Just a reminder to parents that as of Wednesday 8 November, students can no longer use their mobile phones at the canteen or café to purchase food or drinks. They will only be able to pay with either cash or a debit / credit card.

Mobile phones are not to be seen once entering the campus. Students will need to switch off their phones and to put them in their school bags until the end of the day.

Please note parents are still able to use their phones to purchase coffee's in the Café.

You can view how to order through Munch Monitor HERE and please also see attached guidelines.

We are approaching the mid-term break of an action-packed term.

Students are working hard, teachers are busy with end of year assessment, we are rehearsing for Aladdin and Celebration Afternoon items, and are conducting final excursions.

All Prep – Grade 6 Students are performing in Aladdin!

The Aladdin Kids Primary production is on Thursday 23 November, starting at 5.30pm in the College Gym. We are excited to have all our Prep to Grade 6 students performing in the show! Each Grade has been learning a song from the show to perform on the night.

To make things simpler for families on the day of the performance, College Staff will supervise Primary students after school between 3.15 until the end of the show at approximately 6.30pm

An Activity Notice with more information will be sent home to Primary families via Flinders Connect next week. Please note that Primary students do not need a ticket – they are the stars of the show!

Get your tickets at https://www.trybooking.com/CMQ...– we can’t wait to see you there!

Have a great weekend

Adam Swain
Head of Primary

Mrs. Louise Van Niekerk will be concluding her time at Flinders at the end of 2024. We thank Louise for her contribution as teacher and Mission’s Coordinator. We all remember the Colour Run at the end of 2022, which Mrs. Van was instrumental getting in place.

We will miss Mrs. Van and wish her all the best in future exciting endeavours.

Thank you to all the parents who helped in the lower primary classrooms with reading on Wednesday mornings.

Our last one for 2023 was held this week on Wednesday 1 November.

Parents, please do not use the Primary student toilets. Primary admin can open staff toilets if you need to use them.

Congratulations to Jean – Luc and Thiya for receiving a Flinders Values award during this week’s Primary Chapel Service.

Jean – Luc received his award for displaying Perseverance , Integrity, and Love by consistently trying his best and being a trustworthy member of his class who puts the needs of others first.

Thiya received hers for exemplifying perseverance, excellence and faith by striving for excellence in all areas of school life and living out her faith daily, by encouraging those around her

We are looking forward to watching our second CEREAL-ously fun, cereal domino run.

By bringing along a full box of healthy cereal, we will create a domino effect through our primary classrooms
on Tuesday 1 November.

Students can cheer on the boxes knowing that they are contributing to a local community food program, Pantry Plus, through Peninsula City Church in Frankston.

The P and F are planning on holding a second-hand uniform sale towards the end of November.
If you wish to donate any second-hand uniform items, that are made by Alinta and are in good condition, please drop them off at the Primary or Business office.

The students that attend Camp Australia, Outside School Hours Care, have been busy with enjoyable craft and culinary projects recently and are looking forward to engaging in cultural activities such as Diwali – the Festival of Lights in India and cooking cultural recipes. Our menu enhancement program is working well by increasing children’s socialising skills and knowledge about food.

Activities coming up

Different styles of painting
Making bracelets
Cooking coconut biscuits
Paper plate rangoli
Diwali paper lamps

Term 4 is super busy for 2 main reasons:
There is a LOT going on in Secondary as the Year 12s work their way through their final exams whilst the rest of Secondary finish off their school year and then do a fortnight of Kickstart.

There is a LOT of planning going into end of year events, as well as all of the preparation for the 2024 school year.

The appointment of the 2024 College Captains and Vice Captains
After initial interviews with a number of College Captain applicants, Mr. Watts and I shortlisted this down to 6 students. 3 male and 3 female Year 11 students who then had to give a short speech at a ‘mini assembly’ a couple of weeks ago. Students and staff were then surveyed and the feedback helped Mr. Watts and myself make the very difficult decision as to who should be Captains and Vice Captains.

The end result, which was announced at the Secondary Assembly on Tuesday, sees 4 excellent student leaders being appointed.

This team of 4, along with the House Captains who will soon be appointed, will form the Prefect team for 2024. I am sure that they will be great role models and a strong positive voice for the students in the Flinders Secondary community

Student Leadership interviews and appointments
With the appointment of College Captains and Vice Captains now finalised, we are almost set to make decisions on House Captains.

Meanwhile we are getting underway with interviews for House Vice Captains, Year 8-10 House Leaders as well as the various Portfolio Captaincy roles – Ministry, Wellbeing, Service & Mission, Sport, Enviro, Performing Arts and Visual Arts. It is quite an elaborate jigsaw given that a number of keen students have applied for multiple roles.

The goal is to have all of these student leadership appointments finalised before exams start on Friday 17 November.

Adding an extra Year 8-12 House Mentor group for 2024
As discussed in the previous Newsletter, the growth in Secondary student numbers for next year has necessitated the expansion of our Year 8-12 Vertical House Mentor groups from 4 to 5 in each House. Thus the current 4 groups need to be deconstructed so that new groups can be formed.

