FLEXI FLYER - Every Student Matters - Find the Greatness Within - Term 1 APRIL 2020 - Toowoomba Flexi School
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Safety Respect Learning
FLEXI FLYER
Term 1 APRIL 2020
Every Student Matters - Find the Greatness Within
HEAD OF CAMPUS UPDATE
Welcome to the our first Flexi Flyer for 2020
We have started 2020 really well. I particularly campus. These include senior school subjects
welcome those families joining our (Applied subjects), Vocational Education and
community for the first time. As Head of Training (VET), School-based Apprenticeships
Campus, my role is to assist young people to and Traineeships (SATs), and university
reach their full potential and provide support subjects undertaken while at school. To be
and structure so that their learning and social eligible for a QCE, a student is required to
(wellbeing) needs are met. Knowing the achieve at least 20 credits of learning. A
learner and building positive relationships with minimum of 12 credits are required to come
each young person is of importance to me from completed Core courses of study. The
and key to the success of the learner. student is also required to meet the QCE
Pastoral care is central to every young literacy and numeracy requirements. If a
person’s success and I encourage you as young person requests a change in his/her
parents and carers to continue to collaborate program/subjects this may affect QCE
with your young person’s Pastoral Care eligibility, therefore all changes are required
Group (PCG) Teacher to ensure favourable to be considered carefully and approved by
outcomes.
myself and our Guidance Officer. Parents/
carers and young people are encouraged to
Parents/carers and educators, working talk with our Guidance Officer, Jeff Head
together is vital in ensuring our young people about their QCE-tracking and career
reach their potential at school. If your child is planning. Our Guidance Officer is on campus
struggling with any aspect of schooling, it is each Monday, and appointments may be
imperative you contact myself as Head of booked through our Office Manager, Nicole
Campus or your child’s PCG Teacher, so that Atkinson.
we can work together to help solve any
issues. It is my role to work closely with
teachers and parents/ carers to ensure QParents
young people at Flexi School are working to By now all new families, who have not
their potential. I am excited for a year full of already registered a QParents account, will
success and enjoyment, and I look forward to have received an email inclusive of your
working with you this year and discussing your invitation code, inviting you to sign up. It is a
child’s progress. ‘one-stop shop’ for everything – your child’s
report cards, attendance record, semester
Attendance Assessment Planner, school fee status and
Thank you to families who are working with us more – such a great site for our families and
to support attendance at school; parents the consistent feedback is how much they
and carers play a key role in ensuring all love it! QParents is the manner in which we
young people attend school every day. Our communicate with our families so, if you need
young people at Flexi are aware of our any assistance, Nicole, our Office Manager
attendance requirement of 85% and above. I can assist – phone 4614 4100
encourage all parents/ carers to contact the
office and to provide an explanation of Flexi Polo Shirts
absence as soon as you are aware your child
will not be attending school. If your child is Flexi polo shirts have now been distributed to
late to school, he/she will need to see our all young people. As part of our Flexi School
Office Manager, Nicole Atkinson at Standards and Expectations, our young
Administration to ‘sign in’. This also applies if, people are to wear these shirts to all external
for some reason your child misses roll marking. events displaying a sense of unity and pride.
If you need to collect your child before the A quality shirt that looks great too!
end of the normal school day, you will need
to collect him/her from administration and Flexi School Facilities - Maintenance and
complete the ‘sign out’ process. Upgrades by Rotary Club of Toowoomba East
I must acknowledge the goodwill of Rotary
Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) Club, Toowoomba East who have come in
Our young people at Toowoomba Flexi droves to several planned working bees over
School are studying towards a QCE pathway, the term. These working bees have seen
and they have a wide range of learning some new completed works and upgrade of
options available to them on-and-off facilities on our Flexi School Campus.
HEAD OF CAMPUS UPDATE (continued)
This includes restaining of the Glen Postle Chris, and look forward your return.
