How to Setup and Implement Parent Lounge

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Home

Parent Lounge

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Items to Action

Will show when one or more of the following items require parents to action:

• Acknowledgement of Student Absences

• Verification of Medical Details

• Add a Payment Method to a Payment Schedule Instalment

• Acknowledgement of Notifications

• Bank Details required for Deposit Refund

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Welcome 

This message/announcement is available to parents through the Parent Lounge homepage left menu Welcome.

To enable this function use TASS.web program Student Admin > Parent Records > Setup Information > Parent Lounge Setup on the 'Homepage' tab in the 'Menu Items' area.

The welcome text can be entered using TASS.web program Student Admin > Parent Records > Setup Information > Parent Lounge Setup on the 'Homepage' tab.

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Academic Reports

Parents can access a PDF copy of their student's academic reports.

There are 2 ways that parents can access Academic Reports:

1. Through Parent Lounge homepage left menu Academic Reports.
   This option will display the last 5 Academic Reports available. A 'See All' button is also available to view further published reports.
   To enable this function use TASS.web program Student Admin > Parent Records > Setup Information > Parent Lounge Setup on the 'Homepage' tab in the 'Menu Items' area.

2. Using the Parent Lounge top menu Student Details > Academic Reports. This option will display a complete history of Academic Reports.
   To enable this function use TASS.web program System Admin > Users > Portal Security Permissions.

In order for Academic Reports to be displayed in Parent Lounge, reports must have been generated using the 'Publish to Web' option in one of the following TASS.web programs:

Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Report Processing:

• Generate Student Reports.

• Generate Interim Reports.

• Generate Exit Statements.

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Absences

Parents can acknowledge and submit a reason for their student's unexplained absence through the Parent Lounge homepage left menu Absences.

Submitted absence notifications that have not yet been actioned in program Student Admin > Attendance > Student Information > Notifications from Parent Lounge will be displayed.

The absences that are visible to parents are maintained in TASS.web program Student Admin > Attendance > Setup Information > Attendance Setup on the 'Absentee Types' tab.

The reasons available to parents to use when acknowledging the absence are maintained in TASS.web program Student Admin > Attendance > Setup Information > Attendance Setup on the 'Absentee Reasons' tab.

Parents will also be able to submit absence notifications for their students in this program if the option 'Allow parents to enter Absence Notifications using Parent Lounge' option has been enabled in TASS.web program Student Admin > Attendance > Setup Information > Attendance Setup on the 'Parent Lounge' tab.

Two steps are required to enable this function:

1. Use TASS.web program Student Admin > Parent Records > Setup Information > Parent Lounge Setup on the 'Homepage' tab in the 'Menu Items' area.

2. Use TASS.web program Student Admin > Attendance > Setup Information > Attendance Setup on the 'General' tab in the 'Parent Lounge Parameters' area.

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Parent Directory

Parents can elect to publish their contact details. These details will become available to other parents through the homepage left menu Parent Directory > View Parent Directory.

Using the homepage left menu Parent Directory > Maintain My Directory Details parents can nominate which address(es) they display to other parents. They can also nominate the detail within each address that they share with other parents, e.g. A parent may not want to share his/her mobile phone number.

Parent Directory

The Parent Directory is configured using TASS.web program Student Admin > Parent Records > Setup Information > Parent Lounge Setup on the 'Parent Directory' tab.

There are 2 ways that parents can access the Parent Directory:

1. Using the Parent Lounge homepage left menu Parent Directory > View Parent Directory.
   To enable this function use TASS.web program Student Admin > Parent Records > Setup Information > Parent Lounge Setup on the 'Homepage' tab in the 'Menu Items' area.

2. Using the top menu Parent Details > Parent Directory.
   To enable this function use TASS.web program System Admin > Users > Portal Security Permissions.

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School Calendar Events

Calendar Events that have been entered using Staff Kiosk program Calendar > School Calendar (Maintain) can be made available to parents.

When a calendar event has a year group(s) defined, parents will only be able to see the calendar events and notices that match the year group(s) of their students.

