25 May 2018

Newsletter Articles

Important Dates

Gilroy on the Go

Yr10 Retreat

On Wednesday 9 May the Yr 10 students started their retreat at school, led by Unleashing Personal Potential. The UPP representatives talked about the importance of building each other up rather than tearing each other down. This was a good way to lead into the rest of the retreat at Abergowrie Dairy.

We were joined by The Missionaries of God's Love Team, which included two Sisters, two Brothers and three volunteers. Upon arrival, after meeting the remarkable Missionaries Team we were eager to get our tents set up. During Thursday and Friday, the MOGL Team got us involved in many sessions teaching us about our relationships with God and games that were very enjoyable for everyone. They did an amazing job of managing the retreat sessions and making it a fun experience for all of us. The teachers provided us with excellent meals each day, which made the camp even more spectacular.

Overall it was good to share the experience with our peers and this retreat gave everyone the opportunity to grow closer with one another and learn more about each other. The Yr 10’s left the Abergowrie Dairy on Friday afternoon, taking away with them the inspiring stories and messages from the Missionaries of God's Love team, ensuring that the students will always remember this spiritual journey.

We would like to thank Mrs Timms, Mr Schrodter, Miss Venturato and Mr Groundwater for organising the Retreat and being very helpful and supportive. We would also like to thank Father Damian for coming along on the retreat and spending time with the Yr 10’s. Without our wonderful teachers this Retreat would not have been possible.

By Olivia Biviano and Brittney La Rosa

Yr 8 Poetry

We had Mrs Barnes speak to the Yr 8’s about her father's poetry. Dan Sheahan wrote poems that are being used in the Yr 8 poetry unit at the moment. These include The Pub Without Beer. In honour of her visit Mr Price played her the video adaptation to The Girl to Glashakeenleen. It was deeply appreciated and will be played in front of the Sheahan family.

David Price

Vinnies Group

Our enthusiastic Vinnies Group have been very busy so far this Term.

On Tuesday 1 May, students visited the Palms Nursing Home. The students introduced themselves to the residents, answered their questions, listened to their stories and played board games with them. The smiles on their faces showed how much they thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated our visit.

This week, May 21 - 27, is Volunteers Week. The Vinnies Group thought they would put in extra effort to make sure that the local volunteers at the St Vincent De Paul Store were recognised for the work that they do. Students have been baking delicious goods for the Volunteers to enjoy and they will deliver them each day this week.

On Wednesday 30 May, the group will be visiting Canossa Home. We are also beginning to organise the biannual “Sleep out for Homelessness” which will be held on August 3. If students are interested in joining Gilroy’s Young Vinnies Group, they can see Mrs Martin, Ms Cerqui, Ms Spina or Ms Coyle or come to one of our meetings which are held every second Thursday during the lunch break.

Ashley Spina

Young Vinnies Sleepout - Date Claimer

Friday August 3, students, teachers and Vinnie’s Leaders will sleep without shelter to help change the lives of Australians experiencing homelessness. We're taking a stand to help break the cycle of homelessness and poverty in Australia. Are you in?

Rita Martin

STEM Club

The STEM Club student enjoyed making catapults in their last session. They then had a “Launch Off” to see whose catapult went the furthest.

Roseanne Coyle

Yr 12 Visit Courthouse and Police Station

Recently the Yr 12 English Communications class visited the Ingham Police Station and Courthouse as part of their studies of Queensland Law. It proved to be very interesting to see the legal system in action.

David Price

School Based Traineeship Sign-ups

CONGRATULATIONS to two of our students who have successfully signed up to School Based Traineeship and School Based Apprenticeship:

Akema Greenaway - School Based Traineeship with JK's Deli

Riley Jensen - School Based Apprenticeship with Docs Auto Clinic

Ashley Spina

A Night in Paris

The Yr 11-12 Hospitality Class recently held their annual dinner production which showcased an evening themed, “A night in Paris”. Students have planned and worked on creating this production throughout the year and all did a fantastic job in cooking and serving our guests.

Our 6 course dinner, started with two entrees,

Crevettes et Saint Jacques à la crème - Prawns sautéed with butter and garlic. Served with a French Brandy infused mushroom Cream Sauce.

Le Vol-Au-Vent A light Parisian inspired pastry* filled with spinach, chicken & bacon. Topped with a Camembert crust, served alongside a roasted balsamic tomato.

Our Main dishes included;

Du Boeuf Bourguignon A Burgundy South Regional French stew prepared with beef braised in red wine & beef broth, flavoured with garlic, onions, carrots & a bouquet garni. Topped with a crusted puree of potato.

