17 August 2017

Newsletter Articles

Important Dates

Gilroy on the Go

Interschool Athletics Day – Friday 18 August

Dear Parents and Students,

As has been notified in many recent newsletters, the annual Interschool Athletics Carnival against Ingham State High School and St Teresa's Abergowrie is being conducted this Friday 18 August at George Day Oval.

Students were informed last week by email if they had made the team as well as the team being displayed on the student noticeboard. Congratulations to all students who have been selected in the Gilroy Santa Maria Athletics Team. Already in the pre-events that have been held this week it has been terrific to see the effort and spirit that our team have been displaying.

Just to confirm that Friday's carnival is a whole school event. All students will be expected to attend the carnival as either a competitor or spectator. Rolls will be taken at the beginning and the conclusion of the day. We had a huge improvement in attendance at last year's carnival so it will be great keep up the trend.

All students are to make their own way to the carnival by 8:30am. School bus companies have been informed to transport students to and from the George Day Oval. Lunch and drinks will also be on sale throughout the day. Please wear your school sports uniform, a school hat and apply sunscreen.

The carnival finishes at approximately 2:30pm so students can be picked up then when our school group has been dismissed. Buses will leave at approximately the same time. We will have a teacher on duty at the George Day Oval till 3:15pm.

It will be a great sight to see all our athletes giving their all, with rest of the school cheering them on and appreciating their efforts.

Please email me or contact the school if you have any queries.

Regards

John

12 Chemistry Excursion

As part of the Year 12 Chemistry unit on Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis, students got to experience first-hand chemical analysis in the sugar industry by visiting the Victoria Mill laboratories. During their visit, students worked to prepare a C molasses sample for the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) machine. The highlight of the trip however, was visiting the fugals, which use centrifugal force to process the massecuite (sugar crystals and molasses syrup). These experiences would not have been possible without the extensive planning and preparation from the laboratory team at Wilmar and the Chemistry students would like to thank them for this invaluable opportunity.

Karen Board

Hospitality

8B Cooked up a feast last week - Tacos for lunch – yumm.

Last week Yr 9 Food technology students made a quick quiche for lunch. The students thought it was very tasty.

Marie Noble

Samantha Russo

Yr 11 student, Samantha Russo, is Gilroy Santa Maria College's first Start University Now (SUN) graduate, having successfully completed SOCL11055 Sociology of Australian Society.

Having successfully completed this unit, Samantha will have the opportunity to apply for direct entry into one of the following CQUniversity Undergraduate courses:

Bachelor of Applied Sociology
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Social Work

To be eligible for direct entry into one of the above courses, Samantha will also be required to provide a copy of her Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) at the end of Yr 12, and meet any required pre-requisites for the course.

Direct entry is not currently available for the following Undergraduate courses:

• Bachelor of Medical Sonography
• Bachelor of Medical Imaging
• Bachelor of Oral Health
• Bachelor of Physiotherapy
• Bachelor of Echocardiography
• Bachelor of Cardiac Physiology
• Bachelor of Occupational Therapy

Samantha was gracious enough to put together a short summary of her experience in studying a university subject while undertaking Yr 11.

Nancy Douglas

Combined School Ball

A sneak peak of some of our students all dressed up for the 2017 Combined School Ball.

Photos in recognition of Tracey Adams

Gilroy on Show – A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

CORES (Community Response to Eliminating Suicide) Education

Yrs 11 and 12 Health Students went to CORES training for suicide prevention recently. This is a very worthwhile course for people of all ages.

Inter-House Athletics … Because Every Picture Tells a Story

Winners

Earn & Learn

You will get one Woolworths Earn & Learn Sticker for every $10 spent. Place the Woolworths Earn & Learn Sticker onto a Woolworths Earn & Learn Sticker Sheet and when it’s complete, the Sticker Sheet can be dropped into the Collection Box here at the school or at your local Woolworths.

School Fees

School fees have been emailed out; if you have not received yours yet, please contact Roslyn Giuliano at the office.

