20 November 2024

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

I acknowledge, with deep respect, the traditional custodians of this land, the mumirimina people and pay my respects to Elders past and present, to the Aboriginal people with us today and to the Tasmanian Aboriginal community who continue to care for Country.  I stand for a future that profoundly respects and acknowledges Aboriginal perspectives, culture, language and history.

Our School Values

Our Commitment:  In partnership with community, we provide a welcoming school of choice that inspires and supports all learners to succeed as connected, creative and curious thinkers.

Dear Families 

It is a busy and exciting time of the year with the K-2 Athletics Fun Day and the Years 7 and 9 camps. These activities highlight the strong sense of community and teamwork among our students. We are proud of their efforts and the way they come together to make these events successful and enjoyable for everyone involved.

Reporting to Families

As we approach the end of the academic year, teachers are preparing final assessments to inform an on-balance judgement against the curriculum.  

Prep – Year 10 teachers will report using the 9-point scale for:

• Prep: English, Mathematics, Science
• Years 1 – 6: English, Mathematics, Science, and HASS (Humanities and Social Sciences)
• Years 7 – 10: Each Australian Curriculum learning area taught

End of year reports will not include written comments. Instead, throughout the year, families have received ‘Evidences of Learning’ for English, Maths, Science, and HASS. These provide snapshots of your child’s learning at specific points in time, helping you track their progress.

School Improvement Plan

The end of each year is an exciting time for schools, as data from various satisfaction surveys, reading and mathematics assessments, and progress monitoring tools starts to come in. We are pleased to announce positive trends across multiple measures:

• Student Wellbeing & Engagement Survey (SWES):
• A 5% increase in students reporting medium to high wellbeing compared to 2023.
• A 5% increase in cognitive engagement, indicating students are more intellectually involved in their learning.
• A 5% increase in emotional engagement with teachers, with 92% of students indicating medium to high wellbeing.
• A 6% increase in students feeling safe at school, with 76% reporting medium to high wellbeing.
• Family Satisfaction:
• Overall satisfaction increased by 6% compared to 2023.
• Families' rating for recommending the school to others increased by 0.5 (on a scale of 10).
• Feeling part of the school community increased by 0.5.
• Satisfaction with student behaviour management increased by 0.8.

This data is crucial for creating a supportive learning environment where students can thrive. We look forward to sharing our aggregated Reading and Maths PAT (Progressive Achievement Tests) data once it is available.

Key Priorities for 2025:

• Continued focus on reading, attendance, and safeguarding.
• Further development of our reading inquiry beyond fluency techniques, aiming to deepen comprehension and critical thinking skills.
• Ongoing professional learning in reading development and engagement for learning.  

We are excited about the growth and momentum seen in classrooms from Kindergarten to Year 12. These improvements reflect our commitment to providing a high-quality education and a nurturing environment for all students. We are committed to continuous improvement and look forward to further growth and development.

Kelly Dyer
Principal

https://www.facebook.com/SorellSchool
Email: sorell.school@decyp.tas.gov.au
Phone: (03) 6269 1100

ECE CAMPUS

The Early Years Athletics Fun Day was a spectacular event, filled with excitement, energy, and a wonderful display of sportsmanship and teamwork. The day was marked by healthy competitive spirit, with all students giving their best in every event.

From the sprints to the parachute games, the enthusiasm was contagious. It was heartwarming to see students cheering for each other, celebrating victories, and showing resilience in the face of challenges.

One of the highlights of the day was the presence of family members who came out in large numbers to support. The cheers and encouragement added to the atmosphere, making the event even more special for the students.

Overall, the Early Years Athletics Fun Day was not just about competition; it was about having fun, building friendships, and fostering a love for sports. A big thank you to everyone who participated and supported the event. We look forward to many more such joyful occasions in the future!

In other news, no pun intended! Several of our Early Years and Primary students featured on the Channel 7 News last week. The focus on the Sorell School Sunsmart policy that has been developed with Cancer Council Tasmania highlighted the sun safe practices that we follow. The students spoke and represented our school with such confidence and respect, making us all incredibly proud.

Just a reminder that we have two assemblies remaining for the year. The next assembly to be held on Wednesday 27 November in the ECE General Purpose room, at 2:20pm. The End of Year Assembly will be held on Monday 16 December, starting at 9:30am. We will hold this assembly in the Secondary Gym, in Walker Street.

