We welcome Hilda to our Flinders Flock – another beautiful Silkie Chicken to join Helen, Harriet and Hillary!

Many thanks to one of our family’s for donating paper shred and wood shavings for the chicken’s beds.

They also collected a crate of leafy greens from the supermarket, for a lovely chicken treat, which the children enjoyed feeding to them!!”

It is lovely to be back in the Primary school after covering Mr. Watt’s Long Service Leave. Mrs. Franklin and Mrs. Hoy did an excellent job ensuring the Primary School continued to flourish.

This term, we welcome Mrs. Victoria Barber, who will take over the P-2 PE classes as Mrs. Elliot takes maternity leave. Mrs. Partridge is taking well-deserved Long Service Leave, and Mrs. Doherty will be teaching Grade 1. We also welcome Mrs. Sarah Cossey Glaubert, who will take some Primary Music classes and assist Mr. Rolleston, who is taking on the Head of Music role this term.

Recently, I have been reading ‘The Anxious Generation’ by Jonathan Haidt. It is a compelling book, especially for those of us with children ‘ready’ (or asking) for a smart device. Haidt outlines that ‘after more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents in many countries around the world deteriorated suddenly in the early 2010s. Why have rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide risen so sharply, more than doubling in many cases?’

His research-based book indicates that a phone-based childhood interferes with child development and produces or exacerbates mental illness, which he calls the Great Rewiring of the child’s brain.

I recommend reading or listening to his book for advice on avoiding the traps that many of us may fall into.

As a reminder, in our primary school, all mobile devices must be on ‘school or aeroplane’ mode when on-site, and phones are kept securely in children’s bags.

Should you have any questions, please contact our Primary admin team (Marianne Morgan and Suzanne Lokot) on 9785 0000.

God Bless,

Adam Swain

Head of Primary.

Rehearsals for Frozen Kids will commence on Monday 29 July at 3.30pm until 5.00pm in the Drama Studio.

Students must be collected from the Drama Studio and signed out.

During the first rehearsal, we will be reading through the script, checking out the songs and finding out when we are required each Monday.

The Scholastic Book Fair will be open Monday to Thursday in the Library before school, recess, lunchtime and afterschool until 4pm for students to browse and purchase books. The books may also be preordered.

Keep an eye out this week for an App notification with instructions.

Activities will be available in the library from Tuesday 30 July.

Students will also be visited by authors and participate in the Book Fair Parade where they are encouraged to dress up as a favourite book character.

The Library is looking for parents to help with the Book Fair stall in the library before school, 8.30 -9.00am or in the afternoon 3.00pm – 4.00pm. If you are able to help, please contact sue.treanor@flinders.vic.edu.au

Parents are also welcome to visit the Library during those times.

The CBCA Book Week is then held on 19th of August – 23rd of August. We will have the CBCA books on display.

The Primary Book Parade is taking place on Tuesday 6 August, period 1 in the gym.

There will be prizes for the best costumes in each class as well as prizes for the best costumes for mums, dads and grandparents.

A massive congratulations to Hayden who ran in the State Cross Country event today. In very muddy conditions, Hayden ran an exceptional race, finishing 15th out of 95 runners, completing the 3km in 12:21.53. This is an amazing result.

Towards the end of last term, Charlotte in grade 4 kindly donated her hair to Sustainable Salons who then create wigs for those experiencing hair loss due to illness. Thank you Charlotte!

The Flinders Values Award is presented each chapel to students that exemplify one or more of our Flinders values. Congratulations to Cruz and Araya for receiving a Flinders values award during this week’s Primary Chapel Service.

Cruz received his award for displaying Humility and Integrity by being thoughtful and kind to his peers and working hard in class.

Araya exemplified the value of Humility by putting others before herself when mixing and caring for her peers and enthusiastically working in class.

Hazelle’s short story The Wishing Well, has won the best story in the year 3 – 4 category in the Kids News

Short Story Competition. Her story titled the Wishing Well.

Hazelle will receive 10 copies of her short story published into a printed book with a personally designed cover, an iPad and a HarperCollins book pack valued at $100

Clara in Grade 1 was also Highly Commended in the K-2 category with her story, Pip and the Backwards Day and has won a $50 HarperCollins book pack.