There are 2 ways that parents can access the School Calendar:

1. Using the Parent Lounge homepage left menu School Calendar Events.
   The number of weeks ahead that calendar events are displayed is determined in Staff Kiosk program Calendar > Parameters (Setup) using the 'Number of weeks to display Calendar Events in the Parent Lounge homepage' field.
   For example, you may want to display any calendar event in the next 3 weeks on the home page.

The 'School Calendar Events' homepage menu will show the number of calendar events for the current day.

To enable this function use TASS.web program Student Admin > Parent Records > Setup Information > Parent Lounge Setup on the 'Homepage' tab in the 'Menu Items' area.

2. Using the Parent Lounge top menu Calendar > School Calendar.
   To enable this function use TASS.web program System Admin > Users > Portal Security Permissions.

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Daily Notices

Daily Notices that have been entered using Staff Kiosk program Calendar > Daily Notices can be made available to parents.

When a daily notice has a year group(s) defined, parents will only be able to see the daily notices that match the year group(s) of their students.

There are 2 ways that parents can access daily notices:

1. Using the Parent Lounge homepage left menu Today's Daily Notices.

The homepage left menu option 'Today's Daily Notices' will show a counter with the number of notices for the current day.

To enable this function use TASS.web program Student Admin > Parent Records > Setup Information > Parent Lounge Setup on the 'Homepage' tab in the 'Menu Items' area.

2. Using the Parent Lounge top menu Calendar > Daily Notices.

To enable this function use TASS.web program Systems Admin > Users > Portal Security Permissions.

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Curricular Activities

Details of assignments, tasks and other assessment Activities entered through webBook Progressive Assessment or Staff Kiosk Assessment, can be accessed by parents.

There are 2 ways that parents can access Curricular Activities:

1. Using the Parent Lounge homepage left menu Curricular Activities Due.
   This option will display the number of outstanding or incomplete Activities for each student at the school, with the facility to drill-down and view the Activity details.

The 'Curricular Activities Due' homepage menu will show the total number of outstanding Activities for all their students at the school.

To enable this function use TASS.web program Student Admin > Parent Records > Setup Information > Parent Lounge Setup on the 'Homepage' tab in the 'Menu Items' area.

2. Using the Parent Lounge top menu Student Details > Curricular Activities.
   To enable this function use TASS.web program System Admin > Users > Portal Security Permissions.

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Events and Payments

Parents are able to accept and pay for Events in Parent Lounge.

Online payment of Events requires the school to set up the Payment Gateway facility.

Refer to Online Payments in Parent Lounge Checklist.

Events and Payments are set up and maintained in Staff Kiosk under the 'Events' menu.

There are 2 ways that parents can access Events:

1. Using the Parent Lounge homepage left menu Events and Payments option. Only Events with a status of 'Approved' or 'Closed' will be visible to parents.

This 'Events and Payments' homepage left menu will show the total number of Events to which students have been invited, but have not been accepted or declined by the parent.

To enable this function use TASS.web program Student Admin > Parent Records > Setup Information > Parent Lounge Setup on the 'Homepage' tab in the 'Menu Items' area.

2. Using the Parent Lounge top menu Accounts & Payments > Events and Payments.
   To enable this function use TASS.web program System Admin > Users > Portal Security Permissions.

The following autohide options control how events are displayed on the Parent Lounge portal:

• Auto Hide Past. Tick this option to hide events that have already ended, i.e. events that have an end date prior to today's date.

• Auto Hide Declined. Tick this option to hide events that have been 'Declined'.

• Auto Hide Closed. Tick this option to hide events that have been 'Closed'.

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Extra Curricular

Parents are able to view and sign-up for Extra Curricular activities in Parent Lounge.

There are 2 ways that parents can access Extra Curricular activities:

1. To quickly sign-up to an activity, use the Parent Lounge homepage left menu option Extra Curricular.
   The Extra Curricular activities that are available for sign-up (for each student in the family), plus those awaiting approval, will be visible to parents. Click the 'Sign-up Now' button to go directly to the 'Extra Curricular Sign-up' page.
   When there are no activities available for sign-up, a 'See All' button will be displayed. When clicked, the Student Details > Extra Curricular page will open.
   To enable this function, use TASS.web program Student Admin > Parent Records > Setup Information > Parent Lounge Setup on the ‘Homepage’ tab in the ‘Menu Items’ area.

