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- Principal's Report
- P&C Report
- Staff Spotlight, Amy Parks, Relieving Assistant Principal, Senior School
- Staff Spotlight, Terri DiIenno, School Administration Officer
- Book Week - this Friday!
- Read-a-thon
- Father's Day Stall
- Variety & Brydens Lawyers FREE Information Event
- Indigenous performance
- Quick sticks
- Club Merrylands Community Grant
- Classy art
- J9 is growing in confidence
- S13 always smiling
- S22 all about town
- Adventure awaits for S24
- Join the team
Dear Parents and Carers,
Term 3 has been a busy and engaging one. Many of you took the opportunity to meet with your child's teacher to discuss their report and review their individual learning plan. I hope you found the meeting useful. We value our partnership with you; together we can provide the best opportunities for our students.
Last week, we had a visit from The NSW Department of Education Secretary, Mark Scott. He spent the morning in classrooms, learning about our school, its wonderful students, staff and programs. I always endeavor to raise the profile of our school so that our leaders beyond these gates can advocate for the best resources possible. I’m always proud to show off our school.
I encourage you to use the Community Hub. There are different events on, including information sessions, a supported playgroup, yoga and art classes. You are welcome to use the hub if you just want to catch up with other parents and have a coffee and a chat. Don’t forget we get support from the Community Migrant Resource Centre each Thursday. Anisha or Melissa are happy to connect you with the right service to support you or your family.
No one at the school has reported any cases of meningococcal. However, NSW Health has launched a state wide campaign for identifying the symptoms of meningococcal disease. Symptoms of meningococcal disease include:
* Sudden onset of fever
* Headache
* Neck stiffness
* Joint pain
* Dislike of bright lights
* Nausea
* Vomiting
* Irritability
* Rash of red-purple spots or bruises that doesn't disappear when pressure is applied (a rash does not always appear or it may occur late in the disease).
Some or all of these symptoms may appear and can mimic other common illnesses. Symptoms usually occur suddenly and can get worse quickly, so it's important to seek urgent medical treatment.
As always, please keep your child home if they are unwell. Sick children don’t learn and the school does not have the available staff to look after them. Due to students not having good personal care skills, illnesses spread quickly amongst students and their staff. If sick children present at school, we will call you to collect them.
This week is book week. Students are engaging in a range of fun literacy-based activities, culminating in the Book Parade on Friday 23 August. I hope to see you there.
Save the date for the school concert on Thursday 12 September.
Until next time,
Anne
Please return raffle books and money to school by September 5, 2019. The raffle will be drawn at the end of the School Concert on September 12, 2019.
Our annual Father's Day Stall is next Friday, 30 August. We have sourced many gifts for our students to purchase for their fathers, grandfathers and loved ones. All gifts are $5. All money for the stall should be sent in before August 30.
We are also planning a Walkathon on Saturday 19 October. Many thanks to our Treasurer Nicole Suttle for securing two $300 grants to purchase food for the day. This will be a great opportunity for our families to get fit, have fun, and raise much needed money for our school.
Finally, the Holroyd P&C is having its Annual General Meeting in October to elect new committee members. If you are interested in joining the P&C Committee please contact me on 0438 530 531. Committee members meet monthly.
Until next time,
Gricel Mendez
President
How long have you worked at Holroyd School?
Since 2011.
What is your favourite childhood memory?
Camping with family and friends in the Christmas holidays. Spending the day at the beach and the night playing board games.
What was your favourite subject at school?
Geography and drama.
If you could only keep five possessions, what would they be?
My phone, car, passport, coffee and laptop.
If you could invite any three guests to a dinner party, who would they be?
Oprah, David Attenborough and Prince Harry.
What is your favourite song to sing along to?
I will sing along to anything.
What pets did you have growing up?
Cats, dogs, fish and birds. I currently have a turtle named Wilson.
What is your favourite day of the year?
My birthday! I celebrate all week.
What fad or trend do you hope comes back?
