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School Donation

Sean Bailey —

Please read the information below in regards to the 2018 Voluntary School Donation.

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

As you know New Zealand has a free state run education system where children can attend their local state school without families having to pay compulsory fees. However, in order for state schools to meet the many demands of providing a quality education, including the most up to date facilities and resources, most schools ask parents for a voluntary donation each year.

You may also be aware the new government campaigned with a policy to discourage schools seeking a donation by offering a state provided payment for those who do not seek a donation. The school fully supports this initiative however we are unsure when this policy will be implemented. In the meantime we want to provide the best environment we can for our learners, and the funds raised via school donations are a huge help in providing some of those extra resources that otherwise wouldn't be available.

Therefore the Lemonwood Grove Board of Trustees have decided to request a voluntary donation from families for 2018.

The Board of Trustees has given significant consideration as to what is a reasonable donation to ask for. They have also surveyed what our neighbouring schools are doing. We have made an effort to balance the potential benefits to the learners, alongside the understanding that education already results in significant costs to families.

We are therefore suggesting a donation of $60 per student, capped at $150 per family for 2018. Of course as this is a donation, individual families can donate an increased or lesser amount if they wish depending on personal circumstances. For those of you wishing to spread the cost over the year, we encourage you to consider making your donation by regular instalments.

If you are a new family who has joined our school community during the year, Sarah will discuss with you our pro rata system depending on when you enrolled your child(ren) at Lemonwood Grove.

Our school bank account details are: ASB 12-3153-0053465-00.

Please ensure you include your family name and “Annual Donation” as a reference. If you wish to discuss internet banking or automatic payment options further, please speak with Sarah in the office.

Please note this is a voluntary, tax-deductible donation. If you request, we can send you a receipt to enable you to claim this on your next tax return.

Donation requests will certainly be reviewed when more is known about the details of the government's new donations policy.

Thank you in anticipation.

Drew Winter

Board of Trustees Chairperson