Intergenerational Mentoring Hub deck,
painting and re-staining of picnic tables and
garden benches, construction of terraced To finish, our exiting young people understand
and paved shaded areas for our young that graduating is not a goodbye, but rather
people to sit and eat lunch. We appreciate see you later. Our doors are always open
your generosity of time, donated resources beyond graduation at Flexi School, whether
and expertise, and we are always filled with for a quick hello, support with job seeking and
gratitude! pathways, or a check in with our Well-being
Officer. It has been lovely to see and hear
good news stories from our graduating class
Generosity of our Community – Flexi Pantry
Drive of 2019. Both Katelyn and Jy stopped in for a
chat and filled me in on their lives and work
As most of you were aware, over the summer beyond Flexi School. Flexi School truly is a
break, a ‘pantry bug’ infected the Flexi family where young people feel secure and
pantry, which had put a significant strain on cared for and love to return and share their
our food budget to begin the 2020 school
year. We put a call out to our community, successes.
and as always, you listened and supported!
Thank you, without your generosity and May you all have a safe and relaxing break,
goodwill our Flexi Pantry would struggle to and I look forward to working with you into
operate. We appreciate your kind donations Term 2.
of food items that are essential for use to
continue providing our young people
breakfast, lunch and helping hand meals on
a daily basis.
Get Well Soon
Chris Martin, over many years, has supported
Flexi School through our Mentoring Program Sincerely
and more recently our Intergenerational
Gardening Project, volunteering many hours
per week. We wish you a speedy recovery Linda Bourke | Head of Campus
OUR NEW TEACHER AIDES
My position at Flexi in 2020 is in the area of Teacher Aide support in the year
10 and 11 classrooms. I am focused on forming meaningful relationships
and ensuring that all students feel safe, respected and supported in their
classrooms; I believe these are the keys to fostering positive educational
outcomes.
I have a strong passion for education, having worked as a Teacher Aide for
BRITTANY
Centenary Heights for almost 3 years now and will complete my Bachelor of
EDWARDS Secondary Education through the University of Southern Queensland in 2021. I
so look forward to working alongside the young people, staff and Flexi School
community for the remainder of the year.
Thank you to all the staff and young people who have already made me feel
so welcome at CHSHS Toowoomba Flexi School. I have really enjoyed my time
so far at Flexi School. This year is my third year as a teacher aide at Centenary
Heights.
I have grown up in Toowoomba and graduated from Centenary Heights myself
in 2017. I have loved the opportunity to return to work as a teacher aide while
GRACE studying Social Work at University, of which I am currently in my second year. I
SAVILL
am really looking forward to being a part of the Flexi team and to continuing
to get to know and support our young people.
OZHARVEST SHOUT OUT!
Toowoomba Flexi School has presented OzHarvest with a piece of Art created by our young
people, to show appreciation of their service to our community. Each Tuesday, OzHarvest,
Australia’s leading food rescue organisation, collects excess food from Woolworths and delivers
this directly to our campus.
Teacher Wendy Ellem and the Art Therapy class have collaborated on this piece of work over
this term, and are incredibly grateful for the generosity of OzHarvest towards our food program.
OzHarvest driver, Darren and local volunteer Michael were delighted to have been presented
this artwork by our community. Thank you OzHarvest for your contribution towards our food
program!
Linda Bourke | Head of Campus
FLEXI CAREERS OFFICE
GenR8
GenR8 is a school to work transition program developed by the Department of Employment,
Small Business and Training (DESBT) for the transport, logistics and supply chain industry. This
program helps prepare students for employment through structured learning and work
experience placements.
We are off to a great start in the program, having our young people undertaking the process
of interviews with host employers. The students had the opportunity to attend site visits to
most of the businesses on 19 February. The day was enjoyed by all!
WOMEN & GIRLS IN SCIENCE
TAFE has also begun with the theory component of the program with students attending
either of a Tuesday or a Wednesday.
