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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2017 SCHOOL LEADERS
CAPTAINS
Lucy Tran Robert Carter
VICE CAPTAINS
Zeinab Al-Haudriy Nathan Ford
COMING EVENTS
12-21 September Year 11 Preliminary Examinations
22 September Year 12 Graduation Ceremony
23 September Last day Term 3
5 October Labour Day Public Holiday
10 October First day Term 4
13 October HSC Examinations begin
26 October Year 12 1st sign out day
31 October Parent Meeting at 10am
31 October –
4 November
Year 8 Examinations
4 November HSC concludes
31 October –
11 November
Year 12 2nd sign out day
9 November Year 12 Formal
7 - 11 November Year 10 Examinations
14 – 18 November Year 7 & 9 Examinations
28 November Parent Meeting - 10am – 12pm
6 December Year 6 into Year 7, 2017 Orientation Day
14 December Presentation Day
14 December Parent/Teacher afternoon 3.30pm-5pm
15 December HSC results released
Year 12 Morning Tea
16 December Last Day for all students
19 – 20 December School Development Days
Spotlights Excellence, Opportunity, Success
Find us at: 7 Cumberland Road, Greystanes www.holroyd-h.schools.nsw.edu.au
P: 9631 9410 F: 9896 3074 Attendance SMS: 0429 456 348
Issue 6 – Term 3 – Week 9 14 September 2016
YEAR 12 GRADUATION CEREMONY
Thursday 22nd September 9am – Gymnasium
CLASS OF 2016
Issue 6 – Term 3 – Week 9 14 September 2016
August and September are respectively the last month of winter
and the first month of spring. When we get to August, we are
reminded that the end of the school year is in sight, so August and
September are also important examination months for our stage 6
students, with the Trial HSC for Year 12 and the final examinations
for Preliminary HSC for Year 11. The real HSC examinations are
now very close, starting on 13 October, just four days after school
resumes in Term 4, so these last weeks of Term 3 are the last,
critical weeks of school for our Year 12 students before those
examinations.
For some of our class of 2016, the HSC has already begun. Major
works have been submitted to BOSTES for art and technology, the
practical examinations for drama and music have been completed
and oral/aural examinations for LOTE undertaken.
For Year 12 students, the end of school days always comes with a
rush. At their year meeting this week, I asked them if they
remembered the two things I said to them at the beginning of the
year. They all did! “Don’t fall in love!” and “The year will pass
quickly,” they chorused. Good to know they were listening.
Year 12 Graduation Day is Thursday 22 September, and parents,
carers and family members of Year 12 students are invited to
attend the graduation ceremony in the gym, starting at 9am. Of
course, Year 12 students will still have to sit their HSC
examinations. Students must be in full uniform for the examinations,
attend on time and follow all the examination requirements. Those
requirements are there to ensure that all students are treated fairly
and by the same set of rules.
We do not have our Year 12 Formal until after the HSC
examinations have concluded, so that our students are not
distracted by the excitement of preparations for the Formal. This
year, our Formal will be held on Wednesday 9 November at the Le
Montage function centre on the Harbour at Lilyfield. The Year 12
Formal is a school event, so only Year 12 students, the 2017
captains elect and members of staff may attend.
August and September are also months of celebration. We held our
biennial Multicultural Day on 31 August and what a wonderful day
it was! My thanks to Mr Awad and his team for all the hard work that
went into making the day such a success. It was one of the
happiest days that I can recall in my time here at Holroyd High
School. Everywhere I went on the day, there were happy people,
simply enjoying themselves and the events.
We had a powerful theme for the day: Who We Are, never as
important as right now in this troubled world and in an Australia
where the debate about what it means to be Australian has
intensified under pressures both from outside our generally
peaceful country and from inside.
Although the less informed part of that debate relies upon racial
clichés and a stereotypical and narrow view what it is to be
Australian, the fact is that Australia is a very multicultural society,
with one of the largest immigration programs in the world. Almost
half of us have one or both parents born in another country and a
third of us speak a language other than English at home. About a
third of all marriages are across ethnic lines, so there are many
Australians who can claim multiple ethnic identities. In this, we are
very like those other great immigrant nations, the United States and
Canada, and we share some of the same issues.
Australia has successfully absorbed millions of immigrants and the
best part of a million refugees since the late 1940s, and continues
to operate a large scale immigration program: in 2015, 189,097
immigrants and 9,399 refugees settled in Australia, the latter
through the humanitarian program administered by the United
Nations High Commission for Refugees, known as UNHCR. The
Government has set the annual quota for refugee intake at 13,750,
so we did not reach the refugee quota in 2015. We were certainly
not swamped by refugees. Humanitarian entrants were only 4.9%
of the total immigration to Australia in 2015.
Although Australia’s immigration program has been highly
successful, with relatively little tension between more established
communities and emerging ones – remember, except for Aboriginal
Australians, we are all the descendants of immigrants - the surge in
the number of people world-wide seeking asylum has had an
impact both on the willingness of Australia to accept people seeking
asylum and on our tolerance of difference in the community. This
despite the evidence, which shows that each new wave of arrivals
has settled well into the community over time and the hard fact that
Australia takes relatively few of the millions of displaced people in
the world.
