Welcome back to Finder’s Christian College! We are excited to have you return for this new season, ready to continue the journey of learning, growth, and community. Whether you’re returning as a familiar face or joining us for the first time, we’re thrilled to see what God has in store for each of you in this next chapter.

As we embark on this new semester, let us remember the words of Romans 15:5-6 (NIV):

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

This verse serves as a powerful reminder that unity in Christ is the foundation of our community here at Finder’s Christian College. It’s through our faith and purpose that we grow stronger, not just as individuals, but as a collective body of believers. We are encouraged to embrace one another with patience, love, and understanding, following the example set by Jesus Christ. Together, we can build a place where all feel welcome, supported, and encouraged to pursue both their academic and spiritual goals.

As we move forward, let us be intentional in our relationships, our studies, and our service to one another. May we continuously seek to reflect Christ’s love in all that we do, whether in the classroom, on campus, or in our daily lives. This is not just a place of learning, but a place where we are equipped to live out our faith and grow in Christ.

We are so glad you’re here, and we pray this semester brings many opportunities to experience God's presence, His encouragement, and His unwavering love.

Welcome back, and let’s make this a semester to remember!

We were thrilled when our front gates were reopened on the first day of the school year. Although far from complete, the new traffic lights seem to be controlling traffic to allow easy access in and out of the College.

Now that the front gates are open, there should be no one dropping students off at the back entrance as this is a non-parking area and had only been opened to us for the time over the December / January break. Students from the local area may walk through the back pedestrian gate but cars should not be driving down Flora Park Way to drop off their students.

There will be further updates to the Ballarto Road Upgrade, please watch out for notices in Flinders Connect.

To enhance clarity and reduce confusion, all bus routes have been renamed to include the route number and a primary suburb name (e.g. 347 Mt Eliza). This adjustment allows Crown to display each bus's name clearly on the electronic sign at the front, eliminating the previous scrolling list of destinations that caused confusion for students.

347 Mt Eliza (previously Mt Eliza / Frankston Sth / Seaford)

348 Lyndhurst (previously Cranbourne West / Lyndhurst)

349 Cranbourne East (previously Cranbourne East / Botanic Ridge / Brompton Estate / Langwarrin)

350 Patterson Lakes (Previously Edithvale / Chelsea / Carrum / Patterson Lakes / Seaford)

351 Langwarrin (previously Langwarrin / Frankston Sth)

352 Sandhurst (previously Carrum Downs / Sandhurst)

If you would like to book your student(s) on the bus please call the College Office on 9785 0000. Seats are limited with some routes near full capacity.

Bus Transport - Carrum Downs

Please note that no cancelations will be accepted after 8.45 am on the day of the order by Munch Monitor.

Parent’s, please call Munch Monitor direct if there is an issue on 1300 796 190

Please check all orders before they are submitted and remember to scroll down and click submit. Please also remember to select the correct grade or year level for your child

You can access the canteen menu on our website HERE

If you would like to order a lunch for your child, please set up an account through Munch Monitor

We’re excited to advertise our College Open Day on Saturday, March 1, 2025, starting at 9 AM - 11 AM.

This is the perfect opportunity to explore our Carrum Downs campus, meet faculty members, and learn about the programs and support services we offer.

Whether you’re considering enrolling or just curious about what we do, our Open Day is designed to give you all the information you need to make an informed decision about your child's future.

What to Expect:

Guided campus tours
Meet-and-greet with current students and staff

Don’t miss out! Mark your calendar and come see for yourself why our college is the right choice for your education. We can’t wait to meet you!

Register now to reserve your spot HERE

Our Primary students have all settled well. We enjoyed hearing and sharing stories about the Christmas holidays. We warmly welcome 36 new students to our Primary community. Our Primary school is at capacity, so if you have friends that would like to join us in 2026, please have them contact enrolments via the College website.

A reminder that Prep – Grade 2 students are dismissed from their classrooms at 3.05pm and must be collected by either a parent, older sibling or a nominated adult. Grade 3 – Grade 6 students are dismissed at 3.15pm and are free to leave their classroom unaccompanied.

On the first day, we recognised our Primary captains who will play an integral part at upcoming sporting events and dedication services. Congratulations.

We are very excited to have prep families join our community here at Flinders. To give us all the opportunity to get to know each other, we are going to have a Prep Connect Afternoon Tea.

You are invited to come along and join us at school in the Primary area on: Tuesday 18 February from 3:30pm-4:30pm. Afternoon tea will be provided, please BYO picnic chairs and rugs.

It will be a great opportunity for families to get to know one another better as we continue to create a supportive and loving community.

Kind Regards and God bless,

Mr. Stanley & Mrs. Hansen

Basketball is a very popular sport within Flinders College – it helps young people to be active, have fun with mates in their grade, make friends, and learn to be part of a team.