2.  Use the Parent Lounge top menu option Student Details > Extra Curricular.

To enable this function use TASS.web program System Admin > Users > Portal Security Permissions.

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Sports Fixtures & Results

School sporting events and results can be made available to parents through homepage left menu Sports Fixtures & Results.

The Sports Fixtures & Results portal is set up and maintained in Staff Kiosk under the 'Extra Curricular > Sports (Setup) menu.

Parents can access Sports Fixtures & Results using the Parent Lounge homepage left menu Sports Fixtures and Results option.

This option will display:

• A link that will launch the Sports Fixtures & Results portal.

• A list of upcoming fixtures in the next 14 days.

A record will only be displayed where a student in the family participates in an upcoming fixture, e.g. Andy Clark plays in the B Grade Hockey team that is playing this weekend.

The list will display:

• The student in the family to which the fixture relates.

• The Sport (e.g. Hockey) with an active link to the full list of fixtures for this sport.

• The team that is participating in the fixture and the opposition team.

• The Date and time of the fixture.

To enable this function use program Student Admin > Parent Records > Setup Information > Parent Lounge Setup on the 'Homepage' tab in the 'Menu Items' area.

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Parent Teacher Interviews

Parents can book their Parent/Teacher Interviews online.

Refer to How to Set Up and Run a Parent Teacher Interview (PTI) Conference guide.

There are 2 ways that parents can access Parent Teacher Interviews:

1. Using the Parent Lounge homepage left menu Parent Teacher Interviews.
   This option will display a list of any available Parent Teacher Interview conferences open for review or bookings.

The 'Parent Teacher Interviews' homepage left menu shows a counter with the total number of conferences open for bookings.

To enable this function use program Student Admin > Parent Records > Setup Information > Parent Lounge Setup on the 'Homepage' tab in the 'Menu Items' area.

2. Using the top menu Parent Teacher Interviews.
   This will appear dynamically for the parent when a PTI conference involves them and is open for review or bookings.
   To enable this function use TASS.web program System Admin > Users > Portal Security Permissions.

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Business Directory

Local businesses that support your school or provide sponsorship can be entered using TASS.web program Finance> Fundraising > Donor Information > Business Directory. A link to the Business Directory can then be made available to Parents through Parent Lounge. 

This requires the TASS.web Fundraising module to be operational.

Refer to 'How to Implement the Business Directory'.

Parents can access the Business Directory using the homepage left menu Business Directory.

This option will display:

• A link to the Business Directory portal.

• 5 Businesses listed in the directory based on the level of sponsorship, e.g. Platinum Sponsors will be displayed before 'Gold Sponsors'.

Each business listed will display:

• The 'Business Name' with drill-down to the full directory listing

• Email.

• Phone Number.

To enable this function use TASS.web program Student Admin > Parent Records > Setup Information > Parent Lounge Setup on the 'Homepage' tab in the 'Menu Items' area.

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Homework

Details of homework Activities that teachers have posted can be accessed by parents.

Homework is created using the 'Class Homework' option in Staff Kiosk programs:

• Using the left menu My Timetable > Hamburger Menu > Create Homework.

• Using the top menu Assessment > My Classes > Create Homework.

There are 2 ways that parents can access homework Activities:

1. Through homepage left menu Homework.
   To enable this function use TASS.web program Student Admin > Parent Records > Setup Information > Parent Lounge Setup on the 'Homepage' tab in the 'Menu Items' area.

2. Using the top menu Student Details > Homework.
   To enable this function use TASS.web program System Admin > Users > Portal Security Permissions.

Parent Details

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Parent Details

Parents are able to:

• View the parent names and occupations that the school has recorded for them.

• View the default address block (if nominated).

• Enter a request to update their occupations.

Updates that parents have submitted through Parent Lounge must be reviewed and accepted before they are accepted into TASS.web using program Student Admin > Parent Records > Parent Information > Updates from Parent Lounge.
 Parent Lounge will display a 'yellow alert' icon to indicate an update is pending until the address has been reviewed and accepted in TASS.web.

