29 May 2019

Newsletter Articles

Important Dates

Gilroy on the Go

Please Label Belongings

Everyday items are handed into the office; hats, jumpers, lunchboxes, pencil cases and many other things. Please label all of your child’s belongings, as we love to return them to their rightful owners.

Yr 8 Retreat

Yr 10 Retreat

The Food Technology Department

With the welcoming of the cool change in the weather, our Yr 9 & 10 students have adapted their culinary skills to suit the cravings of slow cooked and warm comfort food recipes.

Yr 9 students have been busy exploring pasta and sauce cookery. They have learnt the nostalgic skill of making gnocchi from scratch whilst studying the Italian influence pasta cookery has had on early Italy and also within our local Italian family traditions.

To accompany the soft warm delights of fresh boiled gnocchi, students have prepared warm cheese sauces, fresh pesto using homegrown basil and spent Tuesday simmering oxtail spaghetti sauce for the whole day resulting in a sweet smelling aroma of sauce throughout M Block.

Next week, students will learn how to make pasta from scratch. The skill of hand making these dishes brings sentimental experiences, which these students can now bring home to their own families and keep old traditions alive or start new ones. What better way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon by hand making pastas!

Yr 10 students have been learning the art of bread and pastry making. A patient skill resulting in the warmth of fresh sweet and savoury bread rolls and desserts. This term, students have made fresh warm bacon and cheese rolls, Quiche Lorraine, Apple pies & Hot Cross Buns.

This week, students are designing their own tear and share loaves, both sweet and savoury with adding their own chosen ingredients and shapes to their designs. Students will embark on their creations next week to share with their class.

Yr 7 students have started Food Technology this term and 7A did a fantastic job of making Chicken Salads using learnt knife skills last week. They all enjoyed their healthy salads for lunch and some students practiced this skill at home reinventing it for their families. Their enthusiasm is very infectious are we are looking forward to more cooking and learning new kitchen skills in the coming weeks.

Our Yr 11 & senior students have spent this year working on their Certificate ll in Hospitality. Our trainer Megan, who is a trained Chef has been teaching the students to cook and prepare cafe dishes and also the art of coffee making as part of their certificate. Next week, students will be practicing their coffee making skills in our newly opened staff cafe, where they will be serving, making and selling coffee to staff, whilst training themselves in financial transactions, customer service and cafe experience.

Danielle Mastrippolito

Reconciliation Liturgy

Principal

Dear Gilroy Santa Maria College Community

This week throughout Australia, National Reconciliation Week is being celebrated. National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. The dates for NRW remain the same each year; 27 May to 3 June. These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey— the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively. You may have noticed many sporting teams wearing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander uniforms and jerseys over the weekend doing their part to promote the week.

At school, we also look to give the week prominence in various ways including our Reconciliation Liturgy, which was conducted on Wednesday, the launch of our school Reconciliation Action Plan and discussion and activities in class. Many people both young and old still ask what is the aim of National Reconciliation Week. The simple answer is, it is a time to focus on ensuring that as Australians we all know the true history of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Some of this history is awful and confronting but it must be acknowledged not ignored if we want to foster positive race relations and an Australian community of understanding and respect.

This Friday we have the pleasure of Bishop Tim Harris visiting our school. Bishop Tim has been a regular guest to Gilroy. During his time in the north, he will Confirm a group of our local children as well as having our Catholic debutantes presented to him on Saturday night. I look forward to showing Bishop Tim around our school and informing him about our successes and the challenges that arise.

Recently, the QCEC Capital Grant Committee visited our school to assess our current building application. We have applied to build a new library, two new classrooms and a science room. The project will continue our Masterplan, which plans to ensure we have modern and contemporary learning spaces to meet the educational needs of the future. The library especially will be the highlight of the project, whereby we will look to build a hub for flexible learning opportunities, spaces for independent study and convenient access to our student support services. We will be informed in September if our application is successful. In the meantime, our new Hospitality Centre, including catering, dining and four new classrooms goes out for tender in the coming weeks, this project will be completed in time for the beginning of 2020.

Next Thursday, 6 June we host the second of our Yr 6 Transition Days for the year. At our first transition day recently, we had eighty-five Yr 6 students from our district attend. This was a huge increase from previous years and very encouraging. 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 four transition days to go.

The following Thursday 13 June we again host “Gilroy on Show” from 3:30pm to 6:00pm. Everyone is welcome to attend, come along to enjoy the food, entertainment and most importantly be impressed by the wonderful displays and demonstrations that highlight the great things we do here at Gilroy.

God Bless

John Nuttall
jnuttall@gilroysm.catholic.edu.au

From the Acting Assistant Principal
(Administration & Curriculum)

Welcome to Week 6 of Term 2.

The Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews were held last Thursday. It was great to see parents and students making a huge effort to meet with their teachers. These meaningful conversations, recommendations and discussions are always very worthwhile. I trust that all students will use the feedback and advice received from their teachers to make any necessary improvements over the next month.

As we approach the latter half of the term, students should be well underway with assessment and study. Exams for most students are in Week 10, 24-28 June. Yr 11 students are actually already undertaking some exams. All students and parents have been emailed the exam timetable. Students can also go to COMPASS and view their personal schedule where exams are highlighted in green. Should students have any concerns about locating their exam timetables, please seek assistance from their homeroom teacher as soon as possible.

Please also be aware of the College’s procedures regarding missed work and assessment:

• It is imperative that if your child misses an exam for any reason that the College is notified. Students in Yrs 11 and 12 must also supply a Medical Certificate upon return to school that covers them for any missed assessment.
• Students Requesting Work for Short-Term and Long-Term Absences: The school expectation is that students will see their classroom teacher when they return to school for work, they have missed due to any absence. Most learning areas are using Google Classrooms so students should be able to access missed content and course work at any time.
• Parents/Students Gaining Access to Past Exam Papers: No student will be given copies/access to past exam papers, as this remains the intellectual property of the school.
• No student can conduct their exam prior to the scheduled date.

Please understand that meaningful class work will continue and therefore students are required at school until Term 2 concludes on 29 June.

A reminder that the school’s Academic Support Program is available to all students. Teachers are scheduled in the library at second lunch every day for support as seen in the table below.

Support is also available in the library after school Monday and Wednesday from 3:00pm-4:00pm. Teachers also meet at the request of the students. Attending these sessions is a very important medium for catching up on work missed and/or gaining additional support when required.

A reminder that the QCAA website has vital information for both students and parents.

The following information from the QCAA website outlines clearly the rules in regards to DRAFTS.

• Teachers can provide feedback on a maximum of one draft of each student’s response.
• Providing feedback is a consultative process, not a marking process. Teachers should not allocate a result for the draft student response.
• Feedback on a draft must not compromise the authenticity of student work.
• Teacher may not introduce new ideas, language or research to improve the quality of student responses.
• Teacher may indicate some key errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation and calculations, and remind students that the draft requires more editing, but should not edit or correct all errors in a draft.

Also, Teachers may use a range of suitable strategies to provide feedback on the draft response. Possible strategies include:

• written feedback
• verbal feedback
• feedback provided through questioning
• a summary of feedback and advice to the whole class.
• reporting

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.

I encourage you to visit our College for the ‘Gilroy on Show’ evening on Thursday 13 June from 3:30pm – 6:00pm. This is another opportunity to meet with staff and have any questions or concerns about the curriculum and its delivery answered or discussed. It is also a great evening filled with entertainment and good food. Key subject area displays and activities will be showcased throughout the evening to also 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.

As I stated in the previous newsletters, the New QCE System demands that students are very aware of certain verbs called Cognitive Verbs. Teachers will use these verbs in their teaching and assessment for all subjects across all grades. It is vital that students understand what the verb is asking them to do in order to answer the question correctly. All verbs and their definition are in the school diary and on the walls of each classroom. The cognitive verb for this newsletter is COMPREHEND, please use this link to get to the poster.

Comprehend
Of particular interest is the suggested “sentence starters” which students may find useful.

God Bless
Joan Devietti

From the Assistant Principal
(Religious Education)

I have been lucky enough to be a part of two retreats in the past fortnight, Yr 8 and 10 retreats. It is wonderful opportunity to spend time with students outside of school and embark on journey focusing on relevant issues in their lives.

Yr 8 Retreat saw us at Quinola Lakes, Malanda, in the middle of misty rain and rolling hills. The students enjoyed friendship building activities including a trust walk and characteristics of friendship, yoga meditation, a trivia night, canoeing, water sliding, swimming and the best catered retreat ever. Yr 10 was held for the first time at Camp Gedling, at the top of Hervey’s Range Road. Again, another scenic location that allowed the students in camp under the stars and sit around a campfire to warm up. The Missionaries of God’s Love Youth Team, led by Sister Therese, engaged students in games and activities that focused on how Jesus can be a part of their lives.

Thanks must go to the staff who helped with the retreats with activities and supervision. It takes a lot out of us old teachers who need many hours sleep to recuperate. Father Damian always welcomes taking time out of his busy schedule to spend time with our students. He is an asset to our school and plays a big role in the development of sessions, activities and in the delivering of the program. Lastly, a big thank you should be to our students. Retreats are a wonderful part of the religious life of the school and I hope that our students will take a lot from their recent retreats.

