Happening in the Community 

MacKillop Family Services

MacKillop runs a range of parenting courses throughout the year, designed to support families to build strong and positive relationships. These courses are delivered through a mixture of online and face to face parenting groups and 1:1 sessions.

All courses aim to help parents and/or carers:

• build better communication skills with their child
• understand the different ages and stages for emotional development
• raise independent, self-motivated children
• build positive self-esteem for healthy social development.

Courses are long term commitments, six to eight weeks in length.

Visit the website below for further information and to enrol in the course.

Donation Drive ad Dignity Packing Event 

Wyndham City’s Community Centres are uniting to support people experiencing homelessness and raise awareness of the impact of homelessness.

Homelessness Week, from Monday 5 August to Sunday 11 August, is an annual campaign coordinated by Homelessness Australia to raise awareness of the impact of homelessness in Australia.

Homelessness and hardship can be caused by many factors: financial stress, mortgage stress, shortage of affordable housing, unemployment, relationship breakdown, family violence, physical and mental health issues and substance abuse.

In the 2021 Australian Census, 30,660 Victorians were without a home including 6,800 children.

In the lead-up to Homelessness Week 2024, Wyndham City is coordinating a donation drive 3rd June to 5th Aug, collecting personal care items and long-life food at Community Centres in Wyndham to make up dignity packs to be distributed to community members as a short-term emergency relief.

Homelessness Week – Dignity packing event

Join us to assemble dignity packs with personal care items and long-life food for those in our community experiencing hardship. Enjoy a light lunch and guest speakers at the event.

Date: Tuesday 6 August

Time: 12-2pmLocation: Dianella Community Centre, 6 Congo Drive, Tarneit

Contact: (03) 8742 8300www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/homelessness-week 

Dianella Community Centre

We are supporting an ongoing donation drive with Big Group Hug. Big Group Hug are a grassroots organisation with 350+ volunteers committed to helping our community’s most vulnerable children and families.

Big Group Hug graciously accepts donations of new or pre-loved goods for children aged between newborn and 16 years old. We humbly ask that you only donate items that are clean, in good, working condition, and comply with Australian safety standards. 

Dianella Community Centre are collecting the following items:

• Baby – teenage clothing
• Wipes
• Nappies all sizes
• Baby – teenage toiletries
• Baby – teenage linen
• Formula

Community Breakfast Program 

Every Thursday 

8.00am-9:30am

Dianella Community Centre 6 Congo Drive, Tarneit

School Student Broadband Initiative

In 2023, the Australian Government established the School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI) to provide free home internet until 31/12/2025 for up to 30,000 unconnected families with school age students. Giving unconnected students the opportunity to access fast and reliable broadband internet at home is important to support their learning and education in an increasingly digital world.  

NBN Co is leading implementation of this initiative and is working closely with industry, government and community organisations that support the wellbeing of families who could benefit from the SSBI. 

You can also check out the recent article on our website for more context here:  Free internet for students in eligible families | nbn (nbnco.com.au) 

How does the School Student Broadband Initiative work? 

• The home internet service will be provided to students and their families until 31/12/2025 by a participating internet provider over the nbn network at no cost. 
• The initiative does not include a device such as a computer or tablet. Note: The Australian Government is considering options beyond this initiative. 
• Families can contact the SSBI National Referral Centre (NRC) to check their eligibility for the Initiative. 
• After a family contacts the NRC, an operator will verbally check their eligibility and support the family to get connected through a participating internet provider.  Please note that as per the above criteria, no supporting paperwork or background checks are required. 

Remember the National Referral Centre is here to help! 

 Families can contact the National Referral Centre on 1800 954 610 (Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm AEDT) - or by visiting the website: www.anglicarevic.org.au/student-internet. 

What will the National Referral Centre help with? 

• Eligibility checks – the National Referral Centre team will assess the family’s need and check thidential address against the eligibility criteria.   
• Call back, webchat and interpreting services are available for families and organisations.   
• Available to assist the family with contacting the participating SSBI internet service provider of choice.   
• Providing follow-up support for eligible families and available for any queries.   

Active Travel - Road Safety Campaign 

Staff at the Dianella Community Centre have been actively engaging with the community regarding road safety, in particular car park safety over the previous months. They have engaged with the community by having conversations with individuals and families, information sessions during our community programs, handing out flyers, providing information via our electronic mail outs, and displaying posters. 

Community updates 

• Metal speed humps will be installed into the north and south sides of the main pedestrian crossing in the car park in the coming weeks. 
• We are now collaborating with Karwan PS and the Councils’ Active Travel team to run a competition to create decals to be displayed on footpaths and walk ways around the community centre and school, encouraging road safety and walking to school. 
• We will be promoting the Walk to school day (Website: Walk Safely to School Day (WSTSD):  https://www.walk.com.au/WSTSD/ ) on the 10th of May and encourage you to take a walk on the day as well. 
• Stencils will also be painted on to the footpaths and walk ways around the centre and school encouraging to “stop and look” etc.
• Flyers, posters and digital material will be available for you to share with your networks. 
• We are working with the Active Travel team to coordinate more information sessions for the community to be held at the centre, this info will be shared in due course if you would like to be involved in hosting an information session please get in touch.
• Information attached about road safety, and our programs and services at the centre, which include programs promoting physical and mental well being.