Enrolment Requirements for Schools
ENROLMENT REQUIREMENTS
Thank you for your interest in enrolling your child in one of our Primary or Secondary Catholic Schools. Because our Catholic Schools are a state-integrated school, we require that you obtain a Preference Certificate to enrol in our Catholic Schools and agree to pay the Diocesan Attendance Dues in full each year.
PREFERENCE CERTIFICATE
To be able to enrol in our Catholic Schools the child (or the parents) must have a connection with the Catholic Faith. Once this connection is established, this form is signed by the parish priest or assistant priest or one of the proprietor’s authorised persons of the local parish.
PLEASE NOTE
If you live outside the parish boundary (see below) or belong to another parish, you will need to contact the local catholic parish you are attached to.
When you sign your child’s Preference Certificate you are agreeing to pay the Diocesan Attendance Due in full each year. You are also signing that you are aware that the parish and the school share information and your family will be enrolled as parishioners.
WHAT ARE THE 5 CRITERIA FOR PREFERENCE IN OUR CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
5.1 The child has been baptised or is being prepared for baptism in the Catholic Church.
5.2 The child’s parents/guardians have already allowed one or more of its siblings to be baptised in the Catholic faith.
5.3 At least one parent/guardian is a Catholic, and although their child has not yet been baptised, the child’s participation in the life of the school could lead to the parents having the child baptised.
5.4 With the agreement of the child’s parent/guardian, a significant familial adult undertakes to support the child’s formation in the faith and practices of the Catholic Church. The significant familial adult is expected to be practising their faith in their own local parish. They may be a grandparent, aunt, or uncle, who is actively involved in the child’s upbringing.
5.5 Catholic parents/guardians is preparing to become a Catholic.
I have no Catholic connection and my child Is not baptised: please contact the local priest where you live
SUMMER HOLIDAYS -NO PREFERENCE CERTIFICATE SIGNING
With the parish office closed during the Christmas and New Year holidays, there will be no preference certificate signings between mid-December to the end of January.
ATTENDANCE DUES
Attendance Dues are a charge payable to the Proprietor of the School (The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Christchurch) and are a condition of enrolment at integrated schools. The Parish (Catholic Parish of Christchurch East) collects the attendance dues on behalf of the Diocese for all children attending either St Anne’s Woolston or St Mary’s New Brighton or St James Aranui or Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary Schools. Attendance Dues are not a donation, and they are not tax-deductible.
Attendance Dues are for property-related costs, including compliance costs, school building works, loan repayments, building insurance, and costs directly associated with the administration of Attendance Dues.
The Catholic Special Character Contribution (CSCC) helps cover the costs associated with the delivery of professional development services in support of the Catholic Special Character in Catholic Primary Schools. This is set at $15.00 per child per term and is exempt from GST and is tax deductible.
Bishop Michael Gielen has authorised that Attendance Dues for Diocesan Primary Schools be increased to 430.00 (Plus GST) per year for 2024. A copy of the letter from Bishop Michael Gielen is available here.
Bishop’s letter: Primary Attendace Dues 2024
The Attendance Dues are reviewed annually.
2024 Costs are as follows:
Total per year: $554.60 per child (4 terms)
Total per term: $138.65 per child
This is made up of:
Attendance Dues: $494.50 including GST per child per year ($123.65 per term)
Catholic Special Character Contribution: $60.00 no GST per child per year ($15.00 per term)
Attendance Dues Payments can be made weekly, fortnightly, monthly, per term or annually.
If you are experiencing hardship, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Fr Job (via the parish office) and we’ll do our best to give you support.
Google form for the preference certificate application
Upon receiving this application online, you will be contacted to make an appointment to meet the Parish priest or one of the assistant priests or one of the proprietor’s authorised persons who signs the preference form. It is a requirement that you should bring the original baptism certificate to establish your Catholic connection as required by the preference criteria. If you don’t get a ring from the office within three working days, please ring the office: 03 384 1600
Thank you.