12 May 2017

Newsletter Articles

Important Dates

Gilroy on the Go

CQU Business Challenge

Congratulations to Shantelle Teichman, James Aranas, Jessica Timms and Matthew Castles on winning Round 1 of the CQU Business Challenge in Townsville recently. These four students are now through to the next round 18 July and have won a $1500 scholarship, a perpetual trophy and $500 cash prize for the school. Congratulations!

2016 Yr 12 Work – Must Be Collected

A reminder to all Yr 12 students who graduated at the end of last year to contact the office if you would like any of your assessment work back. Please notify the office no later than Friday 20 May. After this date student work will be destroyed.

Confraternity Lamington Drive

The Gilroy Santa Maria College Confraternity Rugby League Team Lamington Drive is on again this year. If you would like some of the best Lamington's going around, please place your order on the attached sheet. Great for Mother's Day.

The lamington drive will take place all through May and cost $12.00 per dozen. Get your money and orders in quickly to avoid the rush or you can purchase them at the Lamington Stall outside of the Royal Hotel, May 13.

GSM Musical

There is only one week remaining before this year’s musical! Come and support the students as they showcase their skills and blow you away with their talent.

Reminder to get your Musical Tickets from our school office, Herbert River Newsagency or from Duffy Bros. Family $55; Adult $20; Pensioner/Senior Student $15; Primary Student $10; Under 5 free.

Transition Program 2017

Mulkadee 17 July – 21 July

It is that time again! Mulkadee is a great opportunity for students to get involved with The Arts with categories ranging from Dance, Drama, Choir, String, Guitar and Band. This opportunity is a weeklong experience where you will travel to Townsville every day to learn from talented expert professional tutors in your nominated discipline. If you are interested, nomination forms are to be collected from the front office and returned by May 12 (Friday week 4). If you would like more information, please see Miss Cerqui.

From the Principal

Dear Gilroy Santa Maria College Community

Recently we hosted a meeting of the Combined Hinchinbrook Catholic Schools. This group consisted of school board members and representatives from St Teresa’s Abergowrie, St Peter’s Halifax, Our Lady of Lourdes, Mary McKillop Early Learning Centre and Gilroy. It was the second such meeting after our inaugural gathering late last year. The goals of the group are to assist each other promote our respective schools/centres, explore opportunities so that we can share physical and human resources and generally work collegially as Catholic schools in the Hinchinbrook district. Our first project is to print a Hinchinbrook Catholic Schools newsletter each term that is distributed free throughout the district.

Last Thursday we hosted our first Yr 6 Transition Day for the year. We invited all the current Yr 6 students in our district from Catholic and State schools to come and experience a variety of new learning experiences and use our great facilities. We had nearly sixty students sign up for the morning and we received some great feedback from the students and their parents. The Transition Days will continue for another four sessions every three weeks on Thursday mornings. Our next session is Thursday 25 May. If you know of any Yr 6 child in the district interested in coming to these transition days please encourage them to contact the office, it’s not too late to sign up.

Next week on Thursday and Friday our school community has the pleasure in presenting our latest musical “Back to the 80’s” at the Kelly Theatre. Unsurprisingly, as the name suggests, it is a story set in the 80’s at a school and features a fantastic soundtrack. I promise you will know every song. As you could imagine hours and hours of preparation has taken place and I’m sure it will be great entertainment. A huge thanks to our Director Ms Linley Cerqui who has truly devoted the last six months of her life to this production. Thanks also to the many staff, students and parents who have contributed so generously. Come along to see our students sing and dance, hear the great sound of our band and the costumes and props that all make up what promises to be a fun show.

Another big event coming up is our GSM Gruelling Games on Saturday 20 May. This is our P&F’s major fundraising event so please come along to support the day as either a spectator, volunteer or participant. There are many different categories to suit all levels of fitness and some great prizes to be awarded and I’m told there are many nominations already from our local community. This event is getting bigger and bigger and is fast becoming one of the important dates on our local calendar. Please come along and support this event, it will be a lot of fun. There will be an email sent out by our P&F asking for volunteers. It would be great if everyone could give up an hour or two to help out.

God Bless
John Nuttall
Principal

From the Assistant Principal
(Religious Education)

It was wonderful for our school to be a part of the Ordination of Bishop Tim Harris last Wednesday. A Yr 7 class and our leaders represented our school; Madeleine and Michael also being asked to form a guard of honour for the presentation of the ring, mitre and crosier to Bishop Tim. There were many memorable moments throughout the celebration, in particular the choir and band, and the bishop’s address at the end. If you were unable to attend, you can view the ordination below.

