14 October 2016

Newsletter Articles

Important Dates

2016

Gilroy on the Go

Bond Scholarship Success

Congratulations to our Year 12 Student, Lachlan Castles, on obtaining a full scholarship to Bond University next year. Lachlan will be studying with the Bond Business School, which has been placed in the top 1% of business schools worldwide. Lachlan was chosen out of hundreds of applicants, had skype interviews and attended an interview panel in Cairns to gain this honour. Well done Lachlan.

Art Exhibition

12 students, multiple boxes of Maltesers, and one Miranda Pietrobon. This is what the Year 12 Visual Art Class faced in their final year at Gilroy. The time has come for us to face the final weeks leading up to our Art Exhibition on 27 October. As the days pass we all work ferociously on our final pieces while reflecting on 2016.

This year we have completed many pieces including preliminary work and major pieces. Our first body of art followed the theme 'Phenomena'. While some students followed traditional themes others broke off and chose unique themes including light and colour, candles, flowers and music. This allowed each piece to be unique. An example for this is the life size person made of wax and covered in bees. The next theme that we had to follow was 'Appropriating Renaissance'. This involved finding and recreating famous renaissance paintings, proving harder than most expected. These bodies of art tested each and every one of us in ways that we hadn't yet faced, meaning we had to think bigger and better, literally with Morgan Berger, Ally Molachino and Lara Berkley creating pieces bigger than Mr Hill's IQ.

If you wish to have a look at and maybe even purchase some of these magnificent bodies of art, come along on Thursday 27 October to the Tyto Ingham Art Gallery. The exhibition starts promptly at 6:30pm, but be quick as the exhibition is only on show for a week. Hope to see each and every one of you there.

By Jordan Friday

Fun Run

Stokes family take out three categories in the Ironman and Ironwomen Championships

Work Placement

Work placement has commenced again for this term. Gilroy Santa Maria would like to thank all businesses involved in hosting our students for this valuable learning opportunity.

From the Principal

Dear Gilroy Santa Maria College Community

Last week I attended the Yr 11 Camp at the Echo Adventure Camp near Tully. The Camp had a leadership focus, including discussions and voting for student positions in 2017. I was really impressed with contributions the students made in the various sessions. The highlight for me were the replies they gave when asked about the qualities they admired in fellow students and previous school leaders. Nearly every response said that they admired students that made an effort to be friends with everyone and tried to build an inclusive community. They described how these students made everyone feel welcome and included them in conversations and activities. It's a quality that I believe we should continue to foster in our school, a quality that builds friendships and relationships and can only contribute positively to the wellbeing of all our students.

I take this opportunity to thank the Yr 11's for their excellent behaviour and to our generous staff members who attended the camp. Special mention to Ms Karen Board, our new Yr 11 Coordinator who did an outstanding job in running such a successful camp. The application and election process for our 2017 leaders will take place in the coming weeks and I hope many of Yr 11's seriously consider taking on a student leadership role.

This term is a crazy one with much going on in the eight weeks. Please take time to read the calendar at the beginning of this newsletter to keep up to date with important events. We will be posting reminders on our Facebook page as well as sending out parent emails to keep everyone informed.

A reminder that next Monday 17 October is a Pupil-Free Day.

God Bless
John Nuttall

From the Assistant Principal (Religious Education)

I hope you all have come back refreshed from the holidays and are ready for the term that lies ahead. It is an especially busy term which will no doubt fly like the rest. Year 12 have already started the countdown to the end of their secondary schooling days with great excitement. I wonder if their parents are as enthusiastic.

The holidays for some of us involved the trip of a life time to The Philippines. Everyone that participated certainly took something away that they will cherish forever. We will be sharing some of these moments on Saturday night in the Mercy Hall after mass. Please feel free to join us in celebrating our faith-filled experiences on the Mission Trip.

October is the month of Mary. The Rosary is prayed as a devotion to the special events in her life and in the life of her son, Jesus. This week's prayer is dedicated to Our Lady.

Bless you
Christine Timms

From the Acting Assistant Principal (Administration & Curriculum)

Welcome back everyone to Term 4.

Year 8 students have now completed their elective subject selections for Year 9 in 2017.

The elective lines have been drawn to suit the majority of the students. Students will be able to select from the following lines:

In the last week of Term 3, Year 10 students completed their SET Plan interviews. Many of our students have spent a lot of time planning and considering their future career pathways. I would like to commend the students for their mature approach to their future plans. Thank you also to the parents who attended these interviews. I trust you found the interviews informative and helpful. Should you or your child have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact myself or Nancy Douglas (Careers Advisor). As there are still a few students who need to be interviewed, the 2017 Year 11 subject will be finalised in the next couple of weeks.

A reminder that all Year 11 students will be doing three days of work placement at a business of their choice (which can extend beyond the Ingham region) in week 1 of Term 3 in 2017. This placement can be organised as soon as the new year begins as an early start is vital for many of the health careers. Also a reminder that holiday work experience is available to all our Year 10-12 students throughout all of our breaks. Students interested should contact our Careers Advisor.