The figures are staggering: the United Nations High Commission for
Refugees estimates there are some 65.3 million people currently
displaced world-wide. There was a 5.4 million net increase in
numbers between 2014 and 2015, a reflection of the extent of
conflict and repressive rule in so many countries: most are
displaced within their own borders, but right now, there are 21.3
million refugees in the world, 16.1 million under UNHCR mandate
and 5.2 million Palestinians, and 3.2 million people actively seeking
asylum.
Refugees are people displaced outside their own borders. They
cannot go back home. If you have seen the pictures of Syrian cities,
you will understand why: everything has been destroyed. There is
nothing to go back to. In 2015, people were displaced at the rate of
24 people per minute or 34,000 per day. One in every 113 people
globally is now either a refugee, an asylum seeker or internally
displaced. That is 0.88% of the world’s population. There has been
nothing like this since the end of World War II. The sheer scale of
human misery this represents is overwhelming.
Fifty-one per cent of all the displaced people in the world are
children under eighteen years of age. There are literally hundreds
of thousands of children either orphaned or separated from their
parents among these numbers. Few of these children will ever have
the opportunity to go to school, but some manage to make the long
journey all the way to Australia and end up at Holroyd High School.
These solo children are called “unaccompanied minors” or UAMs
by the immigration officials, but that bland term hides the very real
and often tragic stories of each and every one of them. Think of our
former Vice-Captain, Bashir Yousufi, now studying at the Australian
National University, who has been alone since he was thirteen and
Principal’s Report
Issue 6 – Term 3 – Week 9
14 September 2016
3
could not read or write when he arrived in Australia as a young
asylum seeker.
Bashir is now an Australian citizen and has already contributed
much to our society, as he did to Holroyd High, and as he will in the
future. When we label people who seek asylum in Australia as
“illegals”, lock them up and deny them the rights to which they are
entitled under international law, we are doing ourselves a disservice
as well as the harm we do them.
The sad reality for the great majority of displaced people and
refugees is that they will never be resettled. In 2015, out of all those
millions of people desperate to find a new life, free from
persecution, only 107,100 were actually resettled: 66,500 in US,
22,900 in Canada and 9,399 in Australia. Only 210,400 displaced
people were able to return to their country of origin.
What does this mean for Australia? Well, clearly, Australia cannot
deal by itself with suffering on such a scale, nor is it expected to do
that. The refugee crisis is an international crisis and needs to be
addressed at an international level through the co-operation of
governments. Simply turning back the relatively few boats that
manage to come within range of Australia does not address the
issue, although it may appease a restive electorate. Nor does
punishing people desperate enough to attempt that perilous voyage
and risk everything for freedom address the issue.
Australia is dealing with relatively small numbers of asylum
seekers, not the millions seeking refuge in countries like Turkey or
Pakistan. Our very distance from world conflicts is a protection in
itself.
We do ourselves no favours either morally or in terms of our
international repute by mistreating asylum seekers. Australia is a
signatory to all the international human rights conventions and
indeed, helped write many of them. We have a proud history of the
successful integration of refugees and immigrants into our society,
and a history of generosity to new arrivals: think of the Fraser
Government’s opening its arms to the resettlement of thousands of
Vietnamese refugees in the 1970s and the Hawke Government’s
acceptance in the 1980s of more than a hundred thousand
Chinese.
There are over 20,000 asylum seekers living in the Australian
community currently, waiting resolution of their refugee status.
Probably half of those people are children, all of whom are growing
up in Australia and all of whom are absorbing Australian values.
The difference, however, between those children and all the other
children at the schools they attend is that even if their refugee
status is recognised, the Government says that they can never
settle in Australia or become Australian citizens. Because of the
impossibility of the majority of them ever returning to their countries
of origin, these children face living their lives among us in a sort of
limbo, deprived of the freedoms and rights the rest of us take for
granted: basic rights, like the right to an education beyond the
compulsory years, the right to have a career, the right to access
health care like the rest of us, the right to travel, the rights and
responsibilities of citizenship, the right to fall in love and marry and
have your children grow up as Australians, the right to live your life
freely and without fear.
The situation is not tenable. It is not fair. Children who grow up in
Australia become Australian, which takes me back to the theme of
this year’s Multicultural Day, Who We Are. What people wear and
the way they look and the food they eat are cultural practices, and
we are right to celebrate them on Multicultural Day, because they
are part of our heritage as an immigrant nation and a real part of
the lives of many Australians. What people think and what they
believe are a little more complex, but are critical for our society as a
whole.
Australia is a liberal democracy, with the rule of law. What makes
our society work without coercion is its connectedness, the ways in
which people connect with each other, linked by common interests
and characteristics. These links define how we see ourselves and
how we act towards each other. Much of this relies upon trust. Trust
and optimism for the future are the defining characteristics of a civil
society and enable people to develop the tolerance and respect
they need to deal with conflicts and difference without resorting to
lawlessness and violence.
This is particularly important in a society like Australia, where so
many of our people are only recently arrived. If we want to have a
cohesive society, we have to build those trust relationships.
Schools play an integral part in this. Children learn the expectations
of their society at school. If we are to have a fair and just society,
then schools must model fairness, so that children absorb that
understanding. We think of Australia as a fair country. The fair go is
one of our deepest values, as every school child knows, yet some
people in our community do not have a fair go.
Young asylum seekers currently cannot look forward to a secure
future. This in itself differentiates them from earlier generations of
asylum seekers who were given protection by Australia, and who
were able to become Australian citizens. It certainly differentiates
them from their Australian contemporaries.
