Finance

REMINDER: Due date for payments 

Looking Ahead

Finance Notice

We are already approaching the end of Term 3—only one weeks to go until the holidays! It has been an exceptionally busy term, filled with a wide range of activities, sporting events, and camps.

Here are a few important notes for this fortnight:

Failed Payment – Recurring Contributions

For families using a payment plan for Curriculum Contributions, if a payment fails, Compass will notify you by email with the reason for the failed payment. Compass will automatically attempt to collect the payment up to five more times, and you will receive an email after each attempt. To ensure your payments are processed smoothly, please check that your card details are current. 

You can update your card via the COMPASS app by following these steps:

1. Log in to your Compass account.
2. Hover over the cog icon in the top right corner of the screen.
3. Click on ‘Saved Cards’ from the dropdown menu.
4. Remove any old cards.
5. Link your new card details.

Excursions, Incursions & Camps – Late Payment and Consent. 

To ensure all students have the opportunity to participate, our school has established a clear and consistent process for payment and consent. Students who have not finalised payment and consent by the required date cannot attend, unless the principal determines exceptional circumstances apply.

Consent forms will always clearly state payment amounts and due dates, and families are given sufficient time to finalise these. Payments can be made via COMPASS, BPAY, EFT, or cash at the school office. For added convenience, the COMPASS event for camps also includes the option to set up a payment plan, making it easier for families to manage contributions over time.

Our payment and consent dates on Compass are set for a reason. Once these deadlines pass, a great deal of planning takes place behind the scenes:

• Providers must have confirmed student numbers to prepare resources and staffing.
• Purchase orders and budgets must be finalised, as the school pays providers in full.
• Transport, catering, venues and staffing allocations need to be locked in.
• Office and teaching staff need time to support families and manage logistics.

When payments or consents are submitted late, it creates significant extra work for staff—who are already focused on preparing high-quality learning and experiences for your children. It also adds unnecessary steps for families. For example: emailing the principal, wait for a reply, print forms, sign forms, scan forms, and emailing them back. You get the picture—it’s a lot!

We know time is precious. That’s why we’re aiming for more efficiency, less paperwork, and smoother processes for everyone.

Financial Help for Families

Langwarrin Park Primary School will make all efforts to ensure that students are not excluded for financial reasons. Families experiencing financial difficulty are encouraged to contact the finance office to discuss alternative payment arrangements as early as possible.

We thank all families for their support in helping us keep excursions, incursions and camps fair, safe and well-organised for every student.

Using your SSB on COMPASS

The School Saving Bonus can be used to support a range of optional school activities. Common examples include:

• School camps, trips, excursions, and incursions
• Swimming and sporting programs
• Outdoor education programs
• Graduation events

Please note: The SSB cannot be used for the following:

• Activities required not part of the standard school curriculum i.e.: Music Extracurricular.
• Before and after school care
• Classroom and homework materials

If you would like to apply your SSB to an activity listed on Compass, please contact the front office—either in person, by phone, or via email—with the details of the activity. Our staff will be happy to assist and allocate the funds for you.

Refunds

School Camp Payment & Refund Policy 

Camps are an important part of our school program, and we make every effort to keep costs as low as possible. Once bookings are made, the school is required to pay deposits and confirm numbers well in advance. These payments are non-refundable to the school.

Our school’s policy states: If a camp or excursion is cancelled or altered by the school, or a student is no longer able to attend part or all the camp or excursion, our school will consider requests for partial or full refunds of payments made by parents/carers on a case-by-case basis taking into account the individual circumstances. Generally, we will not be able to refund payments made for costs that have already been paid where those funds have already been transferred or committed to a third party and no refund is available to the school. For this reason, refunds cannot be guaranteed if a student withdraws, particularly when notice is given close to the camp date. Where possible, if the camp provider refunds the school, we will pass this on to families. For more information we invite you to read our school policy “CAMPS AND EXCURSIONS POLICY”.   We appreciate your support and understanding in helping us continue to provide these valuable opportunities for students. 

Stay Informed 

To keep up to date with school events:

• Check Compass regularly
• Enable Compass notifications or set calendar alerts
• Contact the office if you need any help navigating Compass

Qkr! by Mastercard

Qkr! (pronounced “quicker”) is a mobile payment app created by Mastercard to help schools and organisations manage payments more efficiently.

For our Prep families who may not be familiar with Qkr!, please note that while it’s not used often, we do still use it occasionally—particularly for PFC-related payments—as it helps us meet certain school administration requirements.

You can download Qkr! from your device’s app store. If you need any help setting it up, please see the Parent User Guide linked below.

If you need assistance managing costs, our Finance Office can help you set up a direct debit payment plan tailored to your family’s needs.

Thank you for being such a valued part of our school community. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need support.

Keep warm!

Jess Moran

Administration

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.

A guide for parents & families | Compass Education AU

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