Welcome to the 2020 school year; we are looking forward to partnering with you again this year in supporting your child’s academic, social, emotional and spiritual growth.  

I extend a special welcome to our new students and families to Flinders. We have experienced a significant number of new enrolments this year and we hope you feel welcomed and a part of our community.  

Our theme for 2020 is Justly, Mercy, Humbly.  This is drawn from Micah 6:8 “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” As a community, we believe that acting justly is to do what is right for others, loving mercy is to experience and demonstrate gratitude for God’s grace that we have undeservedly received, and to walk humbly is to not see ourselves as greater or better than anyone else; rather it is to know that God has created us for good works.  

My hope and prayer is that you experience a renewed sense of community and belonging as you journey with us in 2020. 

Nick Haines
Principal

FEBRUARY/MARCH EVENTS:

Saturday 22nd February
Berwick Sheep Show

Monday 24th - Wednesday 26th February
Grade 4 Camp

Monday 24th February
Immunisations Yr 7 and 10 - round 1

Tuesday 25th February
Whole School Meet and Greet, 3:30-6:30pm

Thursday 27th February
Year 7 Boys' Night

Saturday 29th February
Open Air Movie Night - "Spies in Disguise"

Monday 2nd March
Combined Campus House Athletics Carnival

Thursday 5th - Friday 6th March
Grade 3 Camp

Monday 9th March
Public Holiday: Labour Day

Saturday 14th March
Tyabb Campus Open Day

Monday 23rd - Friday 27th March
Secondary School Camps' Week

Friday 27th March
End of Term 1

Open days are a great opportunity for you to visit our Campuses at Tyabb and Mt Martha. 

Meet staff, view our facilities and see classes in action. 

The first Tyabb Campus Open Day will be held on Saturday 14th March.

The first Mt Martha (Kinder) Open Day will be held on Tuesday 21st April.

Please register online https://www.flinders.vic.edu.au/enrolment/open-days for our Open Days.

Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF)

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 June to be submitted for 2020. The current application form is available on the Finance page of our website via this link.

If you have any queries on this fund, phone Deb Wood in the Finance Office on 5973 2006.

Eligibility:
To be eligible for the fund, on the first day of term one or the first day of term two, 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 or term two.

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.

Changes to Conveyance Allowance Payments From 2020.

Dear Parents,

To ensure that the funds are distributed to eligible families in a timelier manner, from the start of 2020, the College will directly credit your school fees account. 

Eligibility
Students may be eligible for a conveyance allowance when they:

• attend their closest government or appropriate non-government school/campus located outside the metropolitan conveyance boundary.
• reside 4.8km or more from that school/campus attended.
• attend specialist schools anywhere in Victoria (government* and non-government students). *Government students must reside within the Designated Transport Area (DTA) for the government specialist school attended.
• attend their nearest recognised specialist settings anywhere in Victoria, including:
  Deaf facilities
  English language schools/centres
  Re-engagement centres
  Secondary teaching units.  

Tyabb Campus 

Term 1: 28th February

Term 2: 29th May

Term 3: 21st August

Term 4: 20th November

Link to Conveyance website for information and eligibility

Any questions? Please call Deb Wood in the Finance Office on 5973 2006.

On Tuesday 4th February we celebrated the start of a new school year with our annual Dedication Service. 

Kiana Wallace played piano, Cassidy Hellyer and Miss Valk led the singing of the National Anthem and Mr Pearce brought us the start of year message. 

Congratulations to the Junior School Captains, House Captains and Vice House Captains who were presented to the school, and to Emily Savage for her excellent violin performance.

Thank you to the student leaders who led us in prayers of dedication for staff and students, for our Carrum Downs Campus, the Board of Governance and Flinders parents.

We are all settling in well and getting to know one another. Learning to do things for ourselves and to be part of a class community are our learning focuses for term one.

FAQ – USING P2 FACEMASKS FOR CHILDREN

Protective facemasks have been one of the ‘go to’ items to help with relief from the extremely poor air quality and bushfire smoke that has shrouded our country these past few months. Some states are now in short supply and the high demand for these products continues to grow as fires continue to burn uncontrollably, releasing hazardous levels of smoke and PM2.5 particles into the air. People have been cooped up indoors for days on end trying to escape the current conditions and reduce the risk of being exposed to the dangerous PM2.5, but their patience is wearing thin and people are desperate to get back to their normal routines, many putting themselves at risk and venturing outside in these extreme conditions. The consistent health messaging has been around staying indoors, creating a clean air shelter, using air conditioners and air purifiers to filter the air, avoiding exercise, taking preventative medications if you have asthma, having relievers on hand, following your asthma management plan, seeking medical assistance if you feel unwell and in the case that you have to venture outside, use a form fitting P2 facemask. Given that poor air quality has been present for such a long time and remains a concern, there are new considerations for the effectiveness and use of the P2 facemasks and with school holidays now over, parents are questioning what to do with their children when the air quality is still poor.

ARE THEY SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

In consultation with our Professional Advisory Council (PAC), it has been advised that facemasks are not designed or suitable for children under the age of 14 years. Although some masks may be available in small sizes, it is unlikely that they will have a perfect fit and are therefore unlikely to be beneficial. A poorly fitted mask actually makes it harder to breathe which leads to the rebreathing of expired air (with high carbon dioxide levels) which can make you feel unwell and cause anxiety in children. So, what should you do for children? Avoidance is the best advice, as we know people most at risk are people with existing heart and lung conditions, people over 65+, pregnant women, children under 14 years and people with diabetes. Ensure that the child/carer has adequate supplies of preventer and reliever medication. Seek medical advice if the child has any breathing difficulties and keep children (particularly those with respiratory conditions) away from bad environments where possible. Air conditioners and air purifiers (with Hepa filters) may help improve indoor air quality. If a child does wear a mask and has trouble breathing, it should be removed immediately as the mask may be the very thing causing the breathing problems. It is also strongly advised that masks not be used for babies. Asthma Australia are currently working on some guidelines for schools when it comes to air quality management and some advice for parents for when their child goes back to school if the air quality is still poor.
 

Parents and Friends will be holding BBQs at the following events. Please join us for sausages and drinks, come and make new friends and support the students.

• Junior Schools Swimming Carnival 17th February
• Whole School “Meet and Greet” 25th February

Parents and Friends will also be holding the annual Open Air Movie Night on the Junior school oval on the 29th February.
Gates open at 6:30pm, ticket details to follow.
Bring family and friends and enjoy an evening of food and a great family movie, ‘Spies in Disguise".

The Education Support team are pleased to announce that they will run a homework club for students in the library three afternoons per week, commencing Tuesday the 11 February.

Staff will be on hand to assist students every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday in the library between 3:25 and 4:00 pm

Students are encouraged to drop in and avail of this service.
Support staff will be on hand to assist with homework and/or projects in all subject areas.