Dear Flinders Families,

Applications for 2026 and beyond are now open!

We have limited places, so best to apply as early as possible especially if you have a sibling.

Submitting an application is just a click away!

If you have any questions, please contact enrolments@flinders.vic.edu.au

Warm regards

Illana Cornell
Enrolments Manager

Georgia B

Over the holidays Georgia from Year 9 attended the 2024 U16 National Basketball Championships in Bendigo. Georgia represented Victoria Country who finished 5th overall which is an outstanding achievement in her basketball career. We are so proud of Georgia for all of the hard work she puts into her basketball and can’t wait to see what other exciting opportunities arise in the future!

Ethan S

On Saturday 20th July Ethan from Year 7 competed in the Victorian All Schools Cross Country event in Bundoora. He braved some chilly weather and finished 22nd out of 190 participants! Congratulations Ethan, this is an incredible achievement!

Over the July break, we had a few players get together to form teams to enter various basketball tournaments. Tournaments are great fun to keep active, make new friends and team bond. A few of the teams are pictured below:

A Flinders Basketball Clinic was also held over the holidays at Tyabb Campus. Run by our Flinders Basketball coaches Laura, Tim G and Tim W, 31 ballers had fun working on their basketball skills.

The second half of winter basketball season is underway, and we wish all ballers the very best teamwork with dribbling, passing, scoring and above all, sportsmanship for their remaining games. Win or lose, it is how you play the game that makes us proud that you’re a member of our Club! A huge THANK YOU once again to all our Coaches and Team Managers. You give up your time week-after-week as a volunteer, without payment, and we cannot thank you enough!

And we LOVE LOVE LOVE our Supporters Crew! Your support of our ballers is wonderful to see!

Registrations for summer season will soon be upon us! Teams usually continue the same from winter into summer – only exception is if a coach decides to have a break over summer and/or some players decide to try other sports. Movement between teams is also possible between seasons and the Team Selection Committee will do their very best to accommodate all interested players every season. Registration details will be communicated via Flinders Connect over the next few weeks.

All the best to all teams for the last few weeks leading up to finals!

Position: Barista
Location: Rotunda Café

Shift Time:
Day: Tuesday
Time: 7:45 AM - 11:30 AM

Description:
Rotunda Café is seeking a friendly and skilled barista to join our team. If you have a passion for coffee, excellent customer service skills, and enjoy working in a vibrant atmosphere, we’d love to hear from you!

Responsibilities:
Prepare and serve a variety of coffee drinks and other beverages
Provide excellent customer service
Maintain a clean and organised workspace
Handle cash and card transactions

Requirements:
Previous barista experience preferred
Strong communication and interpersonal skills
Ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced environment
Reliable and punctual

How to Apply:
Please call Kate Rowe 9785 0000 or email at kate.rowe@flinders.vic.edu.au

Receptionist, Carrum Downs Campus

Part-time Ongoing, Wednesdays & Thursdays (0.4 FTE)Commencement Term 4, 2024

Applications are invited for the position of Receptionist at our Carrum Downs Campus, from experienced and innovative candidates with a strong commitment to Christian education. This role will suit an exceptionally well-organised individual who possesses strong Communication, Interpersonal and Office Administration skills and experience. Flinders Christian Community College is a co-educational, non–denominational College with campuses located in Carrum Downs, Tyabb and Mt Martha offering education from Kinder to Year 12.

The College encourages and supports students to develop a personal faith in Jesus Christ as they acquire academic knowledge, wisdom and character. Flinders seeks to achieve long-term educational outcomes related to student understanding, dispositions for lifelong learning and service in the Kingdom of God. The values of the school provide a stable foundation for living in a changing world and equip students to face the challenges of life with genuine optimism for the future. Flinders Christian Community College is a community that values the contribution of its employees as we partner together to provide hope and purpose to our students, parents and the broader community.

For further information, please contact Kate Rowe, Administration Manager on 03 9785 0000.

