These two women have been a part of Holy Family Primary School East Granville for a combined total of more than 50 years. Home Liaison Officer Fadia Rizk has worked at the school for 31 years, while Teacher’s Aide Sue Issa is about to clock up 24 years!
They are at the heart of a school community that is soon to celebrate its 80th anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, a day of celebrations is being held on Wednesday, August 8 beginning at 9.30am with a special Mass and blessing of its new learning studio.
Mrs Rizk said she started at the school as a Bilingual Assistant.
"This role saw me interacting with parents on a number of different levels from having a casual chat to assisting them with filling out forms or sitting in on meetings with them and their children’s teachers,’’ Mrs Rizk said.
For six years, she also ran a playgroup for families attached to the school. “I enjoy helping families and if I need to go out and visit a family who needs some extra help, I am happy to do that,” Mrs Rizk said.
Mrs Rizk has two sons - George, 35 and Andre, 32. She can relate to a the challenges the school’s parent community faces, which makes her the perfect fit for her role at Holy Family.
Teacher’s Aide Sue Issa’s main role is helping students with their learning.
“All four of my children went to this school and I used to volunteer to help in the classrooms,’’ Mrs Issa said.
“Then one day the Principal asked if I would like to become a Teacher’s Aide, because at the time we had a lot of people who didn’t speak English.”
Mrs Issa said she is driven by the enjoyment she gets from working with infants as well as students with special needs.
“To me, this school community feels like one big family and I really do feel like I am making a difference in these kids’ lives.”
Mrs Issa, former student of Holy Family, is the mother of four children: Tania, 38, Steven, 36, Natalie, 33 and Pierre, 29 and grandmother to seven children. She never thought she would still be working at the school for this long but can’t see herself doing anything else. She hopes to continue in her role at the school for as long as her health will allow it.
Both Mrs Issa and Mrs Rizk have been part of the close-knit school community for so long, some of their former students have returned to the school as parents!
Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
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27 Jun 2026
From Facebook
🌧️ Rain couldn’t dampen the excitement! ⚽️🇦🇺 As part of their whole school reward, our students cheered on the Socceroos, filling the afternoon with excitement, smiles and plenty of Aussie spirit. It was a fantastic way to celebrate the positive choices they’ve made by living safely, loving respectfully and learning daily. 💚💛🙌
26 Jun 2026
From Facebook
🏆✨ Celebrating our End of Term Award recipients! ✨🏆 Today we recognised students who have truly shone by choosing to Live Safely 💛, Love Respectfully ❤️, and Learn Daily 📚. Their positive attitudes, kind hearts, and commitment to doing their best make our school community a wonderful place to be. We also had three Year students who were recipients of our Student of the Week awards! Congratulations to all of our award winners! 🌟 Keep being role models, making great choices, and inspiring those around you. We can’t wait to see what you’ll achieve next term! 👏🎉 #LiveSafely #LoveRespectfully #LearnDaily
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27 Jun 2026
From Facebook
🌧️ Rain couldn’t dampen the excitement! ⚽️🇦🇺 As part of their whole school reward, our students cheered on the Socceroos, filling the afternoon with excitement, smiles and plenty of Aussie spirit. It was a fantastic way to celebrate the positive choices they’ve made by living safely, loving respectfully and learning daily. 💚💛🙌
26 Jun 2026
From Facebook
🏆✨ Celebrating our End of Term Award recipients! ✨🏆 Today we recognised students who have truly shone by choosing to Live Safely 💛, Love Respectfully ❤️, and Learn Daily 📚. Their positive attitudes, kind hearts, and commitment to doing their best make our school community a wonderful place to be. We also had three Year students who were recipients of our Student of the Week awards! Congratulations to all of our award winners! 🌟 Keep being role models, making great choices, and inspiring those around you. We can’t wait to see what you’ll achieve next term! 👏🎉 #LiveSafely #LoveRespectfully #LearnDaily
25 Jun 2026
From Facebook
🌟 Reward Day Fun! 🌟 Our students have been working hard to follow our school expectations, and their rewards were well deserved! 🎉 🧦 Year 1 rocked their craziest socks and enjoyed a movie afternoon 🍿 🏉 Year 4 showed off their favourite jerseys and earned some extra play time ⚽ 🧢 Year 3 topped had the chance to wear any hat of their choice! A fantastic way to celebrate positive choices, respect, responsibility and safe learning every day! 👏✨
24 Jun 2026
From Facebook
🎉 Reward Day Fun! 🎉 Today, our students enjoyed some well-earned rewards for consistently demonstrating our school expectations! 🌟 💙 Year 1 brightened the school by dressing in their favourite colours 🌈 🏰 Year 2 brought the magic to life, dressing as their favourite Disney characters ✨👑 🧸 Year 5 enjoyed a mufti day and brought along their favourite toys to share with friends 🎮🚗🧩 We are so proud of the way these students have shown respect, responsibility, and positive behaviour throughout the term. Rewards like these are earned through hard work and consistently making great choices every day! 👏⭐ What a fantastic day of fun, colour, creativity, and celebration! 🎊
23 Jun 2026
From Facebook
A huge thank you to our wonderful Community Links Café Club members for joining us this week! It was fantastic to come together, share a coffee, and hear about the learning taking place across our school. Families had the opportunity to participate in a Learning Walk, visiting classrooms and seeing firsthand the engaging learning experiences our students are involved in every day. The positive outcomes for student learning that have emerged from these initiatives were a highlight of our discussions, and it was wonderful to celebrate the growth, achievement, and enthusiasm of our learners. We are incredibly grateful to the parents who generously gave their time to support and engage with our school community. Your interest, feedback, and partnership play an important role in helping us create the best possible learning environment for our students. Thank you for being such valued members of our Holy Family community. We look forward to welcoming you again soon! ☕✨
23 Jun 2026
From Facebook
🌏♻️ Our Year 6 students stepped up as Climate Champions, investigating important environmental issues and creating informative posters about climate change! 🌱📚 They explored the causes and effects of climate change and designed engaging, eye-catching posters to educate others about simple ways we can all help care for our planet. 🌍💚 Through this project, students strengthened their research, critical thinking, and communication skills while encouraging our school community to take positive action for a brighter, more sustainable future. 🌿✨🌎 #ClimateChampions #FutureLeaders #MakingADifference
22 Jun 2026
From Facebook
Four of our Year 6 students took part in a Vinnies Encounter Day, learning about homelessness and reflecting on how we can see Christ in the poor. Through this experience, they were challenged to respond with compassion, kindness and respect, following Jesus' example of love in action.