Manners and respect.
How long have you worked at Holroyd School?
Since July 2017.
What is your favourite childhood memory?
Riding my horses on the weekend, falling off, going to the doctors, and then getting back on the horse again!
What was your favourite subject at school?
P.E. and Economics - sorry, I had two.
If you could only keep five possessions, what would they be?
My bible, husband, two children, and then I would have to choose between my three grandsons!
What are your favourite books?
The Bible - great life lessons. As a child, I loved The Silver Brumby series by author Elyne Mitchell.
If you could invite any three guests to a dinner party, who would they be?
Author and commentator Jordan Peterson; actor and activist Audrey Hepburn; and one of my grandfathers, as I never met either.
What is your favourite songs to sing along to?
Anything from ABBA or Hillsong United.
What pets did you have growing up?
Horses, dogs, cats and budgies - my parents were constantly poor because of me!
What is your favourite day of the year?
Easter - it is a great time of the year to reflect on what I am doing to help others.
What fad or trend do you hope comes back?
Rubenesque women because I would fit in perfectly!
Preparations are well underway for our Book Week celebrations on Friday [23 August].
This year's theme is 'Reading is my Secret Power'.
Students are asked to come to school dressed as their favourite book character or super hero.
Prizes for creativity, enthusiasm and best costume will be awarded!
Parents and friends, please join us on the day. Times are as follows:
9.45am : Junior School Book Character Parade.
10.15am - 11.15am : Parent Morning Tea and Scholastic Book Fair. Books will be available for purchase [cash and EFTPOS payments accepted].
11.30am : Senior School Book Character Parade.
The Parade will conclude a fun week of Book Week celebrations, which also included story-time sessions with Cumberland Council's Poppy the Possum.
Holroyd School is currently holding a read-a-thon in conjunction with the Premier's Reading Challenge. During class lessons, each student will read or listen to a minimum of thirty books from the Premier's Reading Challenge book list. The read-a-thon also coincides with this week's Book Week activities.
Sponsorship cards were sent home to all families last week. These cards, plus any monies raised, should be returned to school by 30 August.
All students who complete the challenge will receive a certificate in term 4. There will also be certificates awarded to both students and classes that raise the most funds and return the highest number of sponsorship cards.
Happy reading!
Save the date : FREE INFORMATION EVENT hosted by children's charity Variety and Brydens Lawyers.
10am, TUESDAY 24 SEPTEMBER in the Community Hub.
The information session will cover topics such as:
- what is a will and what happens if there isn't one?
- appointing a guardian
- appointing a trustee and their role
- succession planning
- bequests to children
- education and care of children with disability
- medical treatment decisions for children with a disability
Register your interest by calling the school office on 9637 1219.
Junior students were treated to a wonderful interactive show by Indigenous performer Ryka Ali on Tuesday 6 August.
Ryka's educational performance incorporated traditional song and dance, 'painting up' with ochre, and demonstrations and workshops on various Indigenous artefacts, including the Yidaki (didgeridoo).
This term sees our students developing their hockey skills with coach Alan from Hockey NSW.
Students are learning to improve their balance, hand-eye co-ordination, ball and stick control, target accuracy and ability to send and receive the ball.
The free program is an Australian Government Sporting Schools initiative, designed to increase students' participation in sport.
Thank you to Club Merrylands for its generous $10,860 Community Grant donation to Holroyd School. This grant will enable us to establish a STEM program focusing on the four disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Why not come along to our next art class in the Community Hub?
Our first session was a huge success with parents, families and friends enjoying a cuppa whilst exploring their creative side.
It's a great opportunity to share and celebrate skills and creativity; learn from each other's cultures; and share experiences.
Let's support each other through our creativity!
The next class will be from 9.30am to 11.30am, Tuesday 3 September. Beginners welcome!
This year students in J9 have been developing their literacy and social skills through engaging and varied activities within the school and in the community.
