Spotlights - Holroyd High School

Spotlights
Excellence, Opportunity, Success
Find us at: 7 Cumberland Road, Greystanes
www.holroyd-h.schools.nsw.edu.au
P: 9631 9410
Attendance SMS: 0429 456 348
F: 9896 3074
Issue 10 – Term 4 – Week 10
9 December 2013
COMING EVENTS
Term 4
12 December
YEAR 12 VISUAL ARTS STUDENT
SYED MOSAWI BODY OF WORK HAS BEEN
SELECTED FOR ART EXPRESS
The most recent exciting news in the Visual Arts Department is the
acceptance of a Syed Mosawi‟s Year 12 HSC Body of Work for the
prestigious annual art exhibition, Art Express.
Art Express exhibits only approximately 100 of 16,000 of the finest
Year 12 Body of Works.
Syed commenced this artwork in October 2012 through to August
2013.
Syed painted eight oil on canvas artworks, which he called
DEE011, Syed‟s immigration reference number – DEE0 for the
boat, 11 because he was the eleventh person off the boat. The
series of artworks explore Syed‟s emotional experiences of his
journey to Australia.
Presentation Day
Parent & Teacher Afternoon 3.30pm-5pm
Parent & Teacher Luncheon
Last day for students Term 4
13 December
18 December
19 - 20 December
Term 1
28 January
29 January
Staff School Development Day
30 January
Years 8,9 & 10 return to school
Staff Development Days
Years 7,11 & 12 & IEC return to school
PRESENTATION DAY
Thursday 12th December 2013
Commencing at 9am
In the school’s Gymnasium
All welcome
The Body of Work is inspired through the Surrealist style which
encourages the artist to use dream-like qualities, using realistic
subject matter.
Details of exhibition venues and dates can be found on the Art
Express website: http//artexpress.artsunit.nsw.edu.au
Parent Teacher Interviews
We anticipate a further educational art course at tertiary level where
he can further develop his artistic ability.
Years 7 – 11
Gymnasium
Congratulations Syed , we are all extremely proud of your success.
Dianne Meilak and Natalie Tipene
Visual Arts Teachers
Thursday 12th December 2013
3.30pm – 5pm
Years 7 – 10 Semester 2 reports will be available for
collection
PARENTS & CITIZENS ASSOCIATION
LUNCHEON
All Welcome
Take an active role in your children’s education.
Join our P&C now!
Issue 10 – Term 4 – Week 10
9 December 2013
Principal’s
Report
“When we celebrate achievement, we should
never forget that we are also celebrating
endeavour”
The year has gone very quickly once again. We seem barely to
have begun before we are making preparations for Presentation
Day and the summer holidays. Presentation Day is one of the most
important events in our school year. It is a celebration of student
achievement for the entire year.
When we celebrate achievement, we should never forget that we
are also celebrating endeavour. You cannot have achievement
without putting in all the effort that translates into good results.
There is no achievement without effort nor is there any entitlement
to achievement. You achieve your goals because you have done
the hard work that gets you there, not otherwise.
This year, Presentation Day will be held on Thursday 12th
December. Parents, family and community members and carers
are most welcome to attend the ceremony and to enjoy morning tea
with the staff and award winners afterwards. It is an occasion when
we can share our pleasure and our pride in our students‟ learning.
We have had some notable successes this year, culminating in the
outstanding performance of our three Year 12 national titration
competition students, Ateeq Ur-Rahman, Eric Xu and Abdul
Sharifi in coming twelfth out of the 147 finalists in the national finals
of the competition. That is twelfth in Australia! The only school in
NSW to achieve a higher ranking in the titration competition was
James Ruse HS, the top-ranked selective high school in the state.
Ateeq and Abdul have received conditional offers of scholarships to
the University of Sydney in 2014 under the E12 scheme. Andres
Moya Rios has also received an E12 scholarship offer to the
University of Sydney, and Yogita Khurana a University of Sydney
Business School scholarship. Congratulations to these students.
There will be others, of course. Our students are often awarded
scholarships and bursaries while studying at university, an
indication of the high quality of their preparation for tertiary study
and the level of motivation and commitment they demonstrate.
The HSC results will be published on 18th December, and as usual,
we will be holding a morning tea on the day for our Year 12
students to enable them to share the good news about their results
with each other. Students receive their ATARs (Australian Tertiary
Assessment Rank) on 19th December and university offers are
made in January.
I said “conditional offer” earlier because university scholarships are
dependent on the students achieving ATARs at or above the
scholarship cut off. In the past, relatively few of our students have
gone to the University of Sydney; however, this year Holroyd High
School has joined the University‟s Compass program, which has
made our students more familiar with the University of Sydney and
what it has to offer: not only is Sydney the first university to be
established in Australia more than one hundred and fifty years ago,
it is one of the elite Group of Eight Australian universities and one
of only three Australian universities ranked in the first hundred
universities in the world. I hope to see more of our students study
there.
Holroyd High School has also taken part in the University of NSW
Aspire program and the University of Western Sydney‟s Fast
Forward program for a number of years. All the university
programs provide mentoring and opportunities for shadowing and
visits to the universities, and enable our students to get acquainted
with the physical layout of the universities and develop a sense of
the student experience. When you have actually been to a
university campus and met other students and talked to them about
what it is like to be a university student, then going to university is
more familiar and much less daunting than it might otherwise have
been.
