Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are racing towards the end of what has been an extremely busy first term. Even in the final two weeks of term we have a number of significant events still to come:
Athletics Day
Caritas Ks walkathon
Interim reports
Parent/teacher interviews

Of course, during the term holidays we celebrate the most important Christian feast on the annual calendar – Easter. I hope that all families, regardless of where they might be on a faith continuum, can take time to reflect over the Easter period on why it is that we celebrate this event as our forbears have done for the last 2,000 years. The death and resurrection of Jesus has forged the course of human history for millions upon millions of believers and non-believers alike for the past two millennia: regardless of our personal faith position, this is a remarkable fact that at the very least demands respectful reflection.

For believers, Easter represents the quintessential core of Christianity in all its variations and manifestations. For Catholics, it is the source of our hope for salvation, for our belief that we can spend eternity with our loving God.

Take time to reflect with your family in your own way this Easter.

Diocesan Conference – school closure days
An important event scheduled for the middle of second term is the Sandhurst Diocesan Conference. This conference will see all staff, including teachers and non-teachers, from all primary and secondary Catholic schools across the Sandhurst diocese come together for two days in Bendigo on May 24 / 25.
Please note that as a result, all Catholic schools across the diocese of Sandhurst, including Galen Catholic College, will be closed for these two days: 24th  & 25th  May 2012.

The theme of the conference is “Re-Imagining the Mission – A Pilgrimage of Faith”.

Because of the importance of this event in the life of Catholic Education in Sandhurst, and because of the fact that school will be closed for these two days,  I have included details below of the major focus points for the conference.

If you have any questions arising from this event please do not hesitate to contact me at the college.

C a t h o l i c   I d e n t i t y
Key Aspects – Social Justice, Inclusion, Tradition, Vocation, Liturgy
The conference will include the exploration of the following and other associated themes:
The history of Catholic Education in Australia and the rich charism and contributions of Religious Orders.
Processes and reflection about defining a lay Charism and the search for vocation in our lives
The findings of research about the Catholicity of our schools and the stages of faith of staff and families.
Reflections about who and how we welcome people into Catholic schools.
Ways in which the prayer, liturgies and rituals of the conference can be built on and developed in school communities in way that are meaningful and relevant.
Exploring further ways to reach out to the poor and disadvantaged beyond our school communities.

A u s t r a l i a n   I d e n t i t y
Key Aspects – Aboriginal Australia, Multiculturalism, Reconciliation   
The conference will include the exploration of the following and other associated themes:
Ways to come to a better appreciation and recognition of Aboriginal traditions and culture.
Celebration of the rich culture of Australia which as been realised since European settlement.
The ongoing awareness of need for reconciliation and justice for Aboriginal people and other cultural groups, especially refugees.
Challenges to recognise what it means to be an Australian in contemporary society.

L e a r n i n g & T e a c h i n g
Key Aspects – Professional Learning Communities, Engaged Learners, Holistic Curriculum
The conference will include the exploration of the following and other associated themes:
The effective utilisation of the open learning spaces.
The building of professional learning communities.
Learning from the research – both academic and action research in our schools.
Contemporary thinking about effective ways to engage students and families in learning.
Effective assessment of, for and as learning.
Conceptualizing holistic curriculum and the place of the Arts in learning.
What does a Catholic curriculum look like in 21st century?
L e a d e r s h i p
Key Aspects – Governance, Collaborative Ministry, Succession
The conference will include the exploration of the following and other associated themes:
Leadership in the context of Church, a baptismal call to ministry at the local Parish.
Ways in which the leadership of students and early career teachers can be nurtured and realised.
Effective school governance including improved understandings about the purpose and functioning of School Boards.
Processes to bring about a deeper understanding of the leadership aspects of being a staff member in a Catholic school.
Parent leadership – imagining new ways into the future.

P a s t o r a l   W e l l b e i n g
Key Aspects – Positive Behaviour (PBIS), Wellness, Parents as Partners.
The conference will include the exploration of the following and other associated themes:
The replacement of punitive measures of behaviour management with Positive Behaviour supports and interventions.
Ways in which parents can be supported in their role & become more engaged in school.
The issues involved with Cyber Safety and increasing awareness of the misuse of communication technologies.
Creation of communities, which build wellness for staff and families.

