Holbrook Public School

Quality education for all, in a secure and caring environment

ISSUE 19: Term 4, Week 5 - Monday, 7 November 2022

From the Principal's desk

Last week, I was lucky enough to attend a community event with our school leaders run by the Holbrook Landcare Network to discuss and raise awareness about our local waterway and co-create a campaign on waterway health, tailored to refreshing the Upper Billabong. I was amazed by the initiative and engagement of our school leaders in working with the Landcare Network to workshop specific actions to help care for our waterways. 

Throughout this week our Year 3/4 students will be busy preparing for their excursion to Melbourne. Miss Morgan and Mr Leitch have been sharing maps and creating learning opportunities to build knowledge and familiarity for our students to support them on the excursion. I am really looking forward to attending the excursion with Mr Leitch, Miss Morgan, and Mrs de Steiger, and our Year 3/4 students. Attending overnight excursions is a learning experience for many of our students and families. We will keep parents and families updated through our communication apps Skoolbag and SENTRAL, so please make sure you have access to these apps prior to the excursion. 

Sport 

A big shout out to Mr Leitch and the K/O Cricket team. The weather has played havoc with our matches this term and I would like to thank the parents for being so flexible in getting the boys to the matches at such short notice. It was a great effort to make the Riverina Final.  

Staffing Update 

Mrs Henderson will soon be on maternity leave, and we wish her and her family all the best as they welcome a new member to their family. During Mrs Henderson’s absence, Mrs Megan Young will be teaching Year 2 till the end of the year. Mrs Young has already been teaching Year 2 one day a week this year and is familiar with the routines, structure, and learning of all students in year 2.  

Louise Purss-Semple

Principal

Reminders

EventDate
Year 3/4 excursion to Melbourne - Money and notesOVERDUE
 K-2 School Swimming and Water Safety - Money and notesDue Friday, 11 November 2022

COVID-smart settings for schools have been developed and updated in close consultation with NSW Health.

Keep-up-to date with the latest NSW Department of Education COVID-19 advice.

Have you downloaded the SENTRAL Parent Portal app yet?

Parents can now access the school calendar using the calendar tab on the SENTRAL Parent Portal app.

PSSA Cricket Knockout Riverina Semi-Final vs Lake Albert Public School

After many setbacks due to the weather, we finally took the field on Monday, 31 October, for our long-awaited semi-final match up with Lake Albert Public School, with the match moved to Wagga due to the weather. Captain, Liam won the toss and chose to bowl first, with this decision paying dividends as the Holbrook boys restricted Lake Albert to 7/77 from their 25 overs. Ollie led the way with amazing figures of 3/0 from 3 overs and was well supported by a shared fielding and bowling effort. The top 4 batters in Liam, Jye, Ollie and Will got to work in chasing down the target ahead of the looming rain, passing their total one wicket down in the 16th over to see us through to the Riverina final against Young Public School.

PSSA Cricket Knockout Riverina Final vs Young Public School

A short turnaround due to the aforementioned weather setbacks and other upcoming deadlines saw us part take in another road trip, to Young, on Friday, 4 November for the Riverina final, with the winner earning a place in the state quarter finals and the title of Riverina champions. Liam again won the toss and decided to continue with a winning formula and sent the opposition into bat. The bowling and field effort as always was impressive with Holbrook taking wickets at regular intervals. The wickets were shared among all of the bowlers. However, a special mention must go to Fergus, the youngest member of our team in Year 3, taking three outstanding catches out on the boundary under high balls that most adults would struggle to catch! Despite taking regular wickets, the powerful Young team still posted a formidable total of 9/123 from their 25 overs. This proved to be too much for the younger and smaller in size, Holbrook team who were no match for a strong and united bowling and fielding effort from Young Public School and we were restricted to 7/64 from our 25 overs. Special mention goes to Will Glass who stood tall despite the wickets falling around him to post an impressive 23 not out. I was very impressed with the batting effort in that we didn't fold or wilt despite the game being out of reach, we fought it out to the very end. Worth noting that this was against a side who in their two games (a few forfeits helped them along the way), had lost a total of 2 wickets while batting and bowled their opponents out for under 60 runs both times. This shows that we very much deserved to be there in that final, a feat that I don't think has previously been achieved by Holbrook Public School!

A final note from me...I just wanted to say a massive thank you to all the parents who gave up their time to help out with scoring and umpiring duties, as well as taking time out of their schedules to drive to games and support their kids across the six games we played this year. In particular, this last week with the games being at such short notice. Without you, these students don't get the opportunity to excel in areas that they are great at! As you will read, and have heard, I won't be at Holbrook Public School next year, as I am heading abroad to live out some childhood dreams of mine. So, I just wanted to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed coaching the cricket team (and other sporting teams for that matter) and look forward to following their sporting endeavours for years to come!

