Primary School

Assembly

Next week we will be holding a Walpole Assembly in The Farrall Centre for our Years 3-6 students. The assembly will commence at 2.15pm on Monday afternoon. We welcome families to attend. There will be no Wells Assembly next week. 

Please remember that due to privacy concerns and to respect the photo permission choices of other families we ask you to refrain from taking photos and videos during assemblies.

Student Giving Day - plain clothes and gold coin donation

Wednesday 26 June

On Wednesday 26 June, all students from Kindergarten to Year 12 are invited to participate in a plain clothes day to support the School’s annual giving program, Friends Together. This year we are raising funds for our needs-based scholarship, The Friends’ Fellowship, which since 2018 has enabled six students, without means, to access a Friends’ education. Money raised this year will enable a new student to start in 2025. Please remember a gold coin donation. Together, we can all make a difference.

"As a recipient of support from the Friends’ community, I express my heartfelt gratitude to those who give to help students like me and I encourage everyone to give to Friends Together 2024." Sarah Chick (Jack), Class of 2020

Community donations are also now open. Visit www.giving.friends.tas.edu.au for more information and to donate.

Road Safety and Parking on Boa Vista Rd

The School has received some unfortunate reports of people parking and/or leaving their cars fully or partially over driveways in Boa Vista Road.  Please do not park or stop and leave your car unattended over driveways, partially or fully, as it is illegal to do so and very inconvenient to our neighbours.

A reminder that for safety reasons, Boa Vista Road is a 40 km/h speed zone between 8am-9:30am and 2:30pm-4pm on School days.  Please ensure you drive slowly in and around our campuses and be mindful of students crossing the roads.

The Friends’ School Term 2 Vacation Care bookings

A reminder that we are once again offering a Vacation Care program during the Term 2 holiday period for Kindergarten to Year 6 students. Please find our upcoming Vacation Care Program enclosed running from Monday 8 July to Monday 22 July.

Bookings for our Vacation Care Program will be processed via Xap Manage. If you are new to our service and would like to request bookings for your child/ren, please click on the link here. Existing Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) families click here to request bookings for your child/ren. Bookings close at 6.00pm, Friday 28 June 2024. If you have any queries, please contact our Admin team via feladmin@friends.tas.edu.au or call 6210 2276 for assistance.

Year 4 - Outdoor Education Excursion to Risdon Brook Dam

Friday 21 June 

Year 4 students will be going on an Outdoor Education excursion to Risdon Brook Dam where they will participate in a number of bushcraft activities.  We will depart school at 9am and return by approximately 3pm. Students should wear sports uniform on this day, and will need to bring a warm jumper, their school jacket, beanie and a raincoat as it could be very cold. As we will be away from school for most of the day, students will need to bring a large packed lunch, snacks and drink. No lunch orders on this day. Personal medications such as asthma puffers will be needed also. Please ensure Operoo details are up to date. 

This activity will involve small groups of students and, as such, we will need a number of parent/guardian volunteers to help on the day. If you are able to assist us with this activity could you please email the classroom teacher. Our volunteers will require a current Working With Vulnerable People card. You will also need to have completed a volunteer form at this link. We thank you for your assistance with this, and appreciate any helpers who are able to be involved.

Year 2 - Managing Waste Materials and Beach Detectives Excursion

Tuesday 25 June

Year 2 will embark on a unique learning journey to the Mornington Park Waste Transfer Station and Bellerive Beach on Tuesday 25 June. This excursion, part of our inquiry into Sharing the Planet, aims to familiarise the children with the various materials the resource centres recycle, the impact of our use of materials on the environment, and our responsibility when disposing of waste. We will leave the school by bus at 9am and return to school at 2.30pm.  As part of this experience, students may bring $2.00 to spend at the Mornington Tip Shop. The purchased item/s will be used in a recycling project back in the classroom. We hope the students’ interest in refusing, reducing, reusing, repurposing and recycling will be provoked.

At Bellerive Beach, students will examine the current human impact on our coast line by undertaking a beach cleanup and subsequent survey back in the classroom. Students need to come dressed in their sports uniforms, including a warm jacket, beanie, and waterproof raincoat. They should bring a big lunch and lots of snacks, a full water bottle and any required personal medications (labelled) for the day, as well as a strong plastic bag in their school bags. Please update student Operoo profiles before the excursion. 

Year 5 Outdoor Education Excursion - The Lea Scout Centre

Tuesday 25 June

As part of our Outdoor Education program, all Year 5 students will be visiting The Lea Scout Centre. Our focus is on teaching resilience that is built from empathy, mindfulness and gratitude and is about adapting to change, managing disappointment, overcoming obstacles and setbacks and overcoming adversity. The students will work through various bush skills that will help them in future outdoor adventures. Outdoor Education teacher Emily Ardas will be accompanying the students along with the classroom teachers and other support staff. Students will need to wear warm suitable clothing, bring an extra jumper (E.g fleece, not cotton), beanie, gloves, hat, waterproof raincoat, keep cup for a milo, lunch, snacks and water bottle. No lunch orders on this day. We will be leaving school at 9am and returning at about 3pm. 

