8 May 2025

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

I acknowledge, with deep respect, the traditional custodians of this land, the mumirimina people and pay my respects to Elders past and present, to the Aboriginal people with us today and to the Tasmanian Aboriginal community who continue to care for Country.  I stand for a future that profoundly respects and acknowledges Aboriginal perspectives, culture, language and history.

Our School Values

Our Commitment:  In partnership with community, we provide a welcoming school of choice that inspires and supports all learners to succeed as connected, creative and curious thinkers.

Dear families,

Welcome to Term 2. It is my absolute pleasure to be leading Sorell School this term whilst Kelly takes a well-earned break. She will resume duties on Monday 21 July. Hopefully, she is spending her time doing all the things she loves, including winning Freddo Frogs at Pickle Ball!

As some of you may not know me well, I thought I’d briefly introduce myself. I have been at Sorell School since 2020. My substantive role is Assistant Principal here at the school and I work mostly with Year 7 and 8, as well as leading Year 6 to 7 transition. I live locally and absolutely love our community, especially the southern beaches. I love being a teacher and school leader. Supporting students to achieve their best is my passion. I also love to have fun and create a sense of belonging and purpose for students.

Staffing

At the end of Term 2, we farewelled Assistant Principal, Luke Hamilton. Luke was an integral part of our Year 11 and 12 program, leading that space since 2019. We wish him well in his new appointment at Campania District School. Due to Luke’s departure and Kelly’s leave, the following staffing appointments have occurred:

Bri Millhouse – Year 9-10 Assistant Principal

Mel Symmons – Year 7-8 Assistant Principal

Liam Rudolf – Year 9 Coordinator

Brody Walker – Year 10-12 Coordinator (with support in Year 11-12 from myself)

I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of these staff members and wish them well in their new roles.

Teaching and Learning

Our beginning of year DIBELS data (Prep to Year 8) compared to our 2024 beginning of year DIBELS data indicates we have reduced the number of students in the ‘at risk’ category by 11%, this averages out at 3 students per class. The typical change expected is 5%, so we are very proud of the positive shift in student outcomes.

Reasons for the shift include:

• Explicit Word Recognition using explicit instruction - Kinder to Year 6
• Intervention word recognition Years 7 and 8
• Whole school fluency focus
• Early years word recognition and fluency intervention
• Greater progress monitoring, tracking students more regularly to be responsive to intervention needs

Analysing the 2024-2025 DIBELS data, the 2024 Year 3s (current Year 4s) were the overall strongest improving students for reading proficiency across our school measured by beginning of year 2024 to beginning of year 2025. Codebreaking, fluency routines and text-based curriculum for the win! 

Upcoming Events

Mother’s Day and Special Person’s Breakfast

On Friday 9 May, we will host a breakfast to celebrate the fabulous mothers and special people in our school community. It will be held in mina nina krakani from 8:00am to 8:50am. Staff will head in early to cook up a pancake storm. 

Walk Safely to School Day

On Friday 16 May, we are inviting students and families to meet staff at Pembroke Park to walk safely to school together. This is in consultation with Sorell Council and their Road Safety Week promotion. More details will be advertised via Seesaw and Facebook very soon.

Thank You!

At very short notice, our brilliantly supportive School Association rallied to put on a fundraising barbecue at the Election Day polling station at Sorell School on Saturday 3 May. Many School Association members helped on the day, as well as some of our school staff. I’d like to thank everyone who helped on this day. Your support to raise funds for the school is appreciated. Thanks also to anyone who purchased a Democracy Day sausage, they were popular.

I have enjoyed getting into classrooms across the school to meet students and watch learning in action. I look forward to building connections with families over the course of the term. Please reach out at any stage if you would like to discuss your child’s learning. My door is always open.

Lauren Clements
Acting Principal

https://www.facebook.com/SorellSchool
Email: sorell.school@decyp.tas.gov.au
Phone: (03) 6269 1100

ECE Campus

Our Year 1-2 students have been immersed in the world of ‘The Tale of Despereaux’, a heartwarming novel about a brave little mouse with very large ears who embarks on all sorts of daring adventures. As part of our literacy learning, students have been building their vocabulary with words drawn directly from the text.

In our next vocabulary session, we’ll be exploring two powerful words that they may use in a range of contexts: Ponder and Persuade. To ponder means to think deeply about something, for example: Despereaux sat in the dark, pondering what he should do next. To persuade means to convince someone to do something. For example: The mouse tried to persuade the rat to help him escape the dungeon.

We encourage you to use these words in your conversations at home-ask your child what they are pondering, or if they can persuade you to read just one more chapter before bedtime.

Meanwhile, our Kindergarten students are currently undertaking the Kinder Development Check, which involves a range of playful and purposeful activities. These help us understand each child’s growth across key learning areas, and the results will be shared with families later the term.

Our Community focus continues to be on safety, particularly around recognising road signs and crossing roads safely. This learning connects with our Walk to School initiative, with more information to come via seesaw and Facebook.

Additionally, our student recently participated in Cyber Safety Sessions, where they learned how to stay safe online.

Teresa Spinks
K-2 Assistant Principal

Meet the ECE teaching team

Name: Maddie Johnson

Role: Education Support Specialist

How long have you been at Sorell School? I've been part of the Sorell School family for 5 years.

Tell us something about yourself: I have an identical twin sister! It's always fun to see people's reactions when they realize there are two of us.

YEARS 3 – 6 CAMPUS

What a fantastic start to Term 2 in the Primary area. Students have come back from the holidays reinvigorated and ready to learn. It has been great to see the smiles, the laughs and the enthusiasm to learn across the 3-6 Campus.

