Dear Parents and Carers,

We are half way through term 4 and it is timely to remind everyone that this has been a very challenging year. Covid-19 has forced so many changes on us and one of the most challenging ones has been the lack of personal connection.

We have missed having you in our school, at meetings, parent events at the Community Hub and of course special events like the P&C Mothers’ and Fathers’ Day stalls, the sports carnivals and concert. Graduation this year will be a very different event too, with strict controls on the numbers of guests. In fact, we will be hosting 2 graduation ceremonies, each with half of our graduands so that we comply with the restrictions of numbers of people in the hall. 

Welcoming our new students and families has also forced a change to our usual orientation activities. Usually we have a parent get together, where our existing parents can meet with and welcome our new parents. Sadly not this year.

Most of all, we are hoping many of these events can resume in 2021. Each of us plays an important role in making this happen. Covid-19 has not disappeared. We must all remain vigilant and follow the advice of NSW Health, particularly such as getting tested if you or your child has even the mildest cold/flu like symptoms. I’m at home on the day of writing this awaiting my Covid test result. We all need to remember to maintain social distancing and hand washing too.

Finally, happy Diwali to our families and staff who celebrate the festival of lights. I wish you a Diwali that brings happiness, prosperity and joy to you and all your family.

Until next time,

Anne Flint

Dear parents and carers,

The Holroyd P & C held its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 4 November.

The following ladies were re-elected to the P & C executive for 2021:

Chairperson : Liz Brannon

Vice Chairperson : Nicole Suttle, Gina Hamoui

Secretary : Hamida Kanj

Treasurer : Mia Silva

Committee meetings will continue on the first Wednesday of the month via Zoom.

Our next meeting is at 9.30am on Wednesday 2 December. All parents and carers are welcome to join in. These meetings are an invaluable opportunity to connect with other parents and discover what is happening at school.

Please feel free to contact me via email at liz.brannon@yahoo.com.au if you are interested in attending a meeting or would just like more information.

We are certainly looking forward to seeing everyone once restrictions are eased. However, in the meantime, please stay safe and look after one another by washing your hands regularly and maintaining social distance.

Until next time,

Liz Brannon

President

How long have you worked at Holroyd School?

For more years than I haven't - 32!

What is your favourite childhood memory?

Playing all over the neighbourhood with friends, only going home if I was hungry or the street lights came on.

What was your favourite subject at school?

English.

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

Reading glasses, books, walking boots, comfortable chair and phone (so many photos).

What is your favourite book?

The Works of Robert Burns (Robbie Burns). He was a Scottish poet. The book belonged to my grandfather whom I never met. He sent it to me when I became a teacher. It was given to him as a school prize in 1906.

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

Mum, dad and my mother-in-law. All gone, and so many questions still to ask them.

What is your favourite song to sing along to?

Sweet Dreams by Annie Lennox.

What pets did you have growing up?

Dogs and cats - Lady, Smokey and Kelly.

What is your favourite day of the year?

7th October, my grand-daughter's birthday.

What fad or trend do you hope comes back?

70s disco (not nightclubs).

How long have you worked at Holroyd School?

One year and nine months.

What is your favourite childhood memory?

Visiting relatives in Queensland every school holidays.

What was your favourite subject at school?

Maths.

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

My family, photos, phone, car and work friends!

What are your favourite movies?

Love Actually and Grease.

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

My friends Linda and Alicia and their husbands.

What is your favourite song to sing along to?

All songs are my favourite to sing too even if I don't know the words. I often make up my own words to sing!

What pets did you have growing up?

I had a joey, turtle, dogs and fish.

What is your favourite day of the year?

Christmas Day.

Dressing up as our favourite book character concluded a fun week of Book Week celebrations recently.

This year's Book Week theme was 'Curious Creatures, Wild Minds'.

Students participated in various activities throughout the week in their classrooms, including reading a range of books, watching online telling of stories and creating clever artworks to showcase favourite tales.

Holroyd students were last week among thousands of students Australia-wide singing the same song, on the same day, at the same time.

We listened to and sang You won't bring us down from our classrooms at 12.30pm on Thursday 5 November as part of Music Australia's 'Music : Count Us In' initiative.

We took time over a lovely morning tea on Friday 30 October to acknowledge the significant contribution our teachers make in the lives of our students. Their proven adaptability and resilience continues to be put to the test in this roller coaster of a pandemic year.

We thank you teachers for your expertise, professionalism and the 'above and beyond' measures you take every day in the pursuit of education.

Our school has wonderful staff.

