11 September 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 and carers, 

Father’s Day - Special Person’s breakfast

Wowsers, what a turnout. Over the past two years, we have seen the response to our special breakfasts grow exponentially. Last Friday, seeing mina nina krakani packed with family members connecting and enjoying each other’s company was truly uplifting and encouraging.

A big shout-out to all the families who came along, the staff who helped out in the kitchen, and to Mel, Bree, and Bri for their fantastic organisation. The sense of community was unmistakable.

Teacher Assistant Appreciation Week

Last week was Teacher Assistant (TA) Appreciation Week. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all our TAs for the incredible work they do across our school. The role of a TA is both unique and deeply important in supporting our students, offering an additional voice and advocacy.

Every day, our TAs help make a student’s experience more positive, enjoyable, and meaningful. The insight these vital members of our school community bring to student learning and wellbeing is truly invaluable.

Satisfaction Surveys

September is the survey season. We really encourage all families to complete the parent survey. This information provides value insight into the things the school is doing well and the areas for future improvement and change. Over time we have seen some amazing data to reflect the change in the school, however as a school community evolves so do our needs. The survey is a great mechanism to gather this information. A huge thank you to the over a hundred families that have completed the survey. Surveys close September 19.

Community Partnerships

We are incredibly fortunate at Sorell School to be surrounded by a generous and committed community, and this week we would like to shine a light on the South East Salvation Army. Long-time partners Jess and Craig, along with their dedicated team of volunteers, have recently revitalised our breakfast program, now offering a Grab and Go breakfast three times a week. This initiative plays a vital role in ensuring our students are physically and mentally prepared for learning, and we are deeply grateful for the ongoing support that helps make our school a thriving place for all.

Kelly Dyer
Principal

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

ECE Campus

Students from Kindergarten to Year 2 were treated to a wonderful performance by the Terrapin Puppet Theatre called "Goldfish". The show captured imaginations, and our students were an energetic and engaged audience, delighting in the creativity of the performance.

Our Year 1/2 classes have been building on their knowledge and working on the structure of narratives. They are exploring narrative structures using a range of texts and beginning to create their own stories. They have been exploring how stories open by introducing the character and setting, then use their knowledge of sentence structure to build tension, develop the problem, and create actions that lead to a resolution at the end.

As a community, we are also continuing our focus on resilience, encouraging students to try new things, even when they might feel challenging. We have been talking with students about the learning process, the importance of practice, and the growth comes from persisting through challenges.

In Term 4, there will be a change to our assembly days to enable our Kindergarten students to attend. Assemblies will move from Fridays to Wednesdays at the usual time of 12:50pm. They will be held in Week 4 and Week 7 of Term 4, and more information will be shared closer to the date about our end of year Christmas and Award Recognition Assembly.

With the UV index now reaching 3, sun protection is recommended. This means that hats are required for all student and staff whenever they are outside in the playground or learning outdoors. We thank families for supporting our SunSmart policy. School hats may be purchased from the school office.

Teresa Spinks
K-2 Assistant Principal

Kinder Prep Excursion

On Wednesday 27 August, our Kinder/Prep students enjoyed a fantastic day at the Woodbridge Marine Discovery Centre. We fed skates, sharks, and fish, and explored the touch tank. The children had the opportunity to gently handle sea creatures such as crabs, sea urchins, sea anemones, and sea cucumbers. To wrap up our underwater adventure, we took part in a range of fun and creative craft activities inspired by the marine life we discovered. It was a memorable day filled with hands-on learning and ocean-themed fun.

Year 3–6 Campus

Sorell School is a Sun Smart school and as we come to the end of Term 3, ultraviolet ratings are increasing. Students are required to wear a sun smart hat at school for ultra-violet ratings over 3. Can parents/carers please encourage students to bring their sun safe hats to school and wear them when undertaking activities outside for the remainder of the year.

Students in Year 3-4 classes have had opportunities to consolidate their learning by attending an excursion to Zoo Doo at Richmond. Students have been working on information texts in literacy, and they gathered valuable information on their animals to use in their assessment pieces.

Goodluck to 5/6 students playing Winter Sport this Friday against Richmond.

Trent Sproule
3-6 Assistant Principal

Year 7–8 Campus

We can hardly believe it is Week 8. This week, I have enjoyed visiting Year 8 classes to learn about algebra in Maths. Students are showing their understanding of linear equations by practicing methods for showing working out. I personally like the backtracking method. It was a pleasure to hear students working together to solve equations on the board and also observing students teaching each other. Who knew algebra could generate so much conversation! Year 8s are also looking forward to their upcoming excursions to the Molesworth Education Centre. We will share how these excursions went in the next newsletter.

