23 November 2017

Newsletter Articles

Important Dates

Gilroy on the Go

Surreal Meal - Monsters

Last Day – Yr 12

Catholic Diocese of Townsville

Recently the Priests and Catholic School Principals gathered to strengthen the relationship between Parish and School. The relationship between these two entities is vital to the community and one that must be maintained.

Kenya Orphan Support

Dear Friends,

The Orphans Home of Grace has been helping and supporting the orphans in Kenya. We rely upon donors to help this work continue. Among the students that gained from the support of Gilroy Santa Maria College is Erick Lukalame. He was sponsored by your College through high school. The orphanage assisted him to go to teachers’ college and he has now completed his training as a teacher. He now awaits the graduation ceremony that will be done officially in April next year 2018. We greatly appreciate your generosity and kindness to this orphanage. Your work is not in vain.

Carmel Lammon.

College Blazers 2018

Dear Yr 10, 11, 12 Parents/Carers

In 2018, our Yr 10 students will not be required to purchase a College Blazer. We have made this decision in an effort to decrease uniform costs and the reality that the blazer is not worn often.

Our plan is to have a stock of blazers that can be borrowed when required. We plan to purchase used blazers off our current Yr 12 students and also our current Yr 11 students at the end of 2018. By next year we will have a large stock of blazers to be borrowed by senior students into the future.

Parents of Yr 12 students, if you have no further use for the blazer, please return it, dry-cleaned to the college. Depending on the age, colour and condition of the jacket the school may be willing to purchase the jacket from you for an amount up to $90. Of course you are always welcome to keep the jacket if you have younger family members or would like to keep it as a souvenir.

Parents of Yr 10 students, you are still welcome to purchase a blazer if you prefer.

Parents of Yr 11 students, nothing changes for you next year, but as described above you will have the option of selling the blazer to the school at the end of the year.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Sandra Benedetto (blazer convenor) or the college office.

From the Principal

Dear Gilroy Santa Maria College Community

Last week’s various Graduation events were all wonderful ways to farewell our “Senior Class of 2017”. On Thursday evening the Graduation Mass was a chance to be thankful for their time here at Gilroy, their contribution to our school, as well giving them our blessings for the future. The Farewell Assembly and Graduation Evening itself were also special and emotional events. Our seniors were in great spirits and were excited about taking those next steps into the big wide world. The hall was decorated spectacularly and it was obvious that much work had gone into preparing such a wonderful night. Either to our many parents, staff and students who assisted before, on or after the night please accept our community’s appreciation.

Our seniors can also be proud that they all graduated with a QCE (Queensland Certificate of Education). This is the fifth year in a row our college has achieved this goal.

To our Senior Class of 2017, best wishes for the future. Remember you will always be a part of our school community.

We have a few staffing changes for 2018. These changes are as follows:

• As mentioned previously, we farewell Mrs Diane Giliberto and Mrs Dianne Leonardi who retire this year. We again thank them for the tremendous contribution they have made to our school over many years.
• We farewell Ms Monique Martino who is travelling through Europe then settling for time in the UK to teach. Monique will gain some great experiences.
• We welcome back Mr David Price, after his one-year teacher exchange to Colorado and therefore farewell Mr Samuel Wardell and thank him for his contributions to our school year during his exchange. I know Sam has enjoyed many of the local sights during his time here in North Queensland.
• We welcome new teachers to our school, Mrs Danielle Mastrippilito (Hospitality), Mr Jonathan Sargent (Digital Technologies), Ms Sharon Duffy (Maths) and Mrs Heidi Cianciullo (Humanities). All teachers join us with a wealth of experience and we look forward to them joining our school community in the coming weeks.
• We have two teachers taking maternity leave next year. Ms Sarah Dunn will be taking leave from the beginning of the school year and Mrs Laura Davis will take her role in Learning Enrichment. Mrs Melissa Carr will be taking leave from the beginning of Term 2 and Mrs Joan Devietti will be taking on the Assistant Principal Admin/Curriculum role as she has done previously.

NP -This Tuesday 28 November, we host Yr 6 students from throughout the district at our Orientation Day. It is a whole day session beginning at 8:30am and concluding at 3:00pm. Students will meet their teachers; complete team-building activities hosted by our Yr 10 Peer Leaders and generally learn more about how our school functions and what they can expect. If you have any queries please contact the office.

As this is our last newsletter for the year, I take time to thank the staff, students and parents for all your efforts and support this year. We have achieved many things during this school year and next year promises to be another great one with many plans and projects taking shape. One of the highlights will be the refurbishment of our Multi-Purpose Hall to be an enclosed building with new tuckshop, performing arts rooms, stage, and change rooms all fully air-conditioned. This project, weather permitting, will be completed next year ready for Term 3. It will be a great addition to our already beautiful buildings and grounds.

