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- Principal's Report
- P&C Report
- Staff Spotlight - Anne Ryan, Class Teacher, J11
- Staff Spotlight - Mark Williams, SLSO, S24
- Community Hub News: Two FREE Workshops this month
- 2019 School Leaders
- Kindergarten welcome
- Parent - Teacher night
- Livvi's Place Opens at Ollie Webb Reserve
- Sensory fun with J1
- Planting a seed with S14
- Kicking goals with S26
- Holroyd School Playgroup
- Saver Plus
- Try Time
Dear parents and carers,
It was lovely to see so many of you recently at the parent-teacher night. I appreciate the time you set aside to meet the staff working with your child this year. I also want to thank the staff for extending their working day to meet with you.
You will be invited to attend the Individual Learning Plan (ILP) meeting which includes the review of
- support needed by your child to participate in learning
- transport provision (if required)
- health care plans (if required)
- behaviour support plans (if required)
Please take advantage of this opportunity to work with the school to maximise your child’s learning. You and your child’s teacher have detailed knowledge about your child and we are always the most successful when we can work together. This meeting is also a good opportunity to discuss any therapy your child may be having.
Attendance at school is compulsory. The hours between 9.00am and 3.00pm are for educational instruction. While the school wishes to support students in receiving therapy services, I request that you book therapy sessions out of school hours. I will, on a case by case basis, consider requests for a therapist to work in the school with your child, provided that it is supporting the educational program and is not disrupting the classroom routines or the learning of other students. Teachers cannot be distracted from their role of teaching the entire class. All requests for therapy visits to school must be made in writing by you, the parent. Booking ongoing therapy sessions during school time will also result in the student being marked ‘absent – unapproved leave’ on the attendance register. An occasional visit to a therapist during school hours, for example, for an initial assessment is acceptable. I thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.
There have been some changes to our leadership team for this semester. Noel Gover is currently the relieving Principal at George Bass School. Congratulations Noel! In his absence, Kylie Reid is relieving as Deputy Principal in the high school. She is capably supported by Kay Moore (Assistant Principal) and Amy Parks (relieving Assistant Principal). The primary team is led by Annie Baker (Deputy Principal) with support from Lena Eid (relieving Assistant Principal), Sally Cameron (part-time Assistant Principal) and Krista Forsstrom (part-time relieving Assistant Principal). The school is so lucky to have such capable substantive and aspiring leaders, supporting our students, families and staff.
Keep an eye out for upcoming events at the Holroyd Community Hub! Remember that Anisha from the Community Migrant Resource Centre is at the Community Hub every Thursday. She can assist you in linking with a range of community services. Just phone the school to book an appointment with her.
Until next time,
Anne Flint
Principal
Dear parents and carers,
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.
The Holroyd School P&C had a successful 2018 and we are hoping to achieve bigger and better things for our school community this year.
A reminder that our regular meetings take place at 9.30am on the first Wednesday of each month at Holroyd School. All parents and carers are welcome to attend. These meetings are an invaluable opportunity to discover what is happening at school plus connect with fellow parents.
In the meantime, please feel free to contact me on 0438 530 531 if you have ideas for parent activities, fundraising drives, ways to utilise our Community Hub and, importantly, thoughts on how we can support the school and each other.
We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting on Wednesday 3 April.
Until next time,
Gricel Mendez
President
How long have you worked at Holroyd School?
Since November 2013.
What is your favourite childhood memory?
Weekend trips on our boat to Patonga (on NSW's Central Coast).
What was your favourite subject at school?
Music.
If you could only keep five possessions, what would they be?
After my family, of course, I would keep my laptop, car, bed, house and air conditioning.
What is your favourite book?
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Molly Ringland.
If you could invite any three guests to a dinner party, who would they be?
American professional basketball player James Harden; American singer and songwriter Billie Eilish; and British actress Emily Blunt.
What is your favourite song to sing along to?
Bulletproof by La Roux.
What pets did you have growing up?
Bonnie, our Collie Dog.
What is your favourite day of the year?
Christmas Day, as I get to see my family.
What fad or trend do you hope comes back?
Yo-Yos. They were so much fun!
How long have you worked at Holroyd School?
16 years.
What is your favourite childhood memory?
Family holidays on the NSW South Coast.
What was your favourite subject at school?
Science.
If you could only keep five possessions, what would they be?
My car (Toyota Landcruiser Troopcarrier), kayak, fishing rod and lures, and water.
What is your favourite book?
The Yowie: In Search of Australia's Bigfoot, by Tony Healy and Paul Cropper.
If you could invite any three guests to a dinner party, who would they be?
Australian Senators Barnaby Joyce and Penny Wong; and English actor and producer Tom Hardy.
What is your favourite song to sing along to?
Anything from the 80s!
What pets did you have growing up?
Dogs.
What is your favourite day of the year?
Any day in summer!
What fad or trend do you hope comes back?
A resurgence in Australian manufacturing.
Reserve your place at these FREE workshops now by following these links:
We officially welcomed our 2019 student leaders and representatives at induction assemblies on Friday 8 February.