Year 12 students are encouraged to make the most of this term and ensure they are trying their best at all times. This term's assessment is just as important as the past as results are subject to movement. Year 12 students will complete exams from Tuesday 8 November through to Monday 14 November. Monday 14 November is the beginning of their final week and they will conclude their senior schooling with a special program run by Ms Debbie Greeff. Graduation being on Friday 18 November.

"Find your Future in Hinchinbrook" is a Careers Day being held at TYTO Conference and Events Centre on Wednesday 26 October from 12 - 6pm. Gilroy will be taking all Year 10's in Period 5 and all Year 9's in Period 6 to this event. This will give these students an opportunity to become familiar with core career pathways that are available in the Hinchinbrook Shire. I urge parents to take this opportunity to spend some time with their son or daughter after school investigating future employment prospects.

Assessment

In this week's newsletter the assessment planners for Term 4 can be found. They contain all the dates and information regarding assessment that your child will receive this term. Please encourage your son/daughter to utilise this and carefully plan as this term is shorter than usual.

I will take this opportunity to remind everyone that the school year is only 40 weeks with each term of approximately 10 weeks in length. Assessment planners, containing assignment and exam dates are distributed at the beginning of each term in order for students to plan their term work. Where a student is absent on the date of an assessment (assignment or exam) for reasons of illness, a medical certificate or approved extension must be submitted. Where the reason for the absence is other than medical, the student must have applied to the Deputy Principal. Students who choose to be absent on assessment dates without permission or acceptable reason will be awarded a NA result (No Attempt – which is lower than an E) for that assessment (assignment or exam).

** Reminder that Monday 17 October (Week 3) is a pupil free day.

Joan Devietti

From the Assistant Principal (Pastoral Care)

Welcome back to Term 4 for all students and their families for what will no doubt be a whirlwind finish to 2016. Term 4 has well and truly started with a bang with the staging of the much anticipated Year 11 Leadership Camp at Echo Creek near Tully. If I haven't said it before, I must acknowledge the tremendous group of students we have in Year 11. As our largest cohort, the Year 11's are still a tight knit group who already display many exceptional talents and skills necessary for their leadership roles in 2017.

Over the three days, students cooked, cleaned and enjoyed each other's company in a rural setting that is straight out of the tourist brochures. They even found time for a range of activities that included Rock Climbing, Ab Sailing and the infamous Obstacle Course. Hopefully most of the mud is now out of the girl's hair. The camp itself was a great success in terms of leadership, and congratulations must go to Ms Karen Board for all of her organisation prior to and during this event. A big thank you must also go to John Barbagallo, Brendan Spina, Joan Devietti and John Nuttall for making themselves available for the camp. Their assistance was invaluable and I am sure that we all forged many new relationships over the three days.

One unwelcome guest to our camp was someone known as, "no sleep Pete" who came out at 2:00am on Thursday morning when the entire male population refused to go to sleep. Thankfully "no sleep Pete" disappeared after this incident and never resurfaced. Two very welcome visitors were Pete and Hogan, dynamic members of the Unleashing Personal Potential (UPP) Team. Pete and Hogan spent most of Thursday with the Year 11's, introducing them to some very important skills associated with successful leaders. I look forward to seeing how these skills play out over the next 12 months.

Pete and Hogan referred to this time of the year as "leadership season". If you pardon my reference to the all too obvious Footy season analogy, this time of the year is a bit like a grand final. We have had the premiers basking in the glory of leadership for the past 12 months, but with their time coming to an end the battle begins for a new crop of leaders to serve us in 2017. Rugby League players rightfully cop plenty of criticism for indiscretions they have engaged in during their time in the spotlight; however, if anyone saw Cameron Smith's runner's up speech from the Grand Final night, you will have seen one of the classiest loser's speeches of all time. Despite obvious pain and distress from losing the Grand Final, Cameron Smith did not make excuses or lay blame, nor did he provide an all too familiar clichéd reference to the Shark's being "the better team on the day". What he did was to deliver a response that made his opponents and their fans feel even better about their first ever premiership win. It was inspiring, it was heart-warming, and above all it was a speech that was filled with the respect that is befitting a worthy opponent. I pray that all of our Year 11 leadership candidates are able to accept winning or losing in the same gracious and respectful manner that Cameron Smith displayed at that moment. Let the games begin!

Peter Groundwater

Year 11 Leadership Camp

Last week, my Year 11 classmates and I partook in our leadership camp at Echo Creek Adventure Centre in Tully. We participated in a series of fun leadership activities that included taking part in a mud obstacle course, abseiling and my personal favourite, rock climbing. The mud obstacle course was a challenge and we found that we needed our group to work as a team. Without the support of your peers, you are more likely to make silly mistakes or give in when there is a great chance you can succeed. As I am slightly afraid of heights, I thought it was really empowering that I was able to climb to the top of a rock climbing tower and abseil down. I was also so proud to watch some of my peers do it as they proved to themselves that they could also conquer their fear of heights, even after saying multiple times that they couldn't.

