Dear Flinders Community,

I wish every member of our community a happy and blessed Christmas. I pray that you all enjoy a time of rest and renewal over the break. Please take the time to reflect on your achievements and set some new goals for 2020. 

I am pleased to announce that our theme for next year is, “Bit by Bit, Step by Step, Inch by Inch”. A goal is often only achieved by small incremental improvements over a long period of time. While we should always have a line of sight of where want to be, most of our focus and energy should be on the next small step. We can often set lofty goals as new year's resolutions. Next year we will be focussing on small, positive goals and actions for each day. We will be encouraging every member of our community to ask what they what they can we do today to move forward and grow each day. It can be as simple as taking a moment to say hello to a new person, providing encouragement or taking that extra moment to give thanks for the life we have.

The theme of “Bit by Bit, Step by Step, Inch by Inch” is connected to this year’s theme of “Together we are Stronger”. There is tremendous power in being a part of a community. A small step by an individual may not seem that significant, but when there are thousands of people taking a small step or moving forward by an inch the collective impact is massive. 

Two thousand years ago a small group of people aligned themselves to a man who was born in the most humble and vulnerable circumstances. He taught the way of love, grace, and forgiveness. He saw potential in every person and challenged them to move forward and become everything that God had created them to be. Ancient historians described this ever-growing group as the ones “who turned the world upside down”. They did this bit by bit, step by step, inch by inch.

The beauty of the Christian faith is that we recognize every moment of growth is moving into a space God has made for us. Abraham Kuyper made this insightful statement, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!”

I pray that in 2020 we will all have the confidence to expand our horizons and boldly step into God’s purpose for our lives.

Merry Chrstmas to you all,

Andrew Watts.  

Dear Flinders Families,

Collecting students during school hours:

A friendly reminder when collecting your child from school during the day (e.g. for an appointment) to please give prior notice to Main Reception by phoning 97850000, preferably the day before.
 
We require your consent to permit your child to leave the school site during school hours.

Prior notice allows us time to locate your child and have them ready to be collected.

Junior school:
Parents/guardians: please phone to say you are picking up your child, but you also need to sign your child out from the Junior School office.

Secondary school parents:
Parents/guardians: please phone us to request that your student signs out and meets you in the carpark.   

Thank you for your cooperation 😊

“Well done good and faithful servant.”

Matthew 25:23

It is with great humility and a sense of privilege that I write to the Finders community to give honour and appreciation to our Chairman of the Board of Governance, David Flack. After 26 years of faithful service on the Board, David has chosen to retire from the position at the end of the 2019 school year.

David has been a sacrificial servant to the College throughout this time and has given much to Flinders as both a Board member and a parent. His Christ-centred presence has been a strong, guiding light, and an inspiration for many throughout his time. With the support of his faithful wife Judy, who has also been a wonderful servant of the College, David leaves a legacy that will last for many generations to come. Our gratitude, thoughts, and prayers are with him during this time of transition.

The Board have engaged in a rigorous process to appoint a new Board Chair and hope for this process to be finalised in early 2020, with a long-term replacement to be inaugurated at the next Annual General Meeting. The Board are pleased to announce the unanimous support of current Board Secretary, Matt Harridge, to fulfil the role of interim Board Chair until this time. Matt has a long history with the College being an alumni member, a long-term Board member, and his mother having been a founding staff member of our Tyabb campus. We are blessed to have Matt in the role for this period.

Once again, we offer our sincere thanks to David Flack for being a good and faithful servant to the College over many years and wish him well for the future.

Suzy and I married in 1984 at Beaumaris Uniting Church, unbeknownst to us at the time that this little church would hold so much tradition for my family.

I had already been attending the church and I was baptised  there in 1982. Suzy and I have four children who were all baptised here as well. Our eldest daughter Sarah, was baptised in 1985 and her son Tyler in 2016. Sarah now has 9 month old twins Zoe and Cooper, who were baptised at our little church last weekend keeping the family tradition alive.

Sarah’s Auntie Michele, herself a Uniting church minister in Echuca, helped with the ceremony in a lovely family touch. Baptisms are pretty rare in
our ageing congregation, so this past Sunday was pretty special for us all. 

Nick Toovey
FCCC Missions Coordinator

Congratulations to our Head of Wellbeing Jonathan Flack and wife Jane for the safe arrival of baby Theodore.

Flinders Kinder kids drew some pictures this week to show their appreciation for all the great work the Fire Fighters are doing in NSW.

Milla told the class about the fires in NSW and how people and animals were getting injured. 
We discussed this as a group and the children wanted to do something to help and make them feel encouraged. This was the result - they worked in groups of 3 to represent their ideas in art and words. 

Mia L who is in Mrs North's Grade 4 class is the winner of the "2019 Carrum School Writing Competition". Mia was presented with an award from Sonya Kilkenny (Local MP) on Wednesday 20 November at the Carrum Surf Lifesaving Club.