It is no coincidence that in the time that we have been involved with
these university programs and with mentoring programs such as
the Australian Business Community Network‟s GOALS program, or
High Resolves, or this year for the first time, the Beacon
Foundation, our tertiary participation rates have gone up. They are
consistently above the national average for all young people and
well above the participation rates for disadvantaged young people.
You might ask why: Holroyd is, after all, a small, comprehensive
high school, with a high proportion of students recently arrived in
Australia, many with interrupted education.
Some of the answer lies in the school‟s sound educational practice:
targeted teaching and learning programs, strategic intervention,
quality teaching, and partnerships with universities. In her highly
influential 2007 analysis of tertiary education in Australia, Professor
Denise Bradley identified exactly those school practices as
essential for achievement. She also identified the precursors for
improving tertiary access for disadvantaged students:



Awareness of higher education
Aspiration to participate, and
Educational attainment to allow participation.
The high expectations we build in our students for their own
achievement are also an essential part of the mix, “can do” rather
than “too hard”. All of the above are part of long-standing practice
at Holroyd High School and contribute to the success we will be
celebrating on Thursday.
Holroyd High School Dux 2012, Andy Luong (ATAR 99.25),
provides an amusing account of his first year as an engineering
student at UNSW elsewhere in this edition of Spotlights. Andy will
receive his Dux Award at our Presentation Day on 12 th December.
He has three scholarships and has clearly settled enthusiastically
into university life.
There is more good news from this year‟s HSC cohort, even before
the release of the HSC results, with the selection of Syed
Mosawi’s HSC major work for the Art Express exhibition to tour
NSW in 2014. Syed is one of only a hundred students to have their
art works selected for Art Express out of some 16,000 major works
submitted for the HSC. His work explores the dangerous journey
Syed made alone to Australia as a young asylum seeker, his
experience in immigration and then community detention, and his
anguish at his separation from his family.
Issue 10 – Term 4 – Week 10
You will be pleased to learn that Syed now has a permanent
protection visa and that his future is not as uncertain as some of our
other young asylum seeker students. Syed has applied to study art
at the College of Fine Arts at the University of NSW in 2014, and
has already had a public exhibition of his work. He is clearly on
track for a career as a visual artist, a future Nolan or Arthur Boyd
perhaps.
2014 is shaping up to be a year of change: the new structure of the
Department of Education will commence in 2014. In Sydney, there
will be only two educational divisions, where previously we had
four. We will not be part of South Western Sydney any more, but in
the Northern Sydney division, comprising Gosford, Hawkesbury,
Holroyd, Hornsby, Kuring-gai, Nirimba, North Sydney, Parramatta,
Penrith, The Hills, Warringah and Wyong. There are forty-one
schools in the Holroyd group of schools, mainly schools from the
old Granville network. Our new director, Dr Mark Carter, was
appointed this year, and will be at Presentation Day this week. I
know you will join with me in welcoming him to Holroyd.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Murat Dizdar, who
has been the Director of the Granville Schools and Regional
Director, South Western Sydney. He is now Executive Director for
Southern Sydney. Mr Dizdar has been a great friend and supporter
of this school, and we are very grateful for that. I am sure no-one
who was at our Young Achievers‟ Presentation three years ago
could forget his moving account of his own educational journey, as
the child of Turkish migrants, growing up in Glebe. Tesekkor, Mr
Dizdar.
Next year will also see the implementation the new national
curriculum in Years 7 and 9 in English, mathematics, science and
history, and our teachers in those key learning areas are working
very hard right now to have new teaching and learning programs
ready for Term 1. Because Year 7 next year will be first Year 7
cohort to use the new national curriculum, we have decided to
explore a greater use of technology in delivering the courses. Maths
already has much of their work online and students are already
accessing the school‟s website for their homework.
A number of our teachers are exploring means of delivery, including
letting students bring their own technology to school – BYOD or
Bring Your Own Device. Because many of our families cannot
afford to purchase and maintain expensive technology, the school
will be looking at ways our students can access technology. Some
of the funds from the sale of the excess land will be directed to that
purpose in 2014. Our major expenditure will be the refurbishment of
the three science laboratories in D Block. Work is scheduled to start
perhaps as early as February. By the end of 2014, we will have
created a 21st century, fully equipped science hub in the school.
Our guest speaker on Presentation Day is former student, Azeena
Nuhumaan, twice the Rotary Peace Prize awardee at this school,
and a delegate at the age of eighteen to the Commission on the
Status of Women at the United Nations in New York, representing
young Australian women. Azeena is a graduate of the University of
Canberra, and has both worked and volunteered for the Australian
Red Cross, the Salvation Army and World Vision in Australia and
overseas. She is currently Program Manager Life Without Barriers –
Community Detention NSW. Azeena has worked in the community
sector in Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda,
Congo and South Sudan.
9 December 2013
Now, time for farewells and thanks. This year, we have one teacher
retiring: Mr Andrew Munns, Head Teacher Industrial Arts. Mr
Munns has been at Holroyd for twenty-two years. He has taught
generations of future engineers and tradesmen, and has been the
school‟s computer co-ordinator for the last decade, responsible for
making sure our computer systems work, and has chaired the
school‟s technology committee. Mr Munns has a passion for
restoring old ships and boats and in his spare time, works on the
restoration of the Heritage Fleet at Blackwattle Bay. He plans on
spending a great deal more time working on boats after his
retirement.