Lost Property at Student Reception

The Lost Property basket is overflowing with unnamed hats, jumpers, lunchboxes and shoes. Please have your children check the lost property in Student Reception. This basket will be cleaned out and sent to St Vincent De Paul this week.

From the Principal

Dear Gilroy Santa Maria College Community

It was a privilege to show off our school last Thursday evening at “Gilroy on Show”. Considering we are well and truly in the cane season, the attendance was good. We had nearly twenty subject displays, many of which were interactive and demonstrated the variety and quality of our programs and facilities. The entertainment and catering was terrific which led to an enjoyable night for those that attended. Many thanks to the teachers and staff for the quality of their displays, the students for their tremendous assistance in various roles on the evening and our P&F members who assisted with the catering. Special mention to Mrs Sandra LaRosa who coordinated Gilroy on Show. It was wonderful to hear many positive comments from new and existing families regarding the evening.

Next week all Yr 7 and Yr 9 students will receive their individual NAPLAN reports. This report will give a result in the areas of Reading, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation, Writing and Numeracy. The school received our group reports a couple weeks ago and I am pleased to report that we performed very well. We demonstrated improvement in many areas and were above the state average in all areas but one, which was Yr 9 Spelling. Importantly the school will now examine this data over the coming months to identify areas that need improvement and look to ensure that our educational programs next year address those areas.

Congratulations and good luck to all the students representing the school during the week at the Interschool Athletics Carnival. I know many of the team have been practising for their events and I trust they will take their good form into this week’s events. Thanks to our PE department for preparing them.

At the beginning of the week, I was lucky enough to be a member of the Validating Panel for Burdekin Catholic High School’s Renewal. School Renewal for each Catholic school in our Diocese comes around every five years. The validation part of the renewal process, takes around one year to gather evidence and to write and present reports, it culminates in external visitors listening and viewing the great things that happen in a school and to affirm and recommend if needed.

Burdekin Catholic High School is very similar to Gilroy. It is located in a rural, farming community and although a little larger has very similar characteristics. So therefore, I listened intently to what the students, staff and parents had to say about their school. Apart from the similar communities there are many other common traits, they like us are a Catholic school and encourage their students to serve others, they do very well academically, have high standards of behaviour and uniform and provide opportunities that develops the “whole person”. They should be very proud of their school and it was a great experience to visit and be part of their School Renewal. At Gilroy, we are also entering the busy time of our School Renewal process and will have our Validation next year.

Finally, parents and caregivers, we have an extra pupil free day next term. The extra day is on Tuesday 3 October and will be used to inservice staff on the new Queensland Senior Assessment and Tertiary Entrance Systems. The other pupil free day will be on Monday 16 October.

God Bless

John Nuttall
Principal

From the Assistant Principal
(Religious Education)

We are in the process of planning a Youth Mass for our parish on Sunday 3 September at St Patrick’s Church. This will be led by the Gowrie Band and the Gilroy Ensemble and promises to be a beautiful celebration for the youth in our district. Hopefully this will be the start of many to come.

It is getting towards the business end of the term. Each child from Yr 7 to 12 will soon be receiving this term’s assessments for Religion. All assessments for this subject are done in class; however, we do encourage students to do extra work at home if they wish.

Before the next newsletter is published our Yr 12 students will be sitting their QCS Examinations. These exams are being held August 29 and 30. It is customary for our students to take time to quietly reflect and meditate beforehand. Father Damian has very kindly offered to lead our students in prayer and give them a blessing.

This week we celebrate Mary’s Assumption into heaven. The Gospel for this holy day recalls Mary's actions after the announcement of Jesus' birth by the Angel Gabriel. Mary goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth and responds to Elizabeth's greeting with her song of praise, the Magnificat. This Gospel highlights Mary's faith. Her faith enabled her to recognise the work of God in her own life. Mary is a model and symbol of the Church. May we be like Mary, open and cooperative in God's plan of salvation.

