27 October 2016

Newsletter Articles

Important Dates

2016

Gilroy on the Go

Under the Table – Art Exhibition

The Exhibit will be opening at the Tyto Art Gallery on Thursday the 27 October and will run to the 6 November.

Gamers@Gilroy

Saturday the 22 October saw 19 gamers come together for the last gamers evening of the year. We welcomed Karl Modra's brother, Kevin with his awesome gaming computer. Porsche Lynch returned and was the lone female gamer. Jayden who is moving to Ingham from Townsville was also welcomed to the group.

We played the usual rounds of Halo and Call of Duty. We had a record number of console gamers and welcomed David Marolla to his first gamers evening.

Next year we hope to be able to play Battlefield 1, the newest addition to the Battlefield series, based on World War 1 where players can participate in the Gallipoli campaign and the other theatres of war.

Gamers@Gilroy has been a huge success and hopefully we will be back bigger and better next year.

Michael Matthews

From the Principal

Dear Gilroy Santa Maria College Community

Last weekend, I along with a number of our Parent and Friends members attended the Mark Mappas Awards Dinner. The evening is hosted by Diocesan Parents and Friends Association and looks to acknowledge the hard work of volunteers from all the Catholic schools in the Townsville Diocese. This year our school community nominated Peter Staples for his enduring contribution to the Gilroy P&F. Excerpts of Peter’s nomination read as follows:

“During the last 27 years Peter has gone far beyond his role of being responsible for the College’s buildings and grounds. By his own choice he has generously extended his role to work hand in hand with the Gilroy Parents and Friends in many of their school projects and fundraising endeavours. Peter has been very much a "go to" person for many Parents and Friends Committees at Gilroy over the years. Peter Staples has demonstrated a genuine love of the Gilroy Santa Maria College community and cares greatly about the progress and development of the College”.

One of the highlights for me last year was attending the Gilroy Arts Expo at Tyto. I was really taken by the quality of the Expo and artwork presented by our students. This year’s Expo opens Thursday evening and I would encourage all our community to attend. Mrs Pietrobon has coordinated various arts work from our students and I’m sure this year’s students’ work will again impress everyone. Thanks to Mrs Pietrobon and all our Art students for their contribution to this year’s Expo.

By now all parents of students who are receiving awards at our Awards Night should have received their respective invitations. I also take this opportunity to invite all our parents and carers to this important evening, which is being held next Friday 4 November at the Menegon Centre beginning at 6:15pm. Special guest is past student and current Cowboy player Ben Spina. I look forward to witness the success, efforts and achievements of our students.

God Bless

John Nuttall

From the Assistant Principal
(Religious Education)

The report Back Night for our Mission Trip was held last weekend. Each of students who journeyed to The Philippines, were asked to speak about their experiences over there. It was remarkable how each of them spoke about their journey and I would like to share some of their stories with you this week.

God bless

Going to the Philippines was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I hope to return one day. The people were absolutely beautiful. They were so full of joy and gratitude. The kids in the street would just come up to you and introduce themselves. At the building site it didn’t take long for the children to befriend us and play games with. Everywhere we went it so easy to strike up a conversation with not only the Brothers but also the local people. That first day we had at the building site was probably the highlight of my trip. I spent the day mixing cement and came home with blisters and a deep sense of peace. It was the first time I got to know the brothers, the first time I got to know the people of Naga and when I came home that day I could understand why the brothers would choose this life of service. The brothers were truly inspiring. The faced suffering every day and still managed to keep this joy, faith and innocence about them. They were ordinary people with families, hobbies, who played tricks and joked but they gave up their lives to serve the poor. I enjoyed the work we did on the building site and the painting but it was also amazing to spend time with the men, women and children at the apostolate. When Rico held my arms during mass or Mary Rose slept on my chest or Christian screamed from happiness at being spun around, there was an indescribable feeling of happiness, love and protectiveness for these children. Even now when I hold my little cousins I miss the children back at the Apostolate. I even miss AJ, Jeremy and the other kids in Manilla, even though we spent so little time with them. The Philippines has made me grateful for all the things I have; a loving family, a safe home, food on the table. I had this moment when we drove back from Cairns where I looked out the window and I just felt a profound gratitude to live in Australia, to be one of the lucky people born here and not living in a dark hovel in Manila or tiny shack on the rubbish dump of Naga city.

Imogen Price

After a long and arduous plane trip we finally had arrived in Naga City. Upon our arrival we were all unsure and nervous about what we were about to face but excited for the new friendships and experiences we were about to encounter. The moment we set foot in Naga City we were greeted with the beautiful smiles of the community and the brothers, not to mention the hectic traffic there was because of the festival of Viva La Virgin. Within the first few hours we got a taste of the Philippines as the brothers had organised for us to eat out at a beautiful restaurant full of their local foods.

