Important Information This Week
COMMENCEMENT MASS 9th FEBRUARY
WELCOME PICNIC 15TH FEBUARY 2023
Next Wednesday, 15th February, we will be having our Welcome Picnic. This is a chance for all established families of St Ita’s to meet the new families of St Ita’s in a relaxed atmosphere on our bottom oval. Due to Covid restrictions over the past 2 years we have been able to run such events but this year we are trying to bring a sense of community back to our school.
We invite all families to the picnic at 5 – 6.30pm on the bottom oval. Parents are encouraged to bring a picnic rug or chair, pack dinner, buy take away or just come for a play.
Feel free to park in the bottom Church carpark or at the Drouin Recreational ground. We look forward to seeing you there.
SCHOOL LUNCH ORDER NEWS
Hello Families & Staff,
Welcome to a new school year and we look forward to continuing to supply your school lunch orders.
Please see below a few important updates regarding school lunches:
· Your school’s class names have now been updated on Flexischools. You will need to update your child’s new class before ordering in 2023;
· Please note the cut-off time for ordering lunches is now 8.00am on the morning of lunch orders. Late orders will now also be cut-off at 9.00am;
· There have been some new items added to the menu – a Sandwich Bento Box and a Sweet Chilli Chicken Tender can be an option for your sandwich/wrap/roll;
· We will also be utilising a new communication tool available on Flexischools throughout the year, so please ensure you have ‘notifications’ turned on for your Flexischools account to be sure that you don’t miss any important messages/updates;
· Please also note our new contact number for any lunch order enquiries: Michelle 0409 437 341;
· For any new school families, please remember to create a Flexischools account and register your child. Please visit: www.flexischools.com.au or download the Flexischools app.
Thanks,
Alimentos Lunch Orders
SCHOOL FEE CONCESSIONS
2023 School Fees Concession Program Financial Hardship
Eligible Centrelink Concession Card (CCC) Holder
Information for Applicants
Aim: To assist school families experiencing financial hardship in accessing a Catholic Primary education for their child/children.
Confidentiality: At all times, the dignity and privacy of those seeking a fee concession will be respected.
Level of Concession: School office staff can advise applicants of the concessional fee to be charged. This concessional fee is fixed annually by Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Limited. Approved applicants will be charged only the concessional fee which will cover all standard school fees and levies including any charges remaining for camps, sports and excursions after the application of the Camps, Sports, Excursion Fund (CSEF) benefit.
Eligible Concession Cards: Centrelink issues a number of concession cards for a variety of reasons. Some cards have a generous or no income test and therefore holders of these cards are ineligible for a fee concession under Category One. Only CCC’s that are eligible for CSEF are eligible for the School Fees Concession Program.
The following CCC’s are the most common cards that are eligible for CSEF. The CCC type is specified as a two or three letter code printed on the concession card.
- YA or YAL – Youth Allowance
- PPS – Parenting Payment Single
- PPP – Parenting Payment Partnered
- DSP – Disability Support Pension
- NSA – New Start Allowance
- LI – Low Income
- FA – Family Tax Benefit
- SA or SKA - Sickness Allowance
- CAR - Carer Allowance
- ABA or ABY - Schooling Applicant
- AGE - Age Pension
- AUS - Austudy
- HCC - Health Care Card
- PTA - Partnered Allowance
- SPL - Special Benefit
- WID or WFD or WFA – Widow Allowance/Pension
- The CCC must be issued in the name of the fee payer and list the students for which the concession is to be applied.
- The expiry date of the card must be on or after 1 January of the year (2023) for which the concession is to be applied.
- If an eligible concession card expires after the start of the year, the concessional fee rate will still be applied for the entire year.
- If a family becomes eligible during the course of a school year, then a pro-rata concession may be granted.
Lodgement of Application: Application for 2023 close on Friday 23rd June 2023, please lodge your application immediately for your card to be checked and a pro-rata concession to be applied if applicable.
The following application forms must be completed and are available from the school office:
- Complete the school’s application form & the Direct Debit Request (DDR) Service Agreement (or Centrepay application form)
- Submit the completed forms and present a valid CCC for verifying and copying.
- Complete and return the CSEF application form immediately after receiving it from the school.
Important Notes:
- The concession is automatic for a parent/guardian responsible for the school fees, who holds an eligible CCC.
- Any offer of a concession is subject to the applicant entering into a DDR Service Agreement or CentrePay arrangement for a regular payment plan of remaining fees (either weekly or fortnightly payments preferred). Any default in payment may result in the concession being withdrawn.
- The Direct Debit form is available from the school office or alternatively the CentrePay application form is available online at https://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/forms/sa325.
- A CSEF application must be submitted for a concession to be granted.
- A new application must be made for each school year.
- Where the fee account is split, the concession applies to only that portion payable by the eligible card holder.
- All families requesting, or receiving, a fee concession must notify the school should their financial circumstances change sufficiently to affect the level of concession offered or if cards are cancelled.
Please complete the below concession request forms and return to admin together with a copy of your valid concession card before Friday 23rd June 2023.
CONVEYANCE ALLOWANCE
Eligibility:
An application on behalf of a student may be submitted if the student is:
- a Victorian resident;
- school aged and enrolled (3) three or more days per week at a school; and
A student who meets the above requirements may be eligible if they:
- attend their nearest appropriate non-government school/campus
- reside 4.8km or more by the shortest practicable route from the school attended
Note: Eligibility is assessed when the School completes your child’s application on the Student Conveyance Allowance System
(SCAS). If approved, the allowance payable is based on the one-way distance to make the journey to and from school.
If you are eligible and wish to apply for this allowance, please click the link to the Conveyance Allowance Application Form, which must be printed and completed and returned to the school office by Friday 10th March, 2023. Late claims cannot be accepted.