Welcome Back, Flinders Community!

As we embark on a new school year, it is with great joy and anticipation that we welcome our students and families back to Flinders Christian Community College. The beginning of the academic year is always a time filled with excitement, new opportunities, and the promise of growth and discovery. At Flinders, we embrace this spirit wholeheartedly as we embark on another chapter of our journey together.

At Flinders, we are not just a school; we are a community bound together by our shared values and our commitment to nurturing the mind, body, and spirit of each individual within our care. Central to our mission is the belief that education is not just about acquiring knowledge but also about fostering character, integrity, and compassion, so that students can flourish in life. It is about shaping young minds and hearts to become compassionate, empathetic, and socially responsible individuals who will make a positive difference in the world.

In pursuing this mission, we draw inspiration from the teachings of Christ and the rich tradition of Christian thought and wisdom. As C.S. Lewis once said, "Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching." At Flinders, we believe that true education must be rooted in a strong moral and spiritual foundation, guiding students to become not only intellectually curious but also morally upright individuals.

The Flinders Way is not just about academic excellence, although we strive for nothing less. It is about instilling in our students a love for learning, a passion for discovery, and a commitment to lifelong growth and development. It is about nurturing their talents and abilities, encouraging them to explore their interests and passions, and empowering them to reach their full potential.

As we embark on this new school year, let us remember the words of G.K. Chesterton, who said, "Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another." Let us embrace the opportunity we have been given to shape the future through the education of our children, instilling in them the values, principles, and beliefs that will guide them throughout their lives.

In the weeks and months ahead, let us work together as a community to support and encourage one another, to celebrate our achievements and milestones, and to face challenges with courage and resilience. Together, let us continue to uphold the values and principles that define The Flinders Way and to inspire future generations to follow in our footsteps.

May God bless each and every one of you as we embark on this new school year together. Welcome back to Flinders Christian Community College!

Mr Cameron Pearce

Executive Principal

What an amazing start to the year our Preps have had! Full of energy and enthusiasm, these young learners have set the tone for an extraordinary academic journey ahead. From their first day, our Preps have demonstrated an eagerness to learn, make new friends, and engage in various activities. Their curiosity and resilience have been truly inspiring, creating a vibrant atmosphere within the classroom and playground.

In the classroom, our Preps have been hard at work, learning how to maintain a happy and safe environment, getting along with others, and having lots of fun. The Preps have eagerly embraced these opportunities, demonstrating not only their academic potential but also their ability to collaborate and problem-solve.

Outside the classroom, our Preps have been active participants in a range of activities including a visit to the German classroom, patting sheep and chickens at the farm and playing games in sport. Thank you to all the parents and friends for your support and encouragement as our Preps embarked on this new learning journey. This support is instrumental in creating a positive and nurturing environment for our Preps to thrive.

As we celebrate this brilliant start to the school year, we look forward to witnessing the continued growth, accomplishments, and joy that our Preps will undoubtedly bring to Flinders College. Here's to a year filled with curiosity, learning, and success!

Mrs Julia Weber

Prep Teacher

We had lots of excited chatter and nervous students last Wednesday morning as the Year 7s arrived for their first day of secondary school. By the end of the day, most of them were smiling, looking much more relaxed and a bit exhausted! They spent the day settling into the routines of secondary, getting lockers and laptops set-up, visiting the barn, having a fun science lesson and enjoying a sausage sizzle and icy poles at lunchtime. The day ended with a scavenger hunt as a fun way to check how well they know their way around the school.

The Year 7 students are learning how to be organised and make their way to lessons in various locations, with the help of some older students when they feel lost. It won’t be long before they know what to do and feel comfortable and more confident about secondary school. It’s lovely to see students making new friends and having fun together at break times. We are enjoying getting to know our new students.

