As we reflect on the past week, we are reminded of the importance of gratitude and the sacrifices made by others that allow us to enjoy the privileges we have today. Teaching our children to be grateful and to persevere through struggles are key values we aim to instill in them.

Last week, our Senior school student leaders from Ten Boom House organised a “Splash of Red” fundraiser, inviting our Primary School students to participate. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the parents who supported this event with their generous donations. This fundraiser was more than just a financial success; it was an opportunity for our children to express their gratitude to volunteers who dedicate their time to help the broader community in times of need.

A memorable moment from the event was when the Fire Truck and emergency team had to leave in the middle of a student talk to respond to an emergency call. Our students witnessed firsthand the selfless and prompt actions of the emergency team, providing a powerful example of dedication and sacrifice.

Additionally, several Senior students volunteered their time to support our Father’s Day event in the Secondary gym on Friday night. Despite the cold and drizzling rain, our wonderful Parents and Friends team cooked sausages, demonstrating the spirit of community and care that defines our school.

Sacrifice is inherently challenging because it requires giving up something valuable. However, it is through these sacrifices that we build a stronger, more compassionate community. Here are a few quotes that inspire us and reflect the values we hope to impart to our students:

“The struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow.” — Robert Tew

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” — Theodore Roosevelt

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” — Nelson Mandela

“Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” — John Wooden

Our College community is a place where we can persist through trials, learn from our challenges, and develop an appreciation for the sacrifices made by so many that enable us to live in privilege. As the Bible says in John 15:13, “No one shows greater love than when he lays down his life for his friends.” Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice, allowing us to seek a relationship with God through forgiveness, love, and personal transformation.

Thank you for being a part of our community and for your continued support. Together, we can teach our children the values of gratitude, perseverance, and selflessness.

Julian Van Tienen

Head of Primary

Junior Girls

Congratulations to our U15 Girls Cross Campus Basketball team, who were undefeated last week at the Basketball Victoria U15 Champions Cup - Elite 8’s tournament!
They have won their way through to the Champions Cup finals day on Sunday 8 September where they will play against Edinburgh College. An incredible effort by our coaches and players!

Intermediate Girls & Boys

Following the success of the U15’s, our U17 Teams then took the court last Wednesday. Our U17 girls narrowly missed out on playing the cross over final by a 3% margin for second place. The U17 boys were undefeated, winning all 3 rounds and the cross over final game by 7 points. Congratulations to all our coaches and players for your tenacity and resilience!
Flinders will have two teams playing Champions Cup Grand Finals this Sunday - an incredible achievement!

Congratulations to the 90 Flinders students who competed at the SIS Division A Athletics on Tues @ Casey Fields. Despite extremely windy conditions our U13 girls won the pennant for their age group, which is incredible! Flinders finished 6th overall. Thank you to our students who participated at this event and did the College proud.

SIS Weekly Sport - Term 3

Congratulations to all students who participated in SIS Weekly Sport for term 3. Our coaches are very proud of all of your effort you have put into this term!
The Inter Girls Netball team still have one game to play on Friday 6th v Flinders Carrum Downs campus.

SIS Weekly Sport - Term 4

As term 3 comes to an end our Sport department as busy planning term 4 SIS Weekly Sport! Students will receive an email from Ms Chatfield about when dates tryouts will be. Please see below for sports on offer for term 4

• Junior Girls Basketball
  
  
• Junior Boys Basketball
  
  
• Junior Girls Volleyball
  
  
• Junior Mixed Tennis
  
  
• Inter Boys Baseball
  
  
• Inter Girls Basketball
  
  
• Inter Boys Basketball

The finals for our after-school netball program commence tonight (Friday 6th September). Congratulations to the following teams for your representation in the Frankston competition this term:

• Yr 5/6 Flinders Fire
• Yr 5/6 Flinders Storm
• Yr 7/8 Flinders Gems
• Yr 7/8 Flinders Angels
• Yr 9/10 Flinders Emeralds
• Yr 11/12 Flinders Rubies
• Yr 9/10 Flinders Sapphires
• Yr 11/12 Flinders Diamonds

Expressions of interest for the Term 4 After school Netball season will open next week. Please see Flinders Connect for more information.