​​Year 7 are about to start a mini unit of learning about media messages and their impact on our health. They will evaluate and discover credible resources, explore accessibility of media and it’s impact on our health and demonstrate understanding of positive vs negative media outlets. This a really impactful topic that will support students to make healthy choices about the content they view, particularly online. Do you ever speak at home with your children about what they are watching and how it makes them think and feel? Now is a great time to have these conversations, it will really support the learning in the classroom.

Students in Year 7 and 8 have also had the opportunity in the last week to complete the 2025 Student Wellbeing and Engagement Survey. This is a powerful way for students to tell us how they feel about Sorell School. We are always seeking student voice to drive what we do to increase learning, wellbeing and engagement. We are also very interested in parent’s perspective in relation to learning, wellbeing and engagement. Please reach out to me any time if you would like to give some feedback. I look forward to hearing from you.

Lauren Clements 
7-8 Assistant Principal

Meet the Year 7-8 teaching team

Name: Andy Cumming 

Role: Year 7 English and HASS

How long have you been at Sorell School? Almost 5 years

Tell us something about yourself: I like to spend a lot of my spare time gardening. I'm very invested in soil health and using permaculture principles to grow nutrient dense food without adding anything unnatural. I even grew watermelons in Southern Tasmania last summer. 

Year 9-10 Campus

Year 10 Students Take the Wheel on Road Safety

On Tuesday, our Year 10 students took part in the Tasmanian Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA) program — a powerful and practical initiative designed to equip young people with the tools and knowledge to become safe and responsible road users.

Held in collaboration with Rotary Tasmania, the RYDA program offered students a full day of interactive workshops and real-world scenarios focused on road safety, decision-making, and driver awareness. From understanding stopping distances to hearing firsthand from crash survivors, the sessions were both eye-opening and empowering.

Students explored topics such as:

• The impact of distractions and peer pressure on driving
• The importance of planning ahead and making safe choices
• The role of passengers in promoting safe driving
• Legal responsibilities and consequences of risky behaviour on the road

The program is a key part of our school’s commitment to preparing students for life beyond the classroom. As many of our Year 10s begin thinking about getting their learner’s permits, RYDA provides timely, relevant, and potentially life-saving education.

"I really enjoyed the SOS lesson where we had to point out the dangers of driving. It was really interactive and engaging It was really fun. Overall just a great lesson!" Jesse and Samual.

"The hands on demonstration with the car was very informative." Duke

"It gave us insites to drive safely." Ethan

"I learnt that even supervising drivers have to have a blood alcohol level of 0!" Bailey

We extend our thanks to the Rotary Club, the dedicated RYDA facilitators, and our staff who supported the day. Most importantly, we commend our students for their mature engagement and thoughtful reflections throughout the experience.

Jamie Harwood 
9-10 Assistant Principal

Year 11–12 Campus

This week has started with a visit from Mount Stuart Primary. Their kinder students were given a farm tour by our Cert II Animal Care students with a bit of support from some year 9s. They had a great chance to see all of the animals and how to look after them. All the students had a great time and loved the chance to see everything our farm had to offer. A huge thank you to our students for all of their hard work in making for a fantastic day.

Reports for 11/12 have been sent out for Term 3. If you haven’t received a report for your child, please contact the office so we can send a copy out for you.

Brody Walker
11-12 Acting Assistant Principal

School Satisfaction Survey

2025 Families School Satisfaction Survey – Reminder

The 2025 School Satisfaction Survey is open. Every year the Department for Education, Children and Young People conducts a School Satisfaction Survey to find out what your child(ren)'s school does well and where it may improve. Your feedback is very important to help us inform our school improvement planning and decision-making.

If you have not had the opportunity to complete the survey about Sorell School yet, it is open until Friday 19 September 2025 and should take about 5 minutes of your time. Each family should nominate one person to fill in this survey for their child(ren).

Take the online survey by clicking this link: https://nam.dcv.ms/V4RapYduc5

The survey is carried out on a secure website and all responses are anonymous and confidential. All families in this school received the same survey link and no identifying information is collected. A summary of the survey results will be provided to schools. Responses from individuals or small groups will NOT be disclosed to any Department for Education, Children and Young People staff. Please contact the school if you require any assistance. Thank you for taking the time to fill in this survey.

EdSmart Update

With the successful introduction of EdSmart a few weeks ago for absentee messages, we are now transitioning to send letters home via EdSmart as well.

For upcoming excursions, you will receive a SMS or an email with the letter attached.  You open the message and click the link to read the letter.

If you haven’t provided us with your email address, please send it to sorell.school@decyp.tas.gov.au

School Calendar of Events

Scavenger Hunt