They may not even be able to go to school. In some states, young
people on temporary visas are not allowed to enrol in public
schools, let alone complete their schooling. Students on temporary
visas may go to TAFE and university only if they pay full
international student fees. They are not eligible for HECS or HECS-
Help.
It is very difficult for young people to look with optimism to the future
if they cannot continue their education or they can’t get an
apprenticeship or a regular job. The positive lessons they have
learned at school are undermined by their exclusion from further
education. They learn instead about unfairness. They learn not to
trust a society which does not want to include them.
This is a hard lesson for a young person on the brink of adulthood,
looking hopefully to the future, as we expect young people at this
stage of their lives to do, and it is a dangerous lesson, because it
can give rise to resentment that may have few boundaries. As fair-
minded Australians, we cannot continue to let this happen. We
cannot turn the proverbial blind eye to injustice on our watch.
Dorothy Hoddinott AO FACE Principal
Issue 6 – Term 3 – Week 9
14 September 2016
4
Congratulations to our newly elected School Captains for 2017;
Lucy Tran and Robbie Carter and our Vice Captains; Zeinab Al-
Haudry and Nathan Carter who will be excellent school leaders in
the coming twelve months.
As always our students have been involved in a large number of
extra curricular activities including Year 9 ABCN FOCUS, GOALS
and Interact program, UNSW ASPIRE workshops, WSU Fast
Forward program, and the University of Sydney Compass program
and High Resolves for Years 7, 8 and 9.
1. HIGHER SCHOOL CERTIFICATE, YEAR 10 AND
PRELIMINARY EXAMINATIONS
The Higher School Certificate examinations commence on
Thursday 13th October 2016 We would like to wish all our Year 12
students the best in their Higher School Certificate examinations,
and look forward to some great results! The Year 12 Graduation
Ceremony will be on Thursday 22nd September at 9am in the school
gymnasium – parents are welcome to attend.
Year 11 students are currently completing their Preliminary
examinations and Year 10 Examinations commence Week 5 in
Term 4. Students are reminded that any outstanding assessment
tasks need to be completed and submitted to their teacher on or
before the due date. Students not meeting course outcomes may
be jeopardising their completion of the Preliminary Course or Stage
V Record of School Achievement. If you have any concerns
regarding any assessments please speak to the relevant
Classroom Teacher or Head Teacher of that faculty.
2. GOOD ATTENDANCE – THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL
LEARNERS
Clearly, attendance at school every day (and in every lesson) will
ensure that students can maximize their learning potential.
For this reason, attendance at school, including lateness, fractional
truancy and half-day leave requests will be treated very seriously
this term and parents contacted as soon as possible if we have
concerns.
Parents are requested to provide their children with a note if they
are absent from school. Parents should be aware that notes
explaining absences must be received within seven days of return
to school or the absence is permanently recorded as unexplained.
Notes requesting early leave times should also include a contact
phone number.
Failure to provide notes for absences may result in senior students
having a problem with Centrelink payments. The school is required
to complete a return for Centrelink once a term outlining student
absences, including unexplained absences. Lateness and fractional
truancies are also counted towards this return.
Extended leave applications need to be submitted prior to students
taking the leave. Please allow sufficient time for the processing of
this information. Extended leave requires the completion of “the
extended leave form” plus supporting documentation, such as,
travel documentation or medical certificates. Approval is not
automatic. Leave must be applied for prior to the date that the leave
is proposed to start.
Families should be aware that extended periods of leave may
impact on students meeting Board of Studies requirements for
Years 10, 11 & 12.
Remember, all students are required to attend school until they
reach 17 years of age, have completed Year 10 or are attending
TAFE full time and are completing an apprenticeship with a TAFE
component.
3. SUBJECT SELECTION PROCESSES
This term, students in Years 8 and 10 have been completing their
subject selection choices for Years 9 and 11 in 2016. Year 10
students are reminded that progression is not automatic and
students need to be aware that attendance, punctuality, compliance
with the school’s code of conduct and uniform requirements are
taken into consideration.
4. BUSES AND LATENESS TO SCHOOL
Students are reminded that of an afternoon they must catch the
school bus to either Merrylands or Parramatta station and NOT the
route 806 bus from Bayfield Road. Students are not to catch the
route buses between 3pm–3.20pm when there are school buses
following the same route.
Students are reminded that the application for their free Opal card
includes the agreement to the transport code of conduct. Students
are expected to behave in a manner that ensures their comfort and
the safety and comfort of other passengers travelling on buses and
trains. Students will:
Behave safely at all times.
Respect the needs and comfort of other passengers.
Respect bus and rail property by not marking or damaging it.
Always follow safety instructions.
Show their bus/train pass when boarding or on request.
Students will not:
Distract the driver or staff except in an emergency.
Smoke, eat or drink on the bus.
Allow any part of their body to protrude from the bus or train.
Fight, spit or use offensive language.
Throw any article inside or out of the bus or train.
Misuse or allow another student to use their travel pass.
The majority of our students catch buses and trains to school. A
large number of these students arrive at school late in the morning
and blame the transport system. Sometimes it is a legitimate
excuse but on many occasions it is a case of students being slow to
get on a bus.
