FLECS Trip

In Week 7 (2nd-6th of September), seven Year 11 students and two staff (Ms Alexandra Pollitt and Ms Jenni Frank) went to Ti Tree Community School. 

The trip is a Round Square initiative to create a long-term community service partnership in our region. Some of the outcomes of the project are reflected in the acronym: FLECS.

F- Fostering positive relationships.

L- Leading and learning 

E- Exchange of ideas 

C- Creating cultural understanding 

S- Serving others

This project was also designed to support the Duke of Edinburgh requirements so SPC students can more easily achieve their Silver and Gold Awards.

During their time in Ti Tree School, St Philip's students ran a variety of chemistry and physics based activities and a mini-Olympics with middle and primary school students. Our students also got the chance to participate in MobFest. As part of this, students got to take part in drumming, beat-boxing, animation, painting and circus classes. 

Please see reflections from students who went on this trip below:

‘On 2nd September myself and six other fellow Year 11 girls drove up to the community school of Ti Tree, where we spent 5 days teaching and helping the students learn and explore the world of chemistry and physics. The following day we had MobFest, where musicians and artists came into the community and taught us different cultural and artistic performances, followed by the music and school's concert at the end of the night. The experience was eye opening and all about perspective, as doing an activity could mean so little to you but be the most enjoyable activity to someone else. Lastly, it was so nice witnessing the impact you can have on a kid’s day just by running an activity or listening to their stories. I recommend this trip to other students to help build up their communication and leadership skills.’ -Tamika Rumpff

‘The FLECS trip was so much fun from day one. The bus ride wasn’t long, and we were there all greeting the kids who already had big smiles on their faces straight away. It was so cool to hear that they had been waiting for a long time for that week to come. What I enjoyed the most was hearing that some kids that don’t come to school a lot came that whole week to learn about science and do fun and engaging activities with us. What I learned and gained from this trip was patience as I spent a week being like a teacher, but also passion for something new and to take new opportunities because you can get so much out of them.’ -Monique Ohlmus 

‘Going on the FLECS trip this month was my highlight of the year. We were instantly introduced to a couple of friendly kids who went to Ti Tree School. Over the week we did fun science experiments from dressing up as witches when doing an experiment called ‘witches’ potion’ to making rockets out of plastic bottles. I gained so much through this trip from compassion, to good friendships with the students, as well as teaching myself about chemistry and physics as well. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone looking for a heartwarming experience.’ -Charlotte Dyker

We look forward to the FLECS trip continuing and expanding in 2025.