Potage Parmentier A Julia Child French inspired* Potato and Leek soup slowly simmered in chicken broth, topped with bacon crisps and fresh chives & served with a gruyere cheese baguette.

Finally our evening concluded with two desserts which included:

Crème Brulèe A rich custard base topped with a contrasting layer of burnt torched caramel and a

Peach Mousse, A smooth and creamy peach mousse topped with whipped cream, fresh peach and a crunchy chocolate wafer.

Our tea and coffee table also included a Chocolate fountain with multiple French sweets, marshmallow and fruits.

Guests enjoyed French music, lighting and decorations and it was an evening enjoyed by all. Congratulations to our Yr 11-12 hospitality students on a job well done and thank you to Mr Schrodter, Mr Hayden, Mrs Pearce, Mrs La Rosa, Mrs Woolley, Mr & Mrs Giliberto & Mr Staples who assisted on the evening.

Danielle Mastrippolito

Guest Speaker – Rwandan Refugee - Sibbo

Sibbo recently addressed a number of classes and told about his experience as a Rwandan refugee. Sibbo and his family initially fled the horrific Rwandan genocide in 1994. As a family they made camp over on the Tanzanian side of the border and lived there for six years. Following two other stays in refugee camps he finally made his way to a host country willing to accept him -the US. Life in upstate New York was far too cold and far too removed from his sweetheart, a fellow refugee who had been residing in Townsville. So, after a number of years Sibbo managed to migrate to Australia in 2014. He currently lives with his sweetheart, now his wife, and their two children.

David Price

CROSS COUNTRY

Tuesday 2 May saw the Gilroy Santa Maria College Cross-Country Team take to the grounds of Abergowrie College to contest at the Annual Inter-School Cross-Country Carnival. This year Gilroy had over 60 representatives running the 3, 4 or 6km course with great energy and enthusiasm. An extended congratulation goes to our Interschool Cross Country Age Champions: Kate Butcher (12 Yrs girls), Zoe Kemp (13 Yrs Girls), Paige Benfell (14 Yrs Girls), Trinity Reinaudo (15 Yrs Girls) Amaya Fortini (16 Yrs Girls), Akema Greenaway (Open Girls) and Kimo Srb (Open Boys).

All students represented our school with pride.

From this event, GSMC had multiple students selected in the HR team to compete in the NQ Cross-Country trials to be held at Bicentennial Park in Townsville on Tuesday 29 May.

Well done to all students involved!

Meagan Castellaro

From the Principal

Dear Gilroy Santa Maria College Community

Last week we had the pleasure of Bishop Tim Harris visiting our school. This was Bishop Tim’s second visit to Gilroy and formed part of his visit to our district. During his time in the north he visited all our Catholic schools and confirmed a group of our local children at St Patrick’s Church on Wednesday night. While at Gilroy he enjoyed morning tea with our staff and interacted with our Yr 7 and Yr 10 students. Bishop Tim is very easy to talk to and keen to know our plans and the issues we face in our schools. We look forward to welcoming him back shortly.

This week the QCEC Capital Grant Committee visited our school to assess our current building application. We have applied to demolish the old “Santa Maria” building, and the slightly later addition of the library and administration which we now call M Block and construct a new library, a new hospitality centre and several classrooms. The project will ensure we have modern and contemporary learning spaces to meet the educational needs of the future. Our positive enrolment trends now and into the future give us a great argument as does the improved facilities. We will be informed in September if our application is successful, it will be a great boost for our community if we are able to convince the Grant Committee of our need for the project.

Proving we are all life-long learners, our teachers are embracing this notion by inviting their fellow teachers into their rooms to observe their teaching and give them feedback about what they notice. This exercise is all part of our program to strive for quality teaching and learning in all our Gilroy classrooms. All teachers as part of their Professional Learning Plans must use four different methods to gather feedback on their teaching. Many teachers organise student surveys while others choose to be observed by their colleagues. This program encourages teachers to reflect on their teaching as well as enhancing collaboration. It is great to see so much discussion in our staffroom about what is working in our classrooms and all these great ideas being readily shared. I thank the teaching staff for their cooperation in this program and for welcoming the ideas and suggestions of others. It is not always easy to do.

Next Thursday 31 May is our “Gilroy on Show” from 3:30pm to 6:00pm. Everyone is welcome to attend, come along to be fed, entertained and importantly be impressed by the wonderful displays and demonstrations.

On Thursday, we hosted the second of our Yr 6 Transition Days for the year. All the current Yr 6 students in our district from Catholic and State schools are welcome to attend. 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 as we have another three transition days to go.

