ENROLMENTS

Rationale

St Mary’s School embraces the mission of the Church by welcoming the enrolment of all students and families who share their vision and educational philosophy. Inspired and governed by the message and person of Jesus Christ, and committed to the physical, intellectual, social and spiritual development of each person, St Mary’s school provides Catholic education of the highest quality to its students.

Eligibility Criteria

St Mary’s School will follow the order of enrolment priority outlined below. As a Catholic school, the priority is the provision of a Catholic education for Catholic children from the school’s parish/s. While Catholic schools in the Diocese of Ballarat are open to families of all faith and nonreligious backgrounds, they must give priority to enrol Catholic children ahead of other Christian denominations, non-Christians, or children of no religious affiliation.

Local pastoral discretion is an important element of decision-making regarding enrolment and is executed by the school Principal. While the priority of the Principal is to enrol the children of Catholic parents, where deemed appropriate, pastoral discretion may be exercised in enrolment.

The order of priority for the school is:

Siblings of children already enrolled in the school
Catholic children for whom this is the closest Catholic Primary school to the child’s predominant residential address
Catholic children for whom this is not the closest Catholic Primary school to the child’s predominant residential address (for pastoral reasons, following referral of parents to the closest school and discussions between colleague Principals)
Other children who are seeking a Catholic education with priority given to those for whom this is the closest Catholic Primary School to the child’s predominant residential address.

Enrolment Procedures

Families who are considering enrolment at St. Mary’s are to make contact with the school office to book a time to meet with the principal.

Parents/Carers meet with the principal and complete a guided tour of the school. During the meeting process all aspects of the school are discussed, along with any particular learning needs of the student. Parents have a responsibility to disclose all factors and relevant reports that impact on the child’s learning needs and potential resource requirements.

At the completion of the tour parents/carers receive an information pack with all the relevant information and forms to be completed.

Fees and Levies

The school offers a number of methods for paying fees to reduce any financial burden and to assist financial planning.
If a family is experiencing difficulty in meeting the required fee payment, it is the responsibility of the parent/s to contact the school as soon as the issue arises.
Families may also be able to access the Family Fee Assistance Scheme.
Additional fees for optional extra-curricular/special educational experiences such as private music must be paid. In some cases, an outside provider will bill the family directly.
School fees and levy structure will be contained in the enrolment package.