Mr Leitch
Cricket Coach

Mushrooms in Schools Program

Holbrook Public School recently participated in the Mushrooms In Schools Program. After filling the box with mushroom compost material and sprinkling spores on top, Jett and Jeziah in Year 6, watered and monitored the project. With some guidance from Mrs D, the boys did an amazing job of caring for the mushrooms until they finally reaped the benefits of their efforts with some yummy mushrooms sprouting up after six weeks.

Well done, boys!

Mrs McEwan

DID YOU KNOW?: The world's largest living organism is a fungus. Found in Oregon in the USA, this fungus covers 2,384 acres or 10 square kilometers. Based on its current growth rate, the fungus is estimated to be 2,400 years old but could be as ancient as 8,650 years, which would earn it a place among the oldest living organisms as well.

Tennis Clinics - Each Monday to 28 November 2022

This term, Holbrook Public School will be running tennis clinics using the Australian Government's Sporting Schools grant and initiative to bring schools and sports together to help students get active. Every Monday, from 24 October to 28 November, all students will be involved in tennis clinics as part of the PD/H/PE curriculum.

Students can wear their sports uniform on Mondays to participate in these clinics.

Louise Purss-Semple

Principal

Kindergarten Transition - Session 2!

Our second transition session was a great success! We had a wonderful time getting to know our Kindergarten students for 2023. It is great to see their beautiful personalities shine through as we continue to learn more about who they are and the amazing qualities that they will bring to our school.

Students began the day officially meeting their Buddies for the very first time. Our delighted Year 5 students presented the children with their Transition to School t-shirt. Throughout the day everyone had a great time playing, listening to stories and engaging in some craft activities with their buddy or buddies. They ‘built’ a picture of themselves at big school in their school uniform. The children became more aware of what the uniform looks like and practised cutting and positioning skills in this activity.

This session was a great chance for students to build stronger connections with one another, their teacher, their buddy, students from different year groups and other members of staff at Holbrook Public School.

A big thank you to Faith from Greater Hume Children Services for accompanying some of our new students. Also, thank you to Miss Hemphill for her amazing planning and preparation. 

A reminder that we would like to welcome our new Kindergarten parents and our Year 5 parents to attend our BBQ lunch at 1:00pm tomorrow. We would like to take this opportunity to kindly thank Logan at the Holbrook Butchery and Carla at the Holbrook Bakery for their very kind donations for this event. A big thanks must also go to our wonderful P&C for their wonderful cooking skills. We are grateful for the time, effort and support from these services.

Please see the dates below for more detail about our upcoming sessions.

Drawing Competition

Students in Kinder to Year 6 are invited to enter a new drawing competition run by the Border Carriage Club in conjunction with their Battle of the Border event in Mullengandra in December. Students are asked to draw a horse and carriage, using a medium of their choice. There are three categories:

  • Kinder, Year 1 and Year 2
  • Year 3 and Year 4
  • Year 5 and Year 6

Entries close on 25 November so need to be handed in to Miss Lavis at school by Thursday, 24 November.

The competition will be judged by Ann Gilbert of Ann Gilbert Fine Art and awards will be presented at the Kiddies Corner in the Battle of the Border Marketplace at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, 4 December. Families are most welcome to attend the event. See flyer for further details.

ICAS Assessment - Awards

ICAS Assessment awards will be presented at the Week 8 school assembly (Friday, 2 December).

Presentation Night - Donations

Our annual presentation evening will be held on Thursday, 8 December 2022, at 6:30 pm at the school hall. We cordially invite all parents and friends of our students to attend. At the presentation evening we award students who have achieved excellence, consistent improvement, citizenship and sporting achievements. Each year the awards are sponsored by the local community. If you would like to make a donation towards the book prizes this year it will be greatly appreciated. Your name will be listed in our presentation night book as recognition of your valuable contribution to our school. Donations can be sent to the office.

2023 enrolments are now being accepted for all students who reside within our local school area. Please select the link below for further details and to begin your application.
Students who do not reside in our school area may be considered for an out-of-area enrolment. Please select the link below for further details.

Pre-loved uniforms for sale from $5 each

Uniform ItemSizes Available
Summer Uniforms
Short sleeve polo shirt4, 6, 8, 10
Shorts4, 10, 12
Skorts8
Summer dress4, 6, 8, 10
Winter Uniforms
Long sleeve polo shirt4, 6, 8, 10, 12
Fleece jacket4, 6, 8, 10
Long pants4, 6, 12
Tartan pants10
Tartan skirt4, 6, 8, 10
Tartan tunic8
Windcheater6, 8, 10, 12
Sports Uniforms
Sports shirt4, 6, 8, 10, 12
Sports shorts6, 8
Track pants4, 6, 8
Accessories
Bata School Shoes3
Hats
Socks
Tights

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Cancer Council - Food Safety

Aussies of the Month

Term 4, Week 4 class awards

AwardRecipient

Tidy Ted

This award is given to the class whose room is the tidiest.

Year 1

Yellow Star Card

For excellent behaviour in the playground.

Mia Boers and Tobias Peake

Blue Star Card

For excellent behaviour in the classroom.

Nathaniel Atkinson and James Lawson

First Class Ready

Awarded to that class who is sitting quietly and attentively during morning assembly.

