We have now reached the end of a very busy first term. Throughout the term newsletters and Facebook posts have shared the many learning opportunities that have been offered to students. The Seesaw platform is also now up and running and will be used by K-6 teachers to share student work and communicate with families.  Please speak to your child’s teacher if you require support to access.

Connection
This term we have focussed on the DECYP value of Connection.  Meaningful connections are important for students, staff and the school community.  We want all our students to feel supported, a sense of belonging and engaged with their learning. 

Student Reports and Learning Plans
Student reports and learning plans were sent home on Friday 4 April.  Please contact the office if you have not received your report.  Parents/carers are welcome to contact their child’s teacher throughout each term to discuss their progress, set goals and update information.

Attendance
All students have a right to an education. Attendance is important for students to have access to all learning opportunities and to develop valuable connections with peers and staff.  Every day missed is a day of missed opportunities.  Please support your child to come to school if they are well or speak to your child’s teacher if your child needs support to attend.   

Schools are required to follow up absences.  Please explain your child’s absence from school to help keep our attendance records accurate; this can be replying to the text message, calling the school on 6491 8222, email or sending a note with your child.  Alert letters are sent for students who remain unexplained, or absences are unauthorised. 

Farewell to Mr Hinrichsen
After 18 years’ service to Sheffield School, Mr Hinrichsen is leaving Sheffield School and the Department of Education.  During his time at Sheffield School Mr Hinrichsen has demonstrated high levels of flexibility and adaptability to work across all year levels and various subjects, perform leadership roles and support students in a Tier 3 capacity.  We thank Mr Hinrichsen for his commitment and dedication to Sheffield School and all that he has contributed to students, families and colleagues past and present.  We wish Mr Hinrichsen well as he undertakes another opportunity within DECYP. 

Wishing all students and their families a safe and enjoyable holiday break and a chance to recharge after a busy term to commence Term 2 on Monday 28 April.

Catrina Davies

ACTING PRINCIPAL

Inter-High Swimming Carnival

On Wednesday, 26 March the Sheffield School swimming team made the trip down the hill to the Splash Aquatic Centre to compete in the annual Inter-High Swimming carnival. The small, yet courageous team had volunteered to fly the flag for our school in one of the most closely scrutinized events on our sports calendar. With the crowd only metres away from the pool, there is nowhere to hide when you begin your race, this can be a little daunting.

Luckily, our team members were full of confidence and displayed a high level of courage as they entered the water and completed their respective races. All competitors completed the 50m freestyle event, with others also entering 100m freestyle, 50m backstroke and breaststroke events.

Hudson competed extremely well finishing in the top 3 for all his events and he even led the Devonport High School team to the lead in his leg of the 50m relay, ultimately he would be crowned Division B, Year 10 Boys Champion.  Xavier also had a succesful competition, he was crowned Division B, Year 9 Boys Runner-up.  Excellent result for both of these students.

The HPE team is extremely proud of these students for stepping out of their comfort zone and competing against club swimmers and students from far larger schools. Their behaviour on the day was exemplary and they represented our school in a very positive manner.
Well done team.

Tarrant, Jacob, Jack, Wesley, Mia, Sophie, Xavier and Hudson.

Golden Tickets 

Principal Morning Tea

Class Awards Thursday 27 March 

Chicken Naming Competition

Remy and Kayel’s mum, Stacey from Railton was the winner of the chicken naming competition.

‘ Henrietta, Berther and Nuggets’    

Glover Prize Art Exhibition

The secondary art students travelled to Evandale to view the Glover Prize Art exhibition on Friday 14 March. We viewed the exhibits, liked some, discussed what we liked and decided to enter our own landscapes of Tasmania for next year. We had a look around Evandale, which is so pretty in the autumn.

Cleveland Cattle Sale Excursion

Recently a group of Year 9 and 10 Food and Fibre students attended the Cleveland weaner sales, near Ouse.  The sales are held annually.  The Shoobridge family has been a great supporter of the Sheffield School for many years donating steers to the school.  The steers will be used in a number of activities throughout the year, culminating in the annual school show in November.  Students were able to select 4 steers from the offering of over 1000 animals.  Students chose 2 steers from 2 different pens with the assistance of a local stock buyer.  Students were advised on what to look for when purchasing an animal for showing purposes.  Using their knowledge of beef cattle the students choose pure-bred Angus steers because they had conformity and will present well in the ring.  The Shoobridge family have been breeding Angus cattle for many years and as a result their cattle have sound genetics and calm temperament.  We look forward to being able to work with these wonderful cattle in the coming months.  Many thanks to the Shoobridge family for their continuing support of the Sheffield School.

Prep Friends Visit

On Tuesday, 25 March, the Kinder/Preps from the Railton campus travelled to Sheffield School to visit Mrs Hinrichsen’s Prep class. After buddying students together from both classes, everyone eagerly set off to play in different areas of the classroom. A favourite activity during the visit was decorating and eating a cupcake each! Other favourite areas included the home corner, playdough, farm play, dinosaurs, construction, and drawing. Before we knew it, it was time to eat lunch together. The visit went far too quickly and we have already started planning a trip  for Mrs Hinrichsen’s class to visit Railton Campus!