Mr Munns is so much part of the school, it is hard to think of his not
being there! Goodbye, Mr Munns, we wish you all the best in your
retirement, good health, happiness and lots of boats! We thank you
for your dedication to our students over the last two decades.
I would like to thank our 2013 school captains and vice-captains:
John Makuer, Sharen Yuvialis, Ateeq Ur-Rahman and
Priyadarshini Pradhan for their leadership over the last year, and
wish them every success in the future. I would also like to thank the
tireless members of our Parents and Citizens Association for
their loyalty, commitment and hard work on behalf of the school this
year, and encourage other parents to join the P&C to support the
school and its students.
We would like to thank the Wentworthville Leagues Club for their
continuing support of the school through funding for the Swim
School, Abbotsleigh School for Girls for their support through the
older girls‟ learn to swim program, the cultural exchanges and
forums we share. Our thanks also to other partner schools: Shore,
Mary McKillop Girls and Moriah College. When we reach out to
schools where students come from very different backgrounds to
our students and in doing so, find the common ground, we are
building the foundations of a more just, tolerant and civil society, in
which we can see difference as a strength, not a threat.
I would like to thank the donors who contribute to the Friends of
Zainab trust to support young refugees and to Ms Marie Breen,
who has donated funds to the school to assist young women
complete their schooling.
Thank you also to our Timehelp and Mercy volunteers, who
support student learning in both the high school and the IEC, and a
big thank-you to the Community Relations Commission, which
visited the school last term, and have given us a grant to purchase
reading material in other languages for the school library. We are
very grateful for the generosity of so many people and
organisations to the school. It really does make a difference.
Last but not least, a special thank you to our teachers and our
administration staff for their commitment, care, hard work and good
cheer thoughout the year. I wish them all a happy and a safe
holiday and a well-deserved rest.
My best wishes for Christmas and the New Year to our entire
school community.
Dorothy Hoddinott AO FACE
Principal
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Issue 10 – Term 4 – Week 10
9 December 2013

Deputy Principal’s
Report
The school year officially finishes on Wednesday 18 December. All
students have now completed their yearly examinations and as the
year draws to a close we would like to highlight the following:
Our Presentation Day will be held at 9am on Thursday 12th
December in the gymnasium, Holroyd High School. This day
recognizes outstanding achievement by students in the areas of
academic, sporting, leadership and citizenship.
The Year 12 Formal was on Wednesday 20th November at
Waterview Convention Centre at Bicentennial Park, Homebush– a
celebration of the end of twelve years of formal schooling. The
school would like to thank Mr Masawn and Ms Ly for their role as
year advisors and the organization involved in the end of Year 12
activities.
During Week 6 girls in Years 9 and 10 attended the Aquatic
Experience at Abbotsleigh School for Girls which included a
swimming and water safety program. Holroyd High School would
like to thanks Abbotsleigh School for Girls and their students and
the staff for giving our students this wonderful experience. The
Refugee Transition students participated in a program with Year 10
students from Abbotsleigh for the week and took part in a range of
activities.
The culmination of Beacon activities for Year 10 was the beacon
Charter signing ceremony that was held on Thursday 28 November.
All Year 10 students signed a pledge to remain in fulltime education
or training in the coming 12 months. Our corporate partners,
Clayton Utz, Stocklands and Staples were all represented at the
signing ceremony.
The following morning was the ABCN GOALS program for Year 9
completion ceremony. Our students, along with the Year 9 GOALS
students from Bonnyrigg High School, and their mentors from
Microsoft, Minter Ellison, Ernst & Young and Fuji Xerox, took part in
the ceremony.
This is a time of decision for many students. The majority of our
students will continue with further studies into Year 11, at TAFE or
through apprenticeships or traineeships. For those students who
will be leaving Holroyd High School at the end of Year 10, we wish
them every success in the future.
Student Activities
Students have been involved in a number of additional activities
this term:
 Year 11 have attended the Rotary Youth Driver Awareness
program at Olympic park at Homebush. This course contributes
to the completion of the Crossroads program for their HSC.
 Year 7 and 8 both completed Swim School in the first half of
Term 4. We would like to acknowledge the support that
Wentworthville Leagues Club for this initiative plus the hard

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work of Ms Tohmeh and Ms White and the other teachers who
assist in this program.
A successful Year 7 and 8 Camp was held on the Central Coast
on Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd December 2013.
Year 6/7 Orientation Day on Wednesday 4th December for our
2014 Year 7 students and their families.
Year 9 Taster Day as part of the UNSW‟s ASPIRE program on
Wednesday 4th December 2013.
Uniform
As the school year draws to a close we would like to remind parents
of the importance of their child wearing full school uniform. To
assist parents for planning for the 2014 school year we have
printed the current school uniform policy in this edition of Spotlights.
Uniform is very important to our school community for many
reasons:

Students look well-presented and this gives the school a good
name in the local community.

It is easier to identify Holroyd students, especially if we have
trespassers who may wish to cause trouble.

Sometimes it can be a question of safety eg. enclosed leather
shoes provide the protection required by OH&S legislation for
practical work in classrooms.
The school insists that students are in full school uniform. If you
have any difficulty in providing all items of the uniform, please
contact Mrs Hoddinott on 96319410 to discuss how the school can
assist you
Uniform Policy
 Girls and boys pants are to be plain school pants. They are not
to be three-quarter length, have zips, stripes, pockets (eg cargo
pants) or obvious brand names.
