Our Learning

Outdoor Education is back on track!

Now that we have returned from Distance Learning and certain restrictions have eased, students from across the School have been able to properly re-engage with Outdoor Education! Students from Kindergarten all the way up to Year 12 have been heading outside to explore our beautiful state and learn more about keeping themselves and the environment safe. 

The Friends’ Kindergarten has purchased a class set of Wet Weather gear to support our Stewards of the Earth program at New Town Rivulet.

The new waterproof jackets and pants give children the freedom to play in the mud, in the water, in the rain and in the snow! In fact, we can now explore all sorts of rugged and different habitats in all sorts of Tasmanian weather.

Learning outdoors is so important for children to develop a love of nature as well as learn about being a steward of nature. Here are a few reflections from the children’s first visit:

Mia: There were so many mushrooms, They had different colours.

Matthew: We discovered all the poo.

Evelyn: I walked where the rocks and water were. I saw water and I had to walk on the rocks and they were slippery.

Year 4 students investigated the path of a raindrop in Outdoor Education. The students started at Mt Wellington/kunanyi and followed the North West Bay River down to its mouth in Margate. Parts of the journey were on foot, parts were by bus.

Students were able to visualise the path of the water and learn about some of the things that impact the river system.

Year 7 students undertook mountain walks and alpine skills days where they learnt about surviving in harsh winter conditions (and got to build a snowman!). 

Our VET Certificate 2 - Outdoor Recreation class went on two different day walks during the first weekend of Term 3, walking to Hartz Peak and completing a Cathedral Mountain Walk.

The aim of these day practicals was to address the competencies of Bushwalking, planning for programs and undertaking emergency response scenarios.

The VET - Outdoor Recreation students also spent a weekend at Bruny and Partridge Island. Students were working on kayaking, riding and responding to emergency units. The students were blessed with blue skies and still air for much of their trip.

Our Clemes Outdoor Leadership students did an outstanding job guiding our Year 10 Outdoor Ed class on trips to Cradle Mountain, Mt Rowland and Maria Island.

The Outdoor Leadership course emphasises the development of leadership, problem-solving skills and initiative, requiring students to think logically and communicate well with others, particularly those they are leading. While we see a lot of beautiful shots like this of all the practical components, there is also one lesson of theory per week where students learn about effective leadership, decision-making and clear communication for application in a practical setting. Many students who undertake Outdoor Leadership at Clemes go on to careers in guiding and science-based disciplines in remote locations.

Clemes Outdoor Experiences students and some IB students headed out for White Water Wall at Freycinet for a weekend of climbing last weekend.

The Outdoor Experiences course is a 50 hour A course involving weekend programs such as rock climbing, surfing, kayaking and bushwalking. It's a great way for students to get out in nature and get an introduction to adventure tourism.

Hobart Human Library

In late August, Year 5 students were very fortunate to have a full day visit from the Hobart Human Library. 

The Hobart Human Library uses the art of storytelling to break down barriers and build empathy, providing a comfortable space for ‘readers’ (in this case, our students) to speak informally with a living ‘book’.

The ‘books’ are Tasmanians who have experienced stereotyping, prejudice or discrimination – perhaps because of their culture, religion, gender, sexual orientation, appearance or wellness.

The students were fascinated by the amazing stories they heard throughout the day and asked a lot of thoughtful questions.

Writer in Residence

In mid-August, the school was very fortunate to welcome Sam George-Allen to the School for a whole week as our Writer in Residence. 

Sam is a Tasmanian-based writer and musician. She has had works published in The Lifted Brow, Overland and the Griffith Review, among others. Her first book, Witches: What Women Do Together, explores the power of working with other women.

Sam had a very busy week at The Friends' School, hosting workshops for students and teachers alike. Sam also gave a beautiful speech to Clemes students, offering advice on being kind to yourself and exercising your creativity.

To finish off the week, Sam worked with our Year 5 "Press Club" writing stories for Focus magazine.

Thank you, Sam, for taking time out of your very busy schedule to come and work with us.

This is not the last we will see of Sam this year, however, as she will be back at the school judging the Jean Yeates Writing prize in Term 4.

Careers Program

Each year, the School runs a number of initiatives to prepare students for future careers and learning pathways. 

We began this program in March with Year 10 students meeting on the Clemes campus to gather knowledge that would support them in preparing their future choices; for their move to Clemes in 2021 and indeed the many choices they would be making for their future pathway options. During the day, students were in workshops as well as participating in the Morrisby Psychometric testing where they each received a personal, detailed profile which they can access indefinitely. 

When we moved to  Distance Learning, we continued our program with our (online) careers expo. This is an event where Year 10, 11 and 12 students interact with Alumni and members of our community, with representatives from business, education and industry highlighting some examples of what is currently available beyond secondary school. This provides students with the opportunity to consider their future and hear of the various avenues of employment, training and/or further education. We had 407 students online to hear two Friends’ Alumni, Jess Lyndon and Will Pridmore, share their stories of how they had both tried a number of different things before their current careers, showing our students that it’s OK to not to know exactly what you want to do right when you leave school and that your career path is not always linear. This was followed with the students having the choice of four Zoom meetings from 78 different options (with thanks to many community members who gave their time to participate in these online forums). Each presenter shared their journey and spoke about their profession, providing students with an idea of what certain areas/career paths look like and the pathways to get there.

The Pathways journey continued with the Pathways evening and Subject Information night, presented via Zoom. The information was provided to the Year 10 and 11 students and their families to enable informed subject choices for 2021 to be supported.

With the return to face-to-face learning, the next phase of the pathways program was made much easier. All Year 10s  had an individual meeting with one of the Careers Advisors - Lyn Tunbridge or Lyn Johnston. These could also be attended by parents or guardians.

Most recently, the Year 10s participated in Mock Interviews. Mock interviews are a chance for students to experience an interview situation, get some feedback and plan for future interviews as they enter the workforce.

Each year we have many parents and community members who generously donate their time to help our students by posing as interviewers and providing helpful feedback. 

Our Careers program is very important in helping our students choose study and career paths, and also to give them useful skills needed for entering the workforce. Our amazing careers program would not be possible without the help and support of so many parents, teachers and other community members who all donate their time to help our students. Thank you, to everyone who participated in our Careers program in 2020. 

Maths News!

Owen Mulcahy received a prize at the Australian Maths Competition (AMC) and was also awarded the ‘Best in the school’ award.  Additionally, Tianyu Peng, Sahansa Udawatta, and Alex Rackham were awarded High Distinctions and 24 Distinction certificates were also awarded across Years 7-12 at Friends'.  

2020 also saw Lily Neyland, Zoe Adams, Connor Johnson and Owen Mulcahy successfully complete the Maths Challenge for Young Australians for four straight years (Years 7-10).  This is a tremendous achievement and it’s a credit to these young mathematicians.

The Rajah Quilt

Year 5 have been inspired by the story of Quaker prison reformer Elizabeth Fry and the “Rajah Quilt”, which was sewn by convicts on board the ship Rajah on its voyage to Van Diemen's Land in 1841. Students have been using generous donations of fabric, scissors, needles and thread from members of the school community to create their own squares for a class quilt. Each student has drawn a design that represents themselves and their family, incorporating significant animals, plants and/or places. They have used pieces of donated fabric to create that design on their square of fabric and are beginning to add decorative stitching to their work. We look forward to sharing the finished quilts once the squares have been completed and sewn together. Thank you to the parents who donated items for this project.