Lyndall and Susie

Mainland Trip

What a fabulous week we had on the mainland. We enjoyed the hustle and bustle of Melbourne, highlighting the sport and culture of the state with live football at Marvel Stadium, Beauty and the Beast at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Teppanyaki in China Town, the city’s skyline from the Eureka Skydeck, sporting history at the MCG, shopping, more eating, and lots of walking (at least 70km over the whole week). Our legs enjoyed the coach trip to Canberra after three nights in Melbourne, and so did our eyelids. Along the way we saw the big Ned Kelly, HMAS Otway and the Dog on the Tuckerbox. While in Canberra we visited Parliament House and raced down the immaculate lawn, studied portraits of influential Australians at the Portrait Gallery (Neale Daniher a favourite), explored Australia’s military history and service at the Australian War Memorial (here Mr Holland contributed to a gallery board recognising his service in Iraq), participated in a mock election at the Electoral Education Centre, and marvelled at all things science at Questacon. Although these visits allowed us to gain our PACER rebate (Parliament and Civics Education Rebate) we have all come away with new knowledge and appreciation of what has helped shape Australia’s identity. Our trip ended in Sydney where the weather was perfect and no one was quite ready to head home. A walking tour through Hyde Park, around St. Mary’s Cathedral, through the Botanical Gardens to the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Along the Harbour we enjoyed dinner, ice cream and taking many photos of the iconic landmarks. Taronga Zoo was our last destination before flying home. This was a highlight for many. Selfies with animals, seal shows, photo challenges, pretending to be park rangers and finally purchasing a last-minute gift from the gift shop was the perfect way to end the week. Throughout the whole trip our students were commended on their excellent behaviour and respectful communication. We were incredibly proud of them. Well done everyone!

Tandara Lodge Visit

The Secondary and Primary SRC spread the Easter joy and engaged with the residents of Tandara Lodge by delivering handcrafted wooden boxes made in MDT filled with Easter eggs. This visit fostered community spirit, intergenerational connection, and meaningful engagement between students and residents.

In Term 2, on Friday, 16 May, we are dressing up for Pirate Day.
It's time to dust off your swashbuckling best and gather as much treasure as you can for a great cause. Of all childhood cancers, brain cancer is currently the least treatable, with some types being considered incurable. The only way to change that is if kind people like you band together to help fund vital research now. Please bring a gold coin donation.

Canteen

Railton's canteen day is Wednesday.

Please make sure your orders are in by 9:30am.  You can either order on the QKR app or at the office.

Term 2 Canteen Menu

QKR
Order (and pay) for school lunches for up to two weeks in advance from your Smart device.      QKR Set Up Instructions

When logging on to QKR for the 1st time each year you will be asked to enter your child's year level and home group.  It is important that you add both of these details and not just home group.

Swimming Pool

The pool season ended on 6 April.  Keys can be returned to either Sheffield or Railton Campus in order to receive your $50 refund.

STAS application forms for 2025 have not changed from the 2024 form. The STAS form is also available on the Intranet for printing here, alternatively contact Financial Assistance via email to stas@decyp.tas.gov.au

Families who have not applied for or received STAS previously, are encouraged to apply online at https://stasonlinesubmission.education.tas.gov.au (or Google STAS to be taken directly to the link). Online applications can be submitted on any electronic device including mobile phones.

If you have any STAS queries, please contact Financial Assistance on 1800 827 055 or via email to stas@decyp.tas.gov.au.

Safeguarding Training in our school

All volunteers (parent helpers, coaches, breakfast club helpers) are required to complete Safeguarding Training prior to working with children in our school.

Please ensure you present your certificate of completion at the office for our record.

You can access the training by clicking on the link below or using the QR code on the poster.

To complete the training, simply visit https://www.decyp.tas.gov.au/.../safeguarding-training/

Please contact Mrs Davies if you would like support to complete the training.

Vaping Facts

Electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes, often called ‘vapes’, are electronic devices designed to deliver vapourised liquids into the lungs. There are many different styles of vapes and types of e-liquids, or e-juices, available. Vapes come in many shapes and sizes and can be made to look like everyday items including highlighters, pens or USB memory sticks. 

Click HERE for more Vaping News

Oral Health Services Tasmania (OHST) Fissure Sealant and Fluoride Varnish Program

There are some schools that (OHST) won’t get to this year but will be prioritised for Term 1 of 2026 – Sheffield and Railton will be part of these.

The local dental clinics in the school’s area now being staffed for more days each week than previously (Sheffield Clinic = 2 days, Latrobe Clinic 4 days) so we encourage families to continue with follow-up up appointments in the clinics.

If any parents/carers have concerns about their children, or the children are experiencing dental pain, they can contact our team on 1300 011 013 and we can make appointments.

We also have a priority referral program available, Lift the Lip, for the School Health Nurses to refer students with decay.

 (OHST)

Click HERE for more information about HEYWIRE

AMEB presents The Art of Practice with Monte Mumford

Monte is an internationally renowned conductor educator, adjudicator, and clinician. This workshop is the culmination of his explorations into effective techniques that amplify practice results and develop a love of music. 

We're all time-poor these days so focussing on quality over quantity has never been more important. We'll look at how to identify what to include in your practice, and how to structure your week to tackle your short and long term performance goals.

 Join us for this FREE workshop. Monte will share his pro tips before opening up to questions.

Teachers, learners, parents, observers, and performers are all welcome. Please note that anyone aged under 18 years must be accompanied by a responsible adult. 

Workshop details

Wednesday 7 May

6:00pm - 7:30pm

Latrobe Federal Bandrooms, Latrobe

 FREE admission but registrations essential.

Kentish House

Slipstream's Upcoming School Holiday Program

Many of the Youth Week programs are FREE (most are in the first week of the school holidays).

We are also running a day of school holiday programs on Wednesday 23 April. $20 per class. 

Enrolments are also now open for Term 2.

Football and Soccer

2025 Devon Netball Netta Roster

2025 Devon Netball Primary Roster

2025 Devon Netball Senior Roster