28 November 2019

Newsletter Articles

Important Dates

Important Emails

Yr 7 & 8 Co-ordinator: Mr Matthew Giliberto mgiliberto1@gilroysm.catholic.edu.au
Yr 9 & 10 Co-ordinator: Mr Matthew Schrodter mschrodter@gilroysm.catholic.edu.au
Yr 11 & 12 Co-ordinator: Mr Claude Cianciullo ccianciullo@gilroysm.catholic.edu.au
Acting Assistant Principal Pastoral Care: klahtinen@gilroysm.catholic.edu.au
Acting Assistant Principal Administration & Curriculum: jdevietti@gilroysm.catholic.edu.au
Assistant Principal Religious Education: ctimms1@gilroysm.catholic.edu.au
Principal: jnuttall@gilroysm.catholic.edu.au

Gilroy on the Go

Orientation Day

From the Principal

Dear Gilroy Santa Maria College Community

Next Tuesday 3 December, we host Yr 6 students from throughout the district at our Orientation Day. It is a whole day session beginning at 8:30am and concluding at 3:00pm. Students will meet their teachers; complete team-building activities hosted by our Yr 10 Peer Leaders and generally learn more about how our school functions and what they can expect. Normally on this day, the students would find out what class they will be in, however we are holding off on doing this because at the moment we are unsure if we are going to have three Yr 7 classes or four Yr 7 classes in 2020. We have currently eighty students enrolled and it will only take a couple of new enrolments over the Christmas holidays to ensure we form four classes. 2020 Yr 7 students will be given more information next Tuesday but if you have any queries, please contact the office.

The recent Graduation events were all wonderful ways to say farewell to our “Senior Class of 2019”. The Thanksgiving Mass, Farewell Assembly and Graduation Evening itself were all special and emotional events. Our seniors were in great spirits and were excited about taking those next steps into the big wide world. The hall at the Graduation was decorated spectacularly and it was obvious that much work had gone into preparing such a wonderful night. Either to our many parents, staff and students who assisted before, on or after the night please accept our community’s appreciation.

We have a few staffing changes for 2020. These changes are as follows:

• As mentioned previously, we farewell Mrs Debbie Greeff who is relocating to the Sunshine Coast after serving our school community for over twenty years. We thank Debbie for tremendous contribution she has made to our school.
• We farewell Ms Linley Cerqui who is moving to Townsville. Linley has made an energetic and generous contribution to our community, especially in the Arts.
• We wish Mrs Amy Squires all the best as she prepares for the birth of her first baby. Amy is taking maternity leave for the first semester. Mrs Marie Noble will take Amy’s place during this time.
• We welcome new teachers to our school, Mr Michael Mendiolea, Mrs Nicole Garlick and Mrs Michelle Shiels. While many in our community will know Michael from Our Lady of Lourdes, we welcome Nicola from Perth and Michelle from the Beaudesert area to our district.
• We welcome back Mrs Melissa Carr in 2020. Melissa has been on maternity leave and returns to her Assistant Principal Administration/Curriculum role. We also welcome back Mrs Lauren Devietti back from maternity leave. Lauren will join our Inclusive Education team.

I also take this opportunity to thank Mrs Joan Devietti and Mrs Karen Lahtinen for their time as acting members of our Senior Leadership Team this year. They have both performed their duties to a high calibre and have been totally focussed on what is best for our students and staff and serving our community with generosity and commitment.

As this is our last newsletter for the year, I take time to thank the staff, students and parents for all your efforts and support this year. We have achieved many things during this school year and next year promises to be another great one with many plans and projects taking shape. One of the highlights will be the completion of our new Hospitality and classroom facilities and the beginning of the construction of a new library and classrooms. These will be a great addition to our already beautiful buildings and grounds.

Our office closes on Friday 13 December and reopens on Monday 13 January 2019 with school resuming on Tuesday 28 January for all year levels.

Please have a safe, happy and Holy Christmas. To all families and staff leaving our College community we wish you all the best.

God Bless
John Nuttall
jnuttall@gilroysm.catholic.edu.a

From the Acting Assistant Principal
(Administration & Curriculum)

Last week we farewelled the Graduating Class of 2019. Congratulations to our Graduates for a wonderful year and for achieving great results. This class is a historic group. They were the first half-yearly intake into prep. They were also the last group to complete the QCS test and achieve an OP, a system used for tertiary entrance in Queensland since 1992. It was with great pride that we watched these Yr 12 students walk out the school gates knowing that they had completed their QCE. The successful education of students does not happen by accident and all members of the Gilroy Staff are to be congratulated for the ongoing work that they have contributed towards the education of all of the Yr 12’s in 2019; it has definitely been a team effort.

A special thank you to Mrs Nancy Douglas who has tirelessly assisted with tracking the students and ensuring that they were on target for their QCE. Also thank you to Mr Cianciullo who not only coordinated the group but also prepared the OP-eligible students for their QCS tests. We look forward to hearing of their next step in life’s journey in the coming months.