The second day of camp, we had Luke McKenna come and speak to us about what it really means to be a leader and prepare us for the year that lies ahead. One thing he said that stuck with me was "By bringing others up, you bring yourself up". By participating in the mini-challenge course, we were able to build our confidence in ourselves and our teams, as well as have a good laugh. When it came time to relax, we all refreshed our card skills and had a good feed, thanks to the teachers, students and parents that made this possible. This was by far my favourite part of camp. Overall, it was a fantastic camp that I will remember for years to come and I encourage future students to take part in it.

By Kiara Di Mauro

Sports Report

As the Sports Awards Assembly is not too far away, 9 November, I am inviting all parents and students to nominate Gilroy students to be acknowledged for a sporting achievement involved with School Sport during this year.

This may involve you or someone you know, representing North Queensland, Queensland or Australia in a registered sporting event inside or outside of school sport. If you would like to be acknowledged, or you know of someone who should be acknowledged, please see Mr Schifilliti with evidence to support the level of achievement i.e. Photo's in rep uniform, gameplay photo's, official programmes, Certificate of achievement etc. or email me at ischifilliti@gilroysm.catholic.edu.au

If you have any questions about this process please contact Mr Schifilliti at the Year level Coordinators room, Break 1 or 2 during school.

Ian Schifilliti

GSM House Cup 2016

Bus Fare Assistance Program

The Student Travel Rebates applications for Semester 2 2016 are now open online and close on 31 October.

Bus Fare Assistance Program Eligibility: The family must spend more than a weekly threshold of $33.00 per family or $25.00 per concession family (for those who hold a current Health Care, Pensioner or Veterans Affairs Pensioner card) and live more than 3.2 kilometres from school. See the website for more information.

Students with Disabilities Scheme Eligibility: See the website for criteria.

Applications must be submitted online before the end of October. Please visit the website at School Transport website for more information. Click on the BUS FARE ASSISTANCE box and follow the prompts to access the online application form.

Please contact the school office if you require any assistance.

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 ALWAYS NEEDED!!

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]

P&F News

P&F needing volunteers for Maraka Sausage stall on Saturday 29th October.

We will be doing up a roster in 30minute and 1 hour slots so if volunteers can email me at c58.pandf@gilroysm.catholic.edu.au or SMS 0417 648 984 with their preferred time, we would really appreciate it.

Thanks
Jane Bortolanza

What's Happening in the Parish

Mother's Union Ingham Branch 67th Birthday

The ladies from Mother's Union Ingham Branch invite you to their 67th birthday morning tea on Thursday 20 October at 9:30am to 11:00am with a walk down "Mercer Lane" to view the mosaic record of the sugar industry. Sing Australia will serenade you. Morning tea of punch and scones will be served. Light lunch afterwards at Conroy Hall. For more information see posters at all Mass Centres.

Upcoming Events

• Mission Trip report Back Night: Saturday 15 October following 6:00pm Mass at St Patrick's.

Father Damian McGrath
Parish Priest
Ingham Region Catholic Parishes

District News

HELP BRING TERTIARY EDUCATION TO THE HINCHINBROOK

Hinchinbrook Shire Council has recently met with higher education provider CQUniversity Australia to discuss the possibility of bringing TAFE and University courses to the region.

Mayor Ramon Jayo has said, "CQUniversity is one of Australia's largest regional universities and their point of difference is that they work with regional communities across Australia to deliver training and higher education, and through their distance education offerings people from regional and remote areas can access a wide range of educational options."

"We have talked to representatives from CQUniversity about what they can offer our community and how we might give our residents the opportunity to learn and develop skills at a tertiary level without having to leave the district. The main thing now is to find out what our residents want to study, so we can go back to CQU and say we've got this many students for this course, let's get it happening".

CQUniversity have asked Council to gauge what courses and programs would be most relevant to the Hinchinbrook region. This information would help to establish what could be offered from Ingham and the most beneficial method of delivering these.

Residents who are interested in studying a University or TAFE course are urged to complete a quick survey outlining whether they are a school leaver or mature age student, what they would like to study, whether they want to study part time or full time and when they would like to start. This information will be used to inform what could be offered in the Shire. Courses and Programs which are available at CQU can be found at:

The survey can be completed online via the link below (this link is also available on the Hinchinbrook Shire Council Facebook page and website) Or alternatively can be picked up and returned to the Hinchinbrook Shire Council Office, 25 Lannercost Street Ingham.

Find Your Future in Hinchinbrook

Halifax Bluelight Disco – Dance for Daniel

Dance for Daniel with all door proceeds going straight back to the Daniel Morcombe foundation.

Forrest Beach SLSQ

Auditions

North Queensland Opera and Music Theatre (NQOMT) is looking for young and talented actors, singers and dancers to join their stage production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat!!

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