Our library is the best room in the school - come and see for yourself and find a book to excite you, help you, scare you or to make you happy.  We have something for everyone. 

The library is a friendly, calming and colourful place to be with displays changing twice a term.  These are based on current events as well as subjects that may interest you. Upcoming display ideas are fairies and ocean animals! 

Please come and see us if you’d really like a book that we don’t have and we’ll see if we can get it for you.  We want you to read for pleasure and that means enjoying the books you borrow ?

Term 1 has certainly been stop, start with numerous interruptions such as Launceston Cup day, the long weekend, school photos (Thursday, 21 March) and NAPLAN to name a few. Easter will also fall within the term dates this year meaning another two shorter weeks. During these times it is  important to maintain routines at school, so again we are relying on you to assist your child/ren with their attendance - Every Day Matters. If you or your child requires assistance with any attendance relates issues please contact your child’s teacher in the first instance.

Our Year 9-10 students have been enjoying their new learning spaces, as have teachers. The contemporary design will take some adjusting to, in relation to layout and orientations, but over time we will maximise the flexibility that the space offers. This learning can then be taken into future builds and modifications to learning spaces. We will be seeking student input into extra furniture for the breakout and collaborative spaces.

Our Athletics Carnivals were each a significant success with the format allowing students to support, encourage and celebrate with their peers. The support provided within groups was very positive and a good reflection of our school culture. The increase in participation has been great to witness, as has the increasing number of families at our events recently.

We are really pleased that our Year 11-12 numbers are continuing to increase. By offering a personalised approach for learners we are retaining more young people and not just ones from our high school space. This blended approach is certainly a model which provides flexibility but certainty for learners. This is a great example about how learners need to be the centre of our programs as we look to increase retention of our young people in further education.

A significant thank you to all our parents and carers who attended our open afternoon. We understand that there are no perfect dates to allow everyone to attend but we are very keen to understand what families want to see, participate in or get more information about at these type of sessions. We welcome your feedback and suggestions so that we can best support children and their families with getting the most out of learning programs. We had good numbers at the UFLI reading sessions and are keen to update families about contemporary learning.

As part of our ongoing processes to measure success, we gather baseline data at school and system levels to measure our gains and also to identify areas for growth and focus. We have already commenced PAT testing for reading and numeracy. This week our NAPLAN testing commences. These tests are one way of measuring our progress against the Australian Curriculum and also against the previous two years of schooling for those students in Years 5,7 and 9.  This growth informs our practice and also our areas for further professional learning.

The school association is a critical driver in terms of our processes and ratifies key decisions made by the school – budget, behaviour management policy, playground upgrades etc. We are really keen to add some new faces to our group including members of the community. If you know of anyone who you think has the skills and the passion to help us improve the school, and our community, please share their name or better still encourage them to reach out and have a conversation about how they can assist in growing the school.

It is always important to remind students of their role in Road Safety as it is with adults. Please remember that we have large numbers of students at the beginning and end of the day accessing predominantly two entrances/exits to the school grounds. Your speed along the main road and most importantly in the car park need your ongoing attention. Please obey the signs.

Similarly parents should ensure that children exit cars, in the drop off zone, on the left of the vehicle so that they are out of any potential harms way. If children are getting out of cars parked in the main car parks they should stay with the adult and cross at one of the designated crossings. Outside of school students should cross at the flags of a morning and afternoon so that you are visible to all. Drivers are most likely to be looking at the flags. Safety is everyone’s concern and responsibility.

Colin Pearson
Principal

Do you know what’s really in a vape?  You might be surprised.

Read the facts at https://www.decyp.tas.gov.au/wellbeing/health-and-physical-care/vaping/#useful-resources.

Monday morning there was an air of anticipation as the annual running of Lilydale’s athletics carnival was upon us. As the students began to trickle in the HPE team took a moment to enjoy the serenity before the first crack of the starter’s clapper rang out. The 400m were run and won before two rounds of hotly contested field event were begun. Highlights of the morning session were some impressive individual efforts and a grade 7 tug of war win over Mr Taylor. The jewel in the crown of the track events, the 100m, were eagerly anticipated, with some nerves on the starting line. All heats were run at a ferocious pace, apart from two grade 10s seen skipping down the track together. Another round of field events followed before, what I was told, was a school record for the number of sausages consumed on an athletics carnival day; obviously refuelling for what was to come. After a sausage fuelled 200m and another two rounds of field events it was time for what I believe was the highlight of the day, the relays. With only twelve points separating each house the points on offer would be vital. The 7-10 relays were run to a cheering fan base that would have been heard all over Lilydale, but that wasn’t to be the last of the relays. Mr Smith had assembled a fearsome team of staff for a staff verses students relay. From lane one the staff got out of the blocks slow but were level by the end of the first two legs, Mr Smith possibly leaving the door ajar with uninspired run. Before Mr George, the Lilydale express, turned what looked like a tight race into a comfortable win to the staff, allowing Mr Wise to wave to his adoring fans as he crossed the line.  Then came the time we all had waited for; would the mighty Maralinga win it again or would Corinna come through on the back of some impressive relay runs. The final tally was Corinna on 880 and Maralinga 868

Well done to all those that competed and to all our ribbon winners you will receive these in your sector assembly.

