Dear Flinders Community,

I recently prepared a devotion for a morning staff meeting which further explored our 2023 theme, “The Best Version of Me.” I am pleased to share some of my thoughts with the broader Flinders community in the latest edition of the newsletter

“The Best Version of Me” can be explored from many angles. What constitutes our best? Is it our body, our character, our achievements or our generosity? I am sure there are many other options. The scriptures teach that the best version of ourselves is when we love God and love our neighbour the best we can. The scriptures also teach that when we mould ourselves to the likeness of Christ, it is there that we find the best version of ourselves.

Another interesting question to ponder is, what are those things that hold us back from becoming or, at the very least, striving to become the best version of ourselves? Again, there are many areas to explore. The one I want to focus on in this reflection is the concept of shame.

When we look at the first pages of scripture, a dramatic change happened to Adam and Eve. When creation was experiencing perfection, Adam and Eve felt no shame (Gen 2:25). In the next chapter, they were hiding from God because they were afraid. It would be fair to assume that the first evidence of the fall of humanity was to move to a position of shame, fear and hiding from God.

Shame doesn’t get discussed a lot today. However, reflecting upon the concept of shame (as opposed to false guilt) is important because it can be a major anchor on our ability to grow as people.

I asked the following questions to the Carrum Downs staff:

Am I carrying around shame?

How is it holding me back?

Is shame holding me back from being the best version of myself?

Am I living freely and easily in the Grace of God?

If the answer is yes to any of these questions, then it is likely we are hiding from God in some form. The further we recoil from God, the further we are away from fulfilling our potential.

So what do we need to do with shame? The answer is actually quite simple. We need to embrace the power of the Gospel. Jesus died to take away our shame, to set us free from all we have done wrong. A theological word that is associated with the Gospel is JUSTIFICATION. To help explain this term we need to play with the word slightly. Once we have confessed our sins and accepted the free forgiveness offered by Jesus, God does not see our sins. It is JUST AS IF THEY NEVER HAPPENED.

If God cannot see our sins then there is no reason to feel shame. I often think forgiving ourselves is harder than accepting God’s forgiveness. However, if we take our faith seriously, we are obligated to forgive ourselves in response to God’s incredible act of love on the cross.

I attend Gateway Church in Seaford and one of the favourite songs we sing is called Glorious Day. The lyrics speak about shame being a weight that entombs us. The lyrics state, “I was breathing but not alive, all my sins I tried to hide….until I met you!”

I have no doubt that many in our community are carrying a burden, feeling trapped, hiding and not experiencing real life. I say this without any judgement. My sincere prayer is that if those lyrics remind you of your current situation and shed a light on why you are a long way from the best version of you, I pray that there will a moment of silent reflection where you seek God’s forgiveness and experience freedom and renewal to become everything God intended you to be.

Take a moment to listen to Glorious Day here

Andrew Watts

Head of Campus

NAPLAN Online 2023

Students will be given the opportunity to familiarise themselves
with the online platform during a practice session on Tuesday 28th
February 2023, prior to NAPLAN being held from 15-27 March 2023.

Please give way to our buses as they pull out of the Kiss and Go Area. Thank you

Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) will be conducting planned burning in our area in the next 7-10 days.

Please see map below for location and more information in the flyer attached.

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 23rd of June to be submitted for 2023. 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.

THE FIRST NORMAL START TO THE YEAR SINCE 2020 – LET’S APPRECIATE IT…

It has been quite a relief to begin a school year without the shadow of COVID hanging immediately over us. This time last year we were rescheduling pretty much everything. This term so far we have had a Swimming Carnival, 3 Secondary Information Evenings, SSG Meetings, a Year 7 Camp (last week) and now the Year 9 and Year 12 camps this week. Although the start of the year is always busy – even frenetic at times – with so much going on, it also means that we don’t have the ongoing dilemma of when/how to postpone, reschedule and replan. Let’s not take this for granted – at least not this year…

READY, RESPECT and SAFE – GOOD ROUTINES

Now that the year is well and truly underway, the challenge is for our start of year commitments to student wellbeing, progress and maturity to be further embedded. Given the 2023 theme, The Best Version of Me, we have multiple opportunities to shape student culture and for the students themselves to engage with this perpetual challenge for their own lives.

For some students, their own internal motivation will mean that very little external pressure will be needed to help them to make this a brilliant year. For others, some clear, consistent and reasonable expectations around the Ready, Respect and Safe theme will help to shape their formation as we head through 2023.

My prayer for the staff and students is that we make the most of every opportunity to leave 2023 with a deep sense of satisfaction and thankfulness for the year’s educational journey.

THE YEAR 12 INFORMATION NIGHT

Last Thursday night we held an important and informative evening for the Year 12 students and parents. After sharing some general information relevant to all Year 12s, Mr. Mason then took the Senior VCAL students to D Block whilst Mrs. Kincses and then Mrs. Blakeney then gave excellent addresses on VCE ‘jargon’ and then Year 12 English.