Mrs Jane Rijkmans

Year 7 Transition Co-ordinator

The Year 12 students recently attended a retreat at the Don Bosco Camp in Safety Beach. It was a memorable and inspirational experience for the students and staff, especially the activities located on the beach. Throughout our stay we were engaged in challenges – the first team game in the gym was energetic and competitive, while the students and staff edged nearer the prize for house points. How fortunate that the staff were not competing against the students!

Many memories were forged on the shore as we engaged in two water sports, kayaking and paddle boarding. The double kayak races were fiercely fought, requiring significant upper body strength, whereas the paddle boarding only required composure and confidence. The stunning views and uplifting company were a welcome addition to our adventure.

Our school theme of courage was demonstrated admirably…we should be proud of our Year 12s as they venture into new territory, with such a positive outlook.

The staff were tired by the end of it…where do the Year 12s get their energy from?

Ms Karen Bryant

Acting Head of Secondary School

Our secondary students had a perfect day at the Pines Forest Aquatic Centre, where they met Carrum Downs Campus to take part in the annual Secondary House Swimming Carnival.

We are pleased to announce the opening of our new centre, marking the beginning of an exciting chapter in our Joshua Centre community. Our special-purpose educational facility is dedicated to supporting autistic students. The state-of-the-art building is designed to cater to the unique sensory needs and routines of our extraordinary learners, fostering an environment where they can flourish. The vibrant energy within our walls is palpable, echoing the joy and enthusiasm shared by our students and their families, having watched the new centre grow from a grass field to our wonderful new building during the 2023 school year.

Christy McLindon

Joshua Centre Director

OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS
EMERGENT INTERESTS INTENTIONAL FOCUS FOR LEARNING
Our first learning foci for our children will be:
- Helping them become familiar with their teachers and their peers to help support a sense of belonging
- Learn the routines of our session that form the structure of our day and become familiar with their environment
- Support their confidence and ability to manage a greater number of tasks for themselves that are developmentally appropriate
With hot weather likely to start the year and being so close to the beach. Some activities will be provided that compliment a coastal lifestyle. A few dinosaur activities will be available to the children, dinosaurs are a popular interest amongst most preschoolers.

Sammantha Van Tienen

Kinder Director

Our Birdrock beach children have settled well into kinder. Making new connections with peers and getting to know each other has been the focus of our learning program. Relationship building at this time of the year is an essential skill to promote a sense of security for children to thrive. We are learning about the characteristics and individuality of each of the children and the staff. We do this through group games and planned experiences at group times that enable the children to learn in a play based way. Learning our routine also supports each child to have a sense of feeling safe in a predictable way.
Photos are counting each morning with clues given about the “Star-Of-The-Day” Playing a group circle game, which requires us to sing, learn a sequence and work in a team and mat time singing.

Jo-Anne Morel

Kinder Education Leader

Our animals and ag staff have been very excited to welcome everyone back to the farm this year! Miss Crackle especially missed everyone over the break!

Our preps have already started learning how to hold our chickens and all students have enjoyed getting reacquainted with the farm and animals during their first ag lessons back. We are excited for another wonderful year at the farm!

Over the Summer holidays our tomato plants grew very well, our orchard went wild producing many fruits like apples, blackberries and passionfruit and our sheep were very pleased to have unseasonably good, green grass! Crackle even did some gardening; she is currently growing her own tomatoes, cucumbers and pumpkins in her paddock!

Our Sheep Show Team and some of their awesome parents took part in a farm working bee during the break, where we painted the chicken coop, upgraded Crackle’s paddock, installed new composting bays, did some fencing and weeding, and much more! We are very grateful for their support and thank all of our holiday helpers for their dedication!

Tess Runting

Farm Manager

Our first show for the year is in Korumburra on the 10th of Feb, followed closely by Berwick (24/2), Red Hill (9/3) and then Pakenham (16/3). We’d love to see some of the Flinders community at these shows, so please say hello if you are attending any! Stay tuned for some show results in the next few newsletters!

We are also very much looking forward to having some new Sheep Show Team members join in the fun, so please drop into the farm to find out more about the team if you are interested. For those who attended our info session in week 2, please don’t forget to bring your forms back so we can get you on the list to start attending shows with the team!

