We've been cooking up a storm and looking good while doing it.

7-8 Food Studies is currently working on cooking healthy low sugar foods while investigating the world of sugar and the damages it causes in our bodies.

9-10 Food Studies are researching food allergens and the impact they have on our bodies, the side effects and how people living with anaphylaxis have to adjust their diets and daily processes. Students have been experimenting with flavour in their cooking and expanding their culinary skills.

The Catering class is flying high with several catering gigs. Last week the Tourism workshop participants were well fed by our skilled catering students and this week they will be handing out delicious finger food at the Cross Country/Colour Run!!!

On Wednesday, 10 May we had a Mother’s Day afternoon tea in Kinder. Kinder children were excited to show their mums/nans/aunties around the classroom and playground, as well as share some yummy food and drinks. We also watched a slideshow of photos taken throughout the year so far. After eating, we spent time playing together with a variety of activities both inside and outside. As you can see from the smiles in the photos, much fun was had by all!

From May this year, we will be focusing on a Nursery Rhyme each month.

This month it is Row, row, row your boat

Information about nursery rhymes and the videos are publicly available through the Great Start website.

or The Great Start Facebook page will share the videos each month

Babies are born with brains that are ready to learn. During the first five years of life incredible brain development is occurring. With every experience, a child’s brain cells form neural connections called synapses. With repetition these synapses are stimulated and become ‘hardwired’.

Bonding and Attachment

Loving and responsive relationships are fundamental to child development. They support the building of identity and become a point of reference in how we interact with others. Nursery rhymes are a simple tool that can support parents and carers to build strong attachment with their child.
Music and singing have also been shown to reduce stress levels and have a positive effect on mental health.
And many nursery rhymes have actions and cuddles that support parents/carers in having fun and feeling close to their child.

Student safety is critical for everyone!

Please ensure you stick to the speed limit throughout our school zone, reduce your speed in the car parks and use the designated drop off zones.

Building on from our recent Lions sponsored Eye Testing, we are really pleased to be expanding our School Nurse capabilities to best provide support for student health and wellbeing. We welcome Lauren Frost joining us in the K-6 space on Tuesdays. Lauren will work collaboratively with Pete Barratt (7-12) to further meet the needs of all our students across the school.

It is unfortunate that some poor behaviour, by a small minority of people in our community recently, has become the focus for discussion. In direct contrast to this I want to highlight our successes and celebrations. We have had students being wonderful ambassadors for themselves and the school, consistently at recent events.

As we continue to build our futures experiences through both incursions and excursions, students have been deeply engaged in experiences at Agfest, our recent apprenticeship options and potential pathway session on Friday, 5 May and more recently at the two Beacon High Impact Programs. The latter sessions involved students building awareness of and practicing “soft” skills with industry representatives, with all our Year 10 students being offered one or the other of the sessions. Our in school program had representatives from the Hospitality and Retail sectors while students attending the Timberlink session this Wednesday will get insights into the numerous roles and associated opportunities required to run a business of this size.  As part of each Beacon High Impact Program students were able to apply their interpersonal skills in a mock interview scenario in the afternoon – all great practice for entering the workforce.

Congratulations to our catering students for their ongoing support of school events. Their cooking skills are very well developed as are their service skills. For industry representatives to comment on this is a ringing endorsement for the individuals and the class. Well done.

The Colour Run was a great success. Students were very enthusiastic and motivated to do their best across the activities. A huge thank you to our HPE staff for their enthusiasm, organisation and motivation. We are grateful for the support offered by families and know that students enjoy the opportunity to get out and have fun with fellow classmates in a participation environment.

Participation was certainly the key to our recent Chess Day on Friday. A huge thanks to members of the Black Square Chess, including the State Champion Carl, for their mentoring and support of our students across the day. Once again games were played in a positive but competitive spirit with students immersing themselves in the challenge. Hopefully we get further chances to embed the skills learned but also to broaden opportunities.

We are really pleased with the improvement in attendance so far this term and we encourage families to stay in touch if children are unwell or away from school for other legitimate reasons. We know that the weather is cooling off and we are supportive of students wearing extra layers to stay warm however we will be strongly encouraging them to take off their coats etc when in the classroom so that they don’t overheat while learning. Again, thank you to families supporting us with the wearing of our school uniform. It does make a great first impression for visitors and a clear difference to student belonging.

Colin Pearson
Principal

Carl Gorka, the reigning Tasmanian State Chess Champion, from Black Square Chess came to teach our students how to play. Students from Year 1 to Year 10 had the opportunity to participate in a lesson and then compete in a tournament. This was a great lead into the Chess Club we are hoping to start at the school. Once again, Lilydale students were outstanding participants in the program.

Congratulations to Wesley and Jan Vinz for being the top players in the tournament.

Every school day matters. Even just missing one day a fortnight can mean your child misses up to a year and half of their education, between Kindergarten and Year 12.

See what happens when your child misses just…

Last week a group of Year 9/10 students participated in the Beacon Foundation’s Polish program. Students gained insights into the variety of career opportunities in the tourism and hospitality industry as well as developing their work readiness skills. The catering class also provided a delicious lunch for everyone. Thank you to the mentors, Angie from Launceston City Council, Kim and Anna from Bridestow Lavender Farm and Kristen from PGH Group for sharing their knowledge with the students.

Going to school every day gives your child every chance to learn and grow, and connect with their mates and teachers. It’s where bright futures start and where they’ll benefit the most.

The Commissioner for Children and Young People is excited to announce that our YEP! program is officially launching on 9 May 2023. Your Engagement Place (YEP!) is a place where children and young people under the age of 18 can find ways to engage with CCYP and other organisations around Tasmania to have a voice on things that matter to them. Any child and young person aged under 18 who registers before 9 June enters the membership draw for a chance to win an iPad.

You can check out our YEP! hub now by visiting our new website here:

If you are an adult and would like to keep up to date with current engagement opportunities available to children and young people in Tasmania, fill out our adult subscription form (see the link).

Should you have any questions at all about the new program or wish to promote an ethical engagement opportunity open to young Tasmanians, please do not hesitate to email us at childcomm@childcomm.tas.gov.au or call us on (03) 6166 1366

The 2023 Tasmanian Primary All Schools and Tasmanian Secondary All Schools cross country events are almost here! Get your entries in now!

 Primary All Schools XC: Tuesday 27 June 2023 – entries close at noon, Wednesday 22 June

The Primary All Schools registration portal is open. Registration, event information and regular updates can be found here:

Secondary All Schools XC: Tuesday 20 June 2023 – entries close at noon, Wednesday 15 June

The Secondary All Schools registration portal is open. Registration, event information and regular event updates can be found here:

The event information pages include links to registration portals for individuals and schools teams, a printable waiver form and provisional timetables.

Athletics Tasmania looks forward to seeing at Symmons Plains.

Our School Association usually meets on the second Monday of each month in the Kinder space. However, due to it falling on a Public Holiday for June, our next meeting will be on Monday, 5 June at 7:00pm. We would love to see more people at the meetings and invite you to attend.

If you need to get in contact with members of the School Association, please contact the school office on 6395 0100. Thank you .