4 August 2016

Newsletter Articles

Important Dates

Gilroy on the Go

School Social

Transition Day

A reminder to all Year 6 students in the Hinchinbrook, Cardwell and Kennedy areas of the last Transition Day.

Information Night

Police Station and Courthouse Visit

Year 12 English Communication class visited the Police Station and the Courthouse recently. The visit fell on the back of a unit on The Law in Term II. During the excursion, police showed students the holding cells, arrest procedures and fingerprinting. Afterwards, they were taken to the Magistrate's Court to sit through a couple of cases before the court.

Gilroy Gamers

On Saturday, 30 July, gamers came together to battle it out on Call of Duty Black Ops 2.

Unfortunately, due to some technical issues, players were unable to play this particular game.

However, all was not lost. Karl Modra introduced the group to a new game - Team Fortress 2.

For the rest of the day, it was Blue V Red in some closely fought scenarios.

Console gamers also played a variety of games and had a great day.

It was great to see some new faces and hopefully this group will continue to grow.

The technical difficulties experienced when trying to play COD have since been resolved and the plan is to have a free P.C. only day for Call of Duty BOP2 players.

Stay tuned for the date.

Lee Awarded Golfing Opportunity

Congratulations to Lee Osmond who has just been awarded a prestigious Golfing opportunity to compete in the Genesis Golf Cup in Sydney on the Australian Open course, a week prior to the Open. Lee achieved this remarkable feat by being currently ranked number one in Australia for B grade (out of 35000 adults) and number two in Queensland for both A and B Grade (out of 17000 adults). Lee is mostly self-taught, but admitted that he picked up a few tips off a Pro in the last couple of months which has helped to bring his handicap down from 23 to 12. Someone had better tell Jason Day to watch his back.

Biology Camp

The Year 11 Biology class, along with the senior Biology boys from Abergowrie, were lucky enough to encounter some weird, wonderful, cute and even scary creatures on camp at Paluma last week. The students spent the first day immersing themselves in both the Rainforest and Open-Forest ecosystems, and completing their transects. However, it wasn't until the sun went down that they realized the true beauty of what these unique Australian ecosystems have to offer. After dinner the mammal viewing area proved to be a hit as fruit was laid out under special red lights, which hungry mammals cannot see, allowing them to be viewed unknowingly. Amongst the cute and cuddly visitors was a Striped Possum (D. trivirgata) which is an uncommon species rarely seen in Australia. The night Rainforest walk also did not disappoint as students got to see luminescent fungi and even reported a sighting of a feral pig. Ms Board and Mr Hayden would like to thank the students for their excellent behaviour and involvement on camp.

From the Principal

Dear Gilroy Santa Maria College Community

Last week across Queensland we celebrated Catholic Education Week. The aim of the week is to promote the special ethos of Catholic schools and to highlight the great things that take place in Catholic schools every day.

There are 300 Catholic schools in Queensland that educate around 147,000 students and employ 19,000 teachers and staff. Our communities strive to make a difference in the lives of those in our schools and in the wider community by challenging young people to live out the message of Jesus and to reach their full potential as compassionate, contributing, life-giving members of society.

We celebrated the week with our student leaders attending a Diocesan Mass in Townsville last Monday as well as all our Hinchinbrook Catholic Schools at attending a Mass locally on Wednesday.

During the week, two members of our community received awards. Firstly, Mrs Rita Martin received a Spirit of Catholic Education Award for her outstanding contribution to our school community over the last 21 years. Apart from being a great teacher, Rita contributes generously in so many ways in our school. Rita's organisation of our recent St Vincent De Paul Sleep-Out being just one example of her commitment. Our second recipient was Yr 12 student Celine Aquilini who received the Deus Caritas Est Award. This award is presented to a student in each of our Catholic secondary schools who demonstrates an obvious commitment to our ethos and gives generously and actively to their College community. Congratulations to both Rita and Celine.

Another exciting feature of Catholic Education Week was a meeting on Wednesday night of school representatives from St Peter's Halifax, Our Lady of Lourdes, Mary McKillop Early Learning Centre, St Theresa's Abergowrie and Gilroy Santa Maria who came together to discuss how we all could work together to further promote, share resources, expertise and generally enhance Catholic schooling in our region. There were many great ideas shared and we hope it is the first of many such meetings in the months to come. One result of the meeting is that we will have a regular newsletter published to be distributed throughout the Hinchinbrook region with news and stories from all our Catholic schools.

