Dear parents and carers,

Tomorrow sees the official launch of our fully-functional Woolworths mini-store in the senior school. Our students will play an important role in the launch tomorrow, which will also see us welcome some very special guests onsite.

The mini supermarket will enable our students to grow in confidence and independence, as well as improve literacy, numeracy, language, communication and problem-solving skills. 

It's wonderful to welcome Melanie from the Community Migrant Resource Centre back to the Community Hub this month. Melanie will be in the Hub every Thursday morning during school terms to assist you in linking with a range of community services. No need to book, just drop-in, even if it's for a chat. Just a reminder that the P&C also meets in the Hub at 9.30am on the first Wednesday of every month.

We are all working hard to maintain a whole school focus on teaching and learning and supporting students whilst working to finalise last year's annual school report. Class teams are also working on preparing semester one student reports. The 2021 Annual School Report and Student Reports will be finalised and available by the end of the term.

Winter is now approaching. With this in mind, can I ask you to please help contain the spread of the seasonal cold and flu by keeping your child at home if they are unwell. Let's all do our best to keep everyone safe.

Until next time,

Mrs Kylee Thorson

Principal (relieving)

Dear parents and carers,

The P&C is seeking support - by way of raffle prize donation - for our school concert to be held in term three. This annual, all-school concert is an opportunity for our students to showcase their learning achievements and talents. Your generous donation of money or gift card would be greatly appreciated. Contact me at Liz.brannon@yahoo.com.au if you can help .

In wonderful news, Melanie from the Community Migrant Resource Centre will be back at the Community Hub (onsite at Holroyd School) every Thursday morning during school terms. Feel free to drop in for advice or information on a range of services.

Why not come along to our next P&C meeting too? We would love to see you there! We now meet on the first Wednesday of the month [during school terms] in the Community Hub. Our next meeting is at 9.30am, Wednesday 1 June. 

Mums, we hope you loved your gifts bought from our stall this Mother's Day. It was lovely to see the children carefully selecting presents for their loved ones. We will keep you posted with more information on our Father's Day stall later in the year.

You're all doing a fantastic job!

Until next time,

Liz Brannon

President

Liz.brannon@yahoo.com.au

How long have you worked at Holroyd School?

Eight years.

What is your all-time favourite TV show?

The Simpsons.

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

I would buy a house for my mum and dad. Then a long holiday for myself.

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

The Woodstock Music Festival would have been a fun few days.

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

I would have enjoyed meeting English singer/songwriter David Bowie.

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

Monaco.

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

I love Indian food so probably curry or dosa.

What is the last movie you saw?

The Northman.

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

In the pantry. It tastes weird cold.

What is your favourite song to sing along to?

Boom Boom Boom Boom! - Vengaboys.

How long have you worked at Holroyd School?

Two and a half years.

What is your all-time favourite TV show?

All Saints. I never missed an episode.

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

A house for my children and I.

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

I would love to meet Princess Diana again. I met her many years ago when she toured the Royal Rehabilitation Centre in Putney, where I was working at the time.

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

Marilyn Monroe.

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

The Cook Islands.

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

Rice and vegetables.

What is the last movie you saw?

Die Hard.

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

Definitely in the fridge.

What is your favourite song to sing along to?

Any song by Mariah Carey or David Bowie!

We officially welcomed our 2022 school leaders at recent induction ceremonies.

Congratulations to the following students who have been elected to leadership positions by students and staff. We know you will all represent your peers proudly.

Junior student leaders : Adriana, Shuaib, Tarek and Pranay

Senior student leaders : Robert, Kiara, Hayatollah and Asmaa

There was lots of fun and new skills learnt at the recent Variety Inclusion Sports Day, held at Netball Central in Homebush.

Senior students in classes S24, S27, S28 and S30 had the chance to try their hand at lawn bowls, cricket, baseball and a variety of wheelchair sports.

Here are some fun photo highlights from last term's junior and middle school Easter Hat Parade.

Sensory play and swimming are certainly the highlights of J10's weekly timetable.  

All our students love to experiment with a variety of sensory toys, such as bubbles, coloured rice, sand and slime. Students Zein, Lipo and Junior all enjoy exploring with coloured rice. Lipo will tip the rice into his open hands; Junior lets it fall onto the table and then flicks it; while Zein much prefers rolling around in the rice on the floor.

It is wonderful to see Junior's face light up each week when he sees his swimming costume. Although free play in the pool's warm water is fun for all students, they are all starting to learn important safety skills too, such as floating on their backs. 

J11 is an inclusive, positive classroom – a welcoming environment for staff and students. Together they are exploring different places around the world this semester. From dry, hot deserts to the Earth’s coldest continent, Antarctica. It has been interesting to see students use different textured materials in their artwork to reflect these varying landscapes, from sand to represent deserts to white cotton balls for snow.

When the students have worked extremely hard in class they are rewarded with a ‘Brain Break’ – a fun, outdoor game. Their favourite is Musical Statues, where everyone freezes when the teacher stops the music.

The students in J11 love the outdoors too. When the sun is shining, they spend time in the playground with their friends during morning tea and lunch times. When it’s raining, they stay dry under the covered junior cola area. Regular outdoor sports lessons on a Thursday morning are also a big hit.

However, spending time in the school’s indoor pool is the absolute highlight of the week for J11. Everyone is ready, eager and very excited when it’s time for their weekly swimming lesson. Before heading to the pool, students prep all the ingredients for a snack, which is then cooked and assembled when they return. Last week their ‘swim snack’ was hamburgers, which all the students really enjoyed.

This semester the class has also worked closely with the students in S24, its senior buddy class, on their kindness project. This involves delivering goods to other classrooms around the school.

Welcome to S26 in 2022! We have had a wonderful start to the year and have settled in well to our weekly routine.

During morning circle, our students use the E-tram board and switch activities to communicate and create sentences. In maths, Hayatollah and Renas are hard workers who enjoy completing patterns with switches. Their classmates Ken and Ibrahim prefer the rocket ship count down activity and are both making steady progress in operating switches.

In the classroom, students are also enjoying taking turns to look after our new indoor plant.

This term saw us finally able to return to the school's indoor pool for regular hydrotherapy sessions. The students are all loving it! Some of our students are working towards independent movement in and around our school too. Yaseen is doing an amazing job using his foot and hand switches to control his wheelchair.

We are also really happy to have Anna back at school with us after a long absence. She has settled into class quickly and has been keeping us all entertained with her vibrant personality and super cool dancing!

Trails Inc is seeking people living in the local area who are interested in working as a casual Assisted School Travel Driver, before and after school.

Trails Incorporated is a not-for-profit transport service provider for the NSW Department of Education. Trails Inc provides many of the bus runs that transport Holroyd School students to and from school. 

Drivers are required to have a current NSW Driver's Licence and Working with Children clearance. They must also have good communication skills, an excellent driving record, be respectful and understanding of students with disabilities and able to work collaboratively with others.

Holroyd School is also seeking people in the community who are interested in working as an Assisted Transport Support Officer (ATSO). ATSOs are employed by the Department of Education (DoE), required to undertake mandatory training and must hold a current Working with Children clearance.

If you are interested in applying for either a driver position with Trails Inc or an ATSO position with the DoE, please contact the Holroyd School office on 9637 1219 for an application package.

If your child is unwell with flu-like symptoms - such as a sore throat, cough, fever or runny nose - please keep them home from school until they have fully recovered.

Your child's statement of account was sent home recently.

Fees can be paid by Eftpos at the office, 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.