Holroyd School eNewsletter

Dear parents and carers,

Thank you for the warm welcome. My first few weeks at Holroyd have been inspiring. I have witnessed such positive relationships between staff, students, parents and friends and it's a great reflection on the caring environment here at Holroyd.

Your child's school report will be sent home this week. I am really enjoying reading the reports and learning more about your children and their achievements this semester. Please take the time these holidays to read your child's report and celebrate with them their important milestones.

I can now confirm that I will continue as Relieving Principal at Holroyd throughout term three. A highlight for me will be the school concert at the end of term. This concert is renowned well beyond our school gates and rumour has it preparations are already underway for a spectacular show.

Enjoy the holidays with your families. Please remember to remain Covid conscious during these ever-changing times.

Until next time,

Kylee Thorson

Principal (relieving)

Dear parents and carers,

We are seeking your support for our school concert to be held in mid September. This annual concert is an opportunity for our students to showcase their learning achievements and talents to their parents, extended family and community members. Your generous donation of a raffle prize [in the form of a gift, money donation or gift card] would be greatly appreciated.

All monies raised from our raffle will go towards desperately-needed school resources. All sponsors will be recognised on our school Facebook page, newsletter and concert program.

Our next P&C meeting will be next term - 9.30am, Wednesday 4 August in the Community Hub. All parents and carers are welcome and encouraged to attend. These meetings are an invaluable opportunity to discover what is happening at our school and to connect with fellow parents.

Our recent subsidised CPR training for parents and carers was a big success, with all participants learning invaluable life-saving knowledge and skills.

Thank you for all your efforts - we couldn't do this without you!

Until next time,

Liz Brannon

President

liz.brannon@yahoo.com.au

0450 572 427

How long have you worked at Holroyd School?

Ten years in July.

What is your favourite childhood memory?

Spending weekends and holidays with my grandparents and many cousins.

What was your favourite subject at school?

Mathematics because I had great teachers who made the subject practical and meaningful.

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

My phone; children's baby albums and videos; a blanket made by my grandmother overseas when I was born; and rosary beads gifted to me on my wedding day.

What is your favourite book?

The Diary of Anne Frank.

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

I can't answer this question. I come from an Italian background and there are never only three guests invited!

What is your favourite song to sing along to?

Mamma Mia by Abba.

What pets did you have growing up?

Chickens, budgies and a dog.

What is your favourite day of the year?

Christmas Day, because I spend it with family and friends.

What fad or trend do you hope comes back?

The 80s perm as my hair is naturally curly.

How long have you worked at Holroyd School?

23 years.

What is your favourite childhood memory?

Camping with my parents and brothers.

What was your favourite subject at school?

History.

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

Phone, glasses, car, wedding ring and photos.

What is your favourite book?

Becoming by Michelle Obama.

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

Former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama and Australian actress and comedian, Rebel Wilson.

What is your favourite song to sing along to?

Just Give Me A Reason by Pink.

What pets did you have growing up?

A blue cattle dog named Tina.

What is your favourite day of the year?

Australia Day.

What fad or trend do you hope comes back?

Yo-Yos!

Senior students in classes S22 and S27 spent a wonderful day at Sydney Zoo in Blacktown on Monday, 21 June.

Students enjoyed a close encounter with a range of cute and cuddly farm animals on Monday 24 May. Many thanks to our wonderful P&C for subsidising this experience.

Senior students in classes S22, S24, S27, S28 and S30 had fun on Monday 7 June at the Activate Inclusion Sports Day, held at Netball Central in Homebush.

They all enjoyed learning new skills from expert coaches in a range of sports, including Aussie Rules, baseball, basketball, netball and badminton.

The program is run by Sport NSW and Variety, the Children's Charity NSW/ACT, in partnership with Disability Sports Australia.

The students in J5 and S24 have done a wonderful job selling soft drinks to office staff this term.

They have shown great confidence when approaching staff and used important communication, literacy and money tendering skills.