This week we are conducting our Interhouse Athletics Carnival. On Wednesday there will be a couple of events in the afternoon but the big day will be on Friday. We have altered our program to include some novelty events and therefore encourage more participation. It promises to be a fun day and I really hope that all students attend to participate and cheer on their team. Parents and families are welcome to come along and join in the spirit.

Regards
John Nuttall

Celine Aquilini who received the Deus Caritas Est Award

RADII Surveys

Dear Parents/Carers

Each year the Townsville Catholic Education Office conducts a survey of all families, staff and students in our Catholic school communities. The aim of the surveys is to receive feedback of how well we are performing in providing educational services in our schools.

The surveys will be compiled by RADII (Research Australia Development and Innovation Institute) Group. All families should have by now received an email regarding the survey and links which will enable you to complete it. Students will be given time in class to complete the survey. The survey is due for completion by Sunday 21 August. Your cooperation in taking time to complete the survey will be greatly appreciated.

Regards
John Nuttall
Principal

From the Assistant Principal
(Religious Education)

Last week we celebrated Catholic Education Week across Queensland. In this Year of Mercy, we have been asked to open our doors, to welcome and value every person who we meet. We are asked to open our hearts so we can be people who BE and DO mercy for others! Year 7 students joined in the celebration of Mass at St Patrick's Church with Lourdes, St Peter's, St Teresa's and Mary McKillop. It was a beautiful Mass highlighting how God's love for us is everlasting and never ending. We too need to show our love to all we encounter in our lives, to show others our unending compassion and mercy.

Young Vinnies joined with other students and staff in the school community to host the "Vinnies Sleep Out" on Friday night. Braving the freezing conditions and relying only on hot soup for dinner; the students enjoyed a night full of games and fun, raising money for this worthwhile cause. Thank you to Mrs Rita Martin, all the staff and members of the Ingham St Vincent de Paul group for helping to organise the event and running it on the night. Also, a very special thank you to Father Damian and Father Vitalis for opening their home to us and Father Damian for celebrating the Liturgy with us.

On the weekend we held a cake stall for the "Missionaries of the Poor" trip to Naga City. It was a great success. Of course, this is due to the support of our fantastic students, parents, grandparents and teachers and their hard work behind the scenes baking all week for the stall. A special thanks goes to Paula Henderson for organising the event and the parents who helped out on Saturday morning. Over the next couple of weeks, we will also be selling tickets for a Weber BBQ and KitchenAid Food Chopper. You can purchase tickets at the School Office or after Mass over the weekend. Thank you all your support.

God Bless
Christine Timms

We come to you O Merciful God,
knowing that you are with us and in us.
May we open our doors to welcome
and value all who belong to our school community.
May we open our doors to hear the voices of those in need.
May we open our doors to nourish
and nurture each other.
Give us strength and courage
to be signs of your mercy in all we do and say.
We make this prayer through Jesus,
our mentor and teacher. Amen.

From the Acting Assistant Principal
(Administration & Curriculum)

As we complete Week 4 and near the midway point of Term 3, I expect that all students are very busy with homework and assessment requirements. Students should be spending towards 2 hours (depending on grade and subjects) each evening on school work. Please ensure that the Term 3 Assessment Planner is being followed carefully.

Term 3 also has many extra-curricular activities and really is a very busy term. Students will need to be very organized, focused and disciplined with their work. A reminder that the College offers an Academic Support Program at lunch time in the Library and after school on Monday and Wednesday.

Report cards should now have been received. Should parents wish to discuss any concerns with teachers, please email the teacher concerned or call the Office for the teacher to ring you back to make a suitable time.

Term 3 is also that time of year when students in Year 8 and 11 will need to start thinking about subject choices for next year. To assist students with these choices, a variety of information sessions are being given to parents and students throughout this term. Please encourage discussion with your child about subject selection as it is important that sensible selections are made from the outset.