S t e w a r d s h i p
Key Aspects – Environmental sustainability, Funding, Designs for Learning
The conference will include the exploration of the following and other associated themes:
Increasing awareness of God’s creation and the imperative to be more prudent in our stewardship of the planet.
Being more informed about the funding of Catholic schools and the measures in place for the system to have a political voice.
Design ideas for schools to develop flexible learning spaces.
Creation of a positive future where communities feel they have influence and can make a difference.
Profiles and future planning considerations.

Bernard Neal
Principal

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Please spare a thought for those who have genuinely suffered as a result of the recent floods. At least one Galen family has been flooded out and is facing a difficult period of recovery.
What a huge impact the recent extreme weather has had on all our lives! It comes as a firm reminder of our need to be resilient, to be adaptable and to make contingencies because often times there are things that lie way outside our power to influence, the weather being one! Recent events have reminded of a great Woody Allen line: “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.”
Our plans for last Thursday are a good case in point. I was scheduled to be in Bendigo to be part of the ceremony installing our new Bishop Les Tomlinson; half of Year 8 were to be enjoying the middle day of the their three-day camp; Years 7 & 10 students were scheduled to have injections; some PE classes were to be away at the pool for the swimming program and the rest of the school was to run normal classes. By 9.15 am, all this was thrown to the wind after receiving notification from the High School that they had recalled the school buses in order to evacuate their school by 9:30 for fear that if they waited until any later in the day, the buses may not be able to get students home at all.
This is an extremely rare event: in 35 years of working in Catholic schools, this is the first time I have experienced such a situation. Some long-term Galen staff recall a time in the early 1990s when something similar occurred – but that is a long time between events!
In the space of a few minutes, the whole routine of the school had to turn to addressing the logistics of evacuating 1,000 students, ensuring the safe return to school of those on excursions or off-campus for other matters, notifying around 800 parents of our intentions to send the students home, and monitoring the escalating dangers associated with the extreme weather.
Because of the short time-frame imposed upon us by circumstances, the staff was faced with a monumental task. In the end, however, all students were safely evacuated (including bus and non-bus travellers) and we had sent communications via phone, email, website and local radio. Students were safely brought back to school from Harrietville and the pool, and then evacuated. Of course, for very understandable reasons, it was impossible to make direct contact with every parent or to know that the messages we sent had been successfully received and read– eg parents out on the farm, out of phone contact, away from a computer, etc.
As with all major Galen events, we will be reviewing our procedures to identify what worked well and what could have worked better. As part of this process, we will also be meeting with representatives from the High School and other schools to see how the whole process can be made as effective as possible for future reference.
As it happened, the situation eased sufficiently for school to go ahead as normal the next day with only the Yarrawonga bus not running. I congratulate those who had to go to some additional effort to get their children to school on Friday. It was disappointing to note the number of students who were absent on Friday, especially in light of the widespread radio, phone messaging, email and website information indicating that school was open as usual for Friday.

Opening Mass
Our Opening Mass for 2012 will be held in the Galen stadium on Tuesday 13 March starting at 10.00am. The Mass will be celebrated by Monsignor John White, Parish Priest of Wangaratta and the Canonical Administrator of Galen Catholic College.  Parents are warmly invited to attend the Mass which has the theme “To be seen, to be blessed”.

Swimming Sports
Congratulations to all those students who participated in the Swimming Sports and to those parents who supported the event by being there. Special thanks go the Parents Association executive for providing the BBQ on the night.
We will be reviewing the Swimming Sports as part of our regular review processes. This will include a review of the twilight format and of the optional nature of the sports. We will keep you informed of the outcome of this review.

From the Board
The Galen Catholic College Board held our first meeting last week. The major points of focus were around keeping the Board members informed of major educational topics – eg the Gonski Review–and on formulating the next Strategic Plan. We also examined enrolment trends over the past 25 years at Galen and continued our work in exploring a range of demographic data available to us.