We were delighted to welcome fathers and father figures to the Joshua Centre for our special Father's Day breakfast on Friday 30th August. The BBQ was sizzling with bacon and egg rolls prepared by our volunteer mothers, accompanied by coffee and tea, creating a warm atmosphere to kick off the day.

After breakfast, the children and their fathers teamed up for some exciting activities, including a paper airplane challenge and the highest block tower challenge. It was a fantastic way to celebrate the important role that fathers and father figures play in the lives of our children. Thank you to everyone who joined us for this special morning and thank you to the amazing helpers who made this event possible!

Our recent brain offered our students an unforgettable experience with neuroscientist Dr. Mark Williams. Dr. Williams captivated our students with his in-depth knowledge and engaging presentations, bringing the fascinating world of neuroscience to life. The students explored various aspects of the brain, from its complex structure to how it affects behaviour and learning.

Through hands-on activities and interactive discussions, they gained a deeper understanding of the brain’s functions and its vital role in our daily lives. The event not only sparked curiosity but also inspired many young minds to explore the field of neuroscience further. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Williams for sharing his expertise and enthusiasm with our students, making this incursion a memorable educational experience.

Our recent Grade Five Science Expo was truly out of this world! Students dazzled parents, other students and staff with their fascinating projects on Space, showcasing everything from detailed models of the solar system to kahoots, word searches and even an astronaut photo stand! The passion and creativity on display were nothing short of stellar. A big thank you to all our young scientists for their hard work and to everyone who attended and supported this galactic event. Your enthusiasm made it a memorable experience for all!

Mr Eric Wilson and Miss Helen Smith

Grade Five Team

The Grade 6 Natural Disasters Expo was a great success. Showcasing learning offers students a great opportunity to explore and share their knowledge with their parents and the wider community.
A big thank you to the Grade 6 teachers, our hardworking students, and everyone who attended.

Congratulations to all our Secondary Students who dedicated the past few weeks preparing for the House Performances. The event was a vibrant celebration of passion and talent, showcasing the incredible abilities of our students.

Flynn House emerged victorious for 2024! A big congratulations to all Flynn House students for their outstanding and creative performance. We are excited to see what next year will bring!

Dear School Community

We’re excited to share some fantastic news from the Food Studies Department!

In our commitment to reducing waste and adopting more environmentally friendly practices, we’ve been rethinking our kitchen equipment. Given the frequent replacement of saucepans, frypans, and baking trays due to high usage, we realized this didn’t align with our sustainability goals.

To address this, we reached out to Solidteknics, a company known for its exceptional cookware made from high-quality Australian steel, free of harmful coatings, and supported by a multigenerational warranty. We believed their products would be a great fit for our sustainable vision.

Although Solidteknics cookware comes with a premium price tag, we requested a discount to help us transition to more eco-friendly equipment. We were thrilled to receive not only a generous discount but also a $3000 donation of cookware from our wish list.

This wonderful support has significantly upgraded our kitchen, giving our students access to high-quality equipment that aligns with our values of sustainability and excellence. We can’t wait to start using and showcasing this new equipment in our upcoming food tech classes.

Thank you for your continued support as we work towards a more sustainable and enriching experience for our students.

Jane Giddings
Head of Art, Design & Technology

Over the past few weeks our Sheep Show Team and Ag Studies students have enjoyed lots of special opportunities at the farm! These have included visits from some different breeds of sheep, watching and helping with shearing, learning to pick up and hold our littlest chickens and caring for some sweet orphan lambs from a different farm.

Looking after the orphan lambs has definitely been a highlight for all our students and staff, but it’s also a lot of work! Tasks have included mixing milk, feeding them bottles every few hours, washing up afterwards and of course giving them lots of cuddles! Thank you to everyone who has helped out, they are very lucky little lambs to have received so much love from our Flinders community! We recently farewelled miss Daisy who returned home to her family last weekend and our 5 other little friends will soon be off to their forever families too.

This weekend we are also waving goodbye our alpaca pals “Peter Pan” and “Shadow” who have been at the farm protecting our lambs for the last 3 months. Our lambs are all big enough to not need their protection anymore, so they will return to their own farm and hopefully we will see them back at Flinders for next year’s lambing season!


