Galilee School's mission is 'to inspire young people to realise their full?potential by developing and utilising their unique talents and?capabilities; by aiding students to find a sense of purpose and value in?themselves as productive and worthwhile members of our community'.
Galilee School can best pursue this mission, with each young person, if they are in contact and connection with the school and with the staff of the school.
The student population at Galilee School is diverse, there is nothing generic about them. For many, attendance at school is not something that comes easily. If they can and do attend, then establishing a level of trust in the staff of the school is also something that can be difficult. This is not always a choice that the young people make - this is the cumulative impact of the experiences, and exposures, that each young person has had before attending Galilee School, and for many - that continue during their time at Galilee School.
Galilee School seeks to do all that it can to overcome barriers to attendance and engagement at school:
- our transport strategy picks students up from strategic locations around Canberra each morning and drops them back each afternoon - for many students navigating public transport is a challenge
- our staff to student ratios are low - the need for closer trusting relationships with more targeted support assists young people to navigate barriers to engagement and learning
- working with families to identify and address those 'non-school' factors that can impact a young persons experience away from school - supporting and empowering families to support each young person to navigate life and find success and positive relationships
- working with other service providers and agencies in order to address barriers to attendance and engagement - working to build referral pathways for students of the school to medical health providers, mental heath providers, and community sector supports - establishing Galilee School within a broader ecosystem of support aimed at assisting each young person to find success
- targeted support and training for staff - equipping staff so that they can best support and assist the young people of the school with whatever challenges a young person may choose to share or disclose
- diagnostic processes to identify where each young person is at and their zone of proximal development - identifying what's next for each young person and moving toward what that what's next might be
- removing any financial barriers that may exist for a student or their family in accessing learning and support
- providing everything that a young person needs in order to find success at school - food, technology, equipment, learning materials etc
- endeavouring to provide a safe and respectful environment within the school for all young people
- by continually reflecting on our model of Trauma Informed Positive Behaviour Support - we never claim to have our approach as perfect, we look to respond to the needs and feedback provided by our students, the contributions of our staff, and what we learn from our community.
The model of teaching, learning and student support at Galilee School is only made possible by the professionalism, commitment, and dedication of the wonderful team of teachers, youth workers, learning support staff, our chaplain, and our administration team; as well as the wonderful support provided to the school form the broader Communities at Work organisation.