Staffing news
Please note that we have a number of staff movements in the coming weeks due to a combination of long service leave and maternity leave. Of particular note are the following:
Gretta Norden and Kylie Girolami have commenced maternity leave already; Kylie Fulford will commence maternity leave from 15/3; Mieka Staley will commence maternity leave from 28/4.
Keith Willett will take long service leave for all of second term. His role as Director of Middle School will be jointly covered by the two Middle school Year Level Co-ordinators, Liz Morrow and James Bourke: Liz and James will also continue in their existing co-ordination roles but with additional time to carry out the extra duties of Director.
Jess Laslett, our Publications & Promotions Officer, will be leaving Galen at the end of first term to travel the world. She will be replaced in this role by existing staff member, Mal Webster.
Bernard Neal
Principal

Dear Parents and Guardians,
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. It is a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which we attain redemption. In modern times, there is an emphasis on prayer, fasting and alms giving (or “doing good deeds”).
 When most of us were growing up we were called on to “give something up for Lent”. While that remains an important part of the Lenten season, more emphasis is given today on looking for meaningful actions that will help alleviate someone else’s burden – a very Christian approach in itself.
 I urge you to speak with your children, as we will continue to do at Galen, about the importance of walking in others’ shoes, and of recognizing when we are in a position to help someone in difficulty and of then doing something to alleviate that difficulty. It might be a child offering to do the dishes, or take the garbage out when that is not usually their chore. Or it might be more dramatic like assisting someone who is ill or bed-ridden, or suffering the consequences of an accident. Or it might be to speak a kind word to someone who is lonely, marginalized or friendless – goodness knows, to our great shame, that even in Wangaratta we don’t have to look too far to find such people.

Year 12 Retreat
The Year 12 students have returned from their three-day retreats to Howman’s Gap and the Hume Resort. I was able to spend good quality time with the students at both venues and was hugely impressed with their approach to reflecting on their current lives, looking ahead to their future lives, and focusing on the family love and support that nurtures them. I was also impressed with the obvious energy and enthusiasm they displayed as a group for both DOING their best this year, and BEING their best this year.

VCE High Achievers & Jumper Presentation Night
Congratulations to our VCE High Achievers from 2011, including Dux, Claire Luxford, all of whom were acknowledged and presented at the WPAC last week. At the same event, our current Year 12 students received their jumpers and were addressed by Galen Old Collegian and current Victorian State Opposition Leader, the Honourable Daniel Andrews. Mr Andrews exhorted the students to recognize the many choices and opportunities before them and to go out and make their mark in the world.

Year 7 Parents afternoon and laptop night
We welcomed the parents of our 194 Year 7 students at two events last week: the welcome afternoon, and the laptop rollout night. Parents were shown through the Year 7 classrooms and treated to a afternoon tea before addresses from the Director of the Junior School, Miss Lauren Lee, and myself. We informed the parents that their children had made an excellent start to their secondary school life and that as time goes by to please let us know when we do things well, as well as when we do not do things as well as they would like.

Swimming Sports
Unfortunately, we had to postpone the Swimming Sports from their original date because of the electrical storms in the district on that day. It has not been easy to find another date when the pool is available but one was found, Thursday Feb 23. Unfortunately, this revised date clashes with the evening we had scheduled for the Year 8 laptop renewal and parent cyber safety session. As a result, the Year 8 night has been rescheduled. We apologise for the inconvenience and for any possible confusion arising from these changes.