Which sheep do you think will be our superstar in the show ring this year?!

Tess Runting

Farm Manager

Please see below link for Flinders Basketball Club News.

2024 Cross Campus Flinders Basketball Club Newsletter

Applications are open for 2025 and beyond! Don’t forget to apply for any siblings. Remember to apply extra early for Year 7 if you have children who aren’t yet at Flinders as start first round of interviews begins two years prior.

Applying is easy, to start your application click on this link Enrol at Flinders.

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

If you have friends and family that are interested in enrolling, open days are a great opportunity to visit our Campus. Meet staff, view our facilities and see classes in action.

Tyabb Campus (Including Joshua Centre)

• Saturday 16 March 2024, 9:00 am - 11:00 am
• Wednesday 29 May 2024, 9:00 am - 11:00 am

Please click the link to register for an Open Day

Welcome back to term 1 of 2024. Parents and Friends are here to serve our school community and we are looking forward to welcoming back our existing team whilst encouraging new members to come forward. We always are looking for new members with new ideas. If you have any spare time and would like to get involved and make new friends, please come along to one of our meetings or contact Sally Bentley sally.bentley@flinders.vic.edu.au.
Here’s to a fun 2024 with P&F!

Please click here for the 2024 P&F Calendar

For families who have a Health Care Card, Veterans Affairs Card, Pensioner Concession Card or who are foster parents, you may be eligible for the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund. The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) provides payments for eligible students to attend activities like school camps or trips, swimming and school-organised sport programs, outdoor education programs, excursions, and incursions.

If applying, application forms must be returned to the Finance Office before the 26th of June to be submitted for 2024. For more information about the CSEF fund and the current application, please visit our website via this link.

If you have any queries on this fund, phone Cindy van Straaten in the Finance Office on 5973 2020.

Eligibility
To be eligible for the fund, on the first day of term one, the first day of term two or the first day of term three, a parent or legal guardian of a student must:
a) be an eligible beneficiary of one of these cards: Veterans Affairs Gold Card, Centrelink Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card, OR
b) they must be a temporary foster parent, AND
c) the parent or legal guardian must apply by the due date.

Parents who receive a carer allowance on behalf of a child, or any other benefit or allowance not income tested by Centrelink, are not eligible for the CSEF unless they also comply with the above.

Eligibility Date
For concession card holders CSEF eligibility will be subject to the parent/legal guardian’s concession card being successfully validated with Centrelink on the first day of either term one, term two or term three.

Finance Office
Our Finance Office is for all financial matters regarding the College and students. You can contact us via email or phone the Finance Office directly on (03) 5973 2020.

For more information regarding Auskick at Tyabb please refer to the below flyer or go to https://www.playhq.com/afl/register/9c4bad

This month on SchoolTV - The Wellbeing Barometer

The Wellbeing Barometer survey has become a crucial tool for schools, offering insights into youth mental health and wellbeing. By understanding community concerns and the nature of these issues, schools are better equipped to support families and foster meaningful conversations, thereby building stronger relationships. This survey is part of an ongoing, longitudinal study, with the results being instrumental in tailoring support for students and their families. Participation is strongly encouraged, as it provides a comprehensive view of students' experiences, challenges, and achievements over the past year.

Participating in this year's survey, will assist your school in identifying areas of strength and concern, as well as pinpointing opportunities for early intervention. The survey aims to capture a comprehensive picture of young people's lives, allowing for a tailored approach to enhance mental and emotional wellbeing

Parents and caregivers are encouraged to complete either one or both of the surveys below, depending on the age of your children and the school they attend.

Please complete one survey for each child that you have in either primary or secondary school. There is no limit to how many times you can complete the survey. This will allow you to provide more accurate responses based on individual children.

Remember, all responses remain anonymous and should reflect observations made over the last 12 months. Survey results are only reported on an aggregated basis.

You can learn more about this issue HERE.