We have enjoyed a very positive start to the school term.

We are very appreciative for the support and cooperation that we have received from families in relation to uniform and punctuality to school. We remind families that we have duty of care from 8:30am so students on site prior to that will not be directly supervised. Should you require support for regular early drop off we do have before school care provided by Adventure Patch. Their details are available through the office.

Given the busy nature at the beginning of the day if you are walking your child to class could you please park in the carpark and then escort your child to their class. Generally this process has been very efficient and safe and we wish to continue in this manner. The Drop and Go section near the Performing Arts Centre should be strictly that with students exiting on the left of the vehicle to avoid through traffic.

We understand that maybe not everyone is in routines just yet and sometimes we forget things but we need adults to contact the office to pass on messages as all student devices (phones, smart watches and tablets) should be “off and away all day”. Well done to all our senior students who have brought along locks for their lockers and for our remaining students who have their device in their bags locked in classrooms.

We welcome a number of new staff to Lilydale in 2023 and know that they have had a positive influence on their classes as they build relationships and become familiar with our ways of working. To this end we are offering a Welcome BBQ next Tuesday, 21 February. Classrooms will be open from 4:00pm - 5:15pm, with a BBQ available from 5:15pm-6:00pm. Please look out for the letter coming home mid week with further details. We believe that this opportunity prior to Launceston Cup Day will enable a positive chance to chat and understand how things are working for your child in their classroom.

We would like to welcome:

Sam Baker Assistant Principal Years 7-12	Isobel Latimer Prep Teacher	Ashlee Greene 1-2B Teacher	Caitlin Viney 1-2C Teacher (Fridays)	Amanda Lucas Education Support Specialist

Gillian Marsden 3-4 Teacher (Thur/Fri)	Harrison Hughes 7-8B Teacher & HPE	Emmitt Smith 7-8C Teacher	Sonya Matthews Music/Dig Tech/9-10 Maths

Also Rod Dann (ATD), Priya Bindal (Senior Science), Georgie Howard (7-10 Maths/7-10 Humanities), Alex Jenkins (5-6B) and Kresta Davis (K-6 PE/Health) are returning. Fiona Beament is working in Student Support and Jacqui Deans is working across our Primary sector focussing on Learning and Teaching.

Our next School Association Meeting is Monday, 6 March at 7:30 pm in the Kindergarten building. We would appreciate anyone with interest in this key body to come along. If you are not sure there will be information available on our Welcome Evening.

As part of our community engagement strategy Lilydale District School are holding an open afternoon followed by a BBQ on Tuesday, 20 February.  All classrooms Kinder to Year 12 will be open for you to meet our teaching team from 4.00pm -5.15pm followed by the BBQ.  Finish time will be 6:00pm.

Students will be required to travel home via their regular arrangements and attend with an adult.

To keep us all safe we ask that you do not attend if unwell and while on site practice social distancing and hand hygiene practices – hand sanitiser will be available on site.

To cater for this event please complete the form which has been sent home with the youngest student from each family this week. Forms are due back by this Friday, 17 February.

Thank you.

So wonderful to see our students back for 2023. Here's a snapshot of some student's first days back and throwing themselves eagerly into learning.

3-4B Activities

9-10 Activities

Kinder Activities

The Senior Student Leaders (Bridget, Isabella, Mahkayla, Willow, Deegan, Alec, Marissa, Jessica and Stacey) welcome everyone in our school community back for Term 1. It is going to be an exciting and busy year for everyone involved. They will start their year by attending the GRIP Leadership conference this week as well as providing a student voice to many decisions around the school. The Senior Leaders and the whole school community would also like to welcome Mr Sam Baker as Acting Assistant Principal. Mr Baker can be seen in the photo along with Senior Leaders and some of our wonderful Kinders.

Our School Association usually meets on the second Monday of each month in the Kinder space. Our next meeting will be on Monday, 6 March at 7:30pm. We would love to see more people at the meetings and invite you to attend.