For the first time we got to experience what the lives of those in the apostolate was like. Initially everyone was speechless and struggled to make conversation with the children, but as the days went by our connections with the children grew rapidly. Working days consisted of being split into two groups. One day a group would go to the building site whilst the others would assist with painting the lady’s area at the apostolate. These works were completed alongside the gracious brothers. Whilst at the building site we were able to enjoy the presence of all the children in the street. Their level of happiness and gratitude was inspiring even though they had close to nothing in terms of material items. Maddie and I experienced firsthand the poverty and desperation of a young mother living in the area of the building site. She was filled with delight at the fact that she was just able to talk to someone from a foreign country. She told us that when it rained her house filled with water and she had to stand to sleep at night with her four-year-old child on her hip. Maddie and I heard her call for help and thought it was necessary for us to act on this issue. Maddie spoke with Mr Corboy and also made the group aware of the issue and that all she needed was 2 bags of cement which cost 520 pesos, which is approximately 18 dollars. With the help of the group we were able to buy the bags of cement and deliver them to her. This was just one small act of kindness that had an impact on a family and it was really rewarding to know that our group had taken action and made a difference.

At Balatas we saw some very poor living conditions, some houses were as small as a wardrobe. The more heartbreaking thing was realising that up to10 people lived in that small area. We also witnessed the strong faith that was within the people of Naga community. Every day we were asked to share our high point, low point and God moment. Personally, I thought I would struggle to find a God moment but being surrounded by the brothers, who were practising their faith, made it easy to see God’s work in everyday actions. Being able to see the love and compassion that the brothers put into their work with those in the community, no matter how poor or rich, young or old was truly something remarkable and hard to put into words. Through every brother and his actions, I saw the presence of God.

Overall this mission trip was by far one of the biggest learning curves I have experienced. It has made me realise that I want to take a path in life that helps those most in need. To Father Damian, Mrs Timms, Mr Corboy, Vivian, Mr Giliberto our team who shared the journey and to you all who prayed for us and made this experience possible, including Chella and Pauline, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. May we all take up the call for social change and action and with the help of God, be a voice and show mercy for those less fortunate.

Rosie Galletly

Well, no one ever said this trip would be easy and I assure you this trip was nothing like I presumed it would be. The many challenges that we as a group experienced were something that many of you will never experience in a lifetime. The time over in the Philippines, was life changing. Walking through the streets and cities, you would probably think, how could anyone on earth live like that? Well, the answer to that question would be, only the strongest and happiest people in the world could. So much stronger than anyone here this evening. The smiles of happiness and pure joy on children’s faces, would light up the whole of this town. Never have I seen such happiness from people that have so little. The sense of community between families and neighbours. These people put others before themselves without second guessing the choice they just made. Even if that meant missing out on receiving a food package for their family, which would probably have to go hungry for another night. I, and I’m positive that the whole group connected with at least one family. A family that, every time you walked past they would go out of their way and greet you, remembering your name every time. Three people that I, in particular just have to mention would be Brother Thomas, Brother Mel and Chris. These three people showed me that there is more to life than just having money, a big home and living in Australia. The one that most inspired me was a young child, Chris. This may come to a shock for most, but he was the one that lightened my each and every day. He was the one that grabbed me out of my secure place in the hallway. Chris is one of the many children in the Apostolate that will never be able to walk. I would have thought that would stop him smiling from ear to ear, I was truly wrong. He did not care, he still had a joyous life ahead of him, taking it day by day. No regrets. On the last day, leaving him in that bed was the hardest thing that I had gone through. He was the reason why I wanted to go on the trip and he was the reason why I wanted to stay. Never had leaving been so hard. As one of the Brothers said to me,

“It’s very easy to say hi, but it’s very hard to say goodbye.” - Brother Mel

Jessica Timms

Bless you

Christine Timms

During the August / September holidays, a troupe of Ingham students headed to the Philippines to experience life serving the poor alongside a religious order - the Missionary of the Poor.

Students from Gilroy Santa Maria College and St Teresa's College, Abergowrie as well as accompanying teachers lived and worked in Naga City.

The Missionaries of the Poor (MOP) are an order that works in the poorest communities in the Philippines as well as other places.

As a favour to the school, some of the students have addressed Religion Classes in Term 4 and told of their experiences in the Philippines. Mr Tony Giliberto and one of the Year 12 girls spoke for an hour to a senior class. Primarily, they spoke about how God was found amongst the poorest of people.

According to them peace and a sense of God could be felt “in a tiny shack on the rubbish dump of Naga City”. The dump site ‘church’ (a shed fashioned from second-hand roofing iron and timber) despite being very humble, was filled with enthusiastic voices pouring from a mix of people residing at Balatas.

“I felt God there in amongst the people whose language I could not understand. It was poor but there was something there in those people. I have never felt this in Australia,” said one of the Year 12 students.

Another of the students, Madeleine Hardy, spoke to a different senior class about her experiences. "It was an amazing experience to see the joy in these people who have nothing."

The Philippines trip is an annual event organised by St Patrick's Parish and Father Damian. 2016's excursion is the fourth trip since 2010.

