20 August 2020

Newsletter Articles

Essential Emails

Year 6 Information Evening

Take a walk with us:

Link to enrolment information:

From the Science Department

In Year 10 Science, students are completing a modified senior assessment called a Student Experiment in order to prepare them for senior Science next year. For the assessment students are required to come up with their own practical to complete which is a modified version of the practicals completed in class.

One group is investigating the effect that the change in surface area of pieces of liver, (which contain enzymes that act as natural catalysts) have on the reaction rate of the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide.

Other groups are investigating the effect that temperature and surface area have on the reaction rate between Sodium Thiosulphate (Hypo) and Hydrochloric Acid.

The students have done a fantastic job this term and are learning the skills to prepare them for Senior Chemistry.

"This has been a valuable experience as we have acquired a new level of initiative and developed a deeper understanding of how chemistry will run in senior. Our group really enjoyed the practicals this term as they not only broadened our knowledge of the factors that increase reaction rates, but we were also introduced to possible pathways in Science." - Callum Romano

"The practical was an enjoyable experience as our group was able to utilise the fume cupboard, which taught us important skills needed for senior Chemistry and expanded our knowledge of chemical reactions." - Belle Bourke.

Year 7 Science

From the Acting Principal

Dear Gilroy Santa Maria College Community,

As we pass the mid-way point for this term, our students are academically busy preparing for submission of assessments and up and coming exams.

On Thursday 13 August, we had our Year 10 Senior Information and & Subject Selection evening. It was well attended by students and their families. From all reports it was a great night where our families were provided with valuable information in preparation for their son/daughter transitioning into their Year 11 and 12 studies. As we said on the night, this is a very important and exciting milestone for our students as it is their chance to really start ‘taking the reins’ with their future. We hope that since this night there have been many conversations about student futures at the dinner table in preparation for the selection of their subjects and SET Plan interviews in coming weeks. I would like to thank Mrs Joan Devietti for all the planning and preparation that went into this evening. Year 10 students also have their three days of work experience coming up in Week 2 of Term 4. We ask that students take this great opportunity to find a placement in an industry that they think they may like to be in the future. As always, please come and see us if you have any questions or concerns.

For our Year 12 students, their external exams are fast approaching. All Year 12 students throughout Queensland will commence their external exams on Monday 26 October with English. Our students have already been given a copy of their external exam timetable. As part of preparing for these exams, our students will have a week of mock exams in Week 10 of this term. Exams will mimic that of their external exams. Teachers will then focus on revision for the first couple of weeks of Term 4, prior to their commencement. It is extremely important that our vocational students stay on track to complete their qualification by this time also. Mrs Zanghi, our Work Experience Coordinator will begin working with our vocational students to give every opportunity for our students to be work ready.

We had our final Year 6 Transition morning on Thursday. It has been a pleasure meeting our new students for next year. These transition mornings give Year 6 students the opportunity to meet our wonderful teachers and beautiful facilities so when they do start next year, they already have some familiar faces and know some key places around the College. Enrolment interviews are also progressing along nicely.

God Bless,
Melissa Carr
Acting Principal

Acting Assistant Principal Curriculum & Administration

Hello Parents/Carers and Students,

Year 10 Transition to Senior

Thank you to all who attended the Year 10 “Success in Senior” evening held last week. An enormous amount of information was delivered. This information is important as students now move into selecting suitable and appropriate subjects to undertake in senior. Students are encouraged to speak to teachers and senior students about the details of subjects that they are interested in.

Also the Senior Schooling handbook is available on the College website, is an essential guide and source for information:

Students will be shown how to submit their subject selection in Homeroom/YLA and are expected to submit these electronically by 9 am Friday 28 August. SET Plan interviews with every year 10 student and their Parent/Carer will then commence from Tuesday 1 September. Interviews will review the suitability of the selected subjects to ensure that each student is on a suitable career pathway.

Assessment

The second half of the term is always busy with assessment. I trust that students are busily completing these tasks and revising for exams. Revision should never be left for the last few weeks, it should be constant and consistent throughout the term. As I said in the last newsletter, successful students:

• have good organisational skills
• can manage their time well
• consistently and constantly revise practice
• seek help when needed
• take responsibility for their own learning.

A reminder that the school’s Academic Support Program is available to all students Monday-Friday during second lunch and after school Monday and Wednesday. 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.

Drafts

Parents often become confused on the level of teacher input that is allowed when students submit drafts. The following information, from the QCAA Academic Integrity Course, clearly outlines the rules for teachers.