God Bless

Christine Timms

From the Assistant Principal
(Administration & Curriculum)

Yr 11 and 12 Students

Throughout this term Nancy Douglas (Careers Advisor) and I have met with all Yr12 OP eligible students. These interviews have been an excellent way to discuss how students are progressing throughout Yr 12 and what their future aspirations/pathways will be next year. QTAC applications are now open and we hope that all students have logged onto this site and begun completing their QTAC applications for tertiary education. If students are having difficulties with this please see Nancy as soon as possible. Parents are also welcome to make appointments to discuss future options for next year.

Coming up in Week 8 on Tuesday 29 August and Wednesday 30 September is the QCS Test. Students are now thoroughly prepared for what to expect in this test. Students also received results and feedback based on their practice QCS Test conducted in Week 2 of this term. Results definitely show improvements from their first practice test at the beginning of the year; however, there are still areas where students need to focus on. Results are available online through students’ Mighty Mind portal. Students have already logged onto this website during their QCS lesson on Friday mornings know how to navigate the site. Please ask your son/daughter to show you their results as well as their previous results from the beginning of the year. Individual feedback is also provided so students can see exactly where their strengths and weaknesses are.

Nancy and I have also begun OP interviews with Yr 11 students. Parents should be receiving letters from their son/daughter with a meeting time for this scheduled interview. We ask that parents indicate whether they are able to attend or not so that we can ensure you are kept in the loop with how your child is progressing. If you would like to attend your interview but cannot make the arranged time scheduled, please contact the school to arrange an alternate time.

We are also tracking the vocational students in Yrs 11 and 12. Nancy and I have met with several students. Some of which can see the end is near and need to regain focus whilst others are in an excellent position to graduate not only with their QCE but with also real pathways straight into the workforce. If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s current progress in Yr 11 or 12 please do not hesitate to contact me.

NAPLAN Results

Parents should start receiving their child’s NAPLAN results in the very near future as they are being posted from school this week. Please refer to the link below that contains information to parents and care givers about the NAPLAN test and how to interpret your child’s results.

As a school we have performed very well in both Yr 7 and 9; showing positive trends in almost all areas and achieving above state average in all but Yr 9 spelling (being just below). As a school, we are beginning to look at the data to identify both cohort and individual strengths and weaknesses of students to ensure that the best learning practices are put in place to develop student learning. We also utilise this data to make informed decisions about senior subject selections as students in Yr 10 are looking at subjects and pathways for senior schooling and beyond.

Assessment Planners – on Compass

Term 3 Assessment Planners are now available for students and parents to see on compass in the ‘teaching and learning’ tab and then in the ‘school resources’ section. Students all received a paper copy of their assessment planners in Week 2 of this term so this is just another place that this can be found.

God Bless

Melissa Carr

From the Assistant Principal
(Pastoral Care)

Last week the entire school was very fortunate to listen to words of wisdom from Cyber Education expert, Mr Brett Lee. Brett presented students with a very strong message around their own activity and the activity of others on the internet. His stories emanated from his personal experiences while a member of the Police force. In this time, Brett was primarily involved in his undercover role as a member of the Cyber Security Taskforce where he investigated and arrested 89 people who engaged in unlawful activity on the internet. In all cases, there was a similar theme where they believed that they thought what they were doing was private and that they felt that being arrested was an invasion of this privacy. Brett’s very clear message was that nothing is private on the internet and when we choose to place any item on the World Wide Web, then we are in fact potentially connecting with the rest of the world. Later in the evening, Brett also presented to a group of 16 parents and staff, who like me, were very grateful for the time he took to listen to our concerns and provide valuable information about internet security and the safety of our children. One overwhelming message that rang through was his insistence that we, as parents, understand our role on helping our children through the teenage years of their life. He insisted that we needed to be strong parents who worked hard to provide our children with the adult support that was vital during this high-risk part of their lives.

