10 April 2025

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,

Term 1 is rapidly coming to a close. As always, our term has been action-packed with a vast number of experiences and opportunities for our students. The Bream Creek Show was one of the many highlights. The animal nursery continues to be a huge hit with the broader community. Congratulations to Lynn and her students for providing this incredible experience for families and community members beyond Sorell School.

Congratulations to 22 students for being selected to compete in the Champions Athletics Carnival on Friday 11 April. We wish Ethan Brazendale, Oliver Smith, Daniel De’Cruz Kapula, Noah Jackson, Will Paul, Harley Jackson, Will Lowe, Raiden Oliver, Bently Pickrell, Matilda Paul, Isobel Irwin, Chloe Maxwell, Chloe Turner, Paige Bertoldo, Phoebe Wall, Linette Gebhart, Violet Brosnan, Kiera Elliot, Hannah Rawson, Olivia Bradshaw, Ava Rigby and Shayna Ramolia good luck in their events.

We also congratulate the U12 boys’ basketball team for going undefeated in the Basketball Tasmania Southern Region School Tournament. What a terrific result!

Teaching and Learning

Our fluency technique priority will be concluding at end of the term. Next term, teachers will be focusing on direct explicit instruction to enhance the structure of every lesson being taught across our school. We look forward to sharing more information about the structure.

Hobart Human Library - A Fairer World

The Human Library resource presented to our secondary students recently. What an amazing experience. The aim of the program is to deliver firsthand stories from people who have been exposed to discrimination due to aspects of their identity. Each presentation introduces concepts of discrimination, bullying and social norms.

Some feedback from our students below.

◼ To be kind and not judge a book by its cover.

◼ To be inclusive and not assume what people are like based off their looks.

◼ That not all people can do the things you can do.

◼ That everybody is different and they may have an invisible disability.

◼ Be mindful of what you say and be nice.

◼ If someone is by them self and look sad say hello and ask if they are okay.

◼ Not to make assumptions.

What would you tell a friend about the Hobart Human Library?

◼ If you can somehow get more time that would be excellent.

◼ I would like to hear more stories.

◼ It was an amazing experience.

 ◼ I have little to no suggestions. This is just an exquisite program.

As we approach the holiday break, we wish all students and families a safe and enjoyable time. Lauren Clements will serve as Acting Principal for Term 2. I look forward to reconnecting with all students and families, and to seeing the progress of each of our students.

Kelly Dyer
Principal

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

ECE CAMPUS

As we come to the close of our first term, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all our families for your ongoing support and involvement. It’s been a term filled with growth, learning and enjoyment. We wish all students and their families a wonderful break.

Looking ahead to next term, we have a small request for families. We kindly remind families to wait outside at the end of the day. We’ve noticed that early arrivals into the learning space are beginning to distract students and shorten their focused learning time. We appreciate your support in helping us make every minute count. Teachers will continue to walk students out to the pickup areas at the end of the day. They are available for a short chat or to schedule an appointment for a meeting if required.

Over the holidays, four square courts will be painted in the playground. This new addition will create another opportunity for children to engage in team games and develop their social and cooperative play skills.

Next term brings exciting new learning opportunities, events, and community connections. We look forward to welcoming you back refreshed and ready to start Term 2.

Teresa Spinks
K-2 Assistant Principal

YEARS 3 – 6 CAMPUS

It has been an extremely busy fortnight in the 3-6 space. In addition to students continuing their learning in the classrooms there have been lots of extra-curricular activities being held. Year 5/6 have been on excursion to ZooDoo as a culminating event for their science unit of work where they have been looking at animal adaptations. It is great seeing students make connections from their in class learning to the real world.

Well, done to Year 3/4 and 5/6 boys who participated in Basketball Tasmanian Southern Region School Tournament over the past fortnight. The Year 3/4 team went through the competition undefeated and took out first place, an outstanding effort.

Congratulations to 22 students who have been selected to participate in the Champions Athletics Carnival due to strong performances in the Interschool Athletics Carnival in which Sorell finished second overall. The Champions Athletics Carnival will be held this Friday 11 April at the Domain Athletics Centre, and we wish all of our competitor's good luck on the day.

Last week the Primary end of term assembly was held. It was fantastic to see students who excelled in Term 1 be recognised with an end of term award. Congratulations to all our award winners.

We look forward to seeing all of our students return in term 2, have a save and relaxing term break.

Trent Sproule and Jamie Harwood
3-6 Assistant Principals

Helicopter Visit

Sorell School was incredibly lucky to have the Westpac Rescue Helicopter land right on our school oval. Year 5-6 students had the chance to learn about the life-saving work done by the rescue team.

The rescue crew, which included a pilot, a paramedic, and a couple of police rescue officers, introduced themselves and gave a talk about their roles and the services they provide. They shared insights into the helicopter’s equipment and how it’s used to carry out rescue missions, and the students had plenty of questions to ask.

The students were divided into small groups and given the incredible opportunity to get up close to the helicopter. They were able to look inside and explore the various features of the aircraft.