The month of May is dedicated to Mary. It is fitting that we also honour our own mothers during May and give thanks for all they have done for us on Mother’s Day. In our busy world, it is fitting that we take the time to show our appreciation for the many things our mothers do and thank them in our own special way.

This is the last reminder for parents and guardians to complete the Enhancing Catholic School Identity Project (Leuven) Survey. Access to the website closes on May 14. To complete the survey follow the prompts below. All your surveys are greatly appreciated and play a pivotal role in the continual development of our School Improvement Program.

Navigate to the website

Click ‘To the Surveys’ box.

Click ‘New User’ box (only if this is the first time you are logging in).

Enter the general code Ghj654 (it is case sensitive). This code is used when you first go into the site.

'Select the group you belong to’ (Gilroy Santa Maria College).

And begin...

God bless
Christine Timms

From the Assistant Principal
(Administration & Curriculum)

Hello everyone,

This week our Yr 7 and 9 students have been undergoing their NAPLAN testing. It was a credit to our students how they conducted themselves during these tests and I congratulate them on their efforts in undertaking these tests in a serious manner. At Gilroy, students’ NAPLAN results are used as an important part of tracking their progress and allowing teachers to both target areas where our students’ are struggling and also celebrate and build on areas where they are thriving. NAPLAN data is used to inform us and develop conversations with both students and their parents/care givers around how they are achieving (i.e. are they applying themselves or can they be doing more?). We also use this data to provide evidence to support decision making around selection of subjects throughout their schooling.

Our first Yr 6 Transition Day was held last Thursday. By all reports from students on the day, this was a huge success. These visits provide invaluable opportunities for these students to become familiar with our school curriculum, our environment and potential teachers for next year. Our next Transition Day is on Thursday 25 May. Any new students are welcome to attend this session and do not have to have attended any prior sessions.

We have our school Musical coming up next week, which is exciting! Linley Cerqui has given a lot of her time to this production. Chantal Bullock has also given up a lot of her time to help our students with their dance choreography. I’d like to both thank our staff involved and wish our students and staff all the best for next week. If you are able to come and watch their production, I am sure you will enjoy it.

Coming up in Week 6, on Wednesday 24 May, are our Parents/Student/Teacher interviews. The Student Online Booking System (SOBS) will be open to parents 8:00am on Monday 15 May until Tuesday 3:00pm 23 May. I urge you to take advantage of this opportunity to speak to the teachers who have an important role in your child’s education. Our Principal, John, will also email all parents informing you about these interviews. A copy of this letter is also attached below as well as step-by-step instructions on how to access this site and book your interviews. Interviews are 10 minutes long each and can be made between 3:10pm – 7:30pm. They will take place in the Function Room and Library. As per previous years, seating and details of where teachers will be located for their interviews will be at the door of the Function room closest to the road. As always, please do not think that this is the only time you can contact your child’s teacher. Teachers are available via phone or email if you wish to speak to them.

God Bless
Melissa Carr

Dear Parents/Carers

Our 2017 Parent/Teacher Interviews are being held on Wednesday 24 May from 3:10pm to 7:30pm. Parent/Teacher Interviews are a valuable component of successful home–school relationships and I encourage all our parents and carers to attend.

Apart from inviting all parents/carers, I would strongly encourage your child to accompany you to the interview. This results in a consistent message being communicated to all parties, which is helpful to all involved.

As a two-way conversation, the interviews are an opportunity for parents to learn about their children’s progress in various subjects and for our teachers to gain insights into a child’s development from a parent’s perspective.

Attached to this letter is a sheet, which describes how to book an interview time. The booking facility will be open on Monday 15 May and closes on Tuesday 23 May at 3:00pm. Importantly, parents will need to know the names of their child’s teachers, so it might be worth having this information on hand when you are booking your interview times.

The interviews will be held in our Function Room and in the Library above.

Should you have any queries or concerns please call Student Reception on 4776 2888.

Yours Sincerely
John Nuttall
Principal

From the Assistant Principal
(Pastoral Care)

This week, Luke McKenna and his Unleashing Personal Potential team has been working with the Yr 7’s and Yr 10’s on the idea of building a Growth Mindset concerning our attitudes to life. As you may be aware, this program is one that we commenced last year and one that we as a school are very passionate about developing. We all know how easy it is to pick up bad habits (and how hard they are to break), but what a Growth Mindset instils in us is a way of thinking that leads us to create and persist with good habits that actually help us in all aspects of our everyday lives. While Luke and the UPP Team never profess that maintaining a Growth Mindset will be an easy task, they do however provide a great blueprint and evidence based data that makes it logical for all of us to re-evaluate that way that we do things in our lives. If you are interested in gaining an insight into the world of Growth Mindsets, just type these words into a search engine and you will be overwhelmed by the volume of information and videos that exist on this subject.