As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, I’ll be away from school until Monday 25 June as I have been seconded to the Catholic Education Office in Townsville. I know it will be a great experience but will be looking forward to returning to Gilroy.

God Bless

John Nuttall

From the Acting Assistant Principal
Administration & Curriculum)

Welcome everyone to Week 6 of this term.

Last week NAPLAN was undertaken by the Yr 7 and 9 students. I was very proud of the students who all earnestly tried their best. They were exceptional; accepting the testing process as a serious and important task. At Gilroy, NAPLAN results are used as part of the important process of tracking our students, seeking areas where students are both thriving and struggling. Tracking helps answer questions such as: Are low achieving students catching their peers? Are high achieving students being stretched? Are students progressing or are they cruising?

The Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews were held last Thursday. It was great to see so many parents and students coming in to meet with their teachers. These meaningful conversations, recommendations and discussions are always very worthwhile. I trust that all students use the feedback and advice received from their teachers to make any necessary improvements over the next month, prior to their exams between Monday 18 – Friday 22 June in Week 10. Parents, please understand that meaningful class work will continue in Week 11 and therefore students are required at school until Term 2 concludes on 29 June.

I encourage you to visit our College for ‘Gilroy on Show’ evening next Thursday 31 May from 3:30 pm – 6:30pm. Many of the staff and students have been working very hard in preparation for what promises to be an informative and enjoyable evening. Entertainment will be provided by our staff and students and many teachers will be available to talk to parents about any questions they may have concerning the curriculum and its delivery. Key subject area displays and activities will be showcased throughout the evening to allow future parents and students opportunities to discuss the educational program at Gilroy and meet our experienced and dedicated staff. This invitation is open to all, past, present and future families and the community; come and enjoy what Gilroy has to offer.

Coming up in this exam block will be career sessions for Yr 9 and 10 students. These sessions are to ensure students are undergoing SET (Senior Education and Training) planning in preparation for senior.

As we approach the later half of the term, students should be well underway with assessment and study. The exam timetable for Term 2 will be released in our next newsletter. I hope that students are taking advantage of Gilroy’s Academic Support Program offered in the library both at second lunch and after school at 3:00pm. I have been hearing excellent reports from our teachers in regards to students’ attitudes and effort towards their studies and hope this transpires into well-deserved achievements in their report cards. If you have any concerns regarding your child/children’s progress, please do not hesitate to contact their class teacher/pastoral care coordinator or myself to discuss how we can help to alleviate any issues.

Exam dates for Term 2 – Week 10

• START - Monday 18 June
• FINISH - Friday 22 June

God Bless

Joan Devietti

From the Assistant Principal
(Religious Education)

It has been a busy fortnight …

Over the past two weeks I have been lucky enough to spend some quality time with the Yr 10 students. Firstly, we adventured off to the Abergowrie Dairy for the Yr 10 Retreat. This was a wonderful experience for all involved. We had the Missionaries of God’s Love Youth Group join us and lead the retreat. Through story, prayer, song, liturgy and mass they proclaimed the love that God has for each of us and how, if we only ask, God will be there for us when we need Him. Thank you to Mr Schrodter, Miss Venturato, Mr Groundwater and Father Damian for your assistance on retreat, as well as, Therese, Amy, Larissa, Boodhi, Neglio, Aidan and Nat from MOGL.

The second retreat was to Townsville to celebrate with 1600 students in the diocese, the ‘Youth Celebration – The Life You’re Living’. The message of the day was that ‘All belong’ and ‘All are welcome’ and through these words the youth of today are the Church. Also thank you to Mr Price and Mrs Giliberto for helping with supervision. Below are some photos and reflections written by students. There is also a video attached for the Youth Celebration in Townsville.

Youth Celebration – The Life You’re Living, Townsville.

On the weekend we also celebrated a Youth Mass at St Patrick’s Church. It was amazing by all accounts, with around 50 students from both St Teresa’s and Gilroy singing in the choir and playing in the band. There are always several parishioners who request that these masses occur every week because of the excitement and enthusiasm exuded by our youth. Thank you to everyone who came and was involved. The next Youth Mass will be held on Sunday 17 June at 7:00pm. Again, all are welcome.

Last Friday Bishop Tim visited our school. This gave our Yr 7 and 10 students the opportunity to speak with the Bishop and ask questions related to his ministry in our diocese. It is always a privilege to have Bishop Tim join us and we look forward to his next visit.