Last week we collected almost 400 responses from the Year 7 to 11 students, giving them opportunity to name up to 4 students they would like to be in a Mentor group with next year. From here the data is being analysed by the Heads of House and draft Mentor Groups constructed.

All being well, these draft Mentor Groups will then be published in the short Week 6 (Weds 8 – Fri 10 November) for feedback by staff/students
Final lists to be worked on in Weeks 7&8
Kickstart (Week 9) will see the new Mentor groups in action

Mobile Phones at the Canteen – no longer…
Parents have been previously informed that we are not permitting students to use their phones from the time they arrive at school to the end of the school day, unless they have permission from a teacher to use it in a class activity.

Up until now, the other exception has been when the students are using the phone to pay for canteen food. This exception is closing at the end of this week – with the Long Weekend being the point where students will either need to have a card or cash to pay for their canteen food.

Students have been told about this and will hopefully be prepared to use an alternative means to buy their favourite hot chips.

2024 Year 7 Events
Following on from the recent Year 7 Information Evening, there are 4 more significant dates to be aware of – particularly this coming Wednesday 8 November event. They are as follows:

Wednesday 8 November Orientation Afternoon from 1.45 – 3.00pm
Monday 4 December Orientation Day from 8.40 – 3.20pm
Wednesday 31 January Transition Day for all Year 7 students
Thursday 1 February Normal class will commence

House Engineering Competition
The Secondary Assembly on Tuesday saw the culmination of the inaugural House Engineering competition. Bridges were strength tested and videos were shown by each House on the Dominos and Rube-Goldberg activities.

A special thank you to Ms. Lauren Zuidema who orchestrated this event. Also we must commend our Science Lab Tech, Lynsey Peach as well as the many staff and students who positively engaged in the event.

A Big All of Secondary Activity Day on Friday 1 December
Information will be going out to students in the form of a survey to ask for their feedback as we plan towards the Big Activity Day – to be held at the end of the first week of Kickstart.

There are a number of off-site activities as well as on-site options as well. It is designed to be a day of fun and celebration as we near the end of the school year. Once the various events are promoted and students have made their choice, we will create event lists which will turn into Activity Notices to be sent to parents for approval.

Regards

Geoff Grace
Head of Secondary

ALADDIN KIDS

The main cast of students are making great progress during their rehearsals and all students from Prep to Grade 6 are learning their featured song during their music lesson and rehearsing with their class teacher. Costumes and sets have now been collected and we are all looking forward to seeing everything come together on Thursday 23 November in the Gym.

Don’t forget to purchase your tickets, with allocated seating this year, the sooner you book, the better view you will have of the stage.

Ticket link: https://www.trybooking.com/eve...

CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG JR

Our Secondary School Production will take place at the Frankston Arts Centre next June. Our Production Team next year will be Coral Vass, Peter Davidson, Ashlene Mendolia, Angela McClaren, Joseph Rolleston, Tom Pugh, and myself.

We have concluded our auditions and hope to announce our talented cast in the next few weeks. Congratulations to all the students who auditioned, you did an amazing job!

REGISTRATION FOR 2024 PERFORMING ARTS LESSONS

Thank you to those families that have already indicated on Flinders Connect which lessons you wish your child to receive in 2024.

Can I ask that the families who have also emailed me with expressions of interest also complete the short form on Flinders Connect as this will allow me to work on student numbers and teacher availability within Performing Arts. Our amazing sprung dance floor will be installed over the summer holidays with the addition of tap boards, ballet barres and dance mirrors, we are so excited to launch our Dance Program here at Carrum Downs.

Diane O’Hare
Performing Arts Coordinator

This Monday 30 October, our Primary students, Year 7’s and selected Year 8 to 11 music students were entertained by the Ringwood Secondary College Concert Band, String Orchestra and Choir.

These lucky students got the opportunity to listen to some great past hits by Queen, Rather Be by Clean Bandit as well as a few recognisable numbers such as Sponge Bob Square Pants and Bob the Builder for the younger kids. It was fantastic to see everyone enjoy the energy that music brings.

As our Battle of the Band’s Music Showcase quickly approaches, don’t forget to grab your tickets through Flinders Connect.

All event proceeds will go towards the upcoming 2024 Music Camp. Tickets can also be purchased at the door on the night.

Tickets prices:
$10.00 Adults
$8.00 Non-performing students
$30.00 Families

Our beloved Mr Joey Rolleston will be teaching drum lessons for Secondary students next year, who wish to learn or develop their drumming skills. If you are currently in Grade 6 or are already in Secondary school and are wanting to enroll, please contact Mrs. Linda Harris for an enrolment form and return to musiccarrumdowns@flinders.vic.edu.au

For any general enquiries or questions about our music programs, please feel free to contact Mrs. Linda Harris at musiccarrumdowns@flinders.vic.edu.au