Thank you for your continued patience and assistance during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up procedures.

We have several systems in place to assist with the safe and timely unloading and loading of students. We ask that parents are aware of the following:

1. All students arriving before the 8.55am morning bell should be dropped-off at the Clarence Street gates and not at the office.

2. Gates are locked between 9am (sharp) and 2.30pm. All late arrivals should enter via the school office on Willara Avenue.

3. Ensure that you join the back of the vehicle line-up. Please be aware that the line is likely to extend down Clarence Street and you must comply with parking restrictions and NSW road rules. We ask that you do not turn right into the driveway in front of other parents waiting in line on the left side of the gate.

4. Please remain in your vehicle. School staff will happily unload and load your child from the car and check that their seat belt is secure.

5. Follow any instructions provided by school staff regarding any necessary movement of your vehicle.

6. Be aware of pedestrians as you enter and exit the school driveway.

We strongly encourage that all parents utilise the driveway system so that staff can safely unload/load students one at a time once cars have stopped moving. This avoids crossing roads unnecessarily and walking through the driveway where there are frequently moving vehicles.

If you and your child are pedestrians, we request that you use the designated pathway (yellow lines) and hold your child's hand at all times.

As with all schools, remember the 40km/hr speed limit between 8 - 9.30am and from 2.30 - 4pm.

Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe.

J2 students have embraced school in semester 1 2021, delighting in the company of their friends and school staff and taking on the challenges of their leaning goals. They have been immersed in our multicultural lifestyle, experiencing festivals such as Easter, Eid, Mothers’ Day, and Harmony Day, and learning about other celebrations including Chinese New Year, Saint Patrick’s Day and Orthodox Easter.

It has been wonderful to return to in-person school events such as primary school sport and our weekly assemblies. Being together with their friends for these events brings joy and adds a greater sense of belonging.

The science unit of work has been both enjoyable and interesting. There is so much fun to be had working with the changing states of liquids, gases, and solids, including games, creating artworks and even cooking. The serious side of these studies was also important, touching on our health, care for the environment, Aboriginal studies, and other aspects of life.

Some highlights of the semester were the Easter Hat Parade and the Kindi Farm visit that allowed the students to have up-close and hands-on engagement with a lot of very cute farm animals.

Combining all these things with our regular activities such as hydrotherapy, the swing and liberty swing, art, music, library visits and much more, has made this a great semester for all.

The students in J6 have been watching time lapse videos of plants growng; visually representing the life cycles of butterflies and frogs; as well as growing their own plants this semester.

Outside the classroom, students have enjoyed their weekly visits to the pool, library and mini gym, as well as partcipating in sports in the hall and outdoors.

Music is a class favourite and all students enjoy selecting a song to play on the interactive whiteboard. The Chicken Dance is always a popular choice!

Each week S19 students diligently deliver pamphlets to houses in the local area. The class is focussing on road safety, ensuring students obey traffic lights when crossing roads. Afterwards, students enjoy interacting with shop staff as they collect their hot chip lunch reward.

Sporting highlights this term have been a four-week in-school golf program and weekly swimming sessions in our indoor pool. Every student has made significant improvements with each golf lesson and enjoyed practising their swing under the guidance of a golfing pro. In the pool, we like kicking, floating and blowing bubbles.

We have also been regularly practising our soccer skills with our friends in S23 in preparation for our combined concert item later next term.

In the classroom, we have been busy reading books to complete the Premier's Reading Challenge. We are already halfway there!

The students in S25 have worked hard and achieved great things this semester.

Daily floor and movement programs, as well as weekly hydrotherapy sessions in our indoor heated pool, help to keep our bodies healthy and active.

We have been working hard on our switch skills to improve communication as well as developing our love of the arts, with fun music and visual arts programs. We have also been busy rehearsing our concert item and cannot wait to unveil our creative genius!

This term we have also learnt the basics of golf and started our very own classroom mini eco system.