Congratulations to the following students who have been elected to leadership positions by students and staff:
Junior student leaders: Tyler and Kyarah
Junior student representatives: Mohammed and Vivek
Senior student leaders: Bas Bibi and Amara
Senior student representatives: Carlos and Sean
We warmly welcome 19 kindergarten students and their families to Holroyd School this year.
It has been a busy first few weeks with children getting to know their new environment, establishing routines and making new friends. We are very pleased with the progress each child has made as they transition into school life.
We wish you all a long and happy association with our school.
Thank you to all the families that joined us for our welcome dinner on Tuesday 12 February. It was a great opportunity for families to meet teachers and support staff, visit classrooms, learn more about their child's daily school routine and understand school procedures.
Have you visited Livvi's Place and water playground at Ollie Webb Reserve in Parramatta yet?
This recently-opened, fully fenced and gated outdoor playground was designed and built specifically for people with a disability and their families.
The playground offers child and adult-sized play equipment, safe climbing areas, hiding spaces, sand play tables, passive and active water play facilities, bus-sized disability parking spaces within close proximity to the play equipment, two-person slides that are accessible for walkers and wheelchairs, supportive and safe swings, large tunnels, soft fall hills and ramps to run and roll over, wheelchair accessible in-ground trampolines and textured ground with varying levels of bounce for sensory exploration.
Our very own J2 teacher, Krista, was instrumental in the three-year planning and design stage of the build and is passionate about the end result.
"I have been to see the facilities and I can truly say that there is something for everyone," Krista said.
"Over the years I have met with parents of children with a disability, playground designers and council members to discuss the facilities.
"An architect even visited Holroyd School and met with students in classes J1, J2, S13 and S14 - the very children who would use the park - and inspected the play equipment we had here at school.
"My biggest push to planners was to make the space truly accessible, by including the right toilet facilities. And they listened! The park offers a changing place with a full-sized change table, ceiling hoist, peninsula toilet and shower facility," Krista said.
Livvi's Place at Ollie Webb Reserve opened in February and is located at 37A Glebe Street, Parramatta. The Reserve also offers a great walking track, sporting fields, exercise stations and picnic facilities.
NOTE: Changing Places is a project to advocate for public toilets with full-sized change tables and hoists in major public spaces across Australia to meet the needs of people with disabilities. Visit <changingplaces.org.au> to find out more and to locate accredited changing places in your area.
Students in J1 have started the new school year by exploring their environment in a quest to learn more about the five senses.
We have used our sense of touch to examine different textured materials; and our sense of hearing to enjoy the varying sounds of musical instruments. Regular trips to the multi-sensory room enable us to look, touch and hear the equipment; and to admire the many colours in the water tube.
We love spending time outside of the classroom each day too. The mini gym allows us to climb, roll around and develop our gross motor skills; in the playground we take turns on the swing and explore the outdoor play area; and in the library we read sensory books. We also recently enjoyed a water play session with our friends in J2.
Our regular music lessons see us playing instruments such as the tambourine, shakers and triangles. The tambourine is definitely a class favourite!
The class is also learning about road safety, in particular the red stop sign and green go symbol.
Our wonderful class comprises teacher Teresa, learning support officer Kirily and five students - Mariam, Rose, Jacob, Ellis and Montathar, who have all settled well into their new class after a long holiday break.
Our busy week comprises daily learning and mobility programs, as well as music, sensory cooking, sport, switch programs, art, gardening and assembly.
On Fridays, the students participate in their favourite activity - hydrotherapy sessions in the school's heated, indoor pool. It is wonderful to see their senses and bodies experiencing the freedom of warm, relaxing water.
S14 has also started a buddy program with students in J15. The classes come together to participate in activities involving their combined unit of work, titled 'Living Things'. The students are exploring the life cycles of plants by experimenting with a variety of different seeds and growing methods.
We are looking forward to an amazing year. Bye for now!
All seven students in S26 are happy and excited to be back at school and are already having a lot of fun in class.
Our soccer skills are developing nicely thanks to our weekly skills clinic with Wanderers coaches James and Angus. We have particularly enjoyed jumping over obstacles and scoring goals.
The students also eagerly anticipate their weekly excursion to Bowlarama in Wetherill Park. The competition is fierce between classmates to see who has the most points at the end of the game. We keep a tally and watch the results closely each week. So far Reyaz and Mario are in the lead with 90 points, but Kiara and Najla are not far behind!
Our classroom is full of colour as our budding artists have been busy creating amazing and wonderful artworks. Stop by sometime - it's well worth the look!
Until next time,
Abdulkarim, Khoder, Kiara, Reyaz, Najla, Zhiming, Mario, Terese, Leonie and Michelle.
St Patrick's Junior Rugby League Club at The Ponds is introducing Try Time - a junior rugby league team for people with special needs and intellectual disabilities.
Contact Rodney Duncan on 0423 318 598 for more information.
Disclaimer: Holroyd School regularly receives information from local businesses. Whilst we cannot advocate or recommend organisations, this information may be of interest to some of our families.