Backing up for day two of the carnival it was the turn of the K-6 students to show us their athletic ability. With a large crowd rolling in there was a buzz of excitement in the air. Droves on 3-6 students made their way over to the start of the 400m, with many of the athletes surprising themselves after never running that far. Well done, you should be proud of yourselves. As per the previous day, students went into two rounds of field events. Sack race and the vortex made their way onto the program and were events that were favourites of all those who participated. Sack races against our grade leaders provided a lot of entertainment and the staff versus students tug of war was hotly contested. Sausages again were flying off the barbeque and set up what was going to be another exciting afternoon. The afternoon session brought along the K-2 and all the fun and frivolity that goes along with them. First event on their schedule was the 75m race. Ms Davis carefully placed all participants into their lanes only to see them weave between all six of the lanes. The remainder of the afternoon saw the K-2’s participate in bean bag toss, rob the nest, banana tag, egg and spoon and even a tug of war event that was much enjoyed by the group. For the 3-6’s the afternoon was capped off with the last of the individual events and the all-important relays. As with the high school event a very small margin of two points separated the two teams going into the last event. Another strong showing from Corina in the relays saw them take the victory again, Mr Taylor had to be consoled after Maralinga missed out on the win for a second day in a row; there is always the cross country and the swimming carnival Mr Taylor.

Well done to all participants on the day it was great to see so many students involved and everyone had a smile on their face, definitely makes these days’ worth while. Congratulations to all those that won ribbons you will also receive these in your sector assembly.

Finally a big thanks to all those people who made the two days a success. From the people coming out and supporting their loved ones to the staff around the school who helped organise, promote, set up, spent the day following the students, recorders and cheered on our students. The day is not as big a success without the support of the whole Lilydale District School community.

HPE Team

On Thursday, 8 March, the Junior Leaders were invited to attend the GRIP Leader Conference at the Tailrace Centre. The GRIP Leader conference is a three-part event aimed to teach students to be better leaders for their school and community.

We arrived at 8:45am and went inside to find our seats. Session 1 began at 9:15am, with a game of Quick Maths, where we learnt that, as a leader, you should always take any opportunities that you are given, even when you have to step out of your comfort zone, or when you know that you might not succeed.

The main topic of session 1 was how anybody and everybody can step forward and lead. We talked about the fact that people too often sit back and go with the flow, without trying to change anything for the better.

We then ate our recess on some comfy beanbags, before heading back inside for Session 2.

The second topic was The Sacrifices of a Student Leader, which are:

1. What other people might think of me
2. Putting my own wants first
3. Expecting something in return

The host showed us more about Leader Sacrifices with a quick roleplay, including some cheerleaders who wanted to go in a race to earn house points, but were worried about what other people would think if they lost, and Captain Selfish, a superhero who tried to make people be selfish and only think about themselves. We also watched a few inspiring videos about people who took big sacrifices to help others.

Between every topic, we did a Loud Noises brain break, which allows all leaders to have a moment to be loud and move about. Some of the brain breaks were:

Is It Cake, where two teams were chosen to have a guess if the object on the screen was cake or not,

Truth or Lie, where different teams had to guess whether it was really a famous singer, or just someone pretending to be them,

and

Food Fight, where a food was shown on the screen, and two people from each side of the room had to try and guess 5 foods in 45 seconds, without looking at the screen, while the crowd tried to silently act out the food for them.

Topic 3, before lunch, was Stepping Forward With New Ideas, when we were encouraged to think of new ideas that could help our school. We also watched some videos where students did this to benefit their own school.

Lunchtime went for half an hour, and we found a nice shady path outside to eat on.

After lunch, we got our groove on, and Charlie, Maggie, Storm, and Nikki danced to upbeat music! It was so fun that other schools started to join in as well!

The last topic for the day was The Extra Steps – Doing the Things That Leaders Often Forget. A lady told us about how there are always more steps than you think, and that it is important to follow through with your ideas, or else they will probably fall apart.

Lastly, there was Q&A With the GRIP Team, where students had the opportunity to ask any questions that they had about what we had learnt.  It was a great day, and we learned a lot!

Bede, Charlie and Storm

Junior Grip Leadership Conference (youtube.com)

On Friday, 8 March the Senior Student Leaders attended the GRIP Leadership conference at the Tailrace. GRIP Leadership is an independent organisation that exists to train and develop leaders with a special focus on school students and the educational sector. Our Lilydale leaders attended the conference for the full day and were able to collaborate with leaders from other schools as well as listen to the GRIP speakers. The students came away from the conference with new skills, new perspectives and new ideas for making a positive contribution to our school.

To commemorate being a Year 10 student in 2024, students have the option of buying a personalised jumper. The cost of the jumper is $110 and needs to be ordered and paid for online by March 17, 2024. Details on how to do this are included below. Students are also able to put their name or nickname on the back. If they leave this area blank, no name will be added. Payment plans can be arranged next year if required.

The Year 10 jumper is an optional uniform addition, if students choose not to buy it, they are required to wear the jumpers and jackets indicated on the school uniform policy.

Letters containing the same information have been sent home with our current Year 10 students at the end of last year.

The School Association's AGM is on Monday, 8 April at 7.00pm in the Kindergarten building. All parents and guardians of students at Lilydale District School are automatically members of the School Association and therefore, are welcome to apply to join the committee.

Nominations to join the committee are currently open, closing 3.00pm, 4 April 2024. Nomination forms are available from the school office. The committee meets approximately 2 times per school term on the first or second Monday of the month. All members of the School Association are welcome to attend meetings, it is a great way to find out what is happening in the school. 

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