The Sunday School of the Buddhist Vihara Victoria was inaugurated in 1993 under the guidance of the late Venerable Gangodawila Soma Thero, in Noble Park. The school gradually grew since relocating to the current premises in Berwick under the guidance of the current Principal of the school, Venerable Digamadulle Wimalananda Thero. The present success of the school is the result of the dedicated and committed services of volunteers, teachers, visiting monks, and parents.
With the inception of the humble beginnings of three classes in 1993, our Cultural and Sinhalese Language School and the Dhamma School have today grown steadily to 18 classes with over 450 students. The school accepts students from the Prep classes to Year 9. Since 2022, the school operates in a magnificent two-storied building with sufficient facilities and modern technology to provide quality education to the students.
The Sunday School has classes in Buddhism and the Sinhalese Language where students take pride in wearing the Sri Lankan national dress code.
In the Buddhism classes, students learn the history of Buddhism, the Lord Buddha’s life, and his teachings, and apply these teachings to everyday life.
The Cultural and Sinhalese Language School is an accredited community language school of the Victorian government’s Community Language School Funding Program.
Click here to find out how to enroll your children in Buddhist Vihara Victoria Sunday School.
Our history
Ven. Gangodawila Soma Thera started the Daham Pasala at Regent Street in Springvale initially.
Daham Pasala was moved to 21 Rich Street, Noble Park and joined Ethnic Schools Association of Victoria (ESAV) as a language school.
With Buddhist Vihara Victoria Inc. moving from Noble Park to Berwick, the Sunday school also moved to 125 Homestead Road in Berwick.
Some important milestones in the Sunday school history:
- 2016 – Current Sunday school building
- 2021 – Double storey building with classroom and other facilities
Frequently asked questions
Each year during December and January, Sunday School accepts new enrolments and renewals of enrolments from current students.
How do I enrol my child / children to Sunday School?
When enrolments begin, you can create an account in EdNetConnect system (https://portal.ednetconnect.com) to start the registration process. Please note that during the enrolment process, you’ll be prompted to provide your Buddhist Vihara Victoria Inc. membership number or receipt number received after paying the “Enrolment Fee”. Therefore, please make the payment and obtain the membership number or receipt number beforehand, if you are not a member or haven’t paid the enrolment fee for the current academic year yet. You can find more details about making these payments and obtaining relevant numbers in below sections.
When enrolments begin?
Usually, every year by mid-December Sunday School is opening for enrolments. Please keep an eye on this page for exact dates.
What is the closing date for enrolments?
Enrolments are normally closing by mid-January. Please keep an eye on this page for exact dates. Please note that Sunday School does not accept any late enrolments after the close date under any circumstances.
My child / children are already attending Sunday School, do I need to re-enrol them?
Yes, every year all current students should go through a renewal process to update their details.
My child is still in kindergarten, can I enrol him / her for Sunday School?
Regrettably, Sunday School is operating classes only from Prep to Grade 9. If your child is attending a day school, then he / she is eligible to enrol in Sunday School.
Is there any fee involved with Sunday School enrolment?
Yes, you need to pay an “Enrolment Fee” to enrol your child / children to Sunday School. If you are a member of Buddhist Vihara Victoria Inc. (BVV) already or if you wish to obtain the membership, you don’t need to pay this fee. Please contact BVV committee via committee@vihara.org.au for any inquiries related to “BVV Membership” or “Enrolment Fee”.
How can I obtain the BVV Membership?
Please download, print, fill this form and hand it over to BVV Treasurer or email to memberships@vihara.org.au. Membership fee will be a minimum of $20 per month and will be charged via direct debit. You will receive the membership number after processing your application.
How can I pay the “Enrolment Fee”?
At this stage, the “Enrolment Fee” is $240 per family per year, and you should pay this fee as a single payment in the beginning before the enrolment process. Please use the bank account details listed below for the payment(s).
Name of Account: Buddhist Vihara Victoria Inc
BSB: 733-281
Account Number: 523 868
Bank: Westpac
Reference: Your mobile number
Please email the payment confirmation to treasurer@vihara.org.au and obtain the receipt number which is mandatory for the enrolment process.
2022 Enrolments
Enrolments for 2022 are closed now. Please contact the school via sundayschool@vihara.org.au for any inquiries.
School has a strict dress code as below.
Boys: White National Suite
Girls: White Lama Saree
Sunday School is operating on Sundays from 1.45PM to 5.30PM.
1.45PM – Assembly
2.00PM to 4.45PM – CSLS (Cultural and Sinhalese Language School)
4.45PM to 5.30PM – Daham Pasala
Please refer to the upcoming dates section for Term start and end dates and other special events and holidays related to Sunday School.
Every year there is a committee of parent volunteers getting elected to help with all the administration tasks of Sunday school. Office bearers including President, Vice President, Secretary, Assistant Secretary and Treasurer getting elected during the Buddhist Vihara Victoria Inc. Annual General Meeting (AGM) volunteers can handover their nominations to the Vihara before that.
All other volunteers for the rest of the committee are getting elected during the Annual General Meeting of Sunday school, normally on the 2nd Sunday after school starts. Please refer to upcoming dates section for AGM dates.
You can contact the Parents’ Committee via sundayschool@vihara.org.au email address. If you have any messages for class teachers, you can use the same email and members of Parents’ Committee will pass the message to relevant teacher.
You can call Vihara on 03 9702 6275, if you want to contact Ven. Digamadulle Wimalananda Thero (Principal of Sunday School).
Sunday School is operating from Sakyamuni Sambuddha Vihara, 125 Homestead Road, Berwick VIC 3806.
Below listed policies and procedures are available at Sunday School. Please request a copy via sundayschool@vihara.org.au, if required.
- BVV CSLS operating procedure
- Enrolment and withdrawal policy and procedures
Discipline policy and procedures
Grievance procedure / policy
Anti-bullying (including cyber bullying) policies
Equal opportunity policy
Information privacy and records policy
Student attendance policy
Child safe standards policies
First-aid policy
Fire evacuation procedure
Upcoming dates
Latest photos
Our Teachers
2022 Enrolments
Dear Parent,
Important facts about 2022 enrolments:
- Enrolments/renewals will be open from 2nd January 2022 to 2nd February 2022
- If you are a new parent to Sunday School please make sure you have your “BVV Membership” number or “Enrolment Fee” payment receipt number before proceeding with the enrolment
- If you are a new parent and don’t have one of these numbers, please check our FAQ section for more details about fees, payment methods, and how to obtain these numbers
- If you have any issues with these fees, payment methods, or numbers please contact the BVV Committee via committee@vihara.org.au email.
- Once you are ready please visit https://portal.ednetconnect.com and create a new account (if you are a new parent to Sunday School) or log in via the existing account to start the enrolment/renewal process.
- If you have any issues with the online enrolment/renewal process, including any technical issues, please use the below form to submit a ticket.
Online Helpdesk
If you are experiencing any issues with the online enrolments, please submit a ticket by completing this form with as much as details you can provide and with screenshots which will help to understand and resolve the issue efficiently.