Holroyd School eNewsletter

Dear parents and carers,

Wow, we are already half way through a very busy term 4! Enjoy reading the newsletter to find out about the highlights!

We opened the Holroyd Community Hub in week 1 on 18 October. The roll-up of families and community supporters was tremendous. Those in attendance enjoyed the ribbon-cutting, speeches, school-video and morning tea. There will be plenty of other opportunities to meet other parents at The Hub in the months and year to come. I would like to thank everyone who worked so hard to get the building renovations, furnishings and cleaning done, ready for the opening!

As part of the school’s self-assessment processes, the school undergoes a process of External Validation every 5 years. A team from outside our school reviews our processes and evidence against the state-wide School Excellence Framework. The school presented a 200 page document of evidence and analysis of school practice in learning, teaching and leading, along with last year’s Annual Report and current School Plan. As a result of the review, our school was found to be ‘sustaining and growing’ in 4 and ‘excelling’ in 10 of the 14 elements of the School Excellence Framework. This is confirmation that your child indeed attends a ‘high performance’ school! Thanks to all the staff who contribute to this success!

Holroyd Rotary Club generously purchased tickets for some of our senior students to attend the Invictus Games. We thank them for the ongoing support of our school! Read more about this further in the newsletter.

The school is currently welcoming and getting to know new families and students who will join us in 2019. I’m sure you will make them feel welcome in our school community too!

Put this on your calendar! If you come to nothing else this year, don’t miss this opportunity at the Holroyd Community Hub! On 19^th December, we are hosting a wonderful opportunity for parents to meet and hear from Kathryn Berkett. ‘Kathryn has been training audiences since 2007. Kathryn has a unique ability to engage audiences, convey complex information in an easy-to-listen to, easy-to-understand way.’ Your workshop will focus on Self-Care. ‘This is essential information for anyone who feels that their job or home life activates their stress response maybe a little too often!!’ Places at this event will be limited. Please click on the below link to let us know that you are coming (for seating and catering purposes).

Click here to book FREE Kathryn Berkett tickets

Until next time,

Anne Flint

Dear parents and carers,

Congratulations to the passionate and committed mums elected to the Holroyd School P&C at our recent Annual General Meeting. Our new P&C executive for 2019 is as follows:

President: Gricel Mendez

Secretary: Hamida Kanj

Treasurer: Nicole Suttle

Vice President: Lia Skapetis

Vice President: Keshrin Chand

I am looking forward to another wonderful year working with you all.

The P&C meets monthly and all parents are welcome to attend. Our next meeting is at 9.30am, Wednesday 5 December in the Holroyd School Community Hub. Stop in and enjoy a coffee with us, share ideas and learn more about the wonderful initiatives being undertaken by the school and P&C. We would love to see you there!

The final event for the year on the P&C calendar is a BBQ for students on Tuesday, 18 December. If you are able to help out on the day, please contact the ladies in the school office.

Until next time,

Gricel Mendez

How long have you worked at Holroyd School?

4 years.

What is your favourite childhood memory?

Cracker Night (yes, I am showing my age!) It was always so exciting, waiting for the sun to go down so we could all head out to the back yard where my dad would light up lots of different fire crackers. Parachutes were my favourite, as well as Catherine Wheels and Skyrockets. Afterwards my brother and I would go to the paddock at the end of our street where all the big kids in the neighbourhood would make an enormous bonfire.

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

My sunglasses, sunscreen, hat, pillow and bed.

What is your favourite book?

It is so hard to choose just one, but my favourite book from my childhood is Anne Of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.

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

Dr Seuss, Steve Irwin and Dr Charlie Teo.

What is your favourite song to sing along to?

La Bamba by Ritchie Valens.

What pets did you have growing up?

Julie and Oscar (dogs), Campbell, Rambo and Lorenzo (cats), Bertie (duck) and Theodore (rabbit).

What is your favourite day of the year?

Christmas. I love celebrating and sharing lots of wonderful traditions with family and eating delicious food.

What fad or trend do you hope comes back?

The Sydney Kings winning a premiership!

How long have you worked at Holroyd School?

4 years.

What is your favourite childhood memory?

Going to work with Dad to Taronga Zoo early in the morning and hand-feeding the baby birds.

What was your favourite subject at school?

Geography.

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

Cards and gifts from the communities in Peru; family photos; hand-made Alpaca jumper; my Great Uncle's World War 1 medal; and family history letters.

What is your favourite book?

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

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

My mum, dad and Robin Williams for a good laugh.

What is your favourite song to sing along to?

American Pie by Don McLean.

What pets did you have growing up?

Birds, dogs and fish.

What is your favourite day of the year?

Christmas Day (seeing my whole family together).

What fad or trend do you hope comes back?

Cracker night!

Congratulations to our Principal, Anne Flint, who was recently awarded the Social Justice and Equity Award in recognition of her many decades of "determination, professionalism and courage" by the NSW Primary Principals Association (PPA).

