From the Office
Please contact 9876 3289 if you have any questions.
CSEF, School Student broadband initiative extended, and more.
Kalinda Primary School
Have you heard of CSEF?
It is separate from the School saving bonus and available to certain eligible families. It can now be used against other siblings at the same school - this has changed from last year. It sits in your child's account as a credit, until it is nominated for an event. You need a current Health care card to apply. It can be used towards Camps, Sports and Excursions. We also have printed application forms at the office.
Please apply before applications close. If you have any further questions or are unsure if you are eligible please contact the office.
https://content.sdp.education.vic.gov.au/media/csef-application-form-2879
Do you need an interpreter?
School Student Broadband Initiative
Families and carers currently connected to the NBN network through the initiative will have their connection automatically extended with their participating internet provider until Friday 30 June 2028.
Eligible families and carers who already have a voucher to take part in the initiative should activate their free service with a participating internet provider as soon as possible.
This voucher will become invalid once the cap is reached.
For all other households
Families and carers who haven’t been assessed and may be eligible for the initiative should contact the NBN’s National Referral Centre for an assessment. If they are eligible, they will be sent a voucher to access free home internet until Friday 30 June 2028. However, this voucher must be activated before the 30,000 cap is reached.
Find out more
For more information, refer to:
School Saving Bonus code resend to families
The Department of Education has started re-sending SSB codes to families that have not yet used the bonus. The code resends will help ensure all eligible families are able to take advantage of the SSB.
Consistent with the initial send, codes will be sent to the email address of Parent A in the primary family, as captured in Compass.
Compass does not have the option to use this as a payment option - families are asked to email the school, stating what event they would like funds allocated to.
New web-page to help families and students prepare for a new school year
A new school year is an exciting time for students and families, but it can be a big step – particularly for those starting Foundation or moving to secondary school. The Department of Education has published a webpage with resources and information to help you prepare for the new school year.
During the school holidays, please consider reading through the resources, which include:
· tips to help transition between kinder and Foundation and primary to secondary school
· what to expect at school
· help with school costs and fees
· health and wellbeing guidance to support children’s mental health.
Please refer to the New year of learning webpage.
Details to save in your phone
Kalinda Primary School's main number is 9876 3289
Kalinda Primary School's mobile is 0429 871 758 (this number is only monitored in the event of a phone outage or excursions/camps).
You can also save the email address to ensure emails do not enter your junk folder -
kalinda.ps@education.vic.gov.au
You can email teachers directly through Compass, under your child's profile.
Parent Permissions are different in 2026
Families should now have received notification in Compass regarding permissions for various aspects of school such as Photo sharing, Local Walks and Watching PG rated material.
The Department of Education has recently made changes to allow Media (photo and video publication) permissions to apply to the child's school life (eg Primary School) 3 questions need to be answered regarding Media. If you have any questions or need assistance with any of the permission events, please contact the office.
If at any time you wish to change your selection (to give or withdraw permission for publication) please contac the school office.
Payment plans and different payment options
Do you ever find that Compass doesn’t cater for the payment option that would suit your family? If this is the case, please get in touch with us and let us know via a confidential email to kalinda.ps@education.vic.gov.au.
There are lots of different payment options available, but Compass limits us to offering one option to all families. If paying for an event over several weeks, or in smaller payments, suits your circumstances better, we are happy to make this available to you.
For further information please feel free to contact the office on 9876 3289, or by email to kalinda.ps@education.vic.gov.au asking to speak to Jen or Melissa in Finance. All finance and administration matters are strictly confidential, and we are happy to help in any way we can.
Scholarship details
Scholarships support students and families to assist with the cost of education and engagement in further study at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.
Scholarships are available for students:
studying in Victoria and who are citizens or permanent residents of Australia
enrolled in Years 4 -11
enrolled in Year 12 who plan on undertaking tertiary studies.
Scholarships are awarded to students who can demonstrate:
excellent academic achievement
Participation in school and local community activities
financial need as determined by the parent or carer receiving a Centrelink income support payment, or the student themselves receiving the Youth Allowance.
For more information including how to apply please go to this link: https://www.vic.gov.au/student-scholarships
Authority for another person to pick up your child
Occasionally families will have the need for someone else to pick up their child. For the safety of your child, please complete the attached letter, and contact the office so we can let staff be aware. The form used is a template from the Department of Education and will remain in the school archives.
Primary school children are unable to leave the grounds before 3.30 pm by themselves.