From the Principal

Mr Torpey

St Justin’s Primary School acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Australia's First People and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which our school stands.

We pay our respects to the Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation, and their elders past and present, and emerging as we continue to proudly live and learn on their land.

St Justin's Primary School - Celebrating 40 years of Catholic Education

Dear Families and Friends,

Confirmation Reflection Day

On Wednesday our Year 6 students and Parish Candidates attended their Confirmation Reflection Day at Don Bosco Retreat Centre in Lysterfield. The day provided an opportunity for our candidates to reflect on what Confirmation means and the significance of Confirmation in their lives.

For a full news report written by Liana S and Stella C, please follow the link to the Education in Faith page on our website.

Fair on the Hill

Our Annual St Justin's Fair on the Hill is fast approaching with an amazing amount of work already done. Remember it is being held on Saturday 9th November 2024 from 11:00am-4:00pm. The rides are booked, the advertising art work is almost complete, sponsorship is coming in (but we always welcome any new sponsors - business and/or family: email stjustinsfair@gmail.com or refer to letter sent out in May 2024), the entertainment is looking very good, the call is going out for student stalls and we are starting to finalise food stalls but still need help in the following areas:

stall captain for the Pasta Stall (a long time favourite)
stall captain for the Book Stall
assistant stall captain for the Fruit and Veg Stall

If you can assist in any way, we would love to hear from you. This event can only be successful if we all put in. for more information, please refer to our Fair on the Hill page in our newsletter.

100 Days of Learning in Prep

Congratulations to all our Prep children who will be celebrating 100 days of learning next Friday 16 August. The Prep students have come such a long way this year. Miss Lea and Mrs Loadman are planning an exciting range of activties to do with "all things 100".

Be careful of the small senior citizens in the Prep classroom on that day!

The Music Soiree

Next Thursday 8th August at 7:00pm, we will conduct our Music Soiree in the PAC. This will be a wonderful opportunity for our students to showcase their amazing talent.

For more information, head to the Performing Arts page in our newsletter.

Footy Cards

Over the last few weeks we have seen a real interest in Footy Card collections and it's great to see students interacting with others, looking at the various collections. Sometimes these items become powerful tools that can socially connect students with others - building social skills and language. Trading cards can also be a great way to build on collections and whilst the trades remain fair and are conducted in good faith, it also helps with negotiation skills. However, we can sometimes find that cards are traded "unfairly" and students can be "caught off guard" or talked into swapping a "vaulable" card for one that is not so valualbe. If your child has a "valuable" card, it might be best to leave it at home or trade only when in the presence of mum or dad. It's also a good time to talk to your child about fairness, equity, etc. Please note that there are no rules to say that children must have trading cards or that they must come to school - it is okay to leave footy cards at home.

St Mary of the Cross McKillop's Feast Day

Next Thursday 8th August at 12:00pm, at a whole school Mass, we will celebrate the Feast Day of St Mary of the Cross. St Mary's motto was "Never see a need without doing something about it". As a result, St Mary helped establish many schools and educated students in the Catholic Faith. She became Australia's first Saint on the 17th October 2010. Everyone is welcome to attend our Mass - we would love to see you there.

Dropping Off and Picking Up

Thanks to all those who always drop off and pick up in the correct zones. It is much appreciated and really helps keep everyone safe in our community. On Tuesday we almost had a serious accident, mainly because of the traffic coming in and out of the school, speeding vehicles and drivers on phones. The heavy fog certainly didn't help but sometimes, it's better to prepare our children for challenges in life (if walking up the path in foggy weather a challenge) rather than take a shortcut that puts others at risk. If the weather isn't the best (either too hot or too cold), plan for the conditions - a little bit like the pathway of life really.

Please be reminded that NOcars enter through the Whalley Drive school gates to drop off or pick up children, unless a prior arrangement has been made with the Principal.

A reminder that no car should enter the school grounds unless:

accessing Before and After School Care.
permission has been granted by the principal.
picking up or dropping of students during class time.
attending an event after school hours.

Please note:

Parishioners will be arriving in the morning to attend Mass - they may park in the school grounds
if it is and raining and cold weather, students should use a jacket or umbrella - using the school grounds to drop off and pick up can make things even more dangerous.
the speed limit inside the school grounds is 5km/h - which is very slow.

Arrival Times

As you would be aware, we are experiencing high levels of absenteeism at the moment for various reasons. To help with the attendance recording procedure, we ask that:

any student arriving after the bell to please make their way to the office to receive a late pass. A parent/guardian is required to sign the student/students in via the Passtab (Ipad) at the office. The late pass will then be handed to the teacher, who will mark the roll accordingly.
If, for any reason, your child will be absent from school, can you please notify the office before 8:55am via:

The Audiri App,
Phoning the office (9561 7644) or
Emailing the office office@sjwheelershill.catholic.edu.au

Bell Times

School Hours
Monday	8.55 am - 3.15 pm
Tuesday - Friday	8.55 am - 3.30 pm

Bell Times
Morning	8:55 am (Bell) Line Up Undercover Area
	9:00am (Bell) Classes commence

1st Break	10:55 am (Bell) Eating
	11:05 am (Bell) 1st Break
	11:43 am (Bell) Line Up
	11:45 am (Bell) Classes resume

2nd Break	1:10 pm (Bell) Eating
	1:20 pm (Bell) 2nd Break
	1:55 pm (Bell) Line Up
	2:00 pm (Bell) Classes resume
	3:10 pm(Bell) Pack up (Monday)
	3:25 pm (Bell) Pack up (Tuesday - Friday)

End of School Day:
Monday	3:15 pm (Bell) Dismissal
Tuesday - Friday	3:30 pm (Bell) Dismissal

Attendance

Daily school attendance is important for all students to succeed in education and to ensure they don't fall behind both socially and developmentally. There is a direct link between school attendance and achievement later in life and students who regularly attend school and complete Year 12 or an equivalent qualification have better health outcomes, better employment outcomes, and higher incomes across their lives. It is important that students develop habits of regular attendance at an early age. Poor patterns in attendance in the early years lead to poor patterns in attendance throughout the school year. It also makes it difficult for students to form positive relationships with their peers.

Higher levels of education are associated with increased likelihood of being employed, being in good health and reporting life satisfaction (OECD 2016a, 2018).

Students are expected to attend the school in which they are enrolled, during normal school hours every day of each term. On a daily basis, absences tend to be short (less than 1 hour) or for the whole day.

How many days has your child missed this semester?

0-6 days: This is within the normal range. A child with this attendance rate is able to take full advantage of the teaching and learning opportunities available to them.

7-10 days: This attendance rate is below average. A child with this attendance rate could miss over 1 year of schooling between Prep and Year 10.

11-20 days: This is a poor attendance rate. A child with this attendance rate could miss out on up to 2 years of schooling between Prep and Year 10.

20+ days: This is a very poor attendance rate. A child with this attendance rate could miss out on up to 2.5 years of schooling between Prep and Year 10.

Art Show

Our bi-annual Art Show is fast approaching and will be held from Monday Sept 2nd - Thursday Sept 5th. Our Opening Ceremony will be held on Monay 2nd September at 2:30pm - everyone welcome. The Art Show will coincide with our Student Led Conferences, at which time, families are welcome to check out the work of our amazing artists.

East Central Zone Principal Network Meeting

On Friday 9th August, St Justin's will be hosting the East Central Zone Principal Network Meeting, involving principals from over 20 schools. The meeting will be followed by a Sponsors presentation, hosted by GM Sponsors. We look forward to welcoming guests to our community.