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

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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

Issue 6 – Term 3 – Week 9

14 September 2016

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