Can we help your Family?

From knowing about different types of welfare funding and support, what is going on in the school, access to food, uniform and stationery items or being able to offer different payment methods, there are many ways the school office team can assist, link you in with other staff and offer support to you and your family. Please contact Melissa, Jen or Annie for an informal, confidential chat on 9876 3289 or kalinda.ps@education.vic.gov.au.

Alternatively you can discuss these matters with Shaun McClare, Lauren Hopkins, Kylie Drummond or Mel Jeffery.

CSEF 2026

From 1 January 2026, families eligible for CSEF will see an increase in support to $400 for primary and secondary school children, up from $154 and $256, respectively.

Applications for 2026 CSEF support will open from 27 January 2026.

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) provides payments for eligible students to attend activities like:

school camps or trips
swimming extension activities and other school-organised sport programs
outdoor education programs
excursions and incursions

Those that are eligible to apply for the CSEF are:

families holding a valid means-tested concession card
a student over 16 years who is considered a mature minor and holds a valid concession card (such as a Youth Allowance Health Care Card or Disability Support Pension Card)
a special consideration category also exists for refugee and asylum seeker families and students placed in out of home care.

Eligible means-tested cards

Means-tested concession cards must now be valid on either:

the first day of Term 1
the first day of Term 2

The full list of eligible concession and health care cards is available on the Services Australia website.

For Veterans' Affairs, gold cards are the only means tested cards for this type. This card must be sighted, and a photocopy taken by the school to confirm the expiry date and eligibility.

Cards that are not financially means tested are not accepted.

Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund application form (DOCX, 97KB)

Spartan Uniform

Please see the new price list for 2025 -26

Kalinda Primary School can now access Smile Squad Services

Smile Squad is the Victorian Government's free school dental program.

A Smile Squad team from Each will visit our school in Term 2, 2026 and this means all students can get a free dental check-up, preventive services, and treatment at school.

If any students require a dental check-up or emergency treatment outside the Smile Squad visit at our school, they can do so by booking an appointment at Each.

Appointments can be made by calling Each at Ferntree Gully, 1063 Burwood Hwy, by calling 9757 6209 or Each Ringwood, 46 Warrandyte Road, by calling 9259 4900.

Smile Squad dental packs

All children deserve a healthy smile, and the Smile Squad free school dental program is working hard to help make sure this happens.

Your child(ren) will soon receive a free dental pack to bring home. The dental pack contains a toothbrush, full sized toothpaste, and an oral health brochure.

Please take the time to read the brochure. It’s full of helpful hints and tips to help your whole family eat well, drink well and clean well – for life.

Smile Squad provides standard strength fluoride toothpaste that is generally used by ages six and over, unless recommended by a dental or trained health professional.

If your child is under six, please talk to a dental or trained health professional to find out if your child might benefit from using this toothpaste. You can also choose to put the toothpaste away until they turn six or give it to someone else in your family to use.

Do you need an interpreter?

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 end up in your junk folder -

kalinda.ps@education.vic.gov.au

You can email teachers directly through Compass, under your child's profile.

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.

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.

https://www.kalinda.vic.edu.au/uploaded_files/media/1691544719permission_for_another_person_to_pick_up.pdf

Free Travel

The Get Active Kids Voucher Program is now open!

We are pleased to let you know that we are a Get Active Kids Voucher Program Activity Provider and Round 10 is open! Get in quick as applications for a voucher will close at 10am on 2 April or earlier if the budget allocation is fully exhausted.

If your family or child has a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, you may be eligible for up to $200 to put towards the cost of your child’s registration and membership fees at <insert club name>.

Important Dates:

Round 10 open to apply for a voucher or reimbursement: 10am Tuesday, 3 March 2026 and will close 10am on 2 April or earlier if the budget allocation is fully exhausted.

Reimbursement expenditure dates: from 1 January 2026 to submission of application

Vouchers expiry date: Wednesday, 29 April 2026.

Apply now at www.getactive.vic.gov.au/vouchers to have your voucher emailed to you. Let us know your voucher code when you pay your fees and we will take up to $200 off the registration and membership fee (as well as any included uniforms and/or equipment).

Library News

Kalinda Library News Term 1