You can also nominate whether the default address block for parent records (usually Correspondence) is displayed in this screen. This is enabled through Parent Lounge permissions using the 'Display Default Address' option.

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Address Details

Parents are able to:

• View their address.

• Enter a request to update their contact details.

• Enter a request to update their address details.

Updates that parents have submitted through Parent Lounge must be reviewed and accepted before they are accepted into TASS.web using program Student Admin > Parent Records > Parent Information > Updates from Parent Lounge.
 Parent Lounge will display a 'yellow alert' icon to indicate an update is pending until the address has been reviewed and accepted in TASS.web.

The addresses that parents can view and/or be able to update are set up and maintained in TASS.web program Student Admin > Parent Records > Setup Information > Parent Records Setup on the 'Addresses' tab.

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Change Password

Parents are able to reset their Parent Lounge passwords. 

This is not available if LDAP or SAML is enabled.

Parents will be required to enter their existing (or old) password when nominating a new password.

This functionality is controlled by permissions. 

A notification can be sent via email when a parent changes their password by enabling the 'Notify Parent Lounge Contact via email when Parents update their password' option in TASS.web program Student Admin > Parent Records > Setup Information > Parent Lounge Setup.

Student Details

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Academic Results & Comments

Parents are able to view the history of results and comments that have been entered onto their child's academic reports. 

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Academic Analytics

Parents are able to view the following analytics in Parent Lounge:

• Academic Analytic Dashboard.

• Academic Comparative Analysis (Box plots).

• Academic Longitudinal Analysis.

• Progressive Assessment Averages.

• Progressive Assessment Ranks.

To enable this function use TASS.web program Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Setup Information > Reporting Setup on the 'Analytics' tab to enable the analytics that will be displayed to parents.

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Attendance

Parents are able to:

• View their student's attendance details.

• Submit absence notifications for their students.

For an attendance record to appear in the Parent Lounge, the 'Absentee Type' must have the Parent Lounge flag set to 'Yes' in program Student Admin > Attendance > Setup Information > Attendance Setup on the 'Absentee Types' tab.

To enable the function for parents to submit absence notifications:

• The 'Allow parents to enter Absence Notifications using Parent Lounge' option must be ticked in TASS.web program Student Admin > Attendance > Setup Information > Attendance Setup on the 'Parent Lounge' tab.

To force a parent to enter a comment when adding an absence notification, the option 'Is an Absence Notification Comment Required?' must be ticked in TASS.web program Student Admin > Attendance > Setup Information > Attendance Setup on the 'Parent Lounge' tab.

• The 'Absentee Type' has both 'Add in PL' flag and 'View in PL' flag set to 'Y' in Student Admin > Attendance > Setup Information > Attendance Setup on the 'Absentee Types' tab.

• The 'Absentee Reason' has both 'Add in PL' flag and 'View in PL' flag set to 'Y' in Student Admin > Attendance > Setup Information > Attendance Setup on the 'Absentee Reasons' tab.

Unactioned absence notifications will be displayed under the heading of 'Absence Notifications Pending'.

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Email Class Teachers

Parents are able to email their child's class teacher/s. 

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Emergency Contacts

This section of the screen will display the address(es) that has been defined as the 'Emer. Cont.' (Emergency Contacts) on the 'Addresses & Communication Rules' tab in program Student Admin > Student Records > Student Information > Students for this parent code.

It is possible to have more than one address block set up as the 'Emergency Contact' using Communication Rules.

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General Details 

Parents are able to view the details that the school has recorded for their children. 

There are four possible sections within the General Details screen:

1. Student Details & School Details.

2. Other School Details.

3. MCEECDYA – Student Details.
   Using top menu Parent Details > Address Details, parents are able to enter a request to update their MCEECDYA details.
   Updates that parents have submitted through Parent Lounge must be reviewed and accepted before they are accepted into TASS.web using program Student Admin > Parent Records > Parent Information > Updates from Parent Lounge. Parent Lounge will display an icon to indicate an update is pending until the address has been reviewed and accepted in TASS.web.

