3 September 2020

Newsletter Articles

Essential Emails

FORREST BEACH FUN RUN

When: Final day of Term 3 – Friday 18 September
Where: Forrest Beach (come to School first and we will all travel together via buses)
Theme: Free dress – Hawaiian
Permission Notes: DUE AT STUDENT RECEPTION!!!

Congratulations Eryn Gusmeroli

Congratulations to Eryn Gusmeroli for her successful application into the “Heroes in Health” Program.

Eryn did an amazing job in her interview and we’re pleased to say was successful in receiving a place in the program!

Eryn will now attend the program on the 21 & 22 October at The Mater Private Hospital Townsville.

YEAR 6 Information Evening

We are offering free bus transport for Cardwell families wishing to attend. Please pass on to anyone you think may be interested. Bookings are essential – contact the College office to book.

Take a walk with us:

From the Acting Principal

At assembly this week we celebrated our ‘Student of the Month’ awards. These awards are given to students who have received positive affirmations on compass from our staff in recognition of their positive efforts, attitude and behaviour. Due to COVID-19, we haven’t been able to hold whole school assemblies, and therefore, we presented over 20 students who received this award. Father Damian at our College Mass on Tuesday morning reminded us of the importance in recognising and celebrating kindness, love and compassion. Life is constantly testing us. Especially in a year like this year. The Bible verses us about kindness to remind us of why we must be forgiving and show love to people. In short, it is what God did and continues to do for us. Gilroy Santa Maria College is a place where we want all of our students to feel safe, happy and loved. We want to remind students that our aim in life is to live a good life, spreading joy and thoughtfulness wherever we go. Therefore, it is with great pleasure that we are able to celebrate these acts of kindness and good deeds in our College.

Excitingly, we have now opened up our Senior Centre (C4) to our Yr 12 students during second lunch for them to have a common area where they can work independently or collaboratively on their studies. This room is beautiful! It is set up with booths that promote collaborative work spaces that have TV monitors to allow for students to share and develop their presentations/work as a team. We have white board tables that enable students to problem solve and jot down ideas for essay writing or when solving mathematical equations. This room also has a variety of seating so students can choose how they would like to study. Students are enjoying this space and we hope that it continues to be a place for students to go. During mock exams in week 10 of this term, this centre will be open to yr 12 students for quiet studying also.

This will be our first year that yr 12 students will graduate in the New QCE System. Students will still graduate, aiming to achieve a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) but students wanting to apply for tertiary entrance will now do so with an ATAR rather than OP. As part of this new QCE system, yr 12 students will undertake external exams for all General subjects that they are undertaking in Term 4. To help our students prepare for these exams, subjects have been running mock exams in their classes. We are also having a week intensive of mock exams in week 10 of this term. Our teachers have been busy working with students to prepare them for these upcoming exams and it is great to see students putting in the hours required for them to do their best.

The ‘No Card, No Start’ program was launched on Monday 31 August 2020 through Townsville Catholic Education Office that reflects the changes to the Blue card legislation. This program does affect the volunteers coming into our school. This newsletter contains links to useful information and fact sheets to explain these changes to our parents, caregivers and community. Amongst these changes all volunteers entering our College will need to complete a Volunteer Induction at the commencement of the 2021 school year. From the 31st of August, anyone, including parents who are a restricted person (issued a negative notice, suspended blue card, disqualified person or charged with a disqualifying offence) will not be able to volunteer in schools in any capacity. Roslyn Giuliano, our Business Manager, will be our contact person for all volunteers to either access our online Blue Card Portal or if they are required to sign a declaration.

Next Thursday, 10 September, we will be having our Yr 6 Information Night. This evening will start at 5:30pm with tours around the College where teachers will be available to give some information about next year. This will be followed by refreshments and then a presentation by Gilroy staff. This will be a COVID safe event.

This year, our annual Awards night will look a little differently due to the COVID-19 safety guidelines. Our Awards night will be held in the SMC Centre and be split into two sessions. We will have the Year 7-9 Awards Night between 5:30pm-7:00pm and then the Year 10-12 Awards Night between 7:30pm-9:00pm. There will also need to be restrictions placed on the number of people who are able to attend this evening. An information letter will be forthcoming also but we will be asking parents/caregivers to RSVP to this event and only bring 2 guests (+ students receiving the award).

A reminder that this Friday is a pupil free day. I hope that all students and families have an enjoyable and safe weekend.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to all our fathers on Sunday also!