On Saturday 20 May, the Annual Gruelling Games will be on again at the College. This day has really taken off in terms of teams participating and spectators watching the event. The Gruelling Games have also been a site where our student community has really gotten together to engage wholeheartedly in the spirit of the event.

This aspect is also starting to filter through in our participation within various sporting and cultural activities throughout the term. The recent Interschool Cross Country at Abergowrie is a fine example of students putting their hand up to represent their school. Congratulations to all of our age champions and to the students who worked hard on the day to complete the course. For the record, the girls team missed out by only 8 points (388 to 380) in taking out the girl’s division, while the boys finished second overall in the points standing. Preparations are already underway for those who have been selected in the Herbert River Team, with training days to be advised. Well done to all those who were selected for the District Team.

God Bless
Peter Groundwater

Gilroy Santa Maria P&F News

Gruelling Games

Careers

Andrew Pallanza – YOU Session

Last Tuesday, I attended my ‘Your Options Unlimited Session’ with the Defence Force. To sign up for the YOU session, you have to complete an application on the Defence Force Recruiting website, or ring 13 19 01. I found calling the better option because the operator discusses with you all that you need to prepare and helps you to book the YOU session.

When your YOU session is booked, you receive an email containing all the necessary information about the day and what you have to prepare for it. To prepare for the session, there are many documents that you have to gather and it is a good idea to practice the aptitude tests that you will be undertaking on the day. Both of these take a considerable amount of time and it is very important to begin preparation well in advance of the date.

When I arrived at the session, there was a group of about 20 people who were doing their sessions for the day. We received a quick briefing about the day before we went into the testing room to do our aptitude tests. They consisted of two multiple-choice tests, which were "General Reasoning" as well as "Mathematical Ability." The purpose of these tests is to measure your eligibility for certain roles in defence. The better you do on the tests, the more jobs that you unlock.

Combat engineering was a job that I had some interest in, and in order to unlock this I had to sit an extra test called "Mechanical Reasoning". The second stage of the session involved an interview with a careers counsellor to see the results of your test, have a look at your academic grades and discuss your intentions in defence.

I was lucky enough to unlock every career possible on the first two tests and all except two on the "Mechanical Reasoning" test. Overall, the interview was very casual and was extremely helpful for me to understand what defence involved and I had many of my questions answered.

Although I am not entirely convinced on joining Defence, I am very interested in trying to gain a Defence University Sponsorship as a Civil Engineer at JCU. If I can get into this scholarship, Defence will pay me for my university fees as well as a yearly salary to study, and provide a guaranteed position when I graduate. Whilst going through the recruitment process, it was great to talk to soldiers that were there applying for various positions. Overall, it was a really helpful experience and I would recommend it to anyone considering a career in Defence.

Aptitude Tests for Students

Mrs Douglas has aptitude tests available for students in many different career paths. Below is a link to an online test that students can try.

Alternatively, Mrs Douglas is happy to print copies for students of the following aptitude tests:

• Maths and Literacy for Electrical Pre-Apprenticeship
• Practice Aptitude Assessment for Automotive Industry (Apprentice Mechanics)
• Practice Aptitude Assessment for Hospitality Industry (Apprentice Chef)
• Practice Aptitude Assessment for Building and Construction Industry
• Practice Aptitude Assessment for Engineering Industry (Apprentice Engineer)
• Practice Aptitude Assessment for Plumbing Industry (Apprentice Plumber)
• Practice Aptitude Quizzes for Business Services

Students or parents are welcome to email or phone Mrs Douglas to request a printed copy of an aptitude assessment.

Holiday Work Experience

Over the Easter holidays, five enthusiastic Gilroy Santa Maria College students spent time in the workforce undertaking work experience.

Ben, in Year 9, spent three days with Ingham Agencies, learning about metal fabrication.

Ethan, in Year 10, spent six days with L & W Repairs, learning about vehicle servicing.

Emily, in Year 11, spent three days with the Ingham Family Medical Practice learning about occupational therapy.

Patrick, in Year 12, spent four days with Wilmar Sugar, learning about their Electrical department.