When presenting this prestigious award, the PPA described Anne as a "true advocate for students, families and special educators".

Anne was recognised for her contribution to two NSW Parliamentary enquiries into special education and participation in consultive forums within the Department of Education and other groups, in order to "ensure students with disabilities receive the resources and support they require to be fully included in their schools and communities."

"Anne has embedded into her school a culture of continuous improvement ensuring research, innovation and creativity are full characteristics of the school," said Robyn Evans, NSW PPA Deputy President, during the presentation ceremony.

"Her ongoing contribution to professional learning has had a dynamic impact on the calibre and capacity of teachers and support staff in our specialised settings.

"Anne's leadership has extended into the community with the establishment of two post-school NDIS disability services being established from programs she instigated," Ms Evans said.

Anne was also recognised for her active membership of the NSW PPA SSP Reference Group and her role as NSW representative to the Australian Special Education Principals Association.

The award was presented to Anne by Murat Dizdar, Deputy Secretary of School Operations and Performance.

Congratulations and well-deserved Anne!

Cumberland Council Mayor, Clr Greg Cummings, officially opened the Holroyd School Community Hub on Thursday October 18, 2018.

The Community Hub will be a meeting place for families, community members and staff to build relationships and work together to improve learning outcomes for our students.

It will also be a venue for free school and community-led information sessions for local families on topics such as student learning, wellbeing and access to services.

Holroyd School values strong and positive family and community partnerships. We want to provide a space where we can come together, support each other and connect with the broader community.

Thank you to our many families and community members who joined us for this special occasion. Special thank you to Clr Cummings, Holroyd School P&C and our friends at Club Merrylands and the Community Migrant Resource Centre.

Parramatta Advertiser 7/11/2018

Earlier this term seven students and three staff from class S24 enjoyed a two-night overnight stay at Berry Sports and Recreation Centre, two hours south of Sydney.

Students Anthony, Hanna, Jason, Janet, Jack, Robert and Vincent, with staff Nadia, Mark and Brendan, all had a wonderful time on the 62-hectare farmland property.

During their stay, they participated in a wide range of activities, including orienteering, archery, canoeing, raft building, cable gliding, rock climbing, swimming, navigating a maze and group games. In their free time, students enjoyed meeting and socialising with students from other schools.

Going to camp was a great opportunity for the students to not only participate in fun outdoor activities but to also build on their growing independence and confidence.

For most of the students, this was their first experience attending a school camp and they surpassed all expectations in terms of behaviour, enthusiasm and activity participation.

Thank you to the Holroyd staff who helped our fundraising efforts, which subsidised the cost of the camp for families.

Classes S13, S14 and S24 recently enjoyed an excursion to Parramatta's Riverside Theatre to see the musical adaptation of The Gruffalo's Child.

All our students reacted to the songs, laughs and fun of the show and left with big smiles on their faces! They were enthralled by the captivating costumes, set design and amazing musical performances.

The students also enjoyed morning tea in the sunshine outside the theatre before the big show.

Special thanks to class S24 for assisting their friends in S13 and S14 during this new community experience.

Students in classes S21, S22 and S27 had a great time at Sydney Olympic Park last month cheering on athletes competing in the Invictus Games.

Abdulla and Andrew were even fortunate enough to meet competitor Alina Zoet from the Netherlands!

Many thanks to Holroyd Rotary Club for providing our students with such a wonderful opportunity.

Reserve your place at this FREE workshop NOW by following this link:

Kathryn Berkett Parent Workshop

J5 is very active and the students love any activity that allows them to run, play and move.

The class participates in gross motor exercise every day and this helps us to get 'in the zone for learning'. The students love to jump on the trampoline, bounce on the gym ball and swing on the hammock.

J5's favourite activities of the week include swimming, mini gym and sport. These exercises allow the boys in J5 to be active, have fun and practise Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) rules such as staying with the group, waiting and turn-taking.

We have also been learning to help others and look after the environment. Every Tuesday the boys visit every class in the Junior School and collect cans and water bottles to be recycled. We then give these recyclables to S24 who cash in the cans and put the money towards their camp and graduation. We are glad that we can help our fellow school mates.

Until next time,

Khyber, Kyle, Vishwa, Abdulla, Omar, Ahmed, Amy, Kerrie and Fotema.

Every Wednesday the students in J11, plus Kuhan from class J15, participate in an integration program with class 'S Flinders' at Guildford West Public School.

This program has enabled our students to regularly visit another school and participate in a wide-range of fun activities with their new friends.

Some of the highlights of the program have included enjoying Guildford West's impressive sensory room, listening to stories together, creating various artworks using different materials, making delicious fairy bread and yoga exercises.

It has been wonderful to see our students make new friends and look forward to spending time with them each week.

Until next time,

Sabah, Bailey, Alan, Aahnaf, Melad, Tabark, Aylin, Delshana, Elizabeth and Rose.

