From the Office
Absentee SMS
A reminder that absentee messages are sent via SMS daily, please respond with your reason via the Compass App link to the Parent Portal. Telephone calls are not required to explain an absence unless there are extenuating circumstances or your child will be absent for a period of time. Reducing phone calls will assist with the running of the office. Thank you.
Consent for use of Student Image and/or Work
A digital form has been be shared with you as an event in Compass to provide your consent for images of your child to appear in various places (e.g. in school newsletters, social media and promotional material).
If you have not already done so, please read the details of the event carefully, discuss it with your child, and once you have made your decision, either provide your consent or decline to provide consent.
To ensure that no child misses out on having their photo taken as part of school life, we will occasionally send reminders to parents and carers who have yet to complete the event.
2023 School Fee Information
School fees for 2023 have now been invoiced and statements will be issued by the end of Week 2 with annual or first instalment payment due on 28 February 2023. You may also view your school fee account in the Compass Parent Portal.
Please note the following:
▪ The invoicing of school fees and the distribution of school fee statements each month, is now a function carried out by the Catholic Education Office.
▪ Payment of fees, whether as an annual payment or payment by instalments is due on the date/s provided on your school fee statement.
▪ If an amendment is made to your school fee account eg your child changes subjects in a secondary school, etc. you will be emailed a statement which will provide a new schedule of payments and due dates. Please review this schedule to make any changes to your payments that are necessary.
Reminders for Late Payments
SMS and email reminders are automatically generated by our accounting software based on the number of days a payment is overdue and are distributed by the Catholic Education Office. For those families that may have difficulty in paying their school fees, these reminders may cause some distress. This is not our intention. Our intention is to support the collection of school fee accounts centrally and in so doing, alleviate some of the administrative work of our schools.
School Fee Account Enquiries
Please note, despite the centralisation of various functions, our school will always be your point of contact for matters pertaining to fees. If you wish to discuss your school fee account, please contact our school office. The role of the Catholic Education Office is to action centralised tasks on behalf of schools.
If you wish to pay by Instalments
Many families have already elected to pay their school fees by instalments. If you wish to avail yourself of this option please complete a Request to Pay by Instalment Form which is available on our school website or at the office. On completion of the request either email it to instalments@dow.catholic.edu.au or submit to the office. Following receipt of the request, instalments will be generated on your account and a schedule of payments and due dates will be provided on your next school fee statement. Please note it is only necessary to complete this form once during the period of child/children’s enrolment unless you wish to amend your payment frequency.
Difficulty with Payment
If you are experiencing financial difficulty, we encourage you to contact the office to discuss an arrangement that will assist you meet your commitments. This may include the completion of a Diocesan Application for Fee Concession. Be reassured that your situation will be treated with strict confidentiality and respect for your circumstances. Please note, if you have children in more than one school, it will only be necessary to submit one application.
For those families that received a Fee Concession in 2022, you will receive an email prior to your annual review date attaching a further Application for Fee Concession. You may also initiate an earlier review if you wish to do so by contacting our school office.
For further information regarding school fees, please access the Diocesan School Fee Management Policy and Frequently Asked Questions which is available on our school website.