Our office closes on Friday 8 December and reopens on Monday 8 January 2018 with school resuming on Monday 22 January for all year levels.

Please have a safe, happy and Holy Christmas.

God Bless
John Nuttall
Principal

From the Assistant Principal
(Religious Education)

What a busy time it was last week. It is astonishing the amount of time, effort and planning goes into Graduation Week for our senior students, but what is more amazing is how fast it all flies. We can all be very proud of our Yr 12 students in the way they conducted themselves through the entire week and I extend my congratulations to the graduating class of 2017. I would like to thank everyone who attended the Graduation Mass on Thursday night. These events are only made special by those who are a part of it and contribute in some way.

Last Sunday’s Gospel reading was the Parable of the Talents. It explains the story of a master who gives talents to his servants according to their abilities and are given the opportunity to increase them. The master in the parable symbolises God. In our lives we are asked to know, to love and to serve God. One way in which we are able to know, love and serve Him is to recognise our own talents given by God and use them to help those in need within our society. Our purpose therefore is to acknowledge those talents and use them to the best of our ability. Along with the guidance and support given by all the staff at Gilroy Santa Maria College I hope that we have given each and every senior student the opportunity to be the best person they can be, to know their own special gifts and talents given by God and to use them according to God’s will as they disembark on the next big adventure in their lives.

The nine students heading off to the Australian Catholic Youth Festival are now in final preparations. The group travelled to Townsville a few weeks ago to take part in a formation day with other participants from Townsville. The day proved very rewarding and beneficial for the team as they listened to guest speakers, were involved in discussions relating to social justice and enjoy a very competitive round of Tenpin Bowling. They will be flying to Sydney on Tuesday 5 December. Please keep them in your prayers as they journey towards a greater relationship with God.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy holiday shared with family and friends. If you are travelling I pray that you return home safely and look forward to seeing you all again in 2018.

God Bless
Christine Timms

From the Assistant Principal
(Administration & Curriculum)

Hello everyone,

I cannot believe that it is the end of 2017 already! What a great and busy year. I would like to thank all our teachers, staff and parents for their efforts and contributions this year. It has been a year where we have celebrated and achieved many successes. I would also like to congratulate the students for their efforts in both their academic studies and attendance at various extra-curricular events. As students are currently completing the last of their exams, we look forward to the Christmas holidays and I would like to wish everyone a safe and Holy break.

God Bless
Melissa Carr

From the Assistant Principal
(Pastoral Care)

As the year draws very quickly to an end, I would like to take this opportunity to recognise the fantastic work of a range of staff in our Pastoral Care system. Firstly, I would like to acknowledge our Pastoral Leaders, Matthew Giliberto, Matthew Schrodter and Karen Board for their tireless efforts in coordinating and managing our year levels. Caring for the wellbeing of our students is a never-ending role within Gilroy Santa Maria College and one that requires commitment and dedication above and beyond the normal role descriptions of a teacher. I thank the two Matthew’s and Karen for their efforts throughout the year and hope they enjoy a well-earned break over the Christmas period. I would also like to recognise our Homeroom teachers and our staff in general for the pastoral care that they extend to students on a daily basis. We are very lucky to have a staff that is caring of each and every student within our school. I regard Pastoral Care within Gilroy Santa Maria as being a feature of our school and something that is not just spoken, but enacted and lived in the way that staff and students form lasting and caring relationships. Recently, I had the great pleasure of meeting with two past students who “dropped in” to thank the school for the care and support that the Gilroy community had shown both of them as they went through difficult times in their schooling years. It was a very humbling experience to listen to their story and know that we had played a huge role in where they are going in their future lives. While working in a school is a job that we all get paid for, it is great to see that so many of our staff have invested into the culture of Gilroy Santa Maria College and are making a genuine difference to students within our care.

On a completely different note, this Friday I am attending the Queensland State Landcare Awards ceremony in Brisbane. Gilroy’s Ranger program is one of the state finalists for the Junior Landcare Team Award and was nominated for its, ‘Community Sustainable Gardening Project’. Much credit for this project must go to Mr Phil Murray (our gardening expert), and Mr Paul Dezolt. Both of these people have invested a great deal of time into the project and have an excellent working relationship with the many students within the program. Hope we can come away with the state award.

Finally, as this is my last newsletter article for 2017, I would like to wish our Staff, Students and Parents a happy and holy Christmas. Please be safe over the holiday period and return to us in good spirits in 2018.