In making choices students should consider the following:

• INTEREST - What they like, or are interested in studying
• SUCCESS - What they will be best at

Students can be misled or make poor choices when they base their decisions on:

• Being told that a subject is easy. What is easy for some students may be quite difficult for others. A subject which is too easy may very soon become boring!
• Hearing that there is no homework in that particular subject. Beware this advice is misleading. Practical oriented subjects may not have regular homework, but assessment items throughout the semester will be due.
• The teacher taking the subject. There is no certainty that the same teacher will teach the subject next year. Many schools have significant re-allocations of staff each year.

Students can also discuss subject selection with Careers Advisor Mrs Nancy Douglas or the subject teacher.

Joan Devietti

From the Assistant Principal
(Pastoral Care)

Last Friday evening I attended my first ever Vinnie's Sleepout, a night that raises awareness for the very serious problem of homelessness in Australia. While our one night out can by no means tell the true story of what it is really like to be homeless, it did give us all an appreciation that homelessness is something that is very real in this country and affects many thousands of people every night throughout Australia. No matter how great our personal struggles here in Ingham, we can all view ourselves very fortunate to live in a nice town with family and friends close by to help out when times are at their toughest. During assembly last week I made mention that now is the time in their secondary school lives when they begin to realise that life just isn't about them and that they begin their journey to understand that the only real source of true happiness is in showing care and empathy for others. I summed it up by saying that we need not feel guilty about our positions in life but we did need to use our "advantage" to help those who are "disadvantaged".

On a completely different note, this week we will be hosting our annual Interhouse Athletics Carnival. With the half day on Wednesday and a full day of events on Friday, the race is definitely on to see who takes out this year's mantle of champion house. This year we have changed the timing of the event to align it more closely with the Interschool Carnival and also to increase participation on the Friday. As a school we have challenged the students to achieve 95% attendance for the day and we will have a 95-minute lunch hour on one Wednesday this term. Participation is an ongoing concern on whole school organised events. While sport itself is not for everyone, days like this throughout the year are very much aimed at increasing school spirit and engaging with staff and other students on a level that is far removed from the pressures of the school routine. The benefits of these interactions are enormous and help to forge greater working relationships for all parties. In saying this, it is very important that parents encourage and support their child to attend all of these days. I know from personal experience that the incessant whinging, whining and complaining is at times almost too much to handle, but I urge you to be strong and send your child to school and we will handle the rest. Remember, "What doesn't kill them will definitely make them stronger".

Peter Groundwater

Homelessness – Student Blog

Friday I participated in the Vinnies Sleepout for Homelessness. It was a night where a group of kids and adults from Young Vinnies and the St Vincent De Paul Society slept outside of their own comfortable beds and tried to get a taste of what it would be like to be homeless. During my one-night experience I had a piece of cardboard, a yoga mat, a sleeping bag and a doona to keep me warm and it was actually so fun that I will probably do it again next year. When I got home I was itching for a shower and my actual bed. I can only imagine those poor homeless people who don't have a bath and bed to come home to. They don't have a group of people keeping them company and don't have a yoga mat or sleeping bag and a doona to keep them warm, like I had. I have actually done some research this time and found that on the Census in 2011 there were more than 105,237 Australians experiencing homelessness, that is 1 in every 200 people and I am sure this figure has increased since the last Census.

These people have nothing and it is not their fault. Usually only one thing goes wrong in their life and everything crashes. Just imagine losing everything you owned; your money, your phone, your books and all your prize possessions. I know I wouldn't survive without my house and everything in it. The sleepout was raising awareness for people on the streets and giving us a little taste on how they live. Though I don't think anything can match what homeless people go through and I don't think anything we do can help us feel what they are feeling.

Careers

Term 3 has begun with a flurry of activity as students ventured out to explore their future options, both at University and in a variety of occupations.

It was a huge start to the Term for Year 11 students, who undertook a week of real-world work experience, many in Ingham, but others in Cardwell, Townsville, Home Hill and even Mt Isa. Feedback from students has been extremely positive, with students working out whether the occupation of their experience was what they loved doing, or whether they needed to continue the search for their preferred occupation. Host employers have been equally enthusiastic in their reaction to the performance of students in their workplace, and one student has secured part-time employment as a direct result of undertaking work experience. Work experience is still available for Year 11 students and students considering work experience on the September holidays can collect application forms from outside the Careers Room, or during second lunch at the Careers Counter.