Yr 7 to 11 students are busy sitting their exams before Friday when they will finish the year off with well-deserved fun activities at The Barra Fun Park in Townsville. This will be a great day for all.

Tuesday, 3 December, will be the Gilroy Orientation Day for 2020 Yr 7students. Students will enjoy the day getting to know their pastoral coordinator, teachers, peer support leaders and their fellow classmates. It will also give them the opportunity to further familiarise themselves with their new school, classrooms and play areas. On Orientation day, students will receive a package that contains essential information e.g. the book list, in preparation for the new school year.

As the school year comes to an end, so does my 2 years as Acting Assistant Principal. I welcome back Mrs Melissa Carr after her maternity leave and I look forward to returning to the classroom. The experience has been enjoyable and stressful; certainly highlighting another aspect of education and the many necessary roles required. I would like to thank all our teachers, staff, students and parents for their efforts and contributions this year. It has been a year where we have celebrated, achieved many successes and learnt much together.

I look forward to the Christmas holidays and I would like to wish everyone a safe and Holy Christmas.

God Bless
Joan Devietti
jdevietti@gilroysm.catholic.edu.au

From the Assistant Principal
(Religious Education)

What a year! Again, I cannot believe it has come to an end so fast. However, even as I write this there is so much going on.

Good luck to the Yr 7 - 10 students who are finishing their exams this week. I am sure they will be glad to see the end of Thursday. Numbers are being finalised to the Barra Farm Fun Day. This will be an enjoyable day for everyone involved. I especially cannot wait to catch a barramundi.

The final itinerary has been sent out to students and staff attending the Australian Catholic Youth Festival next week. The fifteen Gilroy students and nine St Teresa’s students heading off to ACYF are now eagerly awaiting the trip. They have worked hard, fundraising together and participating in workshops. They will be flying to Perth on Thursday 5 December. Please keep them in your prayers as they journey towards a greater relationship with God.

As the year draws to an end, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy holiday shared with family and friends. If you are travelling, I pray that you return home safely and look forward to seeing you all again in 2020.

Blessings
Christine Timms

From the Acting Assistant Principal
(Pastoral Care)

This newsletter not only marks the final one for the year but also my final one in the Assistant Principal Pastoral position. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the students, staff, parents and wider community members for helping to make 2019 such a successful year for our students and our school. It has been a pleasure working with you all and I look forward to continuing to do so next year in my capacity as the Yr 11 & 12 Pastoral Leader. As this will be the first Yr 12 cohort to move through the new ATAR system there will be some significant changes to the structure of Yr 11 and 12. One of the main changes that we would like to make is moving the Yr 11 leadership selection process to Term 3. This changeover will relieve pressure from the Yr 12 cohort as they approach their final exams, some of which are worth 50% of their total subject mark. Significant changes will also be made to the timing and structure of our Yr 12 graduation celebrations. If you have any suggestions or ideas regarding this process, please do not hesitate to get in touch, as I will be drafting a program in the coming weeks.

Traditionally, we plan for the last day of school to be a fun day for students and this year we have organised for the entire school to visit the Barra Fun Park in Townsville. It is expected to be a fantastic day, which I am very much looking forward to, however, these fun days can only continue with your support. It would be great to see every child at this event as participating in our extracurricular activities can improve outlook on life, increase self-esteem and strengthen the Gilroy Santa Maria College culture that we know and love. Please ensure your child’s permission note is returned to school as soon as possible. For more information about the venue visit the link below:

Have a happy and safe Christmas break and God Bless,

Blessings
Karen Lahtinen

From the Business Manager

The end of the year is upon us, thanks to all those families that have paid school fees or kept them up to date. The office will be closed from Friday 13 December and will reopen Monday 13 January 2020.

Uniforms are available from Menz at 57 Lannercost Street and Ingham Underagers at 7 Lannercost Street.

2020 School Fees

SUBJECT LEVIES

Yr 9 – 12 Graphics Levy - $25 / student per term
Yr 9 – 12 Industrial & Design Technology Levy - $25 / student per term
Yr 9 – 12 Art Levy - $25 / student per term
Yr 9 – 12 Hospitality Levy - $25 / student per term
Yr 10 – Computer Levy $250

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.

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

Tuckshop News

VOLUNTEERS ARE ALWAYS NEEDED!

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

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:

Father Damian McGrath
Parish Priest
Ingham Region Catholic Parishes

Advertising with Schoolzine

Would you like to advertise in our new Schoolzine eNewsletter? Currently, Schoolzine is working diligently to source family friendly advertising sponsors and will then rebate quarterly 20% of revenue back to the school.

If you are interested in advertising either contact the school office or feel free to email Schoolzine any questions, suggestions or advertising enquiries.

Email: advertising@schoolzine.com.au
Phone: 07 5414 2361