Bernard Neal
Principal

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to our first newsletter for the new school year at Galen!
I trust that you have enjoyed and made the most of the more frequent company of your children over the Christmas and summer break.
On Friday, we welcomed back the students in Years 11 and 12, and also welcomed the arrival of our new Year 7s. As I said to the students of all three year levels, an education at Galen is an education rich in opportunities for involvement, personal development and making lifelong friendships. For the Year 7s, this means a new and dazzling array of experiences as they commence their secondary school years. There was much excitement, enthusiasm and anticipation as the Year 7s gathered on Friday morning for their first year-level assembly and then progressed to their classrooms with their homeroom teachers.
For the VCE and VCAL students in Years 11 &12, there was also a great deal of excitement as they assembled. With the benefit of the Headstart program under their belts, these students slotted into a smooth continuation of the work they started last November. For the Year 12s, the routine for the start of the year includes their three-day retreat on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week at either Hume Weir or Howman’s Gap campsites. For many Year 11s, the start of the year routine will include dancing practice for the Presentation Balls in May.
At the time of writing this article , the Years 8, 9 & 10 students have not yet returned – we are eagerly awaiting their arrival on Monday.
I hope that 2012 is a rewarding and joy-filled year for you and your children!

Great news for Galen!
At the very end of last year, just prior to Christmas, we received news that Galen’s application had been successful for a $1 million grant from the federal government to build a Trade Training Centre as part of a larger consortium of schools. This money will be used to boost two areas of our vocational education and training curriculum: firstly, to virtually double the existing Food Technology centre and establish a state of the art Hospitality facility; secondly, to provide new equipment for our Engineering students.
Galen is the lead school in this consortium which also includes FCJ College Benalla, Sacred Heart College Yarrawonga, and Borinya Community Partnership Wangaratta. Almost $4 million will be shared by the four schools, with Galen’s share being $995,000. Building will begin in the middle of this year and the complex will be ready for the start of the 2013 school year. Students from each school will have the opportunity to access each other’s facilities and therefore broaden their study options.
There will be more progress reports as we work our way through the various stages of the project. This promises to be a great advantage for our senior students from 2013 onwards!

Vale, Paul Lewis
The Galen community was deeply saddened by the death of long-serving staff member, Paul Lewis, who passed away during the holiday break after a two year battle with cancer. “Lewie” was one of the longest – serving members of Champagnat / Galen having been at the school for well over 30 years. He had been on sick leave since near the end of 2009 when his cancer was first diagnosed. Although I only knew Paul for the past two years, it was clear from the eulogies at his funeral that he was a much-loved member of the Galen family, a loving and devoted father and an excellent educator. He will be sorely missed. Rest in peace, Paul “Lewie” Lewis.

New staff for 2012
We welcome the following new staff to Galen Catholic College and wish them well in guiding and supporting the learning of your children:
Irene Apostolopoulos (Maths/Science)
Beth Code (Music)
Tegan McKeown (Outdoor Education/Discovery)
Michael McKenzie (Junior School Officer)
Eliza McMonigle (Junior School Officer)
Greg Matulich (Maths/Science)
Jacqui Pengelly (Physical Education)
Gerard Sullivan (Deputy Principal – Catholic Identity)
Carly Van  Den Heuvel (Office trainee)
Lucy Walch (Junior School Officer)

Bernard Neal
Principal

Dear Parents and Guardians,
This week we started our new two-week-long Headstart program for students entering Years 11 & 12 in 2012. A great deal of hard work has gone into the preparation of this program, especially by Senior School Director, Mr Paul Carson, Deputy Principal – Learning & Teaching, Mr Darren Hovey, and Timetabler, Mr Gary Watson.
The Headstart program gives Galen’s senior students the opportunity to make an early start on their VCE studies for the following year. Classes are held in every subject, homework is set as well as class work, and a study program in each subject is laid out for the summer holidays.
We believe that this experience of commencing the year’s studies before the summer holidays will enhance the possibility of each Galen student achiev- ing to their potential in each subject. Many schools run similar programs and the feedback from these places has been overwhelmingly positive from students, teachers and parents: there is every reason to believe that the same will be the case at Galen.
Year 12 Graduation
The Year 12 Graduation Ceremony was held last week, and what a fitting celebration to mark the end of thirteen years of school for these young adults! Each of the Year 12 graduands was presented to the audience and each received a commemorative scroll and a copy of the 2011 Galen magazine.
Special guest speaker, Ms Phil Billington, Director of Catholic Education in Sandhurst, congratulated the students on reaching their graduation. She made particular reference to the role and experience of parents in educating and raising their children and praised parents for the great job they have done and continue to do in walking alongside and guiding their children.
Finally, the students were exhorted to live well, love well as they make their way into the future as Old Collegians of Galen and to never take their God- given gift of life for granted.
Farewell
We wish the following staff well as they make the next steps in their careers away from Galen:
Mr Paul Maher who will be taking up the position of Principal at Sacred Heart Primary School in Yarrawonga
Mr Pat Arcuri and Ms Claudia Bellani who will be relocating to Italy
Ms Vicky Bennett, Ms Bree Schutt and Mr Michael Clark, our Junior School Officers, who have completed their GAP year with the college and will be moving onto further study
Ms Bethne Hulme who has announced her retirement
Final newsletter arrangements
The final newsletter for the year will be distributed after the release of the VCE results by VCAA. The final newsletter will be an abbreviated version but will contain information about how Galen Year 12 students have fared in their final results.
Bernard Neal Principal

