7 September 2023

2024 Ingham Catholic Debutante Ball

Lost Property

There are a number of items in the Lost Property box, including Gilroy Jumpers. If your child is missing a hat or jumper or other items, please ask them to check the Lost Property in Student Reception.

Please ensure all items of clothing are named clearly (not just initials) so that they can be returned to their owners.  

Items not collected by the end of Term will be donated to Vinnies.

Year 12 Emerging Leaders

Our Year 12 Emerging Leaders travelled to Townsville recently to celebrate Blak Excellence alongside 100+ other Emerging Leaders within the Townsville Catholic Diocese. Congratulations Coen, Tahlia, Malachi, Bailey and Ruby on receiving your Emerging Leaders Graduation Awards.

We Are Now Accepting Enrolments For 2024

Student Absences

Important Dates

Essential Emails

From the Principal - Kevin Barnes

Dear Families,

Happy Father's Day Blessing

I send a belated Father's Day blessing to all fathers, grandfathers and male role models within our school community. A father figure can be defined as a person who students look up to as a source of encouragement and one worth following. Male role models are meant to show others how to live life with integrity, hope, optimism, compassion, and determination. Positive male role models can significantly influence the lives of the young people who look up to them and play an essential role in the positive development of others.

2024 Student Leaders

We recently finalised the election of the 2024 Student Leaders, which have been published on Facebook to keep our school community informed.  In week one of Term 4 we will hold the symbolic handover and presentation of badges to the following students:

College Captains: Ewan Duffy and Lara Deambrogio

Vice Captains: Jaia Poppi and Lijllianna Heystraten

Prefects: Ella Cross, Emily Scott, Jacinta Jeffery and Jennifer Bridges

McAuley Captains: Damien Marino and Adele Jensen

Rice Captains: Lucy Biviano and Lucy Tento

O’Meara Captains: Cash Ormonde and Ashleigh Smallwood

Queensland Health - New Laws

Queensland Health has advised that new smoke and vape-free public places come into effect from 1 September 2023. These new laws apply to school grounds and carparks and are intended to complement the existing bans that apply across school campuses.

Smoking and vaping is already prohibited on school facilities including a 5-metre buffer zone extending from the boundary of the school.

• The new law extends the smoke and vape-free protection to include all car parks provided for school communities.
• The smoke and vape-free requirements for schools always apply, which means schools are smoke and vape-free areas outside of school hours, on weekends and in school holiday periods.
• The laws apply to all persons using a school facility, including students, staff, parents, guardians, visitors and persons providing a service or accessing school facilities.

Gilroy On Show

A huge thank you to all students, families and staff for all the great work last week in preparing, running and dismantling Gilroy on Show.  The evening was a wonderful event to showcase our College and provide information sessions, entertainment and hospitality for members of our school community.  It is always very pleasing to have parents and visitors seeing firsthand the wonderful facilities and experiences our students have available to them. 

Mock External Assessments

Our Year 12 students move into a mock external assessment block across the last two weeks of this term in preparation for the state-wide External Assessments (EA’s) which commence on 23 October. The purpose of the mocks is to rehearse the structure of the EAs and familiarise students with the types of assessment they will experience in the EAs. Experience gained as part of these mock assessments is critical in informing the processes of the remaining weeks of schooling and will allow for students and staff to work collaboratively to prepare for the challenges of the final weeks of Year 12.

Construction Underway

Currently, there are two construction projects underway to further enhance our school facilities.  This week the slab is being poured for a four bay shed at the rear of the SMC which will house our new Gym, as well as provide storage for HPE equipment and resources for the SMC.  In the coming weeks work will commence on the car park at the entrance of the College which will provide additional all weather parking.  We do not expect these projects will create any disruption to the day to day operation of the school.

I wish all families and staff a peaceful break during the upcoming school holidays and remind all students to be safe, be sensible and be prepared for term 4 which commences on Tuesday 3 October.

God bless
Kevin Barnes

Prayer

From Maddyn White - Acting Assistant Principal - Pastoral

Dear Families,

Coming up to the end of term with exams and assessment is a busy time for all at the College, however, we still have some engaging days coming up for students giving them a chance to destress and have some fun. 

