Holroyd School eNewsletter

Dear parents and carers,

I extend a heartfelt welcome to all the new families joining the Holroyd School community. We are excited to have you as part of our school family and look forward to the journey ahead.

At Holroyd, we are committed to creating a safe and supportive environment where every child's educational journey is an empowering one. As a parent/carer, you play an essential role in your child's journey. We believe optimal outcomes are achieved when strong partnerships exist between home and school and that open and effective communication is key.

At Holroyd School, we will continue to progress toward the use of the School Bytes app as our primary method of communication with families. We strongly encourage all families to download this free app to their mobile devices if they haven't already done so.

The app also provides a convenient way to manage various aspects of school life, such as ordering school uniforms, viewing and providing online permission for class activities, as well as making secure online payments. Further information about School Bytes can be found elsewhere in this newsletter.

The Community Hub is a welcoming space for parents and carers at Holroyd School. The Parent Support Group meets on the first Thursday of each month, providing a great opportunity to connect with others in our school community.

At the Community Hub you can access valuable resources, listen to guest speakers and share experiences with fellow parents and carers. It's a wonderful way to build connections, gain insights, and feel supported in your journey.

Our P&C meets monthly in the Community Hub too (first Wednesday of each month). We encourage you to come by and participate in the planning and delivery of P&C activities in support of our students and school community.

Thank you for your continued partnership in making Holroyd School a wonderful place for all!

Kind regards,

Mrs K Thorson

Principal

Dear parents and carers,

We had such a busy first term back at Holroyd, getting to meet the teachers and setting some exciting goals for our children during the ILP meetings.

We had our first two P&C meetings for the year where we elected a new President to the Committee. So a huge thank you to Elizabeth Brannon for all her hard work with the Committee in previous years, we wish you the best of luck in your future endeavours.

Our new committee members are:

Gina Hamoui - President

Hamida Kanj - Treasurer

Riddhi Arora - Secretary

Natalie Yakimov - Vice President

Keshrin Chand - Vice President

We will be holding our Mother's Day stall on the 8th May 2025, flyers will be sent home soon. The Committee has purchased some great gifts to share with you. Stay tuned!

We are looking forward to organising some exciting new events for our much-loved school, so keep a look out for notices in your child's bag and on Facebook.

In the meantime, we are still holding our monthly meetings on the first Wednesday of the month. All parents and carers are welcome to join us. These meetings are an invaluable opportunity to discover what is happening at school and connect with other parents and school staff.

Our next meeting is at 9.30am on the 7th May 2025 in The Hub.

If you are interested in attending, or have any questions or suggestions, please email me at holroydschoolpc@gmail.com

Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable break and I look forward to catching up in Term 2.

Until next time,

Gina Hamoui

President

How long have you worked at Holroyd School?

One term.

What is your all-time favourite TV show?

Happy Days!

If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would buy?

I would buy a house for each of my three children.

If you could witness any historical event, what would you want to see?

The end of WWII, including the liberation at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

If you could meet anyone from history, who would it be?

William Shakespeare.

If you won a dream holiday to anywhere in the world, where would you go?

A river cruise through Europe.

If you had to eat one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?

BBQ chicken and salad.

What is the last movie you saw?

Back to the Future - for about the 100th time.

Do you keep your tomato sauce in the fridge or the pantry?

Pantry.

What is your favourite song to sing along to?

Working Class Man by Jimmy Barnes.

How long have you worked at Holroyd School?

3.5 months.

What is your all-time favourite TV show?

The Sopranos and Dexter (I can't choose).

If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would buy?

An investment property.

If you could witness any historical event, what would you want to see?

Woodstock.

If you could meet anyone from history, who would it be?

St Pedre Pio.

If you won a dream holiday to anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Amsterdam.

If you had to eat one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Kafta and potato.

What is the last movie you saw?

Casino.

Do you keep your tomato sauce in the fridge or the pantry?

In the fridge.

What is your favourite song to sing along to?

Anything Fleetwood Mac.

We extend a warm welcome to our new students: Hanin, Amaris, Eda, Deniz and Sierra (kindergarten); Emraan (year 1); Sana (year 3); Madiha and Moukhtar (year 5); and Arjun, Revanth and Elena (year 7).

We wish you all a wonderful start to your journey here at Holroyd and are thrilled to have you as part of our school community.

We officially welcomed our 2025 student leaders at recent induction ceremonies.

Congratulations to the following students who have been elected to leadership positions:

Junior School student leaders : Ayesha and Maddison

Middle School student leaders : Omar and Elijah

Senior School student leaders : Mohammed and Vivek

We are moving forward with the School Bytes app as our main way to communicate with families.

The School Bytes Parent Portal app is free to download from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android) OR via these quick links:

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/au/app/school-bytes/id6463097826

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=education.schoolbytes

From the School Bytes app, parents and carers can:

- View and provide online permission for excursions and class activities.

- Make secure online payments for voluntary contributions, excursions, and class programs such as cooking, crunch n sip and bowling.

- Order and pay for school uniform items.

- Keep track of all past payments.

- View their child's attendance history.

Follow these easy steps to access the School Bytes portal on your mobile device:

1/ CREATE AN ACCOUNT	2/ LINK YOUR CHILD
Download the free School Bytes Parent Portal app to your mobile device.	Search for Holroyd School.
To REGISTER, complete all fields – parent’s first and last name, email address and create a password.	Complete all fields –your child’s first and last name, year group and date of birth.
Select Create an Account	Select Search.
You should now receive an email to verify your access.	Your child will now be added to the parent account.

If you have any questions or require assistance, please call the school office on 9637 1219.

On Friday, 21 March, Holroyd School was filled with a sea of orange as we came together to celebrate Australia's rich cultural diversity, embracing the values of unity and kindness.

In the spirit of this year's Harmony Day theme, 'everyone belongs', every class at Holroyd School contributed to a major Harmony Day art project.

Now in its 26th year, Harmony Day was established to celebrate Australia's rich cultural tapestry and promote respect for everyone who calls Australia home.

Your child's statement of account was sent home earlier this term.

Fees can be paid via the School Bytes app, Eftpos at the school office, or in cash.

If you are experiencing financial difficulties, or would like to discuss this account further, please contact the school office on 9637 1219.

To protect our vulnerable community, please keep your child at home if they are unwell with any of the following symptoms: sore throat, cough, fever, runny nose, diarrhoea, or a rash.

We kindly ask that you wait until they have fully recovered before sending them back to school.

Let's all do our part to keep everyone safe and healthy.

School commences at 9am and concludes at 2.45pm, with playground supervision from 8.40am.

It is important that students arrive at school on time and that therapy and other appointments are scheduled outside of school hours whenever possible.

Maintaining regular attendance at school is important as it impacts student learning, progress and achievement.

Why not join us on the first Thursday of every month? Every session is free and limited to 25 participants.

Contact the school office on 9637 1219 or email holroyd-s.school@det.nsw.edu.au to secure your place.

Already planning for the next school holiday break? Here are the 2025 school holiday dates to help you prepare in advance!

This Friday, 11 April, is the last day of Term 1, 2025.

Wishing all our staff, students and families a safe and happy Autumn holiday.

Term 2 begins on Wednesday, 30 April 2025.

If you are looking for something fun to do these school holidays, why not consider these activities offered by our friends at Club Merrylands?