As soon as students arrive at the train station they are to line up for
the buses and catch the first available bus to school. They are not
Deputy Principals’
Report
Issue 6 – Term 3 – Week 9
14 September 2016
5
to stand around talking to their friends and wait for the ‘last bus’,
which invariably gets them to school late.
Students will be held accountable for their lateness. Perhaps
catching an earlier train or bus is the solution! The last school bus
to leave Merrylands Station departs at 8.22am.
Students who are late more than three times will be given a
Wednesday afternoon detention the following week for their chronic
lateness. If your child is late with a legitimate reason, ie, a doctor’s
or dentist appointment it is expected that parents will provide a
letter explaining their lateness in arriving at school.
COMING EVENTS
In September and October, the following activities may be of
interest:
Year 12 Graduation Ceremony on Thursday 22nd September at
9am.
Last day of Term 3 is Friday 23rd September
Monday 10th October – first day of Term 4
HSC begins on Thursday 13th October 2016.
Year 8 Exam Week 31st October – 4th November
Year 8 VALID Test – Monday 7th November
Year 7 Swim School – Weeks 4 & 5, Term 4
(31/10/16 – 11/11/16)
Years 7 & 9 Exam Week from 14th November to 18th November
Year 10 Exam Week – Monday 7th November to 1th November
Year 12 Formal on Wednesday 9th November
Year 6/7 Orientation Day – Tuesday 6th December
Presentation Day – Wednesday 14th December
Holroyd High School Parent Teacher afternoon – Monday 14th
December
Denise Carrick Deputy Principal
The end of Term 3 is almost here! It has been such a busy term
again with students and staff involved in a great number of
interesting teaching, learning and wellbeing programs.
This term we had the Australian Mobile Dental Clinic come to
Holroyd and set up their clinic to see and treat students. A total of
two hundred and fifty nine students across the high school and IEC
received dental treatment. This is about 50% of our total school
population. A further one hundred and twenty four students had
expressed interest but were not eligible for the teen dental health
scheme. We are fortunate that our Refugee Nurse will be providing
follow-up and assistance with referrals for students who could not
access this dental service.
This term Holroyd has hosted a group of twenty students and their
two teachers from Indonesia who are in Sydney for a Study Tour.
These students have been welcomed to Holroyd by their Year 10
and 11 buddies and have followed a five-week program consisting
of immersion into classes, cultural lessons and a number of
interesting excursions. Thanks goes to Ms Karadimas for her
organisation and co-ordination of the Indonesian visit.
Another interesting event which IEC parents and students
participated in was a visit and tour of Auburn Hospital. This is a
result of a partnership the IEC has developed with our colleagues in
the Department of Health. Thank you to the IEC teachers who
organised this event; it has been of great benefit to our newly
arrived families.
The Healing through Drumming group which has been led by Evan
Yako and assisted by Mrs Rubie gave a rousing performance to
IEC and Support Unit students and staff a couple of weeks ago.
The student performers demonstrated their skills and showed how
well they can work together as a team. This is an excellent program
which Holroyd has been lucky to have had the opportunity to deliver
– with thanks going to the Equity team at State Office for making it
possible.
This term Holroyd has also celebrated Multicultural Day. It was an
outstanding day – with students, staff, parents and community
members joining together to celebrate our diverse and richly varied
school community. Again, another big thank you to the staff and
students who made this day so special.
IEC teachers have been continuing to evaluate and review their
Intensive English Curriculum Framework. This is the ”nuts and
bolts” of what an IEC is all about. It guides IEC teachers in their
programming and teaching. As for any school curriculum, it often
requires evaluating and modification.
I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work of
our school counsellors. At Holroyd IEC we are fortunate to have the
services of three very experienced and skilled school counsellors.
There are also two counsellors in the high school. School
counsellors always provide a great deal of support to students and
their families. In the IEC this role is vital to the successful
settlement of our newly arrived students. The counsellors always
work quietly behind the scenes and calmly support students in
times of need and encourage them to participate more in school
life. Thank you to all our school counsellors for the crucial work you
do with our students.
The spring school holidays are almost upon us. I wish all students,
staff and other members of the school community a safe and
refreshing holiday and look forward to working together with you in
Term 4.
Sonia Durney
Deputy Principal
Intensive English Centre
Intensive English Centre Deputy Principals’ Report
Issue 6 – Term 3 – Week 9
14 September 2016
6
HOLROYD HIGH INVITATIONAL CHESS COMPETITION
Sixty five students from five different schools competed in nine
divisions of chess on Thursday 11th August. The schools that
competed were Holroyd High, Greystanes High, Merrylands High,
Delany College and Cerdon College. Each competitor played seven
games of chess in a round robin.
Each of the nine divisions had first and second place getters as set
out in the table below.
The competition is run in third term each year and is a great
opportunity for students to represent the school and meet other like-
minded people.