Our summer season teams are mid-way through the competition and competition rules do not allow players to be added, especially to u8 teams that are already at 7 or more players.

Expressions of interest for winter season will be coming out in the next few weeks, so please keep a look out in the Primary What's On or Flinders Connect for this information. Winter season teams will start up in term 2 and runs to the end of term 3.

For Prep / Grade 1 & Grade 2 students not currently playing on a basketball team yet - we highly recommend signing up to a program like Aussie Hoops or a Domestic-Ready type program for Term 1 as this will help you decide whether joining a basketball team for winter season would suit your child:

@ Frankston Basketball - https://fdba.com.au/programs/aussie-hoops/ or https://fdba.com.au/programs/game-ready/

@ Chelsea Basketball - https://www.chelseabasketball.com.au/aussie-hoops

@ Western port Basketball - https://wpba.com.au/aussiehoops/

Before winter season, we will also be running “Have a Go” clinics for

Preps and beginner Grade 1& 2’s, for our students to literally “have a go” before being signed up for the winter season.

Go Flinders!

Cindy & Nat
Flinders Basketball Club Administrators

Join us in making the internet a safer, more positive place – one conversation, one click and one day at a time.

Tuesday 11 February marks Safer Internet Day 2025, a global initiative led in Australia by the eSafety Commissioner to promote safer, more positive online experiences for everyone. It encourages families to work together to create a safer digital environment.

A great way for parents to support online safety at home is by setting up device-free zones, such as during mealtimes or before bedtime. This helps establish healthy screen habits and encourages open conversations about online experiences.

To learn more and access free parent sessions, visit esafety.gov.au. Let’s empower our children to be safe, smart, and kind online!

Every Friday, and on the last day of Term 1, the P&F will again be selling icy poles for $1.00 to Primary Students.

Primary parents are encouraged to pay on the community portal for the term in advance, but weekly orders will still be collected.
$9.00 will purchase weekly icy poles for the Term.

Payment can be made via the Flinders Connect App.

1. Please click on My Account and choose Activities
2. Select the Activity: CD 2025 Primary Icy pole orders Term 1
3. Click on the 'Attending Button' and follow the prompts to pay.

All Primary students that wish to purchase an icy pole and have not had their icy poles pre purchased on the portal are required to bring their money in a named envelope or bag on a Friday with the amount enclosed written on it. This will be collected from the classroom in the morning.

Icy poles will be brought down to the Primary homeroom classroom.

Welcome back to a new school year! We're excited and ready to create a year full of creativity, connection and growth, safely for your students.

We understand that the start of the school year can be a worrying time for parents, especially for new families. That's why we've doubled down on the measures that matter most. Our VSHAPE Active Supervision Framework and One Child Tablet ensure children are always supported, giving families and schools peace of mind. Later this term, we'll introduce sign-in and sign-out notifications for parents, adding another layer of reassurance.

To help new families feel confident and prepared as they start using our OSHC services, we've introduced new onboarding initiatives. These include a virtual information session to guide parents through our programs, activities, and how we prioritise their child's safety and wellbeing.

Additionally, we've created a checklist and "welcome activities" tailored to support new families as they settle into the school year.

The Performing Arts department has been very busy over the holidays, with the two incoming coordinators working hard to prepare a year of fun and learning!

Stepping into the role of Primary Performing Arts Coordinator is Ashlene Mendolia, who has been with the college for a number of years already and familiar to most of you. Mrs. Mendolia will be coordinating the Junior Production (exciting announcements coming soon!), as well as coordinating and teaching primary school students in the small group and individual Performing Arts private lessons. We are at capacity with these lessons, however if you want to be placed on a waiting list, please contact administration.

Stepping into the role of Secondary Performing Arts Coordinator is Sarah Cossey Glaubert who is new to the department, but not new to production management and performing arts education! Places for private Performing Arts Lessons are filling up fast - be sure to enrol. Over the holidays Ms. Cossey has been busy organizing the much anticipated The Flinders Gala: A Musical Celebration, which will showcase students from grade 5 year 12 at the Red Carpeted event and performance at Frankston Arts Centre on Wednesday June 25th. More information is coming soon, however all interested students are encouraged to attend an information session on Thursday the 13th of February at Lunchtime in D block to learn more. Students who are keen to register now, please click HERE

Introducing Dance at Flinders, we are excited to launch this new initiative for 2025 as we grow the Secondary Performing Arts. Focusing on fostering and developing the talent of our students, we will explore different dance genres, host workshops with industry professionals, and prepare for internal and external performances. For more information, please email sarah.cosseyglaubert@flinders.vic.edu.au. Classes are before school on Tuesdays and afterschool on Wednesdays and designed for students already taking dance lessons outside of school.