Brodie, in Year 12, spent four days with the Hinchinbrook Shire Council learning about their Planning and Economic Development department.

It is a great credit to these students that they allocated time in their school holidays to continue to learn, and hopefully they will have gained valuable insights into their desired careers.

Applications for the June/July school holidays are now open, and application forms can be collected from outside the Careers Room, or by emailing Mrs Douglas.

The due date for June/July holiday work experience forms to be submitted is Friday 2 June 2017.

Please be aware that Wilmar Sugar does not accept work experience requests from Year 12s for the September holidays. If you are in Year 12 and would like to undertake holiday work experience with Wilmar Sugar, then the June/July holidays are your last opportunity, and you should submit your form promptly.

Careers

The weeks are now counting down until the “Find your Future in Hinchinbrook” Careers Day Expo occurs on Wednesday 31 May. A large range of exhibitors will be available to speak directly with you about employment and further education.

Bond University Scholarship Update

Scholarship Applications are now open online

Are you an outstanding Yr 12 student with strong academic achievements? Perhaps you are a student who is an active member in their community and strive to make a difference? Or maybe you are an elite sportsman/woman who wants to nurture both their sporting and career aspirations?

The 2018 Bond University Scholarship Program is now open for applications! The program offers a large number of full fee and part fee scholarships to Australia’s best and brightest students. Most scholarships can be used for any single or combined program (with the exception of Bond’s Medical Program).

Students wishing to apply for a scholarship must complete an online application form at the link below before July 31. For further information visit the link below or contact your Manager, Schools and Community.

Nancy Douglas

Sports News

Emma Castles recently made the NQ Schoolgirls Netball Team and competed in Brisbane at the Queensland School Girls Carnival. Emma enjoyed the experience.

Cross Country

Tuesday 2 May saw the Gilroy Cross-Country Team take to the grounds of Abergowrie College to contest the Annual Interschool Cross Country Carnival. This year Gilroy had 56 representatives running the 3, 4 or 6km course with great energy and enthusiasm. Congratulations goes to our Interschool Cross Country Age Champions Dana Kaurila (12 Yrs girls), Amaya Fortini (15 Yrs Girls), Kimo Srb (16 Yrs boys) and Harry Reinaudo (Open Boys)

All students did their school proud, with the following students earning Herbert River selection in the NQ Cross Country trials to be held at Bicentennial Park in Townsville on Tuesday 23 May. Well done to these students!

Confraternity

Last Wednesday afternoon, the Gilroy Open Rugby League Team played against Shalom/St Anthony’s in Townsville. Though the boys were comprehensively beaten 42 – 0 by a more organised team on the day, the Gilroy players took away many valuable lessons from this game. From the forwards, Riley Jensen and Jarred Moeder tried hard throughout the game whilst from the backs Chase Coyne worked tirelessly despite the score line. The Gilroy team will put that result behind them and start focusing on their next game against Ryan Catholic College next Wednesday afternoon 16 May at Ryan Catholic College, Townsville. All parents or students are invited and encouraged to come to the game to watch and support our students and to enjoy what should be a great game of rugby league.

Ian Schifilliti

GSM Cup

Academic Support

Indigenous Homework Support

Tuckshop News

VOLUNTEERS ARE ALWAYS NEEDED!!

Tuckshop Volunteers only need 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

Upcoming Events

• Crowning of Our Lady, St Patrick’s, Sunday 14 May
• Confirmations, Monday 22 & Tuesday 23 May
• Walk of Witness for Christian Unity, 4 June
• Feast of St Anthony, Bemerside, Sunday 11 June
• Corpus Christi Procession, Sunday 18 June

Father Damian McGrath
Parish Priest
Ingham Region Catholic Parishes

District News

St Peter’s Silver Circle

Naidoc Trivia Night

Ingham Arts Festival

Nominations will close on Friday 16 June. The committee will be taking nominations on Friday 16 June at Conroy Hall from 8am to 5pm and Saturday 17 June from 8am to Midday. Preliminary Program are available at Ingham Newsagency in Lannercost Street.

Ingham Music Teachers & Friends – Twilight Concert

Twilight Concert, which is being held on Monday 5th June, 6.30-8pm. The proceeds of the Concert will be donated to Emily Stokes Medical Fund.

Movie Night – Lower Herbert Blue Light Association

Lower Herbert Blue Light Association presents a movie night, on Friday 26 May at 7:00pm. Trolls will be screening and there is a prize for the best-dressed boy and girl troll as well as little freebies on the night!

Australian Italian Festival Hair and Fashion Celebration 2017

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