Our deepest condolences to the family of student Christian Adamski, who passed away on Wednesday 30 September after being ill for some time. Christian joined our school in 2018 and was in year 2 in class J3.

Christian has been a truly valued member of our school and a lovely friend to his classmates. His cheeky smile was infectious. Our school community will miss Christian greatly.

Your child's final statement of account was sent home last week.

We kindly ask that you clear any outstanding fees and class program charges promptly. Fees can be paid either online [via the Holroyd School website] 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.

As part of the NSW Government’s $120 million Before and After School Care commitment, we want to offer families more flexibility with their work commitments and child care arrangements. Having Out of School Hours Care available at local schools is a great way to achieve this.

We are asking all parents to complete this quick survey by Friday 27 November 2020. This information will be used to target the rollout of more Out of Hours Care services in the right areas.

You can access the survey at https://surveys.education.nsw.gov.au/s3/OSHCParentSurvey. 

If your child does not require Out of School Hours care, we ask that you still complete the first section of the survey as it provides important information about the level of demand at our school.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school office on 9637 1219.

We have had a fun but busy year socialising with classmates and friends while learning many new skills. Our favourite class activities have included sensory play and music lessons; as well as enjoying the sunshine while on the liberty swing and riding bikes.

We also enjoyed participating in the Premier's Reading Challenge and Book Week. After listening to stories in class, we explored characters in more depth via sensory items, through art and craft, and by completing activities on the interactive whiteboard. During Book Week we had fun dressing up as our favourite characters from our most loved stories.

During PDHPE lessons we have been learning about the importance of eating well and being physically active to keep our bodies healthy. We have enjoyed learning new skills in a range of sports, including soccer, bike riding, T-ball, hurdles and golf.

All seven students in J11 enjoyed participating in Book Week activities this term. We read books together, listened to stories via the VOOKS website and watched animated books on the interactive whiteboard.

We also spent a day dressed as our favourite book character - Angelina (Spider Girl), Zaid (Where's Zaid?), Amjad (skeleton), Adriana (yellow tutu and top hat), Abdullah (police officer), Christiano (Lion King).

In this semester's Keeping Healthy and Safe unit of work, we have focused on playground and community safety, healthy eating and dental hygiene. We are learning more about traffic signs (stop, go) and pedestrian crossings with traffic lights (red man, green man). We all love fruit and vegetables and practise requesting our favourites via words or PECS during our Crunch n Sip program. We also brush our teeth every day while listening to the Wiggles 'Ready, Steady, Brush Your Teeth' song.

Our weekly cooking lessons are definitely a class highlight. We have all enjoyed making cookies, cupcakes and smoothies by following the steps in the recipe projected on the interactive whiteboard.

All the students in J11 are also enjoying learning to read using the Reading Eggs program. It helps us to practise 'taking turns' and provides immediate feedback via sound effects.

The class also enjoys time spent outdoors. We regularly walk and ride bikes and scooters on the bike track and have fun on the liberty swing and merry-go-round.

The students in S18 have enjoyed many learning experiences this year. Our favourites have been swimming in the school's indoor pool, cooking, sport and music.

In our Mental Health and Wellbeing unit of work, we have learnt about healthy eating choices; exercised daily by dancing and walking; watched music videos during leisure choice time; and created artworks using different materials and techniques.

We have also participated in school activities such as the Premier's Reading Challenge, Education Week, Premier's Sporting Challenge, Book Week and weekly Zoom assemblies. Our sitting, waiting and listening skills have also improved as we gather patiently in front of the interactive whiteboard.

Earlier this year (before Covid-19 lockdown) we enjoyed developing our gross motor skills (such as bouncing, bowling, rolling, throwing and catching) every week in the hall with our 'buddies' in J9.

We are looking forward to celebrating our achievements with our friends and teachers in the coming weeks. We congratulate Montather and wish him all the very best as he graduates from Holroyd School next month. May he continue to spread joy and happiness wherever he goes.

Every day the students in S29 spend time tending to their class garden - weeding, watering plants and picking produce to use in weekly cooking lessons.

The class has successfully grown carrots, spinach, spring onions, zucchini, cucumbers and tomatoes this year. The students also reduce garden and class food waste by composting. It is hoped that this compost may be used to establish gardens next year.

S29 students also participate in a weekly sports program. After a warm-up counting ten laps of the bike track, students practise their throwing and catching skills and participate in a variety of sports including golf, croquet, cricket and volleyball.

During games we follow Holroyd School's PBL rules, such as 'being kind to our friends', 'waiting' and 'taking turns'.