Dear Parents and Guardians,
We are now well and truly approaching the “pointy” end of the year for our students. VCE exams are past the halfway mark and we have the final week of Year 10 & 11 classes this week leading into their exams next week, followed by the HeadStart program in which they will start their 2012 subjects.
Our Year 9 students, meanwhile, are enjoying their outdoor adventure camps, while the Year 7 & 8 classes move into the final few topics and units for this year.
A great deal of work has already taken place in preparing for our 2012 school year, with the processing of subject selections leading to the final creation of next year’s timetable. Work has also started on compiling the 2012 school calendar. This is typical of all schools, that future-planning takes up such focus. I am excited as the possibilities for 2012 begin taking real shape.
As a reminder of the great things that have been accomplished at Galen over the past twelve months, our annual School Magazine has gone to the printer and will be available in the coming weeks. I have seen a mock-up of this year’s magazine and I am confident that you and your children will be delighted with it as a vibrant record of life at Galen in 2011.
Remembrance Day
I had the privilege of accompanying 18 Year 10 students to the Wangaratta Remembrance Day service on Friday. Students Bridgette Byrne and Jonathon Panozzo laid a wreath on Galen’s behalf as part of the service at the Cenotaph which was attended by several hundred community members. Many thanks to the Year 10 students for their mature and responsible approach to this most important event on the Australian calendar.
CREW News
The CREW Board met last Monday evening for the final meeting for 2011. As part of the meeting, the Board reviewed its many achievements over the past year and planned its goals and actions for next year. There is no doubt that CREW has undergone significant development this year on several levels: the energized work of the four working parties, the development of a new logo, brochure and posters, the Catholic Education Week liturgy featuring the five member schools, the teacher exchange program, the increased frequency and output of the Board meetings, the integrated planning and work of the five Principals and the community forum night have been some of the features of this year’s CREW experience.
We are looking forward to further development of CREW over the coming years.
 Bernard Neal

Dear Parents and Guardians,
Farewell Year 12s of 2011
The Galen Catholic College family celebrated in great fashion on Tuesday of last week to mark the final day of classes for this year’s Year 12 students. In a ceremony of high energy, poignant reflection and excited looking-forward, the entire student body and a good number of parents and invited guests gathered in our transformed stadium to congratulate this group of young people on completing thirteen years of primary and secondary schooling.
School Co-Captains, Candace O’Keefe and Henry Dayman, led a reflection on memorable events that this cohort faced in their six years at Galen. Misdemeanours and gaffs from years past were re-visited and re-lived to the great enjoyment of the Year 12 students. There was a commendable atmosphere of celebration, humour,
respect and joie-de-vivre as the ceremony progressed. The Year 12s entered the stadium to an individual welcome and introduction and then departed at the end of the ceremony in dual conga lines that extended throughout both sides and the middle aisle of the audience.
The MCs for this final assembly were the newly appointed Galen Co-Captains for 2012, Mary Paino and Nathan Whinray. Congratulations to Mary and Nathan on their appointments and on how well they accomplished their first public duties in their new roles.
Santa Teresa Mission Experience
Our group of committed students have returned from their Santa Teresa mission experience. Led by Mr Paul Walker and Ms Kate Howard, the group spent just over a week in the desert country of central Australia working and living with the local indigenous community.
Experiences of this kind provide outstanding opportunities for our young people to see the work of the Church in action in their own country. They also have the chance to see that how things are in their own backyards is not the same as it is for all Australians.
No doubt, over the coming weeks and months we will hear more details from this enthusiastic group as they share their experiences with us. Already, at least one of the participants has already declared that Santa Teresa is where she wants to spend her Gap year!
Headstart and Year 10/11 exams
As parents are already aware, Galen will be implementing a two week Headstart program for all 2012 Senior School students for the last week in November and first week in December. This program is compulsory for all 2012 VCE, VET and VCAL students.
Prior to the Headstart program, of course, there will be exams for the current Year 10 and Year 11 students starting on Monday 21 November. This means that these students have only two and a half weeks more of classes at this year level, so the pressure will be on them to complete their assignments and prepare for their exams before launching into their 2012 studies in the Headstart program.

