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.
Meet the Key Teacher
An invitation has been extended to parents and guardians to attend the Middle School on Wednesday 4 March from 6.00pm–7.30pm for our Meet the Key Teacher Evening. Please note that no RSVP is required.
This evening provides an opportunity to learn more about key processes in the Middle School, specific aspects of the curriculum, pastoral care, homework expectations and daily routines, and how parents and guardians can best support students from home.
The event offers an opportunity to connect and speak with Key Teachers and other families. Upon arrival, families will be guided towards their child’s Key Classrooms, where individual presentations run by Key Teachers will take place.
We look forward to welcoming you.
Year 7 Vaccinations
The vaccinations for dTpa and HPV will be administered by Hobart City Council at the Middle School campus on the morning of Tuesday 3 March.
An email with the online link was sent to families this week from the Middle School Office. If you have not received an email, please contact the Middle School Office, and we will check your email details.
The online form must be completed, even if you are choosing not to vaccinate on this date. Hobart City Council have requested that the online form be completed by next Wednesday 25 February.
The following options are also available for families unable to attend vaccination on this day:
- Hobart City Council clinics (held on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month, 9am to 11.45am). Pre-booking is required. Immunisations - City of Hobart, Tasmania Australia
- Local Pharmacies (contact the pharmacy directly to confirm vaccine availability).
- General Practitioner (this may incur a fee).
If you need medical advice regarding the vaccination, you can contact the Department of Health directly at the following email immunisation@health.tas.gov.au
School-Based Immunisation Catch-Up Session
A message from Hobart City Council:
Council will be offering catch-up vaccination for students in Years 8, 9, 11, and 12 for vaccines they may have missed in previous years at The Friends’s School campus on Tuesday 3 March.
The Vitavo online consent platform is now be available for all school year levels, enabling streamlined consent collection for the following vaccines:
Please find the link to the consent platform here:
https://hobart.book.vitavo.com.au/school/TheFriendsSchool-DN9ui6
It remains strongly recommended that students continue to receive their scheduled adolescent vaccinations in Year 7 and Year 10. However, any students who have missed these vaccinations should complete them as soon as possible for optimal protection.
Immunisation staff will have real-time access to each student’s Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) record, allowing them to verify missed vaccinations prior to administration.
Please note:
Students in Years 10–12 who missed their Year 7 vaccinations will need to receive these at their GP, local pharmacy, or council immunisation clinic.
The online link is required to be completed online by Wednesday 25 February.
Please contact Hobart City Council or go to immunisation@health.tas.gov.au if you require any information.
Year 8 Beach Days
Year 8 students will be heading to Kingston Beach as part of their Connections Day.
Please note amended class groups for Thursday 5 March: 8 Stowe & 8 Knight
A reminder that personal medication for any medical condition, including asthma and allergies, will be required to participate in the excursion. Students also need to be sun safe and pack a bucket hat.
Shine Your Light Evening 2026 - Limited Spots Left
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 - Limited Spots Left
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.
In the case of adverse weather, an email will be sent out to advise of cancellation.
Please note: Due to the Years 7-12 Athletics Carnival on Tuesday 24 February, Middle School String Ensemble and Intermediate Band will be cancelled. Tutors look forward to seeing you on 3 March.
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 23 February - Argyle Street Campus 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
Co-curricular Opportunities
Discover our Co-curricular Online Handbook—your essential guide to enrichment, clubs, sports, music, service, policies, and key dates across all year levels. Visit the handbook to explore opportunities, plan ahead, and get involved in our vibrant co-curricular life.