Division First place Second place
1 Kenny Aung
[Holroyd HS]
Danny Hedges
[Merrylands HS]
2 Maniraaj Sadatcharan
Meenatchi [Holroyd HS]
Jamshid Mirzaee
[Holroyd HS]
3 Troy Grech
[Merrylands HS]
Harmandeep Singh Bedi
[Holroyd HS]
4 Judy Nguyen
[Cerdon College]
Newton Quach
[Delany College]
5 Shiraam Ramesh
[Greystanes HS]
Mostafa Rahimi
[Holroyd HS]
6 Nicholas Farrell
[Merrylands HS]
Maria Batool
[Merrylands HS]
7 Vishesh Vasnani
[Delany College]
Matthew Shamain
[Delany College]
8 Masoud Rashvand
[Merrylands HS]
Aydin Kilciler
[Delany College]
9 Justin Do [Holroyd HS] Jasmine Rezaei [Holroyd HS]
Ann Douglas and Peter McBurney
Chess Event Co-ordinators
HEALING THROUGH EVAN YAKO’S
DRUMMING
Every Thursday afternoon since the beginning of Term 2, selected
students from the IEC and Holroyd High School have participated in
a special program called ‘Healing Through Evan Yako’s Drumming’.
The program assists students to develop positive thinking and helps
improve concentration. The IEC drumming students gave a brief but
excellent performance at school on Monday 29th August in the
school gymnasium.
Val Rubie
Holroyd Intensive English Centre
YEAR 10 MALE MENTORING PROGRAM
The male mentoring program has been running all
term on Friday afternoons, facilitated by Mr Jasmin
and Ms Joseph, with a selected number of Year 10
male students. The program endeavours to work
with the students to increase academic interest,
motivation, provide guidance, support, set realistic
goals and provide overall knowledge on the
importance of education and various job opportunities.
Throughout the term the program has covered a number of topics
these include: getting to know each other, goal setting, careers,
resume building, interview skills, consequences of our choices,
strategies to manage behaviour, time management, drug use,
sexual health and physical fitness. The delivery of the program has
encompassed verbal communication, questioning, in-depth
discussions, writing, power-point presentations, videos, question
box and use of the gym and practical areas.
The selected students have all worked extremely hard and are
developing into mature young men and should be proud of their
efforts this term!
Joel Jasmine
Year 10 Male Mentor
ROBOTICS
For the past ten weeks the following students have been attending
the HHS robotic workshop:
Joban Singh
Leticia Patino-Burgos
Santiago Rios Rodriguez
Rayaan Omar
Fatima Abdullah
Sahildeep Singh
Parsa Karami
Issue 6 – Term 3 – Week 9
14 September 2016
7
The Robotics workshops focuses on the use of the EV3 technology
combined with the popular Robocup Junior competition for school
students.
As well as the thrill of building a robot, students are taught how to
build and program a robot using Lego Mindstorms, EV3
Programming techniques with a hands-on approach.
All students receive coaching and mentoring on both robotics as
well as soft skills such as critical thinking, team building, social
skills, leadership skills and presentation skills among others.
Students who have completed the five challenges during the
workshop will now go on to prepare for the Robocup competition to
be held in 2017. The Robocup competition is hands-on, project-
based and goal-oriented learning experience that involves
familiarity and active involvement with STEM.
Students who are interested in joining the Robocop team please
see Mr Masawan or one of the Robocup team members.
Holroyd High School Robocup team
Bhoopinder Masawan
TAS Teacher
ENGLISH FACULTY REPORT
It’s hard to believe that it’s
coming to the end of Term 3.
My, how time flies! This term has
been a great celebration of
reading and writing across the
school.
On Friday 26th August the staff
at Holroyd High School had a fantastic time celebrating book week.
Teachers from a number of faculties, dressed up as their favourite
characters. Willy Wonka, The Big Bad Wolf, Little Red Riding Hood,
Dracula and many more were represented. Ultimately, however, it
was Ms. Taleb (who looked magnificent as Maleficent) who won the
prized for best dressed!
It was not just the staff that celebrated book week. Our librarian, Ms
Lopez, and Ms Taleb ran two competitions across the school.
Students had the opportunity to enter a guessing game where they
were asked to match teachers with their favourite book, and write a
book review. There were many entries across the school and it was
fantastic to see so many students involved.
Reading has the potential to change your life. You can be anyone.
Go anywhere. Do anything. It expands your world, increases your
vocabulary and above all, it’s fun! We have some brilliant books
available in the library and in English. If anyone would like help
choosing their next reading adventure, let us know - we’re more
than happy to help!
At the end of this term, we bid farewell to Year 12 as they now
move into the preparation time for their Higher School Certificate
examinations. The best way students can prepare for their English
examinations is to undertake a number of practice papers under
timed conditions. Students can access the past appears on the
board of studies website:
http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/hsc_exams/papers.html
Best of luck Year 12. You will be missed!
Rebecca Franklin and Amy Ly
Head Teacher English, ESL and Languages
Issue 6 – Term 3 – Week 9
14 September 2016
8
SCIENCE FACULTY REPORT
Another busy term comes to an end. On the 25th
August, students from Years 7-10 went to the
Australian Museum to celebrate the Sydney
Science Festival. There were numerous activities
and mini competitions for the students to enjoy.
The Australian Museum Science Expo gave
students an immersive space where they could ask questions, try
out some science experiments and investigate the science they
encounter every day. Australia’s top science institutions and
organisations came together to provide students with interactive
booths where they could explore science, technology, engineering
and mathematics and get excited about the future of science.
Highlights this year focused on new technologies with robots,
drones and 3D printing.
The workshops students attended were: Making of elephant
toothpaste, experiments with dry ice, making slime and
superabsorbent polymers, Ester smelling competition, using the
data logger microscope to make observations.
What an exciting and informative day it was for our students. Most
of the students who attended the excursion are interested in
pursuing science in their senior years at school.