Year 12 students who are intending on continued education at university in 2017 immersed themselves in two sessions of university instruction on Tuesday 12 July. Subject options ranged from Medicine (with brave individuals undertaking an investigation of the anatomy laboratory), Business, Information Technology, Engineering, Sport and Exercise Science, Law, Psychology and Humanities. The students were well catered for on the day and gained a perspective on what university life might offer them next year.

Year 12 students intending on beginning employment upon graduation also undertook four days of work experience, gaining vital knowledge and checking that their competencies matched the requirements of real world employers. Work experience is vital in ensuring that students are meeting potential employers and giving them the best chance of securing full time employment in 2017. Application forms for work experience are available from the Careers Counter or the Careers Room, and students are encouraged to make use of this opportunity.

Year 10 subject selection information is underway at the Careers Counter each day at second lunch. The previous two weeks have featured displays of each mathematics textbook for Year 11. Many students have been motivated to call in to the Counter, look over the textbooks and ask questions. Further subject displays highlighting Year 11 subject choices will follow in future weeks.

Information relating to careers, job vacancies and university options are regularly emailed to parents of students in Years 10, 11 and 12. To ensure that you are receiving all the information sent, please ensure that the College administration has been supplied with your most frequently checked email address.

Nancy Douglas

GSM Wearable Art – Ingham Show

Wearable Art is a long process which requires a lot of work and commitment. Creating this piece for the Ingham show was an experience in itself. All of the hours and lunch times dedicated towards this piece had a fantastic and rewarding outcome. We definitely encourage younger students to represent Gilroy Santa Maria in next year's wearable art competition at the Ingham Show. It is truly an amazing experience watching everyone present their pieces to the crowd and judges.

Lauryn Deambrogio and Rachel Carr

During the second term our Year 10 Art Class created wearable art. The aim of the activity was to create a message with art that was only made out of recyclable items. The act of making the wearable art took the entire term and every person did something different. Mine was black with colourful borders around paintings stuck to the torso which says the world is colourless and bleak without art. I was very nervous when I was going to show it off at the Ingham show, but when I went out there; it felt great to show it off.

Caine Patterson

Sports Report

Inter-house Athletics:

Pre-events for the Interhouse Athletics Carnival are well underway, with events being held during 2nd break. All three houses have been well represented and the current points table shows a competitive race to find the overall Interhouse Athletics Champion for 2016. Our main Interhouse Athletics day will be on the Friday 5 August 2016 so all parents and friends of the school are more than welcome to come along and support our athletes. Some terrific performances have already occurred particularly Alicia Galipo who broke the long standing Discus record with a throw of 24.3m. Well done, Alicia!

Inter-house Athletics Progressive Points Table

Events on Friday 5 August

Confraternity/QISSN:

The Confraternity and QISSN Awards Dinner will be held on Monday 15 August. This evening is held to recognize and reward the efforts of both our Open Rugby League and Netball players who represented our school at both Confraternity and QISSN events held during the June/July holidays. Parents and supporters wanting more information about this evening can contact Joanne Devietti at the Office.

T20 Cricket:

Best of luck to both the Junior and Senior Gilroy cricket teams that will play Ingham State High School in next Monday's Queensland Secondary Schools T20 Cricket Competition round 1 fixture. Both teams have training sessions with Mr Nuttall scheduled over the coming week and will be eager to win against Ingham State High School where they could play the winner from Ignatius Park College and Ayr State High School. Best of luck boys.

Vicki Wilson Cup:

On Tuesday 19 July, the Gilroy Open Netball Team travelled to Townsville to compete in the 2nd round of the Vicki Wilson Cup after beating the High School 3 nil in the first round. The girls played 5 games, winning 2 after beating Charters Towers and Bowen. A huge effort was brought to the day with standout players being Meghan Altadonna and Renae Morelli along with Mikaela Stokes and Emma Russo. Well done to all girls involved. What a great way to finish the netball season!

Ian Schifilliti

ACADEMIC SUPPORT

Academic Support will be offered for students after school MONDAY, TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY from 3:00pm-4:00pm.

