Flinders Public School year 6 teacher Justin Anderson and students Kaleb Gregory and Ava Thompson are keen to welcome visitors to the school’s anniversary celebration. Photos: Zoe Cartwright.
Flinders Public School is all grown up and ready to party – and you’re invited.
The school will celebrate its 21st anniversary this week with an outdoor viewing of School of Rock in the playground on Saturday, 2 November.
It’s an event that would have been difficult to hold when the school first opened – assistant principal Lisa Dewhurst remembers building materials would emerge out of the newly grassed playground.
“We were much smaller than we are now; the initial enrolment was for 157 students,” she said.
“We grew very, very rapidly. The playground was all fresh and shiny, the paint was fresh and shiny, the concrete burnt your eyeballs it was so white.
“You could see the ocean easily from the playground, there were no houses on the hills. It was very new and shiny, it felt almost clinical.
“The grass was hard as concrete from all the building. The back playground hadn’t been cleared and levelled so we’d be out for playground duty and pick up bits of metal and screws, things that were missed in the cleanup.”
Despite its raw beginnings, the staff always knew the school would have a unique identity.
Lisa remembered the overarching sensation of the first few years was of “building the plane while we were flying it”, but despite the intensity, it was fun.
The inaugural team was determined Flinders wouldn’t default to an extension of Shellharbour Public School, but make its own way.
Their end-of-year ROSE ceremony was one of the early foundations of school culture.
A Recognition Of Student Effort, the event has changed over the years but at its core remained the same.
Instead of just promoting academics, teachers were determined to recognise first and foremost how hard the students were working.
That dedication to building students up remains at the heart of how Flinders Public School works.
Principal of 15 years, Greg Wells, said by helping kids flourish, achievement came naturally.
“We do care about academics but we care about that social and emotional, school-home connection,” he said.
“I see our staff work with families through some really tough times. If someone comes in and they’re not themselves, we go, ‘OK, what are we going to do about this?’
“I’m exceptionally proud of the way my staff lead, of the conviction and commitment they have to these kids and this community.
“We don’t pretend to be better than anyone else, and we might not be No. 1 in anything, but we are in the top three or four for everything.”
This enormous fig tree and assistant principal Lisa Dewhurst have been at Flinders Public School since day one.
Over the years, Flinders has blossomed into a school with a vibrant environment and a strong set of values.
Brightly coloured murals adorn the walls and a native forest is tucked to the side of a courtyard.
In the playground, an enormous fig tree, nurtured from a cutting taken from Shellharbour Public School’s fig, acknowledges the school’s history and connections to the region.
Natasha Saltalamacchia, one of the first parents, said as student numbers boomed, new parents were inspired by the staff’s passion.
“It was a very active P&C,” she said.
“All we wanted to do was help our school and build it up to support the staff, who we could see were working really hard.
“You can see that legacy today – it’s united and it’s positive, it’s an outstanding school.”
As school lets out, students and teachers joke noisily.
Year 6 students Kaleb Gregory and Ava Thompson said their favourite thing about the school was the space to play and kind teachers – although neither would commit to a favourite.
Kaleb’s favourite classroom activity was creative writing, while Ava rated maths most highly.
Their teacher, Justin Anderson, said the friendly feel of the school started at the top.
“The staff here are really supportive of each other, and that flows on to relationships with the students,” he said.
“I don’t see myself as a year 6 teacher, I see myself as a Flinders teacher. It’s a vibrant part of this community.”
To help celebrate Flinders’ coming-of-age, head to the school playground from 5 pm this Saturday, 2 November.
The free event is open to all, and will feature food trucks, fairy floss, popcorn and glow sticks for sale – all you need to bring is a picnic blanket.
A raffle to cover the costs of running the event will be held on the night, with more than 30 prizes donated by local businesses. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased in person or online.
The movie will start at 7:30 and the event is expected to finish about 9:30.
The event is smoke, pet and alcohol-free.
Lisa McDonald of Ray White Shellharbour and Event Cinemas Shellharbour are supporting the celebration.
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