Last weekend the Catholic Church celebrated the Feast of the Pentecost. Pentecost marks the end of Easter and is when we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. It marks the beginning of the Church, a birthday of such, giving the Apostles the courage to take action and begin the work of spreading the Good News. Through the Fruits of the Holy Spirit; Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Trustfulness, Gentleness and Self Control, we are now called to be the bearers of Good News today. We are asked to spread the word of God through what we do and say, in the way we live and to be agents of peace and harmony among our school, our community and in the wider world.

God Bless

Christine Timms

Celebrate Youth – The Life You’re Living

Last Monday the 14 May our Yr 10 class was given the opportunity to travel to Townsville to participate in the Celebrate Youth Festival at Ryan Catholic College, with hundreds of other students from around the Townsville diocese for the Year of Youth. The day involved lots of singing, dancing and overall fun with special guest Jesse Manibusan whose message was that everyone is welcome into the house of God and that we are the future of the Church. We concluded the day with a mass said by Father Damian. We are so pleased that we were given the opportunity to participate in such an outstanding event and thanked all those who help organise the fun and entertaining day and Mrs Timms, Mrs Giliberto and Mr Price for taking us to the festival.

By Emily Firth and Stevie Barret

From the Assistant Principal
(Pastoral Care)

Welcome all to the midway point of a very long and exciting Term 2. As you may be aware, I am stepping in for John Nuttall for five weeks as he takes on the Consultants role for the district over the same time period. In my absence, Matthew Schrodter has been appointed to the position of Acting Assistant Principal, Pastoral. I congratulate Matthew for applying for this position and I know that with his wealth of experience, he will be a more than worthy replacement.

Two weeks ago we had the very first instalment of “No Phone Wednesday” and I am very pleased to report that no one was worse off for their efforts. While I am sure that there would have been a lot of students and staff who didn’t take up the challenge to go without their phones for 24 hours, I congratulate those who did, and I invite parents to join with us in two weeks’ time as we push for an even greater coverage of our school community.

Last week I attended the Annual Positive Schools Conference in Brisbane. This is a yearly event and is held in all states throughout the month of May. These conferences showcase educational professionals and others who are at the forefront of student and staff wellbeing. The whole focus of the positive schools movement is understanding that wellbeing, not academic success, is pivotal in ensuring that students (and staff) succeed in their future endeavours. If we look at our own lives, we know how badly a day can go when we are not feeling well, either physically or mentally. In particular, our mental health and wellbeing, and how we address it, should be a fundamental aim of all human beings. Sadly, our own wellbeing often isn’t our major concern and we suffer, often in silence, without knowing what to do to live a more joyful and fuller life. Positive schools isn’t about being happy all the time, it is about enabling students and staff to live and work in a state of mind that provides opportunities for growth for yourself and for those around you.

Some of the fantastic presentations throughout the conference included, Dana Kerford, the founder of the URSTRONG program, that provides young men and women with the spoken and non-verbal skills to deal with situations to repair broken relationships with their peers. Dana’s presentation highlighted the deficit in social skills that have developed through the onset of smart phone usage amongst primary school students (WOW, who would have thought). One of my favourite presenters was Justin Robinson, the Director of the Institute of Positive Education based at the Geelong Grammar School. For those of us who know nothing about the Geelong Grammar School, it is one of the premier facilities for Positive Education practices in the world. In the Positive Education department alone, they have 30 teachers (almost Gilroy’s staff) who work exclusively on ensuring a whole school approach for their 400 staff members, as well as providing training to hundreds of schools throughout Australia and abroad. This is how Geelong Grammar describe their Positive Education movement.

“In its most basic essence, our Positive Education Model can be thought of as a road map of what people want for themselves, their students, and their children: good health, frequent positive emotions, supportive relationships, a sense of purpose and meaning, the accomplishment of worthwhile goals, and moments of complete immersion and absorption”. (Geelong Grammar School, 2018)

One of the main reasons I attended this conference was to listen to Professor Pasi Sahlberg, Finland’s leading Educational expert. Finland is considered to be at the pinnacle of educational practices in the world. Throughout his presentation, Sahlberg dispelled myths about their practices and stated some interesting and realistic facts about what they do well. He had three suggestions for Australian schools. 1. Ensure there is equity in how each student is individually educated, 2. Redefine how success is viewed. Sahlberg highlighted that there were many ways for a child to be successful, and that we, “shouldn’t look how good is Johnny, but how is Johnny good”. 3. Empower schools by letting them go and allowing them to teach what is good for them and for their student.

