Holbrook Public School

The highlight of my day and the most important part of being a Principal thus far for me has been having students share their learning experiences with me when I visit classrooms or when students pop into my office to show me their learning achievements. Many students have shared their learning goals in literacy and numeracy and where to next with their learning. I have enjoyed seeing the smile on their faces, the pride in their achievements, and many a general love of learning and willingness to improve.

Director's visit

Mrs Jayne Gill Director of Education - Albury, visited the school last week, and she enjoyed speaking with staff and students and wandering around our amazing playground. She was full of compliments for the extra-curricula activities staff have coordinated for students and the high levels of engagement by students. She also expressed the school had a harmonious feel from the time she walked in the door at the front office. Well done, everyone!

Recorder group

Mrs Biar and the recorder group have stepped up their practice over the last month in preparation for the practice day in Wagga this week. The group is progressing nicely and attempting some very challenging pieces of music. I am sure all students will enjoy this incredible experience of collaborating with other schools and musicians. Good luck!

Debating

Miss Morgan and the debating team have been preparing and fine-tuning their skills, getting ready to meet Thurgoona Public School this week in the debating competition. I wish the students all the best.

Student reports

Teachers throughout the year have been assessing students in many different ways through formal assessments, classroom observation, and work samples. In Week 10 of this term, student reports will be sent home to parents, and in Term 3, we will be conducting parent/teacher meetings – further information to come on the dates and times of these meetings.

Professional Learning

Mrs Amelia White attended the Curriculum Reform Community meeting in Albury last week. The staff is looking forward to learning about and implementing new practices shared in this community of practice.

Miss Ashleigh Hemphill will be attending the Learning and Support Conference in Albury this week to build her knowledge around supporting students with learning needs and effective learning and support practices.

I enjoyed attending the Principal’s Network meeting in Albury last week, where the day's focus was ‘inclusive practice’. A large contingent of the Albury Learning and Support network worked through key strategies to support schools in planning for whole school wellbeing and inclusive education practices.

Sport

The Athletics Carnival was a huge success on Friday, 27 May; even the weather was on our side and held off until the day's last event. I enjoyed seeing the students showing their competitive spirit and giving 100% effort in all the events. I was also so pleased to see the students' sportsmanship and support towards each other amid fierce competition. The support from parents, grandparents, and carers and the hard work of staff ensured the day ran smoothly. A BIG thank you to the P&C volunteers who kept the students fuelled with a yummy barbecue lunch. I want to give a shout out to Tom Maclagan, who showed great team spirit on the day and jumped in to be a member of the senior girls' relay team as they were short of a fourth team member. Great work, Tom!

Congratulations to Mr Leitch and the K/O Cricket team for their impressive win over Gundagai last week. I enjoyed being out there cheering on the team and watching the bowling attack take lots of wickets and the outstanding fielding by our boys.

We had Sybil Triggs representing Riverina at AFL in Coffs Harbour in Week 5. Sybil’s class had the opportunity to tune into the live stream back at school to support and cheer her on. It must have worked as Sybil had a great carnival and was selected for the NSW State team. Congratulations, Sybil and an amazing achievement!

 Louise Purss-Semple

Principal

Our COVID-smart settings in Term 2 have been developed in consultation with NSW Health and are aligned with the NSW Government's general community settings.

Many of our existing COVID-smart measures continue into Term 2, including:

• rapid antigen testing for symptomatic students and staff
• vaccinations – including booster shots (from 3 months after your child's primary COVID-19 dose) are encouraged for all eligible students and their families.
• ventilation
• good hygiene practices
• enhanced cleaning.

What’s new in Term 2?:

• Change to close contact isolation requirements – The NSW Premier has announced changes to requirements for close contacts, which means that from Week 1 of Term 2, students and staff who are identified as close contacts will be able to attend school with certain risk mitigations in place. 
• Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) – which the department will continue to supply to students and staff in Term 2 to support symptomatic testing and testing of close contacts returning to school. 
• Masks – particularly a new recommendation from NSW Health for people who have recently recovered from COVID-19 to wear a mas for an additional  three days following their 7-day isolation period (from days 8-10).
• Responding to local COVID-19 conditions – outlining the temporary reintroduction of some additional COVID-smart settings if local conditions require it. 
• Ventilation – how we maximise natural ventilation in classrooms and learning spaces while balancing thermal comfort during the cooler months. 
• Reducing the risk of illness this winter – general advice from NSW Health to protect our school community as we head into winter. 

Thank you again for your ongoing support.

On Tuesday, 24 May, our cricketers took on Gundagai Public School at Holbrook Public School. We lost the toss and were asked to bowl first. The boys made a miserly start, restricting Gundagai to one run an over from the first six overs before Isaac Mathewson broke through for the first wicket. You wouldn't have known that they hadn't played cricket for almost two months! This continued throughout, bowling Gundagai out for 49 in 23 overs with the wickets shared around. Isaac 3 wickets, Jye 2, one each to Ned, Chace, Will and Liam, plus a run out to Will. Gundagai proved that they were no pushovers, making us work hard to get the runs, eventually passing their score in the 16th over, three wickets down, before finishing on 4/70 from our 25 overs. Ollie continued his consistent form, top-scoring with 21, and was ably supported by Liam and Isaac, who scored six runs each. Another interesting and slightly amusing note to the day was the regular occurrence of Mr Leitch turning away from the action to do a job and the boys getting a wicket. Maybe this is a tactic that needs to be continued going forward? Thank you to the parents who came to support and umpire or score. We now have a few months off and look forward to taking on Lake Albert Public School in the semifinal at a date to be confirmed towards the end of Term 3.
Mr Leitch
Cricket Coordinator

Year 6 has been looking at energy in Science and created several different circuits using wires, batteries, and a light bulb last week.

Our bus drivers have noticed an increase in parents and children walking between buses at the end of the school day. They have asked us to remind you of the following points.

 Parents and carers

School-aged children might seem independent, but they still need a hand. Remember:

• Always meet your child AT school or at the bus stop. NEVER wait on the opposite side of the road and call them across.
• Always supervise your child and hold their hand when walking to and from the bus stop or interchange and when crossing the road until they are at least 10
• Wait until the bus has gone, then use a safe place to cross the road
• Encourage your child to take a seat quickly when they get on the bus and buckle up if the bus has seatbelts.

Help your kids stay safe by learning about the benefits and risks of online gaming.

This webinar is designed for parents and carers of young people aged 8 to 13.

It will cover:

• the games young people are using and how they are engaging with them
• the benefits of gaming and how to mitigate the risks
• practical strategies to use at home and where to find help and support if things go wrong.

Term 2 dates (Australian Eastern Daylight Time)

Thursday, 9 June, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

Friday, 17 June, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

Tuesday, 21 June, 7:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Register now

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