St. Vincent de Paul is asking for any contributions to their Flood Appeal.
Contributions can be made by:
- Calling 13 18 12
- Visit https://donate.vinnies.org.au/appeals-vic/vinnies-vic-flood-appeal-2022
- Making a monetary donation through any Vinnies Shops at point of purchase
- Via your local IGA where the purchase of a token supports the recovery of Victorians devastated by these recent floods.

Many thanks in advance :) 
Helen Rochecouste

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Socktober

                    

3L celebrating Socktober in their custom made socks, generously gifted to them by Amelia and the Calafiore Family. 

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Year Level Representatives 2023

We are calling for nominations for 2023 Year Level Reps.
Please see the attached documents:
Year Level Representatives Application Form
Year Level Representative Registration Form *to be completed once application has been accepted
Year Level Representative Role Description - Code of Conduct
Parent Communication Group Guidelines 

Please note that as this role is a Year Level Representative position (not a class representative) your child’s 2023 class allocation has no bearing.

As of 2023, the school has introduced a new year level representative policy in order to be more inclusive and far reaching to the school community. This means that a parent or guardian cannot be a Year Level Representative for consecutive years for the same year group. ie, Prep 2022 and Year 1 2023.

In situations where a year level does not have any applications, the school will approach parents or guardians on a more direct basis in order for new volunteers to take up the vacancy. In such instance, a role share or role term rotation may be created.

Please register your interest by emailing a completed application form to Parent Partnerships Leader, Carmen Carnovale - ccarnovale@gsm.vic.edu.au

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School Advisory Council (SAC) Expression of Interest 2023

To the Parent & Guardian Community of Galilee,

At the end of this year, we will have four (4) School Advisory Council members reaching the end of their term and/or departing our school. On behalf of the School, I would like to extend our sincere thanks and gratitude to Athena Romic, Nic Loriente, Darren Catherall and Tim Anderson for their service and commitment to our School Community. They have each made significant contributions and through their particular experience and skills were each able to provide the Principal and School with sound and invaluable advice.

Therefore, we are calling on you to express your interest in being part of the School Advisory Council. If you are a member of the parish or have children in the school and wish to be part of this exciting development, we would welcome your application in writing by completion of an Expression of Interest Form and submitting to admin@gsm.vic.edu.au by 3.30pm on 10 November 2022.

Click here for more information regarding the School Advisory Council.

Parents & Guardians may refer all and any queries to Athena Romic (Chair) by email or phone at E: athena@lawconsulting.com.au M: 0413 082 047

Regards,
Simon Millar

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Lost Property 

Lost property has a new home! If you have lost something at school, please feel free to find it in the lost property tubs now located right outside the hall. There is a tub for hats, spray jackets, jumpers and other items. Thanks to Nkem, Maddie and Eva from Yr 6 who have helped organise the new space. 

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SunSmart Policy Reminder:

 





All students are required to wear a Galilee School  Hat.  Galilee will be following the Sun Smart directive of ‘No hat - No play’. Please name your child’s hat clearly.

All students are encouraged to apply sunscreen before school and to carry their own sunscreen that can be applied before going out to play at recess and lunch. Please note teachers are not able to apply sunscreen and the school is not able to supply sunscreen.

For further information, please refer to the Galilee Sunsmart Policy here.

 

Parent Wellbeing Seminar

It was fantastic to welcome Georgina Manning into the school last Tuesday for a Parent Wellbeing Seminar.  Georgina is the Director of The Peaceful Kids Program.  Peaceful kids is a mindfulness and positive psychology program.

Mindfulness has great potential as a key strategy for positively impacting the learning and wellbeing outcomes of children and young people in education settings.  Research has shown that the mental health and wellbeing outcomes for younger people are consistent with those observed for adults.  In particular, reduction in stress, and anxiety symptoms, and increases in calmness, self-esteem, self-acceptance, self-regulation and sleep quality have been regularly observed.

Data from the Australian National Mental Health Survey shows that young people have the highest incidence and prevalence of mental illness across the lifespan, with almost one in seven 4-17 year-olds assessed as having mental disorders in the previous 12 months.  Furthermore, COVID-19 has brought about a complex array of factors such as uncertainty, social isolation, and parental angst that have an impact on the mental health of children and adolescents.

With its focus on paying attention to the present moment, Mindfulness is likely to have beneficial effects on the emotional wellbeing, mental health, ability to learn and the physical health of school students.

This holistic approach to learning has benefitted many of our students over the past three years.

Please email peacefulkids@gsm.vic.edu.au for information or enrolments for 2023.  Written consent is required for all children for Peaceful Kids in Years 1-6. Peaceful Kids for Preps is part of the school curriculum and will run through Term 1 for all Prep children to give each child the opportunity to develop skills early in the year in a comfortable, small group setting. 

• The concert will run for approximately 1 hour.
• All students will be participate in all three shows.
• For those students with afterschool activities and commitments we anticipate that all students will need to be back at school by 5:30pm on both Tuesday and Wednesday.  
  
  

                                 


The Victorian Government introduced  new

Child Safety Standards on 1 July 2022.

Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in organisational leadership, governance and culture.

What is different?

Although similar to Victoria’s current Child Safe Standards, key changes include new requirements:

• to involve families and communities in organisations’ efforts to keep children and young people safe.
• for a greater focus on safety for Aboriginal children and young people.
• to manage the risk of child abuse in online environments.
• in relation to governance, systems and processes to keep children and young people safe.

