29 March 2018

Newsletter Articles

Important Dates

Gilroy on the Go

GSM – Say NO to Bullying – G Man to the Rescue

Student Representative Council (SRC)

The Student Representative Council is a student run committee that focuses on improving certain aspects of the school that themselves and their peers have identified. It provides the opportunity for students in Yrs 7 – 12 to gain leadership experience and to communicate with students from other year levels.

After a nomination and voting process the following students have been selected as the 2018 SRC members. Members from the 2018 Yr 12 Student Leaders will facilitate the meetings.

Yr 7

Bonnie Molloy and Janae Pearce

Yr 8

Harry Hardy and Kaylee Hillyard

Yr 9

Samuel Di Bartolo and Paige Girgenti

Yr 10

Alicia Galipo and Bhodi Simpson

Yr 11

Mary Galletly and Rachel Torrisi

Yr 12

Prefects – Lauryn Deambrogio, Lara Gusmeroli, Emma Panzenbock, Rowan McClelland and James Smallwood

Vice Captains – Zeia Artavilla and Danny De Leo

School Captains – Tina Paton and Chris D’Emden

Congratulations to these students. We look forward to the first meeting, early in Term 2.

QATSIF

The Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation is a charitable trust that was established by execution of a Trust Deed on 25 November 2008. Interest on preserved funds is used to achieve the Trust’s objectives:

• to provide scholarships which will advance the education of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in Queensland;

• to increase community awareness of the need to advance the education of Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people;

• to ensure engagement by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community with QATSIF; and

• to ensure the income produced is unending, and to secure additional financial support from the wider community for the Trust and the objectives it seeks to achieve.

Under this program, QATSIF provides two-year scholarship funding to increase Yr 12 completion rates with a Queensland Certificate of Education and student retention in Yrs 11 and 12.

Congratulations: Oliver, Lotus, Calem, Ethan, June and Akeema

Avengers Movie Premiere

NQ District Lions Youth of the Year

Tina Paton competed in and won the Inter-Zones 3 & 4 Lions Youth of the Year Competition at the Royal Hotel in Ingham. There were three other competitors: Ashlea Dickson - Ingham SHS, Claire Lowe - Tully SHS and Kel-sie van Rees - Babinda SHS. Congratulations Tina!

Tina Paton then went on to represent our zone at the NQ District Lions Youth of the Year recently. There were 6 competitors and while Tina didn't win she certainly did our College proud and was a very worthy competitor. Congratulations for a super effort.

World War I Link Project

Twelve Yr 9 students, along with Mrs Squires spent Saturday 17 March, researching for the World War I Link Project, a Queensland Government and RSL funded project. The information these students find on the Ingham WWI Honour Roll Soldiers will be accessible via an interactive portal at Tyto from November. The students have been working on the research for the past 12 months.

Senior Hospitality Students

The Yr 11/12 Senior Hospitality Students were very lucky to have Mr Scott Tolcher visit our class to show us some chef’s knife skills which the students found very helpful. Mr Tolcher is a chef by trade and showed us some knife skills he learnt in his trade as well as sharing some stories from his days as a chef. Mr Tolcher was renowned for his lobster specialities and shared many memories from his days in the kitchen. The seniors are preparing their skills for their upcoming dinner for their parents, "A Night in Paris". Which will showcase their cooking and restaurant planning skills.

Below: Caine Patterson & Cody Cavallaro perfecting their knife skills.

Vinnies Group

Recently, a group of students including Helena Scobie, Harry Hardy, Ella McLennan, Mickayla Coco, Samuel Timms, Nicholas Di Bella and their teachers, Miss Cerqui, Miss Spina, Mrs Devietti and Mrs Martin from Young Vinnies, went to Canossa Home to visit the residents and wish them Happy Easter. A smaller group of us also visited Palms Aged Care Home.

On both visits went from room to room giving them Easter Eggs and having a brief chat with them, it was very enjoyable and interesting, especially when the residents had pictures to show us or told stories. The residents where very happy to see us, especially the ones that don't get many visitors often. It was enjoyable making them all smile. It would be great to see more students come and put a smile on their faces.

Helena Scobie

Sports News

Gilroy Santa Maria College recently took part in the annual Catholic Schools Carnival for Rugby League, Netball and Debating at Charters Towers. Held over two days, 30 students braved the hot conditions in and out of the classroom to put their best foot forward in all three disciplines. The girls QISSN Netball Team lived up to pre-carnival expectations with a strong performance on the Saturday defeating St Catherine’s, St Anthony’s, Good Sheppard Mt Isa and Southern Cross. They finished third overall going down to Columba by 2 goals after leading at half time. Best players over the two days were Rachel Morelli at Goal shooter, Lisa Stokes at Centre and Zeia Artavilla in Goal Defence.

