From the Business Manager

Wantirna goes Solar Powered

After lengthy delays in approvals and then further delays thanks to COVID, our new 99.9kW solar power system is now on-line. You can see many of the 300 panels on the B- Block roof from the courtyard, with others on the Admin and A Block roofs less visible. Already, the system has generated 27mW of power with a daily high of 726kW, which is how much power 46 average Melbourne homes use each day.

The power usage profile of a school is perfectly suited to solar power, where most of our usage is during the day when the solar is being generated, so the investment of $90,000 by College Council is likely to achieve payback in well under 4 years.

For those interested in the ongoing performance of the system, the following link takes you to a public access summary:

Wantina College (solarweb.com)

This is another great example of where Parent Payment contributions made through the opt-in event in Compass give College Council the capacity to make meaningful investments in our childrens' learning, so now the local operating budget will have approximately $4,000 per month extra FOREVER to spend on better facilities and equipment.

Refunds & insurance

There are sometimes circumstances that prevent students from attending a full paid excursion/camp/sporting event, and we know from the last two years that events can get cancelled outside the control of not only students/families, but also outside the control of the school and the department. Likewise, students sometimes get injured in the normal course of school life. As we commence a new school year, it is timely to remind parents and guardians that the following are NOT covered by any school nor department insurance policy:

personal accidents or ambulance costs for students
private property brought to school by students, staff or visitors
event costs in the case of cancellation or change of mind etc

We strongly encourage families to have ambulance cover, as we do not hesitate to call an ambulance should our staff determine it in the best interests of an unwell student. Parents and guardians can purchase insurance policies from commercial insurers, including cancellation insurance for events.

Full details on insurance arrangements for schools can be found here: https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/insurance/policy