Bernard Neal

Dear Parents and Guardians,
“Called to Action” has been a theme for Galen this year, first spoken about at the Welcome Mass at the start of the year, then again at the Founders Day liturgy. A group of Galen students, along with teachers Mr Paul Walker and Ms Kate Howard, are currently putting that theme into practice with their immersion Mission Experience trip to the Aboriginal settlement at Santa Teresa in the Northern Territory. The week-long immersion will be a life-changing experience for those students involved as they live, study and recreate with the local students and their families in circumstances that are very different from those of their home lives.
The group returns from Santa Teresa at the end of this week. They will report back to the school community over the weeks ahead.
Year 12 final weeks
Our thoughts at this time of the year also turn towards the Year 12 students whose final weeks of formal schooling are rapidly coming to an end. By the time you read this newsletter, the Year 12s will have less than one week of classes left.
For those Year 12s undertaking the VCE, the final examinations are now within sight: it is a time when chickens come home to roost. Those who have prepared well and given their best efforts to their study throughout the whole year are likely to achieve at or close to their potential: for those who have put in less than their best, the gap between their potential and what they achieve will become apparent. The good news is that there is still time to narrow that gap.
It is important that those preparing for the exams make good use of the study-vacation period, aka “swatvac”, between the final classes and the start of the exams. Staff will be available throughout the exam weeks to assist the students with the final, last-minute preparations.
For the Year 12 students undertaking VCAL, the end of their secondary schooling will come quicker as there are no exams. However, it is just as important that the final weeks are spent making sure that all course requirements are completed to the best of their ability.
On Tuesday, October 25, the whole school will gather to farewell the Year 12 class of 2011. On behalf of the Galen community, I wish them all well for the future, whatever may lie ahead.
Arts / Technology Exhibition
This year, the Arts and Technology staff are mounting an exhibition of student work from all year levels. This exhibition is a great reflection of the talent and creativity of so many Galen students that has been nurtured and encouraged in their classes. Congratulations to all students whose work has been exhibited, whether through the performing arts, the visual arts, multi-media and design technology.
October 31 – pupil-free day
Please remember that Monday October 31, the day before the Melbourne Cup holiday, is a pupil-free teacher preparation day. There will be no classes on either Monday October 31 or Tuesday November 1.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The end of another busy term is upon us. As with most things in life, this will mean different things for different students and their families. For most it will mean a break from the demands and routine of daily school and provide a bit of respite.

For those students in Year 12 it heralds their final term holidays from school. With only three weeks of classes remaining for not only this year but also for  their entire school careers, they have reached the really pointy end of secondary education. In two months time they will be former Galen Collegians with their final SACs, assignments, work placements and exams behind them.

For these students the term holidays represent the start of their final assault to ensure that they enter the next phase of their young lives having done their best and been their best and achieved their best. The best advice I heard for Year 12 students as they enter the final holidays is to treat each day as if it were a school day. Get up at the normal time, work to the normal hours – i.e. start studying no later than 9.00am and go through to 3.30 with the normal break for morning tea and lunch. The late afternoon and evening is then yours to do with as you please: rest, recreate, get some exercise, or even do more study if you are up to it.