For the boys Confraternity team, there was much to be taken out of their performances with very strong games against Abergowrie, Ryan and St Anthony’s. Although not coming away with a win, all participants can be very proud of their efforts. Best performances were from Riley Jensen, Jared Erkkila and Reagan Adams in the forwards, while Andrew Finocchiaro, Ethan Hillyard and Kimo Srb were superb in the back line.

For the very first time, Debating was introduced to the Catholic Schools Carnival and two young Gilroy teams gave a great account of themselves with some exciting displays of Debating tactics. The boys team was rewarded for their efforts with a strong win over the host school, Columba.

Meagan Castellaro

Debating at Columba

All GSM teams competed in Charters Towers recently. The boys won a debate and lost the second by three points to the eventual winner, St. Margaret Mary's College. The girls team lost their first second debates in a controversial decision.

Both boys and girls are energised by the experience and are keen to continue with the Townsville Inter-School Debating Competition in Term 2.

Crazy Hair Day – for William Bosworth

Recently GSM held a Gold Coin donation with all money raised being donated to William Bosworth.

For everyone that doesn't know, William found a lump growing off his hip a couple months ago. After many deliberations, doctors’ appointments, scans, surgeries etc, it turns out he's the 20th person in the world to have been documented as having a rare form of cancer know as Ewing's Sarcoma.

We wish William all the best in his future.

From the Principal

Dear Gilroy Santa Maria College Community

As I write this article our region is again copping much rain and the danger of flooding is on our minds. Let’s hope we don’t reach the levels of previous weeks and everyone in our community stays safe.

The weekend before last I accompanied a group of children and staff to Charters Towers to compete in debating, rugby league and netball competitions conducted by Columba Catholic College. Catholic Schools from around our Diocese from as far away as Good Shepherd, Mt Isa attended. It was a great experience for our students. They all competed very well, and all our staff were so impressed by their behaviour. They were a pleasure to take away. Thanks to Ms Castellaro, Mr Price, Mr Spina, Mr and Mrs Groundwater along with parent, Mrs Marano and ex-student Matthew Spina for generously giving up most of their weekend.

Congratulations to our School Captain, Tina Paton for reaching the district final of the Lions Youth of the Year. Tina progressed to the next stage after competing against fellow students from Ingham, Babinda and Tully. Tina went to Townsville last Saturday for the zone finals and represented our school proudly. Well done Tina for the work you put into this competition. You are a great ambassador for our school.

As Term 1 ends there a couple of events early next term that I would like to highlight. Firstly, the first day back on Monday 16 April is a Pupil-Free Day, therefore school officially starts for students on Tuesday. Our Interhouse Cross Country will be held on Friday 20 April. The second week back is also a short week with Anzac Day on Wednesday 25 April. Our attendance levels to the various ceremonies in our district is on the rise so it will be great to keep the trend going. The previous morning, we will be hosting our Anzac Day Liturgy at 10:15am where everyone is welcome.

We will commence our Yr 6 Transitions Days in Term 2. All children from State and Catholic schools in the district will be invited to attend these sessions which are designed to showcase the subjects and facilities that they will experience here at Gilroy. The program is aimed at not only providing valuable education but also allowing students to become comfortable and excited to be at Gilroy. We had over sixty students attend last year’s program and was the major reason we had so many Yr 7 enrolments this year. If you know of any families and friends who have current Yr 6 students in our district, please encourage them to come to these sessions. Please see below for the Term 2 dates.

As we do prepare for our holidays, we reflect on the religious significance that Holy Week represents. Easter is the greatest Feast in our Christian calendar, where we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Celebrate is always a strange word to describe the death of anyone but as Catholics we believe Easter represents the fulfilment of our faith and Jesus’ resurrection as the promise of new life.

I hope everyone has a safe and Holy Easter.

God Bless
John Nuttall
Principal

From the Assistant Principal (Religious Education)

During this week, Holy Week, we prepare ourselves for Easter. Last weekend the church celebrated Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday marked the beginning of Holy Week and Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem. It told how Jesus came riding in on a borrowed colt being hailed by the crowds shouting “Hosanna!” and giving praise to God. During the Liturgy of the Word, the events of Jesus passion were proclaimed retelling the events of Holy Thursday and Good Friday.