This Friday is the annual Interschool Athletics Carnival. As I have stated in the past, this is a great opportunity to be a part of the social aspect that is so necessary in the formative years of schooling. While there will be some who may choose to stay at home and catch up on work or just have a long weekend, my appreciation goes out to the many competitors and supporters who have made themselves available to represent or support their school. The reality is that many of the competitors that will be on display will also be those people who are up to date and exceling in their scholastic endeavours. They have used their time wisely and given their studies the right amount of attention at the right time. I always tell the story of this guy I went to school with who won the Athletics, won the cross country, and was the player of the year for the Rugby League team. He also got an OP1 equivalent and went on to complete a Computer Engineering degree while representing the Illawarra Steelers in the NRL competition. How did he do this? He was the guy who got up at 5:30am in the morning and did his study, the guy who sought help from teachers and then used that advice to better his performance. The point I am trying to get across here is that if you want to do something (or have to do something) you can always find a way to do it if you make that extra effort to ensure that success comes your way.

Blessings

Peter Groundwater

Careers

Term 3 is well underway, and students are now looking seriously towards 2018.

These are some websites which may be of use to you:

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about one of the websites listed above, or any other matter.

JCU Open Day

Explore your Future with JCU at our Open days!
Cairns Smithfield Campus Sunday 20 August.

CQUniversity Townsville Open Day

Do you have questions about starting Uni? Come along to Townsville Open Day and get the answers you need. Enjoy study area presentations, interactive activities and chat to expert staff and current students about the course you’re interested in.

Event date: Sunday, 10 September
Event time: 9:00am - 1:00pm
Location: 538 Flinders Street, Townsville

Chat with CQUni online

If you can’t make it to the event, don’t worry! CQUniversity will be available with fortnightly online chats commencing Wednesday, 2 August 3:00pm – 600pm.

Nancy Douglas

Sports Report

On Friday 4 August, the final day of the Gilroy Santa Maria Interhouse Athletics Carnival was held in perfect conditions. This day was a culmination of all athletics events held for each age group running over the last 2 months to determine a Champion House to be crowned the 2017 Interschool Athletics Champions. This year Rice proved far too strong on the day taking the Gilroy overall Interhouse Athletics Championship, as well as the Gilroy Santa Maria Spirit Award and bragging rights for 2017.

Special congratulations goes out to both Alana Romano, who broke the 15 Yrs Discus record, which had been previously held since 2009, with a throw of 29.73 m during this carnival and Harry Reinaudo who broke the 17 Yrs & Open age boys 1500m record with a time of 4:40 smashing the previous record by 8 seconds. Other strong performances on the day came from our various age champions…

Boys

Girls

These students are to be congratulated on their sporting achievements during our Inter-house athletics carnival.

• From our Inter-House Athletics Carnival, our Gilroy Athletics Squad to take on the Ingham State High School and Abergowrie at the Herbert River Secondary School Inter-school Athletics Carnival has been chosen. The squad has been e-mailed to all students and training sessions at break times, before school and after school are well underway for all athletics events held during Week 6.
• Events to be held on Friday 18 August, beginning at 9:00 am and finishing at 2:30 pm and conducted at the George Day Oval are listed below.

It is important that all students continue giving their best effort and dedication to their selected event as demonstrated during our Inter- house athletics carnival, as they will do in the Inter-school athletics carnival. Best of luck to all our Gilroy students competing at this carnival.

Under 13 Boys and Girls Touch Football

Boys and Girls in Yr 7 and 8 are reminded that if they are interested in being involved in a Herbert River Secondary Schools after school Touch Competition to be held on Wednesday 23 August (Week 7) after school starting at 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm, please see Mr Schifilliti at the Year Level Co-ordinators room to nominate for this competition. This competition is designed to promote sport and activity for students within our lower year levels so support for this event from both our students and parents would be greatly appreciated.

(Relays will be run with boys and girls together)

Ian Schifilliti

GSM Cup

Academic Support

Indigenous Homework Support

Tuckshop News

VOLUNTEERS ARE ALWAYS NEEDED!!

Tuckshop Volunteers are only needed to work from 8:30am to 11:40am.