Year 10 science students at the
Australian Museum
Ms Kumar and Mrs Atamli
Guess who the chief guest at the Australian Museum was?
Mr Albert Einstein himself! What an honour for Ms Kumar and Mrs
Atmali to get a picture with him!
Niru Kumar
Head Teacher Science
SUPPORT CLASS REPORT
Busy! Busy! Busy! is the only way to describe the
students and staff from the Support Unit. Last
week we had the wonderful Multicultural Day
extravaganza.
This week we saw the start of Work Experience
Week and three of our young people working at
Coles Merrylands for the week, one person
gaining experience in the school library and the rest of the students
engaged in jobs such as such as gardening, painting, restoring and
cleaning. Throw into this the sports extravaganza at Minto Indoor
Sports Centre and you will understand why some people are feeling
a little tired but also very happy with their achievements.
Hamish Nicolas
Eric
Priyanka
Yiteng
Max
Andrew & Yiteng Max, Tyron & Priyanka
Cody & Mousty
Tyron
Kerrie Kimes
Head Teacher Support
Issue 6 – Term 3 – Week 9
14 September 2016
9
NUMERACY NEWS
DO YOU KNOW THIS ONE? – 6
Literacy in Maths
1. The following images show a mathematical pattern in nature.
What is the name of this pattern?
Answer: _________________________________
2. Write down the pattern.
__________________________________________
Winner for Numeracy Corner 5: TBA
NUMERACY UPDATE
Year 7, 8 and 9 students are working on their multiplication and
division skills. 8M3 and 7M3 are using ipads to practise
multiplication and division facts during their mathematics lessons.
8M3 students have shown dramatic improvement in their graphing
skills. Selected Year 7 students have progressed well in their
addition and subtraction skills. NAPLAN results for 2016
demonstrated that almost all Year 9 students have achieved more
than expected growth in numeracy. The highest band achieved in
Year 7 and Year 9 is band 9.
Kanchen Saxena
Numeracy Co-ordinator
LIBRARY NEWS
Hell o once again from Mrs
Lopez and Mrs Nagy in the
Library.
We would first like to say a
very, very, big THANK YOU to
Mrs Kimes, Mr Blizzard, all of
the SLSO's and students from
the Support Unit that have
worked hard in the library courtyard. It looks amazing and we are so
very happy with what you all have done for us. If you haven't come
and had a look at their great work, please pop in and have a look.
The past few weeks have been very busy with the trial H.S.C
provisional exams in the library, Book week guessing completion,
book review competition and book Character parade.
The winners of the Book guessing competition are:
1st - Chantelle Hazell Yr 11
Equal 2nd - Mojtab Rohimi and Mena Shams both in Yr 7
3rd - Hawraa Dukhan Yr7
Congratulations to all the winners and thank you for all the students
that participated.
The winners of the Book review competition are:
1st - Sanwal Khan Yr 11
2nd - Roohullah Raheemi Yr 9
3rd Balsam Alsaleh Yr 9
Congratulations to all the winners and again thank you for all the
students that participated.
Our book character went well with Ms Taleb winning dressed up as
Malificent. Ms Taleb and I would like to say thank you to all the staff
that participated in our book guessing competition and Book
Character parade. It would be great to see more staff getting
dressed up next year.
Holroyd High School staff in Book Character outfits
For the next two weeks the library will be closed at times due to the
Yr 11 Disability Provisions Exams being held in the library. We are
asking for all students to remember to be respectful by remaining
quiet whilst walking past the library.
The Paralympics have started September 8th and will finish on the
20th September. During this time the Library will be streaming the
games in the mornings and when we are opened. so please come
in and watch some amazing achievements take place. Their Motto
is YES I CAN!!
Maybe we can learn from this?
Keep an eye out for some new things happening in the library and
remember
Spring has Sprung!
Grow your Knowledge'
And read a BOOK!
Cheers for now.
Mariam Lopez and Jenny Nagy
Teacher Librarian and Librarian Assistant
Write your response (Students) and be the first one to bring it to
the Maths staffroom to win a MOVIE TICKET.
Write your response (Students) and be the first one to bring it to
the Maths staffroom to win a MOVIE TICKET.
Issue 6 – Term 3 – Week 9
14 September 2016
10
VET NEWS
On Tuesday, 6th September, three deserving
Vocational Education and Training (VET)
students from Holroyd High School were
awarded the 2nd Annual Rotary Youth Vocation
Awards. The awards recognise student’s
dedication and commitment to the VET subject
being studied, including competencies achieved
and excellent Work Placement performance.
One student from each framework delivered at
Holroyd High School joined students from public, Catholic and
independent schools across the Parramatta region at Northmead
High School for an evening of awards and refreshments. Thank
you to family and friends that attended the evening and a big thank
you to Ms Tohmeh for attending the evening to support our
students. The presenters from Rotary Clubs highly praised our
students for their maturity and excellent presentation. Special
congratulations to Nathan Ford, who was the only student to be
nominated and receive an award for the VET Sports Coaching
Framework.