J9 has been completing a book study of The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle with a focus on key words and sentence structure, including spelling, capital letters and full stops. The students are working on recreating parts of the story through art and handwriting to complement their practical work in the class garden.
As part of the gardening program J9 has worked with their primary school buddy class, J10, to broaden their social interactions. They are also working together on a performance for the upcoming school concert and enjoyed a fun-filled group excursion where they took part in the Woolworths Fresh Food Kids Discovery Tour.
Each week J9 also plays structured games with their high school buddy class, S24. They look forward to seeing each other and engage positively in group and paired games such as musical chairs, duck-duck-goose and bingo.
This term J9 is participating in an integration program with a unit class at Merrylands Public School where they have confidently represented themselves and our school. They enjoy participating in cooking lessons with their new peers and playing in the safe play area there at morning tea time.
They have also started reading to students in J11 as part of the Premier’s Reading Challenge.
J9 and their families should be very proud of these achievements. We have been so impressed to see the dedication to school life displayed by Alegra, Angelina, Edwin, Jamie, Laya, Lewis and Zoe. Well done J9!
S13 students have had a busy start to semester two.
Following some minor adjustments to our senior high support classes, our students have settled in well to their new class dynamic and routine. It is great to see the lovely bonds forming between students in the class.
We have been working hard on communication skills this semester through the use of PECS, switches, eye gaze and choice boards. All students have shown a vast improvement in their independence. They enjoy selecting work to complete and then a preferred leisure task. Daily activities are always completed with a smile!
We will continue working hard with our junior buddy class over the next few weeks during weekly peer support lessons and concert rehearsals. It is great to see connections forming between students, with our junior buddies helping us to transition on school grounds.
Until next time,
Aziza, Hayatollah, Montathar, Renas, Rose, Sara and Suzanne.
Students in S22 have enjoyed participating in a range of sporting activities this year, including regular in-school sessions with specialist soccer and hockey trainers.
We travelled to Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre to cheer on the GIO NSW Gladiators at the 2019 Wheelchair Rugby Championships; enjoyed the ice at Macquarie Ice Rink in North Ryde; and danced at the Variety children's disco in Liverpool.
We experienced space travel from the comfort of the school hall when the CosmoDome, an IMAX-Style 3D movie experience, came to Holroyd.
S22 also travelled to Hornsby RSL and loved singing and dancing along to the Studio Artes Annual Showcase, The Symphony of Life, an imaginative theatre production starring performers with disability.
We are currently working with our friends in S24 for our combined concert performance and hope to see as many parents as possible on the big day.
Until next time,
Amara, Bas Bibi, Catherine, Kelly, Kenny, Kevin, Ramy, Maymuna, Serena, Mary and Joan.
The staff and students of S24 have had an extremely busy and productive start to term 3. Our regular classroom programs include work skills, reading activities, deskwork sessions and various educational activities using the electronic interactive whiteboard.
This term we have resumed our weekly community access outings to Parramatta Westfields, travelling to and from via public transport. We board the bus at Hilltop using our Opal Cards and then try to find a seat on the often crowded bus. We have morning tea once we arrive at Parramatta Station, before separating into two groups. Our challenge is then to navigate the busy shopping centre and seek out the locations of specific stores. We then enjoy lunch together in the food court before catching the return bus to school.
There are good things to come as we prepare for our school concert with regular performance rehearsals. We are also very eager to embrace the adventure and fun of our annual three-day camp at the Berry Sport and Recreation Centre next month.
Until next time,
Anthony, Janet, Hanna, Jack, Jason, Vincent, John, Robert, Kuhan, Aydan and Mark.
Holroyd School is seeking people living in the local area who are interested in working as a casual Assisted School Travel Officer, known as an ATSO (bus escort), before and after school.
ATSOs are required to undertake mandatory training and have a current Working with Children clearance.
ATSOs must be over 18 years of age, physically able, have good communication skills, be respectful and understanding of students with disabilities, and able to work collaboratively with others.
If you are interested, please contact the school office for an application package.