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November 2021
Keep up-to-date with us and what's happening in the education sector
- COVID-19 Board Employee & ACC-Funded Teacher Aide Reimbursements
- 2022 Budget Reminder
- Crown Loans
- School Cyber Safety
- Xero Tip of the Month - The Plus Icon
- Welcome to the team: Abhay, Kerrin, Ian and Maria
- School Invoicing
- Congratulations to our Survey Contest Winners
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COVID-19 BOARD EMPLOYEE & ACC-FUNDED TEACHER AIDE REIMBURSEMENTS
The Ministry of Education is providing funding to assist schools who have incurred additional costs in relation to board employees and ACC-funded teacher aides during the Alert Level 3 and 4 restrictions that commenced 18 August 2021.
If your school or kura is applying for both funding schemes, please ensure that you use the correct application forms provided below and submit them separately.
COVID-19 board employee reimbursement:
Funding will be provided to schools and kura who have incurred additional costs in relation to the following board employees:
- Kapa Haka Tutors
- Canteen staff
- Out-of-school care and recreation (OSCAR) employees
Please note the costs incurred must be in relation to the Alert Level 3 and 4 restrictions that commenced 18 August 2021.
To be reimbursed as part of the 1 January 2022 operational grant instalment, applications need to be submitted no later than 5 November 2021.
Applications can still be submitted after this date, but the payment will be made as part of the 1 April 2022 operational grant instalment.
COVID-19 board employee reimbursement:
Schools and kura can claim reimbursement of ACC-funded teacher aide costs incurred from 1 September 2021 to the end of the Alert Level 3 restrictions that would otherwise be covered by ACC.
To be reimbursed as part of the 1 January 2022 operational grant instalment, applications need to be submitted no later than 5 November 2021.
Applications can still be submitted after this date, but the payment will be made as part of the 1 April 2022 operational grant instalment.
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2022 BUDGET REMINDER
Just a reminder that for all the schools that we prepare the budget templates for, that a copy of that template can be found in Google Drive within the AFS - "School Name" / 2022 Accounts / Budget folder. Please let us know if there are any other staff / BOT members that require access to this Sheet (view only or editing access).
Details about the process can be found within our budget newsletter, sent late September 2021.
We have also provided a link to our webinar from last year, that provides some further insight around the budgeting process and key areas to consider.
Please contact us if you would to discuss the budget in more detail. We will however be checking in over the next few weeks around the 2022 budget preparation.
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CROWN LOANS
Need help to fund energy-efficient heating or lighting within your school?
Crown Loans, a low cost, interest free loan provided by the EECA (The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority) is available to fund equipment that delivers carbon, energy and cost savings, including electric vehicles.
Crown loans are interest free but there’s a one-off flat rate procurement fee of $500 for loans up to $50,000 and 1% for loans of more than $50,000. This is to cover EECA’s establishment and loan administration costs.
Crown Loans can help your school with the following:
- Installing and upgrading equipment such as energy efficient heating, refrigeration, and lighting;
- Installing commercial heat pumps and biomass boilers;
- Installing solar water heating for swimming pools; and
- Purchasing electric vehicles.
Is your school interested in applying for a crown loan? Click the button below for further information and to access the funding application form
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SCHOOL CYBER SAFETY
The internet and associated online tools are constantly changing, providing schools with exciting new possibilities every year. Unfortunately, though, accessing the Internet is not without its risks. Educating yourself, your staff, and the students who access your network on potential threats is key to avoiding cyber-attacks and keeping your users safe.
There are plenty of great resources out there, including the Ministry of Education website, which provides an excellent guide on understanding cyber safety as well as some handy tips; you can access this by clicking the button on the right.
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XERO TIP OF THE MONTH - THE PLUS ICON
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Want to save time streamlining your actions on Xero?
When you log in to Xero, you will see a little plus icon (+) at the top right of the screen. Although it may seem like such a small detail, this one icon can be extremely helpful as the icon will let you access common actions in Xero from anywhere in the application.
Clicking this icon lets you quickly access several different functions, such as creating a new invoice, contact, bill or purchase order. This shortcut will save you time and help you develop a flow within your accounting process.
