News from the Finance Department
Curriculum Contributions-2024 & 2025
Thank you to families who are still making payments for 2024 Financial Contributions. All amounts are greatly appreciated. Heathmont College is looking forward to another great year of teaching and learning in 2025 and advise that the Heathmont College’s voluntary financial contributions for 2025 will be posted via Compass late October, early November.
Contributions will sit in your Compass Parent Payment Portal and you can make a ‘one-off’ payment or smaller instalments if you choose.
The ongoing financial support of our families ensures that our school can offer the best possible education and support for all our students. All contributions make a huge difference to our school and the programs we can offer.
Extra-Curricular Items & Activities (user-pays) includes the Sports Academy, Instrumental Music, Camps, Excursions and/or ‘any item or activity that are above and beyond what the school provides free to deliver the Curriculum’.
School Saving Bonus
You may have seen the recent announcement of the School Saving Bonus, as part of the Victorian Budget 2024/25. There will be more information and guidance about the School Saving Bonus later this year, ahead of its implementation in 2025. This one-off support payment of $400 will be for each eligible student to help families cover the costs of school uniforms and activities in 2025. It will be available to parents and carers of every child enrolled in a Victorian government school in 2025. Cash will not be paid directly to individuals or families. Instead, families will receive a credit on their school account. The School Saving Bonus payment will be in addition to, the means-tested, Camps/Sports/Excursion Fund (CSEF) and any other application-based support through State Schools Relief. Please Helping families with the cost of living | Victorian Budget 24/25 for further reading.
Camps, Sports, Excursions Fund (CSEF) 2025
Heathmont College administers the Victorian Governments Program: Camps, Sports, Excursion Fund (CSEF) to assist eligible families to cover the cost of school trips, camps, and sporting activities. The allowance of $250 (Secondary School) is assessed and paid on a yearly basis and is dependent upon eligibility. Eligibility criteria and other information is explained on the application form. This form is also available in other languages, and hardcopies are available at the school office. A copy of your valid Health Care Card (must be valid on the first day of school in 2025) and must be submitted with this form. Click HERE to download a copy of the application form. Future Year 7 families: When the Year 7, 2025 Transition Camp comes up as an Event in Compass, you will have the option to allocation this funding towards the cost of the camp. Any CSEF funds remaining from 2024, from your child’s primary school, will be forwarded to us early next year.
State School Relief Year 7, 2025 Uniform Package
Students eligible to receive the Year 7, 2025 Uniform Package must be a Camps, Sports and Excursion Fund (CSEF) recipient (see above). Click HERE or more information about SSR.
Compass Parent Portal
A reminder that you can download the Compass app from Google Play or the App Store™. Choose ‘Heathmont College’ from the dropdown list and enter your unique login details. You (Primary Family) can ring the office to request a temporary password re-set if required.
Compass Sports/Excursion Events
Term 4 is a very busy one and a suggestion to families is to check your Compass Parent Portal at least twice a week for upcoming Incursion, Excursion and Sporting Events as cut-off dates for Consent and or Payments will be strictly enforced. A tight turnaround is required due to transport requirements, attendance limits, first aid packs to be organised etc. The re-opening of Events after the cut-off date is not best practice and will only be done in exceptional circumstances.
Compass Attendance
If your student is going to be late for school, please add an Attendance Note. You can use the drop-down for the reason and add the applicable start time. Students are required to sign in at the office when arriving late to school. If your student is leaving during the day for an appointment, you can also use the above method and add the actual time away from school.
Student ID Cards
It is a requirement for students to carry their Compass ID Card on them daily for attendance purposes, printing, canteen, and personal identification. If a student has lost their card or comes to the office on a regular basis to sign in late without their card, a new Compass ID Card will need to be ordered by you via: Compass / Cog / Compass Identity Card / Order New Card and pay the replacement cost.
Please be aware that your students’ 2024 Compass Card is VALID UNTIL a new one is issued in 2025 (usually late March).
The office welcomes your questions, suggestions or feedback.
Sandra Nebl
Office Staff