General Information (2 of 2) 

GOVERNMENT MONEY AVAILABLE FOR HEALTH CARE CARD OR PENSION CARD HOLDERS OR FOSTER PARENTS

CSEF (Camps, Sports, Excursions Funding)

CSEF is Government funding which is available to families to offset the cost of camps, sporting events and excursions which form part of your school fees.

Those eligible for funding through CSEF:-

1. Health Care Card, Pension Card or Veteran Affairs Card Holders;

2. Foster Parents;

3. Students over 16 who hold their own Health Care Cards (not previously eligible but the rules have changed!)

How much will you get:-

Each Primary Student $125.00

Each Secondary Student $225.00

If you have previously applied for CSEF Funding, there is no need to complete another application as we will reapply on your behalf in 2022. If you have a new Health Care Card or are unsure if you applied previously, please fill in the attached form or pick up a copy from Reception. Please see the attached article for more information.

We will be lodging applications soon, so please ensure that you have applied, so that you don’t miss out.

TRAVEL CONVEYANCE ALLOWANCE 2022

The travel Conveyance Allowance is Government funding available to school families to subside the cost of travel to School by both bus and car. The eligibility criteria for the Conveyance Allowance is set by the Department of Education, including; you must be traveling further than 4.8km by the most practical route to get to and from School and you must be live closer to BHCS than to any other similar Schools, such as St Andrews in Wantirna South.

If circumstances remain unchanged from year to year, there is no need to reapply, however if the following changes have occurred it will be necessary for you to complete a new application in order to qualify for ongoing Conveyance Allowance in 2022:-

-      A change from car travel to bus travel, or vice versa

-      Your family has moved and changed address

-      You have a child who has commenced at BHCS in 2022 who was not listed on your previous application

-      New families to BHCS are encouraged to complete a form and submit their applications if they have not already done so.

Payment of the funding is made directly to BHCS at the end of each term and is applied as a credit to families' school fee account.

If you have any queries or to obtain a copy of the necessary form(s) please email your request to accounts@bhcs.vic.edu.au by the end of February, 2022.

SCHOOL ACCOUNTS

We are in the process of issuing your annual school fees account. These should arrive via email within the next few weeks, together with the information regarding the commencement of Direct Debit arrangements.

If you have not yet returned your Direct Debit Form, please do so without delay.  Should you have any queries regarding your school account, please contact our Finance Office at accounts@bhcs.vic.edu.au

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL BUS USERS

Families who make use of the School bus are reminded of the following:

• Students must embark and disembark at their allocated stop and should not get off at a different stop without having made prior arrangements via buses@bhcs.vic.edu.au
• Travel on alternative buses for social engagements is not permitted.
• It is mandatory for all bus users from Year 3 - 12 to wear a face mask when travelling on any school buses.
• If your Junior child/ren is being collected by a relative or friend from their PM bus stop, please email this arrangement to buses@bhcs.vic.edu.au

Should families require emergency travel they are encouraged to email buses@bhcs.vic.edu.au.  In cases of emergency, where room is available, the School will work with families to find the most suitable arrangement.

COMMONWEALTH SCHOOL DATA COLLECTION NOTICE 

As an Independent School receiving Government funding, we are legally required to provide information in accordance with the Australian Education Act 2013 (the Act) and the Australian Education Regulation 2013 (the Regulation). This is collected for:

• Student Residential Address and Other Information Collection
• Financial Accountability (FA)
• Financial Questionnaire (FQ)
• Student Attendance (STATS)
• Non-Government Schools Census (Census)
• Census Special Circumstances Applications.

The attached document contains further information on why the information is collected, how it is collected and what is collected. The document also contains a link on where to find out more about school data collections and reporting.

BUSHFIRE MANAGMENT PLAN 

Many families will be wondering what procedures we have in place in case of emergency during the fire season.

BHCS is on the BARR (Bushfire At-Risk Register).  This means the school is required to follow a certain set of guidelines during extreme fire days, and will be closed on days deemed to be Code Red.  This means that on Code Red days, no persons will remain at school and out-of-school care will be cancelled. Please take the time to read through the PDF of the School’s procedures for a Code Red day.

The School has passed the audit that looks at our Emergency Procedures and the maintenance of the school's grounds in relation to fire risk. We also continue to review our emergency procedures on an annual basis to ensure we maximise the safety of our entire school community.

To view the school's procedure in relation to the bushfire season, please see the included PDF.

CFA Resources

The CFA offers resources for families in relation to making their own Bushfire Plan. This information can be viewed at the link below:

https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/your-bushfire-plan

 Independent Schools Victoria Articles

For articles by Independent Schools Victoria that speak to the issue of bushfires, please click on the links below:

 Helping people deal with traumatic events

 Talking with kids about bushfire emergency

ISV - THE PARENTS WEBSITE

Belgrave Heights Christian School is part of the Independent Schools Victoria network of schools. Independent Schools Victoria offers an initiative called The Parents Website.  Here you will find a range of articles and newsletters.  To learn more, please click here.

HEALTH AND WELLBEING RESOURCES

We know that it can sometimes be hard to find the necessary resources in relation to mental health, bullying and family violence, especially when things are tough. For this reason, the School has a small webpage with links related to health and wellbeing resources. This can be found on the School's website under Other Resources or can be found here

CYBER SAFETY AND SECURITY

All families were sent the School's Digital Technology and Cybersafety Policy to ensure that families understand the School's processes and expectations when it comes to cybersafety.

Parents and carers are also instrumental in ensuring that children are provided with the tools they need to stay safe online. Depending on the age of the child, this may mean ensuring access to the internet is monitored and advising a child about what to do when they feel unsafe on the internet.

The school has a small cybersafety page with links to assist families with finding information. A link is available on our website or it can be found here

This year the Online Safety Act was launched, expanding Australia’s protections against online harm and to keep pace with abusive behaviour and toxic content. To read more about the Online Safety Act, please click here

Educating children in online safety forms part of child safety processes and occurs in partnership between families and the School.

2022 OSHC CARE 

Please find the Parent Information Leaflet below which outlines information about before and afterschool care, the programming, and how to register your child/children.