Blessings
Peter Groundwater

GSM Cup - Congratulations to Rice House

Work Placement and Work Experience News

The College would like to thank the following participating businesses who have hosted our Yr 10 and Yr 11 students throughout the year:

Students currently in Yr 10 and 11 who have chosen the vocational pathway for 2018 have been issued with forms to arrange their Friday work placements for Term 1.

Next year, Yr 12 students on the vocational pathway will undertake work placement on Tuesday 23 to Thursday 25 January while the QCS test practice takes place. Forms have been sent out with students and need to be returned as soon as possible.

All forms are required back now and can be returned to the Office during standard office hours up until Friday 8 December.

Careers

QTAC applications remain open for Yr 12 graduates intending on further study at either university or TAFE.

Yr 12 graduates are eligible for Fee-Free Training in 2018 in a range of courses like Early Childhood Education & Care, Education Support (Teachers’ Aide), Community Services, Individual Support (Ageing, Home & Community), Individual Support (Disability Specialisation), Kitchen Operations, Hospitality or Horticulture.

Contact 1300 656 959 or visit tafenorth.com for further information.

Free Units Available for SUN Students

Start Uni Now (SUN) is a fantastic option for students wanting to kick start their tertiary education.

As of Term 1 2018, high school students from across Australia will have the opportunity to undertake their first Start Uni Now (SUN) unit at zero cost.

Term 1 2018 application close Friday, 16 February 2018.

Our new, 2018 SUN Brochure is now available.

* Students must have a B average mark across all of their subjects

Scartwater and Cunningham Scholarships for 2018

The Board Members of the Scartwater Education Trust are pleased to advise that once again applications are sought for both Scartwater and Cunningham Scholarships for 2018. The purpose of the scholarship is to assist children of eligible Returned Servicesmen and Women who have seen overseas active service within the Australian Defence Force.

The Scartwater Area, broadly defined, runs from Proserpine to Innisfail and back to the Western border.

The Scartwater Scholarship will be awarded upon the results obtained in Yr 10 and is designed to assist a student to continue full time studies through Yrs 11 & 12. The allowance presently payable under the scholarship is $1000.00 per annum.

The Cunningham Scholarship will be awarded upon the results obtained in Yrs 11 and 12 and are designed to enable a student to undertake full time studies in an approved Tertiary course at an approved University within Queensland. The allowance presently payable under the Scholarship is $2000.00 per annum.

Application forms are available from Student Reception.

Applications must be forwarded to the Secretary by 30 November at the address below.

Secretary Telephone (07) 46 573871

Scartwater Trust Mobile 0428 334720 (Pls. leave a message if not answered)
48 Glendale Dve. Email: geoffreyw@skymesh.com.au
Annandale Q 4814

Further inquiries and copies of the application can be made at the Townsville RSL Inc. or on 47 599599 or to geoffreyw@skymesh.com.au

About UMAT

The Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admissions Test is developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) on behalf of the UMAT Consortium universities. The test is used specifically to assist with the selection of students into the medicine, dentistry and health science degree programs at undergraduate level at the universities listed on this website.

James Cook University does not use the UMAT test as criteria for admission, but it is required for medical courses at the University of Queensland

Nancy Douglas

Tuckshop News

It is time to ask for assistance at the Tuckshop for 2018. The tuckshop provides a very necessary service to our students and we hope you can assist by volunteering once a month to be on the roster.

The Tuckshop Convenor organises the day and generally has things prepared for when you come, so it is not a difficult day, and on the contrary you will find it rather enjoyable. This is the perfect opportunity for any new Families who have just joined our school community to meet other families and you will be most warmly welcomed and your support greatly appreciated. Parents, Grandparents and anyone else wanting to help are all welcome.

Starting time is 9:00am and everything should be over by 2:00pm, but if you prefer, you can finish at the end of the first break at 12:00 pm.

For those busy people, if you could even spare ¾ of an hour (11:15am to 12:00pm) to help serve this would be appreciated.

A letter and roster will be sent home with the report cards for all those wishing to help.

If there is any query in regards to this please contact Sandra Benedetto Home [4776 5321] Jodie Lino Home [4776 5718]

What’s Happening in the Parish

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.

Golf Day Raffle

The Fun Charity Golf Day Raffle is on again! For only $2 a ticket you could win a Full Day Fishing Charter for 3 people on Full On Fish’n Charters worth $700 or one of a multitude of other great prizes! Look for the people selling tickets on weekends 18/19 November and 25/26 November. Thanks to Nathan & Sonya Kemp of Full On Fish’n Charters and Michael Carey for donating this fantastic major prize!

Upcoming Events

• 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

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