Finance

REMINDER: Due date for payments 

Dear Families of 2025 Students,

Welcome to this fortnight’s newsletter from the Finance Department. Our goal is to keep you informed and ensure a smooth and transparent experience for all families.

As we work through several important tasks—such as allocating the School Saving Bonus (SSB), processing Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) applications, and receiving your generous curriculum contributions—we are reminded of the strong partnership we share with our families.

Although your contributions are not required, they are incredibly valuable in helping us provide the best possible learning experiences for your children. We sincerely appreciate your ongoing support in ensuring our students have access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive.

A Few Key Updates:

Curriculum Contributions:

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to those who have already made their contributions through the COMPASS portal. As a reminder, these contributions are key to enabling us to provide a variety of resources, programs, and opportunities that support your child’s learning and development. While voluntary, your contributions are essential in enhancing the educational experience and ensuring that our school remains a vibrant and dynamic environment for all students.

If you have not yet made your contribution, we encourage you to do so through the COMPASS Payment Center. Simply log in to the portal, click on “Payment Center,” and scroll down to the "Contributions" heading. You’ll find a customised list based on your child’s year level. To make payments more convenient, we offer options to set up weekly, fortnightly, or monthly installments, or you can make a one-time payment of any amount that suits you.

THRIVE Diaries:

By now, your child should have received their THRIVE diary. We would like to extend a big thank you to the dedicated ES Support and Wellbeing team for their hard work in collaborating with the front office to ensure these diaries were distributed.

The THRIVE Diary is an essential tool that will support your child’s learning and development throughout the year. It will be used every morning and evening as part of their daily routine. While not required, we highly encourage purchasing one, as it will be an integral part of their classroom activities. Diaries can be purchased via the Contributions section in the COMPASS Payment Center.

School Saving Bonus (SSB):

We greatly appreciate your patience as we work diligently to allocate the SSB funds to your family accounts. It’s important to note that these funds don’t automatically appear in your account—considerable administrative time and effort have gone into processing and distributing them. A special thank you to Mrs. Stocker and Mrs. Guest for their dedication in managing this time-consuming task.

Once your SSB funds have been applied to your account, please allow 2-3 business days for them to become available for use. If you wish to apply your SSB funds towards a school activity, please reach out to the school via phone or email for assistance. We understand that many of you are eager to use your SSB and CSEF funds through the COMPASS app. We have been in touch with COMPASS, and we are pleased to confirm that they are actively working on updating their software to integrate with the Education Department’s system, which will allow families to access this functionality.

Please stay tuned for further updates, and we will notify you once this feature becomes available.

Camps, Sports, and Excursions Fund (CSEF):

A reminder to all families that CSEF applications close on 4th July 2025. If you would like to apply, Please fill out a application form and send to the Finance Office. For further information and eligibility follow the CSEF Link below:

Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF)

Direct Debit Payment Plans: 

To support our families in managing payments conveniently, we offer the option to set up direct debit payment plans. This service allows you to spread out payments for the year in a way that suits your family’s needs. If you would like to explore this option, please contact our finance office to arrange a plan that works best for you.

Final Thoughts: 

COMPASS is an excellent system that will be a key tool throughout your child’s entire educational experience. We ask families to remain positive and engaged with this platform as we believe it offers great value to both students and parents. As we continue to explore and understand its features, we are learning more about its capabilities each week.

If you need any help using the app or have questions, there are many resources available to assist you, including user guides and in-person support. Don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re here to help!

Thank you once again for your continued support. Together, we look forward to a year full of growth, learning, and exciting opportunities for your child.

What is Compass?

Compass is a school management solution that allows parents and carers to access up-to-date and meaningful information about your school and your child’s progress. Compass includes many different features, including the ability to:

• Monitor your child’s attendance, and enter an explanation for absence or lateness
• Communicate with your child’s teachers, and update your family contact details
• View your child’s timetable and the school calendar
• Monitor your child’s homework and assessment tasks
• Download and view your child’s academic reports
• Book parent-teacher conferences
• Pay and provide consent for events and school fees

For more information about COMPASS PAY, please visit the link below.

If you need additional assistance, feel free to reach out to our office staff.

https://www.compass.education/guide/

How do I pay for an excursion on Compass?

Make snappy, online payments in minutes with our online platform. Simply:

1. Login to your Compass portal (mobile app or web), and view your home page. When an excursion requires consent/payment, a notification will appear here.

2. Click on this link to be redirected to your Action Centre, where all upcoming events/excursions requiring parental/guardian action will automatically display.