God Bless
Melissa Carr
Acting Principal

Acting Assistant Principal Curriculum & Administration

Hello everyone,

Year 12 EXTERNAL EXAM PREPARATION

The QCAA is releasing a suite of videos to help Year 12 students prepare for external assessments in General subjects. They include insights and advice from QCAA learning area managers. Videos for The Arts, Mathematics, English, Languages, Sciences, and Humanities and Social Sciences are now online, and others will be added soon.

To view the videos click on either the link above or go to the "my QCE" icon on the QCAA website

Exams/Assessment

At this stage of the term, students should be very busy completing assessment and preparing for exams. Year 12 exams commence in week 9 and years 7-10 on Monday 14 September. Year 11 exams are spread through-out the term. All students have already received their exam timetable. These timetables are also available in COMPASS. A medical certificate should be obtained if a student is unable to attend school for an exam. Year 12 students will be on BLOCK from Monday 14 to Thursday 17 September only. If any student in year 12 has outstanding school work or assessment they will forfeit their BLOCK exam privileges. These students will be made to attend school to complete their work.

Please note:

• Students who are absent are obligated to complete assignments on or before the due date unless an extension has been granted.
• To maintain the integrity of exams, exams cannot be completed before the rest of the class. Therefore students will need to complete exams on their return. However, in some cases a teacher will not ask a child to sit an exam when they return if they believe they already have enough evidence of the student’s work to award a result.
• For all students, teachers can only report on the evidence they have.
• Teacher’s are not required to provide work in advance as it is the expectation that the students “catch-up” on their return.
• All absences must be explained and should include a medical certificate.

Year 10 SET Planning

Students have now submitted their proposed subjects and the subject lines have been finalised. Careers Advisor, Mrs Douglas and I have started to meet with the Yr 10 students to discuss their SET Plans and proposed pathways. Senior subject selections will be closely reviewed as part of the SET Plan finalisation meeting. Interview booking times are available on COMPASS.

FUN RUN at Forrest Beach

On the last day of term, we have the Gilroy Fun Run which has historically been a great day enjoyed by all of our students. Students will complete a walk from Forrest Beach to Cassady Beach, followed by lunch and some games and activities. I hope to see all of our students there enjoying the last day of term together.

God Bless
Joan Devietti
Acting Assistant Principal Curriculum & Administration

Hospitality

Our brand new Hospitality Centre has already seen plenty of cooking take place in both Food Technology and Cert II in Hospitality classes.

The students have also been successfully running our Cafe out of the centre, serving staff and making specialty coffee for events. The students have had barista training and assist lunchtimes with making and selling our staff beautiful, coffee, chai’s, hot chocolates and lattes.

Gilroy is incredibly lucky to have such wonderful training facilities such as this, as well as eager students willing to learn cafe and cookery skills.

Danielle Mastrippolito
Teacher

Gamers @ Gilroy

Due to Covid restrictions, we were only allowed 20 participants at Gamers@Gilroy for Term 3.

HALO proved to be the most popular game of the evening while some participants played Monopoly on the Xbox consoles. Thanks to Mrs Sheree Marano for collecting the massive pizza order from Dominos for the students.

Gamers@Gilroy raised over $200 and this was donated to Mrs. Gayle Holmes for the work in schools both in Myanmar and India, working with the poorest of the poor.

Thanks again to all who participated and supported this event. What was originally planned as a fundraiser for the IT department has become a really great way to support different charities and organisations.

Mr Matthews
Teachers

Assistant Principal (Pastoral)

There have been some great things happening at Gilroy this term so far.

We are looking forward to the Forrest Beach Fun Run on the last day of term which is an annual event and great way to end Term 3. Gilroy Santa Maria College is a great school with a safe environment, and we believe this is due to the boundaries and supportive environment that we provide. To help us do this we have college rules that we abide by and believe this helps us to shape the behaviour of our students. These behaviours that we aim for are intended to reflect the expectations of adulthood like when students leave school and enter the workforce. Other behaviours are necessary to foster a better learning environment and most rules are intended to do both. Establishing college rules and following these consistently creates a environment in which consequences can be enforced in an effective way.

Parents also play an important role in helping their children succeed at school, this can be done by being up to date with what is happening with their child’s studies, what events are happening at the school, being supportive of the school and lending support and guidance to their students.

As well as teaching independence to students, it is still important that parents are still involved in their child’s learning and with everyone working together there is a greater chance for academic/social success.

Some ways that we can increase the chances of our children succeeding are:

• Keeping up to date with the Gilroy website, Gilroy Facebook page and Compass.
• Sending students to school ready to learn; this looks like a healthy breakfast, been dressed correctly and with all necessary equipment for the day.
• Making school attendance a high priority.
• Attending school information nights and meetings and getting involved where possible.
• Supporting homework and assessment expectations of the school.
• Help your child become an organised learner and teach them how to study.
• And finally, having open communication with not only your child but your child’s teachers and Pastoral Leaders.