Work Experience
A huge THANK YOU to some of our work experience providers for yet again
accommodating our young people for placements. Our Year 10 cohort have shown
particular interest in getting out in the workforce to gain different experiences. So far we
have had the pleasure of working with The Coffee Club, Kate’s Place, USQ Makerspace and
Tint-a-Car. Well done Jaecob for getting in and working hard at Tint-a-Car!
SATs
Congratulations to Brianna on completing her Certificate III in Business with Downs Group
Training. You have shown such commitment and enthusiasm in this position whilst still
maintaining your schooling!
Matthew it has been exciting to see you successful in obtaining an Apprenticeship in
Carpentry with 3 Sixty Constructions. You have worked hard to get what you wanted. Well
done! Thanks Dan for giving Matty this opportunity.
Sandra from Mirambeena was impressed with Zane who has now been signed into a
Certificate III in Childcare. Good job Zane on being a roll model for these little ones and
working towards your goals.
Well done to Ethan for being signed into a Certificate III in Business at The Seafood Market.
Ethan is an asset to the team and has worked well for this position.
TAFE
We are proud to say that our students have been attending and participating well at TAFE
this term. Linda and I have the pleasure of seeing our young people in this adult learning
environment each week when we visit the TAFE Campus and have enjoyed building
working relationships with the teachers to help each student succeed. Thanks to the team
here at Flexi for supporting, checking in, providing transport and continuing to encourage
students to work hard and keep attendances high.
Kellie Selby | Industry Liaison Officer
YEAR 10 REFLECTION
Year 10 PCG
The Year 10 Pastoral Care program centers around the development of wellbeing, positive education
and the development of personal strengths through exploring character, body and mind. The young
people will develop their character strengths and learn to use these to maximize their learning,
relationships and wellbeing. The Year 10 young people will participate in resilience training and focus
on building ‘grit’. There is a strong focus on wellbeing in the Year 10 Pastoral Care program. This
includes study skills, learning styles and physical and emotional wellbeing.
Year 10 Camp
The Year 10 camp to Emu Gully was to be held in early Term 2. The activities at the Helidon campus
are purpose-built for developing teamwork and leadership and are typically based around epic
events in history. The program focuses on the character values of courage, mateship, sacrifice and
perseverance and are professionally facilitated to enhance learning outcomes both in the moment
and with application to real life. We are hopeful that the Year 10 Camp will occur later in the year.
My name is Renee O’Sullivan, Year 10 PCG teacher and I am really glad to be teaching here at
Flexi. I graduated from USQ some many years ago. I have spent the majority of my teaching career
teaching in Gladstone and the surrounding areas. I have taught all year levels from Prep - 10. I have
a passion for health and fitness and a love of cooking. I am hoping to use these skills and love with all
the young people. I am currently studying my Masters in Guidance and Counselling through USQ. My
life outside the Flexi walls consists of my small family, my husband Rob and our fur baby Demi.
This year we will have some fun and challenging tasks to help us reach our goals.
We are going to work, play, and learn hard and have fun in the process. Through
our daily interaction, we will learn and prove there is no “I” in “TEAM.” Our class
goal will be to work together towards a fantastic and successful school year!
I have high expectations for all of the young people and I am committed to
assisting them with the expectations required of each of their subjects.
Renee O’Sullivan | Year 10 Case Manager
YEAR 11 REFLECTION
Our PCG has grown this year by an additional 10 young people. This term we have focused
on establishing our core values to ensure everyone feels safe and supported, they are;
respect, fairness, look out for our mates, positivity and honesty. We have looked at ways
to handle challenges that are presented in our lives such as de-escalation techniques of
being centred, present and grounded as well as mindfulness and breathing exercises. We
discussed the importance of having a growth mindset to take on challenges, to learn from
them and increase our confidence, abilities and achievements. These skills will not only
be foundational to their roles as next year’s school leaders, but will stand them in good
stead for life. We have also set goals in working towards achieving an award from the
Toowoomba Flexi School Honour board.
