Annual Reminders
General Office Opening Hours
The General Office is always the first point of contact for parents/visitors/contractors when attending the school or making contact with staff or students during school hours.
All visitors to the College must sign into and out of the College using the Compass touchscreen kiosk in the General Office. Appointments are recommended and can be made by email or telephone.
We are available to answer any questions you may have in the first instance or help find the right person for you to contact.
Hours of operation for 2026:
Mon-Thurs 8:00am - 4:00pm
Fri 8:00am - 3:30pm
Uniform Shop
Correct uniform is compulsory at Wantirna College. The uniform shop is usually open on Monday and Thursday from 3.00 pm to 5.00 pm. They are also open on the first Saturday of each school term. See Compass for times.
As the start of the year is a busy time there may be additional opening hours. Please check Compass.
Enquiries to: uniform@wantirnacollege.vic.edu.au
Direct Phone: 9881 7168
Annual Reminders for our School Community
Each year we are required to distribute the following information to families. If you are at all unsure about any of these matters, please get in touch with the General Office to have your questions answered.
Please see our regular General Information page at the back of this Newsletter for more information, including Student Absences and leaving school early.
Up to Date Enrolment Record
Have you moved house? Do you have a new mobile number? Has Grandma moved into a retirement village and can no longer be an emergency contact?
It is vital the school has all your current contact information so you can be contacted in the case of an emergency, so you don’t miss out communications or, for example, NAPLAN results when they are mailed out and cannot easily be replaced. It is very easy for us to email you your child’s entire enrolment record which you can make your adjustments to. Just contact the General Office to get that sent to you.
Privacy
Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy.
For more information about privacy, please refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents.
This information is also available in ten community languages:
| * Amharic | * Somali |
| * Arabic | * Sudanese |
| * Dari | * Turkish |
| * Gujarati | * Urdu |
| * Mandarin | * Vietnamese |
Use of student photos in Compass and Newsletters, etc is also covered by this policy.
Refunds for Camps & Excursions
Every year there are circumstances that prevent students from attending a fully paid excursion/ camp/sporting event, and we learnt during the last few years that events can get cancelled outside the control of not only students and families, but also outside the control of the school and the department.
We always work with our providers to agree on the most flexible of terms, but often it is not possible for them to be able to refund charges at late notice, and large portions of event costs are fixed (such as buses and venue hire).
Families therefore need to be aware that whilst we make our best efforts to facilitate refunds for non-attendance or cancellation after the due date of an event, it is not guaranteed that a refund will be possible. Travel insurance can cover these sort of eventualities, and parents and guardians can purchase such insurance policies from commercial insurers.
Injuries
As parents can probably imagine, students sometimes get injured in the normal course of school life. Thanks to your Parent Contributions, we are able to have a Registered Nurse on staff during school hours who provides a wonderful level of first response, but we cannot stress
that the following are NOT covered by any school, or department insurance policy:
personal accidents or ambulance costs for students
private property brought to school by students, staff or visitors. This includes a mobile phone or musical instrument that may have been lost, stolen or damaged.
Parents and guardians can purchase insurance policies to cover these from commercial insurers.
Full details on insurance arrangements for schools can be found here:
https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/insurance/policy
We strongly encourage families to be members of Ambulance Victoria, as we do not hesitate to call an ambulance should our staff determine it in the best interests of an unwell student – and the cost of one emergency road transport is in excess of $1,200!
Please follow this link for more information: https://www.ambulance.vic.gov.au/membership/
CSEF Application
Parents who received CSEF in 2025, are not required to complete an application form for 2026, providing there has been no change to their family circumstances.
New Families to Wantirna College
Any new families to Wantirna College will be required to fill out the application form attached with a copy of your current Health Care Card, you will then need to hand it to the main office.
CSEF Information
Financial Assistance Information for Parents
Camps, Sports & Excursions Fund (CSEF).
Every Victorian child should have access to the world of learning opportunities that exist beyond the classroom. The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund, will ensure that no student will miss out on the opportunity to join their classmates for important, educational and fun activities.
School camps provide children with inspiring experiences in the great outdoors, excursions encourage a deeper understanding of how the world works and sports teach teamwork, discipline and leadership. All are part of a healthy curriculum. CSEF will be provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.
If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. The allowance will be paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions, or sporting activities for the benefit of your child. The annual CSEF amount per student will be:
• $400 for secondary school students.
How to Apply:
You will need to provide a copy of your current Health Care Card with the application.
Parent application close 3 July 2026.
Claiming Your CSEF Benefit
You will be able to claim your CSEF on Compass when giving consent for events.
Peter Cameron
Business Manager