Environment Council - Waste Free Lunch Day

Wednesday 26 June

In Term 1 the Environment Council promoted a Waste Free Lunch Day to launch a discussion in the Primary School around the impact of litter in our environment. It was a great success with many students making the effort to limit the amount of packaging they brought to school. Our next Waste Free Lunch Day will be in Week 9 on Wednesday 26 June. Let’s build on the success of Term 1’s event by keeping waste out of our school. On this day we are encouraging students to avoid bringing rubbish to school in their lunch boxes. Any non-compostable rubbish that is brought to school will be collected and weighed. We will compare the results from this term with those of Term 1 to examine the impact we can achieve.

Year 3 - Outdoor Education Excursion - Mount Field

Friday 28 June

On Friday 28 June, as part of our Outdoor Education program, all Year 3 students will be visiting Mt Field National Park. The bus will depart at 9am and return at 3pm. The bus will drop us off at the visitor centre and we will walk through the forest exploring the vegetation and waterfalls.  We will make connections with our Unit of Inquiry about how people explore, explain and create to understand the world. Students will be required to wear their PE uniform with comfortable shoes for walking and carry in their backpacks an additional warm jumper, waterproof raincoat, hat, beanie, drink bottle, lunch and snacks.  Please make sure students come with sufficient warm clothing and food and water for the day. There should be no lunch orders. Emily Ardas, our Outdoor Education Teacher, will be accompanying us. As this excursion is outside the greater Hobart area, the School requires the permission of families for students to attend.  If you have not already done so, could you please complete the new Operoo permission form by Tuesday 25 June.

Parent Information Session: Understanding and Supporting Anxiety in Young People  

Thursday 27 June - 5.30pm and Friday 28 June - 9am

We invite all parents and carers of Friends’ Early Learning and Primary School children to join Morgan Norris, our Primary School Psychologist, and other members of staff to explore and understand anxiety in young people.  This parent information session will explore the types of anxiety in childhood, ranging from perfectionism and separation fears to general worries about the world. This session is designed for all parents, not just those who already recognise anxiety in their children. You will learn to identify when anxiety becomes a problem and gain basic strategies to support your child when they feel anxious or overwhelmed. Please register your interest here.

Please note: This information session aims to provide general information regarding anxiety. We will not be able to provide individual management strategies for your child, however we can advise you of the next steps to take if you are seeking support or further information. 

Festival of Voices, Years 5/6 Choir - Concert & Tickets

Tuesday 2 July

All Year 5 and 6 Choir students and all Year 7 Choir students will be performing in the Young Tasmania Sings Concert during the Festival of Voices Festival. This is a ticketed event at The Federation Concert Hall. Don't put off purchasing your tickets as the concert has sold out in previous years. 

Please note that The Friends' School Year 5, 6, and 7 Choirs are performing at the TUESDAY 2 July Concert at 7pm and NOT at the concert on Wednesday 3 July.  

Purchase tickets here. 

Prep Excursion - Linear Park, Lenah Valley 

Wednesday 3 July

On Wednesday 3 July, Prep will visit the Labyrinth at Linear Park for a transdisciplinary learning experience, centred around Earthcare and Mathematics. We will be looking for provocations in the environment and engaging in open-ended mathematical activities - ‘Muddy Maths’! We will leave school by bus at 10.15am and return to school by 1.30pm.

Children will be required to wear their school uniform and sturdy shoes/gumboots. Due to the nature of the activities we would suggest children wear warm items of uniform. They will need to bring a change of clothes, as well as a warm coat/rain jacket. We will be eating lunch and fruit break at the site, so no lunch orders on this day.  Please ensure that students have ample water to drink too.

Physical Education lessons for Year 5 and 6 

Monday 3 June - Wednesday 3 July

During PE lessons in Weeks 6 - 10, all students in Year 5 and 6 will travel by bus to Kingborough Gymnastics Centre for gymnastics sessions. The bus will leave school at 12pm on their PE day and return by 2pm. 

The dates are as follows:

• Year 5: Mondays 24 June and 1 July
• Year 6: Wednesdays 26 June and 3 July

Any enquiries please contact Lisa Di Venuto.

Kindergarten Earthcare Day - Lenah Valley

Thursday 27 June

The Kindergarten children will have their final Earthcare Day for Term 2 at Lenah Valley’s Linear Park on Thursday 27 June. We will leave by bus at 11.50am and return by 2.45pm. Collection time for all children will be at 3pm from the Kindergarten area, at the end of the Kindergarten day as per usual.

On Earthcare days, the children come ready for active learning, in their sports uniform. Your child will need appropriate warm clothing for the forecasted weather and spare clothing packed for the excursions as we will be playing outdoors, even if it is raining. The school has special wet weather jackets and overpants that the children will wear as necessary, depending on the forecasted weather. You can also support your child by encouraging them to carry their own bags to and from school - they will be doing this independently on our Earthcare Days too. Please contact the Kindergarten team if you have any questions.

Absentees

If your child will be absent from school for the day please advise the Primary School Office (phone: 6210 2228, or email: primaryschooloffice@friends.tas.edu.au ) and the classroom teacher before 9.00am. We appreciate your support in this process.

Important Dates 

Term 2 Monday 29 April to Friday 5 July 

Term 3 Tuesday 23 July to Friday 27 September

Monday 9 September – Wellbeing Day, as part of Wellbeing Weekend (no K-12 classes)

CLICK HERE to view the School calendar