Teresa Spinks
K-2 Assistant Principal

YEARS 3 – 6 CAMPUS

Students continued having exciting learning experiences in the 3- 6 building over the last fortnight. It was fantastic to see students from Years 3 to 6 participate in the Interschool Swimming Carnival last week at the Doone Kennedy Aquatic centre where they competed against other schools from Hobart. All competitors competed to the best of their ability and displayed amazing school spirit throughout the day. Congratulations to our Year 4 boys relay team and Raiden Olivier for selection in the Championship Swimming carnival for their outstanding efforts.

Our first Sorell Way challenge for the term was undertaken last week with classes challenged to work together to produce a rap, song or skit with a Halloween theme. These activities develop connections between students and provide them with the opportunity to improve their teamwork and leadership skills. There were some truly terrifying productions from all classes. Congratulations to 5/6 Hepher and 3/4 Steeden who were crowned winners for their year levels.

As we are coming towards the end of the year some students have begun undertaking transition visits to their new areas in the school. It has been great watching the Year 2 students joining us for activities with 3/4 classes which enables students and teachers to know each other before they commence Year 3 next year. This has also been replicated by the Year 6 students visiting the Year 7 space.  

Goodluck to those students competing in the Championship Swimming Carnival and the School Triathlon Challenge which are being run next week.

Trent Sproule and Jamie Harwood
3-6 Assistant Principals

YEARS 7 – 9 CAMPUS

On Monday this week, Year 7's headed off on camp for an overnight stay at The Lea, near Kingston. They participated in a range of team building activities over the two days of the camp. These include abseiling, rock and tree climbing, low ropes, flying fox, problem solving, catapults and disc golf. A huge thank you to Grade Coordinator, Cayd McGuire and his team for organising this wonderful opportunity. Stay tuned for how the camp was in the next newsletter!

Year 8 and 9 students will receive their Specialist Course Guide this week. They will begin to be counselled around what specialist subjects suit their passions and pathways best. Please ask your children about what their preferences are and why. Students are encouraged to choose subjects that stretch their learning and/or provide stepping stones to future pathways. They should not just base their decisions on what their friends are doing. Your commitment to supporting students to make the right choices is appreciated.

Student voice is very important to us at Sorell School. Over the coming couple of weeks, students across the school, including Year's 7 to 9, will have the opportunity to complete our in-school Engagement for Learning survey, YouMatter. Their feedback will help to inform our planning for 2025 in relation to student engagement in school, as well as what areas to focus on for the learning program in Community time during 2025.

Lauren Clements
7-9 Assistant Principal

YEARS 10 – 12 CAMPUS

Students in Years 11 and 12 have now completed their formal classes for 2024. Students in Year 11 will receive an information letter before the end of the school year outlining their 2025 program and inviting them back in for regular classes from Thursday 6 February.  Students who have completed Year 12 will receive their results from TASC via email or post from the 18 of December. We wish these students all the best in their future endeavours.

Our Year 10 classes continue to work towards final assessment for 2024. Students are busily working on improving internal rating and building confidence before transitioning into Year 11 classes next year.  We have an exciting few weeks remaining for these students with their end of year celebration dinner and final Year 10 farewell assembly looming. Please encourage students to remain focused on their class work at this stage. It is really important we prioritise any work which will support students in achieving next year. All students in Year 10 will be participating in the jumpstart program on December 4 and 5, where they will be given a chance to sample their subjects selected for next year at either Rosny College, or Sorel School.

Luke Hamilton
10-12 Assistant Principal

Year 10 Exams

During week 5 Year 10 students had their exams for English, Mathematics and History.

The Year 10 teaching team believe It’s important to give our students genuine learning experiences to help them with their future learning pathways as well as an opportunity to improve their academic marks for their end of the year.

It was a success with students showing appropriate behaviour for exam conditions as well as trying their best during the exam.

? Art Room Update!

This week in the secondary art room, students have been busy transforming Sorell’s buildings into haunting masterpieces! 🏚️ Our "Haunted House" project has students reimagining local houses with Gothic elements like spires, steeples, and arched windows, adding a spooky twist with broken windows, spider webs, and gravestones. 🕸️✨

We've also worked on a collaborative Haunted House activity— each student contributed a unique section to form a complete, hauntingly beautiful image!

Meanwhile, outside, our Year 10s are painting a stunning mural, showcasing native animals and Indigenous designs, bringing vibrant life to the new art space! 🖌️🌿

Melanie Symmons 
Secondary Art Teacher

School Calendar of Events