We’ve had some amazing reading results in our current Year 4's. Over the last year they have had the highest growth in their reading across the school. Codebreaking, fluency routines and text-based curriculum have really shown great results in student reading achievements.

At the end of Term 1, the Year 5 & 6 students were visited by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. It was a great opportunity for our students to get to sit in the helicopter, see all the specialised equipment and hear from the rescue team.

Tomorrow is our Primary Cross Country. All students will get the opportunity to run or walk the course here at school. The starting and finishing line is out the front of mina nina krakani.

Running times are:

                Year 3 - 9.15 - 9.35am, 2kms            Year 4 - 9.35 – 9.55am, 2kms

                Year 5 - 9.55- 10.20am, 2.2kms        Year 6 - 10.20 – 10.50am, 2.6kms

Good luck to all the students who will participate.

Trent Sproule and Jamie Harwood
3-6 Assistant Principals

YEARS 7 – 8 CAMPUS

Students in Years 7 and 8 have made a positive start to Term 2 and are already well into their learning routines.

Chess Club (Thursdays 12:50–1:20pm) and Art Club (Tuesdays lunchtime) continue to run this term, with many enthusiastic Year 7/8 students taking part. These Clubs are a great way for students to connect with peers who share similar interests and to further develop their creative and strategic thinking skills.

Community classes for both Year 7 & 8 will be heading to the Molesworth Activity Centre for a full-day team-building workshop. Year 7's will attend in Week 4 and Year 8's attend in Week 5. These excursions are a great opportunity to build teamwork, resilience, and relationships in an outdoor setting. Your child’s Community teacher will inform you of their scheduled day with further details. Students will need to bring a packed lunch, a water bottle, warm clothing, and sensible shoes suitable for physical activity.

In the classroom, there is a lot to celebrate:

• Year 7 students have started a bucket drumming unit in Music. Developing rhythm, coordination, and confidence as they prepare for a whole-grade performance later this term. It has been fantastic to see students stepping outside of their comfort zones, rehearsing in small groups, and growing in self-assurance. 
• Year 8 students have launched into engaging new units of work. In Maths, they are learning how to use Venn diagrams and two-way tables to represent and interpret data. In Science, they are exploring the fascinating world of cell biology. In English, the focus is on the Gothic horror genre—expect some spooky and imaginative writing ahead.

We are excited to share that Year 7 students are now using laptops in their classrooms to support their learning. This has been a smooth transition, and students are already showing great digital literacy skills. A reminder that we have a limited number of laptops available for loan through the Secondary Library for students without access to technology at home. Please encourage your child to speak with their Year Coordinator if you are interested in accessing this support.

Mel Symmons 
7-8 A/Assistant Principal

Meet the Year 7/8 teaching team

Name: Tom Burford

Role: Year 7 Coordinator and Maths/Science teacher

How long have you been at Sorell School? Since 2019

Tell us something about yourself: I like riding my bicycle to and from school

YEARS 9-10 CAMPUS

Welcome to Term 2. I am excited to be in the role of Assistant Principal in Year 9 and 10 for this term. In Year 9, we introduce Susie into the role of English and History for Year 9 this term. I know Susie will be an invaluable member of the team. Some of our Year 9 students will be heading off to work experience this term. Work experience is a 10-day work experience program that is available throughout the year. This initiative allows students to explore various career paths, gain practical work experience, and connect with our community. Whether in a full 10 day block or one day per term, students will immerse themselves in different professions, building skills and confidence. If your child is interested in work experience, please make sure they have a chat to Liam or myself.

Year 10 students have been busy working on their transition plans. Transition plans will be posted out to families at the end of the school year and identify future study aspirations and preferred courses. The transition plans incorporate elements of a student’s personal interests and hobbies, academic goals, social connections as well as any previous work-related activities. It’s great to continue these conversations at home, so students are well prepared to plan their preferred future career planning work during Term 2.  To complement this, we will be having a Taster Day at Rosny College on Tuesday 10 June.

This year the Year 10’s will be completing two sets of exams one at the end of Term 2 and one at the end of the year. These exams will include Maths, Science, English and History and will run in week 9 and 10 of Term 2. The Year 10 students are continuing to work on learning all new content so that they can be as successful as they can.

Did you know that we have some laptops available to loan through the Secondary Library for students that don’t have access to technology at home? This also includes a hot spot so that they are able to connect to the internet. This would be an invaluable tool when we get to the revision for exam phase.  Please encourage your children to talk to their Year Coordinator if you are interested in this initiative.

Bri Millhouse 
9-10 A/Assistant Principal

YEARS 11 – 12 CAMPUS

Students in Years 11 & 12 have started the term off strong. Since term began, we have had a speaker, Services Australia, to provide information on how to engage with all sorts of services like Medicare or MyGov. Year 11's have also started looking at next year and are starting to explore their options for Year 12 and beyond. This is to help our Year 11's plan for their futures and support them as they continue their educational journey.

There is also a lot in the works for Year 11 & 12 students in Term 2. They will be completing their first aid certificate later this term. We are also offering a taster day for our 2026 courses for students to make the right choices for them into the future.

Brodie Walker
11-12 A/Assistant Principal

Special Person Breakfast

Photo time

Year 6 Transition Information Session

Every school day matters

School Calendar of Events

Paddock to Plate

Below are some of the options that Paddock to Plate will offering during term 2. 

Roosters- give away

12 Silky and Pecan cross roosters to give away

Please contact our School Farm - 6269 1199

Midway Point Neighbourhood house

Aussie Hoops