In Term 2, all young people will be attending the compulsory Rotary Youth Driver Awareness
Program (RYDA) on the 25 June. This program is a national road safety initiative that
aims to reduce injury and death among young people as drivers on Australian roads. The
information and hands-on activities spark their interest and go a long way to ensure our
young people understand how to drive carefully.
I would like to welcome all our new families to Flexi and hope your child
has begun the year with positivity, an open mind, and optimism about
the year ahead. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you or your
child require assistance in any area of school life.
Save the date: 15-17 July - Compulsory Year 11 Camp – Sunshine Coast
Recreational Centre Camp (Currimundi, QLD)
Wendy Ellem | Year 11 Case Manager
GARDEN STILL GROWS WELL DESPITE THE DROUGHT
Our local drought conditions have certainly been
challenging for our intergeneration garden, and having
the trickle irrigation has been most fortuitous. Being able to
water as necessary has produced some remarkable crops of
cucumber, corn, tomatoes & zucchini for the school kitchen
- some of the multi-coloured zucchini have turned into large
squash and were filled with mince etc. Some of the summer
leafy vegies, like lettuce, have been disappointing, due
to hot spells, sending the straight to seed - we will try them
again during cooler periods.
We also continue to pick bush beans, fiery chillis (which
someone tried to eat raw) and mini capsicums. The herb
garden has also expanded/grown, and its produce has
often been used in the kitchen. The next task will be planting
the winter vegies when I get back on deck.
Future expansion will include getting the worm farm up and
running and the possibilities of our own chooks.
Karen Bolch | Teacher Aide
YEAR 12 REFLECTION
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself via this newsletter to the CHSHS
Toowoomba Flexi School community. I have been a teacher for 27 years in a variety of
locations and in a variety of roles. For the last 8 years, I have been teaching at The Good
Samaritan College (previously YCLC) here in Toowoomba. I was extremely excited to have
been offered a positon at Flexi School and am thoroughly enjoying working with all the staff
and the young people.
My roles at Flexi School include teaching Short Course Numeracy, Essential Maths,
Certificate I IDMT, and Certificate II Music Industry Skills. I am also the Year 12 Pastoral Care
Teacher. I have been very impressed with the work ethic and the warm welcome I have
received from all of the young people.
The Year 12 cohort has had a very busy start to the term with many young people
volunteering their time for Clean Up Australia Day, and a number of functions held at Flexi
School. On all of these occasions, everyone was extremely well behaved and continued
to live up to the high expectations and reputation that Flexi School has in the wider
community. We are also in the process of finalizing the details for the Year 12 Camp, which
hopefully will be held at the Bribie Island Retreat and Recreation Centre, from April 22 – April
24. (Wednesday – Friday week 1, Term 2).
Term 1 has seen a number of young people attending a box fit/
kickboxing class every Monday morning for one hour. These classes are
run by Anglicare and are proving to be a “hit” with the people involved.
So far we have been working on developing our fitness levels and working
on a variety of skills and drills, including some conditioning, which saw one
person happily punching into my stomach. (It is not everyday students
get a chance to hit a teacher).
Julian Booth| Year 12 Case Manager
INTRODUCING - SENIORS TRANSITION CLASS
We have in 2020 introduced a new addition to our curriculum, non-accredited learning program
- Year 12 Transition class. With our 12s counting down to end of secondary schooling, we have set
aside some time to support and coach our young people in this space. Each Thursday afternoon our
12s spend 70 minutes preparing for life beyond school. These learning goals have been identified
by our seniors, with the learning based around their needs and interests.
This term has seen a strong focus on Vision Boards, Sustainable Living and an introduction to Self-
love and Self-care, a highlight being our guest speaker, Nardia Carrigan from Live Pure & Simple.
