Our annual Cross Country had a new spin this year. On Tuesday, 16 May, Lilydale District School engaged in a whole school Cross Country Colour Run.

It was also a school fundraising event through School Fun Run with students who fundraise are rewarded for their events with a prize. The fundraising ends on 9 June with students eligible to order their prize on 2 June. We have raised over $7,000 which is amazing!

Super efforts and smiles all round were present on the afternoon of colourful fun! Staff and parent volunteers sprayed paint powder below the shoulders of the students as they passed by in certain sections of the course and during the other house vs. house activities.

There was so much colour and it was a real positive afternoon for our school students and community. It was close battle between Maralinga and Corinna. Corinna fell short with 547 points, with Maralinga winning by 35 points.

The Kinder – Year 2s absolutely loved the colour and a chance to tackle the course. The Year 3s – 10 that were determined to represent Lilydale at the Tamar and/or Inter-High carnival zipped through the painted course. These winners were:

Huge thanks must go to our school community for being involved and showing support for the day and our fundraising efforts. Thanks must also go our students and staff for encouraging everyone with all the colour.

Intra-State Athletics

Friday, 12 May, saw two of our students represent the NHSSA – Northern High Schools Sports Association at the Intra-State Athletics Carnival held at St Leonards Athletics Track. Haylee (Yr 8) and Kade (Yr 8) were selected based on their results from the Inter-High carnival late last term and challenged Southern and North-Western team students. Haylee competed in the 1500m and Kade in the Discus, they both fell short of a podium result; however they enjoyed the experience and the Northern Tas team (NHSSA) won the day.

This report aims to provide an overview of in-school science activities conducted by high school students, highlighting their impact on learning outcomes and student engagement. Term 2 had been a busy especially for Year 7-8s and  9-10s. These activities provide students with opportunities to apply theoretical concepts of chemistry in real-world contexts, fostering a deeper understanding of scientific principles behind the various elements in the periodic table. Year 9-10 students investigated the flames produced by different elements that are used in electric workshops and firework industry giving them a view of applied concepts of chemistry.

Year 7-8 learned the concepts of mixtures and solutions with varying densities while they made the elephant toothpaste and lava lamps. Alongside students learned about the chemical reactions that take place between regular household items like vinegar, baking soda, vegetable oil and Alka-seltzer. A last week 7-8 learners came up with excellent models of carbon atoms that kick started their unit on atomic energy.

7-10s did rocket simulation in open grouds with water rocket simulator, where they exhibited excellent collaborative and team work spirit.

1-2C had so much fun at the Cross Country and Colour Run! 

Please read our writing to see what we thought of the day. 

Change is one of the constants in life. As adults we are more experienced with managing change and therefore better equipped to adjust, especially when we know the change is coming. For our students it is important that we name up known changes and encourage them to do their best in these circumstances. Having clear school and classroom processes and routines further assists students, especially when unexpected changes happen.

Having a relief teacher can be one of these examples. Given we know that illness is most prevalent in terms two and three and that there is a statewide shortage of teachers, please talk with your child about how they can be proactive in these situations. If there are any concerns, please chat to the respective classroom teacher.

We are pleased with the effort being made by students and families with regards to uniform however we have ongoing concerns with unexplained student attendances. Currently our average school attendance rate this year is 82%. We know that the more days students spend at school the greater their chance of ongoing success. When students are legitimately away please be punctual with reporting your child/ren’s absence. This requires an email, SMS or call to the office. For prolonged absences please include a medical certificate where possible.

As a staff we have a collective responsibility to assist in providing ongoing information and insight into your child is progressing. This will occur through our reporting and communication with families processes, however if there are concerns that arise we will make contact with home. Similarly if you have concerns please contact your child’s class teacher. If there are ongoing concerns or whole school matters we strongly encourage you to speak to a senior staff member. We know that being able to be proactive in providing support is statistically more successful and rewarding than being reactive. Thank you to those families who have reached out for support and clarification with issues that have arisen for them. School Association is another avenue for raising concerns but importantly please come and have a conversation with the school in the first instance.

Congratulations to all our representatives at the Inter-High Cross Country today, being hosted at Kings Meadows High School. Whilst it is a small team we know that they will all be doing their best. The TPSSA Cross Country will be held on the 7 June at Beaconsfield Primary.

We have Newstead College visiting our Year 10 students next Monday which follows on from our Launceston College visit yesterday. There are also numerous other options for students with regards to shared enrolments with colleges and schools or selecting Year 11-12 courses at local schools. Having the courage to make decisions about what is best for me is critical for future success, as is approaching key decisions with an open mind and the necessary information.

We have been fortunate to have a local chess group come and teach some of our students how to play the game. We had excellent numbers last time and again this Friday we have another chance for students to practice and improve their skills. It is pleasing to be able to diversify activities and learning for students.

Colin Pearson
Principal

Year 9-10 students once again had the opportunity to participate in Beacon Foundations Polish Program, but this time it was at Timberlink in Bell Bay. Timberlink did a wonderful job of hosting and providing knowledgeable mentors for our students. Lilydale students learned how to conduct themselves in a mock interview and be an advocate for themselves. They also learned the importance of improving their transferable skills and making a good first impression. Thank you again to Beacon and Timberlink for providing us with an enjoyable and informative day.

Overall, the Agfest experience was great, the cattle were very good considering it was a new environment with lots of music blasting and noisiness. Unfortunately, we could only spot wash them and with most of them being silver they got dirty. When it came to showing you could tell that the other schools had a lot more experience in preparing the cattle for the show experience. I think extra training sessions would do us good for the future shows. We all looked great in our uniforms, and I think that the shirts turned out well. The cows were a little bouncy in the ring but that is to be expected for the first show of the year. We also only had one T comb to share between the group when trying to get our cows ready for the ring.

During the first day, we had the Vet Students and the 9-10’s in the ring early in the morning.  The rest of the day we had to ourselves to walk around all the stalls and check on the cattle making sure they had water and occasionally mucking out the shed.

The second day we all had our handler’s class at 10:30, we spent most of the morning cleaning and brushing the cows to get them ready. The junior handler’s class was up first, the cows were very bouncy and scatty in the ring. I think we all would have preferred if the senior handlers went first because they put the least experienced handlers in the ring first. Whereas if the seniors went in first, they would have settled them down for the juniors. Out of all our handlers we had two students in the placings. Once that was over with it was much like the first day, looking at stalls and coming back to check on the cows.

On the last day we had the Junior Farmers competition, we had three teams of three people. There was a lot of last-minute revision. Overall, our teams did well, at the tasks at hand although out of the three teams none of them made it to the finals. Then the afternoon was spent looking after the cows and having one last look through all the stalls before we packed up and left.  

By Olivia

Hi my name is Nurse Lauren. I will be working at Lilydale in the Primary sector on Tuesdays. 

I have been nursing for 13 years with a background is in Emergency nursing.

I am excited to start my new role and looking forward to meeting staff, students and families.

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 .