Lilydale supports various programs to ensure that our students are ready to take the next step after high school, whether it be further education, employment, or training.

All high school classes participate in Transition lessons that involve learning life skills, being work ready and preparing for college.

Last year, we had students complete work placements in the areas of automotive, construction, education, retail, and physiotherapy. Work placements may be a one off or on going for several weeks. We have also had Year 10 students successfully transition into apprenticeships in retail, automotive and construction.

Year 9-10 students who are interested in undertaking a work placement or possibly an apprenticeship are encouraged to do the following:

• Make connections with people in the industry or businesses they are interested in
• Research what sort of skills or training are required
• Have conversations with people at home about their interests

Mrs Karin Denehy will act as the facilitator to organise the work placements or apprenticeships. Students can contact her via email, complete a request for information form or come and see her in the computer lab Tuesdays at lunch time.

The computer lab is open for 9-10 students on Tuesdays at lunch time to complete work, update resumes or conduct research on their career paths.

If there are parents that work in an industry or business that would be happy to take students for a work placement or even have School Based Apprenticeship opportunities, we would really like to hear from you as our community is our biggest asset. To discuss opportunities or for any questions contact Karin.denehy@education.tas.gov.au .

We are very pleased to introduce our new staff members to our school community. We have are very lucky to have these wonderful teachers and support staff to Lilydale for this year.

We have Ms Abby Bent sharing 3-4A class with Miss Brown, Ms Isabel Garrett (3 days) as Student Support, Ms Nicole Maher 9-10B class teacher as well as Maths & Science For College, Ms Vanessa Abernethy HPE Teacher (2 days), Mr Bruce Widdowson is our Maths and Science Teacher, Ms Yvonne Albers will be doing Food Studies as well as Food & Fibre, Mr Alex Johnston who is class teacher on 5-6B and last but not least Mr Emanuel Holbein who is our new Music teacher.

Abby Bent	Isabel Garrett
Nicole Maher	Vanessa Abernethy
Bruce Widdowson	Yvonne Albers
Alex Johnston	Emanuel Holbein

So if you see them around the school, make sure you introduce yourself and I'm sure you'll make them feel very welcome to our school community.

Welcome back to 2022. We have had very positive and settled start in classrooms especially considering the broader Covid environment and the new protocols that we're all getting used to. Both our new students and staff seem to have settled in very quickly and successfully in their new surroundings and it is great to have them as part of our Lilydale school community.

I want to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to all our community for their assistance in ensuring that everyone’s health and safety continues to be a priority. Your diligence with monitoring for symptoms and testing as needed has been awesome. We truly appreciate the responsibility that parents have taken with this and also in regards to social distancing and mask wearing in and around our school. I would also like to thank our students for their cooperation and assistance with following the public health directive of mask wearing at school.

We know that a number of you have had challenging starts the school year with your child or children being home due to a positive Covid test, as a close contact or due to medical conditions. The fantastic communication that has been in place has enabled us to share timely and accurate information with specific classes, grades and the wider school as well as link students into learning, through the Virtual Learning Centre.

Please continue to promptly notify the school if your child is away, especially if it is Covid related. We are happy for you to leave a message overnight or on the weekend and we will return your call at the earliest convenience to confirm details.  We will continue to provide rapid antigen tests upon request from families to ensure that children with symptoms can test prior to returning to school. Remember that should you need resources please contact the office.

It certainly has also been a challenging time for our community with the recent fire at Lebrina and Piper's Brook. Thank you to all those volunteers who has been fighting fires and also a big thank you to the community for their support and generosity towards those directly affected.

At school you might have noticed the new outdoor learning space that was constructed over the holidays. This government initiative will assist us in being able to utilise the fantastic deck and grass area, under the shade from our new sails. Our students have certainly been making the most of the space in the beautiful weather. 

I had the opportunity this week to visit our new intake of Year 11 and 12 students who are undertaking VET Agriculture training at Lilydale. The 20 students are looking forward to developing their knowledge and skills both at the farm and through worksite visits to properties within our region. The diversity of agriculture in our area is a fantastic learning hub for all of these great young people.

We are continuing to develop and grow our work placement and Australian School Based apprenticeship programs to provide opportunities for students to explore their future pathways or indeed start in a chosen field of work.  We are strongly encouraged by the reports we are receiving back from employers about the dedication, commitment, and genuine engagement that students are demonstrating in their workplaces.

If you or a business you know of are able to assist with these valuable initiatives please contact us at the school.  Every opportunity we can create to support students is critical to their future success.

Colin Pearson – Principal

Student Validations and Additional Forms

All students would have (hopefully) brought home an envelope containing the annual Student Validation Information forms, Aquatic permission forms and their ICT agreements. Thank you to those who have promtply completed these forms and returned them to the school office, it is very much appreciated.

If you are yet to return them, please attend to this as soon as possible. We do have aquatic activities happening quite soon for most of the school. The first being both Senior and Junior Swimming Carnivals. If we don't have the correct permissions for your child, they will not be able to participate.

School Photo Day

Just a heads up for families. Our school photo day is also coming around quite quickly. We hope to have envelopes sent home by the end of next week, providing we they have been received at the office in time.

School photo day this year will be on Thursday, 24th March. Please ensure your child is wearing the correct uniform when having their photo's taken. Thank you.

Year 7 & 10 Immunisations

Another form! Your Year 7 and Year 10 students would have received their immunisation forms last week. These need to be returned to the school office by Friday, 23rd February to enable the Launceston City Council to have the correct amount of vaccinations available for the day. Immunisations will take place on Tuesday, 22nd March. If you do not wish your child to have their immunisations at school, that is ok, however we still need the form to be completed to indicate that and returned to us.

Thank you for you cooperation around this.

Covid Care Packs - RAT Test Kits

Every student should have received their Covid Care Packs by now, if you are yet to receive yours, please pop into the office and collect it as soon as possible. If you are unable to come in personally, a phone call advising that you would like us to send them home with your child will be fine. We must have a phone call from a parent.

Further to that, if you do require more, please contact the office to arrange collection of additional test kits.

Our School Association meets on the second Monday of each month in the Kinder space. Their next meeting will be Monday, 21st March at 7pm. This will be the School Associations Annual General Meeting. We would love to see more people at the meetings and invite you to attend.