19 Jun 2026
From Facebook
💧 Splashing into learning! Year 1 explored volume and capacity through hands-on investigations with water. Students estimated and measured how many cups of water different containers could hold, recording their findings and sharing their discoveries. It was a fun and engaging way to develop mathematical thinking and measurement skills.
17 Jun 2026
From Facebook
Who knew pyjamas could be so powerful? 💙❄️ Today our students came to school dressed in their comfiest pyjamas, oodies and dressing gowns to support the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal. Together, we raised an amazing $452 and helped raise awareness for those doing it tough this winter. By following Jesus' example of compassion, kindness and love in action, we are helping bring hope and support to those who need it most. Thank you to our students, families and staff for your generosity. 💙 #faithinactioncspd
16 Jun 2026
From Facebook
Year 3 had an unforgettable Science excursion to Symbio Wildlife Park! 🐍🐅🐖 As part of our learning about caring for the environment and habitats of living things, students explored how animals survive, what they need to live, and ways we can help protect endangered species. From feeding wallabies and meeting meerkats to feeling pythons up close, it was a hands-on learning experience filled with excitement, curiosity and discovery! 💡🧠🧐
12 Jun 2026
From Facebook
🌟 Students of the Week 🌟 What a fantastic group of achievers! 👏✨ This week we celebrated our talented poets 📝, brilliant mathematicians 🔢 and enthusiastic readers 📚. These students have demonstrated hard work, determination and a commitment to learning, making us incredibly proud. Congratulations on your achievements and for being shining examples in our school community! ⭐️🎉 Keep up the amazing work! 💙
10 Jun 2026
From Facebook
🚨 Missing: Year 4! 🚨 Today, Year 4 seemed to disappear and in their place were teachers, sports stars, singers, workmen, scientists, make-up artists and surgeons! 👩🏫⚽🎤🔨🔬💄🩺 As a reward for consistently following our school expectations, Year 4 dressed up as who or what they wanted to be when they are older. 🌟 It was wonderful to see our students dreaming big and proudly sharing what they hope to become in the future. The future is looking bright! Congratulations Year 4! Keep up the great work!
10 Jun 2026
From Facebook
Mark your calendars as Holy Family comes together to support the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal, helping those in our community who are doing it tough this winter. 📅 Wednesday 17th June 💰 Gold coin donation ❄️Wear your cosiest PJs with your enclosed sport shoes (no UGG boots, slippers or open toe shoes) Students are invited to bring a gold coin donation as we join together in living out our faith through action and compassion, supporting the important work of St Vincent de Paul in providing care and assistance to people in need.
09 Jun 2026
From Facebook
🏃♀️🏃♂️ Athletics Carnival 2026 🏅 What an incredible day of energy, teamwork and school spirit! From the starting line to the finish line, our students gave their best, cheered each other on and showed outstanding sportsmanship throughout the day. 🌟 Whether they were running, jumping, or supporting their friends, everyone played a part in making our Athletics Carnival such a success. We are so proud of the determination, resilience and enthusiasm shown by all students. 💙💛❤️💚 A huge thank you to our staff, families and volunteers who helped make the day possible. What a fantastic celebration of participation and perseverance!
05 Jun 2026
From Facebook
🌱✨ Kindergarten teamed up with their wonderful Year 6 buddies to plant their very own plants! 🧑🤝🧑💚 As part of their learning about plants as living things, our Kindergarten students have been exploring what plants need to grow and survive. 🌿☀️💧 After researching and discovering all about plant life, it was time to put their knowledge into action! We can’t wait to watch our plants grow and flourish over the coming weeks! 🌱🌼😊