Congratulations Mia - What a Star

Prep Nativity Play – FRIDAY 6TH DECEMBER

Our wonderful Preps and Gr 5 students will be performing a Nativity Play in the Gym Friday 6th December at 1.45pm  All parents, friends and family are invited to attend.

Our end of year Celebration Afternoon service will be held on Wednesday 4th December from 1:30pm-3:30pm in the school gymnasium.
Each class will present an item and awards will be given. We warmly invite parents to join us on this day to celebrate the 2019 school year.

Our brand-new Year 8 students had a ball today, trying to program the Spheros during STEAM. They struggled, gave up, tried again, complained, begged for help, tried again and mostly succeeded. Welcome to STEAM 2020 Year 8.

The Year 8 kickstart students enjoyed a Silent Disco as they celebrated their successes as a cohort. Students arrived at school in Christmas themed fancy dress and were introduced to the lyra clad dance instructor aptly named Guru Dudu. Students donned the headphones and enjoyed the freedom to sing at the top of your lungs and dance. Students were led through a series of choreographed dance moves through their headphones culminating in an all-in rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. Students danced their way around the college bringing fun, energy and Christmas cheer. A thoroughly enjoyable event. Thank you to Mrs Cosgrave for organising this sensational event. 

The Year 9 Graduation was another success, celebrating the quirky, the quaint and even the quiet members of the student body who now find themselves in Senior School. It was delightful to see so many families enjoying the occasion, the highlight of which had to be the magnificent wood-fired pizzas and the grazing table laid out by Mrs Allen and Mrs Gardiner. Mr McLean spoke about the importance of having a 'Roy Disney' in your life and each student was presented with a recognition certificate and an encouragement jar. Thank-you to all who participated and especially to those who helped plan and make it happen. 

Camp was a blast. The Amazing Race was a challenge for sure, but an experience I really enjoyed. I had a great team and we worked well together, and I appreciate all the effort Mr McLean put into making the race. – Caitlin

Normally, I don't really like school camps, but I loved City Camp! My favourite moments of the camp were stopping at every 7/11 my group saw on the Amazing Race, making Tik Tok’s right before we had to get on the bus to leave, going ice skating - even though I fell a million times, doing the haunted house escape room at Strike with my group and Mrs Emmanuel which was scary enough that we only solved 2/9 puzzles, going to the Queen Vic Markets, and spending time with my friends. City Camp was the best camp ever and I made so many good memories! – Nicoletta

Angus? Mary?    *British accent* - Josh T

I liked the ice skating the most – Sarah
 
My favourite part of camp was the last day when we went ice skating and to the markets. I loved getting matching hoodies with all my friends and watching everyone fall over on the ice- Sofia
 
I loved spending time with my friends in the city!! The amazing race was awesome GOO TEAM BRICES BOGANS!! A highlight for me was the 6am wakeup call with “All I want for Christmas” blasting through the speakers! Definitely enjoyed such a great camp. – Larissa
 

 

Sunday 1 December – Thursday 5 December - Outdoor Ed 2020 Unit 1 & 3 – Alpine Camp

Thursday 5 December – Presentation Evening

Enrolments for music lessons are now open for 2020.

Existing students can enroll for 2020 on the community portal an email was sent to families on October 23.
If you required further information contact the music department at kristine.gardiner@flinders.vic.edu.au

Dear Parents,
I am excited to announce that the after school extra-curricular Art program will be returning in Term 1, 2020.
I will be continuing to run this program as my own enterprise with the support of the College. The program that I provide will be stimulating and exciting for students and is sure to encourage their creative interests!  This service is offered as a medium for students with a genuine interest in Art.

The program will continue to be open to students from Prep to Year 6, running from 3:30-4:30pm after school with at least 8 sessions per term. Dates for the program will be communicated early next year, in preparation for term 1.  

Expressions of interest need to be submitted by Friday 13th December 2019.
Please email Yolanda at creativeexperienceart@gmail.com conveying the following information:

Name of child or children who are interested in participating

The year level they will be in for 2020

A contact email and mobile number

Once the dates have been sorted parents will be emailed with further details.
Sincerely,

Mrs Yolanda Barnes

Art teacher, Carrum Downs campus

Some students from grades 3 to 6 were accompanied to Seagull Day Club to sing for and engage with elderly citizens. It was a very rewarding experience for all involved.

The new Flinders Jazz Ensemble were a ‘hit’ at our recent Secondary Assembly. The 7-Piece band did an entertaining version of the 1950’s classic ‘The Night Train’, complete with rubber plunger mutes on the trombones and trumpets and a saxophone solo from Jack Messenger! We look forward to seeing them perform again at the upcoming Secondary Presentation Evening on Thursday 5th December.  

Our adventurous Great Victorian Bike ride participants conquered Arthur’s Seat for their training ride. Well done! You are now ready.

On Friday 6th December, year 7-9 students from CD and TY will compete in Girls AFL, Boys Soccer and Boys Cricket, so try out to represent your campus, trophies up for grabs.

