25 January 2024

Prayer

From the Principal - Kevin Barnes

Dear Families,

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas break and are ready to start a new school year. On Monday it was great to welcome students back to school to begin the next chapter in their learning journey and build on the foundations from last year.

Each year it is always exciting to welcome the year 7 cohort to the College to begin their secondary school phase of learning.  The transition from primary to secondary school is often quite a shock to students as they are adjusting to new teachers, changed routines, different timetables, and extra classmates.  I can confidently say that this year's students have quickly settled into life at Gilroy and are taking the new challenges in their stride.

I welcome our new Parish Priest, Fr John Kunnathumadappallil, to our College community and report that he has already formed a strong bond with staff members through his involvement in back-to-school events.  We look forward to building on the relationship in the coming weeks.  

At present, we are all waiting and wondering what the impact of the current weather event will be.  This is a timely reminder to ensure that student details in Compass are correct and up to date.  Parents are asked to inform the College if your address or family circumstances have changed.  It is critical that we know exactly where each student lives and which bus they travel on.

Please see the Wet Weather procedures elsewhere in this newsletter.

As the Principal of this College, I am proud of the achievements of our graduating students of 2023 and the commitment, dedication, and efforts of our students, staff, and parents which all contributed to the wonderful ATAR results and career paths our students are on. A snapshot of GSMC 2023 ATAR results is: 

•         The top ATAR score achieved was 97.6
•         6 students achieved an ATAR above 90
•         10 students achieved an ATAR above 80

This year, we look forward to continuing the quality education program for all students and continue to offer a wide range of opportunities and challenges.

I strongly encourage students to access the academic support program where they can access teachers when additional support may be needed. 

The academic support program is available for all students as follows:

•         Monday to Friday at second lunch in the Library
•         Monday to Wednesday from 3pm to 4pm in the Library

To achieve our goals, we need ongoing support and involvement from parents to strengthen the partnership between home and school to ensure our students are receiving the nurturing and support necessary. I ask all parents and carers to ensure:

• Students attend school every day, are on time, and adhere to the school rules and expectations.
• Communicate with the College any concerns or issues that may affect your child’s learning or wellbeing.
• Support your child’s learning at home by providing a quiet, comfortable space to work, encouraging reading and support completion of homework and assessment tasks
• Be positive about the importance of education by praising their efforts and recognise student achievements.
• Volunteer your time and skills to assist with school events, activities, and fundraisers.
• Providing feedback in a constructive, respectful manner to help us improve our College.

Please feel free to contact the College if you have any questions or concerns or refer to the GSMC website https://www.gilroysm.catholic.edu.au/ to seek information and updates.

 God bless
Kevin Barnes

ATAR Achievements 2023

Assessment Planners Term 1 2024

The assessment planners for Year 7 to 12 have been released and a copy can be accessed from the links below, or the College website via the Students tab. All students and parents have been notified via Compass also. 

Assessment Planners contain all necessary information for the assessment of each subject expected throughout Term 1. Some students may become rather overwhelmed by the quantity of work ahead. The key to survival is being organised.

The school diary is a great resource to keep students organised. Students need to ensure that they have all the required writing materials and books for their classes and need to begin revising work and ensuring homework is completed from day one. Homework entails consolidation of the day’s lesson, revision of previous learning and working on any upcoming assessment.

Induction Mass & School Photos

Wet Weather Disruptions

With a few days between us and the possible development of a tropical cyclone, now is the time to be aware of school procedures in the event of school closures or affected access due to floods, cyclones or severe weather.

Learn how parents/carers are notified of potential closures during severe weather events  https://shorturl.at/epJTW 

𝗧𝗖𝗘 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁  𝘌𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦.  𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘸.  𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦.  𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘦

Absences

Important Dates

Essential Emails

Reminders

From the Business Manager –Ros Giuliano

PAYMENT PLANS
If you are currently on a payment plan. Please check that your current repayments will be enough to cover the increase in fees and adjust them accordingly. Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any queries.

MULTI-SCHOOL FAMILY FEE DISCOUNTS
As of 2015, a new fee structure gave families discounted fees for the second, third and subsequent children across both secondary and primary systemic Catholic schools in the Townsville Diocese. To take advantage of this extended fee discount, parents/carers should contact the principal or finance secretary of the primary school, informing them of older siblings attending a systemic Catholic secondary school. Diocesan Tuition fee discounts will be applied accordingly.

2024 School Fees

PENSIONER AND HEALTH CARE CARD HOLDERS FEE DISCOUNTS
In addition to these family fee discounts, parents/carers with a means tested Australian government health care or pensioner concession card may be eligible to receive a 70% discount to tuition fees. Cards must be in the name of the parent/carer not the child/student.

Families without these cards who are experiencing financial difficulty should speak with the College Principal to apply for special consideration.

No child will be denied enrolment due to financial difficulty. Parent/carers should discuss this matter with the school principal who will treat the situation with understanding, sensitivity and confidentiality.

Just a reminder that our preferred way of payment is now BPAY and those details are on the statement. As always, you can pay by credit card, cheque or cash or we can set up a direct debit through Pay way.

If the statement does not look quite right, you do not agree with balance or if you have any issues or questions regarding the statements, please do not hesitate to see me.

As always, if for any reason you are finding it difficult to pay school fees, please contact the College Principal or myself to discuss the matter.

Ros Giuliano
rgiuliano@gilroysm.catholic.edu.au

Tuckshop

Student Accident Protection Plan - Claim Form

Accidents will happen and they can be costly.  Student Accident Protection Plan 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 John Kunnathumadappallil
Parish Priest
Ingham Region Catholic Parishes

Around the District