His final message was in regards to student’s social and emotional wellbeing. He highlighted that since 2012 and the widespread overwhelming uptake of the smart phone there has been an equal overwhelming decrease in student wellbeing. This aspect was not surprising from where I sit as a Pastoral Care practitioner within Gilroy and is something that I deal with on a daily basis. While student wellbeing is always our priority, Gilroy Santa Maria will be doing a lot of positive work in the coming months to ensure that the wellbeing of all members of our school is an absolute priority.

Blessings

Peter Groundwater

From the Business Manager

Term 2 School Fees are Due 25 May 2018

Discount if paid by the due are as follows:

1 Child - $24.85
2 Children - $43.45
3 Children - $57.50

If you are paying by direct debit, please ensure you include the family code located on your statement.

If you have any outstanding, fees please contact the school. Please do not let them go into arrears. 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.

BANK DETAILS are as follows:

WESTPAC Ingham
BSB - 034-187
Account Number – 145 925
Name – Gilroy Santa Maria College
Detail – (Family code from statement)

Ros Giuliano

Guidance Counsellor

13 Reasons Why, Season 2 – Information for Young People, Parents and Schools

13 Reasons Why, Season 2 officially launched on Netflix on Friday May 18 at 5:00pm. headspace has collaborated with Netflix to develop supporting resources and discussion guides for young people, parents and schools which will be made available upon the show’s launch (Friday May 18 at 5pm).

People can be directed to 13reasonswhy.info where the resources will be available, including the information that can be found on the headspace blog. You can access the blog post here:

• tips for discussing the show safely,
• points to consider before watching the show.
• questions to help start a conversation

Further to this, eheadspace will be holding group chat sessions for young people and a session for adults. You can access the group chat sessions below and then scroll down to find more information about each chat session.

Dates and session times for the 13 Reasons Why, Season 2 sessions are:

• For young people - Thursday May 24 from 7-8pm AEST
• For young people - Sunday May 27 from 7-8pm AEST

Finally, we would like to inform you that a range of measures have been put in place with Netflix to assist with safely launching Season 2 of the series. This includes:

• A designated webpage 13reasonswhy.info where resources and help seeking information will be provided.
• Inclusion of warnings and help-seeking information before, and at the end, of each episode of the show. The end frame directs users back to 13reasonswhy.info

• On the webpage you will find:

It is important to note that 13 Reasons Why, Season 2 is rated MA15+ in Australia, therefore the resources have been developed for secondary schools, parents and secondary school aged young people. The resources are designed to promote help seeking and support having conversations with an individual young person and are not intended to be used for large groups or for classroom lessons.

Kate Stringini

Academic Support

Indigenous Homework Support

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 regard to this roster or you are unavailable to attend, please contact Sandra Benedetto Home [4776 5321] Jodie Lino Home [4776 5718]

Winter Uniform

As the weather becomes cooler students often need to wear additional clothes. School Jumpers can be purchased through Duffys Mensland or Ingham Underages. Parents are asked to ensure names are clearly visible on all items of clothing, as it is easier to return an item which is clearly labelled.

1. Jackets / Jumpers

Girls - Navy Cardigan with School Logo or Unisex Navy Spray Jacket with School Logo
Boys - Unisex Navy Spray Jacket with School Logo

2. Track Suits / Track Pants

Track suits / track pants are not part of the compulsory school uniform; however, students may wear a pair of plain blue / navy track pants when they are travelling to school on the cool mornings but must be removed once at school.

NO other coloured pants or multi-coloured track pants are acceptable.

3. Beanies / Knit Hats

These are not part of the school uniform and should not be worn.

What’s Happening in the Parish

Bus to St Anthony’s Feast Day Celebration

A bus to attend St Anthony’s feast day celebrations on 10/06/18 will be available for parishioners who would like to attend the festivities at St Anthony’s Church at Bemerside. The bus will arrive in time for Mass in the morning and depart sometime after the Rosary and Procession in the afternoon. Bus departure times will be advised closer to the date. As there are limited seats available, please contact the Parish office to place your name on the list.

Upcoming Events

• St Patrick’s Parish Council Meeting 21 May
• Relay for Life 26 May
• Feast St Anthony Bemerside 10 June

Father Damian McGrath
Parish Priest
Ingham Region Catholic Parishes

District News

Car Boot Sale

Find your Future in Hinchinbrook

Hinchinbrook Shire Council, TYTO and the Hinchinbrook Chamber of Commerce will host a Careers Expo at the TYTO Conference and Event Centre on Wednesday 30 May 2018 from 11:00am to 3:00pm. This event aims to trigger new ideas and non-traditional avenues, encouraging diversification of the economy within the Hinchinbrook Shire, as well as highlighting current core career path opportunities within the community

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