Monday: Support will be available in the Library, senior Sciences in L1 and at the Trade Training Centre.
Tuesday: Support will be available in the Art Room for the Arts (Art, Creative Art, Drama etc).
Wednesday: Support will be available in the Library and the Indigenous Tutoring program will also continue.

Lunch time support is still available Monday – Friday in the Library.

Students can use this time to:

• Complete homework
• Work on assessment
• Gain subject specific tutoring

with up to 3 teachers from various faculties present for student support.

Students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this very generous donation of precious teacher time.

Tuckshop Roster

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED FOR 2016!!

Please note: The lunch times this year are as follows:

1st Lunch – 11:15am – 11:40am
2nd Lunch – 1:20pm finish 2:05pm

Start time is preferably 9:00am until when you are available.Thank you and we look forward to seeing you all again this year.

If there is any query in regards to this roster or you are unavailable please contact:

Sandra Benedetto Home [4776 5321]
Jodie Lino Home [4776 5718]

What's Happening in the Parish

"20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."

(Matthew 18:20, NIV)

In the words of Jesus you are invited to attend North Queensland's first ever Edge night.

To you the teens and future members of Edge,

Are you in Years 7, 8 or 9? Do you want to be a part of a group just for teens your age? A group where you can relax, be yourself and have fun? Do you want to make new friends, learn life skills and grow as a person? Then come along to Ingham's first ever Edge night. A place where you can find fun, friendship and faith. A place where thousands of young people the world over have transformed their lives. A place just for you. It all beings this Friday night. Will you come to the Edge?

To you the parents,

Directed at teens in Years 7, 8 and 9, Edge is part of the worldwide Catholic youth ministry organization and movement known as LifeTeen. Edge's Eucharistic based ministry has the power to transform teens, transform parishes, and transform culture. The program seeks to facilitate the physical, psychological, cognitive, relational, and spiritual maturation of young teens. If you are looking for a way to help your teen grow as a person, Edge will provide that opportunity and support their development as a person grounded in the virtues of honesty, humanity, selflessness, diligence, patience, kindness and humility. This transformative program will begin this Friday the 5 August from 7:00pm until 8:30pm at 18 Abbott Street in Mercy Hall.

For any inquiries please contact Michael van Blerk at;

PH: 4726 3200
Email: mvanblerk@tsv.catholic.org.au

Philippines Mission Trip Raffle

To assist the students going on the Philippines Mission Trip this year, they are running a raffle as a fundraiser. First Prize is a Weber Baby Q and second prize is an Artisan Kitchen Aid Food Chopper. Both wonderful prizes. Tickets at $1 each will be available after Masses at all Mass Centres except Halifax this weekend and next weekend. Look out for the people selling these tickets. Prize will be drawn on Sunday 14 August. Thank you for your support.

Missionaries of the Poor Collection

Cheques made payable to "Philippines Mission Trip". Direct Bank transfer details: Bank—Bendigo Bank; BSB— 633-108; Account No. 146009840

Fijian Night

You are invited to join Ben and Merelita who have been collecting for the Fiji Appeal to a Fijian Night to raise funds to assist the victims of Cyclone Winston. This will be held on Saturday 13 August at Conroy Hall from 6pm to 12 midnight with traditional dancing and Fijian cuisine, drinks available for purchase. Tickets $25 Adults; Family (2 adults & 2 children) $50. Contact 47774547 or goneturaga@gmail.com to purchase tickets or for further information. See poster at all Mass centres.

Upcoming Events

• Australia-Italian Mass—7 August
• First Holy Communions—Ingham 13 & 14 August
• First Holy Communion—Canossa 21 August
• Mission Trip—16 –30 September

Father Damian McGrath
Parish Priest
Ingham Region Catholic Parishes

District News

St Peter's School Afternoon Tea & Hoy

Combined School Ball

Advertising with Schoolzine

Would you like to advertise in our new Schoolzine eNewsletter? Currently, Dion Guthrie the Advertising and Sales Manager is working diligently to source family friendly advertising sponsors. Schoolzine will then rebate quarterly 20% of revenue back to the school.

If you are interested in advertising either contact the school office or feel free to email Dion any questions, suggestions or advertising enquiries.

Dion Guthrie email: dion.guthrie@schoolzine.com.au
P 07 5450 2710 / MB 0416 890 824