Tuckshop Roster 2017

Please note: The lunch times are as follows:

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

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

Parish Bookkeeper and Compliance Officer

We are seeking a person to assist in the parish offices with financial bookkeeping and regulatory compliance. Experience in bookkeeping and with Microsoft Office is essential. Familiarity with current compliance requirements is not expected. Becoming familiar with these requirements is part of the job. As a casual position, the hours will vary dependent on work requirements, with an estimated commitment of 8 hours each week. For a full job description, please email parishoffice@inghamcatholic.com. Applications due Wednesday 16 August.

Parish Youth Worker

We are seeking a person to assist in initiating and running parish youth programs. An ability to relate to young people and to lead them in developing their faith is an obvious core competency. The successful applicant will be supported by the parish office but will also need to be a person with the ability to work on their own initiative. For a full job description, please email parishoffice@inghamcatholic.com. Applications due Wednesday 23 August.

Catechist Needed

Due to illness and a temporary absence, several classes of Ecumenical Religious Education in the district are without a Catechist. There is a need for a temporary Catechist in several schools. If you have an half an hour to spare during the school week and think you may be able to help, please call Marcella at the Parish Office on 4776 2600 during office hours or email re@inghamcatholic.com

St Patrick’s Women’s Group “Welcome to Spring” Afternoon Tea

Date: Sunday, 27 August @ 2:00pm in Mercy Hall Tickets will be on sale from this Tuesday, 1 August at the Parish Office. Cost $15 each. If any Parishioners are able to donate prizes to be used in the Cent Sale, please have these prizes into Parish Office by Tuesday, 15 August. Also, if you are able to bake/make food for the Afternoon Tea, please let Jeanette know on 0447720740 or a.c.glas@bigpond.net.au

St Peter's Catholic School celebrates 90 years

2017 marks the 90th year of St Peter's Catholic School Halifax (formerly St Therese's) educating children in the Lower Herbert district. The school is celebrating this milestone with a special event to be held at the school on Saturday November 18. Celebrations will begin with a Mass at 2:00pm followed by formal proceedings and an afternoon tea. The school then invites the community to stay on and connect with friends, past and present. Food and drinks will be available as well as activities to amuse children (big and small) including rides and jumping castles. If anyone has photographs or memorabilia it would be appreciated if these could be dropped in at the school where photos can be scanned straight away. If you live in the Ingham area items can be dropped into Chella at the Parish Office Monday - Friday 9:00am- 12:00pm.

Father Damian McGrath
Parish Priest
Ingham Region Catholic Parishes

District News

Touch Football

Ingham Theatre Group - Fourplays

Crime Stoppers

Parents and Students are invited to join Crime Stoppers. Meetings are held monthly at the Men’s Shed, McIlwraith Street. They discuss the program, awareness and safety. (No private and confidential details are discussed). For more information, ring President – Colin Dallavanzi 0488723947.

Tyto – coming soon

ASTRONOMICAL

On Sunday 20th August TYTO presents ASTRONOMCIAL

Participants will be taken on a journey through the galaxy through this interactive and entertaining performance.

The play is an outdoor production, where the sky is dark and the planets beckon. Bring your own chairs and a picnic.

There is a limit of 90 audience for each show to allow everyone to get a good look through the six large computer controlled telescopes.

LASER TAG

As a part of the September School Holiday activities at TYTO there will be Laser Tag in the Parklands.

To be held on Thursday 21 September there are different age levels that will be catered for starting from 9am. See poster for more details

Bookings are essential. Cost: $5. Participants are able to book more than one session at a time.

BRICKS 4 KIDZ

Experience the fun of building a pirate ship as we batten down the hatches and sail the seven seas or build your own princess castle, with this fun and interactive block building workshop for both boys and girls. Designed for Primary school students in Prep through to Grade 6, Bricks 4 Kidz workshops are designed to include a balance of fun with learning through activities that engage curiosity and creativity. 19th September 10am – 12pm. Bookings Essential. Cost is $15pp.

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