To register your interest please click HERE

Dear Flinders families,

Applications are open for the following year levels:

Year 7, 2027

We recommend families lodge their applications as soon as possible as we have waiting list across many year levels.
Siblings are given a priority, however, places are not guaranteed, to lodge an application please refer to our website.

Please note if you have a child in Kinder you do not need to submit a new application form for the transition from Kinder to Primary School or from Primary to Secondary school.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at enrolments@flinders.vic.edu.au or give us a call, we will be happy to help!

My name is Tori Jackson and I am the Carrum Downs Sports Coordinator and together with our Cross Campus Sport Assistant Emily Fellows, we are your points of contact for anything Secondary Sport related at our Carrum Downs Campus.

We would like to welcome all our new and existing families to the College for 2025 and we hope that this school year is a huge success for everyone.

If you have any questions about any sport opportunities at the College in the secondary school, please don’t hesitate to reach to us via email; Tori.jackson@Flinders.vic.edu.au or Emily.Fellows@Flinders.vic.edu.au

A huge thank you to our secondary community for their efforts at our House Swimming carnival last Wednesday 5 Feb. We were blessed with the most incredible weather for the day. The House Swimming is always such a wonderful event to start the year and bring our two campuses together. Thank you to all the staff involved as well as our swimmers who represented their houses with such passion and enthusiasm. House results and age group champions will be presented at the next secondary assembly.

Our combined campus carnivals are a time for students from both Carrum Downs and Tyabb campuses to come together to engage in healthy competition and work hard to earn points for their house! Please be reminded that the Combined Campus Secondary House Carnivals (Swimming, Athletics and Cross Country) are important and compulsory College events that all students are expected to attend. We thank you for supporting your child’'s attendance at these annual days which provide opportunities for all students to demonstrate their gifts and talents, and to support their peers, in a positive and healthy environment.

Please see below for our 2025 combined campus carnival dates.

Swimming Carnival

Wednesday 5 February 2025 @ Pines Forest Aquatic Centre (Forest Drive, Frankston North, 3199) - Completed

Athletics Carnival

Thursday 27 February 2025 @ Casey Fields Athletics Track (160 Berwick-Cranbourne Rd, Cranbourne East, 3977)

Cross Country - Carrum Downs

Monday 5 May 2025 @ Flinders Carrum Downs (100 Ballarto Rd, Carrum Downs, 3201)

After our combined campus carnivals, we are able to select our Interschool teams to represent the College at the Southern Independent School Division A carnivals for swimming, cross country and athletics. Students are selected based on their cross-campus carnival results.

Please note the following dates for those students who are selected to represent the college at the Southern Independent School Division A carnivals:

Division A Swim Relay Carnival

Monday 24 March 2025 @ Pines Forest Aquatic Centre (Forest Drive, Frankston North, 3199)

Please note: students are able to register to compete at this following the School Swimming Carnival

Division A Swimming Carnival

Tuesday 29 April 2025 @ Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (30 Aughtie Dr, Albert Park, 3206)

Division A Cross Country

Tuesday 27 May 2025 @ Casey Fields (160 Berwick-Cranbourne Rd, Cranbourne, 3977)

Division A Athletics Carnival

Tuesday 2 September 2025 @ Casey Fields (160 Berwick-Cranbourne Rd, Cranbourne, 3977)

The Flinders Sailing team will be competing once again in the Davey's Bay (Mt Eliza) schools' competition on Friday 21 February 2025.

We are seeking any secondary student that might be interested in representing the College in Sailing in a team's racing format. Students must have sailing experience. If you're interested, please contact Ms. Natalie Chatfield, Natalie.Chatfield@Flinders.vic.edu.au

Our Swim Squad Program runs annually in Terms 1 and 4 coached by elite swimmers. The program runs on Friday mornings before school at the Pines Forest Aquatic Centre. The purpose of the Flinders Swim Squad is to improve each student's competitive swimming performance at the Term 1 House Swimming Carnival in 2024 and to adequately prepare students for racing. Please note that this optional opportunity is not a learn to swim program, as students are expected to be able to swim competently for multiple laps of a 50m pool. The sessions will focus on preparing students for future competitions. There is a small cost of approximately $70 for the sessions that is subsidised by the College.

To register, please contact Natalie Chatfield Natalie.chatfield@flinders.vic.edu.au or Emily Fellows Emily.Fellows@flinders.vic.edu.au

Sport Aerobics combines elements of traditional aerobics with dance and fitness. High intensity routines are performed to energetic music, that include a variety of skills and movement patterns.

No prior experience is needed to attend these sessions!

2025 Training

Students are welcome to come down and attend our first training session to try this new sport.

Start Date: Tuesday 11 February

Day: Tuesday

Time: Lunchtime, 12:50pm - 1:35pm

Location: G8 (Near Cuthbert Common Space)

If you have any questions, please email Emily (Emily.Fellows@Flinders.vic.edu.au)

Please read attached information around extra curriculum activities with our basketball program