19 June 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 2 continues to be a productive one. We have now received most of the hub space furniture. Hub spaces are the areas in the buildings directly outside student classrooms. They are communal spaces that students can utilise for learning. Currently, staff in the spaces are experimenting with how to configure the new furniture to enable additional learning opportunities for students beyond the classrooms. We are working hard at building a sense of belonging in these spaces, student voice and agency a key factor. It has been pleasing to see students starting to take advantage of these spaces around the school. They love the engaging and comfortable furniture.

Attendance

Our attendance targets for the end of Term 2 in the School Improvement Plan are as follows:

• Increase 90%+ attendance from 52.3% to 55% in Prep to Year 6. 
• Increase 90%+ attendance from 23.5% to 25% in Years 7-12.

The current rates are as follows:

• 90%+ attendance in Prep to Year 6 = 63.4%, an increase of 8.4%.
• 90%+ attendance in Years 7-12 = 36%, an increase of 11%.

We are very excited to see an increase in students attending 90%+ right across the school. Remember, every school day matters. Within a term, less than 90% attendance for a student equates to a week or more of missed school. Over a school year, this equates to 4 weeks or more of missed school.

Teaching and Learning – Literacy Strides

Sorell School is now part of a new partnership with Rokeby and Warrane Schools under the Literacy Strides initiative. This initiative is funded by Smart Schools, a philanthropic group supporting literacy improvement in Australian Schools. Our partnership recognises the work already happening with our reading focus across the primary sector. Sorell’s School eligibility is based on our ICSEA rating that is below 1000.

The focus of this initiative is on strengthening quality differentiated teaching practices in reading in the Year 7-8 space, followed by the development of targeted, evidence-based intervention strategies. Our first step is to implement Word Origins for Years 7 and 8. This teaching program addresses the knowledge gaps that our student assessment data indicates is challenging many of our students to access year level texts. It builds on the codebreaking lessons (Kinder to Year 4), and Word Origins that our Year 5-6 students are currently accessing.

This is an exciting opportunity for our school, with approx. $27,000 in funding for this year and a further $20,000 each year for the following two years to support sustained impact.

MND Fundraiser

It is almost that time of the year where we dunk the adults to raise money for a very worthy cause. This will occur during Week 10 with more details to come very soon. It will be a whole school event. Nominated students will have an opportunity to throw the balls that inevitably dunk the staff and School Association members in the freezing water. For the past two years, this has been a hugely popular event. It is a wonderful opportunity to bring all of the students at Sorell School together to support MND fundraising and have oodles of fun.

Winter Fest

This year, Winter Fest will be on Thursday 21 August. We are busily planning the logistics of this event. The theme this year is: In the Winter Garden. Some of the key aspects of the event will be student art displays, Shakespeare performances, food vans, silent disco, glow in the dark face painting, fire pots, and a pickle ball competition. More information will be available in the coming weeks. Please mark this date in your calendars. It is an event you will not want to miss.

Lauren Clements
Acting Principal

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

ECE Campus

Heading into Week 9 brings a busy close to the term. Our Early Years students are participating in the Growing Up program. This program is an age-appropriate opportunity for students to explore the important topic of personal development and growing bodies. Delivered with care and respect, it helps children to better understand themselves and others in a safe and supportive environment.

Also, this week, we are looking ahead to our upcoming Parent-Teacher Interviews. These conversations are an important opportunity to come together to celebrate your child’s progress, talk about their learning journey so far, and set shared goals moving forward.

We strongly encourage all families to book a time to meet with your child’s teacher. These connections are so valuable in supporting a strong partnership between home and school, and in helping your child to feel seen, supported, and successful.

To book your interview time please refer to the link below

https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code/puvvz

We are also beginning the important work of supporting our Year 2 students to begin preparing them for the transition to the Year 3-6 space. Transition is a significant milestone, and our planning will ensure it is a positive and supported experience for every child. This work will begin in Term 3 and will include opportunities for students to spend time in the 3-6 space, meet teachers, and build familiarity with the routines and expectations for the next stage of their learning journey. We look forward to working closely with families to make this a smooth and exciting step forward.

Teresa Spinks
K-2 Assistant Principal

Years 3–6 Campus

Students have finished the Swim and Water Safety Program and are now back into their normal daily routines within their classes. Our morning block each day is dedicated to students improving their understanding in literacy. Teachers in 3-6 use Word Origins and Code breaking programs as well as explicitly teaching fluency techniques, reading, and text and writing strategies to support student development. Please ask your young person to explain these programs to you at home.

Congratulations to our Primary Interschool Cross Country team who participated at Bayview College at Rokeby. We had some strong performances from the team which resulted in Sorell finishing 8^th overall. A special mention to our year 5 boys’ team who took out first place in their year level.

Well done to all participants.

Trent Sproule and Jamie Harwood
3-6 Assistant Principals

Years 7–8 Campus

As we approach the end of Term 2, it’s a great time to reflect on what has been a busy and productive term. The recent Student Free Day, followed by the long weekend, provided a well-earned mid-term break and a chance for students and staff to reset and refocus for the weeks ahead.