Class S29 has had a wonderful 2018 - full of energy and fun. The highlight of our week is going to Central Gardens, where the students have an opportunity to feed the ducks, see native animals such as wallabies, emus and kookaburras, walk the educational bush trails and, most importantly, eat hot chips for lunch!

All the students in S29 have demonstrated their maturity this year by following PBL rules and displaying wonderful behaviour when in the community.

This term we have commenced a recycling program which involves taking paper and other recyclable rubbish from classrooms to the school recycling bins. All students have enjoyed the responsibility, especially Ben who enjoys pushing the school recycling bin.

Other weekly highlights include swimming in our indoor heated pools, playing outdoors in the school playgrounds and visiting the library.

Regular swimming lessons have helped all our students to gain confidence, especially Mohamed and Regina. We started weekly library lessons in term 3 and most of our students seem to really enjoy reading a book as a class and having the opportunity to look at books on their own, particularly Abinom.

I hope you enjoyed reading a snap shot of S29's week at school.

Goodbye from Regina, Ben, Abinom, Mohamed, Rachel, Vicki and Boris.

Class S30 has enjoyed a busy, productive 2018. Our many activities have taken us near and far. Here are some of the students' personal favourites:

Serena looks forward to our community access program and challenging her classmates at Castle Hill bowling each week.

Mohmed is our resident gardener. He loves our garden-to-kitchen program, which involves growing our own herbs and vegetables to use in class cooking. Our spinach, herb and ricotta pies were definitely a favourite!

Asmaa also loves tending to our class garden. She especially enjoys cooking and trying new delicious foods.

Jamie loves physical activity and the water, so participating in the Sailability Program at Dobroyd Aquatic Centre, in Sydney's inner west, and swim school program at Merrylands Pool, are the highlights of her week.

Wisa is a wonderful helper, always volunteering to push the trolley at Coles during our weekly shopping expeditions. He also made an impressive Fireman Sam at our Book Week character parade.

Lorenz is very proficient at folding and delivering newspapers to residents in our local community - and especially likes the hot chips we enjoy for lunch afterwards! He always likes to help his teachers by giving each of his friends a plate.

Mujahid enjoys our weekly work and living skills program. He particularly liked acting as journalist and newsreader Peter Overton from Channel 9's 60 Minutes at our recent school concert.

By Kathie Chetty, School Counsellor.

Adaptive sports can be life-changing for a person with a disability. Adaptive sports can also help build confidence. Often, a specific type of exercise needs to be adapted slightly to fit a person's specific needs. It is also of the upmost importance to consult a doctor before participating in adaptive sports, to ensure safety.

Physical activity benefits range from health and wellness to increased emotional quality of life. Often, people with a physical disability are inactive because of physical limitations, but thanks to adaptive technology and increased programs across Australia, a physical disability is no longer a reason to avoid being physically active. Here are the top five reasons why people with disabilities should participate in an active lifestyle:

Health Benefits A physically active lifestyle decreases risk of health problems. An active lifestyle decreases these risks exponentially, and that includes people with physical disabilities.
Increased Emotional Health Including physical activity in a healthy lifestyle may support positive mental health status. Participating in regular exercise can be a life-changing benefit of physical activity.
Independence An increase in physical activity can lead to more independence and freedom. Increased physical strength and energy that come from regular exercise allows people with a disability to do more daily tasks without assistance.
Socialising All across Australia, there are physical activities organized for people with a physical disability seeking exercise. Through these organized sports, people can meet friends with similar life experiences.
Fun! Many people participate in physical activities because they are fun! While not everyone enjoys the same type of activity, this benefit of physical activity can be applicable to everyone.

Here are some websites if you are interested in finding out more about sport for your child.

Disability Sports Australia

NSW Government Office of Sport

Play By The Rules

Clearinghouse for Sport

Move Forward

{Article adapted from http://www.disabilityliving.ca/5-benefits-of-physical-activity-for-disabled-persons/}

2018	Thursday 29 November	Year 12 Graduation
	Wednesday 5 December	P&C Meeting, 9.30am-11am
	Wednesday 12 December	Art Exhibition
	Tuesday 18 December	Fun Water Play & P&C BBQ
	Wednesday 19 December	Kathryn Berkett FREE Parent Workshop Last Day of Term 4 for all students
2019	Wednesday 30 January	First day of Term 1 for students in years 1-12

Have a student in Years 10, 11 or 12?
Considering post-school options?

Woodville Alliance is hosting an afternoon tea and information session - 3-4pm, Monday 26 November, 2018.

RSVP by Friday 23 November, phone: 9722 5200.

IDPwD 2018 Picnic in the park (Copy).png

REMINDER Holroyd School has now implemented the SZapp App for iPhone and Android mobile phone users. This has replaced Skoolbag.

If you have not done so already, we encourage you to install SZapp onto your mobile phone as soon as possible. SZapp is free to download and use.

This app will allow us to send notifications straight to your phone to inform you of upcoming events and other important school information.