David Price

From the Acting Assistant Principal
(Administration & Curriculum)

As we approach the half way mark for Term 4, I trust that all students are busy ensuring that their assessments are being completed to the best of their ability. Year 12 students should have begun preparing and studying for their exams which begin in 2 weeks on Wednesday 9 November. The Term 4 Exam Timetable for year 12 has been finalised and is included in this newsletter. I know that as we approach the end of the year, senior students struggle to stay focussed and studious; however, it is essential that they understand that these exams are just as important as our previous exams and that the results may still influence their overall level of achievement.

Yesterday, years 9 & 10 were taken to experience the inaugural “Find Your Future in Hinchinbrook” exhibition. The College’s aim was for students to think about their own career pathway and the opportunities available in the Hinchinbrook area. SET planning is an important part of subject selection for students moving into senior schooling. We trust that the students found the experience worthwhile and took the opportunity to gained valuable knowledge.

“Under the Table”, the exciting art exhibition by our talented Year 12 Art students, will open at the Tyto Art Gallery tonight. The exhibition will run till 6 November. Everyone is invited and encouraged to spend some time viewing and admiring the artistic creations by our students which promises to meet all expectations.

Friday night, 4 November, is our annual Awards Night and the highlight of our academic year. It is with great pride, that we take this opportunity to showcase and celebrate the efforts and achievements of many of our students. The aim of any educational institution is for each student to be able to achieve to their optimum level so Awards Night is always a high point in our year. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all students receiving awards and I look forward to seeing everyone there.

Joan Devietti

Year 12 EXAMS – Term 4 2016

From the Assistant Principal
(Pastoral Care)

Next Friday 4 November will see our annual Awards take place at the Menegon Centre at Our Lady of Lourdes School. This night has long been a tradition in the Gilroy Santa Maria College community and is a celebration of Academic, Sporting and Cultural excellence within the school. In a small break from tradition, we have arranged to have a pre-awards night gathering outside of the hall commencing at 6:15pm. This is a trial of something different and will be used instead of the after-function tea and coffee that has happened in years gone by. There will be refreshments and finger foods available and it will be a chance to mingle with staff, students and fellow parents in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The Awards night itself will commence at 7:00pm and will be finished by no later than 9:30pm.

Special guest for the evening will be former student and now Cowboy’s Rugby League representative, Ben Spina. Ben has had an interesting pathway to the NRL and his lessons in hard work and perseverance are a lesson to everyone. Ben is also an NRL Australian Apprenticeships Ambassador and as such does a lot of work with mentoring of young men in the workforce. We are very pleased to have Ben on board for Awards Night 2016 and look forward to his presentation.

One of the awards for the evening is the Academic Effort and Industry Award. This award very much acknowledges the Growth Mindset message that we are endeavouring to instil into the psych of each and every student in our school. That idea of not giving up and persevering when times are tough is an outlook to life that is at the forefront of a Growth Mindset way of thinking and acting. Congratulations to all those students who were successful in achieving an award. To those that didn’t, this will definitely be a time to dig deep and to seek the courage to try even harder in the future. And for those that thought they should have received an award, this is a time to understand that life does throw you a curve ball occasionally, but you need to show resilience and grit and know that despite what others may think, you have actually done your best …. And that is what a Growth Mindset is all about.

Peter Groundwater

Sports Awards Assembly

As the Sports Awards Assembly is not too far away, 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 photos, Official Programmes, Certificate of Achievement etc.

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

GSM House Cup 2016

Uniforms for 2017 - BLAZERS

Please order your blazers NOW – so that you can be ready for Photos and Induction Mass 2017.

New and second hand Blazers are available from the College Uniform Shop. New Blazers are $175.00 to $185.00 and second hand Blazers range from $50.00 to $110.00.

The College Uniform Shop is open Tuesday Mornings from 8:30am to 9:00am or by making an appointment with Sandra Benedetto by seeing her at the Tuckshop.

For those who wish to sell their second hand blazers, they can be left at the office with your name, phone number and amount you would like for them, firmly attached to the blazer. Money will be paid once the blazer is sold.

Please Note:

• All second hand blazers must be ‘Dry Cleaned’ before handing them in to be sold.
• Only the new style Blazers will be sold. We no longer accept the older royal blue blazer to sell in the second hand shop.
• The second hand shop does NOT sell ties. These must be purchased from a local supplier.

College Uniform and Shoe Stockists:

Duffy Bros Mensland, Phone 4776 2146
Ingham Underagers, Phone 4776 3277
BossiBoots, Phone 4776 1636
Sports Power, Phone 4776 2929

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 the link below 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]

What’s Happening in the Parish

Father Damian McGrath
Parish Priest
Ingham Region Catholic Parishes

District News

Advertising with Schoolzine

Would you like to advertise in our new Schoolzine eNewsletter? Currently, Schoolzine is working diligently to source family friendly advertising sponsors and 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 Schoolzine any questions, suggestions or advertising enquiries.

Email: advertising@schoolzine.com.au
Phone: 07 5414 2361