Parent teacher student interviews

On Thursday evening and Friday morning we have our parent-teacher-student interviews. By now, everyone will be aware that we have moved to a booking system for the interviews. Bookings can be made online or by making contact with the college. Please ensure that you have made a booking for any teacher you wish to see.

Good luck

The College Band is on tour to Canberra this week under the direction and supervision of our Music Director, Mr David Ashfield.

Our Year 9 students and a number of staff conclude the Year 9 bushwalk program this week

Many of our Italian students will be participating in the annual Italian Camp along with students of Italian from quite a number of other schools in our region

October 31

After very careful consideration, the Leadership Team has decided that Monday October 31 – the day before Melbourne Cup Day – will be a pupil free day. There will be no classes on this day. This will enable staff to prepare for the change in our end of year program with the implementation of the two week Headstart Program which will see all Years 7 – 11  students at school until Friday December 9. Melbourne Cup Day will be a public holiday and there will be no school on that day, Tuesday, November 1.

Regards

Bernard Neal

Principal

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As part of its regular cyclical whole school review each Catholic school in the Sandhurst Diocese follows a routine of externally validated reviews of key areas of school operations. This is an integral part of each school’s ongoing registration process.

Galen had a full school review in 2009, then a “fallow” year in 2010 when no areas were reviewed. This year we have had a review of Catholic Identity, clearly a central consideration in the very nature and purpose of a Catholic school. We have completed a self-review by a panel consisting of Paul Maher (DP-Catholic Identity), Bernard Neal (Principal), Jim Samon (Heritage Co-ordinator), Kate Howard (Social Justice Co-ordinator), Joan Ellis (Assistant to the DP-Catholic Identity).

The validation panel consisting of Audrey Brown (Senior Education Consultant – Secondary from the Catholic Education Office), Maria Weatherill (Religious Education Consultant from the CEO), Alannah Doherty (Director of Religious Education at Catholic College Bendigo) and David Leslie (Principal, FCJ College Benalla) attended Galen on Monday this week to interview the review panel as well as a range of students and other staff.

There were many examples in the panel’s initial verbal report affirming the social justice, liturgies, pastoral care, vision, values and mission of the college, all important aspects of our Catholic Identity. Recommendations included being more explicit in our connecting social justice, learning, and our general school practices to basic gospel values and our mission statement.

The validation panel will provide a detailed written report some time during the next month.

I wish to thank the members of this review panel for their outstanding work in piecing together such a thorough and professional self-review and for the excellent presentation made to the validation panel. Thanks also to the students and staff interviewed by the validation panel.

Once again, we find ourselves Proud to Be Galen!

Year 10 Information Night

This year we have used a streamlined format for our Information Nights under the leadership of Darren Hovey, Deputy Principal –Teaching & Learning. The feedback from parents on this revised format has been very positive.

The most recent Information Night was held last week for students going into Year 10 in 2012. It was well attended by parents and students. There was a follow-up session at school for students later in the same week.

Staffing news

We welcome back from long service leave Mr Brian Carr and Mrs Leanne Carr. Mrs Sylvia Worboys, who replaced Mr Carr while he was on leave, has left us temporarily but will be back for part of fourth term to replace Mrs Bethne Hulme when she takes some long service leave.

Forthcoming student events

Good luck to the Year 10 students as they prepare for the Year 10 Formal to be held next Tuesday evening. We are all looking forward to an exciting and vibrant occasion!

Good luck also to those attending the annual Italian Camp in the last week of term.

Similarly to those attending the Senior Band Tour to Canberra next week.

Interim reports, Parent Teacher Interviews, End of Term

Interim reports for mid-semester are almost completed and will be distributed next week. Followed by parent-teacher interviews on the evening of Thursday 22 September and the morning of Friday 23 September.

We will be using a different format from the past at the end of this term for booking parent/teacher interviews. Parents will need to book interviews online or by contacting the college. More information on this change in format can be found on page 3 of this newsletter.

Please note that the last of classes for this term is Thursday 22 September.

Regards

Bernard Neal

Principal