Tess Runting

Farm Manager

The Music Department would like to formally introduce our Flute, and Piano Instrumental teacher, Tonino Berghella. Tonino is a passionate ensemble director, instrumental teacher, and performing musician. Tonino has directed both school and community ensembles including the Rye Theatre Company, Moorabbin Orchestra, and Mount Eliza North Primary Concert Band and Advanced Band. Tonino is a member of three bands that perform on a regular basis within Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula. Tonino specialises in flute for all playing levels, and piano for beginner levels. If your child is interested in having lessons on Flute or Piano with Tonino, please email your interest to our Music Administrator, Margret Simpson, at margaret.simpson@flinders.vic.edu.au

Adam Carson
Head of Performing Arts

We are so pleased to inform our community that Caleb has been offered the role of Antarctic Field Assistant with the Antarctic Geoscience Section, to participate in the Bunger Hills field campaign during the 2024/25, approximately 2.5 months over the summer as part of a multi-year project assessing landscape vulnerability in ice-free regions of Antarctica.

His responsibilities will include ground-truthing a geological map of the Bunger Hills region, located approximately 400 km east of Casey Station, as well as collecting sediment samples to evaluate biogeochemical interactions and ecological dependencies in the area.

Additionally, he will collate data to assess the impact of nearly 70 years of seasonal human habitation. The results of this work will provide insight on the impact of human activity in Antarctica to decision makers, field planners, and environmental managers in the Australian Government.

Caleb is currently a scientist at Geology Australia, and 3 weeks from achieving his PHD. Caleb is a former FCCC School Captain who credits FCCC often for the care and expertise he experienced as a student here.

We congratulate Caleb on all his achievements and look forward to continuing to hear about the impact he is making in his field.

We are excited to announce our 2024 Alumni Event, celebrating 1 year, 5 year, and 10 year graduates.

For all Alumni's of 2023, 2019 and 2014, SAVE THE DATE - Saturday 26 October 2024.

If you have any queries or questions please email us at ty.alumni@flinders.vic.edu.au

The Moonlit Sanctuary holiday program is back for the school break and this time includes Conservation Club for secondary school students which has a more scientific focus and Inclusive Keeper Club for kids with special needs.

In case you're not familiar with Moonlit Sanctuary, it's a wildlife conservation sanctuary in Pearcedale where you can get up close and personal with some of Australia's most unique animals. Our mission is to make sure everyone knows about these critters and why we need to look out for them.

A highlight of the educational initiatives is the School Holiday Programs. Run by our Education Officers, the programs are great fun and let participants dive into hands-on environmental activities, hang out with cool animals, and discover how to take care of our native buddies, all with a focus on fun!

Please see flyer below for further information.

This month on School TV - R U Ok? Day

The rise of mental health concerns among young people, including anxiety, depression, and self-harm, is a pressing issue amplified by factors such as academic stress, social media, family dynamics and societal expectations. It is therefore crucial to prioritise early intervention, de-stigmatise mental health discussions, and provide accessible and effective support to address these concerns and promote the wellbeing of young people.

This year R U OK?Day falls on Thursday 12 September, an annual National Day of Action and a reminder that every day is the day to check in with your friends, family and colleagues.

R U OK? contributes to suicide prevention year round by urging people to invest time in personal relationships and empowering informal support networks to identify signs of distress. Families are encouraged to engage in this initiative, emphasising the importance of authentic human connections and reminding everyone to ask the essential question, "Are you OK?"

Parents, caregivers and schools all play a vital role in shaping young lives. Participating in R U OK?Day goes beyond classrooms, showcasing a commitment to holistic student development. By initiating conversations about mental health, schools create safe spaces, where children feel valued, understood, and supported. Parents can help by fostering an open dialogue, normalising emotions, identifying support systems, teaching active listening and addressing any stigmas relating to mental health.

Many schools nationwide organise events for the R U OK? message, offering students opportunities to engage. Parents and caregivers can help by supporting their school in this endeavour or choose to organise your own event for your workplace or community group. Participating in R U OK?Day nurtures compassion and demonstrates our dedication to the wellbeing of the whole school community, reaffirming that together, we can make a difference!

For more information on R U OK?Day, access to FREE resources or want to host your own event, here are some links you may find useful.
You can learn more about this issue HERE.

Applications for 2026 and beyond are now open!

We have limited places, so best to apply as early as possible
especially if you have a sibling.

Submitting an application is just a click away!

If you have any questions, please contact enrolments@flinders.vic.edu.au
Illana Cornell
Enrolments Manager