Middle School

Middle School Handbook

The Middle School Handbook provides families with detailed information about The Friends' School, the School structure and locations, learning principles and frameworks, pastoral care, communications and publications, transport and road safety and day-to-day matters and activities. The handbook is also located on The Friends' School website. For any further questions, please contact us.

House Athletics - 17 February - Optional long-distance events

The optional long-distance House Athletics events for the 800m and 3000m will be on Tuesday 17 February at the Domain Athletics Centre. A bus will pick up students who have signed up at the following time. 

Years 7/8 students meet at the Argyle Street bus stop (near the Argyle Street tennis courts/Friends' Early Learning) at 1.00pm.

(Fry and Penn will be on their OE camp. On the carnival date of 24 February, an 800m event will be available to run for Fry and Penn students - please still sign up so we know how many want to run on the day).

Sports uniform may be worn on the day.

Students competing in just the 800m will return at approx 2.15pm (dependent on numbers). All other students competing in the 3000m will return to school after the event by 3.20pm. 

To enter one or both events, students need to click on the link below and fill in their details. This must be completed by 4.00pm Friday 13 February. 

Students will need to use their Google login details to access the Term 1 Sign-up form on Clipboard using the following link: https://portal.clipboard.app/the-friends-school/ 

Make sure once you have selected your activity, you go to Cart - click check out now.

Year 7 Camps

Year 7 students are heading to camp at Rivers Edge on the above dates. They will attend with Key Teachers and Outdoor Education staff.  The focus for the programs will be on promoting community, connection and allowing students to get to know each other.  

On the day of camp, students need to be at Bell Street by 8.30am and will also need to be collected from Bell Street at the end of camp.  The entrance is near the corner of Bay Road / Queens Walk (opposite soccer fields).

Year 8 Beach Days

Year 8 students will be heading to Kingston Beach as part of their Connections Day.

Thursday 19 February  -  8 Rustin & 8 Bracey

Thursday 26 February  -  8 Stowe & 8 Knight  

Thursday 5 March  -  8 Tuke & 8 Preston  

A reminder that personal medication for any medical condition, including asthma and allergies, will be required to participate in the excursion. 

Road Safety

Morning and afternoons are a busy time at Middle School Campus. There is limited parking in Boa Vista and it is important that families do not park in the ‘stop and drop’ areas or double park and cause traffic to be held up.  

Drivers are asked to exercise patience, obey the road rules, act with respect for others and follow the parking restrictions that are in place to ensure good order and safety at busy times. 

Please do not allow children to jump out of the car onto the road, rather please wait until you can access a ‘stop and drop’ space.

The Friends’ School takes road safety very seriously and during busy times attempt to have staff checking for any issues that may occur.

Shine Your Light Evening 2026

Monday 23 February - Celebration 5.30pm to 6.30pm & Family BBQ 3.15pm to 5pm

Parents are warmly invited to join us for the Shine Your Light Evening, our annual Middle School celebration, on Monday 23 February 2026 from 5.30pm – 6.30pm in The Farrall Centre. This special event is exclusively for our 2026 Year 7 and Year 8 students and their families, welcoming them into the Middle School and acknowledging our Year 8s as the student leaders. 

Families will gather in The Farrall Centre while our students take part in a lantern procession, carrying lanterns that hold the goals, hopes and aspirations of the Middle School, handwritten by the students themselves. We will reflect on and celebrate our values of inclusion, connection, belonging and community, and share the collective light of our students, families and staff.

The Shine Your Light Evening is a free ticketed event, with an initial allocation of two tickets per student available via Trybooking and an option to join a waitlist for additional tickets should more become available. 

Year 7 students will be required to collect their lantern from the foyer at 5.10pm and assemble with their Key Class outside the Farrall Centre.  

Year 8 students are to go straight to the laneway at 5.10pm and meet their Key Teacher.

If students are unable to attend, parents should email Lindy Gannon as soon as possible via middleschooloffice@friends.tas.edu.au. 

Students should wear full formal uniform, including their blazer and tie.

We look forward to gathering together to let our lives speak, honouring our shared values and celebrating the collective light of our Middle School community.

Please book your tickets via here.

