Cardijn Connect W3, T3 2023

Have you had the chance to visit Galilee's amazing new library area? It's quickly gaining popularity among both students and staff. We have been busy preparing for the upcoming Book Week festivities in Week 5. During this week, educational institutions and public libraries come together to honour books, as well as Australian children's authors and illustrators. We've put together a vibrant display that beautifully embodies the theme of Read, Grow, Inspire.

We took the opportunity to ask a few people in the library about what they love most about this space:

Ms Bowden: I love that our library is so organised. I love the new furniture and the calming, peaceful feel of the space. It’s good to see kids enjoying the space and it’s great to welcome our volunteers who support us. 

Kade, reception: I love the books. I love reading them. 

Katie-Mae, reception: I love getting books from the library.

Savannah, reception: I like reading Mr McGee!

Otis, reception: My favourite thing is looking at the Book Week stories.

Priya, reception: Borrowing books, I read them at home with my mum. 

This year to support our structured, synthetic, science of reading approach to literacy we are implementing the Playberry Laser Literacy program across Galilee Campus. It’s an excellent program for students to improve their phonology, morphology, spelling rule knowledge, and reading fluency skills. By providing a comprehensive approach to literacy instruction, Playberry Laser Literacy supports students in developing strong foundation skills necessary for reading success.

On Tuesday Christie-Lee Hansberry, from Playberry Laser Literacy, modelled some lessons across three different year levels. This gave teachers in each year level the opportunity to observe, take notes, learn, and improve their literacy pedagogical practices.

Christie-Lee commented on how beautifully the children listened, followed her instructions and their enthusiasm for learning. We look forward to Christie-Lee returning early Term 4 to be the observer.

On Tuesday the Middle School students at Galilee celebrated the Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. We began the day with a Middle School Mass, where Father Josy lead us in a beautiful reflection about the life and work of Mary MacKillop and how this can inspire us to see a need and do something about it. After this celebration, the students formed cooperative groups and began ‘The Amazing MacKillop Race’, where students had to solve puzzles about Mary MacKillop and find the clues to progress through the stations. Finally, the students enjoyed cupcakes to raise money for Marist Solidarity and support our City to Bay team in their fundraising efforts. 

“We learnt more about the history of Mary MacKillop, her life and her family and the impact she made in Australia, in a fun and engaging way.” Maddi Yr 9. 

Galilee Year 9 leaders along with 30 students from Marian Campus were invited to attend a ‘Rise Up Tree Planting’ event organised by the Catholic Office for Youth and Young Adults (COYYA) on Friday the 4th of August to celebrate World Youth Day. There were over 100 students in attendance from 10 different Catholic schools. The students planted 1500 trees in a record time of 30 minutes and enjoyed the remainder of the time exploring the Victora Park wetlands and being introduced to the fun that is geocaching.

On Saturday, approximately 20 students from Marian Campus journeyed together through a day of self-discovery and fun at Sacred Heart College, Marcellin Campus. The day started with a series of workshops on topics important to our young people ranging from ecological awareness to finding your purpose in this world. The day was broken up with some incredible food, culminating in a concert from a wonderful duo known as Gus and Iggy.  

A huge thank you to Ryan from Milwaukee Tool who came in to talk to all our students about tool ergonomics and the importance of looking after our bodies in the trades. Another great addition to our celebrations for Tradies National Health Month.

Our Year 10 Marcellin students engaged in an informative presentation by Encounter Youth titled "Who's Calling Your Shots?" It was interactive and generated some interesting discussions amongst the cohort. If you'd like to know more, please visit https://www.encounteryouth.com.au/alcohol-drug-education/.