• 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.
• The teacher may not introduce new ideas, language or research to improve the quality of student responses.
• The 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. which all students should be completing.

All students should complete the Academic Integrity Course, on the QCAA website in myQCE to be fully aware of their expectations.

Please also be aware of the College’s procedures regarding missed work and assessment. Assessment Guidelines & Procedures for all year levels are also on the College website.

• It is imperative that if your child misses an exam for any reason that the College is notified immediately. Students in Years 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 responses- 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.

Year 12

Year 12 students will be undertaking ‘Block exams’ exams in Week 10 of this term in full preparation for external exams which commence in Term 4 week 4. For both of these sets of exams , students are only required to be present at school for their scheduled exam. Year 12 students who do not have any exams are encouraged to do work placement however any student who has outstanding assessment or course work in any subject, GENERAL, Applied or VET, will forfeit this privilege and be expected at school completing the outstanding work. The exam schedule for year 12 will be emailed to students and parents this week.

Year 8

In years 7 & 8, students experience a number of different subjects. From this experience, students choose 2 electives to continue with in years 9 & 10. Students will be asked to select these electives early in Term 4. Please discuss with your child which electives they may have interest in.

The elective options are:

• Visual Arts – 09VAR.01
• Performing Arts – 09PAR.01
• Design Technology – 09DT.01
• Engineering & Construction Technology – 09ECT.01
  (Certificate II Manufacturing Pathways in Year 10)
• Food Technology -09FT.01
  (Independent Living Skills in year 10)
• Digital Technology – 09ICT.01
• Italian – 09ITA-.01
• Economics & Business– 09EAB.01

God Bless
Joan Devietti
Acting Assistant Principal Curriculum & Administration

Wearable Art

Year 10 visual art students for term 2 this year, were assigned as part of their unit of work “I am” (exploring self and personal identities) a wearable art project. This entailed researching other artists, developing meaningful personal and collaborative ideas, and experimenting with new and recycled materials in the first few weeks of term. That followed then, with the student’s producing a digital folio and a completely resolved artwork of their own wearable creation, at the end of the term.

For the outcome of this enterprise the students worked in pairs to create interesting, unusual and thought-provoking wearable art pieces. They continued to exercise a range of problem-solving skills and try to maintain a purposeful piece, reflecting more understanding of themselves during this challenging but exciting project.

The students were able to showcase their wearable Art on assembly this week.

Mrs Mary McLaren (Art Teacher)

Peer Support 2020

To this day, I can still remember my own Peer Support experience as a Year 7 student. In 2016, Peer Support genuinely encouraged me to form connections with the older students; I really felt as though I was able to adapt and easily transition into the new secondary school environment. Now, 4 years later, myself and fellow Year 11 leaders were given the opportunity to mirror this experience from a different perspective.

Each fortnight, our sessions with the small groups of Year 7 students were structured around a provided topic. These topics consisted of communication, friendship and teamwork (etc) in which Year 7 students actively participated through activities and conversation.

In our final session as Peer Support leaders, the 7 groups all combined together to form a Cinderella Fashion Show. Judged on their ability to form a newspaper dress in which Cinderella had to ‘model’ in order to attend the ‘ball’, this last activity was enjoyed by both cohorts and judges.

Overall, Peer Support concluded to be a very rewarding program; for the new Year 7 students as well as ourselves. The whole experience allowed us to practise the gratitudes of respect, patience and leadership. We honestly hope that our sense of kinship is replicated and felt in our Peer Support students. Through the entirety of the program, Mrs Martin also made the whole process, as always, very uncomplicated. We hope this is not the end of our relationship with the younger grade, but moreso, the beginning.

Eryn Gusmeroli (Year 11 Student)

Assistant Principal (Religious Education)

Dear Gilroy Santa Maria College Community

The very first lesson of my week is Year 7 Religion. It is period one, Monday and a beautiful way to start the day. This term’s unit has been on the development of the early Church and prayer. Monday’s lesson was learning about St Augustine. He is quoted to have written:

There are many things in our everyday lives that consume us and keep us busy. Students brainstormed the many things we need to do like eating, drinking, bathing, brushing our teeth, chores, school and homework, as well as the things we enjoy doing like spending time with family and friends, playing sport, doing hobbies and spending time in the great outdoors. All these things keep us busy. However, they are also gifts from God, gifts that we should be grateful for.

The lesson ended with each student writing a ‘Prayer of Gratitude’ for all that they are thankful for. Taking the time out of our days to thank God for the wonderful gifts he has bestowed on each and every one of us is a simple message, but one that is often overlooked.

This week’s prayer is a simple one.