Jesus died a very pure death, with pure love, so that we may live. He died as he lived, without fanfare and without fame. His time on Earth was spent leading by example and working to make life meaningful for those around him. He befriended outcasts, the inconsequential and the poor, women and lepers. He led a life according to the teachings in the Scriptures and highlighted the important fact that it is not who you are but what you are, that matters. As we prepare ourselves for this Easter celebration, may we truly come to realise the sacrifice Jesus made and the boundless love to has for us.

This year during the September/October holidays our school, along with St Patrick’s Parish, will be travelling to the Philippines to assist ‘The Missionaries of the Poor’. This very dedicated group of priests and brothers care for the poorest of the poor in Manila and Naga City. This year the trip will be open to Yr 11 and 12 students as well as Yr 10 students, due to the introduction of the new senior syllabus to 2020. There will be a meeting for those interested in participating on Thursday 3 May at 7:30pm in Mercy Hall. All are welcome to attend to get an insight into the trip and the work we do.

As Term 1 comes to an end, I would like to wish you all a very safe and holy Easter break and look forward to seeing you refreshed and renewed next term.

God bless
Christine Timms

From the Assistant Principal (Pastoral Care)

Seven years ago, my mobile phone existed in the form of a cheap Nokia pre-paid device that I had actually found at my workplace in 2005. It was a trusted device that I would invest $30.00 a year, when I would attend Confraternity Carnivals, so I could phone home or be contacted if there was an emergency. Mind you, emergencies at that time usually revolved around our water pump not working, but that is another story. I had no use for my phone at any other time, because service was generally poor, the screen was about the size of a matchbox and my fingers were far too slow to text anyone. Somewhere between that time and now, life got very fast. While my faithful Nokia served me well, I convinced myself that an upgrade to this thing called a “smart phone” would somehow help to move my subject area of PE into the 21st Century. Life has definitely changed over the past 7 years.

For me, I use my phone to occasionally text, to read the news, to store my music, to research every cricket score on the planet, sometimes I even make phone calls on it. For many, the smart phone has become the epicentre of our insatiable need for “Instant Gratification”. Our impatience for everything to happen quickly and our curiosity to know what is going on at precisely this moment is only heightened by the obsession with social media and feel good extras that it offers. When I had my faithful Nokia I never dreamed there would be a time when it was important to share a photo of the cake or burger you are eating or letting the world know that you aren’t happy with the price of bananas. But for some, it seemed that social media sites like Facebook weren’t quick enough and we were invited into the worlds of Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat. Instantly we can post, our exact thoughts of anger, happiness and sadness. If we are feeling sadness, we can instantly request for our friends to send us an affirmation, so we can feel happy… that is, if your friends phone is not out of credit. I mean, … that is the trouble with instant gratification, sometimes it just takes too long” (Meryl Streep, Postcards from the edge).

In my role of Pastoral Care, I have witnessed the good aspects of Mobile phones and I have seen some things that make me question the future of our society and what our children will be like in 50 years’ time. We talk about social media, well sometimes it is more like “anti-social” media. These $1000.00 superfast devices in the hands of our young untrained children are a source of ongoing and unprecedented behaviour problems. I would estimate that over 75% of the problems that currently occur in our school will somehow have a Mobile device attached to it. These problems do not discriminate, as there are a wide range of students who have used their devices in inappropriate or addictive manners. So, what is the solution? I strongly believe that there are two things that need to be in place when a child is given a mobile device. The first is to delay, as long as you can, the introduction of a mobile device into their lives. When I learnt to drive, I didn’t just get given a car and told to go and enjoy myself. I was monitored, mentored and roused on when I did the wrong thing. The same needs to apply with a smart phone. We need to ease them into it so that they fully understand the enormous responsibility they have to use this device with the respect that is so desperately needed. This leads me into my second point which is education around the use of these devices. Children need to 100% understand the implications of their use of these powerful devices. They are as dangerous as a V8 car in the hands of a child and the devastation they can cause can be just as serious. There needs to be constant dialogue around their use and there needs to be clear rules and boundaries that must be adhered to. If these are breached in any manner, there must be very stern consequences.