Nardia took the group through managing daily stress with an introduction to aromatherapy. The
young people were informed how best essential oils can be used as a method of self-care, to
stop stress, promote healthy sleep patterns, and boost your mood. To conclude the session, young
people were taught how to blend essential oils with a carrier oils, what essential oils smell good
together and an opportunity to blend their own oils. Term 2 sees us looking at financial literacies
and tenancy skill beyond school.
Linda Bourke & Renee O’Sullivan | Transition Teachers
FLEXI KITCHEN BANTER
This term our Flexi kitchen has been a wonderful space for some of our young people to develop
and even show off their cooking and creative skills.
Big thanks for the invaluable support from our volunteer cooks Allan and Ray consistently providing
nutritious lunches for our young people.
Karen Bolch| Teacher Aide
LOADS OF LOVE
Toowoomba Flexi School was honoured to have hosted the Loads of Love Appreciation Lunch for our
long-standing partner Lifeline Darling Downs and South West Queensland Ltd. This event was hosted
to recognise those who supported the 2019 Loads of Love initiative. The Loads of Love initiative thrives
on the generosity of the Toowoomba and surrounding communities who donate non-perishable
food items. These items are dispersed to those in need of support at Christmas time.
Our young people provided lunchboxes to the invited guests. This opportunity allowed our young
people to refine their back-of-house skills in food preparation and our front-of-house service staff the
experience to serve and tend to the requirements of the guests. We look forward to collaborating
further with Lifeline Darling Downs and South West Queensland in the future.
Nicole Atkinson | Office ManagerMENTORING MOMENTS - Every Student Matters
Mentoring has begun strongly, with all mandatory training completed by our mentors, and our
program underway with our young people for the 2020 year. The Flexi Mentor Program nurtures a
one-to-one mentoring relationship that supports a young person to reach their full potential that
make a positive difference to their wellbeing and future. Sessions run for 60-minutes each week with
our Year 10s participating in the program every Monday and our Years 11 and 12 each Thursday.
This term has been a settling in process for mentors, young people and myself, as the new Mentoring
Coordinator. Both Monday and Thursday groups, mentors and mentee’s have established their
Working Agreements, Group Values and understand how to operate in the Mentoring Space using
and identifying our Emotional Intelligences.
We look forward to getting to know each other through one-to-one mentoring activities and
building a good fit, respectful relationships. Mentors have been provided with a calendar of events
for the entirety of the 2020 school calendar year, and have enjoyed being a part of our Term 1
events to date. We always appreciate your presence in our school community and the expertise
that you bring each time you show up. Please feel free to provide any feedback regarding Term
1 Mentoring Program, to me via email at lcbou0@eq.edu.au Term 2 mentoring begins week 2,
Monday Mentoring Group: Monday 27 April, and Thursday Mentoring Group: Thursday 30 April. I
appreciate the warm welcome I have received into this role, and I thank you for your kindness and
support.
Linda Bourke | Mentor Coordinator
FLEXI SCHOOL TIMES
CASE MANAGEMENT
8:55am - 9:15am
PERIOD 1
9:15am - 10:20am
PERIOD 2
10:20am - 11:30am
LUNCH
11:30am - 12:00pm
PERIOD 3
Gail Armstrong, Patron of Flexi, acts as the 12:00pm - 1:10pm
Easter Bunny every year donating Easter
treats to our young people. PERIOD 4
Pictured is Gail’s son-in-law, Scott Christ 1:10pm - 2:20pm
delivering the basket of goodies.One School - Two Campuses
FLEXI SCHOOL OFFICE
14 - 16 Chalk Drive Toowoomba
Postal Address - 60 Ramsay Street Toowoomba
Phone: (07) 4614 4100
Fax: (07) 4614 4110
The Toowoomba Flexi School Office is open Monday to Friday 8am to 3pm
Toowoomba Flexi School wishes to thank supporting businesses and organisations!
www.toowoombaflex.eq.edu.auYou can also read