Last Sunday marked National Sorry Day, when we remember and mark our country's troubled history with First Nations peoples. It is the start of National Reconciliation Week. The theme of the week this year is, 'Grounded in truth - Walk together with courage'. The campaign this year calls for a comprehensive process of truth telling about Australia’s colonial history - understanding the past so that we can build a future together. Reconciliation Week is a reminder that if we are to keep Christ's word - if we are to make a home with God - then we need to reach out with love to our First Nations peoples. There's a challenge there for Jesus' followers, to turn their love for Christ into action to keep Christ's message alive in the world. We celebrated this event with a Reconciliation Week Liturgy on Wednesday.

Reconciliation Prayer

Dear God, We who have come from every land give thanks for our country Australia. This earth that feeds us, The shores that bind us, The skies that envelop our freedom, We give our thanks and praise. Let us look back with courage; See the truth and speak it. Let us look around with compassion; See the cost and share it. Let us look forward with hope; See what can be and create it. Amen!

Mary Help of Christians Feast Day

In 1844, there were only three Bishops in Australia. At their very first Synod in that year, they requested the Pope to declare, as Australia’s special patron, the Mother of God under the title of Mary Help of Christians with her feast to be celebrated on May 24th. The feast was celebrated from 1844, even though it was not officially approved by Rome until 1852.The infant Church in Australia had a special reason for turning to Mary. In those early and mostly priestless days, it was largely the Rosary that kept the faith alive. Catholic Australia remained faithful to Mary, and was the first nation to choose her, under the title of Help of Christians, as principal Patroness.

Almighty God, deepen in our hearts
our love of Mary Help of Christians.
Through her prayers and under her protection,
may the light of Christ shine over our land.
May Australia be granted harmony, justice and peace.
Grant wisdom to our leaders and integrity to our citizens.
Bless especially the men and women
of the Australian Defence Force and their families.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Mary Help of Christians, pray for us.

God Bless
Christine Timms

From the Acting Assistant Principal
(Pastoral Care)

Preventing Alcohol and Risk-related Trauma in Youth (P.A.R.T.Y.) Program (Yr 11):

Some Yr 11 students will be attending a Preventing Alcohol and Risk-related Trauma in Youth (P.A.R.T.Y.) Program at the Townsville hospital on Tuesday 25 June. The program aims to assist teens in identifying risks, and making better and safer choices in order to prevent trauma. Throughout the day students will visit the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, Trauma Ward, Morgue and Allied Health gyms. We truly believe this will be an invaluable experience in educating and protecting our students. Please contact the school office if you have any questions regarding the program.

Growth Mindset (Yr 7 & 10)

On Monday 13 May and Wednesday 15 May Yr 7 and Yr 10 students spent the day learning about how to unleash their personal potential through a growth mindset. At Gilroy Santa Maria College, we strive to foster a growth mindset whereby people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for success at school and beyond.

At the end of the day students were tasked to summarise what growth mindset meant to them. These were some of the Yr 7 student responses:

“No one was born smart or dumb; you can be anything you put your mind to.” ~ Codey Masters, 7A

“Don’t hold back. Failing is how we learn”. ~ Brady Catalano, 7A

“You have to fail to succeed. You’ll rise higher when working with others.” ~ Louise Poggio, 7A

Blessings
Karen Lahtinen

From the Business Manager

Term 2 School Fees are Due 31 May 2019

Discount if paid by the due date are as follows:

• 1 child - $25.60
• 2 children - $44.75
• 3 children - $59.25

I have recently had a number of payments paid to the school bank account without a name attached so I am unable to allocate them to anything. If you have paid an amount in May towards school fees or any of the camps/excursions that are taking place, can you please contact the office.

If you are paying by direct debit, please ensure you include the family code located on your statement or the students surname and activity you are paying eg. QISSN, Yr 8 camp etc.

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

Academic Support

PLEASE NOTE: All students welcome for Homework, Assignments, Academic Tutoring and Organisation.

Indigenous Homework Support and English Support

Tuckshop News

VOLUNTEERS ARE ALWAYS NEEDED!

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

Please note: The NEW lunch times are as follows:

• 1st Lunch – 10:55am – 11:25am
• 2nd Lunch – 12:55pm finish 1:25pm

Start time is preferably 8:30am - 12:00pm or until when you are available. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you all again this year.
If there is any query in regards to this roster or you are unavailable please contact:
Sandra Benedetto [0427 765 321] - Jodie Lino [0407 904 918]

What’s Happening in the Parish

Ingham Region Catholic Parishes Newsletter:

UP Coming Events:

• Confirmation—Thursday 30 May & Friday 31 May
• Debutante Ball—Saturday 1 June
• Walk for Witness—ecumenical prayer walk through Ingham - Sunday 2 June
• Feast of St Anthony at Bemerside—Sunday 9 June

Father Damian McGrath
Parish Priest
Ingham Region Catholic Parishes

Around the District

Abergowrie College

National Reconciliation Week 2019

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