Argyle Street Campus Family BBQ

Monday 23 February 3.15pm - 5.30pm

All students and families from Years 7 and 8 2026 are invited to attend the Argyle Street Campus Family BBQ, directly before the Shine Your Light Evening, from 3.15pm to 5pm. This is a free event, and an opportunity to celebrate the start of the new school year, while meeting staff and fellow Friends' families. The Family BBQ will be located in the Walpole Courtyard and Barkchip area, next to The Farrall Centre.

We will be welcoming The Rotary Club of Lindisfarne to run a sausage sizzle and both gluten free and vegan options will be available. This is a free event, however we require RSVPs for catering purposes.

You can book your tickets here.

Athletics Carnival - 24 February

The Years 7-12 Athletics Carnival will be on Tuesday 24 February.  Carnival information can be viewed here. 

There are no formal classes on this day and students can wear their house colours with their school uniform. 

Prior to being dismissed, students are to finish the day by assisting with tidying up the grounds and grandstand areas. We ask parents to assist by not collecting students before 3.30pm finishing time. If students have an appointment requiring earlier departure, please email the Middle School Office no later than the day before the carnival.

Students are asked to make suitable arrangements for travel home from the Domain well in advance of the carnival.

Parents are warmly invited to attend and the program may be viewed here.

Athletics Carnival Decoration Station

The Middle School Student Voice Council will once again be running their very popular House Decoration Station at the Years 7-12 Athletics Carnival. Bring along $1 to have your hair sprayed in your House Colour, face painted or bejewelled or hair accessorised. Each service is $1, and we will be accepting cash only. All proceeds go to our first House Drive, which is supporting Books'n'Boots, an Australian, grassroots, First Nations-led charity that rescues pre-loved children’s books and sports gear from landfills and delivers them to remote Indigenous communities. Join in the fun, represent your House and donate to a wonderful cause!

Music Tuition, Instrument Hire and Cocurricular Music

We are excited to welcome students from Years 3-12 to the 2026 Cocurricular Music Program! Whether for private lessons or in ensembles, there is a place for every student in Music. Here is how to register:

• Individual Lessons: Enrol Here. Students can choose from a variety of instruments to learn with expert music educators. Please read the linked guidelines carefully, as there are changes for 2026.

   

• Instrument Hire: Register Here. String, brass, and woodwind instruments are available for hire. Please note that all families must complete this form annually, even if you are retaining an instrument from 2025, as some of the terms and conditions have changed.

   

• Co-curricular Ensembles: View the rehearsal schedule here for our extensive cocurricular music program. Register your child via Clipboard under the Activity Selection (also available through SEQTA Engage). Access the Co-curricular Handbook on Clipboard for details about each ensemble.

For further information, or to discuss how we can support your child’s musical pathway, please contact Michael Power (Head of Music) and Tam Bloomfield (Music Administrator) via the Music Admin.

NAPLAN - Years 7 students

For those families with students in Year 7 NAPLAN assessments will be held in March between Wednesday 11 March and Tuesday 20 March. The NAPLAN assessments will be conducted online.

Further information and specifics on the tests and timing will be provided to families with students in these year levels soon. In the meantime, more information for parents regarding Naplan Online can be found here. Please contact John Hoggart, jhoggart@friends.tas.edu.au, if you have any queries.

Absentees

If your child will be absent from school for the day please advise the Middle School Office (phone: 6210 2235, or email: middleschooloffice@friends.tas.edu.au). We appreciate your support in this process.

Important Dates in Middle School

Monday 9 February - Regatta Day - Public Holiday

Wednesday 11 February - Friday 13 February - Year 7 Camp Backhouse & Oats

Monday 16 February - Wednesday 18 February - Year 7 Camp Fry & Penn

Wednesday 18 February - Friday 20 February - Year 7 Camp Mott & Walker

Tuesday 17 February - Years 7-12 House Athletics Long Distance Events (Optional Sign-up)

Thursday 19 February - Year 8 Beach Days Rustin & Bracey

Monday 23 February - Argyle Street Family BBQ

Monday 23 February - Shine Your Light Evening

Tuesday 24 February - Years 7-12 House Athletics (all students)

Thursday 26 February - Year 8 Beach Days Stowe & Knight

Wednesday 4 March - Meet the Key Teacher Night (6pm-7.30pm)

Thursday 5 March - Year 8 Beach Days Tuke & Preston