YEARS 7 – 8 CAMPUS

Students in Year 7 and 8 are excelling in their efforts to step outside their comfort zones and try things beyond the classroom.

Last week a group of Year 7 and 8 students participate in the RECLINK AFL 9s series. Some students had not played a great deal of AFL in the past but volunteered to participate anyway. Congratulations to our Year 7 and 8 girls who came second for the entire southern competition. What an outstanding effort.

Yesterday a large group of Year 7 and 8 students attended the Chess Interschool tournament at Clarence High. We can’t wait to hear how they went.

There will be a range of opportunities for students to engage in extracurricular activities in Term 2. We look forward to seeing students step up and continue to have a go.

Students were eager to receive their progress reports last week. Admin will be sending any reports that were not handed out via post during the holidays. Please contact the school if you do not receive your child’s report. They are a key indicator of how your child has started the year. As always, please reach out to the teaching staff if you would like to discuss your child’s learning progress. Please also ensure you have connected to your child’s account on Seesaw. This is the main platform we use for sharing evidence of learning and key grade messages. Contact your child’s Community teacher or Grade Coordinator if you need a QR code.

Year 8s now have their laptops available to complement their learning programs. The enthusiasm to reconnect with their devices has been great to see. We look forward to seeing the wonderful work they complete with the devices. We have great news for Year 7s! Their laptops have finally arrived and will be ready for use at the start of Term 2. Also remember we do have some laptops available to loan through the Secondary Library for students that don’t have access to technology at home. Please encourage your children to talk to their Year Coordinator if you are interested in this initiative.

Lauren Clements
7-8 Assistant Principal

Meet the Year 7/8 teaching team

Name: Tarshie Pickrell

Role: Year 9-10 Child Studies and Years 7, 11 and 12 Maths teacher  

How long have you been at Sorell School? 7 years

Tell us something about yourself: My favourite season is summer so I can spend time at the beach.

Year 7 Excursion

On Tuesday 25 March, Year 7’s enjoyed a day out in Hobart as part of their HASS program and to develop a feeling of belonging in their Year Group. The classes had a guided tour of The Museum and Art Gallery to see ningina tunapri. ningina tunapri means 'to give knowledge and understanding'. The exhibition explores the journey of Tasmanian Aboriginal people and is a celebration of all Tasmanian Aboriginal generations. Students also had a chance to explore the Bond Store Gallery as part of this visit.

For lunch, students enjoyed the Domain playground at Legacy Park. It was a chance to stretch their legs and play sport on the grass areas too.

The second part of the day was a one-hour session at Bounce Moonah for some serious fun. This was an excellent opportunity for students to enjoy each other’s company and build a sense of belonging in their Year Groups.

The Year 7 teaching team is looking forward to taking the grade on more excursions throughout the year and students have been positive in their feedback.

YEAR 9 CAMPUS

This term students have had the opportunity to participate in AFL Development sessions with Paul Kennedy.  When not working with us, Paul is a Level 3 Accredited football Coach and the Premier League Senior Men’s Coach at Brighton Football Club.

The weekly sessions have focused on the biomechanics of kicking, kicking to advantage and AFL ball movement principles with an eye towards the RecLink AFL9’s competition that is being played this week. 

Both the boys and girls Grade 9/10 teams won their regional events on Tuesday, good luck to both teams participating in the finals this Friday.

As the winter weather approaches, school hoodies are available to purchase from the uniform shop, please contact admin for opening times.

Next Term, Mel Symmons will be filling the role of Assistant Principal in the Year 7 area and Liam Rudolph will be stepping into the Year 9 AST role for Term 2.  I would like to thank all of our Year 9 students and their families for such a successful Term 1 and wish you all an enjoyable Easter Break.  See you all in Term 2.

Sonia Marsh
9 Assistant Principal

YEARS 10 – 12 CAMPUS

Students in Years 10-12 have been exploring future pathway options and making decisions around career and study aspirations. Our Year 10 cohort have had an information session with Rosny College where we heard about future study options in a College environment and how different courses can contribute towards a Vocational Education and Training (VET) certificate, Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE) or Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR). Following this session, all students in Years 10-12 were off to visit the Glenorchy Jobs Hubs Careers Expo, held at MyState Arena. This was a great opportunity to meet potential employers from a wide range of sectors and learn about different career pathways.

As we head into Term 2, students in Year 10 will start to enter their intentions for Years 11 and 12 into their Transition plans. The Transition plans will be posted out to families at the end of the school year and identify future study aspirations and preferred courses. The Transition plans incorporate elements of a student’s personal interests and hobbies, academic goals, social connections as well as any previous work related activities. It’s great to continue these conversations at home, so students are well prepared to plan their preferred future career planning work during Term 2

Luke Hamilton
10-12 Assistant Principal

Calendar of Events

The Nest

Cyber Safety

Holiday Basketball Fun

Midway Point Neighbourhood House

Family Fun Run