We’re looking forward to welcoming families onsite for Parent–Teacher Interviews in Week 9. These conversations are a valuable opportunity to celebrate student progress and discuss learning goals moving forward.

Molesworth Excursions – Year 7

Our Year 7 students have had the opportunity to attend excursions to the beautiful Molesworth Environment Centre — a Department of Education facility that offers engaging outdoor learning experiences for students across Tasmania. The centre promotes inquiry and discovery-based learning in a hands-on, natural environment.

During the excursion, students participated in team-building challenges, bushcraft activities like damper making, and even built their own bush shelters using branches and sticks. It was fantastic to see students working collaboratively, problem-solving, and embracing the outdoors. A big thank you to staff for supporting these valuable learning experiences. Be sure to check out the great photos from classes 7A and 7B.

Interschool Chess Competition

On Thursday 5 June, a team of students from Years 7–9 represented Sorell School at the Interschool Chess Competition held at MacKillop College. The day was filled with strategy, concentration, and healthy competition.

Congratulations to the following students who proudly represented our school:

Year 7 - Ed G, Ethan W, Tinka B, Elena Y, Oliver H, Kobe G, Bryan B, Cobie H, Vincent W

Year 8 - Tyson BB, Trinity H, Hugo B, Liam LN, Tyler H, William S, Alec F, Keenan J

Year 9 - Marcus G, Samuel L

Your sportsmanship and focus were excellent—we’re proud of your efforts.

Learning in Hub Spaces

It has also been wonderful to see our Grade 7 and 8 students making respectful and purposeful use of the new hub spaces. The flexible furniture is supporting a range of learning needs, with students taking initiative in how and where they work best—whether it's collaborating in small groups, using quiet spaces for independent tasks, or gathering for class discussions. Their care and consideration in using these shared spaces is contributing to a positive and productive learning environment.

Mel Symmons 
7-8 Acting Assistant Principal

Meet the Year 7-8 teaching team

Name: Mel Symmons

Role: Currently Acting 7-8 Assistant Principal but permanent Advanced Skills Teacher/Secondary Art Teacher

How long have you been at Sorell School? Since 2012 – 13 Years! Alan Wagin and Liz McDermott interviewed me for a position when Ms Probert took some leave to have her first child. 

Tell us something about yourself: Before becoming a teacher, I had several part-time jobs including a fish and chip shop in Swansea, working at Village Cinemas in Hobart (we use to make the delicious choc tops between movie sessions), and Myer department store on the Lancome counter, before the terrible 2007 fire.

Years 9-10 Campus

In Year 9 English, students have been exploring the use of persuasive techniques in their writing. The culminating activity was to create a persuasive text answering the question ‘Is hunting ethical or unethical?’ Students were given a planning template and time to research key points including facts.

Heather has stated that ‘Hunting provides a sustainable source of free-range food for you and your family, without having to spend a cent on the extremely pricey food from supermarkets. Hunting food from the wild will significantly save you on money, especially when the cost-of-living prices are skyrocketing. research shows that around 48%, almost half of Australians now feel anxious about putting food on the table or struggle to accesses food consistently. This evidence explains how hunting your own food will save you tremendously.’

Harper argued that ‘Hunting is extremely good for our economy. If we stop hunting it will end up costing our economy quadrillions of dollars! Hunting makes up 2.2% of our economy output which is a lot more than what you probably think. Hunting generates $778 million a year and supports 5.2 million jobs. Do you really want our economy to crumble? If we stop hunting our economy will be done for, so we must make sure that hunting stays around for decades.’

Why not have a chat with your child about what their essay key points are and see what they think?

Last week, Rosny College opened its doors to our Year 10 students for its highly anticipated Taster Day — a chance for future learners to experience a day in the life of a college student. With a mix of nerves and excitement, students from various schools stepped onto campus ready to trial subjects and explore the facilities. Throughout the day, students participated in a range of sample classes, from sciences and humanities to creative arts, hospitality, and trades. 

Year 10 students will start their study week next week for the upcoming exams. The exams schedule is;

Monday 1 July – Math

Tuesday 2 July – English

Wednesday 3 July – Science

Thursday 4 July – History

Friday 5 July – Catch up

Exams will be run from 9:00-10:30am in the Year 10 classrooms. Students will be in random groupings to complete the exams.

Bri Millhouse 
9-10 Acting Assistant Principal

Years 11–12 Campus

Our Electrotech students have had a wonderful time visiting TasNetworks and their training facility in Mornington. They have learned about the skills required to be an electrician and where to look for positions. Animal Care will be running an animal nursery at Clarendon Vale CFLC on 19 June to give families a chance to see all the wonderful animals we care for on the farm at Sorell. They will be able to play with the goats and hopefully enjoy seeing the hard work our students put into caring for our animals.

Brody Walker
11-12 Acting Assistant Principal

School Calendar of Events

Year 7 2026 Information Session

Why is sleep so important?

Blue Lagoon Holiday Camps

Respectful Relationships Workshop

Midway Point Neighbourhood House

Jack Jumpers Basketball Camp