 Track suit pants are not acceptable.
 Leggings are not to be worn.
 School shoes must be worn each day regardless of whether the
student has PE or sport. Sports shoes are to be brought
separately.
 The Department of Education and Training has ruled that
substantial lace-up leather enclosed shoes are to be worn in all
practical classes such as Science, Technology, Home
Economics, Art, etc.
 Students are to wear the school‟s sports shirt for PE.
 Only the school jacket may be worn.
 Jewellery to be kept to a minimum. Earrings are to be
small sleepers or studs, one chain and a watch.
Uniform Passes
If students need to be out of uniform for any reason, they need to
bring a note from home and report to the Deputy Principal in E
Block before ROLL CALL so they can be issued with a uniform
pass.
Students who are out of uniform without a uniform pass will be
issued with an after school detention. Students that are out of
uniform twice in one week, without a note from their
parents/guardians will have their parents/guardians contacted to
provide an explanation.
Coming Events
 Presentation Day on Thursday 12th December at 9am in the
gymnasium.
 Parent Teacher afternoon on Thursday 12th December from
3.30pm – 5pm. Junior reports will be available for collection.
 P & C luncheon on 13th December.
 Holroyd‟s Got Talent on Friday 13th December.
 Tuesday 17th December, IEC Sports Gala day at Homebush
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Issue 10 – Term 4 – Week 10
9 December 2013
Sports Centre.
Year 12 HSC Results Morning Tea on Wednesday 18th
December in the Common Room.
took part in the program, as well as all the staff that assisted in
making the week possible. I have included some photos on the
following pages.
In conclusion we would like to wish our students and their families a
safe, happy and healthy Christmas vacation. We look forward to
working closely with our school community in 2014.
Immunisations
We have a „catch up’ clinic organised for
Wednesday 11th December, 2013. On this day,
Year 7 or 9 students that have missed any of
their scheduled vaccines may catch up.
Immunisations are very important and will only
be successful if they are fully completed. Some
students may also need to attend their family
doctor to complete immunisations. Please be aware that students
need to start immunisations while at school, otherwise they may be
charged for some vaccines.

Don‟t forget that classes resume for Years 7, 11 and 12 on
Wednesday 29th January and on Thursday 30th January for
students in Years 8, 9, 10 and the IEC.
Denise Carrick
Deputy Principal
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR
RETIREMENT MR MUNNS
Next year, all Year 7 students and Year 9 boys will be starting the
immunisation program in Term 1. Year 7 students should have
received their immunisation packs during Orientation Day on
Wednesday this week. Thank you to those parents that have
already returned the consent forms. If any student did not receive
the forms, could they please see me ASAP. Parents need to
complete the cards in blue/black pen, sign and return the cards
by Thursday of Week 1, Term 1. If parents do not want their child
to receive any of the vaccinations, a letter detailing their request
needs to be given to me prior to the immunisation day. Please do
not hesitate to call me on 9631-9410 if you have any questions.
Mrs Sylvia Petreski
Welfare Co-ordinator
Mr Munns, Holroyd Highs Industrial Arts Head Teacher, has
retired. Mr Munns has worked at Holroyd High for twenty two
years. A dinner was held at Drummmoyne Sailing Club on the
29th November and over sixty staff attended to farewell and
honour Mr Munns.
It is true that we may not see you anymore during working
hours but you will always be in our thoughts.
Abbotsleigh Aquatic Experience
Wishing you a happy retirement!
WELFARE REPORT
This has been another very busy
term and many things have been
happening around the school.
During week 6, approximately 20 of
our year 9 and 10 female students
were involved in the „Learn to
Swim‟ program run by Abbotsleigh
School for Girls. Our school has
had a long association with Abbotsleigh and this program has been
invaluable in the past.
The program, named ‘An Aquatic
Experience’, involved trained swimming instructors from
Abbotsleigh‟s Year 10 cohort, teaching our students swimming
skills. Apart from developing their swimming abilities, the girls also
participated in cake decorating, sporting events, tours of the school,
dancing and a celebration lunch at the end of the week. I would
like to thank the students from both Abbotsleigh and Holroyd that
THE BEACON FOUNDATION SPEED
CAREERING
On Thursday 21st November 2013, all of Year 10 students took part
in The Beacon Foundation and Holroyd High School‟s Speed
Careering event.
A range of professionals from various businesses and local
agencies were invited to take time out of their busy work schedules
to speak to the students about their chosen industry and career
paths.
The workshops were organised to enable students involved in the
Beacon program to obtain up-to-date and firsthand information
about their future options.
The students at Holroyd were delighted to have had such great
guest speakers come into our school and give an insight into the
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Issue 10 – Term 4 – Week 10
field of work they are passionate about.
Thank you to the following guests that took time out of their
busy schedule to attend
Holroyd High School’s Speed Careering Event
Ms. Dorothy Hoddinott AO FACE - Principal of Holroyd High
Mayor, Clr Nasr Kafrouni - Mayor of Holroyd
Ms Jo Lewis - Staples Education Account Manager
Mr Raghu Kanchi - Michel’s Patisserie/ Subway Business
Entrepreneur
Meri Carovska - CYFS-EIPP Programs Coordinator Holroyd Youth
Services
George Pedesen - Manager Holroyd Youth Services
Mr R.D McCrudden - Barrister-At-Law Chambers
9 December 2013
THE BEACON FOUNDATION CHARTER
SIGNING
And finally, to sign off for the year, our Year 10 students
successfully participated in the Beacon Foundation‟s Charter
Signing at Holroyd High School.