The Power Point slides have been sent out to all Year 12 parents – for those who attended and who want to review some of the information, as well as those who couldn’t make it. They have also been uploaded to the Year 12 Moodle page for students to refer to.

SCHOOL PHOTOS – SOME TO BE RESCHEDULED

Our original Photo Day was unfortunately interrupted with a number of issues which hampered our efforts to get through the entire set of group shots. Just a reminder that the second set of photos has been booked in for Tuesday March 7th. More information will be forthcoming closer to the event.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING

Monday Feb 27th will see the House Leaders from Year 8-11 heading to the Melbourne Exhibition Centre for a day long leadership conference. We look forward to seeing what impacts these student leaders as they listen to a range of speakers and get inspired to do their roles back at school.

Regards
Geoff Grace
Head of Secondary

Phillip Island Adventure Resort was the venue; the new Year 7 students the participants and the atmosphere of the camp was very energetic and positive. Notwithstanding some of the additional measures which had to be taken to accommodate the really warm weather, the teachers commented on the positive attitude of the students and the way they jumped into their activities.

It was remarkable how quickly the new Flinders students and the ongoing students who came up from Flinders primary mingled and many new friendships and connections were forged. This augurs well for the rest of the year as we explore the theme of Belonging with our youngest cohort of Secondary students.

A Massive note of Thanks to the Year 7 staff who helped the camp run as smoothly as it did under the expert guidance of Mrs Chaneen Vorster, the Year 6-7 Transition Co-ordinator.

Flinders House System

This year, we are pleased to have Mr. Kendall Edens taking on the additional responsibility of House & Community Spirit coordinator.

House systems have been around for centuries in some fashion. The house system is a school initiative to give students a shared community, a chance to interact and work with their peers and teachers, helping others and developing new and stronger relationships. This year, Flinders is keen to increase and develop our system into a vibrant, enjoyable and rewarding experience for all students, fostering a wonderful community spirit.

House Captains - The House Captains in our Primary School are responsible for being positive, reliable, caring, organised and responsible leaders of the school community, contributing to the tone of the school and promoting our school values.

Throughout the school year, House Captains will be involved in all sports carnival events, as well as organising and running fundraising activities, and complete other given task.

House Points - The house system also allows pupils the chance to engage in a house team and competitions, where the houses compete each term to collect the most house points. This can see pupils collect points for taking part in events, being a positive and caring individual in the classroom and school yard, and fundamentally representing the house they belong to.

Grandparents are warmly invited to Flinders Christian Community College

Grandparents Day
Friday 10 March 2023
10:30am-12:30pm

Our day will begin in the College Gymnasium at 10.30am and then you are welcome to visit your grandchild’s classroom followed by a small morning tea until 12.30pm.

Limited parking will be available for those with mobility needs. Please contact the Primary School Office on 9785 0000 if you require special parking.

For children that do not have Grandparents or whose Grandparents cannot attend, they are encouraged to invite another special person to come and share in this day.

All parents want their children to be safe when learning and playing online.

The Australian Government's eSafety Commissioner website is a great resource for parents. It contains short videos and easy-to-read advice sheets that will give you the confidence to talk with your children about online safety. They include tips to help them stay safe, and important information about what to do if something bad does happen online.

This information and more can be found on the Australian Government's eSafety Commissioner website at HERE

The Flinders values award is presented each chapel to students that exemplify one or more of our Flinders values. Congratulations to Melissa and Annia for receiving a Flinders values award during this weeks Primary Chapel Service.

Melissa received her award for displaying integrity and humility by demonstrating humility with her peers and maintaining integrity each and every day.

Annia exemplified the value of perseverance – by applying herself in all tasks, asking excellent questions and completing her work

Our Holiday workshop will be held on the 17th, 18th, and 19th April in our Drama Room.

Hours will be 9am to 4pm with a showcase on the 19th for friends and family.

The price will be $250 per student and will include a certificate for all students who complete the 3 days.

Due to a surge in popularity, I need to limit the number of students to 20 to ensure all those taking part receive the best training possible.

Families are now advised to book your place by emailing Diane.ohare@flinders.vic.edu.au. A waiting list will be created once I reach 20 students, in the event that a student becomes ill or has to drop out.

Payment details will follow once your child’s place is confirmed.

Rehearsals are now under way for our secondary school production of The Sound of Music.

Staff and students are busy learning their lines and it promises to be one amazing show.

Students are reminded that their $80 show fee is now due and must be received prior to the ordering of our Production merchandise.

Anyone interested in being part of the Parents Preforming Arts Committee. Please meet Diane in D Block on Wednesday 1st March at 3.30pm.

Classes are now full for Term 1.

I have had an unprecedented surge in the amount of students requesting lessons and I have had to limit my numbers to 30. A waiting list has now been created; you may place your child’s name on this list by emailing Diane.ohare@flinders.vic.edu.au.

