9 November 2017

Newsletter Articles

Important Dates

Start Dates for 2018 -

School commences on Mon 22 January.

Gilroy on the Go

Orientation Day

Maraka Procession

On Saturday 28 October, 65 Gilroy students participated in the 2017 Maraka Float Procession. The float included elements of the local waterfalls, islands, cane and food industries and fishing from the Hinchinbrook Way. The float truck was donated and driven by Gavin Gusmeroli of Ingham Manufacturers Mitre 10.

Senior students assisted in the making of the elements of the float, and students from all year levels assisted on the Saturday morning in set-up and preparation. It was a fun event, with student participation great to see. Mrs Squires, Miss Venturato, Miss Martino and Mr Matthews greatly appreciated the assistance in representing the school.

Amy Squires

Crazy Sock Day

It will never cease to amaze me how generous our families and students are at Gilroy Santa Maria College. Last week we held a ‘CRAZY SOCK DAY’ to raise money for Catholic Mission. Thank you to all our students and staff who went a little crazy with their socks and donated towards this worthy cause. I hope that next year it can be bigger and better.

Christine Timms

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal

This year, the Young Vinnies students are organising Christmas Hampers to give to people who are less fortunate then we are. We have asked all the grades to donate, if possible, items that have been allocated to their year level. If your allocated category is difficult for you, please feel free to bring in any item you may wish to donate.

Rita Martin

From the Principal

Dear Gilroy Santa Maria College Community

Congratulations to all students who received awards at our Gilroy Awards Evening last Friday. It was a great night to recognise the efforts and achievements of our students and I hope everyone who attended enjoyed the evening. We did not have a guest speaker this year; instead, we had two long serving staff members who were our special guests on the night. Diane Giliberto and Dianne Leonardi who between them have worked at Gilroy collectively for sixty years were honoured for their outstanding service and contribution to our school community. They along with other experienced staff have set the tone and expectations for the college for many years. We congratulate them on such extraordinary educators.

Recently, our 2018 College Captains and Vice-Captains were selected. Congratulations to:

Girls College Captain – Tina Paton
Girl’s Vice-Captain – Zeia Artavilla
Boy’s College Captain – Chris D’Emden
Boy’s Vice Captain – Danny De Leo

The selection process includes a written application, speech, interview and ultimately the votes of their peers and staff. I was proud of our entire Yr 11 cohort as they took the process very seriously right from their leadership camp at the beginning of term. School Prefects and House Captains will be selected next week. It is great to see so many students have a go and it is a great sign that so many feel they can put their hand up for positions without the fear of others might think. Congratulations to all our student leaders for 2018, I am confident they will do an excellent job.

This week our Yr 12 students begin their exam block which signals the end of their formal school lessons. We wish them all the best for their assessment and hope they enjoy the days leading up to their graduation next Friday 17 November. I thank their Coordinator Ms Karen Board for the organisation of end of school events recently and for the days to come. I’d also like to thank the parents who have assisted in organising the Graduation night. It promises to be a great night.

God Bless
John Nuttall
Principal

From the Assistant Principal

(Religious Education)

Where has this year gone? As I sit here finalising lessons, assessments and masses for the end of the year it is impossible not to look back and consider the many blessings that have been bestowed, not only upon myself and my family, but our students, families and school community. There too, have been times of sorrow and hopelessness but I truly believe these were outweighed by the many good things we have had come our way through the grace of God.

The many blessings we receive come from our students. The Award’s Night was a true representation of how blessed we are as a school and how tremendously lucky we are to have the calibre of students attending our school. Congratulations to all our award winners and to the recipients of our Christian Living Awards. With so many of our students showing gospel values in their everyday lives and upholding the community spirit it is always a difficult task for teachers to pick only one student from each year level. Congratulations to must go to our ensemble and choir groups for their performances with the guidance of Mrs Vera Di Bella.

Next week we farewell our Yr 12 students as they embark on the next stage of their lives. That always brings a tear to my eyes as a think how the time has flown with my own daughter. We will be holding two masses next week celebrating our accomplishments from 2017 and giving thanks for all our blessings. On Wednesday 15 November there will be a whole school mass in the MPH at 8:45am. This will also give our school community the opportunity to bless and farewell the staff who are retiring and going on maternity leave. Thursday night will be the Yr 12 Graduation Mass at St Patrick’s Church at 7:00pm. Everyone is welcome to both celebrations and we look forward to seeing you there.

God Bless
Christine Timms

From the Assistant Principal

(Administration & Curriculum)

Hello everyone,

YR 12

As we near towards the end of year, our Yr 12 students have commenced their final set of exams. I would like to wish them all the best and hope that they try their very best to improve or maintain their current results. Information about release dates of the 2017 QCS Test grades, Yr 12 results, Ops and FPs are in the QCAA memo attached below. As has been discussed with all Yr 12 OP students, it is very important that they know their LUI (Learner Unique Identifier) number and password to access their QCAA learner accounts as this will be how they will receive their OP results the quickest way. Students have been encouraged to access their accounts prior to school finishing so that if there are any issues they can let me know and we can ensure they have access. The final day for Yr 12 exams will be on Monday. This will then be followed by a Graduation Week Program. As part of this program, all students will be given a copy of all their final results for checking and to ensure there are no surprises. Friday next week (17 November), starting at 10:00am in the MPH, will be the Yr 12 send-off followed by morning tea in the Function room for Yr 12 students and their families. All Yr 12 are asked to bring a plate of food to share for morning tea. (Please leave in the Function Room). It is an exciting time for students, but also one where they need to make plenty of decisions. I wish them all the very best in their future lives.