Congratulations to:
· Manjot Kaur of Year 12 Business Services
· Masooma Muradi of Year 11 Business Services
· Nathan Ford of Year 11 Sports Coaching
VET students Manjot Kaur, Masooma Muradi & Nathan Ford
Manjot Kaur Masooma Muradi Nathan Ford
Sylvia Petreski
VET Co-ordinator
WELFARE NEWS
YEAR 11 STUDENT LEADERSHIP –
ABCN FOCUS 2 PROGRAM
ABCN Focus 2 program for selected Year 11 female students
came to a conclusion for 2016 last week with Focus group 1 at
KPMG and Focus group 2 at Tata Consultancy.
Holroyd High School’s aspiring Year 11 students gained leadership
qualities, confidence and gave students the opportunity to meet and
be mentored by successful senior female executives.
Holroyd High School would like to thank ABCN, KPMG and
Tata Consultancy for all your help and support with inspiring
and motivating our students.
Student that were involved in the ABCN Focus 2 program were:
(Group 1) - Bandana Adhikari, Sadiya Abdi Aziz, Zeinab Al-Haudriy,
Zam Zam Ahmed, Rahela Shams, Zainab Al Badry, Arezo Hashim
and Tamarah Wasfi Sahi
(Group 2) – Masooma Muradi, Lucy Tran, Leslie Redolme,
Fatemeh Heydari, Yasameen Kanaani, Chantelle Hazell and
Zubaida Alkhaznawi.
A special thank you to Mr Jasmin and Ms C White
Year 11 Adviser & Assistant Year Adviser
for all your commitment, dedication and ongoing support.
Issue 6 – Term 3 – Week 9
14 September 2016
11
PAUL WADE SKILLS 4 LIFE PROGRAM
YEAR 8 AND 9 WELFARE PROGRAMS
Selected students in Years 8 and 9 participated in the Paul Wade
‘SKILLS FOR LIFE’ program. A program developed by Paul
Wade (ex Socceroo Australian Captain) has developed a way of
sharing his life experiences with young people to challenge their
thinking and inspire them to make positive life choices.
Holroyd High School hosted the event in collaboration with students
from Merrylands High School. This program was supported and
funded by NSW Police. This program will be a five week
motivational based program that will assist the participants in
creating a pathway to reach their goals, commit/ complete set
tasks, gain new skills and develop existing strengths.
A big thank you to Taga Paa, Student Support Officer from
Merrylands High School and all the staff that attend from
Merrylands High School, Senior Constable Lyndel Hatton from
Merrylands Police Station and Paul Wade for all your
continued support throughout the duration of the program.
Lilian Joseph
Welfare Co-ordinator and Transition Adviser
MUSIC REPORT
We are counting down to the end of a fantastically
busy term. The music room has been full most
lunches with rehearsals for both HSC major works
and Multicultural Day. There has been a wide
range of instruments and creative arts
performances. We have also had the fantastic
addition of Mr Peter Calvert to assist in all things
musical.
Congratulations to all our HSC Music students. They have all
worked tirelessly over the past weeks to prepare their major works
for the external examination. Holroyd High School can be proud of
how they developed their musical skills and applied themselves to
their studies. The students had also been given the chance to
showcase their major works for our Year 7 students in Week 7. To
my wonderful music class, I wish you all the best in your HSC
examinations. I hope you continue to apply yourselves to your
studies with discipline and keep your good senses of humour.
The other large event this term was Multicultural Day. We had an
amazing showcase of cultural music and dance from Lebanon,
Afghanistan, China, Africa, Syria, Thailand, India and many more
countries around the world. The students created their own acts
and rehearsed in their own time to proudly represent their heritage
for our school community. I was very proud of all those involved
and the sense of comradely and inclusiveness throughout the
rehearsals and performances. It was wonderful to see our school’s
diversity celebrated in the performing arts.
So, what is in storm for Term 4? We are going to start auditioning
for Holroyd’s Got Talent after the holidays – so start rehearsing
when you have time to yourself. It has been a fantastic event every
year. Year 7 have now learned a number of songs on the piano and
have also composed their own short melodies which they will begin
to learn. Year 8 have been learning a number of rock instruments
and have just started to write their own chorus for a rock song,
which has brought out a lot of hidden talent. Year 9 are an
outstandingly enthusiastic class who have set themselves two
performance goals for the rest of the year and will hopefully perform
for you at the end of the year. And Year 11 are about to begin their
HSC, so we wish you a restful holiday as you prepare for an
exciting but challenging year ahead.
0Thank you for all your support,
Zoe Smith and Peter Calvert
Music Teachers
YEAR 8 REPORT
Hello to parents and carers of
our Year 8 students! First on the
agenda is Year 8 CAMP!
Parents and carers would have
by now received the notes sent
out regarding this year’s camp.
This year we have allowed
parents to pay in instalments.
The first payment is a $50 deposit and you can make the other
payments as the year progresses. We are not expecting parents to
pay all at once this year! We are looking forward to seeing your
child there and should you have any questions regarding camp,
please speak to Mr Maharaj and myself on 9631 9410.
Next, Mr Maharaj and I would like to congratulate the students who
received awards during this terms Recognition and Rewards
Awards Ceremony. This ceremony is to commend students who
consistently participate in extracurricular programs outside of
academic achievements. In Year 8, we have a number of students
who volunteer their time to activities such as the Breakfast Club,
music groups, students who participate in external programs and
also Homework Help on Wednesday afternoons. It was amazing to
see so many Year 8 students involved in programs across the
school. KEEP IT UP YEAR 8, WELL DONE!