We were excited to open the Gym this week and reveal the new floor upgrade. Works have been done over the summer to give the gym a new lease of life and the Students were very keen to try it out when the doors opened on Monday.

To assist us with maintaining this new surface please be aware of the Gym Rules:

SIS Weekly Sport Results

Unfortunately due hot weather this round we were only able to have our Intermediate Boys Netball play in Round 1. The boys were able to work together and come away with a win (20-14). We look forward to seeing how the rest of our teams go throughout the term

Junior Triathlon

This Term our Year 7 and 8 students can participate in a 5 session triathlon training program, with the option of competing in the 2XU Triathlon Series Fun Tri on 26 March. Week 1 started off strong with some beautiful weather to spend their first session down at Seaford beach.

Swim Intensive

Our Swim Intensive session is used to make Team Selection for the SIS Division A Swim Carnival. The intensive will take place during periods 1-3 on 14th March 2023. The purpose of this session is to ensure squad students have the opportunity to have all strokes timed to select our most competitive team and to practice technical skills such as relay changeovers in preparation for South Independent Schools (SIS) Division A Swimming Championship.

At the conclusion of this event, our Flinders Swim Team will be confirmed to represent at the SIS Division A Championships, which will be held on Tuesday 2nd May 2023 @ MSAC (Week 2 of term 2).

Students are invited to attend the Swim Intensive based upon their times from our swim carnival and swim squad participation. If you were absent for swim carnival and would like to be considered for our SIS Division A team please email Shay Cosgrave (shay.cosgrave@flinders.vic.edu.au) or Sam Dutney (sam.dutney@flinders.vic.edu.au). Consent forms will be sent out via the Flinders Connect App over the next week.

Swim Squad

We are about to begin our first session of the 2023 swim squad. The purpose of the Flinders Swim Squad is to improve student's competitive swimming performance at the Swim Relay Carnival and adequately prepare students to represent the College at the Interschool Southern Independent Schools (SIS) Swimming Carnival on 3 May 2023. If your student would like to participate or you would like more information please emails Shay Cosgarve (shay.cosgrave@flinders.vic.edu.au)

SIS Swim Relay Carnival

All squad members are invited to participate in the SIS Swim Relay Carnival, held at the Pines Aquatic Centre (Frankston) on the 17th of March from 5-7pm. In teams of 4, students will compete in relays of 4 x 50m in freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, and the medley. Students will either compete in Junior, Intermediate or Senior age groups. The College will transport students to Pines Forest Aquatic Centre and parents/guardian will need to pick up their son(s)/daughter(s) from the venue at the conclusion of the event at 7pm. If you would like to compete in this SIS Relay Carnival please contact Shay Cosgrave (shay.cosgrave@flinders.vic.edu.au) or Sam Dutney (sam.dutney@flinders.vic.edu.au). Or alternatively students can complete the SIS Swim Relay Carnival Survey on the Carrum Downs Moodle Page.

Flinders After School Basketball

The after-school extracurricular Flinders Basketball Club teams
across CD and TY campuses continue their summer season competition training and
games until the end of Term 1.

Expression of Interest to join a Winter Season team will be taken
by the end of February so watch this space for more information.

Congratulations to all students who swam at our 2033 Combined Campus Swim Carnival. We were blessed with a beautiful sunny day and it was so good to see such great participation from students across both campuses.

Congratulations to Ten Boom being the overall House winners for the 2023 Swim Carnival.

Carrum Downs house placings were very close: 1st - Ten Boom, 2nd - Flynn, 3rd - Nicholls, 4th - Cuthbert.

Another big congratulations to the below students who were our age group champions for Carrum Downs:

What is your job role and who do you work with? E.g., class/subject teacher, year level.

I am one of the two school counsellors here at Flinders. I support primary and
secondary students through individual counselling sessions and group therapy
focused sessions.

How long have you worked at Flinders?

I have worked for Flinders for three years – 2 years at Tyabb campus and 1 year at Carrum Downs campus.

What do you love most about Flinders?

The sense of community – the wonderful people, conversations, events & of course delicious common folk coffee at the Rotunda Café.

Did you have a teacher who inspired you when you were at school? In what way/how?

My VCE teacher was full joy and oozed encouragement. The students listened and learnt from her because she knew how to connect with them on a personal level.

Where were you born / where did you grow up?

I was born in Carlton and grew up in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. At 18 years old I moved to Sydney for 3 years, followed by Byron Bay for 5 years. My husband, children and I moved to the Mornington Peninsula in 2019.

Favourite food?

Do smoothies count? Otherwise, Rice Pudding from ALDI is really good!

Favourite hobby / interest?

Weightlifting & dancing my heart out.

A skill or secret talent we might not know you have?

Eating all the chocolate in our pantry without the family noticing.

What is something you have on your “bucket list” – to do, a place to visit, an experience you would like to
have before you die?

My husband and I loved travelling
to Japan, and we would love to take the kids there one day!