GIRL POWER!

Congratulations to our junior girls volleyball and basketball team who were undefeated in our weekly SIS inter school sport program in term 4 taking the pennants.
 
This term with 2 games to play, Flinders Carrum downs have won 18 matches and only 2 losses, a record for our junior (Years 7&8) and intermediate (Years 9&10) basketball and volleyball teams.

Go Flinders.
 

Today 28 Flinders GVBR participants rode 98km on day 1 of riding in consistent rain from Port Fairy to Peterborough to begin their 315kms. 

All students rode really well and after leaving at 7:15am, eventually made it to camp at 3pm. A long day in the saddle.

Also, two students (Lachlan Chamberlain from CD  and Kyle Buntine from Tyabb) were given the opportunity to ride with Tour De France cyclist Simon Clark (see photo) for 50kms. A wonderful experience for our students.
 
Thanks for keeping our students and parents in your prayers.
 

An information night will be held in March 2020 which will include details of the places you will visit and costs involved. 

We are looking for expressions of interest to attend our trip to China from 14 to 24 September 2020. The invitation is open to students from year 9 to year 12 and extended to include some interested parents.

If you would like to keep informed with regards to information nights etc please email the PA to the Principal via relly.bruce@flinders.vic.edu.au

In conjunction with Samaritans’ Purse we will be running our sixth Discovery Trip to Cambodia, in 2020. During the ten days you will visit Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields where you will gain an understanding of the recent history of Cambodia. After this introduction, you will participate in a range of community service and humanitarian projects in local villages including building water filters and giving out shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. You will also visit schools where you will conduct local education programs in English, Sport and PE and Art. We finish up in Siem Reap where you will visit Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Please see Mr Mason, Mr Toovey or go to the Missions page on Moodle for Expression of interest forms. cost is $3600

2020 Year 12 students are encouraged to follow in the footsteps of many former CD year 12 students, as well as the brave 39th Battalion from WW11 to consider walking the famous Kokoda Track in PNG with Mr Toovey and Tyabb staff and students in December 9th-23rd as an alternative to Schoolies next year. This will be our fifth trek. What a great way to celebrate the end of your schooling! See Mr Toovey or go to the Missions page on Moodle for details. Cost is $4500.

   

The Flinders 2020 Palm Island Mission Trip is well along in its planning but there are still places available for students wishing to travel to Townsville and then onto Palm Island at the end of term 1.  The trip includes time spent at the YWAM (Youth With A Mission) headquarters in Townsville where we are involved in sessions that prepare us for the time spent as part of the community on Palm Island. We then board the ferry for a two hour ride north east.  Palm Island has a small population that is made up of over 40 Indigenous groups, locally referred to as the Bwgcolman people.  The Island has a colourful and important  history, which we hear all about while we are there.  The students have the chance to interact with the community and work with, and for, them.  There is the opportunity to team up with local groups and to run programs for young children.  All of this is completed in a beautiful tropical environment amongst

the palm trees with warm sea water across from our accommodation.  The trip’s mission is to grow in understanding of our Indigenous history and to be the hands and feet of God by showing selflessness and grace to others.

For expressions of interest or for more information, please contact Mr Nick Toovey (nick.toovey@flinders.vic.edu.au) or Mrs Gaye Franklin (gaye.franklin@flinders.vic.edu.au) 

Our canteen will be open until Tuesday 10 December 2019.

We will be re-opening the canteen on Monday 3 February 2020.

Recruiting Information Nights

Thursday 5 December 2019 and Thursday 6 February 2020
1900 - 2030 (7.00pm to 8.30pm)
Australian Defence Force Cadet Depot
35 Robinsons Rd, Frankston
Email: 36acu@cadetnet.gov.au

Text Books and Stationary for 2020

In 2020 we will purchase both stationery and books on your behalf so that you do not have to source this over the holidays.  This ensures that all students have the required materials on the first day of the  School year.

To whom this may concern,

Hi, I am Keegan Du Preez, currently in Year 11 (2019). I am offering your child/ren the opportunity to improve their study methods and skills by incorporating key elements to enhance knowledge and memory. These tutoring lessons run every Monday to Thursday afternoon from 15:30 to 16:30 in the school library located at the rear of G block under the direction of a team of student tutors, selected for their skills and ability.
This service is offered to students from Year 5 to Year 12. These sessions will consist of broadening your child’s capabilities to remember and apply the learned knowledge with minimal difficulty. Furthermore, the tutors work closely with the school’s teachers to receive as much knowledge about where your child’s needs are to improve their experience and ultimately their grades.
The fees relate to what year level your child is currently in. My fees are much lower than that of a professionally accredited institution. I encourage you to consider this offer as my team of student tutors aim to bring your child to his/her full potential in improving their grades.

Contact information:
If you have any other queries, you are more than welcome to contact me at 0417122719 or email me at kdupreez20@ga.flinders.vic.edu.au or  dupreez110@gmail.com

Christmas Twilight Market