Dear parents and carers,

Welcome back to 2022. The start of the year has seen us return to school with daily COVID testing and some restrictions. Thank you to all those who collected RAT kits and are continuing testing to ensure we minimise the spread in our school setting. Beginning Monday 28th February, 20 additional tests will be issued so that they can be used when students present with flu like symptoms. The tests are not required daily and are to be used only if flu like symptoms are present.

As of Monday 28th February, schools can invite parents onto school sites. This is timely as teachers are beginning to arrange Individual Learning Plan meetings. I would like to encourage all parents and carers to meet with your child’s teacher to discuss individual student learning goals. Our staff have been busy getting to know your children and assessing individual learning needs. We welcome the opportunity to work with parents to develop the best possible learning goals for students.

This year we have seen a significant increase in parents dropping off and picking up children from the school. This has resulted in increased traffic congestion and extended wait times particularly in the afternoon. Thank you to everyone for following school staff instructions to keep everyone safe. We have trialled loading more students into vehicles and increasing staff on duty. These strategies have been met with some success through all students being picked up by 3:10pm. The School will contact Cumberland Council to seek advice on what strategies can be implemented to ease parking and related traffic congestion during afternoon pick-up times. In the meantime, it is important that road rules are still followed as the police do patrol the area. Unfortunately, the afternoon pick-up will take a little longer during rainy days, with less cars being loaded. Thank you in advance for understanding.

We hope this year brings some changes to our school and community relationship. Opening our school gates so that our community hub can be utilised and our P&C can meet on site is a priority. Additionally, many of our students have not been able to access the community with their class peers for some time and this would be a welcome change. The best way to stay up to date with all that is happening at the school is through liking our Facebook page and downloading SZapp.

Thank you,

Noel Gover

Principal (Rel)

Dear parents and carers,

Welcome back to all students, staff, teachers, parents and carers. I hope everyone had a relaxing, safe and enjoyable break.

The P&C Committee extends a warm welcome to all new families experiencing Holroyd School for the first time. We really hope your time with us is rewarding and enjoyable.

At the start of the school year we normally host a Tea and Tissues morning tea to greet and welcome new families to Holroyd School. We have postponed this event until later in the year when the Community Hub is available and we are permitted to return on site. More details to come.

Following an extremely challenging 2021, we are looking forward to restrictions easing this year and resuming our much-loved school and community events.

We are still holding our monthly P&C meetings. All parents and carers are welcome to join us. These meetings are an invaluable opportunity to discover what is happening at school and connect with other parents and school staff.

Our next meeting is at 9.30am, Wednesday 6 April in the Community Hub (on the Holroyd School site). If you are interested in attending, or have any questions or suggestions, please email me at liz.brannon@yahoo.com.au

Until next time,

Liz Brannon

President

How long have you worked at Holroyd School?

Since Term 1, 2021.

What is your all-time Favourite TV show?

The Big Bang Theory.

If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would buy?

A plane ticket to start travelling again!

If you could meet anyone from history, who would it be?

Princess Diana.

If you won a dream holiday to anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Canada.

If you had one meal everyday for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Har Gow Dumplings.

What is the last movie you saw?

Johnny English.

Do you keep your tomato sauce in the fridge or pantry?

Always the fridge.

What is your favourite song to sing along to?

Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson and featuring Bruno Mars.

How long have you worked at Holroyd School?

Fifteen years.

What is your all-time favourite TV Show?

Gogglebox.

If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would buy?

A house.

If you could witness any historical event, what would you want to see?

VP (Victory in the Pacific) Day - 15 August, 1945

If you could meet anyone from history, who would it be?

Indigenous land rights advocate, Eddie Mabo.

If you won a dream holiday to anywhere in the world, where would you go?

The Pacific Islands.

If you had to eat one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?

A 7-Eleven chicken schnitzel sandwich.

What is the last movie you saw?

Official Secrets.

Do you keep your tomato sauce n the fridge or pantry?

Pantry.

What is your favourite song to sing along to?

My Way by Frank Sinatra.

It has been a busy few weeks welcoming our youngest learners to Holroyd School.

Our kindergarten students have been busy settling into their new environment, establishing routines and making friends.

We wish you all a long and happy association with our school.

In addition to our kindergarten cohort, we have also welcomed seven new junior and senior students and their families to the Holroyd School community this term.

We wish Princess, Brian, Abdullah, Yuvaraj, Aayah, Emran and Isaiah the best of luck as they embark on their learning journey with us.