Kindergarten

Best Assembly

Awarded to the class for paying attention during the whole school fortnightly assembly.

Year 1

Term 4, Week 4 award recipients

TeachersRecipients
Miss Hemphill

Myla Boers, Tobias Peake and Poppy Snow: For their great effort and determination when completing reading and writing tasks. Keep it up, Myla, Tobias and Pops!

Connor Maher: Sportspersonship

Mrs Biar

Harry Fry: For being a great help in the classroom

Alistar Keene: For improved fluency and accuracy in reading

Ollie Saunders: Sportspersonship

Mrs Henderson

Logan McCarthy: For being able to confidently express his introductory sentence for writing and setting an example for others

Jimmy Snow: For expressing his enthusiasm for learning new topics in class

Sophie Burey: Sportspersonship

Miss Morgan

Eddie Landale:  For his active listening and insightful contributions to class discussions

Maverick Moore: For enthusiastically contributing to class discussions by sharing his ideas and strategies.

Zye Liddell: Sportspersonship

Mr Leitch

Cess Lieschke : For writing an accurate and detailed procedure on how to make a paper aeroplane.

Harry Purcell: For approaching all learning tasks with a positive mindset.

Will Power: Sportspersonship

Miss Lavis

Nathaniel Atkinson and Ada Ryan: Beginning their Aurora classes with a growth mindset

Isaac Nisbet: Thinking outside the square and embracing a challenging task

Sophia Henderson: Sportspersonship

Mrs Purss-Semple

Nathaniel Atkinson: For being kind and considerate to his peers

April Henderson: For being a responsible member of Holbrook Public School

Ben Yensch: Sportspersonship

Community news

Tennis Clinic

Date and Time

From Monday, November. 14th to Monday, November. 14th

Location

146 Albury Street, Holbrook NSW, AustraliaGet Directions

Kindergarten Transition

Date and Time

From Wednesday, November. 16th, 9:00 am to Wednesday, November. 16th, 2:00 pm

Location

146 Albury Street, Holbrook NSW, AustraliaGet Directions

Information

Teddy Bears’ Picnic
2023 Kindergarten students bring their most-loved soft toy and lunch for a Teddy bears’ picnic. Your child will need a hat, lunch (for two breaks), fruit break/snack and a drink bottle.

Year 3 and 4 Excursion to Melbourne

Date and Time

From Wednesday, November. 16th to Friday, November. 18th

Mr Huff visiting performance

Date and Time

From Monday, November. 21st to Monday, November. 21st

Location

146 Albury Street, Holbrook NSW, AustraliaGet Directions

Tennis Clinic

Date and Time

From Monday, November. 21st to Monday, November. 21st

Location

146 Albury Street, Holbrook NSW, AustraliaGet Directions

Kindergarten Transition

Date and Time

From Thursday, November. 24th, 9:00 am to Thursday, November. 24th, 3:20 pm

Location

146 Albury Street, Holbrook NSW, AustraliaGet Directions

Information

Full day transition
Your child will need a hat, lunch (for two breaks), fruit break/snack and a drink bottle.

Tennis Clinic

Date and Time

From Monday, November. 28th to Monday, November. 28th

Location

146 Albury Street, Holbrook NSW, AustraliaGet Directions

Kindergarten Transition

Date and Time

From Wednesday, November. 30th, 9:00 am to Wednesday, November. 30th, 3:20 pm

Location

146 Albury Street, Holbrook NSW, AustraliaGet Directions

Information

Full day transition
Your child will need a hat, lunch (for two breaks), fruit break/snack and a drink bottle.

Parent information session (3:00 p.m.)

Sports Assembly

Date and Time

From Thursday, December. 1st, 10:00 am to Thursday, December. 1st, 11:00 am

Location

146 Albury Street, Holbrook NSW, AustraliaGet Directions

Information

Parents and carers are invited to join us for this special sports assembly, where students' sporting prowess is rewarded.

Intensive swimming

Date and Time

From Monday, December. 5th to Friday, December. 16th

Location

Holbrook War Memorial Swimming PoolGet Directions

Presentation Night

Date and Time

From Thursday, December. 8th, 6:30 pm to Thursday, December. 8th, 8:00 pm

Location

146 Albury Street, Holbrook NSW, AustraliaGet Directions

End of Term 4

Date and Time

From Friday, December. 16th to Friday, December. 16th

Location

146 Albury Street, Holbrook NSW, AustraliaGet Directions

Information

Students conclude another year of learning at Holbrook Public School.

Staff Development Day

Date and Time

From Monday, December. 19th to Monday, December. 19th

Location

146 Albury Street, Holbrook NSW, AustraliaGet Directions

Information

Staff use this day to finalise the end-of-year school processes.

Staff Development Day

Date and Time

From Friday, January. 27th to Monday, January. 30th

Location

146 Albury Street, Holbrook NSW, AustraliaGet Directions

Information

Staff use this day to undertake mandatory training and plan for the new school year.

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