The Beacon Foundation‟s Charter Signing is a signature event
where all Year 10 students publicly make a pledge that in the
following year they will be in further education, employment or
training. Thank you to the special guests that attended our Charter
Signing on the day: Lauren Cassar from Stocklands, Phillipa Clarke
from Clayton Utz, Jo Lewis from Staples and Kerry Livesey from
The Beacon Foundation.
On behalf of Holroyd High School Year 10 students, we would
like to thank Lauren Cassar from Stocklands, Phillipa Clarke
from Clayton Utz, Jo Lewis from Staples and Kerry Livesey
from the Beacon Foundation for your support and ongoing
commitment this year to our new partnership.
Ms Tracey Hopper - Children Services Ringrose OOSH
Ms Gada Itaoui - Children Services Pendle Hill OOSH
Mr Stuart Hoogstad - Human Resources Manager Offset Alpine
Printing
Ms Krystal Inglis - School Community Liaison Officer Ability Options
Ms Carmen Olmedo - Client Services Coordinator IHG
Ms Kylie Vernooy- IHG
Ms Katie Hanley - IHG Key Account Manager, MICE Australasia
Mr Jason Camilerri - Cummins
Lilian Joseph
Transition Adviser
SCIENCE FACULTY REPORT
Mr Justin Walker - Cummins
Ms Louise Azzopardi - Cummins
Mr Jason Mallia N.D - Naturopath Integrated Health
Miss Paula Tohmeh - Physical Development, Health and
Education Teacher/Personal Trainer
Ms Sylvia Petreski - Welfare coordinator and Hospitality Teacher
Mr Benjamin Robert Halcomb - Photographer 7 Chairs Photography
Lauren Kajewski - Social Planning and Infrastructure Manager,
Sustainable Communities Stockland Merrylands
Laura Reed - Community Development and Engagement Coordinator,
Sustainable Communities Stockland Merrylands
Lauren Cassar - National Community Development Manager,
Sustainable Communities Stockland Merrylands
Eliza Hodgson - Marketing Manager, Stockland Merrylands
David Swann - Leasing Executive Stockland Merrylands
Year 9 hands-on workshop@UTS
Ten Year 9 students attended the University of
Technology to do a hands-on workshop in
November.
Some of the workshops they
attended were:
Fishy Forensics - where they dissected fish and
observed their nerves.
Microbiology - where they looked at
microscopic bacteria and fungi under the microscope.
Mathemagics - where they played maths games and tricks.
And CSI workshop - where they worked out who had committed the
crime.
The students thoroughly enjoyed themselves and look forward to
visiting UTS again in the near future.
Year8s Investigate Uni
Thirty Year 8 students visited the University of Sydney at the end of
August. This program was funded by the University‟s COMPASS
program and its purpose was for Year 8s to investigate what
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Issue 10 – Term 4 – Week 10
university was about. Some of the workshops the students
attended were the great marshmallow and spaghetti challenge, I
scream for ice cream, law and order investigative crime unit ( where
my character was the murderer!!), comic book karaoke and keep
the beat.
The great marshmallow and spaghetti challenge was where
students had to build the tallest tower using only marshmallows‟
and raw spaghetti. What the students came up with was truly
sensational. With nice sunny weather and free lunches, we all had
a fantastic time.
Year 9 STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths)
workshops
Year 9 students attended the Year 9 STEM program hosted again
by the COMPASS program. This was to develop interest and
enthusiasm in the fields of science, technology, engineering and
maths. The appreciation and importance of science and maths was
the key focus. Students received an in-depth knowledge on how
solar cells worked, observed the work of university lecturers in
different career pathways, such as physicist and graphic designer.
9 December 2013
Year 11 Polymer workshop
Year 11 chemistry polymer workshop was held at UWS on 25th
November. Associate professor Gary Grant spoke to the students
about his work as a chemist, which covered one of the dot points in
the HSC chemistry topic. After learning about the process of
polymerization, the students made a polymer which they got to take
home!
Year 8 Gifted and Talented workshop
On Wednesday the 27th November, Hissam Massoud, Zachary
Cox, Lucy Tran and Chantelle Hazell, our Year 8 students went
with Mrs Kumar to the University of Western Sydney to attend the
science gifted and talented program. When we got there at roughly
9am, we were separated into three groups and rooms, which
included CREATE, COOL and COLOUR. Holroyd High started at
Create where we made crystal gardens and slime which we could
take home. We also experimented with a mixture of corn flour and
water, egg stabilized foam and the nylon rope trick, where
Professor Grant showed us on how silk is created scientifically.
After one and half hours, we had recess and moved on to Cool.
Here with a University student, we did a few experiments with dry
ice and liquid nitrogen such as, liquid nitrogen ice cream,
expanding gloves with dry ice and creating a fire extinguisher with
scientific apparatus. After we had lunch for an hour at McDonalds,
we went to the last room called Colour. In this room we cut
carnation stems and put them in food colouring for chromatography
(separation of colours). We separated black, blue, green and yellow
colours from inks of different colours. The black ink separated into
three colours - blue, green and red, green separated into blue and
yellow. We were also shown a demonstration of permanganate fire.