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SCHOOL INVOICING
While education is free in state Schools and Kura, there are still chargeable expenses for families and whanau that apply should the activities or equipment fall outside the school curriculum.
To avoid unnecessary stress and confusion, we suggest informing parents what financial costs are voluntary, mandatory, and dependent on whether the pupil participates in an activity that is not part of the curriculum, e.g. violin lessons.
We've put together a small guide below on what schools can and cannot invoice for, along with some key notes to consider when communicating to the school community.
Key areas schools CAN continue to invoice for:
- School Uniforms
- Extension programmes, such as gifted education
- Overnight camps/optional events, if not considered part of the core curriculum
- Purchase of non-compulsory equipment (ICT, Music Instruments, book club, etc.)
- Stationery/School Magazine/School Ball/Discos, if optional.
- Attendance dues (for State-Integrated Schools)
- Transport, if not considered part of the core curriculum
Key areas schools CANNOT invoice for:
- An activity or event that is part of the school’s curriculum
- Software subscriptions; unless they can be accessed from home and are not compulsory such as Mathletics, ReadingEggs, etc.
- ICT equipment, nor can schools require students to bring their own devices.
- Course fees
- Course materials - this would impact some tech type fees
- Swimming as part of the school curriculum
- Workbooks, textbooks & photocopying
Overnight Camps
Schools can request donations for Camps that are considered to be part of a specific course or the school's core curriculum, however, parents do not need to pay the requested amount. Hence the school would need to carefully consider the wording around overnight camps, consider whether it’s part of the curriculum, and whether it would be considered optional. If the camp does not meet criteria, then the School could only request a donation, rather than produce an invoice for the camp.
In essence, the ability to invoice for these activities will be very much dependent on the wording; hence it is critical that the message is delivered to the school community in such a way as to engage their support.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to give our team a call to discuss.
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WELCOME TO THE TEAM: ABHAY, KERRIN, IAN AND MARIA
Abhay Joshi
Originally from Mumbai, India, Abhay graduated from the Wellington University of Victoria with a master in professional accounting.
As our new Business Services Accountant, Abhay will be working with you to prepare and provide crucial financial information while providing insightful strategic advice to support your business.
Abhay is passionate to genuinely help people and help ensure we maintain high levels of client service.
In Abhay's spare time, he enjoys travelling (domestically at present) and playing cricket for the Wellington Petone Club.
Kerrin Hotop
Meet Kerrin, a local Wellingtonian with an extensive background in sales in the information technology and services industry with over 17 years of experience in management, payroll and HR.
Kerrin is our new Practice Manager and will be responsible for overseeing all of our administrative, marketing and IT business operations, making sure things run smoothly and seamlessly.
Outside of work, Kerrin enjoys spending time with her husband and four children. During the winter weekends, you'll find her on the netball courts umpiring for primary children.
Ian Tanasukitwanit
Ian grew up in Phuket, Thailand but has lived in New Zealand for the past 20 years. He studied at Otago University, graduating with an Accounting Technician Certificate in bookkeeping.
Ian has joined the team as our new bookkeeper and will be responsible for recording financial transactions and preparing source documents for all transactions and operations.
Ian has a thirst for learning and is looking forward to progressing his career as a bookkeeper while offering support to our team.
Ian's interests include cooking, baking and constructing magnificent structures and buildings with Lego.
Maria Joseph
Born and raised in Kerala, south of India, Maria relocated to New Zealand after completing her business studies at Bangalore University.
As our new bookkeeper, Maria will be responsible for recording financial transactions and preparing source documents for all transactions and operations.
With a love of numbers and the need for organization, Maria is looking forward to helping us record and maintain our financial records.
Maria's interests include gardening, cooking and socializing with her friends.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR SURVERY CONTEST WINNERS
Congratulations to our lucky drawn survey winners:
Belmont School & Kapakapanui School!
Thank you to all schools that participated in our survey; we really appreciate your time and insight.
Those who didn't get a chance to participate, stay tuned for more exciting contests and promotions to come. You can still complete our survey via the invitation email sent last month if you haven't already done so.
Stay tuned: Click the button below to like our Facebook page where we regularly post updates, contests and tips and tricks.
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