Yr 7-11

Exam schedule –

• Yrs 7-11 exam schedule is attached below.
• Exams for students begin on Monday 20 November.
• Yr 7 students have an excursion on the final two days of term and therefore will complete their exams on Wednesday 22 November.
• Yrs 8, 9 and 10 students will complete their exams on Thursday 23 November as they will have an excursion on the final day.
• Yr 11 students will complete their exams on the final day of term, Friday 24 November.

Again, I would like to wish all students the very best in their upcoming exams.

God Bless
Melissa Carr

From the Assistant Principal

(Pastoral Care)

My Mother in law (and now my children) often quotes a verse to me when times are getting a little bit stressful. It goes something like this, “Patience is a virtue, accept it if you can. It is often found in women, but seldom found in man.” While I am sure that this doesn’t refer to me (I wish!!), it is an aspect of human life that we all need to understand and to display if we are to forge and maintain positive relationships with those around us. Maintaining positive relationships is an area that our school needs to think more seriously about if we are to move ahead as quality human beings. The moment that we forget about others and focus on our own needs is the moment that we deny Human dignity towards our fellow human beings. Everything that we say and do, must always be from the perspective of how it will affect others. For junior students of any given era, their ability to positively impact others in a consistent manner is part of their lifelong journey to adulthood. Some people understand this instantly, while others will endure a long and painful process of arguments and rejection amongst their peers. While arguments are a natural part of our life, it would be nice to only have to argue about differing opinions, rather than the horrible way in which we sometimes treat each other.

As we approach the end of term and the weather gets noticeably hotter, I would urge all students (male and female) to show patience towards each other, to understand the fragile nature that is adolescence, and to ensure that your interactions, big or small, have a positive effect on those around you. Finally, I would like to congratulate all of those students who have worked their hardest throughout the year and achieved to their potential. Moreover, I would like to wish our Yr 12 cohort all the best in their exams and I pray that they will have a happy and safe graduation week.

Blessings
Peter Groundwater

Careers

Work Placement and Work Experience News

The work experience and Friday work placement program has now concluded for our Yr 12 students, ahead of their exam block and graduation.

The College would like to thank participating businesses who have hosted our Yr 12 students throughout the year:

ABH & Pete Mechanical
Auditore Builders
Brescianini Motors
Gaggiano Custom Panel & Paint
Girvan Engineering
Halifax Meats
Halifax State School
Hemmett Electrical
Herbert Cane Productivity Services Limited (HCPSL)
Hinchinbrook Shire Council
Honeycombes Sales & Service
Ingham Agencies
Ingham Disability Support Service
Ingham Toyota
J & B Marine
L & W Repairs
Lahtinen Electrical
Lazzaroni Electrical
Lucinda Point Hotel
MJ & AM Pappin
QSL Lucinda Terminal
Reinaudo Farming
Rinaudo Engineering Pty Ltd
Road Tek
Saredo's Italian Coffee Bar & Restaurant
St Peter's Catholic Primary School
Terra Firma Fitness
Wilmar Sugar (Herbert Region)

Yr 11 work experience concludes this Friday 10 November to enable our Yr 11 students to farewell the Yr 12 students on Friday 17 November.

Current Yr 10 and Yr 11 students are encouraged to apply for holiday work experience now.

Students who have chosen the vocational pathway for 2018 have been issued with forms to arrange their Friday work placements for Term 1. These forms are to be returned to Student Reception by Friday 17 November, to allow time for agreements to be generated.

Nancy Douglas

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

St Peter's Catholic School Celebrates 90 Yrs

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 in to Chella at the Parish Office Mon - Fri 9:00am—Noon.

Canossa Home New Building

You are invited to attend the official opening/blessing of the new building at Canossa Home on 29 November 2017 at 9:30am. Please join the sisters, residents and staff for morning tea after the opening. RSVP by 20 November for catering purposes by calling 4797 3800.

Youth Faith Formation

Great News from Youth Ministry - 9 young people from our parish attending the Australian Catholic Youth Festival in Sydney from 5-12 December. Please keep us in your prayers as we are preparing for this special pilgrimage. With the end of the year almost upon us, we will begin Youth Group activities in the new year. Watch this space. Any queries, please contact Sr. Thao through email, thaofdcc9@hotmail.com.au or Mob. 0478453647

Upcoming Events

+ GSM Graduation Mass 16 November 7.00pm
+ Abergowrie College Graduation Mass—17 November 1.00pm
+ St Peter’s School 90th Anniversary—18 November
+ St Peter’s End of Year Mass— 27 November 6.00pm
+ Mary MacKillop Kindergarten End of Year Liturgy 28 & 30 /11 6pm St Patrick’s
+ Blessing of Canossa Home New Building—29 November 9.30am followed by morning tea
+ Lourdes Yr6 Rite of Passage—29 November 6.00pm
+ Lourdes End of Year Giving Mass—30 November 9.00am
+ Charity Golf Day—3 December philippinesmission.com/ events/golfday/

Father Damian McGrath
Parish Priest
Ingham Region Catholic Parishes

District News

St Peter’s School – Halifax – 90th Birthday Celebrations

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