It was a very fun experience and I would love to go to UWS again
any day.
Lucy Tran
Year 8 student
This has been a very fruitful year for the science teachers and
students. A great deal of learning has been accomplished in the
classroom and by way of excursions and external competitions. I
would like to wish one and all a very merry Christmas and a safe
and joyous new year.
Niru Kumar
Head Teacher Science
Victor Chang Award
Victor Chang Award this year went to Anh Vi Luong. This award
every year goes to the top science student in Year 11. Anh Vi‟s
outstanding achievements in Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and
Engineering Studies won him this prestigious award.
SRC REPORT
Remembrance Day
At 11am on the 11th November, Holroyd High
School observed one minute‟s silence in memory of
those who died or suffered in wars and armed
conflicts.
Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of the
Armistice which ended the First World War (1914–
18). While our planned assembly was moved due to the huge
overnight downpour of rain, students and teachers took part in
minute‟s silence in classes to honour this memory.
Our School Captains, Ali Gulzari and Winta Isaak, joined by our
Vice Captains, Bashir Yousufi and Mimi Ly, represented the school
at the Merrylands RSL Remembrance Day service.
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Issue 10 – Term 4 – Week 10
9 December 2013
Holroyd High School Captains &Vice Captains
Ali Gulzari, Winta Isaak, Mimi Ly & Bashir Yousufi
Congratulations to our library assistant,
Mrs Nagy for winning 2 Justin Bieber tickets.
Would you like to be on the 2014 SRC team?
What is the process?
Typhoon Haiyan Children’s Emergency Appeal
The SRC are to be congratulated on their fantastic work throughout
the year, particularly the amount of charities and fundraisers we
have got behind and supported. Our most recent event was the
Philippines Typhoon Haiyan Children’s Emergency Appeal for
UNICEF.
With a lot of preparation and organisation, the SRC students
worked so hard to raise much needed funds. After regular meetings
and careful planning our aim was to finish the year off with a BANG
and make this one of the highest amounts raised!
On Wednesday 27th November the SRC organised a lunch event
which had the entire school in the quad during lunch time. We held
a sausage sizzle and we invited members of the community who
have been affected by the disaster to come into our school to offer
us some assistance.
SRC students ran three minute to win it games, which required a
gold coin entry and a prize if the task was accomplished. We also
raffled off two exclusive A grade tickets to the Justin Bieber concert
on Friday, with a runner up prize of two Schools Spectacular
tickets.
Congratulates to Jenny Nagy our library assistant, for winning the
raffle tickets to the Justin Bieber concert.
Overall, we raised $1100, which is fantastic!I would like to thank the
entire Student Representative Council for their hard work and Ms
Joseph for her hard work in assisting with the day.
On Monday 10th December we will be coming around to year
assemblies for nominations for the 2014 student representative
team.
The following week on Monday 16th December, students will be
voting for the 2014 SRC members. Please see Miss Tohmeh for
further details.
Paula Tohmeh
SRC Co-ordinator
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SPORT STUDIES
REPORT
On Friday 23rd November, we had a total of 43
students who attended our PASS recreation day
held at Jamberoo Action Park.
Despite the
morning rain, once we arrived at Jamberoo, the
weather cleared and turned out to be such a fun
filled day.
Students had the opportunity to try different rides,
one being the newly opened funnel web.
Overall, the students represented Holroyd in a positive manner and
had a fun and fantastic day. On Friday 6th December, Year 9 and 10
PASS students will be attending a V8 Students On Track Day held
at Sydney Olympic Park.
Paula Tohmeh
Physical Activity and Sports Studies Teacher
Please check out our school website for more photos of the day.
SPORT REPORT
Year 8 have successfully completed their second swim school
program in Term 1, and Year 7 have recently completed their first
two week swim school program at the Royal Lifesaving Academy in
Seven Hills.
All Years 8, 9 and 10 students participated in and successfully
8
Issue 10 – Term 4 – Week 10
completed the NSW Premier‟s Sporting Challenge in 2013 during
Tuesday sport.
Throughout the year, Year 10 participated in various sporting clinics
run by external coaches. The clinics ran successfully and students‟
skills in the various sports improved tremendously. Clinics ran for
seven weeks each term and included basketball, AFL and
volleyball.
Year 8 and 9 sport participated in internal school sport and had the
opportunity to choose their sport.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our students on their
participation, sportsmanship, and representation of Holroyd High
school throughout the year. I am looking forward to what sport has
in store for 2014!
SAVE THE DATES:
 Zone Swimming Carnival: 27th February, 2014
 School Cross Country Carnival: 25th March, 2014 or back up
date 1st April 2014
 Athletics Carnival: Friday 23rd May, 2014 or back up date
Tuesday 26th May, 2014
Paula Tohmeh
Sports Co-ordinator
YEARS 7 & 8 CAMP REPORT
9 December 2013
Using all of our strength and balance on the challenge ropes
course.
Facing our fear of heights on the giant swing.
Using our teamwork and aquatic skills in a raft building challenge.
Soaring through the sky and accords the camp river on an
enormous flying fox.
Testing our strength on the rock climbing wall, then abseiling down
like a professional SWAT team!
We also participated in some amazing night time activities led by
our wonderful group leaders. After some fantastic night activities we
were treated to an open outdoor fire where we listened to some
scary stories and toasted some marshmallows. And speaking of
marshmallows, the other highlight of camp was the food! Every
meal time our students were greeted with something new and
exciting - and there was always more than enough for everyone from burgers, to chicken and pancakes!