We will be adding the new Child Safety standards to each newsletter for the rest of the term. This week, we are looking at Child Safety Standard 4 and 5.

Child Safe Standard 4 

Families and communities are informed, and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing In complying with Child Safe Standard 4, an organisation must, at a minimum, ensure: 

4.1 Families participate in decisions affecting their child. 

4.2 The organisation engages and openly communicates with families and the community about its child safe approach and relevant information is accessible. 

4.3 Families and communities have a say in the development and review of the organisation’s policies and practices. 

4.4 Families, carers and the community are informed about the organisation’s operations and governance. 

 

Child Safe Standard 5 

Equity is upheld and diverse needs respected in policy and practice In complying with Child Safe Standard 5, an organisation must, at a minimum, ensure: 

5.1 The organisation, including staff and volunteers, understands children and young people’s diverse circumstances, and provides support and responds to those who are vulnerable. 

5.2 Children and young people have access to information, support and complaints processes in ways that are culturally safe, accessible and easy to understand. 

5.3 The organisation pays particular attention to the needs of children and young people with disability, children and young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, those who are unable to live at home, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children and young people. 

5.4 The organisation pays particular attention to the needs of Aboriginal children and young people and provides/promotes a culturally safe environment for them.

City of Port Phillip - Parent Information Session - Building Resilience in Children Our children and young people deal with a range of stressors at school and home every day. A resilient child is flexible, emotionally aware and learns from experience. In times of high stress, pressure and change, resilience not only plays an important role in how children respond to challenges and changes in their lives, it also helps with their academic and social development. The key learning intentions will focus on the following: - ways to cope with anxiety - how to build self-esteem - how to find and nurture resilience in our children to cope with pressure and change - creating positive coaching conversations - how to develop and maintain our own resilience as parents of young people   This session is free of charge, and will comprise a 90-minute presentation and 30-minute Q&A.

Facilitator: David Buttifant is a High-Performance Specialist who has worked with elite athletes for over twenty five years both at an Olympic level and in the AFL. He has a Doctorate in Exercise Physiology and an MBA. He has performed numerous workshops and presentations on Well-being, High Performance, Team Building and Culture at the corporate level through to community and welfare groups. He is a founding director of the NICK Foundation, Board member of Diving Victoria, as well as a member of the AFL Research Board. Nick Farr is Co-Founder and Director of Resilience Builders, he has designed and delivered several resilience development workshops and programs for young people, athletes, teams, and business. Nick is passionate about teaching people the power of perseverance and not giving up. He believes that resilience is a dynamic capability that can be developed through practice, sacrifice, and repetition. The process is straightforward, but it requires the right setting and framework

Location: Online via Zoom (the access link will be shared closer to the event, emailed to all those who have made bookings via TryBooking)

Date: Thursday 1st December | 6pm to 8pm

Cost: Free

REGISTER HERE

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Good afternoon, dear Parents!

The third week of the Term 4 started with amazing weather, so we tried to spend as much time as possible outdoors. The theme of the week was “Weather Alert”, so plenty of craft activities were dedicated to all the possible weather conditions.

Please don’t forget, that we are in summer now, so we must follow the sun smart policy: no sunscreen, no hat =  no outdoor play.

Please don’t forget to book your children in at www.theircare.com.au.

Kateryna is leaving to go to Ukraine on the 15^th of November and the coordinators in charge will be Letitia and Giordan and the educators will be Ryger and Liana.

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy warm weather!

Kateryna, Ryger, Liana, Letitia

Parent Calendar

Parent Calendar

Term Dates

Term 1 - Mon 31 Jan - Fri 8 April
Term 2 - Wed 27 April - Fri 24 June
Term 3 - Mon 11 July - Fri 16 Sept
Term 4 - Mon 3 Oct - Fri 16 Dec

 

School Closure Days

April 26
June 10
September 5
October 31
December 2

Camp Dates 2022

Year 6 Canberra - 11-14 July
Year 4 Angahook - 3 - 5 August
Year 3 Zoo Snooze - 5 (3L), 6 (3G) and 7 (3B) December 

 

Medical Consent Form

Please use this form if your child needs to take any temporary medication at school (antibiotics, eye drops, Ventolin, creams or lotions etc.). All medication MUST be bought to the office.

Medical Consent Form

School Uniform

Please read the policy below if you are unsure of the correct wearing of the Uniform. Students who are in incorrect shoes, with a note, must be for a maximum of one week. Correct shoes are to be worn till the end of the school year (it is not acceptable to be in incorrect shoes to save purchasing of new shoes towards the end of the school year).Microfibre jacket can only be worn with the Sport Uniform or over the jumper for extra warmth.

Uniform Policy

The Galilee School Uniform is available for purchase from PSW.

PSW Uniform: 1/128 Bertie Street, Port Melbourne 9768 0385

Prices can be found on the PSW Website.

Second Hand Uniform @ Galilee: Located at 228 Bank Street South Melbourne. Open on selected Wednesday mornings which will be published in the newsletter and/or via app.

Lunch Orders 

Attached is the lunch order list and ordering information for Renatta Catering. Order online at www.flexischools.com.au

Lunch Orders 2022

Galilee Out of School Hours (GOSH)

To register and book for your child to attend before or after school care, please do so via this link.

Danceworld

To book your child into Danceworld lessons during recess/lunch or for more information, visit www.danceworldstudios.com/galilee or feel free to visit the studio next door to Galilee.