4. Student UD Areas – Student Details.
   Using top menu Student Details > General Details, parents are able to enter and update Student UD Areas made available to them in the Student Admin > Student Records > Setup Information > Student Records Setup: UD Areas tab. Updates that parents have submitted through Parent Lounge must be reviewed and accepted before they are accepted into TASS.web using program Student Admin > Parent Records > Parent Information > Updates from Parent Lounge. Parent Lounge will display an icon to indicate an update is pending until the address has been reviewed and accepted in TASS.web.

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Extra Curricular

Parents are able to view their child's extra curricular activity record if the TASS.web Extra Curricular module is operational.

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Issued text Books

Parents are able to view books that are currently on loan/hire to their children if the TASS.web Book Hire module is operational.

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Issued Equipment

Parents are able to view items of equipment that are currently on loan/hire to their children if the TASS.web Equipment Hire module is operational.

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Medical Details

Medical Notes

Illness Details

Parents are able to view and update the medical information that the school has on record for their child using:

• The top menu Student Details > Medical Details.  

• The pop-up in Events and Payments available when verifying student medical details.

Updates that parents have submitted through Parent Lounge must be reviewed and accepted before they are accepted into TASS.web using program Student Admin > Medical Records > Student Information > Updates from Parent Lounge.

A process to request all parents to review and 'Verify' that student medical details are up to date can be triggered using the 'Trigger for Verification Date' field in program Student Admin > Medical Records > Setup Information > Medical Setup on the 'Parent Lounge' tab.

The medical information that is then available to parents in each section can be set up in 'View Only' or 'View and Edit' modes using TASS.web program Student Admin > Medical Records > Setup Information > Medical Setup on the 'Parent Lounge' tab.

The ability to edit the setups on the 'Parent Lounge' tab is a separate permission point. If there is no 'Edit Parent Lounge' link, it means that you don't have access to this permission point.

1. General Tab.

   • Swimming Details.

   • General Medical Details (UD fields).

2. Medical Conditions Tab.

   • Medical Conditions – General Details.

   • Medical Conditions – Other Details (UD fields).

   • Medical Conditions – Attachments.

   • Medical Conditions – Medication Requirements.

   • Medical Conditions – Condition Specific Notes.

3. Immunisation Tab.

   • Immunisation Register.

   • Immunisations.

4. Practitioners Tab.

5. Supplementary Info Tab.

The medical information that is potentially available to parents and can be set up in 'View Only' mode includes:

1. Notes Tab.

Parents are able to view the standard notes that have been entered against their child's medical record using the top menu Student Details > Medical Notes.

2. Illness Tab.
   Parents are able to view basic information for their child's Illness Log (sickbay visits) by using the top menu Student Details > Illness Details.

Functionality is also available to allow parents to update medical information through Parent Lounge. Updates that parents have submitted through Parent Lounge must be reviewed and accepted before they are accepted into TASS.web using program Student Admin > Medical Records > Student Information > Updates from Parent Lounge.

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Timetable

Parents are able to view their child's timetable if the TASS.web Timetable module is operational.

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Pastoral Care

Parents are able to view a list of their child’s Pastoral Care entries and relevant details including the Date/Time, Type, Conduct, and Outcome. Each entry can be acknowledged to notify staff that they have seen the entry. 

To enable this function, refer to How to Set Up Pastoral Care.

Enrolled Students

Click here for more information on 'How to provide Future Parents with access to Parent Lounge'.

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General Details

Parents are able to view the details that the school has recorded for children entering the school at a future date, similar to the information displayed in Parent Lounge > Student Details > General Details.

Student UD Areas – Student Details.
Using top menu Student Details > General Details, parents are able to enter and update Student UD Areas made available to them in the Student Admin > Student Records > Setup Information > Student Records Setup: UD Areas tab. Updates that parents have submitted through Parent Lounge must be reviewed and accepted before they are accepted into TASS.web using program Student Admin > Parent Records > Parent Information > Updates from Parent Lounge. Parent Lounge will display an icon to indicate an update is pending until the address has been reviewed and accepted in TASS.web.

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Medical Details

Parents are able to view and update the medical information that the school has recorded for children entering the school at a future date, similar to the information displayed in Parent Lounge > Student Details > Medical Details.