The students had a great time, and were all very sad to leave. They
all could not stop talking about their amazing experiences on the
way home.
Aniwaka Crawford
Year 7 student
"I gained a lot of confidence on the flying fox and giant swing as I
am very scared of heights. Thank you teachers for taking us on
such an awesome camp."
Lucy Tran
Year 8 student
“Not even a flat tyre on the way hope could dampen our spirits! All
of the teachers would like to thank the students for their excellent
behaviour and encouragement throughout the camp. We can't wait
for the next camp and another great adventure!”
Mr Fields, Ms Chetty and Mr Monaghan
Year 7 Adviser, Year 8 Adviser and Support Unit Teacher
HOSPITALITY REPORT
A very special group of Years 7 and 8 students were lucky enough
to be invited to attend this year‟s Reward Camp. Those who got
their notes and payments back in time were treated to the best two
days of school so far this year!
As the students waited for the bus on Monday morning there was
an air of excitement and anticipation. What would camp be like?
Would it be fun? Would the instructors be nice? All of our worries
were answered as soon as we saw the amazing grounds of our
Gosford camp and were introduced to our fantastic and friendly
camp leaders!!
As the year comes to an end, it is a great
opportunity to review some of the activities
that the Year 11 hospitality class have
experienced this year.
The class have
completed units of work focusing on
workplace health, safety and security; food
hygiene and safety; preparing non-alcoholic
beverages and coffee and organising and
preparing sandwiches and other foods.
Most students have completed their mandatory 70 hours of
workplacement with employers such as The Chocolate Room,
Smithfield RSL, Cabravale Diggers, Fairlfield RSL, Parramatta
Leagues Club, just to name a few. Congratulations to two of our
students, Camille Dela Cruz and Jeniza Mae Aquino, who were
nominated by their employers and have received Work placement
Awards from Southwest Connect.
We split into groups and got straight into the action, experiencing
the many amazing activities camp had to offer. Some of the activity
highlights include:
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Issue 10 – Term 4 – Week 10
9 December 2013
YEAR 7 REPORT
This is the final Year 7 report for
2013 and we are happy to say it
has been an overwhelmingly
successful first year! All students
have made a successful transition
from primary school or the IEC
and we have certainly grown as a
group over the last four terms.
There are too many highlights to mention, but the clear winner for
best event this year was the reward camp in Gosford. We hope that
even more Year 7 students can attend next year and experience
the fun together.
Camille Dela Cruz at
Jeniza Mae Aquino at
Fairfield RSL
Parramatta Leagues Club
The class have catered for many school events during the year
including the Beacon Breakfast, and morning teas for events such
as Young Achievers Awards, GOALS graduation, Orientation day
and Presentation Day.
This term, students also attended an excursion to The Holiday Inn
at Potts Point and were able to tour the hotel and see how it
operated. Afterwards, students enjoyed an A‟ la carte lunch in the
hotel‟s restaurant courtesy of the Beacon Foundation. Hopefully
next year, we will be able to access and visit a few more venues.
It has been a very busy year, but I am sure that the students have
gained many skills and experiences from their involvement in many
varied activities. Congratulations to the hospitality class for all their
hard work and efforts. Included are a few pictures of some this
year‟s activities.
With only a short amount of time left there are a few important
reminders:
It is vital that students are doing their best in all classes for the
remainder of the year and continuing to work hard. Our behaviour
should be just as perfect as what is expected at the beginning of
the year!
Thursday is Presentation Day in the school gym starting at 9am. All
parents and guardians are encouraged to attend and share in our
successes as a group this year.
Thursday evening is parent teacher night, also in the school
gymnasium. This is a great opportunity to meet with teachers and
discuss the progress of your children and work in collaboration to
create some goals for next year. We hope to see you all there.
Finally we would like to thank all students and their families on a
fantastic year and wish you all a happy and safe holiday!
Mr Matt Fields and Ms Kate Bailey
Year 7 Adviser and Assistant Adviser
YEAR 8 REPORT
On Monday 2nd December,
selected Year 7 and 8 students
attended an overnight camp. All
students and teachers had a
fantastic time at the camp. Some
of the activities that students
participated in were:
Learning how the hospitality industry works



Learning to make different styles of
coffees

 Using strength and balance on
the challenge ropes course.
Facing their fear of heights on the giant swing.
Using teamwork and aquatic skills in a raft building challenge.
Soaring through the sky and across the camp river on an
enormous flying fox.
Testing their strength on the rock climbing wall, then abseiling
down.
Thank you to all students who attended this camp. You were
definitely rewarded for your excellent behaviour this year. Photos
have been uploaded on the school‟s website. Please have a look to
see our fun experience at camp.
A reminder to students and parents that Parent Teacher Interviews
will be held on 12th December. Please book appointments with
teachers.
Catering for the Goals Graduation morning tea
Lunch at the Holiday Inn Potts Point
Shakti Chetty and Nes Atmali
Year 8 Advisers
last week
Sylvia Petreski
Hospitality Teacher
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Issue 10 – Term 4 – Week 10
YEAR 9 REPORT
Year 9 Goals Completion
Ceremony
The ABCN Goals program is a
one-to-one mentoring program in
a group environment that aims to
widen the choices of Year 9
students and teach them valuable
skills in communication and selfconfidence. Twelve year 9 students have been taking part in this
program this year.