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

Fees can be paid 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.

Thank you to our wonderful families and staff for the overwhelming response to last year's Toys n Tucker Anglicare Christmas Appeal.

A total of $485 was raised to make Christmas a much happier time for families in need.

We've had such a busy but exciting start to the year as we welcome the new students in J2 to the school! Suzanne and Marie have been enthusiastically helping me set up the class routines for our new students and getting the new kindergarteners acquainted with the school, their new friends and staff. Meanwhile, Jonah, Ayesha, Aries, John and Maddison have been doing a fantastic job settling in, meeting other students and staff, and enjoying themselves during learning activities.

One of our favourite activities is painting and we love the sensory aspect of being able to squish and squeeze the cool, slippery paint through our fingers. We will certainly be creating more artwork to combine with our classroom's jungle theme!

We've also been enjoying our new environment (the school) and love playing in the playground. Most of us think the swing in Area 2 is the best!

This semester's Geography unit of work People Live in Places focuses on people who are important to us and the places where they are found (such as parents at home and teachers at school). We will learn to locate important places on pictorial maps (like our classroom, the library and hall) and the route to and from a place. We'll be learning and sharing about our own families, our homes and the school.

We look forward to a fun year of learning and new adventures with our friends at Holroyd School! See you again next time.

Jonah, Ayesha, Aries, John, Maddison, Suzanne, Marie and Alain.

The six students in J6 have had a fantastic start to school life. They are adapting well to new daily routines and becoming familiar with their teachers and classmates.

Aaron, Adam, Elijah, Emran, Isaac and Sulayman are working hard every day to build their school skills, which includes unpacking their bags in the morning, eating meals at the table, taking turns, sharing and following the class timetable.

The boys have loved exploring the playground during playtimes and while participating in our class walking program. Riding minibikes in the junior bike track and taking turns on the liberty swing have also been class highlights. We are all looking forward to experiencing our first swimming lesson this week too.

This semester our Geography unit of work is People Live in Places. So far we have explored who belongs in our J6 classroom. Next we will compare this to who lives in our homes. Later we will explore the roles of community members.

Congratulations to our youngest learners on a wonderful start to the school year.

The students in J13 have had a busy and exciting start to the year.

We have really enjoyed participating in a range of gross motor activities during regular outdoor sport time. We have crawled through tunnels, played with parachutes, jumped over hurdles and used rackets to hit balls.

In the classroom, we are working on improving our fine motor skills. We have completed puzzles and task boxes and practised our handwriting. We have had lots of fun during sensory lessons - exploring different musical instruments, playing with bubbles and touching shaving cream.

However, our absolute favourite weekly activity has been waterplay - especially on these hot February days!

This semester we are studying the unit of work titled The Places We Live In. It will continue to provide opportunities for students to explore the natural features of places and the way that people inhabit them.

We are very excited for the year ahead!

The students in S27 are participating in a range of curriculum-based activities, including shopping, cooking, desk work, sports, art, fitness and music.

Shopping is a class highlight. We are responsible for ordering groceries online each week, and then packing and distributing them to our friends in other classes. These grocery items are used in our cooking program.

We also enjoy participating in our recycling program. We knock on classroom doors, practise our communication skills by asking for either paper recycling or empty bottles and cans, and then depositing these items in the appropriate recycle bins.

Every week we also walk around the school bike track before enjoying a barbecue sausage at the outdoor picnic table.

Thank you parents and carers for your continued support for the work we do here at Holroyd School.

Term one : Tuesday 1 February - Friday 8 April

Term two : Wednesday 27 April - Friday 1 July 

Term three : Tuesday 19 July - Friday 23 September

Term four : Monday 10 October - Monday 19 December

Have you downloaded SZapp to your mobile phone yet?

The SZapp app allows us immediate communication with parents. It sends free notifications straight to your phone to inform you of upcoming events and other important school information.

The app also offers users links to Holroyd School's website, Facebook page, newsletter archive and school calendar.

SZapp is free to download and use. Full installation instructions are below.

If you already have SZapp, you must still search and select 'Holroyd School' within the app, to ensure you also receive Holroyd School notifications.

SZapp Password Tips

The password is very specific and needs to be at least 8 characters long and contain a capital letter, lowercase letter, number and special character. Not all special characters are compatible - we suggest using one of the following - ! @ # $

Please contact the school office if you require further assistance.