God Bless
Christine Timms
Assistant Principal
(Religious Education)

From the Business Manager

Dear parents/ carers,

Term 3 School Fees are now Due!

As of Term 3, we moved to a new financial system called Tech1. This means that your family statement will look different. I will endeavour to send out the new statement in the coming weeks so you can see the difference and if there are any issues. It will, however, only show the carried forward balance from the old system. All statements are emailed so please notify the school of any changes to your email address.

Another change is that you will now be able to pay by BPAY. If you have previously been paying your fees by direct debit, please switch to paying by BPAY. This will eliminate the potential for incorrect details or not enough room for details.

If you have been making payments by direct debit please move to using BPAY.

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.

God Bless
Ros Giuliano
Business Manager

YEAR 10 WORK EXPERIENCE

• Work Experience application forms (white) due back to Student Reception Tuesday 1 September.
• Signed Work Experience agreements (yellow form) due back to Student Reception Tuesday 8 September.

Work Experience - Wednesday 14 - Friday 16 October

Please see Mrs Zanghi at Student Reception if you have any questions or need help.

Holiday Work Experience forms for the September holidays are at student reception – please return asap

CAREERS

Join the Virtual Session!

North Queensland: Trade Careers in the ADF
Virtual Information Session
Monday 31st August at 5:30pm AEST.

A trade role in the Australian Defence Force will see you working with some of the world's most advanced military technology and equipment.

Hear from the Defence Force Recruiting, Specialist Trades Team and learn about the various trade careers in the Australian Defence Force and the comprehensive training they provide.

How does our virtual info session work?

Step 1 - Register to attend below. We will send a confirmation to the email address supplied.

Please note: Spaces are limited, so register ASAP!

Step 2 – Once registered for the event, 3 hours prior to the session, we will send you a separate email with instruction on how to access the virtual information session.

Please note: This information session will be delivered via the Google Meet virtual platform. If you're participating using a smart phone or tablet be prepared to download the Google Meet app and use the code provided on the day of the session. If you're using a laptop or desktop computer simply follow the link (Google Chrome will be required).

Step 3 – Join our virtual information session at the time and date above.

If you have any troubles please email CPTCairns@dfr.com.au

From the English Department

Notice for all Year 12 English General students: Gilroy will be providing access to the following upcoming event to support preparation for the English external assessment in term 4. All Year 12 English General students are invited to attend Deep Diving into External Assessment, which is a student event being conducted online by The English Teachers Association (ETAQ).

Event details are as follow:

Date: 9th September 2020
Time: 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Venue: The dining room (C-block)

The event will provide:

advice about approaching the exam question and analytical essay,

an expert session on the exam text and

live Q&A sessions.

Attending the event is optional for students, but strongly encouraged. Please email Mrs Winterbourn on nwinterbourn@gilroysm.catholic.edu.au for further information.

Nicola Winterbourn
Acting English Academic Leader

Counsellor’s Corner

Using Technology to Help!
5 apps to help you study at home

1. FLORA:
   Are you struggling to focus when studying at home?
   Flora is a free app that helps you to manage your screen time!
   Every time you put your phone down to study, your garden grows! So start gardening!
2. ATMOSPHERE – RELAXING SOUNDS:
   The free ambient noise app offers a whole lot of sounds that may help you focus while you are studying.
3. HABITBULL:
   A motivational app, HabitBull allows you to track and input good habits and helps you create helpful routines.
4. RECHARGE:
   Recharge helps you track your sleep schedule, gives you some activities to do in the morning to get the blood pumping and allows you to track your mood!
5. 7 MINUTE WORKOUT- FITNESS APP:
   The free app offers daily workouts that are designed to get your heart rate up and clear the mind. Each workout takes just seven minutes and doesn’t require any equipment, so it can be done anywhere, at any time!

Simon Cook
Guidance Counsellor

SPORTS NEWS

HERBERT RIVER SPORTS NOTICES

These students trialled for the Herbert River team on Tuesday, 11 Aug and were selected. They will now travel to Home Hill on September 6 and 7 for the NQ U12 Cricket trials.

Good luck students!!

Nick Coco
Jack Butcher
Shaun Devietti
Brandon Hamilton-Kaurila
Tristan Milan
Sharief Kabay

Updated NQ School Sport Calendar

Thank you
Mr Mendiolea

Academic Support

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

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 – 11:20am
2nd Lunch – 12:50pm - 1:30pm

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]
ALL TUCKSHOP VOLUNTEERS MUST SUPPLY A BLUECARD – PLEASE CONTACT ROS (BUSINESS MANAGER)

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