How long have you worked at Holroyd School?

Almost one term!

What is your favourite childhood memory?

Playing dress-ups with my sister.

What was your favourite subject at school?

History.

If you could only keep five possessions, what would they be?

My Sound of Music soundtrack, phone, laptop, photos and my graduation gift from my family.

What is your favourite book?

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.

If you could invite any three guests to a dinner party, who would they be?

The world's greatest tennis player Roger Federer; The Project TV host Waleed Aly; and author Lois Lowry.

What is your favourite song to sing along to?

Mamma Mia by ABBA.

What pets did you have growing up?

I had two Maltese Terrier dogs.

What is your favourite day of the year?

New Year's Day.

What fad or trend do you hope comes back?

Mood rings.

How long have you worked at Holroyd School?

Five-and-a-half years. I started at Holroyd as an SLSO and began my teaching career in 2019.

What is your favourite childhood memory?

Playing in the backyard pool with my two brothers.

What was your favourite subject at school?

Visual Arts and PDHPE.

If you could only keep five possessions, what would they be?

My dog Twix, mobile phone, car, laptop so I can watch Netflix and a childhood photo album.

What is your favourite song to sing along to?

That's Amore by Dean Martin.

What pets did you have growing up?

A dog and fish.

What is your favourite day of the year?

My birthday!

What fad or trend do you hope comes back?

Wearing Volley shoes.

What a great start to home learning! We have loved seeing your photos - please keep them coming!

Send directly to your child's class teacher or email Melissa at holroyd-s.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Here are some tips on how to download, log-in and use 'Seesaw' to receive home learning activities and to communicate with your child's teacher.

Follow the steps in the flyer or watch these videos:

Students in J8 and J10 enjoyed a 'healthy eating' discovery tour of the Woolworths store in Merrylands earlier this term.

They had a wonderful time kneading dough to make bread, seeing first-hand how the store recycled cardboard boxes and hunting for different coloured fruit and vegetables.

What an interesting start to kindergarten for the seven students in J4.

Each student has become a part of the Holroyd family and loved coming to school to see their friends and teachers.

The weekly highlight has been our adventures to the swimming pool, where we enjoyed sitting on the foam mat in the water, practising our floating skills, and kicking our feet to improve our mobility in the water. 

We also enjoyed developing our gross motor skills in the mini gym with athletic-based activities such as forward rolls, high jumps and other assisted free-play.

Playing outdoors was a favourite too, especially time spent in the middle playground. This outdoor space offered a variety of activities to stimulate different senses and improved gross motor skills. It also created a learning opportunity for students to communicate words such as 'more' and 'finished'.

The students in J4 have come a long way in their first term at school.

Until next time,

Aliyah, Ezekiel, Mohammad, Ababil, Sanuli, Kuyok, Kailyn, Mariam, Andy and Eilaa.

This semester the six students in J15 learnt about people, places and the environment. We investigated different landscapes and landforms in Australia such as the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru. We kept busy creating artwork that represents a desert, ocean and bushfire.

Importantly, we also learnt about staying healthy and preventing the spread of germs. We made sure to cough or sneeze into a new tissue or our elbow; and always washed our hands before we ate and after we played or used the toilet.

Each student in our class has his/her favourite class activity:

Daniel : bouncing on the gym ball with a flapper in his hand.

Taseen : sitting on his chair and listening to songs on the interactive white board.

Delshana : singing nursery rhymes and songs.

Leyla and Arianna : jumping high and twisting and turning their bodies on the trampoline.

Maggie : sensory play with sand and rice.

Until next time,

Arianna, Daniel, Delshana, Maggie, Leyla, Taseen, Ershad, Donna and Kusum.

Students in S28 enjoyed their weekly trips to Coles in Merrylands to purchase ingredients for the cooking program. They developed a range of skills including ordering food items, pushing the trolley, packing groceries into shopping bags and exchanging money.

If you or your child need to talk to someone, we recommend:

1. Kids Help Line - 1800 55 1800 [24 hrs, 7 days)

Phone and counselling service for children aged 5-25 years.

2. Lifeline - CALL 13 11 14 [24 hrs, 7 days] or TEXT 0477 131 114 [6pm-12 midnight]

For all ages - 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention telephone service.

3. Suicide Call Back Service - 1300 659 467 [24 hrs, 7 days]

For all ages - telephone and online counselling to people affected by suicide or experiencing thoughts of self-harm or suicide.

4. Youth Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636 [24 hrs, 7 days]

Advice on achieve the best possible mental health.

5. Sane Australia - 1800 187 263 [10am - 10pm]

Support for people living with complex mental health issues and their families.

6. 1800RESPECT - 1800 737 732 [24 hrs, 7 days] Interpreter: 13 14 50

Confidential information, counselling and support for people impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence and abuse.

7. Carers NSW - 1800 242 636 [9am-5pm, Mon-Fri]

Emotional support, referrals, resources and information for carers.

8. Mental Health Line - 1800 011 511 [24 hrs, 7 days]

Speak to a mental health professional.

9. Child Protection Helpline - 13 21 11

If you are looking for online support, we recommend:

1. The BRAVE Program 

Online evidence-based cognitive behavioural therapy to help children aged 8-17 years cope with anxiety.

2. Smiling Mind

Online and app-based program to improve wellbeing of young people through mindful meditation.