Dear Families,

Our Positive Start to the School Year

The school year is off to a great start at Lilydale District School.  Students have settled into their routines quickly, and it has been great to see the engaged in learning and forming strong connections with their teachers and classmates.

Our staff have worked hard to create a positive and supportive environment, ensuring all students feel welcome and ready to learn.  Our new students have adjusted well, with good support from their peers and teachers.

We appreciate the ongoing support from parents and caregivers in helping make the transition back to school a smooth one.  With a strong start, we are looking forward to a productive and successful year ahead. 

A Big Thank You to Our Education Facility Attendants

A clean and well-maintained school makes a big difference, and I would like to acknowledge the hard work of our Education Facility Attendants.  Every day, they ensure our classroom, shared spaces and grounds are tidy, safe and welcoming for students and staff.

Their efforts often go unnoticed; however, they play an instrumental role in keeping our environment clean and safe.  We appreciate the work they do in our school.

Swimming and Water Safety Program

The Department for Education, Children and Young People provides a Swimming and Water Safety Program for:

• All Year 3, 4, 5 students in Tasmanian Government Schools.
• Lilydale District School is paying for all Year 6 students to attend

This program consists of 9 consecutive lessons each year.  It supports our students to become competent swimmers and be water safe.  Our program commences on 24 February and concludes on Friday 7 March.

The program has a strong emphasis on:

• water safety, including boat safety
• using personal floatation devices
• survival swimming
• reach to rescue
• entering aquatic environments safely
• efficient stroke development
• building swimming stamina.

The skills build the foundation for safe participation in aquatic activities.

This year we are offering an Orientation to Water experience for our Year 1 and 2 students.  Students will attend the sessions at the Lilydale Pool 2 afternoons per week for the next two weeks.

Join Us for our Open Afternoon and Sausage Sizzle

We invite all families to our Open Classroom Afternoon, followed by a sausage sizzle.  This is a wonderful opportunity to see what your children have been learning and to connect with their teachers.

Date: Tuesday, 25 February

Time: 4.00pm – 6.00pm

Location:  Lilydale District School

This event has been previously advertised on our Facebook page.

Explore classrooms, participate in activities, and enjoy some food with our school community. 

We look forward to seeing you all there!

NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy)

What is NAPLAN?

NAPLAN is a national assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9, testing essential literacy and numeracy skills.

Subjects Tested:

1. Reading
2. Writing
3. Language Conventions (spelling, grammar, punctuation)
4. Numeracy

Key Details:

• When: Conducted annually in March (Term 1).
• Format: Mostly online (except Year 3 writing, which is on paper).
• Purpose: Helps schools, governments, and parents understand student progress over time.
• Results: Schools can use the data to improve teaching practices and address specific learning needs.

NAPLAN at Lilydale District School will commence on Monday, 17 March and conclude on Monday, 24 March.

Warm Regards,

Karen Hay
Principal

We are excited to share some updates about 5-6C and Year 1 time in the library on Friday afternoons!

Our sessions begin with First Chapter Fridays, where Miss Greene reads the first chapter of a book aloud. She selects books that students might not typically choose for themselves, exposing them to a range of genres and text types while modeling fluent reading. After listening, students discuss whether they would be interested in reading the book based on the first chapter. Our first selection was Ordinary, the opening chapter of Wonder by R.J. Palacio.

Following First Chapter Fridays, the 5-6C students pair up with Year 1 students for buddy reading. This provides a wonderful opportunity for students to build confidence, improve reading fluency, and strengthen our sense of community.

We encourage you to continue fostering a love for reading at home by setting aside time to read together and discussing the books your child brings home. If you have any questions or would like to support our library program, please feel free to reach out.

Happy reading!

Miss Greene & Miss Latimer

The Year 9-10 Catering class was cooking up a storm in the kitchen, with students chopping, stirring, and sizzling their way to a mouth-watering creation. The dish of the day was a delicious sausage stir fry, bursting with vibrant vegetables and seasoned to perfection. The students worked together seamlessly, honing their culinary skills as they crafted a flavorful, satisfying meal. The air was filled with the savory aroma of cooking sausages, crisp vegetables, and a hint of spices, making the kitchen come alive with excitement and teamwork. It was a perfect example of their growing confidence and creativity in the kitchen.

High School – Student of the Week

Every week, all staff, Student Leaders and the wider community have the opportunity to nominate a high school student as a ‘Lilydale Legend’. These nominations acknowledge when another person has noticed the student demonstrating our school values of being safe, respectful and learning. If a student is nominated by multiple people their name will appear twice. Lilydale Legends for the week will get recognised in our high school assembly and receive a certificate. Congratulations to the Lilydale Legends for Week 1 & 2 - Term 1.

Week 1

Our School Association usually meets on the second Monday of each month in the Kinder space. Our first meeting for this year will be on Monday, 3 March 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.

Please note: Due to unforseen circumstances our Annual General Meeting will not be held in April. A new date will be advised.

Parents/guardians who are applying for STAS for the first time need to apply online at: www.onlinesubmission.education.tas.gov.au

Alternatively applicants can search STAS in Google and be taken directly to the online application site. Applications can be completed on any electronic device including mobile phones. Parents/guardians must hold a current Centrelink concession card or Department of Veterans’ Affairs concession card to be eligible.

STAS 2025 assessment letters have been posted to all families. 

If a parent/guardian wishes to add a newly enrolling or additional student to their existing STAS file they need to email their full name, the student’s full name, date of birth and school attending in 2025 to: stas@decyp.tas.gov.au and the file will be updated. Financial Assistance Services will also accept details of newly enrolled children of families who are approved for STAS directly from schools via email to stas@decyp.tas.gov.au.
For queries, please contact stas@decyp.tas.gov.au

Please note: Great news - we now have in stock the following items:

Polo Shirts - Sizes 6, 10 and 12
Bucket Hats - Medium.

We are still waiting on stock of our Large Bucket Hats. Once these have arrived and back in stock, we will advise via the newsletter and facebook.

Apologies for the inconvenience.