As a school, we are very mindful of the impact that mobile devices are having on all of our busy lives. Sometimes we just need a chance to stop and reboot the human component of our existence so that we can reconnect with the simple things in life. As such, next term we are proposing the idea of a “No Phone Wednesday”. On the second Wednesday of each month, we are proposing the following:

No Phone Wednesday

• Students and staff to not use their phones at home or at school for the entire day - a whole 24 hours
• To occur once a month on the second Wednesday of each month
• Plan for this to happen. Let your friends and family know. Look to make use of the school phone to solve emergencies. Find another way - Think, “What would my parents have done 20 years ago?”
• When you wake up in the morning, instead of turning on your phone for inspiration, try one of these things:
  - go for a walk,
  - make a great breakfast and have it with your family,
  - read the paper,
  - read a chapter of a new bestseller,
  - play with the dog,
  - do some study,
  - do some washing and ironing
• When you go home in the afternoon you could:
  - Do some exercise
  - Help out with getting dinner ready
  - Do some study
  - Phone (remember to use a landline) a friend and actually talk to them
  - Play a board game with your family
  - Share some stories around the dinner table
  - Talk to your family about your day
  - Get a great night’s sleep

Blessings
Peter Groundwater

From the Business Manager

Office hours over the School Holidays.

The office will still be open over the school holidays (except Public Holidays) please see adjusted hours below.

Monday – Thursday 8.00am to 4.00pm Closed for lunch 1.00pm - 2.00pm

Friday 8.00am to 3.30pm. Closed for lunch 1.00pm – 2.00pm

Thank you to all who have paid fees to date. As always, if for any reason you are finding it difficult to pay school fees. Please contact the Principal or myself to discuss the matter

A reminder when paying school fees by direct debit please make sure to enter your Family Code (found on your School Fee Statement).

BANK DETAILS are as follows:

WESTPAC Ingham
BSB - 034-187
Account Number – 145 925
Name – Gilroy Santa Maria College

Happy Easter

Ros Giuliano

Careers

Yr 10 Work Experience:

Yr 10 Work Experience forms must be back by the end of Term 1 to Miss Spina. If your child needs help with contacting their choice of business or deciding on where they would like to go, then they need to see Miss Spina in the Careers room.

Yr 11 and 12 Work Placement

All students need to return their work placement forms for Term 2 so that arrangements can be made. If students require help deciding where they would like to go, please see Miss Spina in the Careers room. It is very important for students to experience a variety of fields, which is why we encourage a new workplace every term.

The first work placement day for Term 2 is Friday 27 April which is week 2.

Holiday Work Experience

A number of students have taken the initiative to organise work experience during the Term 1 school holidays. This will be a terrific experience for them, and I look forward to hearing about their experience when they return for Term 2.

Ashley Spina

Abbie

Abbie Furber was one of the thirty-one high school students to get a taste of life as a health worker recently as part of The Townsville Hospital’s High School Health Careers Program.

Facilitator Amanda Watson said the program was developed to give Yr 11 and 12 students a broad overview of the health service and sample of what a career in health would entail.

Nancy Douglas

Wanted

The Science Department are looking for donations of ice cream containers, with or without lids.

Gruelling Games

Due to MPH upgrades the Gruelling Games is having 2018 off. It will be back in 2019.

Tuckshop News

VOLUNTEERS ARE ALWAYS NEEDED!!

Tuckshop Volunteers are only needed to work from 8:30am to 12:00pm.

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

Good Friday Collection

Every year on Good Friday, a collection is taken up in every Catholic Church to support the people and places of the Holy Land. Christians of the Holy Land rely heavily on the help that comes to them during this special time. The Good Friday Collection helps fund programs such as maintenance of Holy Places and shrines, building aged-care facilities and other residential units for the poor, operating schools and providing scholarships and faith formation. Envelopes are available at the entrance to St Patrick’s Church for your contribution and to return on Good Friday. So please on Good Friday help support this critical mission of keeping Christianity alive in the Holy Land.

High School Mission Trip 2018

In the September/October school holidays, St Patrick’s Parish will again be sponsoring a Mission Trip for Yrs 10, 11 and 12 students to the Philippines to work with the Missionaries of the Poor amongst the poorest of the poor in Naga City. There will be a meeting for those interested in participating on Thursday May 3 at 7:30pm in Mercy Hall.

Upcoming Events

• Catholic Debutante Ball 28/4
• Lourdes Fete 12/5
• Feast St Anthony Bemerside 10/6

Father Damian McGrath
Parish Priest
Ingham Region Catholic Parishes

District News

Farewell to Flavia

Our Lady of Lourdes Fete

Easter Holidays Boredom Busters

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