9 December 2013
Aspire Excursion
On Wednesday 4th December, selected Year 9 students had the
opportunity to become university students for the day. Students
were involved in an Aspire workshop held at the University of New
South Wales where they got to explore the campus and interact
with current university students.
The students learnt about courses offered, university facilities and
how university life is different to school life. They undertook three
workshops in marketing and business, computer and engineering
and in science. Students enjoyed creating their own computer
game in the computer and engineering faculty and building and
firing their own water rockets in science. Overall it was a fun and
inspiring day for all.
The Goals Completion Ceremony was hosted by Holroyd High
School on the 29th November and was a great success. The
Holroyd participants, along with students from Bonnyrigg High
School, attended the ceremony in which they delivered speeches
about their mentors and their favourite part of the program.
Students reported gaining skills in speaking to others and
importantly belief in themselves.
Mrs Petreski and her Year 11 hospitality class did a fantastic and
professional job of providing morning tea for all the participants and
their mentors. The school band (Taylah Howell, Marko Gudelj, Ted
Daniel, Ash Halcomb and Jayden Mouttou) performed a live item
for all during the break.
“Goals really helped me with my confidence. Before the program I
was extremely shy and I would never have had the courage to
stand in front of a large group and deliver a speech.”
Khitam Alrourani
“My mentor was inspiring and an older version of myself. She
taught me a lot about how I can achieve my goals and gave me the
confidence to improve my results at school.”
Taylah Howell
“Thanks to the school and to ABCN for this opportunity to
participate in such a great program. My mentor is a great role
model to me.”
Abulfazel Rahimi
Louise Ciano and Mohammad Moussa
Year 9 Adviser and Assistant Adviser
SUPPORT CLASS REPORT
Primary school Transitioning for support
students of 2014
Our transition program was a great success.
Students enjoyed attending the activities and
engaging with our existing students. Activities
included completing fine motor skill exercises,
creating beautiful artworks and engaging in social
skills activities.
The transition program will enable students entering our support
unit next year to feel at ease. We have created a supportive
learning environment specifically to respect the needs of students
with Autism and intellectual disabilities. This includes visual
supports, the essence of creating boundaries, embracing cultural
diversity and individualisation: allowing students to develop at their
own pace.
Joining cultures together
Students from the mainstream, IEC and support unit viewed the
performance by Aboriginal performer Ryka Ali. We were fortunate
enough to have Ryka‟s grandmother join us and tell us an ancient
Aboriginal story. Students were able to participate in a special
ceremonial dance. Students also witnessed the sounds of the
magnificent didgeridoo and have learnt the truth about hunting with
a boomerang. A cultural event enjoyed by all.
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Issue 10 – Term 4 – Week 10
9 December 2013
HOLROYD’S GOT TALENT
13 December
th
Gymnasium
Talia Iaconis
Support Teacher
Congratulations to Mrs Beynon, our PDHPE
teacher, on the safe arrival of
her twins Harper Olive & Harvey Richard,
born on 11th November, 2013.
We wish Mrs Beynon all the best.
LITERACY NEWS
The Literacy Committee has been meeting on a
regular basis, supporting teachers and students
with helpful ideas to reinforce and support the
reading and writing skills of our students. The
committee has been supplying fun and
challenging activities from the Monthly Focus
Bank in valuable and effective methods to
differentiating the lessons to accommodate the
students‟ need and lift up the level of their English language.
The committee bases its work on the SMART (School
Measurement, Assessment and reporting Tool Kit) Data analysis,
the NAPLAN results and recommendation from colleagues on the
literacy needs of their students.
The SMART data analysis has showed improvement in grammar
and punctuation with Year 9 students and even greater
improvement in reading skills.
The committee will continue its work in 2014 to provide as much
support as possible to all students in all levels.
On behalf of the Literacy committee, I wish you all a very happy
Christmas and safe holidays 
Suzanne Safi
Literacy Co-ordinator
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Issue 10 – Term 4 – Week 10
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Issue 10 – Term 4 – Week 10
9 December 2013
UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN SYDNEY PENRITH
OBSERVATORY
WHAT’S ON – JANUARY 2014
JANUARY
Wednesday 22 - 10 am – 12 noon
School Holiday Hands-on Science Program
KIDS FUN DAY – ROCKETS
Lots of fun for kids of all ages. Make and launch your own
paper rocket and watch water rockets being launched. The
program will also include a short presentation, a 3D astronomy
movie and SAFE and detailed viewing of the sun through our
telescopes (weather permitting).
Saturday 25 - 8 pm – 10 pm
School Holiday Family Astronomy Night
Come along and enjoy a multimedia presentation, a 3D
astronomy movie and a tour of the Observatory‟s dome area
which houses a 0.6m (24 inch) telescope.
Cost:
$15 adult, $10 child/concession
and $40 family.
Bookings are essential:
Book and pay online:
www.uws.edu.au/observatory, What‟s On
Enquiries:
Phone (02)4736 0135 or email
[email protected]
www.facebook.com/UWSObservatory
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Issue 10 – Term 4 – Week 10
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Issue 10 – Term 4 – Week 10
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Abdul Rahman Youssef
Jarrah El Masri
Nasrin Nasrin
Marwa Mohammad Rahim
Baneen Moosawee
Alexander Calton
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Cassandra Sousan