Thank you to all the students who have returned their subject
Issue 6 – Term 3 – Week 9
14 September 2016
12
selection forms. Parents, If you haven’t done so, could you please
sign your child’s form and send it back to school.
Last, please ensure that your child is coming to school in the
correct uniform. If, for an unforeseen circumstance your child
cannot wear their full school uniform, they MUST bring a note from
a parent/ carer explaining why. Students in incorrect uniform will be
issued with an afternoon detention!
Arvind Maharaj & Veronique August
Year 8 Adviser & Assistant Adviser
YEAR 9 REPORT
Year 9 have had a very busy
term and they have all been
working hard, especially these
last few weeks when
assessments have been going
out across all KLAs. They have
been participating in a wide
range of programs including
debating, ABCN GOALS, Paul Wade Rise Above, sports gala days,
High Resolves Global Leadership and Multicultural Day.
ABCN GOALS has been running effectively; however, students are
to be reminded that they must attend every session. So far, they
have been working on developing effective communication skills,
discussing their strengths and areas of improvement and
developing their team work skills. The last session will take place
on 21st September, at the Optus campus in Macquarie Park.
The High Resolves Global Leadership program is now in full swing.
Year 9 students who are involved in this project have decided on
their School Action Project, which is to get members of our
community to take action to improve the lives of refugees and
asylum seekers who are experiencing social disadvantage in the
Holroyd community. Between now and November, students will be
working on a number of parallel campaigns to motivate people take
action.
The Paul Wade program finished on Friday 2nd September with a
luncheon on the top oval. The students who participated in this
program should be congratulated for their efforts. All students who
were part of the Rugby League Gala day should also be
congratulated for their valiant efforts. They won one game and lost
two games, and one student remarked that they had had a fun day
and it was a challenge running against the other school as those
students were enormous compared to Holroyd!
Multicultural Day was a resounding success, and we were proud to
see so many Year 9 students participate in the flag ceremony,
cultural performances and the food stalls.
Congratulations to Andrew George, Aaron Lynch, Emily
Charlesworth, Justin Do and Hamish Johnson, who have displayed
dedication and focus in their classes and have consequently
achieved a silver certificate.
Students should be reminded that they must be in school uniform.
School jumpers, jackets and beanies can be purchased from A
Block and collected at the Library. Students who are out of uniform
must have a note from home.
Amy Ly and Frishta Shirzai
Year 9 Adviser and Assistant Adviser
YEAR 10 REPORT
This week has been a very
busy week with all Year 10
students on work experience.
We have all students out at a
range of workplaces and
completing a variety of tasks.
Staff have been out to visit
students and we are very proud
of what has been achieved this week. A special highlight has been
the support unit 'Work Crew' and all of the amazing improvements
they have made around the school! The future is very bright for our
year group and they will surely all have some fantastic careers
ahead of them.
Matthew Fields and Kate Bailey
Year 10 Adviser and Assistant Adviser
YEAR 11 REPORT
We are nearly there, Year 11!
Firstly, congratulations to our
new 2017 School Captains and
Vice Captains Robert Carter,
Lucy Tran, Zeinab Al-Haudriy
and Nathan Ford. These
students have been selected
after going through a vigorous selection process. During this time
the students showed immense leadership potential and outstanding
communication skills.
As a reminder, this is the final term of your Preliminary HSC Course
and as such the Yearly Examinations commence during week 9.
Students are reminded to thoroughly check the examination
timetable to ensure they do not miss an exam. However, in the
event of an illness or misadventure, students are relevant to bring
to school a medical certificate and speak to the corresponding head
Issue 6 – Term 3 – Week 9
14 September 2016
13
teacher. As the preliminary course is drawing to a close, for those
students that need to complete outstanding tasks, it is
recommended that you submit these as soon as possible in order to
avoid being ‘N’ awarded out of a subject.
We also remind all Year 11 students to pay the remainder of their
balance for their commemorative 2017 senior jacket to ‘A’ block
office. Good luck in your examinations!
Joel Jasmin and Chloe White
Year 11 Adviser and Assistant Adviser
YEAR 12 REPORT
It’s hard to believe that our
current Year 12 students will
soon be throwing their
graduation caps to the sky! The
end of school is fast
approaching, with the graduation
ceremony planned for Thursday
22nd September. This will be a
great opportunity for Year 12 students to say farewell. Here are a
few things to remember before you all leave us!
Students completing the EAS (Educational Access Scheme)
form should submit to Mrs Hoddinott ASAP. Your original
documents with a copy need to be sighted by Mrs Hoddinott
before she can sign off and write her statement of support.
Please ensure you log on to the UAC website if you are
intending to apply for university next year. Applications close on
the 30th September.
If you would like to apply for an early offer, you must complete
an SRS application on the UAC website. Applications close on
the 30th September.
Please make sure you are attending all timetabled classes until
graduation. It is so important that you make the most of all your
learning time to adequately prepare for your HSC examinations!
A very warm welcome to the families of our Year 12 students to
attend our graduation ceremony. Please come and see your child
graduate from high school.
Also don’t forget the Formal, which is on Wednesday 9th November.
Please pay your remaining balance by the end of the term. Thanks .
Mr Moussa and I will miss you! Good luck with your studies and
future aspirations. We wish you all the very best. We look forward
to celebrating with you at your graduation and Formal.
Louise Ciano and Mohammad Moussa Year 12 Adviser and Assistant Adviser
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