God bless
Matthew Schrodter
Assistant Principal Pastoral

Assistant Principal (Religious Education)

Dear Gilroy Santa Maria College Community

As the APRE I have many opportunities to engage in professional learning involving Religious Education. I feel very privileged to have the chance to learn more about my faith and most importantly learn more about how we can engage and truly meet the needs of our students through our Religion lessons.

Last week, at our annual APRE cluster meeting, we were very blessed to have our very own Father Damian speak to us about scripture, specifically regarding the Worlds of the Text. This education framework helps unpack scripture from three perspectives: the world behind the text, the world of the text and the world in front of the text. It is a way of looking at the context of the scripture, the scripture story itself and how it relates to our everyday lives. Father Damian’s expertise is all things scripture is second to none in our diocese and we were very grateful for his sessions, delivery and knowledge. I, as well as the other Ingham parish APREs, look forward to bringing this wealth of information back to our staff and students.

All classes will now be undertaking some form of Religion assessment. For our Year 10 and 11 students, they will be studying for their first Religion and Ethics examination. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our students the very best for their upcoming exams.

My prayer this week may only little but holds tremendous importance in our world and in our lives. Let us live this week knowing that all we do brings joy and happiness to those around us.

God Bless
Christine Timms
Assistant Principal
(Religious Education)

From the Business Manager

Dear Parents & Carers,

Term 3 School Fees are now OVERDUE!

If you have not paid school fees, yet please do so ASAP. There are a number of ways to pay, including BPAY, direct debit as well credit card etc.

All statements are emailed so please notify the school of any changes to your email address. If you have not supplied us with your email address please do so.

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.

BLUE CARD CHANGES

The ‘No Card, No Start’ program was launched on Monday 31 August 2020 through Townsville Catholic Education Office that reflects the changes to the Blue card legislation.

All Volunteers are either required to hold a BLUE CARD or sign a Restricted Persons Declaration

Please see below important pieces of information on the Blue Card.

These information sheets below outline who needs a Blue Card

Further information:

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

God Bless
Ros Giuliano
Business Manager

YEAR 10 WORK EXPERIENCE

Compulsory Work Experience BLOCK for YR 10 students Term 4:

Wednesday 14, Thursday 15, Friday 16 October

Signed Work Experience agreements (yellow form) due back to Student Reception Tuesday 8 September.

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

Yr 12 Design

Yr 12 Design students are exploring and developing ways to make Christmas more economically, environmentally & socially sustainable, in their new senior centre, in preparation for their external design challenge exam.

Karen Lahtinen
Teacher

Guitar Ensemble

Guitar ensemble happens every Tuesday morning in the music room and is open to any students who wish to participate.

Vera Di Bella

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

To help reduce stress and ensure that you’re as organized as you can be, try to focus on planning ahead and looking after yourself.

TAKE THE TIME TO PLAN:

• A study plan – decide when to start studying for each subject. Use your diary to help!
• Limit your shifts at work during exam periods if possible.
• Create a study space that is comfortable and without distractions. Phones need to be moved and put on silent while studying. You can check it in your breaks!
• Make sure you have what you need to study – this helps you feel organized and confident.

LOOK AFTER YOURSELF:

• Self-care is especially important when life is demanding.
• Make sure you have breaks in your study plan to include exercise, time outdoors and time with friends. Study sessions should not go longer than 40-60 minutes without a break.
• Nutritional snacks and water are best for your brain to maintain focus – try fruit/nuts/dairy while studying.
• Try to maintain your regular sleep patterns to ensure a good night sleep, especially prior to exams.
• Relaxation is important prior to bed to slow the brain down. Try some slow, deep breathing, a bath, herbal tea or listening to calming music.

Simone Cook
Guidance Counsellor

Science

Year 7's have been working on all the different ways of separating materials. They have recently completed their assessment where each group was required to separate different substances and return them in the same quantity that they were given. Their group results indicate they are quite skillful.

This week in our double lesson, we were extracting limonene which is an oil produced from oranges peels. Students use distillation for this process and the Yr 11 Chemistry students gave each group a helping hand.

Meanwhile, other groups made soap under the direction of the chemistry students, and some were able to use a drop of the citrus oil to scent the soap.

The afternoon finished with a bang when Mr Cianciullo entertained the Yr 7's with a controlled explosion of ethanol particles inside a container. It certainly looked dramatic inside a darkened laboratory.

Terrific afternoon and thanks very much to Mr Cianciullo and the Yr 11 Chemistry students.

Mr Gary Hayden
Teacher

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