Calendar

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eDiary

Parents are able to view their child's eDiary using the top menu Calendar > eDiary [Student's name]. 

Parents can:

• Customise their view of the eDiary by incorporating various feeds from areas within TASS.web such as:

  • Student Timetable.

  • Curricular Activities.

  • Sports Fixtures.

  • Parent Teacher Interviews.

  • Boarders Leave.

  • School Calendar.

  • Events and Payments.

• View the eDiary in a 'Day', 'Week', 'Month' or 'Agenda' mode.
  An eDiary will be available for each student in the family who has a Student Café licence.
  Functionality that is available in students' eDiaries is setup in Staff Kiosk programs:

  • Calendar > Parameters (Setup).

  • Calendar > Calendar Feeds (Setup).

Accounts & Payments

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Accounts & Payments

Using the top menu Accounts & Payments, parents potentially are able to:

• Access their account details.

• Access their statement(s).

• Pay their parent account electronically.

• Configure Payment Schedule.

• Access Events and Payments.

• Pay for Events and Payments.

• Access their 'Commercial Debtor' account.

• Pay their 'Commercial Debtor' account electronically.

There are several setups required to make these 'Accounts & Payments' options available.

1. When enabling Parent Lounge permissions in Step 4 below, the below permissions relate to Accounts & Payments: 

   • School Fees Account

   • Events and Payments

2. Setup the Payment Gateway facility.

Refer to 'How To' Guide Online Payments in Parent Lounge Checklist and one of the following:

• How to Set Up the PayWay Net Payment Gateway.

• How to Set Up the NAB Payment Gateway.

• How to Set Up the BPoint Payment Gateway.

• How to set up the OZOW Payment Gateway.

• How to Enable Parent Lounge Payment Schedules.

School Fees Account.
The 'Account Details' that are displayed in the 'School Fees Account' screen are setup in TASS.web program Finance > Parent Accounts > Setup Information > Parent Accounts Setup on the 'Parent Lounge' tab.
In order for Parent Statements to be displayed in the 'School Fees Account' screen, statements must have been generated using the 'Publish Statements/Generate Parent Lounge payment details' option in TASS.web program Finance > Parent Accounts > Billing Cycle > Parent Statements.

Therefore in TASS.web program Student Admin > Parent Records > Setup Information > Parent Lounge Setup on the 'Split Family Access' tab, the parent must have the billing address highlighted in the 'Addresses' field (even if there is no physical address entered in the billing address on that parent record).
To display 'Payment Methods' and 'Payment Schedules', Parent Lounge Payment Schedules must be enabled.

For more information, refer to How to Enable Parent Lounge Payment Schedules.

The 'Payment Methods' and 'Payment Schedules' enable parents to:

• Add and update their own Credit/Debit Card and/or Bank Account details.

• Add a Payment Schedule and display the instalments for the schedule.

A parent with ‘Split Family Access’ can have Payment Methods assigned or unassigned to their SFA Number in TASS.web program Student Admin > Parent Records > Setup Information > Parent Lounge Setup on the ‘Split Family Access’ tab.   

You can choose to show or hide unassigned Payment Methods in Parent Lounge.  This setup is done in TASS.web program Student Admin > Parent Records > Setup Information > Parent Lounge Setup on the 'General' tab. 

Events and Payments.
Refer to Point 8 above.
Commercial Debtors Online Payments Portal.
Parents are able to pay invoices for transactions that have been generated out of the Commercial Debtors module.

For further information, refer to the Commercial Debtors Online Payments Portal Checklist.

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Deposit Refunds

Parents are able to view and update their bank details for Student Deposit Refunds via Electronic Payment. This menu item will only appear when there is a Student Deposit Refund task issued from the EP Processing & Updates from PL program.

School Links

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School Links

'School Links' is a tool that your school can use to publish electronic documents or links to other web pages to parents, e.g. Maps, policy documents, event fliers etc.

Use Staff Kiosk program Links > School Links (Maintain) to set up and maintain links.

Note: Parent Lounge permissions are prefixed with the text 'School Link'.