3. Click anywhere on the desired event’s line to open the consent/payment section.

4. Fill in the fields provided. To pay specifically, select saved credit card details from the dropdown menu available, or add a new credit via the ‘New Credit Card’ option.

5. Once completed, select Proceed, to submit your payment for processing. 

Friendly Note: Currently, only VISA or MasterCard payments are accepted by Compass. Alternative payment options may be available at your school’s general office.

Where do I see the payments I've made through Compass?

View in-Compass payments, in three simple steps:

1. Login to Compass.

2. Select the Cog Icon in the top right hand corner of your page.

3. Select the My Payments option, and review your payment history.

CSEF applies to financially means tested HealthCare Card applications.  If you have your own healthcare card (in your name), as listed below then you would qualify.

Below is a list of means tested cards that are accepted:

• ABSTUDY – Schooling Applicant (ABA)
• ABSTUDY – Secondary/Tertiary (ABY)
• Age Pension (AGE)
• Austudy Payment (AUS)
• Bereavement Allowance (BVA)
• Disability Support Pension (DSP)
• Health Care Card (HCC)
• Job Seeker (JSP)
• Newstart Allowance (NSA)
• Non-Agency Payment (NAP)
• Parenting Payment (PP)
• Partner Allowance (PTA)
• Sickness Allowance (SKA)
• Special Benefit (SPL)
• Widow Allowance (WDA)
• Widow B Pension (WID)
• Wife Pension Age (WFA)
• Wife Pension Disability (WFD)
• Veterans Card (Gold)
• Youth Allowance (YAL)

Cards that are not financially means tested are not accepted. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Foster (FO) – Foster Parents must provide a copy of the temporary care order letter from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
• Child Disability (CD)
• Family allowance (FA)
• Ex-Carer Allowance (Child) Health Care Card
• Carers Card (CAR)

Department Policy below. 

https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/camps-sports-and-excursions-fund/guidance/eligibility

APPLICATIONS CLOSE AT THE END OF JUNE.

For the first time State Schools' Relief is now offering a SUMMER version of our Prep CSEF Uniform Package so that the newest students in 2025 can start their school year all decked out! Applications for the Prep 2025 Summer CSEF Uniform Package are open now and can be placed via our online application portal. 

Information sheets for families, plus the order form, can be found on our website and downloaded as required.  

Please note the following:

-  All vouchers have an expiry and must be redeemed before the expiration date

-  All applications for this package will close at the end of Term 1, 2025.

In order for a student to be eligible to receive the Prep 2025 Summer Uniform Package the student must be a Camps, Sports and Excursion Fund (CSEF) recipient. 

To find out more, please visit the Department of Education website. 

Should you have any questions about this package, please contact our Customer Service team on 8769 8400 between the hours of 8.30am - 4.30pm, Monday to Friday or email us anytime at contact@ssr.net.au

Make the Most of Your School Saving Bonus with State Schools' Relief!State Schools' Relief offers high-quality, unbranded school uniforms and school shoes, perfect for using your School Saving Bonus (SSB).To help parents and carers navigate the process, we've created a digital information pack with all the details you need.Click or download below for more information:

SSB PORTAL USER GUIDE

HOW TO MAXIMISE YOUR BONUS

EXHANGES POLICY

The best news is that when you shop with State Schools’ Relief, you’re helping more than just your own family. Every dollar spent supports critical welfare programs for students in need across Victoria. So, you can feel extra good about those new school shoes!

School Saving Bonus

Parent and carer School Saving Bonus code distribution 

The Victorian Government is delivering the School Saving Bonus – a one-off $400 support for government school students from Prep to Year 12 in 2025.

From Tuesday 26 November 2024, you will receive an email from the Department of Education with your unique $400 School Saving Bonus code.

The School Saving Bonus will help families cover the cost of uniforms, textbooks, excursions, activities and more.

If you have multiple children enrolled in Victorian government schools for 2025, you will receive one School Saving Bonus code email per child. These emails might arrive on different days. Please make sure to check your spam/junk email folder.

Parents and carers can use the School Saving Bonus code in store at school-nominated suppliers. Parents and carers can also choose to access the School Saving Bonus online system, where they can allocate part or all the $400 bonus to use at school nominated-online suppliers or for school activities.  To learn more about the School Saving Bonus, visit School Saving Bonus | vic.gov.au (www.vic.gov.au). A step-by-step user guide will be available on the webpage on 26 November.  

If you have not received your School Saving Bonus code via email by Friday 29 November, please contact the Department of Education by emailing school.saving.bonus@education.vic.gov.au