Dear Parents/Guardians,
Healesville Primary School is a provider of quality educational opportunities for all primary school students in the local area and we are excited by the possibilities before us as we grow from strength to strength.
There have been many changes to our school over the past few years across all areas – Staffing, Building & Grounds and Curriculum. The switch to remote learning this year, whilst daunting for everyone involved, has enabled us to start planning and implementing some wonderful online programs and activities which we hope to further develop in 2021.
Many of these changes are funded by your School Council. These include:-
· Lunch time activity clubs
· Continued progress and success with the Levelled Literacy Intervention program
· Support from outsourced service providers
· QuickSmart Mathematics Support
We would like to thank the families who paid the Voluntary Contribution in 2020. Your support enabled us to continue to make improvements to our garden and grounds and help to provide much needed library books for the children.
Traditionally, our School Council and Parent’s Association (P.A.C.H.) raises money each year – however this year due to the uncertain times associated with the pandemic, fund raising has not been possible to date. Money raised would usually be used to supply IT equipment, sports equipment plus resources associated with student welfare. Now, more than ever, the need for funds to help supply items for 2021 is paramount.
Changes for 2021
The situation surrounding the pandemic is ever changing making it extremely difficult for any forward planning. However, for this year, pupil packs will not be available for pick up from the school. Our stationery supplies will not be ready until Dec 16th and we do not want everyone coming to the school to pick them at the same time. We do not know the situation with regards to mass gatherings and, to keep everyone safe, the pupil packs will be handed out to the children by their classroom teacher on day 1 of Term 1, 2021.
This year, all the Essential Learning Items have been itemised. To continue to provide our students with a continued quality education, we request that all families pay for:-
Essential Education Items
These are items that Parents and Guardians are required to pay to the school for providing their child with items such as stationery, art supplies, online subscriptions etc. The school purchases these items in bulk, securing discounts that are not available to the public. This allows us to keep the cost of the pupil packs and stationery that is required throughout the year as low as possible.
Voluntary Contributions
Parents and Guardians can make a general voluntary contribution that goes towards all of our school’s important priorities for 2021 as well as providing additional activities and services for all students.
We would like to suggest a contribution of $25 per student.
Your child will not be disadvantaged if you choose not to make a voluntary contribution.
Payment Arrangements for 2021
If you would like to pay your Essential Items in advance, payment can be made at any stage from Monday 7th December. The school fees will be available for payment on the Parent Portal or families can pay via their unique BPay code. EFTPOS facilities are available at the office.
It is important for contributions to be paid on time as the school incurs considerable upfront costs in purchasing materials in readiness for the school year. We seek your cooperation in making payment as soon as possible.
C.S.E.F. (Camps, Sports & Excursions Fund)
Families who meet the eligibility criteria for this fund will receive $125.00 per student to put towards Camps, Sports and Excursions only. It is not possible to use this fund to pay for Essential Items or Voluntary Financial Contributions.
Payment by Instalment.
Parents who wish to pay by regular monthly instalments are welcome to contact the school to ask for guidelines for a payment plan.
Payment in Advance
Parents/Guardians can choose to pay a lump sum of their choice into their account in readiness for upcoming events. As excursions are organised and payment is requested, any fees in advance can be used to offset the cost. This method of payment is becoming very popular as it saves the last minute panic of trying to find funds for an excursion that is about to close.
Financial Hardship.
Parents/Guardians who have concerns regarding their ability to pay are invited to contact me for a discussion. There is also a range of support options available for parents experiencing difficulty in paying for items. In previous years these have included:-
· Access to States Schools’ Relief support via the school to assist with uniforms, stationery and software.
· The Camps, Sports and Excursions fund (CSEF) is available to eligible families to cover the costs associated with camps and sporting events as well as incursions and excursions. Please note that payment to families is not always automatic. An application needs to be completed at the start of the school year to set up this payment. If you received this fund in 2020 it should be available in 2021 unless your circumstances have changed.
· Centre Pay – This facility enable eligible families to make payment to the school via Centrelink. If this is something you would like to take advantage of, please contact Centrelink to organise this.
Healesville Primary School makes every effort to keep the cost and number of items that need to be purchased to a minimum so that costs can be met by all parents. We have included the Department of Education’s FAQ sheet regarding parent payments along with the Parent Payment Policy.
If you have any queries concerning Parent Contributions, please do not hesitate to contact either myself or Louise George, our Business Manager, on 59624053.
Yours faithfully
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Tracey Robertson-Smith
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Kylie Short
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Principal
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School Council President
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