Head of Science, Carrum Downs Campus

Full-Time, Ongoing

Term 1, 2025

Applications are invited from experienced and passionate educators with a strong commitment to Christian education, for this exciting role at our Carrum Downs campus. The ideal candidate would bring experience in Secondary Science Teaching to our school community. This is a full-time, ongoing position. The Head of Faculty Science combines faculty co-ordination with teaching. In addition to having an active teaching role, the Head of Faculty has administrative responsibilities which complement and supplement the work of the Head of Secondary and Deputy Head of Secondary - Teaching and Learning.

The College is seeking candidates who value collaboration, team teaching and who have experience working in flexible learning environments. They will be committed team members who provide an engaging, differentiated program using 21st Century Pedagogy. This is a fantastic opportunity for new or experienced teachers alike. Flinders Christian Community College is a co-educational, non–denominational College with campuses located at Tyabb, Carrum Downs, and Mt. Martha offering education from K – 12.Flinders College seeks to achieve long term educational outcomes related to student understanding and dispositions for life-long learning.

The Christian values of the school provide a stable foundation for living in a changing world and equip students to face the challenges of life with hope and purpose for the future. We will be reviewing and interviewing applicants as they come in so if you think this could be your next career move, we encourage you to apply today!

For more information about this position, please contact Andrew Watts, Head of Campus, on 9785 0000.

Applications close 31 August 2024, unless the role is filled prior.

This year Flinders has partnered with trusted eSafety Provider Cyber Safety Project to bring parents and guardians six webinars exploring all facets of cyber safety.

Join the Cyber Safety Project and special guest experts as they explore a diverse range of topics pertinent to raising children in a digital age.

Protecting Children Online | Available now on-demand
Kristi McVee (Child Abuse Prevention & Education) & Trent Ray (Cyber Safety Project)

The Se*ual World of the 21st Century Adolescent | Available now on-demand
Daniel Principe (Collective Shout) & Trent Ray (Cyber Safety Project)

Talk to Me First: Exposure to Explicit Content | Available now on-demand
Justine Keily-Scott (Sex Education Australia) & Sam Macaulay (Cyber Safety Project)

Game Aware – Healthy Gaming | 30 July 2024
Andrew Kinch (Game Aware) & Sam Macaulay (Cyber Safety Project)

Building Digital Resilience | 3 September 2024
Ash Manuel (Growing with Gratitude) & Trent Ray (Cyber Safety Project)

My First Mobile Device | 22 October 2024
Luca Gennai (Cyber Safety Project) & Trent Ray (Cyber Safety Project)

WHERE
Live online via Zoom with on-demand rewatch (available within 24 hours of live webinar).
All live webinars begin at 7:30pm (AEDT/AEST) and run for approximately 45 minutes.

HOW
Parents/Guardians need to register for each webinar by clicking on the “Register Now” button on the registration page (https://cybersafetyproject.com.au/parents/).

Once registered reminders will be sent to ensure you don’t miss the live webinar.

Rewatch on-demand will be available by revisiting the registration page and clicking on the ‘Watch Now” button available after the webinar has concluded (within 24 hours).

REGISTER NOW OR FIND OUT MORE: https://cybersafetyproject.com.au/parents/

Dear Flinders Families,

Commencing Monday 29 July until early September 2024 VicRoads will be completing some further preparation works between Boggy Creek and Greenwood Drive, before major works start in the coming months.

Please read the detailed schedule of works on the attached document.

In summary, these works will impact the following:

The service road opposite our College will be closed to install drainage therefore, parents are unable to use the service road for dropping off and picking up students.

The bus stop opposite the Pines Flora and Fauna Park entrance will be temporarily closed. Passengers will need to use the bus stop opposite the CD Police Station or opposite Flinders Christian Community College.

During night works on Monday 29 July and Tuesday 30 July between 7pm - 6am on both nights, Ballarto Rd will be closed in both directions between Boggy Creek and the College entrance. During the out of hours works and planned night time road closure eastbound access to the school including the gym will be maintained via Lyrebird Dr, Cockatoo Dr and Greenwood Dr only. Westbound traffic into the school will not be impacted and traffic controllers will be in place to assist.

If you have any questions or enquiries, please contact the project team by calling 03 8791 1160 or email ballartoroadcontact@fultonhogan.com.au