Dear parents and carers,

I want to firstly acknowledge our 18 wonderful year 12 graduates. I congratulate you all for reaching this significant milestone in your education journey. It was an incredible honour to join in the celebration of achievements for these young adults last week. It was a truly momentous and uplifting occasion. You all leave our school with our warmest regards and very best wishes. 

I also congratulate our youngest learners (and their parents/carers) - our kindergarten students - for navigating the first year of school life so well. I am confident that you will find your years at Holroyd equally as rewarding and fulfilling.

My sincerest gratitude to our dedicated staff for their tireless contribution to another successful year at Holroyd; our parents and carers for their continued support; and our wonderful P&C for its valuable contributions to school life.

It's time to farewell teachers Carol Robson, Kylie Reid, Leonie Barnes and Aideen Lenkic. We appreciate the significant contribution you have made to this school and your students' lives over many years. I also wish classroom teacher Gloria Nicholas and SLSO Ershad Al-Obaidi the very best for the impending birth of their babies in the new year. We wish you all well. 

Today is the final day of the 2022 school year for our students. I wish you all the best for a safe and happy festive season. Students return to school on Tuesday 31 January, 2023.

Until next time,

Mrs K Thorson

A/Principal

Dear parents and carers,

I hope everyone is well and looking forward to the end-of-year celebrations and new year ahead.

The P&C has had an extremely busy and productive year. We have welcomed new parents to Holroyd School at our annual Tears and Tissues event; enjoyed the joyous Easter Parade; ran successful Mother's and Father's Day stalls; and watched in delight (with many smiles and tears) as our children braved the stage at the school concert.

We are expecting another busy year in 2023 with some exciting plans to support this wonderful school and its students. Our next meeting is Wednesday 8 February, 2023, in the Community Hub (located at the back of the school, enter via the school office). Everyone is welcome - even if it's just for a coffee and a chat.

The role of the P&C is to be the school's 'parent voice' and to support the school for the benefit of all students. It is only together that we can build a strong supportive environment for our children and staff members.

Congratulations to the Class of 2022. I wish all 18 graduates the very best in their future endeavours.

On behalf of the P&C, I wish all our students, parents and staff a safe and restful holiday. We look forward to seeing all students return to school on Tuesday, 31 January, 2023.

All the best,

Liz Brannon

President

How long have you worked at Holroyd School?

Three years.

What is your all-time favourite TV show?

The Simpsons.

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

A house on the beach.

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

The building of the Pyramids.

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

Cricket legend, Sir Donald Bradman.

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

Japan.

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

Pizza.

What is the last movie you saw?

Black Panther.

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

In the pantry.

What is your favourite song to sing along to?

Come Together by The Beatles.

How long have you worked at Holroyd School?

Start of Term 4, 2022.

What is your all-time favourite TV show?

The Sopranos.

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

I'd have to say two things - a house in Australia and a house back home in Ireland.

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

Dinosaurs roaming the Earth.

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

American boxer, Muhammad Ali.

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

An African Safari.

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

Lasagna, hot chips and some coleslaw.

What is the last movie you saw?

I haven't been to the cinema for a few months so I think it must be Top Gun : Maverick.

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

The fridge for sure.

What is your favourite song to sing along to?

An Irish song - The Fields of Athenry.

Congratulations to our 18 graduating students - Kareem, Mohamed, Amira, Syed, Anna, Awel, Michael, Khoder, Simon, Hayatollah, Asmaa, Adam, Vanessa, Robert, Kiara, Abdulkarim, Khadija and Vincent.

We celebrated their achievements at an awards ceremony in the hall on Wednesday, 7 December.

It was certainly an emotional day as family and friends acknowledged the end of our graduates' 13 years here at Holroyd.

Special congratulations to our seven award recipients:

Cumberland Council Pursuit of Excellence Award : Robert Lillis

The Judy Reilly Memorial Award : Hayatollah Jamshidi

NSW Premier's Sporting Challenge Medal : Asmaa Jimale

Ampol Best All Rounder Awards : Kiara Mendez and Michael Dib

Holroyd School PBL Award : Vincent Wang

Holroyd School Principal's Award : Anna Barbaro

We congratulate our graduates and wish them all the best for the future.

We officially welcomed our 2023 school leaders at an induction ceremony last Friday.

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 : Zoe Lichaa, Angelina Nassour, Fatima Al Rajab and Amir Hussein.

Senior student leaders: Renas Abdo, Mario Hanna, Nour Noumair and Reyaz Jamshidi.

Congratulations to the 19 students who were recently awarded Premier's Reading Challenge medals.

Medals were awarded to students who demonstrated an outstanding commitment to reading by completing the challenge every year from Year 3 to Year 9.

The medal recipients were:

Many students also received platinum certificates (for completing the challenge over seven consecutive years) and gold certificates (for four consecutive years). 

Well done everybody!

They enjoyed a day of stage shows, fun rides, interactive games, face painting, party food and many more fun activities.

Our students particularly enjoyed hi-fiving superheroes and police officers, patting farm animals and riding the train.

Our budding artists, from kindergarten to year 12, were celebrated at our annual art exhibition last month.

Thank you to all the parents, friends and carers who stopped in to admire the students' creative efforts and purchase artwork.

Your generosity has made this Christmas a much happier time for families in need.

The students in J7 have completed the PDHPE unit of work titled Keeping Me Safe this semester. Throughout this unit, students have explored the similarities and differences between themselves and others. Lessons have included learning how to keep our bodies safe and participating in healthy eating activities.

We love any opportunity to engage in learning outside of the classroom. All the students in the class are very excited when we visit the new middle school playground. Every Thursday we join our friends in the junior school and participate in sport rotations to build our gross motor abilities.

Our favourite weekly activity is visiting the school's heated indoor pool for our weekly swim sessions. On super warm days we prefer to cool down by engaging in water play activities with other classes in the junior school.

What activity has the class particularly enoyed this year?

J15 is enthusiastic about everything. If we had to pick a favourite activity, it would be swimming.

What unit of work is the class studying this semester?

We completed the unit of work Personal Health Choices this semester. Students learnt about healthy eating, personal care, their emotions and being safe. They created artworks, cooked delicious meals, tried various fruits and vegetables, brushed their teeth, followed safety signs and much more.

What are the highlights of your class' weekly timetable?

This term we have had weekly visits from the Music Man. Along with S18, the students in J15 love playing instruments and singing along to the music.

How does the class spend time outdoors each week?

In J15 we enjoy regular walks, riding bikes and spending time exploring our new playground.

Is there a message you would like to give your students' parents?

It has been a lot of fun teaching J15. And, in turn, the students' overwhelming excitement proves that they've had fun too!

S19's learning focus this year has been Independence. This has seen us involved in morning fitness (walking around the quad or bike track for 20 minutes), cooking programs (encouraging students to eat fruit before morning tea) and living skills (cooking healthy food, washing dishes and stacking chairs).

In addition to our morning walks, we enjoy time outdoors raking leaves in the sensory garden and collecting and recycling rubbish.

In the classroom, our weekly timetable includes cooking, desk work, Positive Behaviour for Learning lessons and music. We end the week by attending the senior school assembly in the hall.

Congratulations to S19's Year 12 graduates, Salmaan and Kareem, on their excellent achievements. They should be commended for their continued efforts in ensuring Holroyd is a safe, kind and respectful school. We wish our two graduates the very best for their futures.

Wishing all our students, families and staff a safe and happy summer holiday.

Important dates:

Friday, 16 December, 2022 - Last day of Term 4 for all students.

Tuesday, 31 January, 2023 - Students in years 1 - 12 return to school.