On the last day of this term, the annual Forrest Beach Fun Run is on again. Our Year 12 students and staff have been working hard to organise enjoyable activities for students to participate in throughout the day. This event is free of charge for all students and permission notes were sent home a few weeks ago. If your child has not returned their permission note, please contact student reception as soon as possible or email admin@gilroysm.catholic.edu.au giving permission.  (Please note - verbal permission is no longer acceptable).

Recently our senior leaders for 2024 were elected and the quality of the leadership interviews was fantastic again this year. With the passionate ideas and responses provided by students in the interviews, I am looking forward to working with them all next year and watching them grow and make a difference within the college community throughout 2024. 

On Thursday 14 September (Week 10) we will come together as a college to participate in a range of activities for “R U OK?” Day. Students will participate in a collaborative activity, followed by cake and conversations after. R U OK? Day inspires and empowers everyone to meaningfully connect with the  people around them and start a conversation with those in their world who may be struggling with life. You don't need to be an expert to reach out - just a good friend and a great listener. You can use these four steps and have a conversation that could change a life:

• • 1. Ask R U OK?
  • 2. Listen
  • 3. Encourage action
  • 4. Check in

For further information and resources you can visit https://www.ruok.org.au/ 

I hope all families enjoy the upcoming break as we look forward to a jam packed Term 4, where we get the opportunity to celebrate our students’ achievements and the Year of 2023. 

God Bless, 
Maddyn White

From the Business Manager –Ros Giuliano

Term 3 School Fees are now OVERDUE!

If you have not paid school fees yet, please do so ASAP. There are a number of ways to pay, including BPAY, direct debit as well credit card etc.

Office hours over the School Holidays.

The office will be open over the school holidays please see adjusted hours below.
Monday – Wednesday 8.00am to 4.00pm. Closed for lunch 1.00pm - 2.00pm
Thursday & Friday 8.00am to 3.30pm. Closed for lunch 1.00pm – 2.00pm

All statements are emailed so please notify the school of any changes to your email address.
If you have not supplied us with your email address please do so.

As always, if you have any questions or queries, please contact the Principal or myself to discuss the matter. The sooner you make contact the sooner we can work together for a solution.

Ros Giuliano
rgiuliano@gilroysm.catholic.edu.au

Year 10 All School Touch Carnival Wrap-up

Matthew - The All Schools NQ Touch Carnival was a great experience for all the students that participated in it. It was a touch carnival that was held in Townsville on the 19 and 20 of August. Overall, each of our teams from Gilroy went extremely well throughout the weekend! The under 15's team and the under 13's team won the competition. The best part of the weekend would have been playing with all our mates and winning the competition together. 

Pierce - The 2023 All Schools Touch Carnival was a great success for Gilroy as 2 out of 4 teams won their respective age groups. The two open teams competed through some hard fought games and fell short at the end. It was great to see people from other schools compete with pride for their school. The best part of the competition would have been playing with some of my good mates. The touch carnival was a great experience for all students involved and we would be keen to go again next year.

Jack - For all who participated in the competition, the All Schools NQ Touch Carnival was a great experience. On the 19 and 20 of August the touch carnival was held, with great success across all age groups within the Gilroy community. Within our school, the under 15’s and under 13’s age groups came up with a win, representing our school with pride. Spending time with our mates was a great experience and made the bond between us stronger.

Extra Curricular Activities

Student Care Insurance - Information Sheet

Accidents will happen and they can be costly.  Student Care is a student accident insurance policy specifically designed to help cover the costs.  Please click on the link above for more details and how to make a claim.

What's Happening in the Parish

St Patrick’s, Ingham
Saturday Vigil: 6.00pm
Sunday: 8.30am and 7.00pm

St Peter’s, Halifax
Sunday: 7.00am

Canossa Chapel, Trebonne
Sunday: 10.00am

St Teresa’s, Abergowrie
Sunday: 10.00am

INGHAM REGION CATHOLIC PARISHES NEWSLETTER:

https://inghamcatholic.com/category/newsletter/

Father Damian McGrath
Parish Priest
Ingham Region Catholic Parishes

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